Seth Roach: Composing El Blanco

Monday, August 8, 2011

Composing El Blanco

A little glimpse of the writing process.

This is how I like to pass most of my time:

Two candles burning, a pencil in my hand and of course, silence.

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El Blanco is my first piece of serious music, and it was recorded in 2011, in the months of June and July, in Rio de Janeiro. In the last few years I have been searching for my path, and a way to truly express myself musically.

When I was 23 I discovered Frank Zappa, and his music really slapped me in the face, and grabbed my attention. I must be honest, I only relate to 30% of his work, but that small percent of music is what I believe music should be. Maybe it was in the way he wrote out all of the musicians parts, and could translate his thoughts more perfectly, but I found this approach to musical composition very interesting.

At the age of 25 I decided to compose all of the parts for a 10 piece band. I then would realize that this was not an easy task. I don’t like to use computers, so I wrote each instrument’s part with a pencil, lots of paper, and a ruler.

The song is about a giant, Dodge Van that I had back when I was around 22. I have many great memories of cruising in this machine with my friends and passing the time listening to old classic rock and exploring the cities near our town. I wanted to create a tribute to all the cool vans, and van lovers out there.

I have finished the next two compositions, “Murder of the Messiah” and “A Stroll Through 1957”, and there are many more to come. The goal is to have 15 finished pieces ready to be performed live with my band in Rio de Janeiro, by mid 2012.

At the end of 2011, I am hoping to have a small concert, and perform at least 5 of my original pieces. I will be posting here all the details about it very soon !