Duncan’s Songbook #5
I don’t like change. I don’t like conflict. But even when things seem to be going well, I am fearful of the calm before the storm. My neighborhood is forever changing. Marlene doesn’t like the changes because the neighborhood is losing its character; I don’t like it because I simply don’t like change.
Same, same, same
Why can’t everything stay the same
Change, change, change
I don’t want to be rearranged
It was an odd rhythmic pattern, but I tried out a couple of melodies over the line. If I dipped into my low register, I there are notes that I couldn’t sing clearly. That limitation lead my melody into the right place. Then I took it an octave higher to see if it sounded better in a normal range. It was too high so I went down a forth, using the capo to play in a different key on the guitar. This might all be easier if I was an actual singer. It might also be easier if I could play the guitar better. The capo scratched every time I strummed.
Marlene flew open my bedroom door. “Are there roosters having sex in here?”
“Ha ha, I’m trying a new song and I can’t get it in a key I can sing.”
She laughed and asked me to play it again. First, she suggested I change the lyrics to the last line.
Same, same, same
Why can’t everything stay the same?
Change, change, change
Why does everything seem so strange?
She sung it and approved of the melody, but then paused. “Why am I going to sing a song about not wanting change? Isn’t that what makes life interesting?”
She doesn’t get it. You’re supposed to find a good life and then stick with it. Otherwise, you might risk losing something good. I have a good life, friends, family, secure job, and my songs. The only thing I would change is my ability to play barre chords on the guitar. That would open up a lot of melodies to me. Nothing’s worse than hearing a note in my head and not finding the right chord to match what I’m trying to do. It’s like trying to write a story without the letter “e”.
I tried the melody again and when I got to the last word, strange, I muted the guitar and sung the note in my head. I found the note on the guitar and it was an A. I got off the bed and found my trusty chord book. I search through to find a chord with an A in it. F major has an A in it and it is a barre chord on the first fret, which I fumbled my way to play. On subsequent tries, I kept missing my middle finger on the string and played an F minor instead. F minor has an A flat in it instead of an A. I had a choice. Learn to play that damn chord I wanted or change the melody. I opted for number two. Sometimes change is good.
