Blog #29 Zoom 社區音樂創作 no.1風雨中的女王
回顧這特別的一年, 雖然Covid 令到很多實體見面的session 也取消了, 竟然今年做得最多的就是利用Zoom 做音樂創作, 和不同機構, 學校和單對單的client 一齊做創作人, 將不同群體, 不同的心聲利用歌詞和音樂表達出來. 竟然一共做了差不多有十多首歌的創作和編曲!
和大家分享其中一些歌曲和參加者心聲.
其中一首我最喜歡的名為「風雨中的女王」. 聚集了一班婦女, 這個小組zoom上笑聲不斷, 大家也滔滔不絕地訴說自己的經歷.
這首歌表達了尤其有家庭有小朋友的婦女, 社會和身邊的人好像給她們一種無形的壓力, 為兒為女為家庭, 有時候好像迷失了自己, 甚至有人覺得是被廚房四面八方的圍牆困着了. 在這個文化裏, 也許對這群體有一些刻板印象, 如果我們願意聆聽他們的故事, 當中會有新發現. 這首歌敘述了養兒育女當中的疲倦, 夢想有機會在百忙中消失但也有機會重新燃點起來.
這個小組對我有很深刻的印象, 還記得完成了創作後和她們錄音的時候, 大家也表達着對這首歌的情懷, 說這首歌正正表達了各人的心聲, 是一個大大的激勵, 原來這首歌不但是一個容器承載情緒也成為了一個重新燃點各人不同的夢想和希望的東西. 各人在家已經聽了這首歌無限次, 甚至已經背熟, 不用太多練習就開始錄音了! 發現其中一個參加者十分陶醉這首歌, 竟然將我發給大家作為錄音前練習的demo最精彩的副歌成為手機鈴聲 (聽到自己的demo聲音從鈴聲發出有點驚訝!) 編曲方面參考了Frozen 的曲風, 其實真係好夾, 好像Elsa 那樣希望衝破重重障礙, 做回自己, 做自己的女王的那種震撼感覺. 寫一首歌其實並不是創作歌詞就完了, 旋律和節奏也是不可缺的音樂元素, 編曲是整首歌的靈魂, 如何利用樂器的配搭, 和弦的利用去盛載着歌詞想表達的意思真的是一門需要不斷琢磨的藝術. 有幸今年在編曲曲風上有很多新的嘗試, 日後再和大家分享其他歌曲.
按下連結收聽這首歌
風雨中的女王
1.
夢想是生命泉源
心靈在現實中飄蕩
痛苦與疲憊直往心里鑽，
而我卻無從訴說
2.
夢想在忙碌中枯萎
反鎖自己 看大雨滂沱
聽風嘶吼 沉默背後也有洶湧
渴望 走出困境 超越過去
3.
夢想是我生命藍圖
編織出七色的傳奇
不卑不亢 不為誰而活
冰與火的相擁 化在掌心漸融
Pre- Chorus:
冲破 四面八方的圍墻 衝向心中向往
站在山頂的女王 心中怒火 燒斷 枷鎖
Chorus:
相夫教子 三餐四餸 何曾不想
四尺廚房 周身功夫 事奉高堂
La La la la la…..
Ending:
風雨中的小紅花 來讓你聽見我的說話
就算受再重的傷, 涯邊綻放輝煌
越過眾人的囉嗦 也要屹立不倒
做自己的女王//做自己的女王
Looking back at this unusual year of 2020, a lot of regular face to face music therapy sessions have been cancelled due to Covid, interestingly the Zoom platform has allowed many community music songwriting session to flourish online. It’s been a prolific year working with different organizations, schools and individual clients utilizing the opportunity to write songs and music that express different thoughts and emotions using lyrics and music, can’t believe there’s more than 10 songs I’ve facilitated writing and arranging the last year!
Sharing one of the song that is my favourite, titled “Princess in the Storm” (風雨中的女王). Gathering a group of housewife. This group is often full of laugher and full of heart felt sharing. This is a song expressing the emotions and thoughts of a regular housewife, how sociality and people around can give them an invisible source of pressure that can be felt day to day. Focusing all attention in taking care of kids and family, one might have a chance of losing oneself, or feeling trapped inside the kitchen four walls. Within this Chinese culture, there might be stereotypes towards them, but if we’re willing to listen to their story, we might find something surprising.
Also expressing the exhaustion of taking care of the family and how dreams can vanish in thin air in the midst of busyness and responsibilities, yet dreams can also be sparked off and they are things worth pursuing for.
This group has been very memorable, during our recording session, everybody were expressing how this song resonated with them deeply, like a voice for them that can tell the emotions deep inside their heart, but also a motivator and an empowerment. The song is no longer just a container of emotion, but an igniter that re-sparkle dreams and goals. Everybody listened to this song for so many times already and didn’t need much time practicing! One participant fell in love with the song so much that she decided to take the epic chorus and turned it into her phone ringtone (just a little creepy for me to hear my own voice in someone else ringtone…) For arrangement, I’ve been using Frozen as a reference, it’s very fitting to this group where they are like Elsa wanting to break through the barriers and obstacles to find herself, the epic feeling of being oneself at the end.
Songwriting is not simply as writing lyrics, melody and rhythm are inseparable elements, arrangement is the soul of a song. How to use different timbre and harmony to capture the feeling and meaning is an art form that is worth sharpening and refining. Glad to have all these different opportunities to explore different styles of arrangement with different songs and groups, keep following this blog for more songs sharing!