July 2008 Offerings Of The Month:

"T.G.I.F."
Written by Edward Jerlin
© 2008 Everlasting Arms Records & Publishing - All Rights Reserved

"The Rebellion"
Written by Edward Jerlin
© 1986 & 2008 Everlasting Arms Records & Publishing - All Rights Reserved


It's been said that, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
This month's offering is a testament to that...
You can read this or not...
It probably won't affect your enjoyment of the music...
But it's a fun & silly read...


 So I'm sitting in the studio a few days from the end of the month facing another "monthly" deadline head on after another busy month without a clue as to which direction to go...
 Something fresh...

My buddy Bryan will kill me for this, 'cause I owe him some long-overdue tracks on one of his songs & I'm supposed to be working on that, not to mention my other buddy Matt B who has been really patient with me waiting for some new mixes/trax...

So I start jamming.
Hey, last time I did that I ended up with "All In A Student's Dream", one of the better ones...
but the jam's just not happening...
so I sit back...
and this melody fills my head...
not just any melody...
It's this piece that I've been humming in my head for years & years...
 This thing has existed in my head for longer than I can remember.
 I hum it to myself on the way to & from work at least once a month, sometimes many days in a row...
such a *happy* sounding piece...

Why have I never attempted to record it, or even thought of doing so before?
Why do these catchy little tunes that are always running around in my head remain there never to be shared?
What's up with that?

In my head, the entire arrangement is complete... which is always a big road block whenever I try to record such things because it's not going to sound anything like what's in my head until all the parts are there... nevertheless, I go for it...

An hour later, after some rehearsing & learning the tune, I've got a very nice demo of it, mostly one-take, no editing tracks, 2nd take on the drums & bass. It ain't perfect, some little flubs & mistakes, but lots of very nice moments of serendipity too, especially in the bass lines...

There was a frustrating moment when starting on the piano when I couldn't find the chord that was in my head:
"It should be an A chord, but it's not quite an A in my head... it's not an Asus or anything, it's a straight A, but I'm missing a color tone... it's not a 7th or 9th... no, it's just a triad... but something is different, the straight A is just not happening. OKAY, NOBODY LEAVE THE HOUSE UNTIL I FIND THE LOST CHORD!!! Oh wait, it's the bass. It's an A over a G. It's a G in the bass. (As Lucy says to Schroeder when he finally plays "Jingle Bells" right) THAT'S IT!!!"

The section from 2:26 to the end was an afterthought & not part of the original tune in my head. I didn't have an ending, just playing around on the piano, using that EJ-overused ascending chromatic bass line thing that a couple of buddies keep hammering me about. ;-) By the time I'd reached the top of the 2nd octave, I was hanging on for dear life, having no idea what was coming next. "Hurry up & end this thing, Jerlin. You don't have time to write any epics today."

Maybe I'll do a "proper" recording of this soon.
Or maybe it'll become a part of a larger more "epic" work.
As I said, I'm often humming this on the way to work.
Since it's such a happy song, I'll name it "T.G.I.F."
It finally has a name after all these years...

...which makes it even a little happier now. :-)

Enjoy!


 Recently, I've been including a "bonus curio" with each monthly offering. Rather than picking one out of a hat, this one is for my buddy Mike Florio whose "production music" reminded me of a time back in college when I used to write "soundtrack" type pieces...

"The Rebellion" actually tells a story.

Back in college, I was taking a recording & production class (called "Tape & Synthesizer Techniques" back then) & the professor challenged me to write a piece which focused on the timbres & didn't rely on having so many notes in it. He had a point. So I did that & got an A. Then for the next piece -- the final project -- I could do anything I wanted... "The Rebellion" was my little protest. The poor oppressed notes were trying to get out. What did he have against all those innocent notes, anyway?

The piece opens ominously...
reflecting the absence of notes from the previous piece...
but also portending the doom to come...

At 1:13, the notes make their entrance.
It's a new day.
(Hey, it could even be a Friday, T.G.I.F.)
They're nice notes.
Happy little notes.
Innocent.
Minding their own business, enjoying life...

Until 1:46 when the "note police" come to arrest them.
They scatter.
At 2:04, they're now stuck in jail.
Because too many notes are bad.
They can only sing with the help of an arpeggiator.
A single sardonic bitter harmonica is left to lament their plight.
At 3:08, the chords turn minor & the notes cry out.

At 3:26, they begin to plan their Rebellion.
They'll need some help.
They get it from the best of sources:
Some chords stolen from a famous prog band's song.
(Can you name the band & the song?)

Energized, they begin their counter-attack at 4:24.
It is time for the prison break...
These notes are still in a minor key, but they are FAST...
And a solo becomes a duet at 4:47 as other notes join in...
The battle is fast & furious...
Those slow & ponderous legato police are losing to the lightning-fast notes.

At 5:40 the notes prevail & are happy again.
Off they go into the sunset, free to be the happy little plentiful notes they should be.

Can anyone tell that my wife didn't edit me this month? :-)

Enjoy!


Comments & feedback are always welcome at our guestbook.


Thank you & God bless!


To download the music, RIGHT CLICK and choose "Save Target/Link As":
"T.G.I.F." 2:49
"The Rebellion" 6:07



Music For Piano, Drums, Bass and... CD Curios, Demos, Excerpts & Other Stuff CD