Structured around the Violin

If I could play the violin, one of the first songs I would learn to play would be Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. What an incredibly beautiful line the violin plays! Perhaps a bit repetitive, it is the backbone to the piece, and it does well.

The song starts out very calm, with a mezzo violin line and a cello, slowly drawing their bows across their strings. Then comes in the first violin line, with it's staccato notes and bubbly tempo. And then it starts building, getting louder and louder, and you know that what's coming is going to be pretty amazing.

And it is.

And then the percussion comes in, and the whole thing takes off. It sends shivers down my spine just listening to it. There are vocal in it, of course, but if you ask me, that ruins it. So if you buy it (and I recommend that you do), buy the instrumental version. It's far superior to the version with lyrics.


Another song with a truly amazing violin line as the base is 24 by Jem.

This one starts out with an acoustic guitar plucking away at it's strings, and you hear the seconds on a clock ticking by, representing (of course) the passing of time. And then the notes from several violins explode into the song. The guitar's line sort of fades to background sound, and the violins continue ripping along their lines as the vocals join in. Soon the percussion and electric guitar join, and then the whole thing is underway.

Unlike Bittersweet Symphony, however, 24 actually sounds good with the lyrics. The lyrics themselves are pretty impressive, and with the electric guitar in there too, the whole thing sounds pretty cool.

But don't be deceived by the guitar; its not the backbone; its just an addition. It's the violins, again, that keep the whole thing together. Through the whole song you can hear them, setting the pace, keeping the beat, keeping the pitch.

I wish I could play the violin...