I wanted to play a song I liked for my last recital. The recital before I ended up with a version of Ode to Joy that made my hands bleed, (not speaking metaphorically. I had to glissando back and forth over the black keys. Not fun). So I wanted something pretty that wouldn’t kill me. I’d written a couple super simple songs with lots of minor chords before, but over Christmas I wanted to write something that just sounded happy. I probably unconsciously took the first two chords from Joy’s Theme in Inside Out, and the more syncopated rhythms were inspired by an arrangement of House of Gold I really enjoy. The part where it gets all dark and jazzy in the middle was originally written as a separate song, but I wanted them together. That way it’s sort of like a conversation. The first part in G Major is joyful. The second part in C minor is cynical. The cynic grows tired near the end and slips into major chords that I’m hoping sound longing, and then the original melody breaks back in and takes over the song. The final few measures step back and forth between G major and C minor before deciding and resolving with a final G. I really enjoyed the process of creating it with my teacher. I would write a part and show it to her and sometimes she’d really love it and other times she’d tell me what felt wrong about it, and sometimes I ignored her and sometimes I fixed it up a little differently than she suggested, but it was really nice having someone to share with.
