Lee Barry Composition (And Photo) Diary

  Another one of my instrumentals initially driven by a title and a few lyrics, but never singing on it (not me). I was watching a video of David Lynch talking about his morning routine and why he still smokes. The title idea was Meditation, Coffee and Cigarettes which suggested a tango or Latin feel, with some lap steel (which Lynch loves). In the outro, I came up with a repeating phrase played in octaves on a Jaco-y fretless based on the 2-chord vamp in the song proper.   Frontiers by Lee Barry

  Very often after I finish a mix I experiment with different treatments. Sometimes I arrange them for ensembles, in this case a string piece (either quartet of string orchestra), or just an outro vamp . This is the released version --a riff on Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine in some minimal ways. That track was released in 1967, but the vibe was very mid-60s psychedelia. I noticed a shift around 1966 when songs were sounding darker and using more minor seconds, which early metal picked up on, primarily Black Sabbath.  It's also interesting to trace its evolution: originally it started as a bluesy guitar piece, "Drugstore Prints" , low-quality machine photo prints from Walgreen's, reflected in the lo-fi sound.  Dynaxiom 1622 applies: A piece of art or music is a touchstone for a future context. In essence, it awaits unknown connections and circumstances that might occur in the future--with meanings that the original artist might not have realized. (Always consider ...

What I find particularly interesting about the second version is the vocal is just dummy lyrics--similar to what we do at the beginning of a song when we don't have words yet. The rhythm (or wordrum) is a repeating phrase or vamp that can have words filled in. The first version has a Talking Heads vibe, the second something Mark Hollis would do. Both paintings by Ed Paschke:  First (Title Unknown), Second "Caliente" *** This originally started as song-as-word-game, using pronouns, verbs, and words ending in -ated, and in this case alphabetical, set against a blues shuffle rhythm. There is no vocal (at least at this point), but the words create the rhythm of the piece. He got celebrated He got dedicated He got elevated He got fabulated He got infiltrated He got liberated He got militated He got negotiated He got occupated He got perpetrated He got repatriated He got substantiated    It's the final track on the Frontiers album. In the repeating phrase in t...

   The usual way that I work is to sit down with my songwriting diary, which is essentially an unorganized collection of song titles, lyric lines, and couplets, and I attempt to match them with what I'm noodling around on, or riffs I've already recorded to some extent. In this case it was a line of poem by A. Pushkin, quoted in Alexander Luria's book, The Mind of a Mnemonist , "Small Wonder, is it? Kharita". I notated the natural rhythms of the words as follows. The tune was extrapolated from that one seed. This is more of a placeholder lyric and different lyrics can be swapped out later.   

  A song based on an errant phrase that I used as a lyric, which I think is Rumi, but I can't find the source. It is essentially a jazz piece and is mostly instrumental. (A song about uncertainty)  Mystery Rumi by meta4s A prior interation:    

  First ditty of the year Frontiers by Lee Barry 1/4/2025: Interesting version generated by AI, and in the Phrygian mode:

  From Keith Haring's diary, February 18th 1989. It's also a song of 2 Dorians: B Dorian and E Dorian. 

 Less glum, more fun for dark times.   Video        

  Provisional lyric: Esperanti Esperanto Words from tomorrow Don't let them write your tragic story Always imposing and never sincere Men behind the curtains My safety lies in my defenselessness

  A piece with a decidedly “Americana” feel.

        A piece based on the poem in the film "The Kindergarten Teacher". Anna is beautiful Beautiful enough for me The sun hits her yellow house It’s almost like a sign from God   The player can choose to end on A minor or A Major. The major chord uses the Picardy Third . https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-kindergarten-teacher-2018   Sign From God by meta4s   Video 45: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7S9myV8Jj1k 

    2 against 3.An approximate notation:

    Is loosely in E Locrian with a tonic chord of an Emin7(b5). Uses every chord in the key. (Retitled as "James" as an homage to James Jamerson)