The birth of another
new musical tune, and song came my way again today. As the days in
living progress these songs and their lyric, inspired by the
universe, I'd say due to having no other form to pin the inspiration
upon, seem to form into units containing what I consider as having
higher quality in its overall result. The reason for this is likely
the experience gained over the years, creating my own songs in my
method or it might be chance? What ever allows it, this brings to
bare a sense of personal satisfaction.
For the sake of this
writing and the theme of the blog, the trigger for writing, if known,
should be stated. Quite like the previous posting about the song
Bomb Train, this was also influenced and triggered in
watching Democracy Now. Thank you Amy Goodman! I truly think this
is more a general circumstance than anything other. Yet the same
kind of scenario that brought out Bomb Train, occurred again
this morning. I know I have been harboring the will to write this
song and its general content for some time now, without actually
having taken any steps to bring it into being prior. I guess this
actual subject had not been clear in my mind before the words began
forming upon my typing them into the word processor.
This lyric came in
the form of what is the first line of the song, “Wake up, we can
awaken today.” With it came a piece of what is now a melodic
shape, though brief and truncated from its now complete form. The
general theme is the state of humanity and the racial injustice and
inequality that is so pervasive both here in the United States of
America and in most locations where there are separate cultures,
races and belief systems in contact, one with the other(s). I
consider this representation in the human condition one that will one
day fall into the past. As humans, the struggles that groups create,
based in their own fears, and their own prejudices, serves to retard
our potential to be better both as individuals and as groups having
commonalities in sharing our home planet. It is sad really.
So I wrote two lines
out in the computer, then having that melody forming internally, I
grabbed a guitar, quickly finding the key and shape of it in a
rhythmic form, set in a 3/4 time, and sang those lines, I then
repeated the process to attempt capturing its entire essence.
Succeeding at that, I shifted back to the computer and wrote another
few lines, using a similar form as in the first line. That is with
an opening two word statement, followed by an expansion on that
statement, or a further clarification on what the statement
represents. I completed 4 lines using that form. For the following
verse, I chose to alter that theme a slight bit, reducing the
introductory statement to that of a single word. Again I repeated
this shape, writing 4 lines with this form.
I then got an idea
of breaking from a traditional song shape or form. Most generally,
folk type songs follow a pattern similar to: verse, verse, chorus,
verse, chorus... I wanted to attempt something different as a form
of musical structure for this song. Having now constructed to verses
of a consistent meter, the next set in verse would take on a
differing meter, slight though distinctly altered. The metered lines
in this part are unlike that in the first two verses. The single and
or double word introduction to the line was dropped, allowing the
lines to be broken in two segments, having two measures each or being
that of a single line taking on the entire four measures. When it
had taken form in the digital space before me, I again switched to
the guitar and fooled with a form that would complement the original,
while bringing it out in the 3. rather than the 1. Thus as the key
for the original verses is a G Minor, this second stanza is in a C.
Having a simple understanding of music theory, I can barely
understand that this song is in a minor key, but only because of the
use of an A minor, and the E minor, in the progression. I finished
fitting out the chord structure in this second part, then returned to
the computer keyboard to write out more content.
Again with the
thought of breaking with tradition, the following section I decided
would take on another musical shape and meter. This part is set in E
minor. Another set of four lines formed up. They are somewhat
representative of the second shape or second part of the song in that
the original structure, of an introducing word, or two, followed by a
complementing element was dropped entirely. These lines are also
split in the middle, having a duration of two measures, followed by a
second part having two more measures to make up a line. An exception
is the fourth line carries the entire four measures, and is a
summarizing statement Similar phrasing is also done with single
phrasings that carry through the entire 4 measures.
With this much
complete, I considered that the song's lyric was finished in that it
said all I wished to express. None the less it was rather brief in
total duration, having played and sung it along the course of its
construction. So if naming the four verse like pieces of this song
with each containing four lines, the first and second sets are the
first part. The third set is the second part and the fourth set is
the third part. I concluded a way to bring more length to the
song would be repeating the entire four sets of lines but in a
different order. Having reached the end of the writing or the fourth
section (third part), it is followed by a repeat of both the third
and fourth sections (second and third parts). This is then followed
by what would be a break where the melody returns to that of the
beginning of the song. The break is short in duration and is
followed by a repeat of the first two sections (first part, a1 and
a2) of lyric, with which a conclusion is reached with the repeat of
the last line.
I successfully
recorded a rough version of the song, a method of preservation
because my aging brain has a way of loosing these ideas while they
are young, where as not recording them leads to a differing kind of
struggle. One that is hopeful of somehow recapturing that which was.
*************Edit***************
I have added a new fully redone recording of this song, ''Awaken,'' April 1, 2020 http://thomasepeterson.com from at thomasepeterson.com
*************Edit***************
I have added a new fully redone recording of this song, ''Awaken,'' April 1, 2020 http://thomasepeterson.com from at thomasepeterson.com
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