Numina O

Sheet music and analysis - Part 1

In this lesson, I’m providing the sheet music and tabs for the Deerhoof song, Numina O. You can download the full PDF below.

I thought Numina O would be a fitting song for my first step into writing analysis with you, not only because it was the first song that I wrote for Deerhoof, but also because it contains several of the construction ideas I use when I’m writing. In Deerhoof, we often utilize the idea of myself and the other guitarist, John, creating “one big guitar”. John and I have been playing in bands together for several decades, so we can musically connect to each other just as easily as breathing. Our style and feel mesh in a way that at times when we’re playing together, I’m not sure what sounds are being made by me and what sounds are coming from him. When we write thinking of the entire band as being connected, we can utilize chords in our writing that are too expansive or dense to be played on just one guitar. There is also the element of breaking up a complex chord across two guitars that enables us to deliver it with more confidence and power, rather than struggle to hit a chord that might be difficult to reach, or that may lack sonic clarity when played on just one instrument.