Are you a House of Cards fan like me? If so, be sure to check out the Song Exploder Podcast, in which the host Hrishikesh Hirway interviews Jeff Beal, the creator of the House of Cards main title theme.
Beal states that one of the more important elements of the theme is the bass line. Beal’s son, currently studying jazz bass, actually contributed to the bass line that loops throughout the theme song. Beal recorded the bass an octave above, so that it would stand out and not get lost in the dense mix. He mentions the tension created between the bass line and ensuing harmony. The main bass line is in A minor, while the string harmony is A major:
It creates this very strange dissonance and this sense of collision. It’s basically a wrong note […] It’s like the bass player’s playing the wrong note, but it doesn’t sound like a wrong note because it’s ingrained, it’s got its own logic to it. It’s almost like Frank will push through anything. He doesn’t care, he’s not gonna stop playing those notes.Check out the main title theme.
Hirway also interviewed John Lunn, the man responsible for the Downton Abbey theme. Fans should be sure to check one out as well.
Those were the only two shows featured by Hirway that I was familiar with, but I’m going to subscribe. Who knows—maybe Game of Thrones or The Office themes will end up on his podcast someday?
(From Mark Bramhill, the guy responsible for the Welcome To Macintosh podcast, which is a great listen for Apple fans)