HumphreyB's definitions

detrain

A newspeak-esque term QRail train conductors use to describe the act of getting off a train.

Train conductor: Passengers for the Ipswich, Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines, please detrain at Central. Make sure you collect all of your belongings before detraining. Thank you.

Passenger: WTF!?!?

by HumphreyB July 30, 2008

Beethoven

Arguably the greatest composer of all time. Also the name of a shitty movie.

Music lover: Hey Beethoven's pretty cool.

Movie buff: You sicken me.

by HumphreyB May 13, 2006

detrain

A newspeak-esque term QRail train conductors use to describe the act of getting off a train.

Train conductor: Passengers for the Ipswich, Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines, please detrain at Central. Make sure you collect all of your belongings before detraining. Thank you.

Passenger: WTF!?!?

by HumphreyB May 12, 2006

4'33''

A musical work composed by American experimental composer John Cage in 1952. Made up of 3 movements, it is comprised solely of four minutes and 33 seconds of silence. However in performance, the work is supposed to capture unintentional sounds such as audience whispers, coughs etc. It challenges the very definition of music.

Pretentious people claim to like it.

Art student: John Cage's 4'33'' is so compelling and thought provoking. It makes those students at the conservatorium look like a bunch of show-offs. They just don't appreciate the sound of silence.

Sane man: You're a twat.

by HumphreyB May 16, 2006

power chord

A musical chord which is not technically a chord since it only contains two pitch classes (making it an interval). It is formed by the root note, 5th and commonly features the octave above the root.

It is used by rock guitarists way too often by stringing different power chords together to form a riff. This goes against western diatonic music theory which says you should not have parallel 5ths or octaves, let alone both of them simultaneously. Despite this fallacy, rock guitarists have chicks and money while classical musicians have neither. Go figure.

That guy looks sad, lonely and poor.

Yeah. He mustn't use power chords.

by HumphreyB May 13, 2006

minimalist music

A style of music originating in the 20th century. It is characterised by repeated motifs, varied slightly over a long period. Also common are long notes played over these repeated sections.

Interestingly enough, John Cage's famous silent piece 4'33'' is not considered minimalist, even though it is the most repetitive and minimal song ever composed.

*music playing*

Guy #1: Hey your stereo is broken.

Guy #2: No that's a Philip Glass CD. It's minimalist music.

by HumphreyB May 13, 2006

E minor

A musical key that guitarists know all too well.

Musician: Instead of playing this song in E minor, can you play it in G minor?

Guitarist: What?

by HumphreyB May 13, 2006