Program Notes:

The progression for Rearrange was inspired by a riff that Sal Bass was randomly playing one day. Hearing it struck such a chord within me that I had to write lyrics to it. I wanted to communicate what studying art and music has taught me, that one stroke or one note makes all the difference, that every single aspect is important in the whole. My hope is that this song acts as one of empowerment to myself and others to think outside of the boxes we were put into and to realize that every one of our decisions impacts the future. The chord progression of the first verse centers around E major, with the third of the chord (G#) falling to F#, then rising to an A to create a four-three suspension chord. During the line “ends up in massive change” the progression changes to an A major chord (the subdominant in E major), and unexpectedly falls to an A dominant seven over G, which leads the ear to believe that it might resolve to a D major chord, but instead it falls back to an E major. This is painting the idea that every action, even that of a butterfly’s, can lead to unexpected events. The second verse falls to an E minor, and uses the same motif with the third (G) falling to an F# and then rising to an A. This is meant to have a more somber feel, as it discusses how we often decide to live our lives based on societal or familial expectations instead of what our hearts call us to do. But on the line “set yourself free,” the four-three suspension falls to an E major instead of E minor, showing a sense of regaining control over one’s life and finding joy through following one’s own dreams.