baggage's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Humming to Myself I have an ongoing argument with creativity. There are times when my efforts are worthless-my fingers cruise the fretboard aimlessly looking desperately for anything worth recording only to find themselves stuck in the mud of familiarity: scales, chords, notes and bends that, although fun to play, rarely add up to good music. I can be, and have been, the king of worthless noodling. But, there are the moments-the occasions where my fingers will stumble upon a group of notes that ring in a way that snaps my heart into action. From this simple group comes forth melodies, counter melodies, harmonies and beats that will eventually comprise a song. I'm having one of those moments right now-sort of. My weekend in the studio has turned on a flow of creativity that is overpowering every other obligation in front of me. I want nothing more right now than to pick up a guitar or sit behind a piano, and coax out these melodies ringing loudly in my head. But, I can't. I should be working. I should be working on a proposal that will justify the purchase of new G4s for the art department. But, the Goddess of Creativity has other plans. She won't allow me to concentrate on lease amounts, ram requirements, freehand 10 and monitor compatibility. She's giving me the gift of music, and I'm stuck in this cubicle with nothing but this mac and a T3 connection to the virtual world as my escape. Hardly good enough, unfortunately. Want to see what's she's giving me? Here's a peek: 0-37 seconds: Main riff jumps from A to G in sixteenth notes and the occasional chromatic A sharp/G flat. 27 seconds: Same riff-but there's a d flat in there. Basically-the major third of A major (the first of many accidentals) Around 32 seconds: A two note run (G, G flat) leading to a half time riff in almost E major. Main notes are: E, D flat to D (the accidental). Add two fast runs in there after the D. The notes for the runs are D flat, D, D flat, B, D flat, B, A, A flat, E, B, D flat, B, A, B, A, A flat, G flat, E. I'm trying to remember this at work so this may not be completely right. There is also three note stutter in there-I think the notes are B, C, F Around 45 seconds: The Almost E Major riff ends in a G flat that goes right to a five note D harmonic minor riff. Notes are D flat, D natural, F natural, E natural. D natural-from here the song repeats... It's a fricking mess isn't it? But, trust me! This is a killer song. I should know! It's playing at full tilt in my head right now! So, at 6:30-'m heading home and turning on the four-track. I hope that the song is still with me in 6 or so hours. I hope I can still hear all these jumpy little notes that, unfortunately, have to be contained in the jail of my mind for the moment. They may be gone by then-buried alive underneath the pile of e-mails, meetings and budget proposals that inundate me daily. Wish me luck. 2:50 p.m. - 2001-04-09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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