"After "Cold Day in Hell", we had a few ideas kicking around, but none had that immediacy of a truly inspired song. So we waited. I am less worried about back-burnering something that isn't working. This is tough for Veronica sometimes, because she pours her heart out into it and then I shelve it. I feel a little guilty about it sometimes, but I really feel it is the right thing to do.
The next song came upon me like a spotlight from rock 'n roll heaven. It was on again. This one explores the feelings of inadequacy that everyone suffers from time to time. Sometimes, you find people that feel the same way, and really believe in you. You have a million little things in common and none of them are really holding you back like you thought. It really strikes to the heart of what it means to make music. It draws you closer to people that appreciate what you do even if you don't formally know them. You still feel that sense of belonging and accomplishment at a personal and/or professional level.
The vision for "A Million Pieces of Me" was a little bit of a Scorpions sound. In the pre-verse, I went for flowing natural minor (E Phrygian) that is the staple of much rock and metal. I leaned more on the 7 tone scale with long trailing notes with half-time triplet feel thrown in between. The verse continued the mission with a strong arpeggio which has a distinct hurry-up pattern, but the bass is what is really driving the feel. It took me a few tries to get the bass to fall just right. It continues the feel of the pre-verse lead, but adds in a distinct harmonic minor flavor. Then, on the chorus the bass fell back into lock-step with the rhythm guitar and the lead guitar picked up the harmonic minor melody. Then it drops back to the pre-verse with more flowing lead guitar. Once I got to the section dedicated to the lead, I wanted to try to add a technique on rhythm that Veronica wanted me to integrate. I can't pronounce it ("Rasgueado") but it is basically a Spanish technique that involves flicking the strings. The action on the strings of my 7 string guitar is very low so I had to work out my own little way of doing it. I was unsure but I left it go. The way that sounded, I knew I needed to rock a clean guitar lead. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Once I completed recording the lead, I realized that the background and the lead had combined in unanticipated ways. Perfect! Creating complexity with simple layers is a mainstay of the project.
Now, cue the ominous music... I wrote the lyrics and lyrical melody. I gave Veronica some guidance on what I wanted to do. This was a style she was not familiar with. Suddenly, it was a struggle again. I fault myself for my inexperience in writing for a singer. I won't point a finger at Veronica. She always comes through. I knew what I wanted, right down to the note. I was trying to hold it strict to key but the freaking harmonic minor undertone made it difficult to anticipate by feel. Veronica made a try at it, I bent all the notes right to where they should be, and mixed a copy for her. You see, though, you can't just pitch correct stuff and call it a day. It makes the vocals sound really weird. The point was that Veronica could practice to the proper pitch interval until it felt natural to her. Then she could come back and hit it on another recording session. And hit it she did! The more I hear the song, the more I realize how much she owned it. This was a song to let some of my techniques shine, but I'm not the only star. Did I say, Veronica always comes through?
What happens next? An unexpected, sad, and stressful event. You never really know how life will surprise and inspire you."
-Rob
