Let me explain: as straight poetry I could get satisfaction just presenting it via the blog. As I began to consider more seriously having it as a musical tune, I had to weigh something called "prosody." To explain: Do the words roll off the tongue? Would there be any awkward phrases to sing? The guy who wrote lyrics for Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road" album was amused by how people looked for deep and even hidden meaning in his words. He said in a documentary that he really just put together words that could be comfortably sung! People can still feel free to look for hidden meanings or suggestions.
John Lennon was aware of all this. So he wrote "I Am The Walrus" just to kind of tease the people who were inclined to over-analyze. And Paul McCartney admitted that his words for the song "1985" were really just scattershot or whimsical - no special meaning intended at all. It's nice when such people confide like this! We don't have to pull our hair out.
I was at a Stan Kenton concert once where a trumpet player did a "ride" solo that was getting too long. My companion sitting next to me said in jest "I wonder what he's trying to tell us." And then he added. . ."about the political situation."
Stan Kenton was big band jazz. He had a touring band in the '70s that went against the grain with its size. Stan liked a truly "big" band. And toward this end he liked a full trombone section. A very nice luxury. Electronic amplification gave bands the opportunity to cut back on numbers, yes to economize.
I should note that whenever I present poetry on my blogs, it's with a melody in the back of my head.
Poetry writers often conform to a "template." I have heard the term "iambic pentameter" for example. The templates are always available as a framework. A distinction from songs is that with songs, the melody should be wholly original. Certainly if your aim is to make money, you have to do this. But it is not so cut-and-dried. You have no doubt heard of legal cases over alleged "song stealing."
A melody might have too much resemblance to a pre-existing one. Song creators will tell you that can be done inadvertently or subconsciously. Maybe sometimes they'll say this with fingers crossed behind their back! Music creators often talk about their "influences." The creators are not empty vessels. But hoo boy, you have to be careful tossing around words like "inspired" or "influenced." You might let the cat out of the bag for how you might have "borrowed" something.
There's a famous pithy quote: "Good composers borrow, great composers steal."
 |
| George Harrison |
This brings us to the subject of the Beatles' George Harrison from his solo career. You know what I'm talking about: "My Sweet Lord."
A judge ended up making a novel ruling. Harrison had most likely heard the pre-existing melody and it was in his subconscious. That's a tough precedent for adjudicating future cases. Maybe an employment act for lawyers! There is a big and complicated body of law in connection with alleged song-stealing.
A melody might well be similar to a pre-existing one. And I'd suggest this is common. So then where do you draw the line? Put lawyers to work, yes. And it's known that young people with a passion for the songwriting craft are deterred, sadly, by the risk of a melody being found to have similarities with a previous one.
Maybe it's unreasonable to suggest that all melodies escape any comparison to a previous one. There are a limited number of notes. A melody is not simply a random pattern of notes, heavens. Certain patterns of notes "work."
Gravitating to words
OK for the last 15 years, I have been engaged in song creation. At this stage of my "hobby," my melodies are generic-sounding. My emphasis is on artistry with the words. The words are the "thing" for me. Years ago I thought it important to create original-sounding melodies. I would drape the words over when done. I wanted the song to "sound good." Music creators can go back and forth with this.
The judge on "My Sweet Lord" had to be speculating or "guessing" with regard to Harrison's intent. The judge would not know if Harrison in fact had improper intent (theft).
What did John Lennon think? Well, Lennon was quoted in contrast to the judge. He maybe spoke these words after the settlement. And of course Lennon loved bandmate Harrison, always. But ol' John said "George just 'ran with it' " (the pre-existing melody). The pre-existing melody was "He's So Fine."
As I read about this case, I couldn't help but think that Harrison really borrowed, and that is because more than one element of the melody was identical! When I considered the second section of the alleged theft, I could have just smiled, as my impulse was the same as Lennon's.
So do I point fingers at Harrison? I can't do that. One reason is that the words for "My Sweet Lord" were so deep and original. The pre-existing song was, shall we say, shallow. We can be happy for the creators of both songs: they made money.
"My Sweet Lord" has survived the test of time, as it has not been "buried" by the suggestion of "lifting" or "stealing." Maybe melodies are overrated. If someone "steals" both the melody and the lyrical message, then we run into a problem.
So let me get personal now: I can relate to all this because one, just one, of the melodies I've written over the past 15 years is "derivative." I made sure it had differences from the pre-existing one. If you were to write out the melodies on manuscript paper, you'd see differences with the notes and the chords. The problem is that the overall effect of my melody is awful remindful of the other one.
I had my song recorded and put on YouTube. The first 3-4 people who got back to me told me it reminded them of the pre-existing song.
I would like to emphasize that the melody in question is a simple one-part thing that repeats itself throughout. In songwriting this is called a "strophic" melody. So it's not like a verse-chorus song or a song with a bridge or "climb."
A risk with a strophic song is that it obviously can sound repetitive after a while. This can be overcome with really great words. So consider the song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Glen Campbell sang that one. Strophic songs can be brilliant. So is my song brilliant? Let me just say that I greatly enjoy the challenge of song creation.
The guy I work with in Nashville TN reserves the right to slightly alter my melody or chords - only slightly - but never the words! Several of my songs he has left completely untouched. I send him my melodies with chords on manuscript paper. I share with him my "rough" singing of the songs either with cassette tapes or podcast episodes. But I can no longer podcast because the old "Anchor" system has given way to "Riverside" which is too funky and complicated for me to learn.
The guys at the studio can work from the on-paper music completely when they have to. Nashville musicians are famous for saying they want nothing to do with melodies written down on paper! I think they're fibbing because when they have to rely on this, they are fully capable. Remember the piccolo trumpet solo on the Beatles' "Penny Lane?" Paul McCartney requested this but he was not able to write it down. The trumpet player insisted that he had to work from written music. So George Martin wrote it down!
Pop music is much more "collaborative" than we realize. Do you know about the "Wrecking Crew?"
Will I have my Caitlin Clark song recorded? "The Girl From West Des Moines?" Well obviously it would be fun. I'm weighing it. Maybe I would end up hearing from Caitlin herself! Add dreams of glory. We hope and pray for Clark to heal up from her injuries. Go Indiana Fever!
No connection
My effort with songwriting has no connection to my late father.
I remember when Dad retired from UMN-Morris, there was an informal outdoor gathering for the occasion. I attended even though many members of the UMM community had a low opinion of me. Mom insisted that I be there. A loud stereo system was heard from some nearby off-campus student housing. It was the BeeGees. Someone at the gathering said "That's one of Ralph's earlier works."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment