Chaos Theory

CD - “Quantum Nature”

Towards the end of recording the tunes for Quantum Nature, I started reading papers on linguistics and language development and their connections to consciousness. Discussions of consciousness, the abstract thing that enables us to cross the gap between a computer and an identity, sometimes step into the periphery of the domain of Chaos Theory. The implications of these concepts went on to influence my music and me as a person much more than anything coming from physics. More on that in future posts.

When I put this track together, I had no idea what a Mandelbrot Set or Lorenz Attractor was. I was still thinking about Maxwell and Newton, and not even scratching the surface of Schrodinger, Bohr, and Einstein. In reality, Chaos Theory is in a different world than regular physics. So the real story on this tune is a little simpler. I just needed a cool title for a song, and Chaos Theory appealed to me.

This tune was written and recorded toward the end of the Quantum Nature project. I remember thinking that all of the songs were sounding too melodic and smooth. The album seemed to need something a bit more heavy and dramatic to provide a counter-balance. This song is louder and some of the chords and transitional parts are a little abrupt and chaotic.

There is an instrumental tune on Rush's album Counterparts called “Leave That Thing Alone”. It is a very cool song with a recurring lead guitar theme that I absolutely loved. So I put together a similar melody and built my own instrumental track out of it. In the end, there is no comparison - the Rush tune is way better. But my tune does perhaps have its moments.

Wards of State

CD - “Quantum Nature”

This song is from the CD Quantum Nature and is one of only a couple tracks that does not have some aspect of science as its topic.

There are a lot of ideas in the song, but the basic story is about a city or local society that is approaching an unavoidable transition. The current paradigm has been eroding for some time and is about to collapse. Some of the citizens are aware, some are not. Some will embrace the change, some will not.

There is a lot you can say about this situation. Meaningful change in society rarely comes about by election. Revolution or invasion is frequently the greater force for significant change. Elections are simply an elixir that provides the sensation of freedom to the masses. However, this drama of selection is so narrowly constrained that it simply serves to perpetuate the eternal sameness that financial markets and political profiteers depend upon.

The graphic depicts an ancient place and a future place. What direction the societal transition mentioned in the song moves in is up to you. Is a return to a simpler, low footprint society better? Or is a futuristic technology-based structure the way to go?

I forget what writing process this song took. Many of my tunes are not straight-forward chord-based songs with verse chorus structures. However, this song seemed to emerge with that basic pattern intact. I think I was trying to work on being more disciplined musically. Trying to satisfy my goal of producing something original while remaining confined to a familiar format.

I do recall that I wanted to experiment with an 'orchestral stabbing' effect where a discrete marching rhythm is played on distorted guitar while a lattice of undistorted notes is played in the background in an independent pattern. The chorus (“Wards of State, state of wonder...”) is the result of this experiment.

I have mentioned before that vocals have always been a weakness. However, I was somewhat pleased by how this tune turned out. The vocals are almost passable here. For me, this is probably as good as it gets.

Desert mosque - http://www.dodear.com/wallpapers/index.php?content_id=19356

Future city - http://khongthe.com/wallpapers/abstract/city-207.jpg

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The Door

Album - "Quantum Nature"




After becoming somewhat more familiar with the digital recording process and software, I could start to think even more about the conceptual and lyrical content of music. I have always been interested in science and physics. In fact, I now work for a company that makes scientific instruments. Reading a couple of books about string theory and dimensionality started me on the road to subtly adopting some of the concepts in my lyrics.

One book was Elegant Universe by Brian Greene which is a decent primer to Newtonian and relativistic physics. Mr. Greene nicely transitions into the issue of the need for a unified field theory. This leads to a discussion of string theory and its dimensional implications.

Flatland is a Victorian-era novel written by Edwin Abbott Abbott in which a society that exists in only two dimensions is visited by a three dimensional being. Mr. Abbott's excellent development of this analogy helps the reader to visualize higher-dimension phenomena, which is a requirement of string theory.

As I mention in the blog introduction, I have always arranged my songs into collections.

1. Superheroes and Thank You, I Love You were from the first 'CD' which was called For Good.
2. Measure of Success, Entrance Me You Do, and A305 on Wednesday were from a second CD I called Measure of Success.
3. The third collection of songs was called Quantum Nature.
4. (There are several more CDs after these. Later.)

The title of the third CD obviously reflects influences from the above-mentioned books and from science in general.

The Door was the first track on the CD and was intended as a kind of introduction to the over-all theme.

“I wish there was a door that lead to other places. A passage to a realm revealing hidden spaces.”

Understanding the rest of the CD required the listener to 'step through a door' in a manner of speaking. I was still pretty young at the time and was trying to be deep. But many of the ideas are still interesting to me.

The general sound of this track will remind most listeners of Rush. I was a huge fan for many years. I sort of studied their music and it eventually became like a kind of language to me. Without intending it, some of my tracks have perhaps ended up sounding like rip-offs. I'm out of touch with the band now. A few years ago, I started wanting more variety and a wider dynamic range in music. And Peart was getting a bit too preachy for me. I notice they are getting back into sci-fi. Maybe it's time I give them another listen.

http://christianwomenonline.net/2012/04/10/the-final-transition/chapel-door-3/

http://www.eso.org

http://sb635.mystarband.net/m16_st10_xcm.htm

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A305 on Wednesday

Album - "Measure of Success"

Another instrumental tune. Originally written and recorded in 1989 on a Wednesday evening where I was living at the time in an apartment unit numbered A305. I couldn't think of another name, so "A305 on Wednesday" is what I ended up calling it.

The first demo of this song was recorded on a four-track tape machine. I was experimenting with recording a heavier rock sound and learning from the challenges of capturing that style successfully on tape. I didn't have a drum machine or any rhythm software. The drum track was performed live by hammering away at a keyboard connected to a Roland sound module that had the standard MIDI arrangement of drum sounds assigned to various keys. Despite my poor sense of timing, the over-all results were encouraging.

About 15yrs later I resumed my recording hobby again. This time I was using digital recording with professional drum loops and unlimited availability of tracks. Some of the original 'sound' was lost because of the more organized timing and format. But the re-recorded result is comparable to the original.

The song itself is a very simple variation on D and G chords with an odd note-based middle section. The song had no real conceptual theme or visual association for me except that it is a happy, upbeat tune. The whole thing was simply a learning exercise for young guy with a tape recorder.

Pictures:

Tape - cliffski.deviantart.com

faces - cutelypoisoned.com

4-track - www.springsteenlyrics.com

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Entrance Me, You Do

Album - "Measure of Success"

Instrumental tune. The main theme emerged while playing on a Korg DW-8000 (which I still have). It is an 8-voice polyphonic synth, but there are a few presets in the bank that are monophonic using all 8 voices at once. In the monophonic mode, some of the presets are programmed such that a key will sound when it is pressed, as per usual. If a second key is pressed while still holding the 1st one, its sound will replace the first key, as expected. However, when the second key is released, the first key sounds again.

This property has the effect of multiplying the notes played and is what contributed to the feel of this tune. I was thinking about electronic dance-type music when I was working through the main melody. However, as the piece evolved during the recording process, my progressive rock roots took over. Not sure if that improved the piece or diluted it.





The tune was re-worked recently to exploit the melody a little more. I have a tendency not to linger on an idea very long. This sometimes prevents an idea from being taken to its logical extent. Need more patience perhaps.

The retro electronic-sounding base and arpeggio in the second half of the song is from a demo version of the Rapture Synth. The electric piano is a demo version of Lounge Lizard.

Measure of Success

Album - "Measure of Success"

Written and recorded about 12-14yrs ago. Re-worked it recently to get the mixing a bit more balanced.



The title is obviously a play on words. A person hopes for a measure, or degree, of success in their activities. They also hope that the success is enough to be measured somehow.

I was thinking about these things when children came into my life. Benchmarks for 'success' start emerging when you bring little ones into the world. Other people may have opinions on how to best guide children. We may have our own uncertain ideals. Corporations have an interest in cultivating life-long consumers of our children through invasive advertising. The educational system has its agendas too.

How does one measure success in terms of providing guidance and happiness for another human life? That is basically what this song is about.

There is a lyric in the song that describes a family as making their way through life like vines growing toward a common light source. The picture sort of captures these ideas for me.

Picture modified from artwork from Star Wars Old Republic © Copyright Lucasfilm Entertainment Company.
http://desktop.freewallpaper4.me/view/original/5872/star-wars-the-old-republic-environment.jpg
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Thank You, I Love You

Album - "For Good"

Around the same time I wrote Superheroes, I also wrote this song. Love songs were never my thing, but the idea grew less troublesome after finding my significant other. The tune has a 70's vibe that has always appealed to me. The picture is somewhat representative of the intended feel.

There is a certain warmth present in much of the music from this era. No doubt it was as much a product of the instrumentation and recording equipment as it was the people playing.

I couldn't get the vocals right even after several tries - a difficulty that I have always struggled with.

Back ground from an old stereo ad

http://www.old-ads.com/category/old-stereo-ads/page/4

Congos

http://www.mooloolabamusic.com.au/toca-le-series-wood-conga-11-and-3-4-in-burl-oak.html

Guitar

http://www.italmelodie.com/pages/imageViewer_item.php?itemID=1161

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