The Path: Stories with Strangers - Whoever You May Be

The second half of the album is positively magical. Where the first 5 tracks were solid pieces, the latter half feels more abundant with whimsy and warmth.

OR MAYBE...They're just more jazz-influenced!

"Whoever You May Be", with lyrics that somewhat bug me now, filled with such ignorance/innocence, is another absolutely monumental song for me.

I wrote this song during my senior year of high school. The words came to me rather quickly in the form of a cute little poem earlier in the year, then the melody started to unfold as I was daydreaming while at my first job at a deli. I can still remember the excitement I felt upon returning home and immediately going to my keyboard to figure out the chords on the piano. I spent the next several hours on the piece, not wanting to take a break to use the restroom or eat.

The excitement continued when I brought the song in to my private lesson that week in the form of a lead sheet (a single melody with chord symbols), challenging my teacher to play my song. I knew my teacher had great improvisation skills and could read music very easily, but it was really solidified then, when I handed him a piece of music that I knew for certain he had never ever seen before.

This song was my very first attempt at trying out the jazz lead sheet format. I followed a standard jazz structure—the simple yet lovely ABA'. In this case, the A' (A prime) section is very similar to the original, but the ending is changed.

I will admit openly that my jazz piano teacher in high school helped out quite a bit with the chord progressions and voicings, in both this song and the next. That teacher taught me pretty much everything I know about jazz theory (which can be applied to EVERY kind of music).

This song's lyrics weren't that personal either. I felt immediately open to sharing them with my brother, who actually helped me with a grammatical error I had made.

The occasion which the writing of the lyrics occurred has quietly left from my memory, though I remember it sort of... Falling out of me. I barely made any corrections, and had written in pen, both which were very uncommon with anything I wrote that was supposed to be poetic.

I thought of the melody first, while working on a slow Sunday afternoon at the deli during my senior year of high school. The thought is actually quite glorious and magical! I can envision myself day-dreaming at the deli, humming quietly and playfully, but urgently as well, as though if I hummed it more intensely, it would solidify into my brain more. The moment I arrived back home, I sat down at my keyboard and played.

Writing two jazz songs that could be played from lead sheets immensely helped to reinforce the theory behind the chords and voicings. Later in college I wrote a few songs for a school musical, and the jazz influences are undeniable, yet I'm also happy that I've maintained my own quirky charm in my compositions.

I'm so in love with the flurry up and down the keyboard at the end. It happens to be almost the exact same chord as the ending of September 21st. It has the same notes, but instead of a C in the bass (which would make it C-7), Eb is in the bass (making it Eb6).

I don't know exactly where I learned the technique from, but I just knew I wanted to have an illusionary flutter of notes ripple up the keyboard. I simply played the notes in groups of four, starting at the next note after playing each set of four notes:

Eb - G - Bb - C

G - Bb - C - Eb

Bb - C - Eb - G

C - Eb - G - Bb

etc.

I'd never actually seen something like this notated before, so a part of me wants to give msyelf credit. Anyway, it's in my song, and I love it!

—

This seat is empty

This seat is free

So you can come over

And sit next to me

Maybe we'll be friends

Maybe we'll be more

Parts of me you'll hate

Or maybe you'll adore

We could become the best of friends

Or never talk at all

But we'll never know if you

Just stand there in the hall

I may want to meet you

You may want to meet me

So come from there

And sit right here

Whoever you may be.