| "Rising Up" Background |
| Where did it start? |
The song started with an experiment in vocal harmony. I generally consider myself to have a
pretty mediocre voice, but decided to see if, when harmonized and multiplied
through multi-track recording (and using all possible means to cheat), I could do
something with my voice that would be somewhat palatable.
So, I wrote a short vocal harmony sequence, played the notes for each part on the piano (and recorded that), then sang each vocal part while listening to the notes from the piano in my headphones. I recorded each vocal part multiple times, then mixed all of the tracks together: Click for MP3 The experiment turned out better than I expected (my expectations were very low), so I then worked out a guitar chord sequence that would sound good following the vocal harmony. |
| How was it developed? |
Within the opening and closing "bookends" of the vocal harmony, the song has 3 main sections.
After the opening vocal harmony, I developed the first section, then the third, both of
which have the same chord sequence but completely different lead lines. I then worked out
the middle section (the first place that you hear slide guitar) as a way to get from the
first section to the third section. Then, I worked out the closing vocal harmony which
echoes the same chord sequence as is used in the opening harmony.
I then put together a "rough draft" version containing all of the sections. With the rough draft, my focus was on checking out how the sections transitioned into one another, not on the performance or recording quality. I then worked out adjustments I wanted to make to the rough draft (the basic structure stayed the same, but I rewrote some solos, added some solo work and fixed harmonies), then I completely re-performed and re-recorded the parts for the final version. |
| Does the title have any significance? | I sort of envisioned this song as the "sound track" for a story of someone leaving home (somewhat mournfully), traveling across various landscapes, then returning home (more triumphantly). Somehow the title is tied to that (although I am not really quite sure where it emerged from). |