Friendship: Melody and Chords

I've been reading a book called Introduction To Songwriting by Cliff Parms. On page 61, Cliff breaks down the dynamics of creating a melody. He recommends starting a melody with lower notes so that it leaves room for ascension and climax later. This sparked a thought for me:

THE MELODIES

For some reason, page 61 made me think of a recent friendship that I'm initiating. I began to view this friendship as a melody. Starting off with too much energy or requiring too much attention --- starting the melody with high notes --- would scare my friend off.

It's important to consider someone's capacity when it comes to how much energy you approach them with each time. Starting off low maintenance is typically more sustainable than opening up the flood gates on the first few occasions.

As humans, we do the melodies.

That means, each note (moment) is initiated by us as humans. We control the rhythm, the cadence, and the dynamics of our friendships. This is a superpower, and we sometimes forget that we have it.

THE CHORDS

God handles the chords.

The chords are the harmonies and support that wrap the melody. They allow the melody to have a home. They help the song feel full of life. The chords can either come before or after the melody. The chords can either spark a melody, or support a melody that's already made. This reminds me of how God intervenes in our affairs.

Chords Before Melody

• Sometimes, when things are lining up properly, all we need to do is create the moments to expand upon what's already there. The chords inform the melody in a lot of the music that I put together.

Melody Before Chords

• Other times, we start a new flow, and so long as we apply faith, God comes behind with so much love, support, and harmony that it feels like the melody was destined to exist the whole time. If this doesn't happen, maybe you took a wrong turn. And that's okay. Just pivot.

CLOSING REMARKS

This analogy can be used as a general framework when initiating new flows and endeavors other than friendship. Friendship is the melody that initiated the chords for this blog post. Ultimately a full song was created, and you've just listened to it. Hope you enjoyed!

-- JKB.