A Modest Endeavor (Part 1 and 2)

Today is mildly monumental; it marks the completion of my first 2 part song set, "A Modest Endeavor." I've tried to combine a lot of different ideas I've had floating around in my head for some time now, and I think some of them came out quite well. Others, unfortunately, did not. Now, a little bit of an explanation is in order. First, however, have a listen.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Now, on to business.

Part one is meant to be an instrumental introduction to part two. Part one is a little bit of a strange beast because it uses both classical guitar (Spanish style) and electrical guitar. The slow (60bpm) intro is actually played on said guitar, and was recorded using a mic (which might explain some of the weird spots). I think my soloing skills are becoming a little less random and a little more directed, which is a good thing, though I realize that I have a lot more work to do. Basically, the entire point of this intro was to create an atmosphere of isolation and loneliness. If that's how you feel after listening to the intro, then it's done it's job. If that's not what you feel, well...I'll try harder next time. One last note about part one: the entire inspiration for this intro was a single phrase, strummed on the classical with a capo (a device that holds down all 6 strings in a specific place on the fingerboard of the guitar) at position 5. If I ever feel a little less lazy, I might cut a very short track consisting only of that inspirational lick.

Lyrics: A Modest Endeavor, Part 2.

[guitar / bass intro]

Long after the last day had past
Long after the seasons had died
Long after all hope was lost
Stood a single man, shake, but alive

Greeted by the naked sun
In the western sky
Painting with its tattered brush
Crimson hues and dies

[muted guitar solo]

Words had long since
Lost their way
Besides, who had
Something to say?
Let the birds be his voice
The breeze be his ears
With the death of culture
Gives the birth of frontier

[bass solo!]

In the warmth of winter
In the life of night
He forgot his feet
And the ground took flight
He kissed the wind
And he touched the sun
Only pieces were left
And the deed was
Done.

The Story:

I'm going to leave this one in particular up to interpretation (at least for a little while). My goal in creating this song was to use a lot of strange metaphors, but not simply for the sake of being weird. I've recently been listening to a lot of classic rock, and many of the lyrics are influenced by drug use. I wanted to create that sort of vibe without being on drugs. I think I've had a mildly successful effort, but I have plenty of ideas for improvement. Hopefully you can hear how my voice is more consistent, but I still need to work on volume control / tone / transitioning between phrases. It's kind of a running gag around my house about how bad my voice is, but at least this is a step in the right direction. Also, I think the bass solo could have been a little more fleshed out, and the guitar was off rhythm in certain parts, but I chose to overlook some of those flaws (for now), for the sake of finally publishing the songs. I'm still trying to find my voice (in the literal sense), but I'm happy just to be able to practice and get my ideas out there.

As always, the song is available for download at:

hypnosis.dmusic.com

I'd love to hear some feedback on this one, so feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at:

fromthewayside (at) gmail (dot) com.

As far as future songs / projects are concerned, look for more collaborations / blues music / holiday themed music in the (hopefully) near future.