Natalie

Intention

‘Natalie’ was written as a response to the lyrics written by a person whose loved one passed away. The song is in Fmajor with an andante tempo to express the melancholy and loss.

Process:

Since the lyrics were written by someone else and given to me, I started out by reading through them and discovering what I thought needed to be repeated and remembered (chorus) and what just needed to be said (verse). I organised it in: verse,pre-chorus,chorus, verse1,pre-chorus2,chorus2,chorus3,coda. 

I then experimented with a melody together with chords until I found a theme and a chord sequence I liked. In verse1, the melody crescendos to forte and embellishments were added to convey a stronger sense of emotions of acceptance yet agitation. This song is a simple vocal and piano ballad as the simplicity of it was to focus on the message of the lyrics. 

More reverb was added to to add warmth, and different backing vocal layers were then recorded to add timbral colour. The different vocal parts were panned to different degrees of L and R to create the sound stage. Melodic repetition of the theme on the piano intro and coda was to firstly introduce the melody, then emphasize the lyrics and create memorability.

Outcome:

I learnt how lyrics, when accompanied by music, can amplify its meaning and significance. The repetition of the melody is also important to make it more unforgettable, but also highlights the importance of the lyrics/music. In terms of Music Tech, I also learnt how important panning is, and the effects of EQ and adding reverb to the vocals for warmth and clarity. I have enjoyed the journey of composing this song, and exploring ways to tell a story.