I had to write and arrange a song with monologue lyrics for my class.
Lyrics Below.

Explanation:
 I would have liked to produce something more ambient and unconventional, perhaps along the lines of Trent Reznor's original version of "hurt", but it took me so long to write any lyrics I was happy with that the arrangement became more conventional and suffered as the deadline approached.

 I still think it communicates somewhat effectively, and you can hear the original ambition in the vocal style, which in the end I was happy with, despite initially being uncomfortable at the criteria of using my own voice in the performance.

The lyrics are intended to deal with existentialism and dis-personalization, as well as more common themes like a "seize the day" motive, stress of time passing, seeking self-confidence and a desire for an internal locus of control.

 A special thanks to Jo for assistence in recording and production.

Lyrics:
Every day you find yourself;
not immersed or occupied,
but staring – blankly; at the glass,
watching yourself pass,
pass away…

Every day; you don’t find yourself.

Never see through,
ever only to,
lonely, reflections,
of you,
glazed-over,
and gazing back,
beginning to lose track,
forever in the glass.

Reaching for the real,
but only ever feel,
those cold confines.
They deny and undermine,
echoes, of a retreating,
defeated mind.

All the while you waste time,
as time wastes you.

Outer-body?
Out of mind?
Or maybe inner-space?
Out of phase,
Dis-personalized,
and displaced.

So long, you’ve sought to borrow,
your hopes from tomorrow,
if only you could be here,
just be here today.
Stammer and you stutter,
never dare to utter,
too busy thinking what you want to say.

Every day; you don’t find yourself.

Dont Find Yourself

 This is a re-arrangement of a previous assignment, for a new assignment.
Original is here https://soundcloud.com/mballard-2/want-you .

 I didn't know anything about "string quartets" until these last two weeks, so it was a lot of fun sequencing and playing around with this idea. Might write more music for strings in future.
I wish I had better software instruments available, might sound good if it wasn't so MIDI.

Re-arrangement:
-Changed the instrumentation to string-quartet,  2 Violins, a Viola and a Cello.
-Changed the structure from strophic to 4 movements, typical of genre.
-Replaced vocal instrumentation with a reminiscent Violin melody.
-Extended the introduction.
-Combined melodies from different sections.
-Extended some harmonies.
-Reduced tempo.
-Added whatever the hell I felt like wherever, because.

Fails:
-Couldn't remove the discordant  harmonics from the pizzicato Viola in the intro.
-Apart from vaguely separating the piece into 4 sections by combining verses choruses etc, I wasn't competent enough to incorporate any other elements of traditional String-4tet form; sonata form, minuet and trio, rondo and other words I don't understand.
-MIDI voices are crap.
-I don't play any of these instruments so I've no idea if any of this is even possible to play, but after looking at neck diagrams, seems perfectly feasible; no huge stretches for fingers.
-Don't know any other instrumental techniques apart from bowing and pizzicato.
-It's not very long is it.
-The classical notation is a casserole of nonsense.
It can be found here: https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=BDBA1987E01CA049&id=BDBA1987E01CA049%21105

I Want You Two

For my 3rd song-writing assignment I was given the words "Holocaust", "Pentecost" and "Double-crossed", and told I had to use alternative rhymes and rhyme-schemes (not rhyming couplets) using half-rhyme, internal rhyme for example.
 
Lyrics:
"50 days and nights,
that's the price,
this Pentecost,
buys a prize of ice.

Tossed aside,
but from the skies;
frozen tears of remorse,
from divine eyes?

50 days and nights,
that's the price,
this Pentecost,
buys a prize of ice.

Frost,
Pale white sun,
Holocaust,
Day of dissension,
Forced,
into this lonesome,
lost,
to exhaustion.

Frost, 
Pale white sun,
Holocaust,
Day of dissension,
Crucified twice;
bearing the burden,
of being double-crossed."

This piece started out life as pretty heavy metal piece, as the lyrics might reflect. I was loosely playing around with the narrative of an individual who had woken-up as the sole survivor of a nuclear holocaust/winter. Also using lots of religious allusions and imagery perhaps dealing with disillusionment. I'm not a strong lyricist, so overall I'm very proud of what I think shows some technical prowess regarding word-play, internal/complex half-rhymes, as well as thhe hypnotic rhythm of the words.
 Eventually however I decided to present the piece as a monologue to save time and for lyrical clarity. It's a bit short, would like to re-visit, and perhaps keep it as an intro/interlude, but it needs a re-mix and might sit well somewhere in a metal epic.
 I'm still quite happy with this as a finished product, it's a pleasantly weird skit with loads of potential.
 A special thanks to Lottie Holmes who performed the vocal parts for me.

Pentecost

 This is a radio advert I had to do for my creative studio production module.
It's an advert for Thrash-metal Ed's shredd-heavy guitar lessons mixed in 5.1. It's a bit silly but I think I ticked most of the boxes. It sounds a hell of a lot better in 5.1 anyway.
 A special thanks to Ed, the man himself and of course to Freddy & Lottie for saving me from my own incompetence. 

An advert for CSP1

For an assignment I was commanded to re-harmonize something, and this (No-body knows the trouble I've seen) was by far the funkiest melody on the list I could lazily whack some popular-punkular chords under. The end result is staggering.
 As far as theory goes I think I early on made an effort  to go to the natural minor of the original. I did 3 different chord progressions like this followed by a major chord progression which may or may not be different from the original.
 Chord progressions after the drums kick-in intro:
1) D# Minor, B Major (ish, ditched d# in place of a B), C# maj (add d# I think), back to the B maj thingy. Very Iron maiden/everything else ever, kinda boring.
2) D# Minor, A# minor, B Major thing again, C# thing. My personal favorite, very red-hot chillies.
3) D# Minor, B Maj again, C# Maj again, G# minor I think, rock generica.
4) And now the major key progression... F# Maj, B maj, G# Minor, B major (default this time I think) had to try very hard to not use "don't stop believing"'s chord sequence transposed.
 Yeah this was fun. Sorry about lack of production values.
A special thank you to Jo for whom to which recorded this with me mere seconds before the deadline.

Nobody knows who re-harmonized this... (Except Jesus).

 Hello this is a Christmas song I did for Christmas and an assignment.
 I wrote this song in my head while I was washing pots at work and serving the first years Christmas dinner, incidentally the first song I've ever written lyrics first I think.

Lyrics and music by me and Ed sung with his lovely voice for me, thank you Ed, you are sat behind me reading this, kinda weird... go away now please, come on lets go for a cig.
And thank you Jo for recording and mixing, and not sitting behind me while I write things.
Oh and listen to Ed's song too it's more funnier but the chorus is pretty shit, ranting is spot on though. ---> https://soundcloud.com/eddie-huntley

Lyrics:
Let's have us a party,
yeah cos' winter is shit.
(Don't you know it)
So let's stick a party,
right in the middle of it.
It's been a long-long-long damn year,
let's try to forget.

If you’re thinkin’ you’re smitten,
by your sweetheart some gloves.
(Yeah man, it’s cold outside!)
Or some cute knitted-mittens?
(Saw that comin’)
Show who you’re thinkin’ of.
That’s £9.99 recommended,
retail price of your love.

I love my family,
and my family love me.
But I can’t stand my family,
and I’m sure they’d agree,
so let all get together,
how polite can we be.

Be good to each other,
be good to ourselves,
buy a nice present,
for somebody else,
and give all the hard-earned credit,
to Satan's elves.

It’s the end of the year,
ain’t no better excuse.
To drink too much beer,
G’head, let yourself loose,
cos’ when it’s only once a year,
it’s not alcohol abuse…
it’s definitely not alcohol abuse…
(I’m sorry officer)
definitely, definitely not alcohol abuse.

Merry Christmas!

Have A 12-Bar Xmas

 Most of the sounds uploaded here will be for the purpose of a songwriting class.
All music here is original and belongs to TheLegsOfaRam.

 Any pictures I use do not belong to me, and will be taken down upon request of copyright holders.

TheLegsOfaRam

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