About the Composer

I’ve always liked the song “Mr. Tambourine Man”, but I admit that until recently I was mainly familiar with the version by The Byrds. Having finally taken the time to get to know the Bob Dylan version (as heard on Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits) in the past year or so, I find it a lot more beautiful and interesting to listen to.

This is surprising to me, because on the face of it there seems to be a lot more going on in the Byrds’ version, what with that unforgettable hook and all. But I’ve figured out the reason:

Inversions.

The Byrds play the song as straight first-inversion major chords IV V I over and over again. (That’s why they need that hook!) It’s pretty boring if you start paying attention. Now Bob Dylan does something really interesting. His IV chord is in the first inversion, so that when it toggles back and forth between I and IV, there’s a very pleasing major sixth leap in the bass.

I did a cursory web survey of the various sites that offer chord changes for popular songs, to see what the standard is for this song. I found out two things: 1) There is no standard. Every site I checked had a different version, and they’re all in different keys, and 2) and not a single one of them matches the way Bob Dylan played it, which is:

(in the key of F)

IV6      V               I               IV6
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me

        I                IV6                V
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to

IV6      V               I               IV6
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me.

       I             IV6               V         I
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you

While I wait for some information from an expert on a “real” post in the works. I’ll share some highlights from the period during my little break from blogging.

• For some reason, I’ve been seeking out and enjoying all kinds of folk music, including what’s known as “folk rock”. I guess I’m craving purity. Something I never thought I’d say in a million years: I like Bob Dylan.
• I have been on a roller coaster ride surrounding the possibility of my working on a very exciting project. Details will appear in a future post if the outcome is positive.
• My ability to read Yiddish has improved, but it will now all go out the window, because suddenly I want to learn Finnish. (This is a 20-year-old pattern with me.)
• Don’t even get me started on foreign names for various rodents
• I have finished a small portion of a musical theater piece, which is the only way I can get permission to use this particular source material. As I lose hair, I gain humility.
• My recent piece Letter to Hungary has been programmed by the Mission Chamber Orchestra in San Jose for next January (details coming).
• Within a matter of a few days, all of the following items broke
  • Sunglasses
  • Shoes
  • Internet connection
  • VOIP phone service
  • Drip coffee maker. (I’m now one of those annoying, self-righteous presspot people.)
• I “failed to appear” for jury duty. (No contest; I just plain forgot.) And now I must go brave San Francisco’s miserable public transportation system and the even more miserable “Hall of Justice”, and make it right.