For those of you that don’t know, one of the various music projects I immerse myself in is Tetra Veda, my solo project. To date, I have two albums released: One Ethereal Prison and Vital Signs. In the past, I have analyzed some of the songs in my first album and written about their processes, but I feel these commentaries fell short largely because they depended on the person reading having listened to the music, and also knowing some music theory.
Now, with the ability to embed audio within articles, I would like to feature a segment of each song off the Vital Signs album and write a short paragraph on their respective processes and inspiration, but leaving out the music theory. Each clip is but a taste of the full song, so I have included hyperlinks to the full tracks.
1. Still Life
This is the leading track of the album and a very special one to me. Still Life is the oldest track on the album; composed in early 2022. The genesis of this song originated in a short Facebook video I posted. The writing process began with that tiny piece of piano music and inspired parts for violin, drums, bass, and guitar. Soon after the song was tracked, I had my brother listen to it, and naturally he began improvising some sweet vocal melodies, which I loved and which led to his terrific vocal work. Take a listen to this little segment and to the full song here, plus check out some of Noah Grip’s personal music: Ghostwrite.
2. Passenger
Alright, moving on to the track numero deux. I know I said the same thing about the last song, but Passenger is also one of my favorites. There were a lot of magical things that happened during its invention. So I don’t lose the reader by saying magical, I would like to explain myself. Often, there seems to be a mysterious path a song takes in its composition. One where you can’t see where it’s taking you exactly, but you are continually led by impulse from one idea to the next; one idea uncovers another. Then before you are quite aware, a complex set of interactions between a number of ideas has united and turned itself into a song. What’s magical about this is by responding to ideas with new ideas, one reaches a point of composition that often surprises oneself. I call it the “How the heck did I do that? That was cool” phenomena.
Passenger was just this, listen to this clip and the full song here.
3. Dark Timeline
Another song privileged to feature Noah Grip’s vocals. Dark Timeline was composed in a time where I had just begun playing the cello, in fact only 1 week after beginning playing the cello this song was written and recorded. The song’s instrumentation (its blend of instruments and corresponding parts) is unique to the album. It features Dulcimer, Violin, Cello, Vocals, Piano, Drums, 7 String Guitar, and Percussion. I was particularly fond of how the Dulcimer interacted with the Cello and Violin. Take a listen to the full song here.
4. Fault Line
This song is the peak intensity of the album; it’s hard hitting, straightforward, and doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Fault Line makes use of various synthesizers, 7 string guitar, violin, bass, and hard-hitting drumbeats, a full palate if you will. Oftentimes I feel most creative when I am using instruments that range widely in timbre and each demand a unique set of techniques. For example, tracking djent guitar puts me in a different headspace than tracking violin. With guitar, I can be as aggressive as I would like (hair is whipping around etc.), and the force exerted on the string from the pick translates accordingly. Violin is obviously different; it requires grace and a calm temperament. Combining these distinct perspectives brings forth different ideas which co-mingle into some fresh tunes. Check out the segment below as well as the full song here.
5. Vital Signs
Moving on, Vital Signs is the title-track of the album. This one makes heavy use of electronic synth as the lead voice. After I wrote the initial synth part I was motivated to learn the part on classical guitar, bringing these two together produced a distinct tone color. Look for the song’s dramatic tempo change into the final movement featuring an emotional synth solo. Take a listen and check out the full song.
6. Alive
This track is short, only about 1:30, but is perhaps the densest track on the album (musically speaking not intellectually, at least I think). Alive features 2 classical guitars, bass, a piano, 3 violins, vocals, and a drum set. The song begins by a piano droning out a 6-note melody that actually repeats for the entire song, layered on top of that the 2 guitars are in a dialogue (call and response) with each other. The violins are very atmospheric, as are the long-drawn-out vocals with tremolo, and the drums re-enforce the polyrhythmic-type sound to the track, first entering when the guitars are playing harmonics. Take a listen to the full song here, and the clip below.
7. Moonlight Sonata
Final song of the album is my classical guitar cover of Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Van Beethoven. This was my first classical song I learned on guitar and is without a doubt still one of my favorites. I love the journey the song takes me on every time. This is a song originally composed in 1801 and some 221 years later doesn’t fail the test of time, truly a work of genius. Take a listen to the final 50 seconds and the full song here.
Conclusion
Hopefully this format of article was enjoyable to read/listen to, please don’t hesitate to like, comment, share, and subscribe, and follow my YouTube channel. Thank you and see you next time.
About the Author
Isaiah Grip is a 22 year old multi-instrumentalist composer (guitar, piano, violin, cello, and voice) out of Colorado who records and studies music independently under the name Tetra Veda, as well as collaborating with Ghostwrite Inc, and playing guitar in the progressive metal band Cloud Temple. His personal repertoire can be found on Bandcamp and YouTube under the name Tetra Veda.
What a great album! Thank you for the article which gives us a look behind the scenes, excellent!