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What genre and instruments do I want to target? - 9th Nov

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What genre and instruments do I want to target? - 9th Nov

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Looking at some of my favourite music, I really want to try create a jazz/easy listening song from perhaps a rock or some other genre.

I am imagining having a piano and bassline (hopefully resulting in like a double bass sound) that is topped by vocals.

I am inspired by songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Etta Jones. A few to name can be Till There Was You, I wish you love, and Misty.

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After doing some looking around, I decided I want to create some 1950s jazz like Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Etta Jones.

I will be turning the melody from another genre, punk and alternative rock, "Sleep" by My Chemical Romance.

I am imagining having a piano background that is decorated with maj7 and jazzy chords, and then a bassline somehow, and then a slow and soft melody for the rest of the song.

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Billie Eilish - Everything I Wanted

1. What do you think was the original idea or starting point for the song in the podcast? What was the artist thinking about when the track was first being created?

They were thinking about writing one or two more songs for the album. September 2018 at the end of working on Billie Eilish's debut album.

Dream: jumped off somewhere high and had died, watching how everything passed, like a ghost. Everyone saying that they never really liked Billie Eilish and was glad she is gone.

She could'nt stop thinking about the dream, so she told Finneas and they worked on making something about it. The relationship between Finneas and Billie Eilish helped Billie to translate her thoughts and emotions into Finneas's production.

2. What part/instrument/musical idea was recorded or written first? Were you surprised to find this out? Why or why not?

Sidechaining onto piano, reacting to a muted kickdrum. I was a little bit surprised how simple the backing track was. That it was made up of just a simple production technique onto a piano. I was also pretty surpriesd to see how long that original improvised piano track lasted to the final production. I thought that it would be replaced by something or more effects would be added or whatever.

3. Pick a moment within the song-writing/creating process where the artist or collaborators felt inspired - describe that moment, what about their story of their inspiration sounds interesting, relatable, "deep" or memorable to you?

When Billie Eilish had that dream. She found that it was something she really wanted to speak up about, she kept thinking about the dream.

Finneas excited both of them when he crafted the piano instrumental.

When they found out they wanted to write about their sibling bestfriends relationship. I think Finneas and Billie Eilish's relationship depicts a unromantic/family relationship of love which I think everyone feels. This concept understandably induces a lot of emotions for people which is why it makes it memorable for me. Such as the emotions from losing a family member, or the introduction of one.

It was interesting how the song was written slowly after the album was released and they were touring. I think this aspires me to work on songwriting continuously and not try to sit down and create something in one sitting. This opens the songwriting process to a lot more self evaluation which ultimately creates a more meaningful and better sounding song.

4. Once you have heard one of the musical ideas in detail (whether it's the drums, vocals, bass, harmony/chords, etc), try to describe how it sounds to you in detail using non-technical language and subject-specific vocabulary (musical elements are listed below).
For example: the synth sounds dark, warm and fuzzy. The pitches are very low, dynamics are soft and the timbre is mellow with a bit of distortion.

The piano sounds muted and spacious. The dynamics of the piano instrumental was also really soft which altogether creates a sense of melancholy. The sidechaining technique helped to add a predictably satisfying rhythm to follow, making the song much easier to listen to like in pop music. The muffled instrumental also helps to emphasis the clear texture and clear timbre of Billie's songs, which helps to signify ideas of natural and closeness to the artist.

5. Describe the conditions, environment, and mindset that helps you feel inspired. Describe a moment in your life where you felt inspired in any way - what were the feelings and thoughts?

I remember I felt really inspired to improvise/write songs on my bed with a guitar. I was just playing a guitar progression that I really liked and an hour passed like it was nothing. You feel really focused and calm, all your mind is kind of just all on singing and playing the guitar and you forget about everything else. You also feel tired afterwards, I don't know why, but you do.

I also remember there were times on photography shoots where I visualise an image and become really inspired and motivated to make that a reality. When I feel this motivation, I just don't want to stop shooting photos until I feel like it is perfected.

6. What is your understanding of what the artist (from the podcast) intended their audience to feel when they listen?

Billie wanted to express how she felt because of her dream. Billie and Finneas decided to make the chorus about their relationship together and how they have pulled each other out of the dark places of life.

Addresses that time when you will feel like you solely exist for the people around you. It is expressing thoughts of sadness and depression which Billie felt when her mental health wasn't in the write place.

7. How do you want your audience to feel when they listen to your finished project from this unit?

I think the song that I am recreating has deep and emotional meanings which are common in MCR songs. I want to try retain as much of that meaning and express it through my method of softer/quieter music genre (1950s jazz).

After looking at the lyrics to "Sleep". I get a sense that the lyrics are conveying this reality to life where the narrator has witnessed so much pain that it has weakened his morality to do bad things as well. Because the lyrics talks about how "'Cause there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did" and "Undeserving of your sympathy", and "How could you cry for me". The narrator tries to sleep these thoughts away, but instead of detaching from the world, the pictures of torture and pain becomes more vivid in his mind and it chokes you asleep. Linking back to ideas of sleep terror and sleep paralysis in the intro lines.

https://genius.com/a/how-a-haunted-mansion-influenced-my-chemical-romance-s-biggest-album-the-black-parade

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Some strange things happened while recording in LA's Paramour Mansion.

This past weekend, My Chemical Romance celebrated the 10th anniversary of their hugely successful third album, The Black Parade. Despite the record's double platinum success, not many people know about one of its biggest inspirations.

The Black Parade is a rock opera following a character called The Patient, who dies of cancer and must deal with the grief of death while coming to terms with his past. The first songs to materialize were "This Is How I Disappear," "I Don't Love You," and "Disenchanted," written by the band in 2005 while touring for their 2004 effort Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. They worked on the tracks with studio gear they had on their bus, and were able to find a location to formally record within a few months: Los Angeles' Paramour Mansion.

The Paramour Mansion is allegedly haunted, which the band thought would set the perfect mood to produce the chilling record, according to an interview with Alternative Press. They soon weren't too sure about their initial judgement, and their excitement turned to fear. Upon arriving, bassist Mikey Way was filled with a strange feeling, a discomfort that eventually caused him to temporarily leave the group.

One night after Mikey had left, Gerard heard guitarist Ray Toro strumming a medley of Ozzy Osbourne songs, clearly upset over something. Gerard began playing a guitar himself, and the two wrote a song that later became known as "Famous Last Words." The song was inspired by Mikey's departure, including lyrics such as:

I know that I can't make you stay, but where's your heart?
And I know, there's nothing I can say to change that part

However, Mikey wasn't the only one going through tough times at the estate. His brother Gerard was plagued by night terrors and horrific dreams, an experience he details on the track "Sleep." Drummer Bob Bryar recalled to Alternative Press that Ray told him he had seen a ghost in his room. The band even avoids talking about the record's production because of what they went through at the manor.

Had the band recorded elsewhere, The Black Parade would not be the album it is today-even the title would have been different. An area called the "Heavy Room" became one of frontman Gerard Way's most frequented spots; he often left strange notes there, including one that read "we are all just a black parade." This of course is the inspiration behind the album's name, and replaced the working title of The Rise And Fall Of My Chemical Romance.

You can read all the lyrics to The Black Parade on Genius now.

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How A Haunted Mansion Influenced My Chemical Romance's Biggest Album 'The Black Parade'

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This past weekend, My Chemical Romance celebrated the 10th anniversary of their hugely successful third album, The Black Parade . Despite the record's double platinum success, not many people know about one of its biggest inspirations.

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Testing some chord progression decorations I could do to help create a more jazzy feel. I think I need to work on implementing more maj7, 7, augmented and diminished decorations to create tension and release tension perhaps build tension earlier when the song resolves to G chord from G sus4.

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Instead of creating a 1980s jazz ballad song, I have began experimenting with creating an improvisational piece. Improvisation is a defining and key piece to jazz music especially in piano solos/concerts.

Going down this road I looked at other improvisational performers like Robert Glasper and Brad Mehldau. Significantly Brad Mehldau and his cover of blackbird.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CCC9XfNS79F1_PL0P4kYePw90Wd2g7GU/view?usp=sharing

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Using reharmonization techinques and rules from Tony Winston's guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uhiBgUXmF5K0r70Swz1azQxDq_-XoqgF/view.

Created many substitutions and chord transitions to fill in the gaps and creating tensions and dissonances, following my jazz intent.

Also looked into the use of relative minor to help with the reharm tech to create reharm for chorus.

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This is the first version of the final chord substitutions improvisation. I tried to play around with dynamics by using quick crescendos when changing chords and then dropping again.

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Here I experimented with a slower improv which I thought might sound a little more dramatic.

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This take is a faster rendition which I tried to highlight a bumpy sort of feeling instead.

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I recorded my piano improvisation through garageband. This rendition includes my chord substitutions which add to the jazzy feeling using 7th chords and dissonant reharm techniques.

The song was also pretty syncopated which helped the jazzy background in the intention.

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I had used tony winston's chord substitution guide to play around and create options for chord substitutions. I had generally picked the chords based on which sounded better throughout the song. Such as for the intro, I used Gbmaj7 instead of Abm7 because the A flat one created way too much dissonance which clashed with the Fmaj7 following. The Gbmaj7 was dissonant as well but then it resolves into harmony with the Fmaj7.

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During this unit, I developed as a musician because I had learned and experienced with an entirely new type of genre to me. I had also played around with techniques, the chord substitutions, which helped to progress my understanding of music.