Chapter 3: The Harmonic Progression of Chord Generation: Sixth Chords

Harmonic Process: I’m not entirely sure about this one. I believe its the generation of chords by playing notes at the same time.

6th Chord as Extension: Using the 6th chord (or first inversion) as a suffix or prefix to its parent triad.

6th Chord as Representative: Using the 6th chord in place of its parent triad.

Dissonant Diatonic 6th Chords: The three dissonant diatonic triads (VII in major and minor and II in minor) are usually represented by their 6th chords.

Parent Triad: The triad from which the inversions are derived. See fundamental position.

Parallel 6th Chords: When 6th chords are voiced in succession they require a different doubling so as to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. This technique is called alternate doubling.

Fundamental Position: The chord positioned so that the fundamental or root note of the chord is in the lowest voice.

First Inversion: The chord positioned so that the 3rd is in the lowest voice, and the root of the chord is in the highest voice.

Second Inversion: The chord positioned so that the 5th is in the lowest voice, and the 3rd is the highest voice.

Chapter 4: The Progression of Diatonic Triads

Harmonic Progression: The selecting and ordering of harmonies in such a way that they form coherent and effectiv units of several chords. In a larger context, it is the progression of harmonies and harmonic units over the span of an entire composition.

Interval of Progression: The intervals by which the diatonic triads are measured in relation to the tonic.

Diatonic Location (position): The location of each diatonic triad is described in terms of its distance from I as measured by the bass interval of the descending 5th. Thus, the order of chords is I, V, II, VI, III, VII, IV.

Primary Triads: The tonic is considered to be of primary importance in tonal music. The fifth identifies or delimits the tonic triad. Just as the 5th delimits the triad, so the cadential succession V I delimits the key. The triads I and V are thus considered the primary triads.

Secondary Triads: The triads based on the remaining scale degrees are considered secondary triads.

Dominant Preparation: The stepwise movement of the IV or VI chords to the V chord.

3rd Relationship: The movement of the bass in intervals of 3rds.

Secondary Dominant Triad: A dominant chord which is borrowed from another key. This dominant chord sets up resolution to a chord which is not the tonic. The chord which is resolved to can be thought of as a temporary tonic (if this temporary tonic is used extensively [as in for more than a phrase] or is used as a new permanent tonic, then this is called a modulation).

Harmonic Direction: The two essential harmonic directions are toward the I and toward the V.

Harmonic Axis: The primary diatonic triads are the harmonic axis of tonal music.

Circular Progression: Departs from a chord and has as its goal the same chord-for example I I or V V.

Opening Progression: Departs from one chord and has as its goal a different chord. The prime example is I V.

Closing Progression: A progression which returns to I usually from V.

Harmonic Sequence: A progression which involves the repetition of a bass and chord pattern.

Phrase: A musical unit. Often two or more of these will make up a period.

Period: A complete musical thought, concluded by a cadence. Often it is divided up into two (or more) phrases. The first phrase opens to the dominant and is called the antecedent phrase, while the following phrase is called the consequent phrase.

Harmonic Function: The role of each scale degree (and its triad) in relation to the tonic.

Substitution: The exchange of one diatonic triad for another which has the same direction in relation to the harmonic axis. For example, the dominant preparations II, IV, and VI are interchangeable.

Subdominant: The IV triad is called subdominant because it occupies a position below the tonic triad analagous to that occupied by the dominant above (the tonic is a fifth above the subdominant). The IV chord is often used in preparation for the V. It is, however, sometimes used independently to serve a melodic function or to form a plagal cadence in a IV I succession.

Submediant: The VI triad is called submediant because it occupies a position below the tonic triad analagous to that occupied by the mediant above (the tonic is a third above the submediant). VI may be used as a dominant preparation in both major and minor. Another important role the VI fills is as a substitute for the tonic triad in major.

3,177 miles later, we have arrived to our final destination; Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We left Olympia around 12:30am Thursday morning. I woke up to the sun rising over grassy hills somewhere in eastern Oregon. It didn’t take us long to realize that 48 hours of straight driving, with four people was not going to be an easy task. However, we were all in high spirits by the time we made it to Idaho. I am grateful that I took notes where ever we went because the actual time we spent in the car feels like a big blur now. I am sitting her question which days we did what! We stopped for lunch in Salt Lake City and walked around the capital building to stretch our legs. I certainly didn’t spend enough time in that city to make statements, but I can say one thing; the traffic was terrible and we were excited to get out.

We stopped for dinner in Moab, Utah – we had hoped to make it to Arches National Park by sunset but the sun was down before we got there. I was really looking forward to revisiting this ‘spot of time’ that I mentioned before, at the same time of day, so I was pretty disappointed that it was dark when we arrived. After di

Our ‘Bon Voyage’ picture.

nner I got us to New Mexico before I had to finally switch drivers. During that time – when I was driving, and everyone was asleep (or at least trying to), I had time to reflect on how I can in
corporate the travel with the time I spend at each destination. Each state is different – the smells, the color of the trees, the size of the trees, the type of stores and restaurants, and the way people drive, to the music played on the radio stations. There is so much to take in, to notice and to process – especially because I’m not sending a lot of time in these places just a traveler passing through. I noticed that I was overwhelmed by the vastness of each place. I began to doubt my ability to be an observant traveler, and quickly remembered that I brought myself on this trip – and there’s nothing I can do about that.

We stopped for breakfast in New Mexico where I made a point of ordering green chilies in my omelet. At this point in our trip – we weren’t even pretending to have had enough sleep. We took some time to freshen up in the restaurant bathroom and started again on our way. We drove through New Mexico, Texas and made it really far into Louisiana (of course, stopping for the best barbeque I’ve ever had in my life for dinner) before we decided to stay at a hotel in Alexandria, LA. We need sleep, we longed for a shower and a place to stretch our legs but we did not want to deal with the madness of the French Quarter just yet.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like a new person – with a full night’s sleep, a shower and a hot breakfast I was giddy with anticipation as we drove a few more hours into New Orleans. Louisiana in the day time is so gorgeous – the trees are green and like nothing I’d ever seen before, and because it is almost all swamp, the whole highway felt like one long bridge. Once we finally got into New Orleans the first thing I noticed was the houses. The architecture is like nothing I have ever seen before – it reminded me of any other city as far as proximity goes, as in the houses are nearly attached to each other. But the colors, and the iron work are unbelievable. As soon as we pulled up to the French Quarter there was a rush of smells and sounds that filled the car – it was so ready to be there and be in it.

Our first stop was Café Du Monde for beignets and coffee. So. Many. Beignets. And zero regrets. After that – it was one street perform after a po’boy. All day long we spent wandering around, listening to music, talking with different performers and visitors. My favorite memory of the night was our time at Fritzel’s European Jazz pub, were we drank bourbon and coke, ate pizza cones and listened to hours of jazz music. Despite the name of the club, the jazz band was made up of 20-somethings from Louisiana playing traditional New Orleans Jazz music. I got the chance to speak with them for a while – they were so friendly and willing to chat. In my next post I plan on going into detail about this day, and my time in gulf shores but for now the sunset on the river is calling my name and I would hate to miss it.

At the end of every chapter of Allen Forte’s Tonal Harmony in Concept and Practice there are is a list of term which were introduced. I’m going to define these terms in weekly blog posts, and this particular post will include the terms from the first two chapters. I’ll soon put up another two posts which will address the list of terms from last week’s reading as well as this week’s. I’d also like to point out that there are quite a few other exercises included at the end of each chapter that I won’t be putting up on the blog. I’m also utilizing the exercises found on musictheory.net, and occasionally working through the lessons they provide as a supplement.

Chapter One: Structural Characteristics of the Fundamental Materials

Scale Degree: A tone in the context of belonging to a scale. Degrees are usually numbered starting with the tonic.

Chord: A group of notes which sound simultaneously.

Chromatic Scale: A scale which divides the octave into twelve semitones.

Triad: A chord made up of three notes based on intervals of thirds. The four types of triads are major, minor, diminished, and augmented.

Relative Minor: A minor scale shares the same key signature as its related major. The difference between the two scales is the placement of the tonic. This is different from a parallel keys which share the same tonic but different key signatures. An example of relative keys would be E minor and G major. An example of Parallel keys is E major and E minor.

Passing Note: A note that passes between or connects two more important harmonic notes.

Auxillary Note: A note that stands at the interval of a 2nd above or below two occurrences of a more important harmonic note.

Half Step: A semitone. B –> C or C –> C#

Leading Note: The major seventh of a scale so called because it has the tendency to want to “lead” toward the tonic.

Melodic Minor Scale: The melodic minor scale is the same as the natural minor scale when descending. When it is ascending, the sixth and seventh scale degrees are both raised a semitone in order to match the scales parallel major key. This is done to create a sense of direction up to the tonic, or down to the fifth (or dominant).

Inversion: A chord positioned so that its fundamental (the note on which the chord is based) is not the lowest note.

Octave Equivalence: The addition of an octave to an interval does not change the function of the notes involved.

Consonant Interval: According to Allen Forte, there are two types of consonant intervals. The perfect (octave, fifth, and fourth), and imperfect (diatonic thirds and sixths). He describes these intervals as stable.

Dissonant Interval: A dissonant interval is one that is active, or unstable. It is common to resolve such intervals to consonant intervals.

Tritone: A scale degree which lies precisely in the middle of an octave. It is attained by diminishing the fifth or augmenting the fourth.

Compound Interval: A compound interval is attained by adding an octave to an interval. Example: 2nd –> 9th or 4th –> 12th.

Augmented 2nd: An interval which is attained by raising the major 2nd by a semitone. It’s equivalent to a minor 3rd.

Diminished 5th: Equivalent to the tritone.

Compound Meter: A triplet subdivision superimposed upon a simple meter.

Submetrical: Notes of lesser duration than the metrical unit.

Rhythm: The division of time which structures the movement of a musical piece.

Chapter Two: The Triad: the Harmonic Basis of Tonal Music

Dissonant Chord: Any chord which contains a dissonant interval.

Doubling: Having two different instruments playing the same part.

Outer Voices: The bass (lowest) and soprano (highest) voices in four part harmony.

Position of the Octave: The position in which the soprano doubles the bass.

Position of the Fifth: The position in which the soprano voices the fifth of the chord.

Four-voice keyboard spacing: The position with the smallest intervals, thought of as taking up the smallest space if the notes were to be played on the keyboard.

Alto Voice: The second highest voice in four part harmony.

Figured Bass: Sometimes called thorough bass, it is a form of music notation which gained prominence during the Baroque period. In it, the bass note is provided along with numbers or symbols which indicate what chord should be harmonized with it.

Voice Leading: The recognition that each voice has its own individual, horizontal melody. That each voice is interdependent in a harmonic capacity, but that they may move freely through time (rhythmically independent) is the relationship of counterpoint.

Similar Motion: When two voices move in the same direction (up, or down), but do not maintain the same interval. When voices move in the same direction and maintain the same interval it is called parallel motion. When they move in opposite directions it’s called contrary motion, and when one moves while the other remains stationary it’s called oblique motion.

Cadence: A movement of chords which marks the division of a piece of music into different periods, or brings the piece to a full conclusion. There are a few cadences such as the authentic cadence (V to I) and the plagal cadence (IV to I).

Skip: Moving in an interval (equal to?… or) larger than a whole tone.

            North-Eastern El-Shorrai before the Second age and the coming of Gwynne.

Arcaeden is the name given to the broad region to the Northeast of the continent of El-Shorrai. It is bordered to the South by the River Glavnon and Llangwood Forest, to the North and Northwest by the Avasete Mountains and the realm of the Winterkings, and to the East by the Great Atlean Sea. It covers a span of approximately 10,000 square miles, and has about 1,000 miles of coastline. Its highest peak is Cor Morthwyl, the Hammerhorn. Its climate is mostly temperate, except in the North where the winters are cold and cruel.

The indigenous peoples of Arcaeden were originally Nomadic. After coming down from the Northlands, they spread across the area, forming many disparate tribes. Over the next several hundred years many of them settled beside major rivers and lakes, near the floodplains and dells found in the middle of the region, in or near the Llangwood Forest, or in the highlands of Avasete. These disparate groups spent this time warring and trading and praying to queer pagan gods.

• In central and southern of Arcaeden, much of the terrain is lightly forested woodland, with rolling hills and broad valleys. This caused problems for the tribes that settled this area, as the valleys typically turned into floodplains in the winter, and the mud brick houses they originally built would be washed completely away. Over time, they countered this by strategically building several large structures atop some of the larger hills, once they discovered the solid granite underneath. They continued to populate the valleys though, eventually utilizing aqueducts and irrigation canals to redirect the worst of the floods away from their villages. The River Greenwater was created this way. Mills were built with horizontal water wheels at first, that vertical ones after the invention of the gear. The used the resulting energy primarily for flour and lumber production.

The Riverlanders wore clothes of wool and leather, and fashioned spiked sandals to help them traverse the marshes. Flour was their primary crop, as it was easy to grow and took far less time and effort than the rice fields that their southern neighbors were planting.

They believed in the God of Storms, to whom they prayed and gave sacrifice so he wouldn’t flood the land in his anger. They also believed in a female raven deity, Maereghan, who represented wisdom and foresight and was able to fly above the floods. They prayed to Maereghan in the abstract belief that she was able to carry whole populations on her back and save them from storms. They were among the earlier cultures to develop a writing system, carving into lacquered wood and soft rocks with harder rocks, possibly obsidian, which they would have gotten from the North or West, where underground volcanic activity had occurred in the past.  Their earliest writings tell us that near the end of the first age a hero named Geirmund united a hundred tribes and built the Castle Ardunost, establishing his clan of Geirmundings and ruling for the next 35 years until his death.

• To the North, in Alcehorn, Avasete, and parts of what is now Dresdayn:

glaciation had occurred in the mountains, but at the time it was too dry for it to have occurred at lower elevations. In the lower areas, there are many valleys as you move south, a taiga mostly covered in larch forests or large outcroppings of limestone that over time formed the many caves of the region.

The tribes here were more inclined to war than their southern neighbors.  Those living in the highlands discovered large deposits of granite and mudstone and used the former to erect castles of impressive size for the time. They wore furs of wolves or bears, and sometimes the giant elk that used to be widespread in the area, although they also used these elk as steeds. These Northmen were also the first to discover bronze smelting by accident, since arsenic is an impurity sometimes found naturally in copper. Some time later, they began intentionally mixing tin into their copper for a stronger and more durable bronze alloy. With their obvious advantage over the stone, bone, and wooden weapons of the lowland residents, they often attacked and wiped out several tribes entirely, forcing the residents to retreat for safer territory. They were unable to prevent the spread of bronze smelting technology to the south however, and before long most tribes were using bronze to forge various weapons as well as early body armor. The Northern tribes fought amongst themselves frequently, and became a grim, hard people. These people are probably descended from Huw and the first men, who escaped the Aldren Genocide and settled in the extreme Northeast, before coming down from the northern ranges to make permanent settlements.

• The Southeastern portion of Arcaeden is dominated by the Llangwood, a temperate rainforest spanning over 1,000 square miles. The soil here is very fertile, and various deciduous trees are the predominant type of flora. The River Glavnon runs northwest to southeast, widening just north of the forest to form the Wydemere, which narrows again and rushes straight through the heart of the forest, where several tributaries join up with it from the north. The tribes that settled here built dwellings into the thick redwood trees found all over the forest. Combined with the other, smaller trees, the dense forest had a canopy that shielded the floor from most of the Sun’s light. As a result, the inhabitants of the forest developed reclusively, since they had plenty of fresh water and food to sustain them. It is worth saying that these people had a strong sense of community and defended fiercely against invaders who would think to march on the forest or sail up the Glavnon.

Their religion was one of polytheistic shamanism, and one deity they worshipped in common with their midland neighbors was the female raven Maereghan, though they called her Morrigu. Worship of Morrigu was simple, but had somewhat darker connotations. They believed that Morrigu was an aspect of a trickster deity, and that if they trusted her to ferry them above the storms, she would fly to her eyrie and eat them. Some of their mentality no doubt came as a direct result of their living conditions. The Llangwood was a higher elevation than that of central and eastern Arcaeden, so floods were actually less of a problem for them. Odd then, that they adapted the belief in the aspect of the raven. They associated ravens with death and carrion and disease, and their shamans led large ritual sacrifices to the Morrigu.

Author’s note: This region takes up only one area of the continent of Elzhor-hai, and approximately 600 years later when the story takes place, there are fully fledged Kingdoms in Arcaeden: Alva, Fyde, Rookmoor, Dresdayn, and several others. I imagined this particular area as being primarily analogous to Wales, at least in terms of terrain and climate. The etymologies of many names in the area come from a combination of old and middle Welsh, and from some Norse cultures (The latter is because Arcaeden borders a Norselike country to the North). There are several other realms far larger than Arcaeden, whose culture and history I am slowly but surely developing. The Arkawa immigrating to Urs in 138 A.L. for example, have aesthetics reminiscent of feudal japan, using layered lacquered wood as armor and iron masks to frighten their enemies. They grow rice as opposed to wheat and have a distinct cultural identity that will clash with their neighbors. I envisioned them with more advanced steam technology that none of the other countries have on this continent, to play with with the archetypal medieval fantasy. Political, religious, and philosophical differences will be a main theme of the story.

Timeline of Fyddic Monarchs

Gwynne I: Founder and first King of Fyde.

With the blessing of a Priest of unorthodox faith, Gwynne rallied several disparate petty Kingdoms and led a successful campaign across the frontier lands, cutting out a wide swath of territory to call his own. After his campaign, Gwynne raised the Castle Gollenfyde over nine years in the center of his new realm. He bolstered his northern borders by marrying the daughter of the Lord of Norbury. He ruled for nineteen years before dying of an unknown illness. He was survived by his wife and three children. The eldest, Angwyn, took the throne in 21 AL.

Angwyn I: Second King of Fyde.

Angwyn was fifteen years old when his father’s crown was placed upon his head in 21 AL. He married twice during his short rule of five years, but failed to produce any heirs. He is generally remembered as being a weak ruler, who struggled to maintain his lords’ loyalty, though he was liked by his people. Ships from the East bearing settlers began to land up and down the coast, and Angwyn remained indecisive on how to control or regulate his borders. Worse, Northmen from Ardunost came down in the winter of 25 AL, sensing that the fledgling kingdom was weak. Norbury and the Gwynnfort were besieged for several months. Angwyn died of cholera in 26 AL, and the crown went to Gwynne’s second son Perwyl.

Perwyl I: Third King of Fyde.

King Perwyl ascended the throne in 26 AL at a time of great turmoil and unrest, and many thought the Kingdom of Fyde would be undone so shortly after its inception. Cammoryn quickly proved himself more capable than his elder brother, though economy suffered during his rule. He lifted the siege at Norbury and routed the Northerners from the land but the Gwynnfort was reduced to a ruin in the process. He had many watchtowers and lighthouses built along the coast to solidify his control of the sea, and barracks in several towns to help them defend themselves from attackers. He was a selfish, indulgent man. He never married, fathering only bastards, and was killed by natives in Llangollen forest in 30 AL after attempting to hunt their women for sport, only to find out the women were the more dangerous ones. The mother of his eldest bastard, who had had lived at court with him, attempted to raise her son to power with the backing of a fickle ally, but in the end, both she and her infant son were put to death by loyalists to Gwynne’s elder brother, Cammoryn, who had conveniently already begun sailing West in 30 AL to assist in the ruling of his late brother’s kingdom.

Cammoryn I: Fourth King of Fyde

Cammoryn was sixty-four when he took the throne in 30 AL. He was responsible for many economic reforms. He enabled a system of taxation on his subjects requiring each family to give up a portion of their crop or livestock to their liege lord each year. He was a pious man, and did not allow any religion other than that of the old faith of Estravia. To this end he instituted a church that even the poorest could join, giving them a means to advance their position in society. He began construction of a huge ornate cathedral next to the palace in Gollenfyde. which created many jobs for peasants. However, many the natives who’d been assimilated into the kingdom were angry and resentful, since Gwynne had initially promised them freedom of worship. What’s more, Cammoryn’s own resentment of the natives was well known, since he blamed them all for the death of

His nephew. Cammoryn further expanded his territory by marrying Lady Alva of Waynmere, a strong economic kingdom to the west. Cammoryn desired access to the westernmost reaches of the frontier, so he could launch his own expeditions into unexplored lands. The aged King Havyl ruled Waynmere from the Vallarfort, an imposing stronghold that guarded the pass through the mountains to the lands beyond. Havyl was attempting to save his sinking kingdom, which was systematically being destroyed by a few well-placed spies and an insurgency of zealots. King Cammoryn settled the matter by imprisoning nearly all of Havyl’s court and replacing it with men of his choosing, though it is said he spared a few court nobles that his Lady Alva held dear. Most of those imprisoned were put to death. After this, the king began planning for a massive western expedition, but was forced to put his plans on hold due to the remnants of the old empire that was sailing to the new land to take back what they believed to be rightfully theirs.

Under the Fyddish feudal system, society is a multi-tiered pyramid. At the top is the King, who rules from the Emerald Throne in Gollenfyde, and has historically had absolute control over policy. Advising and serving the king are the members of his court, who have varying degrees of power, and with the exception of the High Cleric, answer directly to the King. The king’s council includes:

The Majordomo: The trusted head of the household staff that speaks or makes arrangements for the king.

The High Cleric: Head the Faith of Agin, a figurehead who ostensibly controls the church, its doctrines, and its policies.

Lord General of the Royal Army: Chief of military matters and organization of the armed forces or Fyde and its tributaries.

The Royal Judge: Handles matters deemed to important for judges in lesser villages. When a case is potentially very crucial, it is placed before the Royal Judge.
The Spymaster, who uses a network of informants and other contacts to detect threats to the King or the realm, and to bring to his highness’s attention matters that would otherwise not reach his ears.

The Royal Historian: The principal of the Annalist’s Guild, a faction that receives pensions from the crown in return for their carefully and accurately written timelines, maps, and chronicles.

The Mayor of Gollenfyde: This position ensures that the King is not required to rule both the entire realm and his own city. The mayor handles much of the day to day of ruling Gollenfyde, including changes in policy, but is often directly vetoed by the King.

The Treasurer: The treasurer handles the crowns funds, keeps accounts of the receipts and expenditures from the royal treasury, supervises collection of taxes, borrows money if needed, and is the “Caretaker of the King’s Scales.”

Lords and Nobles

Below the King and his council are his Earls and Lords, who have been granted lands and titles in return for the promise of service to their king. Each lord is expected to provide a certain number of soldiers to fight for a certain number of days per year, proportional to the size and population of that lord’s holdings. All lords are required to swear an oath of loyalty to the king and become his vassal before his title becomes official. In return, lords have fairly autonomous rule over their individual territories. Each lord can have his own policies or laws so long as they do not conflict with the interests of the crown. Lords grant land to knights who then fight for their lord when need be.
The lords of the land live well. Often a wealthy man lives in one large hall with the rest of his household. He likely would have a private room for sleeping. It is common for rest of a lord’s household, such as his servants, to sleep on the floor of the main hall. The rich use chimneys, often more than one, which is a luxury out of reach of the peasantry. Many lords can afford glass in their window, but it is an expense even for them. More common in the West are thin strips of linen or horn, which are then soaked in resin or animal fat (tallow) to make it translucent. The rich have toilets with stone seats, often built into closets that hang out over the moat of a castle to dispose of waste. Disease and infection is common in lords’ households, due to unsanitary conditions of their living space.
The rich enjoy luxuries that peasants can only dream of. Meat is common and easy to acquire for them, as hunting from horseback is a main pastime of the wealthy. Beef pork, mutton, and venison are all staples of their diet, as are many types of birds. Those who didn’t live near a body of water often have man-made fishponds so they can fish.

Peasants and Serfs

At the bottom of the societal ladder is the peasantry. Most commoners are either serfs or villeins, whose lives are more or less the property of their lord. They are not free, and are not allowed to leave their land without their lord’s permission. In addition to working their own farmland, serfs usually are required to work the lord’s land a couple days out of the week, and even more during busy times such as harvest. Families that can afford it will sometimes hire farmhands in exchange for lodgings. When a serf dies his children is required to give the lord their best animal. Most peasants are forced to grain their flour in the lord’s mill, and his oven to bake the bread. They also must relinquish a portion of their grain each time.
The living conditions of peasants’ homes are usually simple, one or two room huts with wooden frames or occasionally stone, filled in with wattle and daub. There would no panes of glass in windows, just wooden shutters meant to protect against some wind. Floors are typically hard mud covered in straw for extra warmth. Homes usually have a hold dug in the middle of the room to make a fire. Chimneys are uncommon, not only because of the cost or difficulty of making one, but because the fire was meant to heat the home as well as cook food.
If there is any furniture in a commoner’s house it is very basic. Chairs are expensive and it would be very rare that someone living off peasant’s wages be able to afford one. Stools or benches are used instead, usually around an uncomplicated wooden table for eating. Tools and such are usually kept on hooks or shelves. Peasants sleep on straw and do not have pillows, instead using wooden logs covered with more straw. Candles are expensive so it is common for people to use rushes dipped in animal fat as an alternative. In some areas, particularly in the West near the Llangollen Forest, the poor build small shrines to the strange pagan deities that were worshipped in Arcaeden before the arrival Gwynn and his followers.
The poor have a monotonous, uninteresting diet. Meat is a luxury than can likely only be afforded when a family is slaughtering their livestock anyway. Pork is therefore the most common meat in the diet of Fyddish commoners, followed closely by rabbits, which are abundant in the region. They catch and eat some birds, but never rooks, which are sacred in the local pagan faith Stale bread and cheese are eaten daily. Vegetables are sometimes available, but only with proper conditions. Normally this is an adequate amount of sustenance but even a small-scale famine could cause them to starve.

As the plane decended in broad sweeping circles above the muddy Mississippi, the elder couple next to me pointed out the fact that the river cuts an unusual curve north, south, west, then north again around the city which caused something in the city planning to fucked up (this my cousin would verify forty minutes later on the car ride home).

“The streets”  he says “run in a bicycle spoke out from the center (the river) and the side streets run in a curve across the main roads”.. hmmm no foolin. I really couldn’t tell. The south is a very flat place around the coast, and though this is my second trip to the south, first going to Florida. New Orleans is a whole other strange beast.

In two of the books I am reading; the first “Why New Orleans Matters” and the second book which I picked up and added to my list while I was down there, “One Dead in the Attic” both start ( One dead in the Attic is all about, actually) the hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Now when I was down there, about ten years later, at first sight I had totally forgot about the disaster that happened when I was knee high to a grass hopper, so the streets looked like a demilitarized zone, there was construction on almost every street in the Jefferson Parish area, thats where my cousin lives off the Jefferson highway across from the Lowes.

We where driving down the streets of St. Charles Avenue  on the second day and the road was beat to shit, there are all these nice houses, tall live oaks which I was told have a record in city hall where every oak was documented. Oh yeah, all the trees and powerlines and gates and other random tall petruding objects where infastated with a fake spanish lichen that grew in long plactic beads from the holy harvest of Mar di Gras… Where was I?..

Oh yeah, the decrepit roads! Damn, the roads are almost all battered to some extent, except this one night my cousin and I where leaving the Quarter and got lost en route to this psychedelic place called the church of pinball… Ill tell you more of that later, we drove through this nice, kinda not well light neighborhood where there where these newer houses and a nice paved road and my cousin looks over at me and he says “Hey see these houses? This is the ghetto of New Orleans”… No foolin.

Once I got off the plane we went back to his place. Showed me his pinball machines, I’m thinking about getting one now, their pretty bitchen and this one from the mid sixties called Williams Expo is the best, I hold the second and third highest score on there, beating his second highest and his fiances highest. So we shot pinball and the shit on music and art, that was mainly the topics of conversation, until his fiance came home, she’s studying gastro something at Tulane and interning at another hospital down there.. Anyway we went to this place to get Po Boys and let me tell you a soft shell crab (and the hot sausage) Po Boy, its too bad there are no Po Boy shops in Oly, that is what we are missing…