I started playing piano when I was quite young, about 5 or 6 years old if I recall correctly. I never took lessons; I learned from my mother's lesson books and she did a lot to help me learn how to play the piano and improve my playing ability. I play almost every day -- on our piano at home or an electric keyboard when I'm away at school. As a matter of fact, the first time I returned home from college, my neighbors had said they knew I was home because they heard the piano. :) I also play trombone for all our school bands and started back in the 5th grade (when I was about 10 years old). In high school I auditioned for the county jazz band and the Region classical band (about 6 counties made up the region) my junior and senior years and was accepted into both bands both years. I also received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award my senior year in high school. I still play trombone for all our college bands (concert, marching, pep, and jazz) and I hope to continue playing with other bands even after I graduate.
I write music for fun and I only started after taking a music theory course last year. I improvise tunes while I walk around, and if something sticks in my head and sounds good, I'll write it down and when I have time I try to work it into a full tune. That's how all of the songs I've written have originated, with the exception of Blues Break, which had quite a bit of planning to it since it was written for the music theory class. My songs may not be sophisticated or have great arrangements, but I think they sound good (and so do the people I've played them for) and I had fun writing them, and that's what's important to me. I'm glad to have my tunes included on this web page, because it lets me share my love of music with others and hopefully give others some enjoyment as well.
I can't think of any specific musicians that influenced me. I particularly enjoy big band music (e.g., Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Harry James, etc.) and jazz, so I suppose the whole genres have affected the way I write songs. A friend said my style seems to be urban jazz, but I don't quite know what that means. If you play my music and think you can see some kind of influence, then by all means, write to me and let me know. I'd be glad to hear what you think influenced me, since I can't really figure it out. Or if you have any other comments you'd like to make, you can contact me at marshall@monet.vill.edu at least until I graduate in May 1996, but probably after that time, too. I'll try to get an up-to-date e-mail address put up here after I graduate. That's about all the relevant things I have to say about myself for now, so, here's the music, I hope you enjoy it!
I Can't Remember That Song
chart and
lyrics.
-- This song originated out of a simple phrase I
was humming to myself as I walked across campus one day (the first two bars
at the key change) which sparked memories of a dance with a friend of mine
(Audra, for whom I wrote the song), and developed from there. After quite
some time, I finally wrote some lyrics which are quite descriptive of my
feelings for her; I gave her a copy of the song for Christmas. This one has
a 4 bar moderate tempo intro followed by a 9 bar verse in F (the 9th measure
helps move into the key change and main melody) then the main melody which is
basically an AABA pattern in C, 8 bars for each phrase, and played at a
slightly quicker tempo.
Playing Tips: The end of the intro (chords F-Eb-F) should be played in
an 4th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 4th, 8th pattern (F-F-F-Eb-Eb-F) and the same goes for
the C-Bb-C measures in the main melody. The verse can be a bit slower than
the main melody, almost a ballad style -- play the last bar of the intro
(G-F-Em-Dm) in an 8th, 8th, 4th, 4th, 4th pattern and pick up the tempo a bit
so that the main melody is kind of swingy; the 4 bar intro should be kind of
swingy, too. I usually strike the chords where marked on the score, which is
why you'll often see the same chord marked two or three times in a row. In
the last bar of the B section of the main melody (the run), you can hold the
C from the previous measure as a whole note through the measure with the run
as well, although I find it a little tricky to play it that way. Sometimes
I'll play the final measure of the song by holding the C chord over onto
beat 1, then play a quarter note G with an F# grace note, and a quarter note
C an octave lower. Occasionally I'll hit the full C chord again on the
fourth beat.
Island Chieftain
-- This one developed out of the chord progression. While
playing around striking some chords, this pattern sounded good, so I worked a
melody to go with it. The tempo is on the quick side or maybe a slow cut
time, it's in C minor with a straight eighths feel and has an AABA pattern
using 4 bar phrases. A friend helped me select the title.
Playing Tips: In the third and sixth bars where the chord is Bb/D, I
normally strike the chord as D-F-Bb for beats 1 and 2 then while holding the
D and F, move the Bb up to a C. It adds a little more movement to the chord
progression and if you play only the first four chords (say, as an intro), it
sounds better with that change.
Mystery of Midnight
-- I got home one night after a party and started playing
on my keyboard and came up with this. It's a simple 12 bar blues with a
standard chord progression, but since it's in D minor it has a mysterious
kind of sound to it. That, combined with the fact that I was doing this at
around midnight gave me the title. Great for improvising; I love to improv
on blues.
Playing Tips: None, really, just have fun improvising on it; if you
like the blues as much as I do, this is a good song for it.
Do You Wanna Do It?
-- Despite the implications of the title, this song was
not written for anyone. I actually got it because I was singing the opening
phrase as "doo wah doo wah doo it" and it was only after I picked the title
that I realized how it could be (mis)interpreted. This has an 8 bar main
melody followed by basically the same thing up a 5th and then a 4 bar
transition into an 8 bar gospel-like phrase which is repeated before doing a
D.C. back to the main melody at the top and ending right after the transition
phrase. Primarily a swing feel, except the gospel-like section where it
should be more of a straight eighth feel.
Playing Tips: I often end this song right on the F 8th note and F chord
even though it won't complete a measure (note the 8th note pickup at the
start of the song). I've just realized that I've written the song with a
D.S. and forgotten to write in the 8th note pickup -- to correct this slight
mistake, do a D.C. but with only 3 and 1/2 beats rest in the last measure
before the D.C. (instead of the full 4 beats it's written as). Sorry about
that.
Big City Rain
-- Another one that developed out of a chord progression. I
liked the rhythm of the chords and figured out a melody for it. It's in D
minor with a straight eighths feel, almost like a latin style I suppose, with
a kind of quick tempo and a different kind of flow: AAABBBC, where the A's
are 2 bar phrases, the B's are 3 bar phrases, and the C is just a 1 bar
chord. A friend told me this song suggested the feeling of a rainy day in
a big city in the 1960's. I thought about it, and agreed with him, so I
chose the title for this tune based on his suggestion.
Playing Tips: I like to jazz this one up a bit by tossing in a
different chord progression now and then -- all the chords go up a 5th (i.e.,
the Dm7 becomes Am7, Em7 --> Bm7, Fm7 --> Cm7, CM7 --> GM7). Playing only
the chords of the first four bars using the given rhythm makes a nice pause;
also, by repeating those chords (Dm7 - Em7, or alternatively Am7 - Bm7) a few
times, you have a good background for improvisation. Usually once I finish
improvising, I head straight into the B sections of the song instead of
starting with the A sections.
She Doesn't Know
chart and
lyrics
-- This song was written for a friend of mine. As I was
walking home one night, this melody came into my head and I started thinking
of her, so this song is for her. This one has some lyrics for it as well.
The verse is four 3 bar phrases (plus an extra measure to move into the
chorus) and the chorus is three 2 bar phrases; the tempo is kind of a medium
swing throughout.
Playing Tips: I usually play the chords as whole and half notes in the
verse, but switch to quarter notes in the chorus to get more of a swing feel.
The first three phrases in the verse can be extended from 3 to 4 bars if
desired, which also allows for a little extra improvising (the fourth phrase
is really 4 bars already, since it uses that extra bar to move into the
chorus). At the end of the chorus, I sometimes play the following as a break
after the chourus (this is tricky to write, so bear with me):
Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Fm7 / Z Em7 / 4. 8 8 4. 8 / 8 4.+2 / Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Fm7 / Z Dm7 Z Fm7 / 4. 8 8 4. 8 / 8 8 8 8+2 / Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Dm7 Fm7 / Z Em7 Dm7 / 4. 8 8 4. 8 / 8 4.+8 4. /
What it means: you recognize the chord names, / = bar line, Z = rest, 8 = eighth note, 4. = dotted quarter note, 2 = half note, + = tie. It might be tricky to understand, but try it -- it sounds neat. Try playing those chords in both the left and right hands at the same time. What's also good about this is that is can be used right before a D.C. or as a break before the final bar of the song. Sometimes if I extend the verse phrases to 4 bars instead of 3, I'll use two bars of this chord pattern as the fill (e.g., first verse phrase uses the chords in the first two measures above for the 3rd and 4th measures of the phrase). I realize that some of this is a little tough to follow, but if you try it out, I think you'll understand what I mean.
Love Lament
chart and
lyrics
-- Very dirge-like. It's in C minor, has an AABA form with 4 bar
phrases and should be played quite slow (like under 60) with a bit of ad-lib.
The 4 bar phrases work more like 1 bar, 1 bar, 2 bars, which is why I've got
a lot of fermatas written in (not really necessary on the dotted quarters,
but more important on eighths). The lyrics are somewhat depressing, but
they are also rather reflective of the mood I was in when I wrote the song.
Playing tips: Since it's a dirge, there really isn't any chord rhythm,
especially if someone is singing the lyrics. Just hit and hold the chords
while you play the melody. This song is pretty good for improvising if you
pick up the tempo a bit and works well with blues (and although the B section
isn't quite blues it could be played that way). The way I do it is when I
hit the end of the song (the dotted half middle C and Cm chord) I play the
chord as an eighth note arpeggio (C, Eb, G, C an octave up) and using that
pattern for the chords I repeat the song while improvising a melody (usually
blues). To go back to the dirge feel, when you repeat up to the top, just
hit and hold the Cm chord instead of playing it as an arpeggio. For the end
of the song, I'll usually repeat the last two bars (with that eighth note in
the third to last measure acting as a pick up), then play it again but varied
(using F, C, Bb, C, Eb, C, for example) and ad-libbed on the tempo.
More Often Than Not
page 1,
page 2, and
lyrics
-- A kind of bouncy tune; a nice swing song.
It's in Bb major and has an AABA form (basically), but with a measure pattern
that's a little odd. The first A section is a 7 bar phrase, repeated (with
variations) for the 2nd A section, then followed by 1 bar used as a pickup
into the B section which is 8 bars, concluding with the 7 bar A section
(varied again) plus 1 bar, and a 2 bar closing phrase. It's got some lyrics,
too, which I kind of made up as I went along, so they're not the best planned
lyrics, but I like them because they're kind of fun to sing.
Playing Tips: I almost always play the left hand part an octave down
from where it is written. I forgot about that when I wrote the song. The
main melody should have a kind of shuffle rhythm to it. In the measures
where the Dm goes to C (like measure 7), I frequently play the chords as
D, FA, C, EG, all quarter notes (i.e., drop the bottom note from the chords
on beats 2 and 4); similarly for the 3rd measure from the end (where the F
and Eb chords are written as half notes). The ending can be played however
you want, I don't have a real set ending, although I will often play the last
measure hitting the Dm chord on 1, the C chord on 3, and the Bb chord on the
upbeat after 4, giving the song a rather abrupt ending.
Blues Funk
chart and
lyrics
-- The title pretty much describes the song, it's a C minor
blues with a funky feel to it. It follows the standard 12 bar blues
progression and makes for good improvisation, too. I've created some lyrics
for this one (which are somewhat repetitive), although it seems to me that
the singer should be able to improvise some good lyrics for it as he/she goes
along. Another good song for blues improvisation.
Playing Tips: I don't have much to add here except that the funky feel
should stay throughout the song (that includes improvised solos) and that I
normally end the song with the first two notes -- a quarter note B and a
quarter note C with the Cm chord hit on each one.
Original Jazz Charts / sam@bsharp.org
