Parameters
Key: Bb Major
BPM: 60
Mood: Reflective, Melancholy
Difficulty: Easy (Grades 1-3)
Duration: 1:14
External Links
About “Musing on Life”
Musing on Life initially began with the steady quarter-note chords and dissonance first heard in bar 1, followed by the release of tension in bar 2. The piece tries to capture the steady stream of thought and mindfulness.
The piece begins with the B-flat major 7th chord, voiced so that the root and the seventh are in the same register. As such, it creates dissonance and tension, quickly making the listener want to listen out for a resolution. The resolve comes in bar 2, with an E-flat chord with a Bb in the bass, thus creating a pedal point from bars 1–3. Despite the changing chords and dissonance, the constant appearance of the Bb in the bass keeps the listener grounded.
The piece quickly takes a turn in bar 4, where the sixth chord of the B-flat minor scale is being utilised. This departure is quickly resolved in the following bar, returning the listener to a familiar motif. This departure occurs again in 8, but again the listener is returned to the original key, except this time on the 4th, F major. These departures are like evanescent thoughts that come and go, like our musings.
The piece often sits on the A note but also moves chromatically around it. Other than the Bb, the A also has a grounding effect, or rather, its presence is constantly felt. This note, along with the Bb, as aforementioned, help the piece move stay familiar through the colour changes through the piece.