If you write a melody
Gentle and sweet,
I’ll write the lyrics
To go with the beat.
Such beautiful music,
The notes you compose.
It touches my heart
When I hear how it flows.
The lyrics I write
Must live up to your sound,
With rhymes about love
And the joy we have found.
So write me a tune
And I’ll write you the words
To a song we’ll create
As a pair of lovebirds.
And our love will shine bright
For the whole world to see
In the music and lyrics
Of our harmony.
Dedicated to my best friend and loving boyfriend. Thank you for enriching my life with your wonderful music. Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you, sweetheart!
I know it’s been a while since I last shared a Motivational Music post, so here’s a new one for you to enjoy! After debuting this segment with a similar post, today’s topic features more music in one of my favorite genres: post-rock. This style of music, aside from being pleasant to listen to, tends to inspire quite a bit of my writing, so I hope you’ll find it motivational too! Enjoy!
Moving Mountains
Moving Mountains (2013)
Genre(s): Post-rock, Indie rock Origin: Purchase, NY, USA Writing Inspiration: Drama, poetry, romance My Favorite Song(s): “Hands“, “Swing Set“, “Once Rendering“
Moving Mountains were an indie rock band from New York, active from 2005 to 2013. They’re well known for their versatile style of music, which generally combines emotional vocals with post-rock instrumentals. Because of this, I usually listen to them when I want to find inspiration for poetic and dramatic themes. Their last album, Moving Mountains, has been especially motivational for my romantic stories due to its ambient qualities, while older albums like their rock-oriented Waves provide inspiration for my darker poetry ideas. Moving Mountains have covered a relatively broad range in the indie rock spectrum, so if you enjoy this style of music, chances are they have at least a few songs that may inspire you.
Gates
Bloom & Breathe (2014)
Genre(s): Post-rock, Ambient, Indie rock Origin: New Brunswick, NJ, USA Writing Inspiration: Drama, tragedy, poetry My Favorite Song(s): “Bloom“, “Not My Blood“, “Born Dead“, “They See Only Shadows“
Having emerged from New Jersey in 2011, Gates are a relatively new band on the post-rock scene. “Similar Artists” lists on popular music streaming sources tend to rank them very close to Moving Mountains, but they’re no mere copy for sure. While Moving Mountains most recently showed a softer quality to their music, Gates consistently implement more elements of rock in their songs, as is well evidenced in their newest album, Bloom & Breathe. With solid instrumentals and lyrics layered with emotional influences, Gates have been great inspiration for some of my more dramatic and tragic stories, as well as the occasional poem. Even when I’m not seeking creative inspiration, I enjoy getting lost in this music while taking a break from writing. Whether you’re trying to get inspired to create a dramatic piece of art or simply in the mood to sink back into some awesome music for a while, I highly recommend giving Gates a listen! You won’t regret it.
There Will Be Fireworks
The Dark, Dark Bright (2013)
Genre(s): Post-rock, Indie rock Origin: Glasgow, Scotland Writing Inspiration: Poetry, romance, drama My Favorite Song(s): “South Street“, “River“, “Here Is Where“, “Says Aye“
There Will Be Fireworks were among the first bands I listened to after my best friend introduced me to post-rock. Much like the previous two bands, their music consists largely of emotional lyrics set to atmospheric instrumentals, which make for some hauntingly beautiful songs. Their newest album in particular, The Dark, Dark Bright, is a powerfully moving collection that has inspired me to write romantic poetry and stories. The vocals are by no means perfect, but I feel that just adds even more to the raw genuineness of the music, especially with such touching lyrics to go with it (I haven’t yet been able to listen through without at least getting choked up). TWBF are one of those bands I could listen to for hours, and if you appreciate genuine music that flows with every note and has the potential to touch your creative soul, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these amazing post-rock bands, and that they’ll inspire your writing as much as they’ve inspired mine! Thanks for reading/listening!
Reminder: if you really enjoy the music by the bands featured in this article, be sure to support them through their official music pages (links in the above album covers)! Help keep the indie scene thriving! Thank you!
If you read my post about VOCALOID last week, you probably saw this coming. If you didn’t, I strongly recommend you take a quick look at that one in order to understand what I’m about to show you now. All caught up? Great, then let’s get started!
This may seem rather bizarre since my last Motivational Music post featured classical music, but I guess that just goes to show how diverse my musical taste really is, and more importantly, how many different styles can inspire my writing (and hopefully yours). Ready for a taste of music from Japan? Then allow me to dig just a little deeper into the aforementioned love of mine by sharing music that features the voices of my three favorite Vocaloids: Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka and KAITO.
Popularly known as “everyone’s favorite digital diva”, Hatsune Miku has been a national celebrity in Japan for years and more recently seems to be making quite an impact in the Western world. She was designed to represent the future of music (reflected in her name, as “hatsu-ne-miku” means “first sound of the future”), and by now has likely been used to sing in every genre of music imaginable (and I mean every genre, from opera and Broadway to heavy metal and dubstep). I often think of Miku as the Jack-of-all-trades of the Vocaloids; she has a voice suited to all types of music, but she isn’t always the best choice of vocals for a given song (case in point, virtually every other popular Vocaloid has a cover song that’s arguably better than its corresponding Miku original: “A Single Red Leaf” as sung by Luka, “Electric Angel” as sung by Rin and Len, “Poetaster and Singing Dolls” as sung by Gakupo, “My True Self” as sung by Kaito and Meiko, etc.). That being said, the songs that are well-suited for her are awesome.
Because most of her popular songs are upbeat, I’ve found Miku to be great inspiration for cheerful themes and stories with happy endings. At the same time, she sings a variety of songs that make good inspiration for other types of writing, including romantic, melancholy, terrifying, and just plain bizarre. Even if all you need is motivation to create, Miku is very good at cheering her listeners on and making them feel special. The subject matter of her songs covers everything from the meaning of life to vegetable juice, so whatever you plan to write, chances are there’s a Hatsune Miku song out there that may inspire you!
For some awesome music featuring Miku’s vocals, I recommend looking up songs produced by ryo, Hachi, livetune, wowaka and Mitchie M. Of course, great Hatsune Miku songs are never in short supply, as evidenced by the fact that she dominates Nico Nico Douga’s Hall of Legend. What can I say? She’s clearly everyone’s favorite digital diva for a reason!
My other favorite female Vocaloid, Megurine Luka‘s most notable quality is her ability to sing in both Japanese and English (hence the name “meguri-ne”, which translates as “round sound”). Unlike Miku, Luka is best known within the VOCALOID fandom as a ballad singer for her low mature-sounding voice, and most producers famous for using her have her sing slow, sad songs. That isn’t to say she only excels in this genre, though; in fact, some of her biggest hits are the type of songs that make you want to get up and dance (would you believe me if I told you I know the whole choreography to this song?). Her soft soothing vocals also make her an excellent choice for songs with romantic themes, so she’s definitely a potential favorite of fans who enjoy those types of stories!
Luka has been great inspiration for some of my more dramatic writing, such as romance and tragedy. Some of her best ballads are written by fatmanP and Yuyoyuppe, while Circus-P is famous for writing original songs for her in English. Luka is a popular choice among various producers, though, so your best bet to find great music featuring her voice is to check out her music page on the VOCALOID wiki. She may not be as famous as Miku, but you’ll find that she too has a wide variety of great songs to enjoy!
Kaito (also known by his fan-given name Shion Kaito) is my favorite male Vocaloid. In a franchise that consists mostly of female voices, it’s refreshing to enjoy a lower register of vocals once in a while (plus a cute face to match, *wink*). Being one of only two Japanese voicebanks for the original VOCALOID engine (the other being Meiko), he is actually older than Miku and Luka (who were both released for VOCALOID2), but took considerably longer to become as popular. Due to his standing as a veteran Vocaloid, Kaito has a tendency to sound more “electronic” than his successors, but the best producers who use his voice know how to play this to their advantage. Because of this, many of Kaito’s best songs don’t try to hide the fact that he isn’t real, but instead use him to create a unique sound or theme that a human singer couldn’t pull off.
Most of the songs featuring Kaito at his best come in the form of traditional folk music or electronic tracks that showcase his original sound, though he’s also frequently used to sing rock (usually in the visual kei band VanaN’Ice with Kamui Gakupo and Kagamine Len). He’s also very good at singing duets with other Vocaloids; one of the biggest shipping wars I’ve ever come across in the fandom is about whether he makes a better couple with Miku (as in “Cendrillon“) or with Meiko (as in “A Pair of Wintry Winds“), and his cover of “Magnet” with Gakupo proves he has excellent chemistry with female and male Vocaloids alike. Since his V3 update, Kaito has become even more versatile, adding softer tones to his voice and even gaining the ability to sing in English, so good music sung by him isn’t likely to run out anytime soon!
Because of his range as a singer and a character, I find Kaito to be great inspiration for various types of writing, especially romance, humor and poetry. Most of my favorite songs featuring his voice were written by Shigotoshite-P (Japanese folk music), Shinjou-P (electronic) or natsuP (rock), so if you’re looking for some great Kaito songs, I highly recommend starting with music by any of these talented ladies. They really know how to make him shine!
Bonus: Want to hear a song performed by all three of these amazing Vocaloids? Try “ACUTE“; yes, it’s a tragic story about a love triangle, but the music is great!
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my three favorite Vocaloids, and that you have fun listening to the music I’ve shared with you! Thanks for reading/listening!
VOCALOID is a product of Yamaha. Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka and KAITO belong to Crypton Future Media. All official artwork is displayed for illustrative purposes only. I own nothing!
Those familiar with my blog know that Wednesdays are dedicated to topics regarding creative writing. Today, I’m going to step a little outside the box (not too far, don’t worry) to share a little more of my nerdy side and talk about my newest obsession: VOCALOID. There’s a lot I could tell you about this newfound love of mine (enough to fill another series of posts, in fact), but the point of bringing it up now is simply to focus on what I consider the most interesting aspect of the fandom: creativity through collaboration. So just sit back and listen while I take you on a brief journey through this incredible musical world. Enjoy!
What is VOCALOID?
Before I answer this question, let me ask you one: have you ever heard of a Japanese singer named Hatsune Miku? If not, take a minute to listen to one of her most popular songs: “World is Mine“.
Pretty neat, huh? Now what if I told you that the singer in the video doesn’t actually exist, and what you just heard was nothing more than a computer program synthesizing a human voice? Here’s another video of her singing the same song, but this time in front of a live audience:
Yes, that’s a full house cheering for a hologram! Seriously, how cool is that?
VOCALOID is a software from Yamaha designed to synthesize singing vocals, intended to serve as a substitute for real singers. Each package consists of a character name, a voicebank comprised of phonemes recorded by a real person, and (in most cases) a basic character design. Voice synthesizing is achieved by typing lyrics and melody into the program.
The Vocaloids started being released in 2004 with moderate commercial success, but the software exploded in popularity around 2007 when a Hatsune Miku cover of the Finnish folk song “Ievan Polkka” went viral on Nico Nico Douga (a Japanese video-sharing website similar to YouTube). Since then, VOCALOID has had a tremendous cultural impact, drawing fans from Japan and the Western world alike. To this day, Miku remains the most famous of the Vocaloids and NND plays an essential role in the collaborative creation and sharing of VOCALOID works.
Today, there are dozens of official Vocaloids available in at least six languages (mostly the original languages of Japanese and English), hundreds of fanmade voicebanks (known as UTAU), thousands of VOCALOID-related songs, and tons of derivative media ranging from video games to live concerts. There’s no doubt about it: VOCALOID is a global phenomenon.
Why is VOCALOID so popular?
Honestly, I’ve been asking myself the same question ever since I became a fan. I heard my first VOCALOID song (“World’s End Umbrella“) in 2010 through a reference from a friend, and YouTube must have remembered that because it gave me a recommendation for my second song (“Witch Hunt“) in mid-2013. The funny thing was, though I absolutely loved the latter, I had no clue yet what I was listening to. It was only in November 2013 that I really got into the fandom and started to learn more about the Vocaloids. Fast-forward half a year: I now have days’ worth of VOCALOID videos logged in my YouTube history and a playlist consisting of over 300 songs. Yeah.
The eight most popular (and my favorite) Japanese Vocaloids. In order from left to right: KAITO, MEIKO, Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, GUMI, Kamui Gakupo, Kagamine Len and Kagamine Rin (Source unknown; image found on Zerochan)
So what is it about this fandom that’s kept me and countless others hooked for so long? Is it the endless assortment of awesome music? Is it the variety of characters with unique voices and personalities? Or is it the originality of the whole idea? If I had to bet on it, I’d say it’s a combination of all three, plus something extra special.
My theory is that what keeps VOCALOID going strong is the amount of creativity it takes to sustain the fandom. What starts out as a “singer in a box” becomes a character in stories told through music, a subject of visual art and a virtual presence on the stage of a sold-out concert. But what makes all this truly amazing is that the entire fanbase is built on a foundation of collaborative effort. In other words, to keep the Vocaloids “alive”, their fans usually work together.
Creativity, Collaboration, Empowerment
If there’s one song that sums up what the VOCALOID fandom is all about, it’s probably “Existence Imagination“. This is the product of the collaboration of 13 people using nine Vocaloids. The song showcases them at their best individually, in pairs and as a chorus, and the lyrics are essentially the characters happily saying they will always be there to give their voices to the creativity of their beloved songwriters. It’s all-around awesome. Hear for yourself:
The success of a VOCALOID producer is generally measured by the popularity of their uploaded works on NND, and this often relies on more than just good music. Because of this, many of the best VOCALOID videos are born from the combined effort of at least two people. One of my favorite teams of producers consists of three people: Hitoshizuku-P (music and lyrics), Yama△ (mixing) and Suzunosuke (illustration). Pretty much every project to which all three of them contribute is gold. Here’s a great example, the first video in a popular series of theirs using the famous “Vocaloid Eight”: Bad∞End∞Night.
The fun thing about VOCALOID is how interactive it is, in that it leaves about 99% to the imagination. Absolutely nothing is canon, right down to whether or not the Kagamine twins are actually related. All the developers provide is a voice and a basic character design; everything else (personalities, relationships, etc.) is left entirely up to the fans. And this opens the door to a flood of creative ideas.
So many possibilities have been constructed around the Vocaloids that it’s easy to forget they’re each nothing more than a voice and a drawing. Fans collectively build their personalities through music and visual art to create the characters we know and love, and I believe there’s a sense of empowerment to be found in that. The developers may have created the Vocaloids, but the fanbase brought them to life. I imagine that the real fun of attending a VOCALOID concert is knowing in the back of your mind that the lovable turquoise-haired girl smiling and waving from the stage only exists because you and everyone else around you helped make her real, and for those couple of hours, you feel special in the belief that she is singing to you. So in a way, even the fans who simply enjoy the music created by others are working together to keep the domain thriving.
Obviously, VOCALOID isn’t for everyone. Most people understandably prefer the voice of a real person to that of a machine, and many just don’t get the novelty of virtual singers. But where VOCALOID lacks in the reality department, it certainly makes up for in originality, creativity and inspiration. Sure, several fans of the Vocaloids claim to wish they were real, but honestly, I’m sure deep down we all love them for exactly what they are, and even more for what they give us. Producers and fans alike, everyone in the fandom is united by a mutual love of VOCALOID. And doesn’t that make it just as special as any other form of art?
Thank you for following me on this tour! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the Vocaloids and the power they have to inspire creative collaboration. As always, thanks for reading, and if you really enjoyed the music featured in this post, welcome to the wonderful world of VOCALOID!
In my backpack is a fifth-generation iPod Nano. Its casing is a shiny cobalt blue, and its design is thin and sleek. The glass screen is partially cracked, and its click wheel is slightly worn from hours of flipping through its hundreds of songs. On the back is a personalized engraving, etched in by laser over the Apple logo and the camera lens: “Don’t ever stop singing.”
The iPod was a Christmas present from my boyfriend and best friend in the world. He and I met through our common interest in creative writing, but one of the passions we share is our love of music. Interestingly, we both generally dislike the modern mainstream pop that constantly blares on the TV and radio stations, but he was the one who introduced me to the Indie genres. The sweet sound of music layered with true emotion opened me up to an artistic world that I didn’t even realize existed. For the past few years, my boyfriend has been sharing so much new music with me, and I can never get enough. He even shares some of his own compositions with me, songs that really showcase his musical potential. In turn, he can never seem to get enough of my voice, ever since I first sang for him. He and I agree that music is a gift, a passion best experienced with someone you love.
The Christmas before we became a couple, my friend sent me a present through the mail. I was shocked to discover an Apple iPod Nano inside the box, intended as a replacement for my four-year-old iPod Mini, which was on its last legs. I couldn’t thank him enough. Now I would once again be able to enjoy hours of music at a time, the music he loved to send me. He had asked me to open the box in front of him over Skype, so that after he saw my reaction, he could tell me to turn the iPod over. It was then that I saw the engraving. I was so moved; it was such a personal and thoughtful gift.
To this day, I cherish my iPod. I carry it with me whenever I go out, and I listen to it every time I take the bus to college. I was disappointed in myself for letting its screen break when I dropped it once. Still, I take care never to misplace it, for if I ever lost it, it would be like losing a special connection to my best friend.
Between his home in the United States and mine in Brazil, my boyfriend and I currently live over 6000 miles apart. But as long as we have music, we’ll always be close. All I have to do is turn on my iPod, and wherever I go, he’s right there with me.
This piece is based on What If? Exercise 73: “Things You Carry”. The exercise is to choose an object you carry in your pocket or your bag that’s special to you, describe it in detail using less than 100 words, and then tell the story behind it in at least 200 words. The objective is to demonstrate how much emotional attachment and significance can be connected to everyday objects. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
J.C. Wolfe is a fiction writer, biologist, and aspiring novelist of science fantasy and romance. A natural-born American and graduate in Marine Ecology from a university in Brazil, J.C. now writes for a living in California while spending free time blogging and penning stories and poetry.
J.C. Wolfe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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