One of the things that worried me is that this song is just too beautiful, and it terrified me that it would overshadow "i". Honestly, I'm not sure if it does -- I have no doubts that "i" is superior, but this one makes quite a competition.
It's an old composition, but not so old. In fact, all I had was a left hand figure in A major and in E minor, which is used in the beginning of the piece, and that was all. I found it so good, though, that I wrote it as a MIDI file and kept it filed with the title "Moon", because that is what it reminded me of. I'm not sure of when I wrote this, but I'm fairly sure it predates Big Robot, Little Robot. I never forgot about it, and when this project came by, I was delighted to bring back that little piece for it.
Like I said before, I had originally envisioned "d" for the place of "j", but I always felt that it didn't quite fit. I wanted a piece that evoked a profoundly fertile and imaginative mind and a gentle, tender feeling with a tinge of playfulness. I initially thought of a happy, jumpy melody with unpredictable chord changes and large intervals, but it wasn't working. Then I listened to that little piece I had written, and it all just came to me. It was just a matter of expanding those figures to other chords and making those dreamy, vague notes on the right hand. The closing chords were just a happy finding and matched my vision miraculously. I always had a penchant, for whatever reason, towards the G chord with that suspended augmented fourth; it works in other chords as well, but in G, it seems to have a very peculiar beauty. And for whatever reason, it translates exactly what I wanted to express in this piece.
Showing posts with label J. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Eleven Gifts in depth, part 1: J
I don't know if I have made myself clear enough in the places where I have published Eleven Gifts, but in case you didn't notice, each piece in this cycle is dedicated to a person. The lower case pieces are in alphabetical order, but this one sticks out for a particular reason.
This piece wasn't the first one to be conceived, though. Far from it: some of these pieces are actually reworkings of songs I've written from 5 to 10 years ago, while many are new compositions. This is an entirely new composition, and the idea struck me quite quickly.
I was afraid that the sound of it was too "menacing" or terrifying to associate to the person it represents. The idea isn't to be menacing at all: my intention was to represent a very strong presence and a forwards motion, a very moving and powerful force. The very fast one-note ostinato on the left hand was a pretty obvious choice, and I'm a bit sad that I couldn't find a piano sample that made it sound as good as I wanted, but it still delivers. The odd rhythm and staccato chords are intended to grab your attention and keep you focused on it, but the ending unveils a tender and heartwarming feel that leaves your spirit positive and lifted. That's pretty much exactly what this person is all about.
The rhythm was one of those things that hit me all at once, and I had to keep replaying it in my head so I wouldn't forget it. It was too good to let it pass. Once I got to write it down, it was all a matter to find the right chords, which wasn't too hard. The softer middle portion was written entirely on-the-spot, and the finale just grew out of it. It was surprisingly easy to write this track, which was extremely satisfying: it was expecting quite a challenge from it. But that's art: the challenges sometimes are exactly where you didn't expect any.
This piece wasn't the first one to be conceived, though. Far from it: some of these pieces are actually reworkings of songs I've written from 5 to 10 years ago, while many are new compositions. This is an entirely new composition, and the idea struck me quite quickly.
I was afraid that the sound of it was too "menacing" or terrifying to associate to the person it represents. The idea isn't to be menacing at all: my intention was to represent a very strong presence and a forwards motion, a very moving and powerful force. The very fast one-note ostinato on the left hand was a pretty obvious choice, and I'm a bit sad that I couldn't find a piano sample that made it sound as good as I wanted, but it still delivers. The odd rhythm and staccato chords are intended to grab your attention and keep you focused on it, but the ending unveils a tender and heartwarming feel that leaves your spirit positive and lifted. That's pretty much exactly what this person is all about.
The rhythm was one of those things that hit me all at once, and I had to keep replaying it in my head so I wouldn't forget it. It was too good to let it pass. Once I got to write it down, it was all a matter to find the right chords, which wasn't too hard. The softer middle portion was written entirely on-the-spot, and the finale just grew out of it. It was surprisingly easy to write this track, which was extremely satisfying: it was expecting quite a challenge from it. But that's art: the challenges sometimes are exactly where you didn't expect any.
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