Ochen - a hypnagogic tale
making music when I should be sleeping
There’s tired, and there’s work 13 hours, sleep 3 hours, then work another 13 hours, tired. That’s where I was about a month ago. A big IT project extended a long week into a dreadful weekend, followed by another long week.
However, before I take us too far down the poor Bob rabbit hole, we need to check my math. Although there is no question that two 13-hour days in a row would be grueling, no matter how you slice it, the calendar allows for more than 3 hours of sleep between the two shifts.
It is true. The sleep depravation was ultimately my fault. I could have gone to bed at a decent hour in the midst of that laborious weekend. Instead, I made “Ochen”.
The title is a sloppy phonetic English translation of the Russian word for very. You may remember in the movie A Clockwork Orange*, Malcolm McDowell and his punks say ochen and ochen horosho (very good) all the time.
I was feeling very. Not very good.
What’s in a chord?
The recording session began shortly after the first 13-hour work day was done. In addition to the vacant look in my eyes in the video above, the song’s arrangement is clear indication of my mental state at the time. When I sat down to record, all I could muster was a single chord. “Ochen” is built around an A minor arpeggio, which I pluck robotically for one minute.
Row, row, row
Each instrument, with the exception of the lead guitar, repeats without variation. However, the end result sounds more interesting than that. The root is constantly shifting and the 1 keeps moving, because each part is a different length.
The first acoustic guitar is playing a single measure (4 beats). The second acoustic guitar is playing 2 measures (8 beats). And the bass guitar is playing 4 measures (16 beats). The effect is a subtle swirling of chords and voicings.
It is all very clever, and completely accidental. I didn’t realize what I was doing until I listened back a couple days later.
everything Zen
At least, that’s how I think it all went down. I don’t clearly remember the session at all. I really was quite tired. This whole video for me is a moment out of time.
drums of triumph, and fatigue
The IT project was ultimately successful. It was hard work, physically and mentally. I was happy for the win, and weary from the battle.
I recorded bongos after my 2nd consecutive 13-hour day.
…and then I went to bed.
Instruments and gear used in the production:
Hohner B Bass V 5-String Electric Bass
Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD audio interface
beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO studio headphones
*An early version of this article erroneously referenced A Clockwork Origin, not Orange. The mistake is an accidental reference to a brilliant Futurama episode, and a predictable slip on my part. I watch a lot of Futurama.