Anyway, back to business.
I chilled with Ricky yesterday. I showed him what I was able to play of the newest Anthro song. He loved it. Its really amazing thus far. It has a wide variety of influences and it is pushing boundaries. Now, I will explain how it pushes boundaries and why that is important to me. First things first, the introduction to the song is slow and somewhat long. Why does that matter? Well, it really doesn't. Anyone can write something slow. In a lot of death metal, however, there is a lot more emphasis on fast speed. The introduction is very developed, and that is why it is long. A lot of bands will write like an 8 measure introduction and leave it at that. I don't want to do it like that. I love the feel this slow passage has to it. It is very haunting and disturbed/warped. That being said, it is somehow influenced by Akira Yamaoka and Ulcerate- Everything is Fire. So talk about disturbed and warped. One of my goals with the music that I write is to give everything the needed space it needs, and let the music unfold as it should. This introduction is a very important and necessary part of the song. Next, we have the structure of the song. It does not follow the typical, traditional riff - chorus formula. Formulas can provide structure and stability rather easily, but so can having a more chaotic structure. Right now the song has five different sections. Sections, not riffs. After the introduction comes Riff 1a-1f. Its a section with about 6 different variations of a riff. Much like theme and variation in classical music. That is how this song is breaking boundaries SO FAR. There will be more to come and more to change the pace of it all.
Now, this song is apparently going to be pushing boundaries, let me explain what I want to do with "death metal." First, I'll have to define what death metal means to me. Death metal, as in the music I am playing (not the genre), is just another means to express myself. Much like Undermind. In fact, death metal is the same exact thing as Undermind, it is just presented differently. Undermind was more focused on calming, lonliness, depressive moods, whereas Anthro. will be the extreme side of that. That being said, just as I try to push myself to the limits in whatever i do, I will be pushing limits in death metal. I look up to the jazz innovators the most. Guys like Coltrane, Mingus, Parker, etc. They were inventors and really made music so much different. Their music came alive. It was very real and imaginative. Thats what I would like to do with death metal. I want to take it to other worlds and places, take it to areas it has never been. I will not be doing that in just one quick jump though. It will be an evolutionary process, but I finally know what I want to do. Death metal is like a balloon. You have so many bands that expanded the genre, but no one as popped it yet. No one has travelled outside of the balloon. That is what I plan to do. I will lead, and take off with it in many directions.
That being said, I have a great goal and direction for my guitar playing. I want to get to the skill level so that I can improvise death metal, within the context of my songs. This will be the ultimate step in my journey I believe. If I can accomplish this, I can accomplish anything. I love the improvisation aspect of jazz, and I suppose that is what influences me to do this. Another thing is that, the music I write reflects my life. While I have structure in my life, everything is always different. In the words of Ulcerate, Everything is Fire. Everything is constantly undergoing a state of change. That is why improvisation is the best means of expression at a given moment. Recordings are great, but they are static. It is always the same. It will be amazing to play the same song 50 times live and have it sound different each time, because it reflects the way I was feeling each time.
Improvisation is great for technical practice. I have always loves improvising and always made that separate for when I practiced. Now I will be joining the two. Improvisation will greatly improve reflexes and force me to think on my feet rather than having everything planned all the time. As much as I love everything planed to a T, I am enjoying being sporadic and improvisational. I will now be incorporating improvisation as a practicing technique.
One more topic to hit, well may be two. Artwork. I want artwork for each individual song. I like to refer to myself as an artist, not just a musician or a "guitar player." Both those terms are very limiting. I am an artist. I create in different mediums. I write text, music, draw, will be starting painting, and most importantly I express myself through my creations. Also, I envision a great deal of material. That is where my true artistry shines. I have many visions of art in my head, much deeper than a painting or a song. The visions I see, transcend dimensions, literally. It is passed 2d and 3d, it goes into time, change, manipulation, and free will. That is what i envision. If I say to someone I am seeing colors, chances are its waaaay deeper than anything I could every exlplain in words. That is why, Only through a combination of mediums will I truely be able to express myself. Even so, it wouldn't be the same as if you actually saw what I was imagining. Regardless, that is why I am drawing, writing, and playing music. I am expressing myself in different ways. I am expressing one idea through different mediums to obtain a final product. I want my music to come alive, I want it to be more than just a song, and it is. It is so much more. This is why I consider myself an artist.
*sigh* Ok on to my next blog!
