Could someone make a transcription of the funny part where they were laughing and apparently JLB says "what was I thinking"? I can't watch it with sound because of the freakin background music! haha
When writing melody, do you write specific to range?JLB: A lot of that might stand true with when I'm doing my solo stuff. With Dream Theater it's a different approach - musically - because you have two very powerful musical forces, being (as composers) John and Jordan. There's a lot of stuff going on there. It's like what I was saying during this process... this isn't an easy answer because there's so many layers to it, right?
JP: Mmm hmm.
JLB: But, you know, I was saying... If you don't get your foot in there quickly enough, your voice in where you want to say "oh yeah, this is what I'm hearing", you're lost in the shuffle. I mean, there were many moments, I'd be like "HEY GUYS... HANG ON A SEC, GUYS GUYS" and they'd be like "BOLDODODLDODODLDLODODBUBUBUBU, THATWASAGOODONE, BRBRBRLRBRBRBDBDBDBDBD", and then I'd be like, "the fuck was I thinking about? Where was I going to go with this?" You know, they'd pull it back so you'd see me running out of the room and I'm like "BLEBLEBLEEBLOBLABLABLASUMUSMSANAAABLA", and I'd come back and they'd be going "uhh, yeah, you know that thing, we changed that, we're gonna go in this direction now." "Oh, that makes that irrelevant what I was thinking".
JP: That's so two hours ago, James.
*both laugh*
JLB: Totally! "James, we're not even going there anymore." "Uh. Okay." But as far as the melody structuring and how that all goes about, it's initially sitting down - in this instance it was Jordan, John and myself sitting down - and then John taking those melodies and going away, writing the lyrics. When he started to write the lyrics - because a lot of the way John works is he completely isolates himself in a room or somewhere within the studio that no one else is around, has his acoustic guitar, and he starts singing through his words, and so the melody's taking on another shape there.
So, my involvement at that point is to wait for that to be concluded, then come in. How does it feel to me? How is it going to be sung? Is it something that sings well or doesn't? So we keep working it, and then it works again for me when I get behind the microphone, it also takes on a whole new feel and there's certain alterations that are absolutely necessary. But, for the most part, if I come in and give these guys some ideas, or if I'm sitting there and I hear something (and get the opportunity to blurt it out before they move on), then that's it. That's basically my role. It really comes down to me as a singer, and how I can bring the best of what needs to be said vocally.