| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2009 | | The making of Letting Go | by Pedro Collusso
Major seventh chords always strike a note with me (no pun intended…). Since I first strummed an acoustic guitar, that cluster of sounds combining the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th tones (notes) of a major scale always takes me to the wide open spaces. I guess that’s the best way I can describe my fascination with them and why I use them constantly in my compositions.
Around September 2007 I was eagerly pursuing an unconventional progression of major seventh chords on the keyboard. As a listening reference I was aiming to obtain something as striking as Trem Azul (Blue Train), a song written in the early 70’s by Lo Borges, a Brazilian songwriter I deeply admire (check it at www.myspace.com/loborges ).
I wanted something more upbeat though. So, after messing with some drum loops and finding one I liked, I came up with the seventh chord progression that became the foundation of Letting Go, the opening track of Metaphors. In the following days I began to weave other chord progressions with the first pattern I created and decided to go deeper. It turned into a tune that was quite a departure from the material Shasme and I had worked on up that point. But since the beginning of our musical partnership, it was clear to me the she was up to any creative challenge. So it was no surprise when, after a few days, she came back with a great melody and well thought lyrics. What surprised me, though, was her ability to create several vocal lines that showcase her vocal talents as an instrument. Letting Go is possibly the most complex tune on Metaphors. I never thought that my quest for different chord progressions would evolve into such a cool musical piece.
| | Mar 11, 2009 @ 9:28 PM | The story behind the songs | 0 comment(s) |
| | SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2009 | | Beginning at the beginning... | By Shasme, on March 4th, 2009
It’s tucked away in the middle of the album, but it’s the song that got us started. Pedro had asked me (challenged me) to consider putting lyrics to paper. This had been pretty pointless up until this point. I don’t know how to play an instrument, so having someone in the writing process that can play one is pretty helpful. I really never had that person until Pedro. And really, at that point, there’s no way I could have known that Pedro was that person. And I’m quite sure he was testing the waters with me.
I was going to meet with Pedro that Thursday night. I already had the lyrics and structure for Whisper, but I kind of wanted to have two songs for that night. I sat on my back patio that afternoon, and as I kept an eye on my kids, my mind started wrapping itself around the idea of a love song built on comparisons. This wasn’t an original idea, I know; Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 is the benchmark. As the words unfolded, the tune just kind of came along with them. And really, that’s kind of it. Within an hour, the song was pretty much done – lyrics handwritten on paper, tune in my head.
Later that evening I sang the song for Pedro. With guitar in hand, Pedro started mapping the song with me, and the melody he created just melded itself perfectly with the lyrics and tune. We made a first recording after going through it a couple of times and immediately felt something I still can’t quite name. But this was the quiet little birth of a simple love song – Metaphor. | | Mar 07, 2009 @ 6:56 PM | The story behind the songs | 0 comment(s) |
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