Breathe
Project Overview-
I will be writing a song and developing it with my keys player Finn. I will like to be able to perform this song in time for the Concorde gig on the 1st of June and the Komedia gig on the 11th of June. I will be setting myself the challenge of writing something poetic that is really meaningful to me. In the past I have written songs for producers and other artists so this will be the task to write something for myself as an Artist. I am hoping I will finish the song early so I can test the song at my recent gigs that are coming up, I will be testing the audiences reaction if so.
Week 1 (Intro)-
I would like this song to be Neo soul/ R&B inspired with elements of jazz, for the moment I am planning the song to be very sparse with just Keys and vocals. In the future I would like to take the song into the studio and add production, I would like to layer my vocals and take inspiration from my Artist Research.
I am planning to write this song using 7th or 9th chords and chords such as these are typical to the genre of Neo Soul, for the song I will be looking into the topic of Mental health.
Week 2-
My lyrics-
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Breathe,
Cause I've left you all alone now
even though I could have saved you
I keep checking if you've called back
Feel the rhythm of my heart now
its beating faster then I can keep up
the smoke is filling up my lungs now
Inhaling my feelings, my mind is wheeling,
the stress is revealing,
Breathe
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Week 3-
This week I have been doing some reasearch on poems about Mental health. The verse that I've written is very much about that subject matter and how anxiety can effect one person but also how it can effect the people around you that care about your mental health; in some situations you can take someone who cares about you on that journey as-well.
Ive also been thinking about the structure of the song this week and have decided that I'm going to have a key line that I keep coming back to at the end of the verses.
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Poem Research- ( I found theses poems on https://hellopoetry.com/words/anxiety/)
JayceeJellies Oct 2014
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Everyone is staring
You're trying so hard to stay standing
But your heart is racing
Instead of walking straight
You start wobbling
Your eyes begin to strain
You start feeling as if you just gained a lot of weight
Your heart sinks as you run away
You have to hide
You musn't let them see
The you that is scared to be seen
You feel like you can't even breathe
Your lungs are tightening
As you sink down against a wall and take into the fetal postion
Just cry, maybe someday it'll be alright.
ArielMarriel Aug 2018
weakness is the bane of my existence.
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if strength were an equation, my weakness would negate it.
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please just let me be strong.
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i've made so much progress, after all.
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weakness is a Demon i can’t control.
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a Demon that will swallow me whole.
personal analysis- Anxiety
This poem is a perfect reference to my song,
the poem is very much about ones insecurities and how they can affect your mind. The poem is almost portraying the voice in your head manipulating your mental and physical state.
I think it also an over exaggeration of the situation... but that's actually what anxiety is, the poem shows how anxiety can control us.
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Personal analysis- Weekness
I love the use of metaphorical language to describe weakness, I think it is very clever.
my favourite quote from this poem would be 'if strength were an equation, my weakness would negate it- to me the way they have worded this quote is completely inspiring. I also love how the word Weakness is repeated through out the poem and is also the title of the poem.
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Week 4 -
Structure for keys player-
Week 5-
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My lyrics-
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Breathe,
Cause I've left you all alone now
even though I could have saved you
I keep checking if you've called back
Feel the rhythm of my heart now
its beating faster then I can keep up
the smoke is filling up my lungs now
Inhaling my feelings, my mind is wheeling,
the stress is revealing
Breathe
​
Breathe,
cause you really need to calm down
anxiety, the time that we spent ignoring
The issues
frustrating my head could you show some respect
Ive been trying so hart to get through to you
Inhaling my feelings, my mind is wheeling,
the stress is revealing
Breathe
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Breathe,
now she's opening your scars again
I can feel the pain trickling down your face
but your blinded
she not the answer to your prayers now
how are we gonna find a way back,
to reality
if you've shut me out of your life
Inhaling my feelings, my mind is wheeling,
the stress is revealing
Breathe
​
Breathe,
Cause I've left you all alone now
even though I could have saved you
I keep checking if you've called back
Feel the rhythm of my heart now
its beating faster then I can keep up
the smoke is filling up my lungs now
Inhaling my feelings, my mind is wheeling,
the stress is revealing
Breathe
​
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This is a video of me and my keys players 1st rehearsal, and I must say I think it went very successfully. In this video you will see us experimenting with the structure of the song.
I have now decided to repeat the 3rd verse twice as I feel it builds more emphasis on the lyrics and their meaning.
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Week 6-
My next gig is at the Komedia so I will recording the Experience. This will be my first time performing a song that is completely original at a gig so it is a big step up for me and really cannot wait to see what reaction I get from the song.
Komedia gig-
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This was such an amazing experience, I am so pleased that it all went to plan, I am also pleased that I remembered my lyrics because a couple times in rehearsal I slipped up a-bit. I am so proud to say that I am performing an original song at gigs.
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EBI-
I now think me and Finn should work on the song to see what more we can both bring to the table. I also feel like I could work on it more vocally and think about technique for example using breath control and smoothing out some notes so it flows more.
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Week 7-
Admiral Gig-
so me and Finn have been working really hard on the song to see how we could develop it even more from the last gig.
unfortunately I didn't get it recorded.. but we added a new intro before the 1st verse and more Melodie in the keys to support the main melody in the vocals.
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At this Gig there was much more of a reaction to my song, people actually came up to me at the end and said how much they loved it and how I needed to get into the studio as soon as possible to get it recorded.
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I have now met a producer that wants to help me take the song into the studio and add production. This will probably be happening in the summer.
Gig Evaluation
Firstly I felt that the gig did not go as well as I had hoped, there were a few reasons for this. The first being that, I really wasn’t well that day, but was so excited to be given the opportunity to perform at the concorde and medicated myself up so i could leave the house. I did not realise the consequences it would have on my performance and confidence. Secondly the on stage monitors weren't as clear and as loud as I’d liked them to be. I think this was due to not having a line-check before performing, due to this I felt I like I lost a connection to my keys player, and for me and Finn communication is a massive part of our performance but I completely understand that we did not have a lot of time before doors opened and there were much bigger bands that needed to soundcheck. I would have also have liked reverb and delay on my mic, which i did ask for.. but watching back at the performance all i could hear was a dry vocal. As a result of being ill i completely forgot to do a vocal warm up before going on stage, which affected my vocal performance and i could feel my vocal chords straining towards the end of the songs. Warming up properly is normally a massive part of my vocal training as i feel it is very important for a vocalist to warm up before singing, it is also very important in the long term for keeping your voice intact and healthy. However I felt from an audience perspective you wouldn't have been able to tell but for me personally i know i have performed better. I asked for pink lights which I did get so I was very pleased and they really helped the vibe I was trying to present (if that makes sense).
I have the amazing opportunity to perform again at the Komedia with Northbrook on the 11th June, I would like to record and evaluate that performance and hopefully upload the video onto my website. I feel as though Finn and I were very prepared for the Concorde gig but i would like to fit some more rehearsals in with him before the gig at the Komedia. In that short space of time I would like to also build on my stage-presence for my original song, and really think about how to connect to my audience. Luckily I have a line- check for the Komedia so I can make sure Finn and I can properly hear each-other.