Assembling the Deck

Solitaire is one of my favorites out of the songs I wrote. I initially had three criteria when I began writing this song: I wanted a melody that began with a minor 6th interval (“How does one explain this intimate serenity?”), I wanted a song in either 3/4 time or 6/8 time so the rhythm of the song is divided into 3’s instead of 4’s, and I wanted to incorporate the cello within the ensemble . The reason I wanted a minor 6th interval is, to be brief, this interval is not very common in musical intros. Most songs introduce themselves with a perfect fourth interval; some examples include the Harry Potter main theme from the movies, the Fellowship theme from Lord of the Rings, and “Here Comes the Bride” wedding march; or the perfect fifth interval, such as theme to Star Trek Voyager, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (technically 1-1-5-5, but it’s a perfect fifth between the doubling), “My Favourite Things” from The Sound of Music. A 6th is considered a weaker interval overall, and a minor 6th is an even odder-sounding jump, so most composers don’t really gravitate to it, and I wanted to try to work with it. I wanted a meter divided into 3’s because I had already written some songs that were in 2’s and simply felt it was time to switch gears. A 3/4 or 6/8 are not entirely the same, but both feature dividing a phrase into three parts. I ultimately wrote Solitaire in 6/8 time because this meter is slightly more complex and allowed me to easily switch between dividing a phrase in 2 and dividing a phrase in 3 (in other words, I could write a hemiola, pronounced Hee-Mee-Yo-La, which is when a song switches from being divided into 2 to being divided into 3; yes, that’s a real word, and a popular example is West Side Story’s “America” during the iconic chorus line, “I like to be in America”, where the switch causes the name “America” to sound particularly punched and accented while also expressing the syllables organically). The cello probably doesn’t need an explanation; I don’t think I’ve met anyone who doesn’t like the cello (I have met people who found violins quite overrated and, as a pianist, I have to agree on principle 😜). I did also play the cello for a couple of years during high school (again, chose it over the violin) but decided to drop it because I was already investing a lot of time in piano, and I had no interest in seeking a teacher to perfect my cello skills. That said, for me personally, I like the cello best out of all string instruments, so I was going to incorporate it in my songs no matter what.

I came up with the chorus melody first while driving home from work, thinking about how to design a melody that started with a minor 6th, and it simply played in my head. I wish there were more to it, but sometimes that’s just how it is! I then had to decide what the song should be about, because I actually didn’t know. I felt there was something very intimate and suspenseful about this melody, and initially I toyed with the idea of a femme fatale or someone who is seducing someone else. It might have worked, but I’m not terribly interested in such dynamics on a personal level. They can be fun in movies (provided they’re not disturbing, or just stupid, anyway) but since I had to sing this thing, I didn’t think I could embody what would be required; my own disinterest would get in the way. Furthermore, I didn’t really want the album to feature songs about romance, because I have never been in love and can’t help but feel ridiculous whenever I try to write about it. I was also wary of being cliché, there I was taking the trouble of creating this melody with a minor 6th interval and then it’s about this totally predictable topic, that’s so disappointing, so I wanted to avoid that. But the music sounded like it should be something very close in entity. Cozy, maybe? Then I thought, well, what’s more intimate than 2 people in one room? One person connecting with themselves.

An introvert who is enjoying their solitude is a funny topic to sing about because normally we would not sing of such things. Songs are about connection, about conveying a message or a feeling, particularly if it’s intense. But introverts like me don’t feel any particular way when we’re alone, and that’s actually one major reason we enjoy it. We don’t want to feel intensely, even intensely happy, because feeling intensely just doesn’t feel so good to us. It’s tiring and exacts a cost. In Chinese medicine, there are five basic emotions: Anger, Joy, Worry, Sorrow, and Fear. All five (yes, including Joy) are forms of exertion that, when too extreme, can strain your physical organs and be harmful to your health; But even outside of the emotional exhaustion that follows, you are never fully in control of what you do when you’re with others. There is always some form of compromise or outside influence that you have to manage, and I’m not convinced that extroverts aren’t also worn out by it all. They’re just unable to rest, because they can’t simply bask in their own company, and I’m sure they resent us somewhat because our absence makes it just a bit harder for them to distract themselves with our companionship. When we’re alone, there is no need to communicate, no need to negotiate, and of course, no need, much less desire, to sing about it. But I noticed online and in many circles that the Introvert is viewed as an odd creature of sorts, and is often confused for someone who’s averse to socialization, which is not the case at all. We are not agoraphobic. We often socialize even more successfully than proclaimed extroverts, and frequently seek others for companionship. However, our own internal lives are usually so rich and fulfilling that it’s much more difficult for company to compare. Often times, group activities just seem far more boring than what we’ve been enjoying on our own.

And so with this in mind, I sought to create a luxurious atmosphere with the singer at the center. I deliberately chose not to have backing vocals because I wanted to emphasize that this person is by themselves, but there are five instrument groups in this song: acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, piano, cello (which turned out to be very easy to incorporate) and a drum set. There’s no way a single person could play on all of these, but they manifest in the song with the singer and become part of the environment. Even though the singer is alone, they are surrounded by all these moving parts, all complying with their will and supporting their solo. I also chose to sing this song in a fairly mellow, almost lazy style, to express that cozy sentiment. And I wanted listeners to, for a moment, share the pleasure of this state, where the time and space around you is yours alone, and there is no one to usurp your attention from yourself.

Are we introverts really the weird ones? I suppose that is a verdict for another day.