Ebb & Flow

Soundcloud - Ebb & Flow

Tempo: 120 BPM

Key: B Major

Process and Tools Used

Since the theme of the music jam was four seasons, the first thing that came to mind was having four separate tracks that had different genres. Initially, I wanted a common melody to be present across each track but I found it difficult to stretch it across separate tracks. So instead, I decided to make four different sections of a song and let the juxtaposition of each genre tell you which season you're in.

I started out writing a melody that could be easily adapted into other genres. Once I had that written, I began arranging some chords on guitar to give it some flavor. I came up with several different iterations of the track and somewhere along the way, I ended up re-writing the spring and fall sections to make them more distinct-sounding. I added some sound effects like outdoor birds and rain to emphasize the vision.

My DAW of choice is Cubase 13 and the only real instrument present in the track are the guitars since I play guitar. All the instrument parts were written by me via MIDI track. Some VST instruments include Kontakt factory sounds, Superior Drummer 3, Modobass 2, and Analog Lab V. I have an Arturia Minilab 3 Midi controller to write some piano parts and experiment with different sounds.

About the Song

Since the theme is Four Seasons, I took it upon myself to express a change in not only the weather but myself as well. The main melody that plays throughout the entire track represents me. When seasons change, I go through all the changes with it but I'm still the same me inside.

The genres I picked for each season is either something that I've experienced myself and/or felt that it best represented my idea of that season. There's a little piano motif that plays at the beginning and end of the song and you can actually loop the song endlessly to hear the change from Winter to Spring when the snow melts and the leaves grow again.

Sections

Spring has this French-cafe vibe to it because 2 years ago, I went on vacation to my birthplace of Paris, France with my girlfriend during spring. We explored part of the city on foot and ended up stopping somewhere to grab an espresso and take it all in. I wanted to write something that starts off simple- just a melody and guitar as the beginning of spring. Then the drums, melodeon join in to give that romantic kind of feeling of going on a date.

Summer is inspired by citypop and jazz since I listen to those genres quite often. It reminds me of spending time with my friends during summer nights and the warmth that I felt when I walk outside. This was the funnest section to write because I actually get to play my guitar! The guitar solo was half improvised but I wanted to give an electric feeling of going out and living your life. The keyboard solo was kind of like what I felt when I walked through a busy city street and saw the vibrant night-life. 

Fall (my favorite season) leans into a fantasy orchestra piece that is inspired by the trees turning colors and its occasionally-moody but cozy atmosphere. It starts with a soft flute and harp sound that aims to capture the feeling of wind blowing and raindrops falling. The second half of it represents the trees maturing and turning into a beautiful gradient of yellow, orange, and red. At some point in fall it becomes its peak color right before they begin falling off the trees which is why there's a buildup in the song.

Winter uses a solo piano part and lofi hiphop for snow fall and staying warm inside. The transition from fall is like watching snow cover the outside overnight. The sound of the electric piano is really calming and soft and I felt that it sounded the closest to a snow-covered city at night. The lofi hiphop part gives me the vision of watching snow fall while you're staring out the window into the night. It's incredibly relaxing and gets me reflecting on everything that I've done this year.

Thoughts

This was a pretty challenging song since I primarily write rock music. I had to rely on a lot of references from music that I've listened to in the past to get the sound that I was looking for. Even though it's out of my comfort zone, I had a lot of fun playing with different instrument sounds and composing styles. I hope you all enjoy it!