Trigger Warning: This Blog post talks about Suicidal Ideation and Panic Attacks in detail. Please feel free to skip.
We are coming close to the end of this project with just over a week to go. I have already finished the composing for the third and fourth track and now up to mixing the pieces together. It is exciting to see the EP come together and be nearly ready to present to the world.
To continue where I left off last week with the third track, I included the percussion. I started with kick wanting it to almost become the heartbeat of the main character. Before and after the panic attack the kick plays the tempo but during the panic attack it changes to play quavers. Also, during the panic attack, I added hats and cowbell to add a sharpness to the part. I felt like the parts when the leitmotif wasn’t playing it felt empty, so I added an excerpt of the Dies Irae played on the violincello to keep the idea of death in the foreground. I then realised that it was a long weekend when I heard people partying on a Thursday night. So, I postponed my recordings until the Tuesday when people were back at work so that it was quieter. This meant I went off schedule for the third track however, I spent Monday composing the fourth track instead.
When it came to the last piece it is meant to be a triumph in the growth of a broken person and their healing. I was going to start it with brass instruments in the piece but realised quickly this changed the way I wanted this piece to go (you can listen to the first version below). The main character has overcome a lot, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t remnants of the pain. I was reminded of a French phrase I enjoy “l’appel du vide” which translates to “the call of the void”. This is when you get the sudden impulse to end your life despite not having suicidal ideations (Raypole, 2020). This led me to start over with using the Dies Irae as the chord progression of the piece to ground the idea that death is a thought that still occurs.
I have three different instruments playing the chord progression. I started with the double bass playing semibreve notes. I then copied this to a violincello and transposed it up an octave. I placed an arpeggiator on it playing 1/2 instead of changing the sequencing to replicate this. I also decided for a grand piano to play the triad of the chords. It is in the same octave as the violincello. I also placed an arpeggiator on this to play updown in 1/8. This combination gave the movement that I wanted the accompaniment to have.
I used the viola and the piccolo to play the leitmotif. I decided on a call and response like sound. They are also an octave apart in sound. I then manipulated the leitmotif to replicate the rollercoaster like emotions in life. This added interest and showed growth in how the down movement is followed by up movement meaning that the main character is able to bring themselves back to equilibrium after adversities.
Other things to note is for this piece I chose an andante to moderato tempo. This is an in between tempo compared to all the other pieces showing the main character has found stability. I also chose D major for the key as it is the natural key for strings to show how the main character is no longer changing themselves to fit in. I know these are elements most people won’t notice but it was a fun little Easter egg to include. The final composition can be heard below.
I am now going to start mixing these pieces. I am hoping to get most of this done by Tuesday next week so that I have plenty of time to do automation in the pieces. Ariel will be giving me the final album artwork at the end of this week. I am so excited as now I can hear the entirety of the story.
Reference
Raypole, C. (2020). Demystifying the Call of the Void. Healthline. Retrieved 17 August 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/call-of-the-void.
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