Although I was initially happy to see the article “Flecktones,” (7/26) I was soon disappointed with the way one of my favorite groups was portrayed.
What surprised me was the responses of a student the author interviewed. One said, “He [Victor Wooten, the bass player] plays in major key a lot and I do not like any music in a major key.”
First of all, I wanted to be sure readers understand Victor Wooten, three-time Grammy award winner and Bassist of the Year, is fully capable of playing in whatever key, mode or style he chooses.
Secondly, even though I respect Buckley is “intrigued by the complexities of music in minor keys,” I would suggest music in major keys can be just as complex and intricate.
I’m sure my music colleagues in the HFAC would agree one can appreciate the difficulty of harmonizing melodies in both major and minor tonalities.
We invite you to come back to the Ionian realm. It’s not healthy to spend so long in the land of minor. There are ways to escape the trap: use a diatonic pivot chord to set up a new dominant, then resolve it to a major key.
Nathan Haines
Sandy
