Beautiful Ease

This poignant twin lead guitar ballad is carefully crafted and textured with exquisitely rich guitar layers.

Live Stratocaster lead guitars - Lee Fitzsimmons * Live acoustic guitars - Lee Fitzsimmons * Live Stratocaster background guitars (overdriven and clean) - Lee Fitzsimmons * Live Ibanez 5-string bass - Lee Fitzsimmons * Drums, bongos, congas, talking drums, sleigh bells, tambourine, and chime tree - Lee Fitzsimmons

This piece begins with multiple guitar and percussion layers setting up the groove for the first section of the song. The two stereo acoustic guitars ring open chords, the lone distorted rhythm guitar holds a power chord, and the clean electric rhythm guitar strums twice. The congas, bongos, sleigh bells, and talking drums set up a rhythm pattern. The chime tree rings at the beginning. At bar five, the lead guitars enter, and the piece launches into its main groove. The bass plays a very intricate, yet grooveable line that holds the ensemble together along with the drums that emphasize syncopated upbeats. In the second section, the ambience switches to a more dreamy state, as a tambourine and ride cymbal enter the mix, and the clean electric guitar plays open string arpeggios. The lead guitars switch to a melodic figure that is more rhythmically consistent, unlike the melody that they play in the first section that holds long tones for extended periods. In the last section, the tonic and subdominant tonal centers are emphasized, and the lead guitars begin employing sixteenth notes in a new melodic figure.

The overall form is repeated and then the bridge is performed. It is focused on a new tonal center and features another similar melodic idea. The end of the bridge sets up a modulation that leads back to the original tonal center. The overall form presented at the beginning of the piece is played one more time and then the composition ends on a final sustained note.

This work invokes the spirits of aesthetic relaxation that allow for the soul to experience a peaceful rejuvenation of the spirit and the senses. The basic idea of this rock tune is somewhat of a paradox, because it uses rock instrumentation to soothe the senses instead of excite them. This soothing effect is achieved by adding thick layers of sound to the overall musical texture. This layering is done subtly and delicately in a way that does not clutter the mix, so that its fullness may bring peaceful bliss to the ears of the listener.

My website is at http://LeeFitzsimmons.com