Demotron: "Whip and the Chair" (PART 1)
Demotron Part 1: While trying to 'fix' an old song, RYNO discovers a new song.
What are Demotrons?
Welcome to the first of many Demotrons. Watch me make music every Friday.
Demotrons (songs in progress) - I make elaborate demos before I commit to recording. Demotrons are Audio/Video notes-to-self that act as a bookmark/compass to help return to an initial feeling. They are multi-episodic in nature, delivered to subscribers’ email inbox every Friday at 7am EST. You are following a song from birth to finished demo.
In this series,
I’m sharing the journey of my song “Whip and the Chair”. You should know that, as I write to you here, ‘Whip and the Chair’ is a finished song, ready to be recorded. So, this series looks back at my creation history, right to the very beginning idea–which I was lucky enough to capture on video.
This song become more and more special as I went. I’m dead certain now that this song will be the final track on my first album. So it’s fitting that it become the first share on Behind the Lights.
In Part 1, I discover the first spark that will become the song. You will find here a ‘diary’ of discovery entries. Follow along as I contemplate what I’ve found, trying to make quick sense of it.
Let’s Begin…
What is, and how does one identify, the very first moment of a song?
Feb 9 2024 - DAY 1
Today was freezing cold outside - 17ºF. I sat down to try to fix and older song and found something else (video below). I struggle with how much half-finished material I’ve accumulated over the years. It’s unspeakably vast. This feeling is a heavy hole I repeatedly must find ways to climb out of–fixing the songs into a finished form, if I can. I owe a lot to people who have helped me make so many unfinished things over the years. The only easy way out of this heaviness for me is the rope-ladder of gratitude. That, and finishing things.
Thoughts on ‘Fixing’ songs
It’s peculiar how songs can reject additions. This idea for a new song emerged right out of - what I thought was - patchwork for another song. How does one identify a new song? Well, this new chord pattern declared itself to be a righteous new song, without much option for me - but to follow it. A younger me what have missed this. I would have just thought to myself, “that repair didn’t work” and placed the idea in a folder, rather than altering my quest.
Now that I’m ‘writing’ a new song, through just a simple bit of playing, I immediately found a number of ways in and out of this minor/major fluctuating chord sequence that feel great. This video was made as a note-to-self…
What is the mysterious work of a songwriter?
For the longest time, I found the work of songwriting difficult to see. Every song would present it’s own unique set of needs for completion. As an entry level songsmith, I remember feeling quickly overwhelmed by the forest–only seeing trees. I’d impulsively reach for anything to get stay with the start-feeling, asking both sides of my brain to work together (rational and emotional). After a couple songs that betrayed the initial feeling, the younger songwriting-me found a need for a better strategy. I wanted my creation process to feel like returning to a trusted workbench. I wish I could say i found it right away. ‘What the work is’, for song-making, remained nebulous to me for years. I would often ignore the signs and try to force things.
I learned that identifying what a song ‘needs’ is what sets songwriters apart. Above my songwriting ‘workbench’ there are some mantras I’ve taped to the wall:
Don’t write. Don't slow down. Making a giant mess is a spiritual act. Preserving 'the mess' is your main job with every song. Grammar & logic mean nothing. There's nothing to 'figure out'–it's only play. You do this only for yourself, always (no consideration for sharing) What other people think about you, or your art, is none of your business. Art is never finished, only abandoned. Fail forward. This is easy.
There are lots of ‘rules’. These are just a few of mine. They can get more specific.
These slippery chords
It felt like I stepped on a chameleon when I found these chords. This song-feel has a shapeshifter quality. It presents an unsure footing. Its progression feels liquid, tipping and cascading into pools of possibility. The Em Bm A part feels like a resolve, or key 🗝️, that leads back to the beginning at random.
The First Melody
I found a melody in my head immediately and I began to hum out loud. The structure proved more elusive at the time, so I punted on those decisions in search of another path forward. I didn’t hear drums then, and I don’t hear them now. Still, they cannot be ruled out during in recording.
My brain usually gets in the way.
Music is dumb. At least I think so. Creating it is not as calculated as I thought it may be when I began. This song is no different. With it, I’m blazing a trail towards some kind of ending, without much consideration or questioning of the path, is the correct way forward. I won’t analyze a thing. I will jump across the lake on lily pads, even though I know they’re unstable. I will get across fast and not dwell in one spot too long. This means some shabby things may get run up my flagpole. For now, I chase the rabbit.
I do funny things to starve the critical side of my brain. I foster all kinds of analogies for this mindset. Trusting a feeling based discovery is a key component to my creativity.
4 Days Later…
Feb 12 2024 - DAY 2
I returned to the piano a few more times over the past couple days. These chords are becoming way too much for a single song. I need a temporary structure, fast. If not, I risk getting caught in a tornado of spiraling options.
Maybe a fat chorus will help? Or a key change? Maybe both?
A key change will definitely work. I played around with that. It helps limit down the alternatives. I used this on my other new song, ‘Been There, Wrecked That’, and it proved to be a skeleton ‘key’. Key changes make songs feel suddenly fresh and new. Through smoke and mirrors, they help mask repetition.
FACT: Stevie Wonder is the king of key change (Golden Lady).
A Big Chorus?
I stumbled upon this D C G chorus part while playing, then instantly heard a melody over it. See the video below of me finding it.
Additions & Mods?
I divided the song into half with a key change and glued 2 choruses to the sides of it, one at the middle and one at the end. Honestly, it didn’t feel to good at first.
Is it better or worse?
I go to bed.
The Next Day (Conclusion)
Feb 13 2024 - (DAY 3)
Meh. Reflecting back, this super positive D G C chorus feels injected. It’s a foreign object. A total pivot in meaning and feel. It inherently demands its own structure.
For now, I’m sticking with it. I’ll shim it up. Dark songs are easier to write than positive songs (imo). This song feels really effin dark.
Maybe the stark contrast will help it?
Honestly, I think it would be better for my life to create more ultra-positive and encouraging songs. The idea of singing “you can do it” appeals to me.
I will keep trying to finish this song quickly. If I don’t, it runs the risk of exploding into too many songs or hardening into an frozen maze.
End of Part 1
Next, in Part 2:
Charlie Chaplin’s influence leads to the leads to a lyrical discovery.
My first Demotron!
I hoped you like Part 1 of the “Whip and the Chair” Demotron.
This song received a lot of my attention and in its growth process. Part 2 will delve into the lyrics I found. Eventually, these “parts” will culminate in the finished demo. The demo is the last thing I make before recording the final version. Most people skip this elaborate step, but I’ve found it really rewarding. I hope you do too.
I’m almost certain this will be the final song on my first album. I’ve completed all the other songs on that album and plan to share Demotrons for each of those, much like this one.
What Do You Think About Demotrons? How Could I improve them?
About the author
Ryan OToole (aka, RYNO) is a skateboarder from Arizona with too many film degrees, who writes songs for Pretty City Lights—a new music project based in Seoul, South Korea. His songs have been described as, "alternative rock for people dying of middle age". Formerly associated with the band, Amateur Blonde, his songs have been featured in television and film - notably, The Walking Dead (S10 Ep21). RYNO is the author of Behind The Lights a freemium substack publication, documenting the Pretty City Lights song & album creation process with the slogan, “watch me make music”.