Somnium
By ViridianLoom on November 29, 2020 9:25 pm
Something I've received some criticism for from my band mates is that sometimes some of the stuff I write is in odd time for the sake of just being in an odd time, not necessarily because it actually grooves. I mean, I don't think they've said it exactly like that verbatim but that was my take away. I'm working towards trying to practice more song writing in 4/4. I know, that sounds silly, but my brain is hardwired to subtract or add beats like all the time for some reason.
In the meantime here's a song in 27/16 lol
I don't know. Their criticism is valid and I can also get why, what they're talking about specifically is the type of music where you could have a riff that is 3/4 or 4/4 but you're either chopping or adding a beat to shift it into odd time territory. But I kind of like that shit. I mean not always, the method can be abused and come off as excessive, but I like that choppy feel sometimes. This particular song was inspired by a song from a Phoenix Wright game (I've forgotten which one, but it uses the exact same counting scheme as this tune). Once I realized that song was in 27/16 and how it came off sounding pretty natural I saw the opportunity to a fun little experiment to write a *riff* in 27/16. It turned into a song though because with a little improvising I was really loving the way this tune was coming along. It started to transform into a really cool vibe that felt new to me.
Just to outline the count on the initial riff here, if you count it as 3+3+3+5 then 3+3+3+4 it all adds up to 27 and continues to repeat that pattern until the pause that signals the transition into the next section, where I then count the new riff in 7+7+7+2. I definitely think the riff is 23/16 grooves a little better rhythmically since I was just feeling it at that point and not counting anymore. Compare that to the first riff where I literately just build a pattern of 3, 4, and 5 notes to fit the time signature. After that initial riff though, what I think helped the 27/16 section feel more natural was the bass line which I was REALLY happy with. I felt like I was taking some risks with resting on certain notes but it has some attitude.
There's a lot of layering that happens in the 23/16 riff but I like the overall effect it has, although it might be confusing/distracting to first time listeners. That's another thing I have difficult deciding on sometimes. Certain bands I really like build very complex harmony that isn't always easy to comprehend on the first listen although subsequent listens make it easier to digest and appreciate. Not trying to toot my own horn here like I wrote something brilliant, just wondering about how you know when you're in the right to write something that way or when you're in the wrong as far as it coming off as messy, chaotic, poorly arranged, you know?
This is a tune one of my drummer friends showed some interest in so maybe someday I'll collaborate with him to really bring an excellent beat on this tune. I was hoping to get him on this take but he's been pretty busy so it'll have to wait. We have some other tunes together and I've been recording some of those ideas this week, so someday we may release material together. You should check out his YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGDkUx8Nesk 
4 more weeks.
Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial No Derivative Works (BY-NC-ND)
