We have all sang, at a moment or another a Christmas song. Whether it was a simple little tidbit like Rudolph or something more ambitious like White Christmas. But a lot of Christmas, although they seem to roll of the tongue because they are so catchy, have a special chord in them. To name it it’s the minor 7 flat 5 chord. It’s spicy and delicious like a cinnamon roll and it runs in a tons of classics. And, bonus! if the original song doesn’t have it, you can always re-harmonize it and slip in a minor 7 flat 5 chord in it. Now, I could get technical and explain how the machine works and make you admire how I know the cogs and the springs of the whole thing. But, it’s Christmas, I assume you’re reading this because you have time to kill and want to be entertained as well as informed, but not too severely, and, what a coincidence, that’s exactly my goal, so, I won’t bore you with the details. Just know that there’s a chord that transform any old song into a warm, fireplace-cocoa-marshmallow ready Christmas song.
Isn’t it fantastic? With one push of the button, you could have the tune “Creep” leaping among the pine trees! Any mega-death hit song growing elf ears! The Chopin funeral march glow with bright snow. That last one is shocking!
I invite the musician out there to explore this new found little secret. Re-harmonizing is an art in itself, but when you have a symbol as big as Santa Claus attached to it, how can one resist?