The Music of John Waller - Essay Example

?Musical expressions are not only created to be reflective of different theories and ideas or techniques. There is also an association with the philosophies and beliefs which the artist holds as well as how this relates to cultural and social beliefs. When looking at the music of John Waller, it is noted that there is a direct association with personal philosophies and the surrounding culture with the music that he plays. The musical techniques which Waller follows reflect the philosophies and cultural associations that he holds. Specifically, Waller focuses on uplifting music that is based on religious beliefs of Christianity. The musical techniques which Waller uses establish the same ideas and theories while helping to create stronger recognition of Christian music and expressions with the use of musical ideas. Examining six of the songs of Waller also develops a deeper understanding of the musical representations of Waller. The first song analyzed is “Identity” from the CD “The Blessing.” The concept of this is based on one finding their identity in God and Jesus while practicing different Christian beliefs in terms of what one’s true identity is. The structure is the first musical technique which highlights this. The structure is verse, chorus, verse, chorus. The verse has a specific set of chords that continue throughout the song. This combines with a change in the chorus to chords that are higher than the chorus to highlight the lyrics of “So you are, So I am… I Am You.” The chords and the movement up are able to highlight the concept of identity with the song. The rhythm follows this with a steady rock beat in 4/4. This moves at a medium – fast pace to create a feeling of happiness throughout the song. This continues with the arrangement of music, including the bass, electronic guitar and drums. Each of these moves at a medium – fast pace to keep with the same idea. When one listens to this song, there is a sense of being happy and at peace with the concept of identity while establishing a different understanding of how the idea of being Christian and with Christ is one which reflects in happiness and peace. The second song, “The Blessing,” also from the CD “The Blessing” holds similar connotations as the first. The rhythm is in a fast four or 2/4 that is a part of the piece. The arrangement includes electronic guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass and drums. The introduction has a louder dynamic and seems to move faster. The first verse then moves at a slower pace with only a background drum holding the beat while the words and singing is highlighted. The same louder sound then comes back in for the second verse to make a louder sound and to highlight the idea of “let it be said of us.” The song is able to use these louder and softer differences to create a sense of motivation among others while the faster rock sound creates a movement of happiness and of being lifting. After the first verse and between the chorus, the sound becomes slightly louder to highlight the main message. The chords at this point move to a higher range to use the technique of motivation as the main highlight and to bring out the main hook of the song “be a blessing in life.” The music then moves back to the verse with the same chord change. When this occurs, the chorus seems to be more uplifting while the verses lead into this highlight and set of changes. The last part of the bridge is one that slightly alters by slowing down the rhythm accompaniment while moving faster with the lyrics. The faster rhythm and pauses then highlights the song. When this moves back to the chorus it is able to highlight the main message. The song ends with a coda that has a slower pace with the singing and similar chord change to highlight the motivational points of the song. The techniques of the song then work to create highlights that motivate the message of “being a blessing for life”. The third song, “Still Calls Me Son” from the CD “The Blessing” holds similar ideas in terms of Christian belief, specifically with reference to families and relationships between son and father as well as relationships between Christ and the children that were referred to throughout the Bible. The song moves at a slower pace of 4/4. The arrangement includes drums, bass, electronic guitar and synthesizer. The electronic guitar plays broken chords throughout the beginning verse to highlight the ideas of being in pain. The first verse then bridges into a change from the broken chords to a strum of the guitar. This makes the song sound faster and highlights the idea of one calling another son, despite what one has done. The chord structure during the verse also changes to move slightly higher than the verses. When the verse moves back, the broken chords go back, the drums aren’t filled as much and the voice moves slightly slower to highlight the main ideal. This moves back into the verse that has chords which progress up higher and move into the motivation of “going back home.” Similar to the other songs, Waller moves into a bridge before the third chorus. This keeps the same chordal structure and pace while creating a feeling of moving at a slightly faster pace and motivation of the chord. The ending bridge ends this with the instrumentation moving back to a slower sound and broken chords while establishing the final ideal of “going back home” and one “still being called son.” The fourth song, “Ancient Words” is one that is based on the understanding of the Bible and refers to the magic which is a part of the scripture, specifically with beliefs from the Christian culture and identity. This song is in a fast 4/4 with electronic guitar, synthesizer, bass and drums. There is a beginning introduction with synthesizer that has a specific sub-melody which sounds higher and more mystical than the rest of the song. The electronic guitar and bass follow with this line to highlight the main idea, causing the music to sound louder and more upbeat than the entrance. The chords then change to the verse and hold the chords while the singing begins to move through the main ideas. This changes in the middle of the verse when the singer states “you’re my father,” where the chords move to a slightly higher sound. The concept remains until a bridge that has an absence of drum beat and held chords with the other instrumentation. This begins to speed up into the chorus when the drumbeat comes back and the chords follow the voice. The sound then moves into the chord progression of chords being higher and the sound louder than before. The chords move faster at this point to highlight the hook of “speak the ancient words” that remains more motivational than other parts of the song. The same sub-melody then comes back through the guitar then moves into held chords for the second verse. The same pattern is created from the first verse and chorus to highlight the main ideas. The song then moves into a bridge where the chords are broken with pauses in between and a chord which does not change. This combines with movement of the chords through two lines then moves back to the broken chords. This is repeated with the bridge then moves into a pause from the drumbeat and a holding of all instruments except the synthesizer who plays the submelody. This leads back into the chorus that sounds louder and more motivational as the instrumentation comes back in. The coda then comes back with the “ancient words over us” being repeated while the chords in the instrumentation progress back and forth with the same beat then moving into a slower pace and hold to remember the main hook line. The song ends with the synthesizer fading with the same melody. One listening to the song is able to easily remember the main hook line and is uplifted with the louder instrumentation used and the pace of the song which continues to highlight the main ideas of ancient words and Christianity. The fifth song, “Love To Say Your Name” from the CD “The Blessing,” holds a similar structure to the others. The main structure is verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, coda. The song begins with the rhythm of 4/4 and keeps a medium – fast rock pace. There is also a highlight with the electronic guitar at the beginning and the movement which is made. The introduction has a louder sound which then becomes quieter during the first verse. The drums and the bass guitar continue at this point while the singer moves through the different highlights of the Christian ideals. The highlight includes concepts such as saying the word “falling” and the bass walking down note by note. After this, the electronic guitar comes in to establish a stronger and more uplifting sound to the song, similar to the beginning introduction. This repeats with a second part to the verse and to move through more ideas of who Jesus is. There is then a pre-bridge where the instrumentation remains quiet and begins to progress up to a higher set of chords. This moves into the chorus where the different names are said with a larger sound and a faster pace that comes from the thicker instrumentation. The highlight which comes from the hook of “love to say your name” has a progression with the chords where they move up note by note, similar to the progression in the first verse. This concept is repeated again with different instrumentation and a slightly louder sound between the instruments in the second verse. The bridge and second chorus are repeated similar to the first time. There is then a break or bridge after the second chorus. The drum is minimized and a synthesizer plays a second melody. An electronic guitar comes in after the first two lines, which then leads into a progression up of the chords into the chorus for the last time. This builds a highlight with the names while making the instrumentation secondary and building a sense of motivation when going back to the chorus. The coda then ends with repeating “I love to say your name” with the repeated chord progression and the chords holding into the final time in which this is stated to end the song. These last parts create a memory of the hook of “I love to say your name” with the instrumentation which continues with the thicker and louder sound creating a memory of the song and the relationship it has to the lyrics. When looking at each of these songs, it is noted that Waller uses a specific set of progressions to identify the main ideas of Christianity. The concepts used in each song produce a similar structure, rhythm and arrangement of instrumentation. This combines with the development of specific chord progressions and lines within the lyrics. The chord progressions are used to highlight the lyrics which are being sung by Waller. This includes moving into higher or louder sounds or cutting back with the instrumentation and drum beats. As this is done, one is able to hear the lyrics in a different way. There is also the ability to combine the rhythm, chord structure, dynamics and main melodies with the motivation that is a part of Waller’s approach, specifically with the concepts of Christian rock and the motivational ideas which are a part of the music being the central idea of the music created. Bibliography Waller, John. The Blessing. Retrieved December 8, 2011 from: http://www.christianmusicreview.org/johnwaller_lyrics.html. Read More