Song Evolution::Beginnings

The idea had been born; there was a solid skeleton on which to build my song person. At this point however, there was no certainty that any effort would produce something worth listening to. There have been times when hours upon hours have been spent just to realize that the idea wasn't going in a positive direction and that abortion was the only viable alternative. This is a scary feeling, especially in this case; the song was only four chords, not exactly a lot when trying to sustain interest for what has turned out to be a four minute song. Besides, it was in my head; a place where things like this tend to be squeezed out and replaced in rapid order. If this idea wasn't put to paper soon, it would be no more.

I had a beat and needed some way to record the music playing in my minds ear in a way that allowed me to forget the idea itself and focus on its development. A bass line was recorded as an outline because the no nonsense nature of that instrument makes the creative process easier. It is kind of like choosing a color scheme when trying to decorate a room in a house. Two or three good color choices open up a designer's options when thinking of furniture, fabric, and other choices.

I could rest easy now, the idea had been cemented into place and a solid foundation had been poured. Now to frame the house on top. More was needed but my creative energy had been exausted. Or so I thought. The drive to keep trudging was too overwhelming to ignore. So, I looked through the hundreds of instrument choices available on my keyboard and finally settled on one organ and then another. The style of each was unique and afforded me the qualities that appeased my instincts, so I did what any red-blooded musician would do; I recorded them.

It was at this point that I realized that the song was not organized traditionally; it was the same four instruments playing melodies of the same four chords for four whole minutes. Too many fours for my taste. The song needed structure. The problems were, where would the verses and choruses go and how long should they be? Would one organ be in the chorus and the other in the verse? Would the beat stay constant throughout?. An educated guess and gut feelings led me to the structure that you hear now. Again, this idea was a shot in the dark. It could pay off or have disasterous consequences.

Also, keep in mind that all of this, including the development in the next post, happened within a 30 or so minute period; light speed for this brain.


powered by ODEO