Posted : 06/29/2022
2 min. read
Posted 06/29/2022Safe
Updated: 06/30/2022
Safe was the first song I wrote that I felt proud of. I wrote tunes that just never went anywhere before. This one seemed to go where I wanted it to go!
I remember being at San Jose State University in the practice rooms in the music building working on it. I had just gotten together with a new girlfriend, Nancy, now my wife of many years, and I really did feel safe. Hence the name!
I knew it would be in 7 but there were a few bars where the melody said, "I need to be in 4 now!" I tried to resist, but I ended up giving in. At the time, I remember saying to myself, "Hey, it's my song, it can be in 4 for a few bars if I want!"
I came up with basic piano groove first.
✅ Figure out how to put an example of this in here using abc—such fun! Not sure how to make one tie go above and one below on those clusters though.
The melody followed while the groove mostly stayed the same. Even through the 4/4 bars, the spirit of the groove remained I think.
Lead sheets
Your turn to play it! Hey, you might like it. I did! Here's a lead sheet, a rhythm part, and a transposed version for soprano sax. If there are two horns, the bridge can be split between them, otherwise, the piano can play both parts. I should have a solo piano version because, I've done that! For those of you curious (multitudes I'm sure!) you just play the melody and second horn part with that piano groove that is in the rhythm part.
⬜ Create a solo piano version and post that too
✅ Create an E-flat version while you're at it
Octet version
Eventually, I arranged Safe for The North Mars Octet (a.k.a. North Mars because sometimes we had more or less than 8). This was a time of creativity for me, Nancy, as well as her roommates who were also members of the ensemble. We started cranking out original compositions and arrangements of some awesome tunes that we loved. We performed in public a few times, but not enough to be known. Still, I'm so very proud of that time and the music we all created.
I must mention the first arrangement that got things going. It was Nancy's arrangement of Bill Evan's Peri's Scope.
Download Zip file of Score and Parts
⬜ Find that cassette of North Mars doing this!
Caveats
I'm sorry to all my Guitar playing friends. I'm not sure what happened back in the early Finale days. I don't know which version of Finale I originally used. I remember writing out the parts by hand originally. I don't remember having a guitar part without a key signature. I tried to fix it and everything transposed up a 5th. I thought for sure I'd make more mistakes trying to fix this than letting it slide for now.
To my bass playing friends, apparently I thought you all could reach a low D. As this was in the days before 5, 6, 8, string bases were common, I must have just wrote and it was played properly by the musician that played it.
To my drummer friends, back in the 80's I really didn't know how to write a drum part. I think, once you know the tune, it might be helpful. But it certainly gives you no hints on how to sight-read it! Please do not assume that I now know how to write drum parts as I do not!