twelve_tone_blues epitome of incomprehensibility I tried this as the title for two stories. Neither seemed to cohere. But it seems so far the best choice to organize an album of songs around: kind of tongue-in-cheek but not a pun like I Have No Symphony, so OK for holding both the jokey and the serious. The thing is, I only started making up the actual song yesterday. (My brain: why are you making up new shit NOW? Also my brain: because I technically started it before, as two separate songs, and why not? it's fun.) 4/4 instrumental part, technically just a tone row transposed bluesishly: C, C, F, C, G and F, C again last line repeated with lyrics: So help me, Lord, I think I've got the twelve-tone blues 3/4 On the blue Danube, I've got the twelve-tone blues (and this repeats and then there's another line that I don't know yet) chorusy or hook thing, tune based on the fal-de-ral-de-ri-o of a Dutch children's song about ducklings swimming in the water: Rows and rows of notes I planted by the river Let their flowers grow The currents will deliver All my seeds of music Safe across the water (and something with seven syllables) (repetition of some stuff) Highly sophisticated songwriting style. Schoenberg would approve. 220723 ... e_o_i "Safe" turned to "far," as it often might. Schoenberg is in there too, his name stretched into English: Don't tell me this frame Is empty of emotion Like a lovely mountain Far across the ocean Tell me that you'll miss me If you have the notion And there's no seventh line, just me singing a-a-a-a-a (five notes). I'd toyed with ideas for the last verse, considered referring to a christian_martyr to make it connect to the previous song, but then some memory clicked: plaster saint. Better fit. So here are the first four lines: Take a plaster saint And paint her hands with henna Wedding bells are ringing All across Vienna ...It makes no sense, but it kind of goes together. Henna designs for weddings. Something about dressing up could be next. Maybe related to plants or water. 220730 ... e_o_i On the blue Danube I’ve got the twelve-tone blues. Oh, on the blue Danube I’ve got the twelve-tone blues: An evident experiment In paying my dues. and Take a plaster saint And paint her hands with henna. Set the bells a-ringing All across Vienna, Ringing in the harvest, Treble, bass, and tenor, Rows and rows of notes. 220820 ... e_o_i ...misblathed (ish), in that cut-and-pasted apostrophes turn into Chinese letters - arguably prettier than Roman ones but jarring when you want apostrophes 220820 ... e_o_i We did piano tracks of the first three songs! Even though I was jittery and kept messing up, at a certain point I got into a groove. Except the "groove" in the last piece kept veering off its axis - I mean the rhythm kept going too fast in one part and too slow in another. So raze suggested metronome sounds in earphones. Once I got used to playing with this robot heartbeat, it worked. Ish. 220821 ... raze okay, "robot heartbeat" needs to replace "metronome" in the musical lexicon. it's so much more soulful. which seems contradictory when we're talking about a pretty rudimentary time-keeping device, but i'm sticking with it. (and you did great! as madonna once sang, "getting into the groove is all about proving your love for small spherical seeds." at least i think that's how "into the groove" goes. it's been a while since i've heard that song.) 220821 ... nr i am curious to hear this! e_o_i, how did i never know you were a songwriter? also, if my drum teacher growing up had called it a robot heartbeat, i'd probably have been much more inclined to practise along with it. 220822 ... obviously the metronome, that is 220822 ... e_o_i I don't think I can call myself a songwriter proper. I mean, not compared to other people. Though when I was being grandiose, let's say ten_years_ago, I imagined myself a writer and amateur composer like Anthony Burgess or Ezra Pound (though less prolific than AB and not an incongruous fascist like EZ). For a long time there was this divide between the silly songs I did for fun and my piano compositions, mostly instrumental. Lately I've been trying to incorporate the two more. I couldn't finish the title piece to my satisfaction yet. I would have been happy to do just six songs, but now I have time to practice things so that the key transitions are smooth. And maybe I can add more things I haven't thought of. Everything takes so long, though. I don't know why everything takes so long. 220822 ... e_o_i The actual twelve-tone blues part needed lyrics. Apologies to whatever Bible psalm the first line comes from, Johann Strauss the Second, and Row Row Row Your Boat: By the old blue Danube I sat down to cry; Rows and rows of notes and each one passing me by. If you think I'm picky, tell me which one to choose; If you think I'm difficult, you should read the news. Lay my head beside the stream, Life is but a fever dream; So help me Lord, I think I got the twelve-tone blues. (Being a sad_romantic means getting back to this when the idea of missing someone across the ocean isn't just an idea. Yay. Maybe that's why working on this the bulk of Wednesday led to retreating into a kind of sullen laziness on Thursday. Today, Shut_Up_and_Write. Yes, I am terribly slow, but sometimes I can be productive every second day.) 241004 what's it to you? who go blather from