The Madness Encroaches

So, for this year's RPM Challenge I have decided to go all out and write a rock opera. This is one of the few songs I have worked on so far, and the first one that has been completed. Granted, this should be somewhere in the middle or the rock opera, but, still, it's the first one finished, so I'm posting it anyway.

Plus, I owe much thanks to danb and not_on_display for encouraging me to further explore other time signatures, as the first bit of this is alternating with each bar between 5/4 and 6/8.

By the way, does that make it 11/4 or 11/8 or neither? That's the sort of nuance in notation I don't get.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by The Great Big Mulp (7 comments total)

As far as I've been able to glean from reading time signatures, it's how the composer feels the accented beats. some will lump the entire pattern into one time signature (Hank Levy - arranger for Kenton), and others will go to extremes to get every stressed note on the downbeat of the measure (Stravinsky - Rite of Spring).

Some versions of the latter are notated in straight 3/4 though, so YMMV.
posted by man vs sun at 5:57 PM on February 6

I love the stuttered endings with the vocals, especially on the word 'past-st-st-st'. Killer trumpet line. Is that wet sound your mouth?
posted by Corduroy at 10:12 PM on February 6

Wow, this is great! I love the trumpet line too, it totally pulls everything together into a solid mass of sinistre.

Also, with your layered vocals, this qualifies for one of this months Music challenges. Good show Hombre, I can't wait to hear the whole opera.
posted by snsranch at 3:01 PM on February 7

Excellent. I'm looking forward to hearing how this comes together.
posted by umbú at 12:05 PM on February 12

This is how I wish the Residents sounded. (You have a much better voice, and layered trumpets.)
posted by not_on_display at 1:58 PM on February 25

How did the rest of the rock opera go? I'd love to hear more.
posted by umbú at 9:09 AM on March 13

It goes ... unfinished. Blech. But I should probably upload a few of the other semi-completed songs.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:35 PM on July 3