Hey Friend,

We talked yesterday about the opening chord progression from "House of The Rising Sun" by The Animals.

I explained that while the song was written in the key of A minor, that didn't prevent the writer from changing the chord to fit the mood and subject matter. I was curious to find out who wrote it so I might get a better idea of whether the chord alteration was a result of musical training or one of feel/intuition.

What I found is that no one really know who wrote this song originally!

I find that rather fitting, as the song has a dark undercurrent of vice and ruin. Why wouldn't it have a mysterious origin?

The Animals made it huge in 1964, but it potentially dates back into the 1800s as an early Folk/Blues piece. I found this article highlighting some possibilities from American Blues Scene.

I put together a short exercise for you to try out the progression first using the chords from the key and then changing to the progression with the altered Dm chord. The tab is in simple 4/4 time with just a strum on each quarter note, so easy enough. The picking pattern in The Animals version can be challenging to nail, so I thought we'd skip the frustration!

Give that a try and listen to the difference the altered Dm makes to the overall sound of the progression. You can feel the dissonance - how the D major doesn't sound quite right in there, and yet it works right along with the story of someone heading down the wrong path in life.

Let me know what you think. Have a great one!

Peace~

Dave