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f the many musicians that I work with in BCN, actual collaborations have yet emerged from just two brave souls. As such, this is a special post.
This is about a song developed with one collaborator (Ferdi) that I hope expand. The progression is close to stock (truncated Pachelbel's canon) but in the original meter was intended to have a bluegrass-country feel. Upon playing it together we decided it needed to have a kick in the rhythm, so we used a 7 meter.
Later, Ines and I worked on some adding vocal harmonies. We had planned to rehearse it all together but this year time does not permit. See if you can cross-pollinate the two in your head. Do you think it will work? Any suggestions? (Vocal harmony version below the lyrics.)
you are a song (gkc + ferdi version)
you are a song I cannot sing
something about you strains my vocal cords and
you are a person I cannot be
or make believe with all my little wordsto try to call you back
over hills and oceans
to feint an understanding
over verse and chorusto try and call you down
when you're out of my range
to find a better harmony
when it is sounding strangebut if not then you get bored
i think your voice should be
unbound by chordsjealous of the plain
with a flood of acid
flowing through your veinsflowing to your heart
with a constant pulsing
jitters out of time
and crashyou are a song I cannot sing
something about you strains my vocal chords and you
you are a song I cannot learn
because I don't believe in all the words thattry to explain
with the moments folding
under and over and
out of timetrying to explain
why we are broken
trying to explain
why we are so far away
December 12th, 2008 - 8:52 AM
It was hard to hear you through the guitar in the first track, but I can see how it could all sit together after listening to the second version and then the first again. I just sat here and tried to come up with drums that would fit with it just to see if I could play in 7, actually, and I'm sort of sitting here humming the melody, so I think this is probably good. :-) Hopefully you can put this all together at some point in the future. As far as the chord progression is concerned, I sort of made my peace with the fact that most pop songs tend to use the same basic progressions over and over. It's, as Eric Clapton once said, in the way that you use it.
December 12th, 2008 - 11:15 AM
I love the vocal harmonies. And in re chord progressions, I am agreed with Mr. E. Robert Frank, and Mr. E. Clapton. Chord progressions are what you make of them. I can't wait to hear a final version of this.
December 12th, 2008 - 11:18 AM
Also, I'm going to put an illuminated manuscript letter in my next post too. It is fitting for Christmas time especially.
September 20th, 2011 - 3:28 AM
This is great, I also love the vocal harmonies and the melody stays in your head. Beautifully written and the words are compelling. I hope you can get this one together, it is very good and has some mainstream appeal, too. Collaborations aren't always easy and it takes time to bring them together into something you all feel proud of. I do think it will work.