Trigger Warning: This Blog post talks about Suicidal Ideation in detail. Please feel free to skip.
As I stated last week this EP will be around abuse. I have finished up the composition for the first track (listen to an unmixed version below) and am now working on the second track.
To finish off the first piece where I left off last week. I have created a leitmotif for the main character. It will continue to tie the pieces together in style and represent the storytelling of thoughts. In the first track this holds as a countermelody to the lead violin. It begins with semiquaver tremolo like tune between the tonic and the second. This is followed by quavers to the third and fourth and finished by crochet fifth and sixth (notated below).
I also inverted this ending on the tonic in the ‘A’ section of the violin lead (notated below).
I felt like this matched with the ‘A’ section of the violin better showing how the piano continues trying to fit in with the lead. I used a secondary dominant modulation by leaving the last note in B# that leads to F sharp major. This made the transition have a little warning before the song changes key and the ‘B’ section begins. With the second ‘B’ section the piano joins in changing from the leitmotif. This musically shows how the lead is desperate to play with the lead despite the danger of death. However, the piano ends up playing the ‘B’ section by itself in the repeat before turning back to the leitmotif. I used a simple walking bass line on the double bass to tie the piece together.
The second part of the story skips a few years to young adolescence when the main character has become suicidal. The piece uses poetry written from this time period in the background that will eventually become thoughts in the mixing stage. I recorded this at home using the setup shown at the end of my blog on “Vocal Home Recordings”. I stated that I planned on using a pop filter however, it did not make much difference, so I decided against it as it created more background noise. A sample of this can be heard below.
I have currently only done the chord progression. The double bass plays the tonic of the chord. To give some variety I used an arpeggiator in quaver mode (1/8). The violin will play the third in the chord. I am still experimenting with it as I am unsure whether I want it to play the third or tremolo-like part of the leitmotif. For this piece I want to break the leitmotif across the secondary instruments. This will show the segmentation of the main characters mind. I instead want the ‘Dies Irae’ to be more centred in the mind of the character. I am still considering whether this instrument will be the grand piano or not. I think thematically it will tie together better with the first track as the main character is already tied with the piano. By playing the leitmotif on other instruments this still ties the character throughout it but leads to more choice in the future tracks.
Emotionally this work is close to me and although cathartic I am keeping a close watch on my health and how it is affecting me. I am enjoying the challenge of this as it is keeping me creatively inspired and busy in this strange time of COVID-19. I hope that this gives a little insight into my thoughts and choices in my work.
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