The Carrousel

Let's Play!

Yes, let's play piano too!

How fun! how fun! To go round and round and round and never stop!

I mean it in good way, of course. When you are having fun, you don't want to stop, right? Why would you?

The Carrousel was one of the original compositions that was going to be in my first Music Album "Light & Darkness." I had in mind to include 1o songs, but for some reasons I included only 7, Why? I'll tell you later.

This fun merry-go-round- tune was going to be number 8th, but as you can listen, there's a lot of going up and down, quickly, following the tempo and even interrupting it to skip------- beats.

(Yes, there were two more songs that I didn't include in my album, but I'm sure I'll have them out soon whenever they are ready to see the light.)

C minor is the scale that I felt more freely to play up and down on the piano. If know some basic knowledge about piano, the fingers from the thumb to the pinky are numered 1 through 5. As you go up, the order is 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4 5, moving the hand under as you change fingers. However, if you want to go another octave then you go 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4 5, etcetera; always changing the fingers at 3 and then 4. Some basic knowledge about piano . . .

Anyway, the inception of this song came with the bass melody, going down as it loops and loops once and over again: C, B flat, A flat and G. However, the purpose of this song was to: have fun! The looping structure of the left hand gave me freedom to enjoy and create soothing melodies with my right hand. I hope my enjoyment can be contagious through music.

Now, for some serious matter: The Carrousel was the perfect song to represent the "Light & Darkness" concept, for it is in minor, it is naturally enclined to be 'dark', unlike major, naturally enclined to be considered 'light.' However, the attitude toward this darkness is playful, so it brings that 'lightness' to the scale of the composition. The purpose behind this is also metaphorical.

In terms of alchemy, it is said to treat dark matters with comedy, to laugh at the ironies, the mistakes and the 'tragedies' that affect us to heal. Take the cure in a 'light' manner. This relieves the burden in our mind, also it leaves resistance to the emotional attachment we consciously or subconsiously attach. We are all different and we treat things differently, of course. I'm just expressing this alchemical procesure to take it as one sees best, and process it as it is best for oneself.

Having said this, let me share with you a poem that is very related to this song, not directly, but there is some kind of alchemical transcendance in the regards of dancing over the darkness. This a poem from my poetry book: "The Poet ~ of ~ The Characters' Short Living Story."

***

I Dance Upon my Grave

Swung torch just passed by, just a flash

like a ghost that plays the night

travelling fire, swinging left and right,

around I twirl, flames follow my hands.

Upon the dark green hill,

nearby the tree with no leaves,

you will see me dancing

you will hear me singing in tongues.

That night, when the sky shows no moon,

and their blinds seem to shy the stars away,

you will find me skipping; hopping about

as a child, freely, enlightened, strong and brave

you will find me dancing, dancing upon my grave.

Eyes see, words are read,

I feel my body, but you don't see a body there.

Ears to hear, poetry to recite,

I feel my fire, but you don't see the light.

Nearby the tree, just a few feet away,

there's a tombstone, made of white stone

with a violet flower resting there,

inscribed on it, you will find no name

you will find no one buried there,

no one to mourn for, no one is dead.

I dance, I dance upon my grave.

***

Feel free to listen to The Carrousel.

And read my poems here:

"The Poet ~ of ~ The Characters' Short Living Story"

- Facundo Raganato

www.TheCharactersShortLivingStory.com