One of my stories is a Sci-fi Horror Western show, complete with a turf war between a maniacal oligarch and an American Tribe. Because of the time period, and for a university project, I wanted to write a traditional Folk song about this story.

Being somewhat unfamiliar with the genre, I performed extensive research, trying to find the main musical characteristics. The primary categories I identified were instrumentation, lyricism and compositional content.

As seen in Folk Music: The Basics by Ronald Cohen, the most common instruments used in American Folk were primarily guitar and banjo accompanied by ‘the accordion, dulcimer, fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, mouth bow, washboard, tin whistle, concertina, drums, flute, harp, uilleann pipes, and others’. (Cohen 2006) The banjo and drums were brought to America by transplanted African peoples which were then incorporated into the European musical sensibilities. (Lornell 2012, p6+8)

One such European tradition, and certainly one of the most popular, was the ballad form (Nettl, Myers, 1976, p64). As musicologists Nettl and Myers state, ‘by definition, a ballad is a narrative song’ (Nettl, Myers, 1976, p65). This narrative often begins ‘at the moment when the narrative has turned decisively toward its catastrophe or resolution’ (Friedman 1998) Despite this, the lyrics also have a strophic nature, consistent metre and a consistent rhyme scheme (Friedman 1998). One popular rhyme scheme was the ABCB quatrain (MasterClass 2021).

With this in mind, I wrote the lyrics based on my story, fitting it into those lyrical characteristics. I also used refrains (Nettl, Myers, 1976) and incremental repetition (Friedman 1998) which were similarly common techniques. The religious imagery I incorporated is also inspired by the ubiquitous christian beliefs of the time (Corrigan, J, Hudson, W 2018, Preface xi) which was often integrated into the music (Brothers Four 1977). I finally included call and response lines, often associated with African-American slave songs (Lornell 2012, p6) and Sea Shanties (Risko 2015, p13).

The musical theory behind these ballads tended to be purposely simplistic, often written to be performed by non-professionals (Cohen 2006). They were based on the modes, most commonly Ionian, Dorian and Mixolydian (Friedman 1998) with simple harmonic content (Nettl, Myers, 1976, p71).

With my research complete, I composed a melody which fit my lyrics, harmonised it with basic chord progressions and arranged it for folk instruments. I then took to the studio, recording my Jaw Harp, shakers, stomps and claps and, having asked my friend for help, I recorded banjo. Because this piece was meant to be both score and diegetic, I played the melody line on an acoustic guitar VST, trying to maintain authenticity within my instrumentation.

You can read the score and lyrics here:

References (In order of appearance):

Cohen, R (2006) Folk Music: The Basics. Routledge, New York. Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203353400/folk-music-basics-ronald-cohen (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Nettl, B, Myers, H (1976) Folk Music in the United States: An Introduction, 3rd Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan. (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Friedman, A (1998) Ballad. Britannica.com, Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/ballad. (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

MasterClass (2021) Music 101: What Is a Ballad? Learn to Write a Ballad With Examples. masterclass.com Available at: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/music-101-what-is-a-ballad-learn-to-write-a-ballad-with-examples#2dalGlG441HKPea8ehf1t1. (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Corrigan, J, Hudson, W (2018) Religion in America, 9th Routledge, New York. (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Brothers Four (1977) Michael Row The Boat Ashore Youtube.com Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv5jlHFgeio (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Risko, S. M. (2015). 19th Century Sea Shanties: From the Capstan to the Classroom Cleveland State University (Accessed 22 Nov 2024)

Introducing: Hyperthetical

For a university project, I conducted in-depth research into the origin and evolution of early Hip-Hop, focusing primarily on the 1990s. Not only was the time period and circumstances surrounding the inception of Hip-Hop fascinating, but so to was how they impacted the sound of the music. As part of this research, I created a track inspired by many iconic Hip-Hop works. My main inspirations were Tribe Called Quest and KRS one, whose lyrical style, creative voice and music production really captured my imagination.

One of my original characters I've been working on is a superhero who daylights as a Hip-Hop producer. With this in mind, I created this track as if it were produced by him, offering an unique creative experience. As a debut track, it's self-titled with his artist name, Hyperthetical.

I was so inspired by these songs, that almost every musical decision can be traced back to a previous work. I even created this table with all the references.

References (in alphabetical order):

A Tribe Called Quest (1990a) Can I Kick It? Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/D-uV8TGjaGU?si=uJsqX_91MO7jtcDW (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1990b) Footprints. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/ay9bFqeHQRk?si=PyDIq0MRlh8fTMDZ (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1991a) Buggin’ Out. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/P9oTCzWRuvQ?si=TqWaxmxJRlFo4B8M (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1991b) Check the Rhime. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/BQT2DfzpCLA?si=dT6XeGcS3IMptPGX (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1991c) Jazz (We've Got). Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvzOfm0ZhS8 (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1991d) Scenario. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/X9Gd7pAbUjk?si=IaMmJh-oewxH2d6e (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

A Tribe Called Quest (1991e) Rap Promoter. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/BhZpFBFpBO4?si=a9pmnYCukpelsFjI (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

Black Moon (1993) Who Got Da Props? Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/DPuCpt2kYUs?si=JuMWBzG4SQ0Z-Hc- (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

Earth, Wind & Fire (1977) Fantasy. Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10C-Q3NIlzU(Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

Eric B. & Rakim (1987) I Ain't No Joke. Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TN-kDEKxF0(Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

Incredible Bongo Band (1973) Apache. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/WY-Z6wm6TMQ?si=aM0izh68rsWGywIE (Accessed: 2 Dec 2024)

Jernigan, X. (2015) History of Hip Hop in the Bronx - Arts in the City. CUNY TV. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ZpQ73R_z4 (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

KRS One (1997) The MC. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/L13Xs69HU0k?si=TxgIRa37PB_x_PjW(Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

KRS-One (1993) Sound of da Police. Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZrAYxWPN6c(Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

KRS-One (1995) MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know. Youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/xnI8JEW7Ty4?si=NBJH_Lz7KRb9GUWm (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

Shaw, B. (2023b) The Hip Hop Sample That ACCIDENTALLY Changed Everything. Digging The Greats. Available at: https://youtu.be/D-uV8TGjaGU?si=uJsqX_91MO7jtcDW (Accessed: 24 Nov 2024)

What makes Christmas so special and unlike any other holiday or family gathering, is nostalgia. The traditions of the season bind us to our former selves, allowing us to revisit our childhood once a year. It’s because of this, that as the years roll on, I view Christmas with more reflective eyes; the joy of celebration tinged with longing for the past. As with most feelings, I wanted to express them musically, creating two pieces which, to me, encapsulate Christmas.

‘Hot Chocolate Snowmen’ is the sweetness of the celebrations, the fun of the holiday and the coziness of Christmas. Because of this I used recognisable Christmas musical ‘language’. My main references were of cool jazz, specifically Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown album and tracks like ‘Mr. Sandman’ (Chordettes 1954) and ‘Misty’ (Garner 1955). In accordance with this, I used rich harmony and similar instrumentation. I as also inspired by Ambient ‘liminal’ music to use synth pads to evoke that cozy feeling.

Christmas Memories is nostalgia, the reflective experience of the holiday. Because of this, I wanted to evoke the classic Christmas tv films watched on VHS and CRT TVs. The track is exclusively synth based, each sound chosen for its nostalgic quality. I also focused on harmonic movement, taking a minimalist approach and observing dissonant interactions. To finish the piece I added a clip of narration from Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) by Paul Wing.

As a writer, I have created many worlds and civilisations, but none more detailed as the planet  Oodan /uːdan/. A small globe with three main islands, Oodan is primarily forest, being populated by more trees than peoples. Because of this, their culture is founded on wood and leaf. Their music is no exception, every instrument being made from trees, including strings, woodwinds and percussion. With native instruments influenced and accompanied by the music of human settlers, the music of Oodan, although unique, is mostly recognisable by humans.

To articulate this musical culture, I wanted to write a song within the constraints of the culture. Because of this I used my Native American Drone Flute as a starting point and accompanied it with congas, double bass, piano, acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments. The piece is intended to represent the peaceful yet strong nature of the world, acting as a meditation on the land.

One of the legends in this world is of the Uaghan /uːəxan/; a bird spirit who governs the planet and punishes its abusers. Although a real bird, the Uaghan is one of the most elusive creatures in the galaxy, seen by almost none. Because of this, the Uaghan has become a legend, an old tale told to children to teach them to respect their planet.

To create a piece based on this legend, I wanted to again use my Drone Flute. However, I wanted to focus on texture rather than melody, attempting unorthodox techniques. Through this, I discovered the ability to imitate certain sounds: lightly blowing above the sound hole created a subtle owl-like hoot, and breathing into the instrument with the bird removed created an atmospheric tone.

I decided to suggest tension through atmosphere, instead of melody and harmony. Because of this, I used minimal instrumentation, leaving space for the sound design, the main instruments being my Drone Flute, a Water-phone and a Cabasa. I started by mimicking the atmosphere, emphasised by blowing over my water bottle, which lent a harsher timbre. After adding hoots and gliding drones, I recorded the Water-phone, tapping and brushing my fingers across the rods. I also added Taiko drums to add power and awesomeness to the bird.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23:1-3)

These words by King David, written over 3000 years ago, were the main inspiration for my song 'Still Waters'. The main idea of this piece was of peace; a thankful meditation on the calm blessing of nature, quiet and hope. 

One of my favourite places I've ever been is a valley in Schladming-Dachstein, Austria. It was astonishingly scenic, with towering green mountains and a wide glacial river. One of the photos I captured while there is the cover for the song, the image encapsulating the feelings I was trying to portray. 

With the musical content, I wanted to focus on texture and space, with a minimal pallet and a simple chord progression. The synths used are primarily of my own creation using Logic’s Retrosynth but I added some textures of other VSTs and a piano (Paul James’ Legacy Knight Piano + Synth VST) run through a delay and reverb chain.

The lead piano was recorded at my university’s studio using an upright mic’d with two KLM187s and an Aston Origin behind the piano, two NT5s, by the hammers and an NT5 at the centre. I mixed the signals together and added birdsong to evoke the themes of the song.

This album is a collection of 70s inspired beatstrumentals, with cheesy pop sounds and fun synthesisers. It was the product of opportunistic music-making, when dead time sat in front of my university’s computers lead to instinctive composition. Without any expectations, requirements or pre-conceived standards, I set out to create the most fun and entertaining pieces of music I could. With some demos made at uni, I equipped myself with a VST of the legendary D-50 Keyboard, an old Yamaha ABC Keyboard and Logic’s Retrosynth (which I used to create a variety of patches).

As I created more and more demos I realised that all these summer-y sounding songs were connected by the theme of sunlight. Having drawn an endearing sketch of the sun in my lecture-notes, I appointed the star as the album’s mascot and cover art.

Working on a couple more tracks, I took to mixing the collection and creating a cohesive album.