Originally posted on January 6, 2014 In this episode, I talked about and played a new age song called “Rise Above” that I wrote and recorded in January 2014. It uses a mixture of synthesizers and a men’s choir. I analyzed all of my previous recordings to see which keys I have used and have not used. It turns out I’ve used the “easier” keys with 0-3 flats or sharps but not the “harder” keys with 4-6 flats or sharps. I decided to write this song in G# minor which has 5 sharps. I used the chord progression G# minor, F#, E maj7, F# which turns out to be the same chord progression I used on Rue’s Whistle which was in G minor, just one semitone away. I also used the same bass sound, although I added some distortion on this bass. I found two cool patches in Omnisphere, one called Chilling and one called Chill Factor that I thought I could base a song on. I played those patches. I also played the electric drum pattern I used and the lead sound which is called I Sing The Body Electric (which doesn’t really seem to relate to the song from Fame). The “A” section builds and runs for 1 minute, 15 seconds. I wanted to move into something completely different. I decided to record myself singing a men’s choir, with four vocal parts and three recordings of each part. I mixed my twelve person choir with a voices sound, and use that on the “B” section. I added acoustic drums and bring back the I Sing The Body Electric part. The A section was at 100 beats per minute and the B section was at 118 beats per minute. I switch back to the A section at 100 beats per minute but keep the men’s choir singing, so it is a combinations of the A and B sections. I then played Rise Above. I started my 2014 songwriting goal of recording and completing 40 songs in 2014. I also decided to release three albums by the middle of the year. The first would be a new age album that would include Rue’s Whistle, Follow the Advice Of Your Heart, Fountain, Late Day Storm, Rise Above, and 4 to 8 more songs. Another album would be of video game music that would include Escape!, 8-Bit Frenzy, Tremble, and 6 to 10 more songs. Also I would release an EP of jazz music, including Sleepy, Elephant’s Feet, Summer Strut, Fusion, and 2-3 more. I may put Powerhouse on it, but especially if I can re-record it with a trumpet player playing the trumpet parts, a trombone player playing the trombone parts, and me playing all the sax parts. I will probably release these on Bandcamp, a site that allows artists to sell their music and choose the price. I will probably release the albums as “pay as you want.” If you use LinkedIn, connect to me and endorse my skills (saxophone, songwriting, recording, mixing, and podcasting). You can also connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. Notes from 2026: Ok, I didn't come close to writing and recording that many songs, and I didn't release those albums. I did eventually release 1 album called Major 7ths and Minor 9ths in 2014. I also made my own video game called Match Em, and used this song, Rise Above, as the background music in that game. It good good reviews. You can play Match Em here (doesn't work on mobile devices).
