Red, White and Blues

February 1, 2010

Red, White and Blues
(part two)

Having been a percussionist most of this life and in many at home situations of Quiet! We're sleeping! (more than most I'd imagine) from an early childhood practicing in the blackened pit of our cellar, I was used to hearing the sound of stomping feet due to telephone wrings as a signal to plea's stop or you’re giving us a head ache; it was time to eat or just plain shut up we need quiet.

After all, it's not often one gets the chance to make lots of noise, especially without the sound police knocking or doing the pound thing on ones door for disturbing the peace and serenity of usually sub dude surroundings. To say the least, we unrelentingly had the audacity of a ball, way past the meteor readings of louder than ever still; beyond decibels of destroying ears drumms continued.

After this once in a lifetime experience of mmind jogging revelry died down; the supply of bombs and fireworks had been seemingly exhausted about an hour or so later, I meandered back into the house unscathed, give or take a few bliss tours of course. The yard was strewn with remnants of bottle rockets and bombs.

I was lucky that nary a projectile reached the noggin. Sweating and tired from banging the drumm and yelling mmy brains out, I thought to take a bit of a nap. Ah yes, the din of the dark entry hear was gone. Quietude greeted mme at the door which I couldn’t see anyway and ran right into the thing; Ouch!

Alas and a lack, no matter how I tried, I was bye know means sleepy as of yet. Instead of the obvious at this point, I headed to the in home workspace and stood in front of the drafting table moving aside bits of paper and such to find, what?

An unsteady view was quickly drawn into a photograph of the American flag; one I had placed a few days earlier on the wall in front of mme to help get in the mood for the up chunking, and patriotically anticipated, once a year celebration. Something was going to come from that; not then but later; at least I had hoped.

Well, there it was, the symbol of Americas exist stance. I took a long, hard look at the photo. In the mminds aye began a superimposed, improvised treble and bass clef perhaps the likes of switch know one has ever scene before, nor sensed since.

These were made of a stubbly, gnawed and almost unrecognisable yellow pencil, placed within the environs of an old metal compass that represented the treble clef. The bass clef consisted plainly of a few broken toothpicks of specific, proportionate sizes. Trying to figure out the placement was another matter.

I then placed the two ornameants over, under, around, through, next to, and on top of the star's section. Not only were they moved to the left-hand side-top corner mmind you, but placed at every angle one might imagine while moving these objects in Chess-like manner. I was in a state of how to get from here to they're; just find. If you’re following mme now you’re as goofy as I was; or amm.

All of a sudden while having an illustrious time illuminating (some would term creating) eye noted that our flag was a bit like the Grand Staff in relation to mmusic. The 13 stripes could be adapted very easily to make up the lines and spaces of the Grand Staff known to many mmusic theorists and crazy persons.

Immediately (like a thief were to take it away and I'd lose this view) I quickly grabbed an always placed handy sharpened pencil; with saws in mmind, proceeded to draw what I had imagined; i.e. look yesterdays photo you’d know.

Firstly, I drew the lines and spaces of a Grand Staff. Then as fast as an eraser, broke the continuity of each line at specific, but unrelated and vertical points so the whole picture would have an a peer rants of a flag waving in the breeze.

To give the image a little more sense of reality eye drew a pole and placed the flag to the right side lastly adding a round knob perched precariously on its precipice or pinnacle .

Like all empty pages of mmusic manuscript devised for these purposes the revised flag seamed to have a void without sum kind of notes or purr haps, a melody. At this point it was obvious that notes should be added to what had been drawn thus far. I mean what’s an empty box with nothing but air in it anyway?

Ah yes, a melody; a tune of sum import was required. The melody was pretty obvious after spending the day in NYC's 4th extravaganza. I must have heard the same melody that day more times than one could count peanuts. Mr. Key’s mmelody had been played everywhere all damn day.

At this time I moved to a synthesizer, close at hands. I picked out and played the National Anthem a few times, amazingly enough in the key of see, and then composed out what would be used from then on to now; see it?

After this or then with pure a band did meant, while using a bit of artistic lice nce, superimposed the notes, part of our Star Spangled Banner mmelody and organized them by their specific placement on the staves in an octave of two - unison fashion. Voila! The treble and bass together as won.

The part of the melody chosen, is at the point when the words sung are, ' Oh say does tha-at Star Spang-gled Ba-ner-er ye-et waaaaaaaay'… and yes…without finishing the sentence so to speak, decided to stop there. Sorry, another cliff hanger; this one stays forever. I’ll have to live with that one.

Before the cadence ends and the word wave is fully pronounced, seemed like a good point to make; mmusically. After thinking about the sound of this cliffhanger mmelody and what that would mean in mmusic terminology, not to mention using a mmusical rule or two, the mmelody was left hanging on purpose. What can I say; oh say can you see?

I was satisfied this is where Red, White & Blues would be complete. This in tension of hold, a fermata if you will; or a suspension actually has meaning to us not only as mmusicians, but as patriots as well.

The design shares certain qualities of a ' United We Stand' concept; especially now after the tragic events of 911. These pieces as well as two other works originally created are dedicated to four relatives who experienced that nightmare first hand. Two no longer with us, the other two? Glad they’re still here, or there.

After 225 years of existence, through blue times, new times, now time, rough times, good times, most times as well as the oh happy days too times; when hit hard from forces wishing to destroy our freedoms way of life, Americans can proudly say that, The Beacon; Our Eagle's Democracy withstands another test of the times and still survives.

It will take a hell of a lot more than a hell of a lot more to do us in…

“Say does that Star Spangled banner yet wave.”

God Blessed America