Obsessing 7 - Meanings of Seven

So what does seven actually mean? Well here in the mundane world, it comes after six and before eight, its just a symbol that represents an amount. Sometimes we know it as a lucky number, but in times past, it has important significance. It carries mystical meaning because it relates to the seven days of creation, seven chakras, the seven colors of the spectrum, seven planets, seven notes in the scale, seven days of the week, seven archangels, seven deadly sins, seven sages to name a few.

So what if four was replaced by seven in our current dominant musical meterical structure? What would happen? Would our consciousness start to change and vibrate with the higher realms? There are monks who chant the seven vowel sounds to alter their consciousness. What if we could do that with our own rhythms so that seven would be as natural as four is now? Could we exist simultaneously on the 7th dimension instead of being ruled by the fourth? Its just a rhythm... or is it?

If you feel like experimenting, here is a drone in 7 by Randy Graves.

7/8 Dijerido Drone

on the 7th plane,
BetZe13
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Obsessing 7 with less - Another Rapist

There is one song that I tend to default to when going through a break up... 'Its Over' by less. Some how it decisively flushes out the sticky residual emotions and general pissed off-ness. I needed this song yesterday...
...Back in the early 2000s I met less during my shell-shocked San Francisco days. I had moved from city of drones, Washington DC and was in awe of the polar opposite artistic freedomatic approach to life. Tainted by my musical schooling and east coast entrainment, it was ever so foreign for me to see this musical creation process. The rock star archetypal or career concerns did not pollute their process of drawing out bits and pieces stuck between alpha and theta, creating potential for a cult-like following. If they had all the resources they needed, I am sure they would've taken over...
...so since it has been a while (for the need of the break up song) I ended up listening to the whole album. And guess what, amongst other odd meters I found some 7, awesomeness just got wicked awesome. The chorus is 7/4, 7/4, 7/4, 8/4 (4/4) - the rest is in 4.

less - Another Rapist 4/4, 7/4

more to comments on the oddness of this artist to come,
more less info Firecodecore.com/less

Chick in 7,
BetZe13
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Obsessing 7 with Gentle Giant - Black Cat

Forty one years ago this juicy prog-ness was bestowed to the underground astute musical masses. Back then, odd meter was more in vogue, or I should say hip, going by their own riffs.

As you can see, the transcription begins with 7/8 and if you would like to see all of the pages the link is available in the notes on youtube. The majority of the song is in 7 with breaks in 3,4,5 & 6. The transcription is from an eighth note point of view, but I feel it more as quarter notes. This is where it might get tricky - is it 7/8 or 7/4? I say 7/4. Why? Because first and foremost is the feel. We can start with the tempo, how fast does it feel? Well at first listen I would say moderate, its actually 114 bpm. So does a quarter note equal 114 bpm (7/4) or an eighth note equal 114 bpm (7/8)? This subject I would say is slightly subjective. So I hear it as moderate tempo, so would call it then 7/4. But really whats more important here is the cool cat bass line...

Sevenly,
BetZe13
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Obsessing 7 with Fu Manchu - Pick Up Summer

Today here in the states we are celebrating our freedom and independence and this is usually the real start of summer. So what better way than to kick it off with Fu Manchu - Pick Up Summer. These guys represent hitailin' the open road, California sun, muscle cars and fuzz boxes that perfectly matched my convertible Mustang... that is until I drove it into the ground. Anyways the odd point here is that this is the only song I know by them that is in a odd meter. So here it is: 7/4, 7/4, 8/4, 7/4 (verse type of part) breaks in 8/4 or 4/4 and some 6/4... awesomeness...


Freely,
BetZe13
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Obsessing 7 with the Don Ellis Orchestra - Beat Me Daddy, Seven to the Bar

Does it get any cooler than this... Experimental Ellis and his orchestra, performing boogie woogie in 7 with three bass players, two drummers a conga player, 5 trumpets, one quarter-tone trumpet, 8 more horns and a piano/organ player? Perhaps it does... ... but have yet to see. Mr. Ellis states that it is in 7/8 but I hear it as 7/4. But who am I to argue with the metric maestro. Anyways, this song really swings the 7, grooves that beat 7 to the bar.

Don Ellis Orchestra - Beat Me Daddy 7 Beats to the Bar - 7/4


Beating 7,
BetZe13
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Obsessing 7 with Alice in Chains

In the early innocence of AIC, they ventured into 7 just for a partial part of one song, a hit song I might add. The pre-verse and verse are in 7/4, and the rest is in 4/4. Sometimes what gives this away is when the singer holds a note because the are not used the feel of the meter. It works here, and so does Cantrell's 7-solo phrasing. Being as creative and inventive as they are, I would/will like to see more experimental with odd meters. If they can hair toss like this to 7 imagine what they could do in 21/8.


Keepin' it ODD,
BetZe13
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7-1 to 7-7-12: Obsessing 7 this week and all month

This is the month for obsessing 7 - 7/4, 7/8, 7/16... Starting off with variations of this rotation and more to come...

Tune in to Odd Time Obsessed Radio

50 Foot Hose – Rose - 4/4, 7/4
Alice in Chains - Them Bones - 7/8, 4/4
BetZe - MIDI Treat - 11/8, 7/8, 3/8, 5/8
BetZe - See Van - 7/4
Bitches Brew - Bitches Brew - 5/8, 7/8, 5/4, 7/4
Boullt, Lindsey - Aurora’s Aura - 7/4, 9/4, 5/16, 9/16
Boullt, Lindsey - Cleopatra’s Third Eye - 7/8, 4/4, 7/4, 6/4, 6/8, 9/8, 15/8, 10/8
Boullt, Lindsey - Moving Panvishnu - 7/8
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 Shoreline - 7/4
Brubeck, Dave Quartet - Unsquare Dance - 7/4
Can - One More Night - 7/4
Captain Beyond - Mesmerization Eclipse - 7/4, 4/4, 11/4
Congreso - Vamos Andando Mi Amigo - 7/4, 4/4
Crimson Glory - In Dark Places - 7/4, 4/4
Devo - Jocko Homo [Booji Boy Version] - 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4
Dillinger Escape Plan - Party Smasher - 8/4, 4/4, 7/16
Don Ellis - Barnum’s Revenge - 7/4
Don Ellis – Orientation - 7/8, 9/8
Ekova - A Soul’s Delight - 7/4
Eskimo – Raven - 4/4, 7/8
Fallen, The - From Fragile to Strength - 7/4, 4/4
Flobots - Rhythm Method - 7/8, 9/8, 3/8
fred - Mucous Music - 9/8, 7/8, 4/4
fred – Mantra - 7/4, 6/4, 4/4
Free Design – Bubbles - 7/8, 4/4
Fu Manchu - Pick-Up Summer - 7/4, 4/4
Genesis - Dance on the Volcano - 7/8
Gentle Giant - Black Cat - 7/4
Hank Levy - Pete Is A Four-Letter Word - 7/2
Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters 6/8 – 7/8 - 6/8, 7/8
King Crimson - Larks' Tongues In Aspic(Part II) - 5/4, 7/4, 9/4 + +
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair - 6/8, 7/8, 8/8
King Diamond - Lucy Forever - 7/4 solo
Lamb – Merge - 4/4, 7/4
Lamb of God - A Warning - 7/4
Lamb of God - In the Absence of the Sacred - 7/4, 6/4, 9/4, 4/4
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean - 4/4, 7/8
Levy, Hank - Bop City Revisited - 7/4
Lords, Traci - Good n Evil - 7/8
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Be Happy - 7/4
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Cosmic Strut - 7/4
Mars Volta - Inertiatic ESP - 3/4, 2/4, 7/4
Melvins - Resolve (New and Improved) - 5/4, 4/4, 7/4
Meshuggah – Ritual - 7/4, 7/8, 6/8, 8/8
Metallica – Blackened - 7/8, 9/8, 6/4, 4/4, 7/4
Michael Karwowski - Is This All There Is? - 7/8, 9/8
Moondog - My Tiny Butterfly - 7/8
Moondog - Voice of Spring - 7/8
National Health – Pleaides - 4/4, 5/4, 7/4 +
Nosfertu – Highway - 5/8, 7/8, 9/4, 7/4, 4/4
Opeth - Hours of Wealth - 7/8, 4/4
Opeth – Windowpane - 7/4
Orange Goblin - Hot Magic, Red Planet - 4/4, 7/8
OSI – Better - 4/4, 7/8
Ozric Tentacles – Myriapod - 4/4, 7/8
Pink Floyd – Money - 7/4, 4/4
Police, The – Mother - 7/4
Porcupine Tree - So Called Friend - 7/8
Porcupine Tree - The Sound of Muzak - 7/4, 4/4
Porcupine Tree – Deadwing - 7/4, 4/4
Prong - Beg To Differ - 6/4, 5/4, 7/8
Quercus - Moonlight Mardigras - 7/4
Radiohead - Paranoid Android - 7/8, 8/8
Radiohead – 2+2=5 - 7/8, 4/4
Rush – Driven - 6/8, 7/8
Ryan Rapsys – Pseudocyo - 4/4, 5/4, 9/8, ¾, 11/8, 7/8
Say Bok Gwai - Yellow 5 - 7/8, 4/4
Self - Lucid Anne - 7/8
Setzer, Brian - Everybody is Up To Something - 7/4, 4/4
Solitude Aeternus - Midnight Dreams - 6/4, 5/4, 7/4
Soundgarden – Outshined - 7/4, 4/4
Spyra - Blue Daffodil - 7/8
Spyra - Sons & Daughters - 7/8
Sting - Like a Beautiful Smile - 7/8, 8/8
Sting - Love is Stronger Than Justice - 7/4, 4/4
Sting - Straight to My Heart - 7/8
Symphony X - Set the World On Fire - 4/4, 7/4, 9/4, 14/4
Symphony X - The Sacrifice - 7/8, 8/8, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8
Symphony X - The Walls of Babylon - 4/4, 6/4, 8/8, 6/8, 14/8, 7/4
Symphony X – Domination - 4/4, 7/4, 5/4
Symphony X – Seven - 4/4, (7/8 + 6/8), 7/4, 8/4, (7/8 + 8/8)
Tesla - Edison’s Medicine - 4/4, 7/4
Tool – Schism - 5/4, 13/8, 12/8, 15/8, 9/8, 10/8, 6/8 ,6/4, 14/8, 7/4
Ween - Even If You Don’t - 7/4, 4/4
Wild Turkey - 12 Streets of Cobbled Black - 7/4, 4/4
William Ackerman - Brother A Teaches 7 - 7/8
Woody Pak feat. Prime – Hyped - 7/8

Keepin' it ODD,
BetZe13
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