I Don’t Want To Think

This is a piano song I made in Sonar 8.5. The flute-y thing is the melody guide. It needs a vocal. Yes... I love The Beatles.. in case you were wondering.

Here’s a Soundcloud link:

Nice work, I like the arrangement and the melody is very clear and is tastefully done.

Your verses’ chord sequence has been used in off the top of my head two great songs: Most notably it is used in Stevie Wonder’s “Someday At Christmas.” You should look up the song “Out Of The Question” by Gilbert O’Sullivan, that one uses it too, an awesome song.

Edit: I’m listening right now to a piece by Borodin called “In The Steppes of Central Asia.” The melody enters around a minute into the piece with the same descending harmonic concept behind it! Check it out! It is truly wild that I would find this immediately after talking about it in 70s pop. It’s not like you hear this harmonic progression every day in concert music pre-20th century! The point is that great composers have used it and loved it going on hundreds of years. 😁

MoveEleven,

Wow! Thanks man. I'm a HUGE Gilbert O'Sullivan fan. His song "Out Of The Question" is one of my all-time favorites of his. And you're right, there is a chord progression similarity. But I had to go to YouTube to hear "Someday At Christmas" by Stevie Wonder whom I also love. Bullseye!!! You hit that nail on the head. I've always known my little tune "I Don't Want To Think" reminded me of something because the verse melody is so familiar, but I could never think of where I'd heard it. Now, thanks to you, I think maybe my tune was the unconscious work of my cerebral melody blender. I think maybe that I've heard the Stevie Wonder Christmas song before... I must have at some time, probably multiple times, I just haven't etched into the conscious cells in my brain. I (meaning my brain) am always unconsciously piecing together bits and pieces of stuff I've heard. I long ago let go of the desire to "be original". I just make up melodies to please my ears and if it turns out they've already been made then I don't care because creating chord progressions and melodies feels fresh and new to my ears, regardless. Making up tunes is more of a therapy for me than anything else. Anything to escape this Donald Trump nightmare we are all experiencing. I think he actually caught the virus but it managed to escape the junk food sewer that is his body screaming; "No way! I ain't goin' back in there!"

Thanks again for the kind words! I seldom ever meet anyone who appreciates Gilbert O'Sullivan so good on ya! And bad on me for putting the name "Donald Trump" in the same paragraph as two truly legendary and inspiring musical titans.

MoveEleven,

I read your edited comment and just listened to the Borodin piece. What a beautiful work! Thanks for pointing me to it.Yeah, I can hear that descending progression. Nothing new under the sun, right? I would bet you anything that John Williams was listening to that piece when he composed the score for “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” what-do-ya bet! There are subtle little E.T. melodic phrases later in the piece. Like I said; nothing new under the sun. McCartney said he and Lennon used to swipe bits from others all the time. And I’m sure you are familiar with the hauntingly beautiful Eric Carmen song “All By Myself”. I think Rachmaninoff would have loved the melody that Carmen sang over his beautifully melancholic chord progression. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for melancholic tunes (when done tastefully). Don’t get me wrong, not everything is pinched, but it’s fun to find stuff that is whether it was conscious or unconscious. All these guys were fiercely original but every now and then they’d stumble into someone else’s ideas and change things up just enough to not make it obvious. I’m not sure but I think Eric Carmen credited Rachmaninoff in that song... how could he not as it was so obvious.

You and I have very similar tastes in composers. I too love Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach! Ahhh sweet melody! It’s like the seasoning on a nutritious plate of an otherwise bland helping of tasteless grub.

I agree with your first reply. I had a teacher I played a song for early on in college, around 2012. I thought the progression was awesome, leading into the chorus by a tritone, and his reaction was "Yeah, that's pretty standard..." I didn't react so well because I always had a strong desire to be original. Now I realize it just got in the way of appreciating what was there  I also realize now that the chord progression in "Three Times A Lady" has a tritone leap that cannot be beat!  I can share this song I wrote if you want.

I love melancholic tunes as well. Speaking of the singular genius of Brian Wilson, "Don't Talk Put Your Head On My Shoulder" comes to mind. I hadn't heard "All By Myself" in awhile and I never noticed how much I like the five or so chords that lead into the chorus, very cool prechorus and a long way from the relatively dry prechorus of "Heartlight" (speaking of E.T. and Burt Bacharach) whose prechorus is simply two drum beats... bum! bum! 😄 But hey, it works!

MoveEleven,

I would love to hear your music. Can you maybe post it (them) here in the forum or just reply to this here post and put a link(s) to wherever they are?

I'm not real adept at getting around at this website (young composers that it), so anything to make hearing your stuff easy would be much appreciated.

I know it must not be too difficult to look up peoples stuff here, but I tend to get frustrated navigating and often just give up. And don't get me started on the whole social media thing! Aaaaa!!! Not my thing. I don't understand it and have little interest in learning about it. I'm old school... landline, emails and a couple forums like this one is all I need. Social media is like a loud noise machine from my perspective. I know it's got it's strengths but I'm a hopeless Asperger-y introvert. I don't even own a mobile phone hehehe.

Just remember, if the music comes from your heart then you're doing it right. Brian Wilson told George Martin (the Beatles producer who was also a brilliant composer/arranger) that it was like music blew out of his chest. Here's the incredible video where he said that, when Martin went to meet Wilson at his home in case you haven't seen it.