Lyrics:
You have a greater impact than you know. 
Every single breath and crying tear
Creates a wave in history. 
For even just the wind from a butterfly’s wing
Ends up in massive change, 
Causing time to rearrange. 

Is it your life if you’re living for others ? 
Learn to escape, set yourself free. 
For no one has power over your mind, 
They’ve only made you think otherwise. 

No need to doubt, no need for fear. 
You have the choice to use the chance that’s here. 
For it only takes one brave individual
To stand up and start the flame.

Program Notes:
The progression for Rearrange was inspired by a riff that Sal Bass was randomly playing one day. Hearing it struck such a chord within me that I had to write lyrics to it. I wanted to communicate what studying art and music has taught me, that one stroke or one note makes all the difference, that every single aspect is important in the whole. My hope is that this song acts as one of empowerment to myself and others to think outside of the boxes we were put into and to realize that every one of our decisions impacts the future. The chord progression of the first verse centers around E major, with the third of the chord (G#) falling to F#, then rising to an A to create a four-three suspension chord. During the line “ends up in massive change” the progression changes to an A major chord (the subdominant in E major), and unexpectedly falls to an A dominant seven over G, which leads the ear to believe that it might resolve to a D major chord, but instead it falls back to an E major. This is painting the idea that every action, even that of a butterfly’s, can lead to unexpected events. The second verse falls to an E minor, and uses the same motif with the third (G) falling to an F# and then rising to an A. This is meant to have a more somber feel, as it discusses how we often decide to live our lives based on societal or familial expectations instead of what our hearts call us to do. But on the line “set yourself free,” the four-three suspension falls to an E major instead of E minor, showing a sense of regaining control over one’s life and finding joy through following one’s own dreams.

Ripples into Waves

(III.) Rearrange (8/16) Written with Sal Bass

Lyrics:
As we float through space, 
Tell me, what would it take ? 
To realize, open our eyes, 
Erase the lines they made. 

For all to thrive in peace, 
All are free to live and be. 
There will come a time
When all will see the possibilities. 

As we live each day,
We’ll find a way to set ablaze 
The laws they’ve made, 
We’ll grow and change, rearrange, 
Escape the haze. 

You are not on your own, 
There are others on a different road.
We’ll create the world we want to exist,
The power lies within each of us.

Program Notes:
Ablaze is a hopeful song, expressing the belief that we have the power to escape the haze of the current world and create one of peace without preconceived boundaries, such as race, nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, economic status, or any other facet of our personal lives that are somehow turned against us to make us believe that we are separate from or inferior to one another. The verse begins with an E minor seven chord over G, and the progression descends to a D major add 9 over F#, a D minor add 9 over F, and finally ends on an A major over E. This piece is difficult to analyze because while it always resolves to a tonic A major, the chords leading up to that can be drawn from various modes, such as the E minor seven, which could be seen as a minor five chord, or the D major falling to D minor, which could be seen as a major subdominant that becomes a minor subdominant. During the lyrics “you are not on your own,” the progression begins with an A major, then descends to an A dominant seven over G, an F# minor, an A major suspended six over F, and ends on A major over E, which is the same progression that ends the last song Rearrange. I wanted these songs to include that same progression to continue to express the individual power of choice that all of us share, one that we can all use to help create a world where we all live equally and in peace and collaboration.

(III.) Ablaze (9/16)

Lyrics:
Here we are on earth existing, 
It’s all alive, we’re all connected. 
Here and now is all there ever is. 
Each breath, each step, each moment is a gift. 

While it’s harsh outside, 
Life won’t pass us by. 

Look around and you will see, 
Moments of happiness and synchronicities. 
There’s so much this cosmos offers us, 
Let’s choose to learn, let’s choose to love. 

Life is sacred, all is one. 
One sky, one moon, one sun.

Program Notes:
This was the first song that I wrote on the banjo, in hopes of expressing the joys of living in the present moment despite the harshness of the world around. The progression is fairly simple, beginning on an A major over E, with the lowest and highest notes ascending to F#, G#, and A while the middle notes (A and C#) stay the same. Like Rearrange and Ablaze, this song also uses the A dominant seven over G, falling to F# minor and then to A major over E. This A dominant seven over G unites the three songs and to me communicates a mysterious feeling that coincides with the lyrics “while it’s harsh outside, life won’t pass us by” and “life is sacred, all is one. One sky, one moon, one sun.” The mystery of this chord adds to the concept that while we may not understand or be able to grasp why we are all here on this planet, we are all dependent on one another and on Nature’s incredibly creative faculties that sustain us. The lyrics of this song were birthed from meditative concepts of oneness and of finding joy and meaning in the fact that we have the opportunity to live and experience the beauty of this lifetime and of Earth.

(III.) All is One (10/16)

When Will She be Free (SalBelle)

Song of Choice

Song of Choice (Peggy Seeger cover by SalBelle)

WhollY Idle

Social Waste - The Eunuch Jellies

Fall in Love Not in Line

The Lullaby

W Ninth St 7

Bella Ciao - SalBelle

And For Something Completely Punk Rock Wit De Cello

Lyrics:
Strength, peace, joy, love,
Surrender, endurance, and passion. 
To let go of self-judgment, 
Shift out of inner-criticism. 
Intimacy- seeing into me. 
The more we sing, 
We become a symphony. 

Health and vitality, 
Forgiveness and longevity, 
Mindfulness and serenity. 
Searching for what we cannot see.

Program Notes:

In January 2020, I was given a note with the words “strength, joy, peace, love, surrender, and endurance” written on it by another student in a mindfulness course. These words inspired this song, which encourages an escape from self-judgment and openness to vulnerability. While the tonic is E major, the progression borrows from the parallel E minor often, using an A minor add 6 chord (minor subdominant), E minor (minor tonic), and C major (major submediant).

belle

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