Here is a hard-rocking song (vaguely in the style of Rush in the late 1980s) about the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. I just posted it on my website at this page:
http://www.gregorysidakmusic.com/compon ... lbum_id,7/
Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.
All sounds were generated and recorded on the Oasys. No external signal processing or sequencing was used. No electric or acoustic guitars were used.
What is the time signature?
"When the Wall Fell": new O song
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
"When the Wall Fell": new O song
My website contains more than 150 songs recorded on the OASYS in a variety of genres--from hard rock and jazz to orchestral and country. Please visit: www.gregorysidakmusic.com
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Akos Janca
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 1157
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Budapest, Hungary
- Contact:
Dear Gregory,
Thank you, I enjoyed the piece. I like your complex and sophisticated art on your website. And I think truly understand the feelings behind some of your songs that are related to politics. (I am in Hungary.)
I also love Rush. Congratulations to this great song, I like the "frame" structure with the starting and ending bells.
I think I got the time signature: this is not constant but varying.
It was not easy to reveal because of the very interesting musical accents. The structure of the whole song is this:
TEMPO: quarter = 120 BPM or better to say an eighth note = 240 BPM.
- INTRO (bells)
Length: 4 bars.
Signature: 6/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- MAIN THEME
Length: 4 bars.
Signatures: 7/8 (3+4), 7/8 (5+2), 7/8, 3/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- THEME B (different organ sound)
Length: 4 bars.
Signatures: 5/8 (3+2), 11/8 (7+2+2), 8/8 (4+4), 8/8 (4+4)
Repeat: 2 times.
- MAIN THEME
- THEME B
- MIDDLE PART (choir and ac. guit.)
Length: 4 bars.
Signature: 6/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- THEME B
- MAIN THEME
- THEME B
- MIDDLE PART VARIATION (choir theme)
- CODA (like INTRO)
Thank you, I enjoyed the piece. I like your complex and sophisticated art on your website. And I think truly understand the feelings behind some of your songs that are related to politics. (I am in Hungary.)
I also love Rush. Congratulations to this great song, I like the "frame" structure with the starting and ending bells.
I think I got the time signature: this is not constant but varying.
It was not easy to reveal because of the very interesting musical accents. The structure of the whole song is this:TEMPO: quarter = 120 BPM or better to say an eighth note = 240 BPM.
- INTRO (bells)
Length: 4 bars.
Signature: 6/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- MAIN THEME
Length: 4 bars.
Signatures: 7/8 (3+4), 7/8 (5+2), 7/8, 3/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- THEME B (different organ sound)
Length: 4 bars.
Signatures: 5/8 (3+2), 11/8 (7+2+2), 8/8 (4+4), 8/8 (4+4)
Repeat: 2 times.
- MAIN THEME
- THEME B
- MIDDLE PART (choir and ac. guit.)
Length: 4 bars.
Signature: 6/8.
Repeat: 4 times.
- THEME B
- MAIN THEME
- THEME B
- MIDDLE PART VARIATION (choir theme)
- CODA (like INTRO)
Dear Akos,
Thank you. I am working on a new piece about the uprising in Budapest in 1956. It is orchestral. I also have a very long piece called, "The Year 1989," which I hope to finish soon after some editing. I started it before the Wall fell, when the sentiment expressed was quite different, and certainly not celebratory. As you can tell from my website, I believe that the expressive power of rock and other pop music should be used to comment on the world around us, particularly the most consequential of human events. I approach composing as through creating a painting or a tableau vivant. When a composition is complete, I have no intention of ever performing it live. Indeed, I quickly forget how to play most of my compositions. The composition then exists independently of the composer.
You have an excellent ear. The tempo is indeed 120 BPM for quarter notes. Your dissection of the meter of the various themes is impressive and correct. Here is the trick answer to my question, however: On the Oasys, the meter is set to 4/4 throughout the entire song.
When recording the main theme, I first got the riff in my head. Using Karma, I synched a drum pattern to start with each chord change (I don't know what this process is called in the technical jargon of the Oasys owner's manual). I did this in 4/4, but the feel is exactly what you detail for the meter of the main theme. Then I added a second, unsynched drum tack in 4/4, so that the offbeat patterns overlay on a familiar 4/4 beat. Note that the sum of the beats you counted for the main theme and theme B are divisible by 4. Similarly, the middle part is recorded in 4/4 with a 3/4 drum pattern.
I use this technique a good deal--taking the lowest common multiple of two different time signatures to determine the length a given theme. About a year ago, I posted the following question on this forum: Is it possible on the Oasys sequencer to program one track in a given meter (say, 4/4) and another track in an different meter (say, 3/4), such that they synch on 12? When I played live with my old bandmates decades ago, I would ask the drummer and bass player to play a pattern in 5/4 while I played my part in 4/4, such that we completed the theme on the 20th beat. But I don't know a direct way to instruct the Oasys to do that. Instead, I use the indirect method I have described here.
Thanks again for the close listening and the kind words. I'll let you know when my Hungarian tribute is finished.
Greg
Thank you. I am working on a new piece about the uprising in Budapest in 1956. It is orchestral. I also have a very long piece called, "The Year 1989," which I hope to finish soon after some editing. I started it before the Wall fell, when the sentiment expressed was quite different, and certainly not celebratory. As you can tell from my website, I believe that the expressive power of rock and other pop music should be used to comment on the world around us, particularly the most consequential of human events. I approach composing as through creating a painting or a tableau vivant. When a composition is complete, I have no intention of ever performing it live. Indeed, I quickly forget how to play most of my compositions. The composition then exists independently of the composer.
You have an excellent ear. The tempo is indeed 120 BPM for quarter notes. Your dissection of the meter of the various themes is impressive and correct. Here is the trick answer to my question, however: On the Oasys, the meter is set to 4/4 throughout the entire song.
When recording the main theme, I first got the riff in my head. Using Karma, I synched a drum pattern to start with each chord change (I don't know what this process is called in the technical jargon of the Oasys owner's manual). I did this in 4/4, but the feel is exactly what you detail for the meter of the main theme. Then I added a second, unsynched drum tack in 4/4, so that the offbeat patterns overlay on a familiar 4/4 beat. Note that the sum of the beats you counted for the main theme and theme B are divisible by 4. Similarly, the middle part is recorded in 4/4 with a 3/4 drum pattern.
I use this technique a good deal--taking the lowest common multiple of two different time signatures to determine the length a given theme. About a year ago, I posted the following question on this forum: Is it possible on the Oasys sequencer to program one track in a given meter (say, 4/4) and another track in an different meter (say, 3/4), such that they synch on 12? When I played live with my old bandmates decades ago, I would ask the drummer and bass player to play a pattern in 5/4 while I played my part in 4/4, such that we completed the theme on the 20th beat. But I don't know a direct way to instruct the Oasys to do that. Instead, I use the indirect method I have described here.
Thanks again for the close listening and the kind words. I'll let you know when my Hungarian tribute is finished.
Greg
My website contains more than 150 songs recorded on the OASYS in a variety of genres--from hard rock and jazz to orchestral and country. Please visit: www.gregorysidakmusic.com
-
Akos Janca
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 1157
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:05 am
- Location: Budapest, Hungary
- Contact:
Dear Greg,
Thank you.
I think the same as you said: music can and should be used to comment the world around us. In the modern times especially rock (or fusion) with progressive elements. Music itself speaks in a universal language - lyrics is not always needed. I also like classical music and I see the relation between that and contemporary works. (I also enjoy nice warm pop music with simpler lyrics. I'm not a freak.
Until now I composed mostly pop. Anyways, I think the most important is to touch hearts - I hope it doesn't sound too sentimental. )
Yes, after writing and recording I feel it, too: the composition exists independently of the composer. However, I like listening my recordings and remembering, analyzing what happened and how. I also like to perform live.
The recording technique you described is novel to me, I haven't used KARMA for drum tracks yet. (Usually I play it on the keyboard myself.) I will try it.
I don't think OASYS can use different meter (signature) settings for individual tracks. It would be interesting. When I composed songs with variable meter settings - before OASYS - I used a simpler idea: e.g. in a usual 4/4 song there was a middle part (solo, etc.) in 3/4 then the refrain returned in 4/4. But I also have the experience with bandmates playing patterns in different meters… (Hey, haven't we been in the same band? )
It's interesting to hear about your new piece about 1956. The political situation is still unsettling today here in Hungary. But that's off topic.
Thank you, best regards,
Akos
Thank you.
I think the same as you said: music can and should be used to comment the world around us. In the modern times especially rock (or fusion) with progressive elements. Music itself speaks in a universal language - lyrics is not always needed. I also like classical music and I see the relation between that and contemporary works. (I also enjoy nice warm pop music with simpler lyrics. I'm not a freak.
Until now I composed mostly pop. Anyways, I think the most important is to touch hearts - I hope it doesn't sound too sentimental. )Yes, after writing and recording I feel it, too: the composition exists independently of the composer. However, I like listening my recordings and remembering, analyzing what happened and how. I also like to perform live.
The recording technique you described is novel to me, I haven't used KARMA for drum tracks yet. (Usually I play it on the keyboard myself.) I will try it.
I don't think OASYS can use different meter (signature) settings for individual tracks. It would be interesting. When I composed songs with variable meter settings - before OASYS - I used a simpler idea: e.g. in a usual 4/4 song there was a middle part (solo, etc.) in 3/4 then the refrain returned in 4/4. But I also have the experience with bandmates playing patterns in different meters… (Hey, haven't we been in the same band?
)It's interesting to hear about your new piece about 1956. The political situation is still unsettling today here in Hungary. But that's off topic.
Thank you, best regards,
Akos