Three Chord Thursday: Word painting, a musical technique

Can you describe the words you’re singing with music? Such is word painting, a musical technique first employed in the Renaissance period that led to programmatic music and eventually the fabric of film music. An example of singing “climbing up the stairs” would be going up the musical scale in pitch. Please join us at Three Chord Thursday  to celebrate Renoir’s 180th birthday on February 25, 2021 at 3 pm ET. Wear the colors of Renoir’s paintings…..!

We always start promptly at 3 pm with a warm-up, followed by our sunglasses ritual, line-up, and up to ten songs performed by volunteers who request to perform beforehand. We record and edit our song sessions to review, learn, remember, and share with the community. Join our new public Facebook Group to get the latest and greatest.

Read this article about word painting. Get some ideas by watching the following video.

DON’T FORGET YOUR SUNGLASSES!

The Line-up

As usual, we order the songs by increasing number of chords.

  1. Swedish Birthday Song in F – Lennart (MA) lyrics & chords (English translation) [3]
  2. When I Get Low I Get High in Dm – Marion Sunshine (1936) – Pat (CT) [3]
  3. What Goes Around…Comes Around in G – Justin Timberlake – Bruce (MI) [4]
  4. Hallelujah in C – Leonard Cohen – Paul (HI), Geni (NJ) [5]
  5. Flower Drum Song (Feng Yang Hua Gu) in C – Anne (MA) [6]
  6. Ob-la-di Ob-la-da in C – Bruce (IT) [7]
  7. Java Jive – Virginia (NY) [7]
  8. Do Re Mi – Anne (MA), Lisa (UK), Sue (MA) (in G 2-page PDF) [8]
  9. Autumn Leaves in Dm – Eve (TX) (1-page jpg) [9]
  10. Vincent in G – Don MacLean – Tony (UK) [13]

Other Suggestions

Here are some ideas, in alphabetical order by title.

  • ABC – Jackson Five
  • Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
  • Andante, Andante – ABBA
  • Anticipation – Carly Simon
  • Circle of Life
  • Circles – Post Malone
  • Clocks – Coldplay
  • Dancing Queen – ABBA
  • Dangling Conversation, The – Simon & Garfunkel
  • Despacito
  • Don’t Bring Me Down
  • Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
  • Exes and Ohs – Elle King
  • Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
  • Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen —>>> the fourth the fifth (F, G chords)
  • Jump – Van Halen
  • Knock Three Times
  • Mr Blue Sky – ELO
  • One Note Samba
  • Red Rubber Ball
  • Return to Sender
  • Riders on the Storm
  • Ring of Fire
  • Shout
  • Sing – The Carpenters
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit
  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow
  • Spoonful of Sugar
  • Stairway to Heaven
  • Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
  • Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
  • Sultan of Swing
  • Take Five
  • Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
  • Twist and Shout
  • Under Pressure
  • Up on the Roof
  • Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham!
  • You Raise Me Up
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3 Responses to Three Chord Thursday: Word painting, a musical technique

  1. Pingback: Three Chord Thursdays at Three –Anne Ku

  2. Pingback: Do Re Mi for ukulele – Anne Ku

  3. Pingback: Feng Yang Hua Gu (flower drum song) for ukulele – Anne Ku

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