Behind The Scenes
A detailed exploration of my creative process
Most of the songs I’ve written once started out as a short riff or lick on guitar.
This video is an untitled piece of music that started out as an improvization. After 30 minutes of practicing, I recorded myself playing (in very poor video quality), so I can see where my fingers are on the guitar strings. This way, I can figure out the notes if I forget how to play the music…
Throughout my life, I’ve recorded more than 500 untitled song fragments.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title.
This video is an instrumental piece of music titled “Sphere”.
The song “Sphere” was composed in an open guitar tuning (DADF#AD) instead of a regular guitar tuning (EADGBE), which allows for different chords and different sounds.
Other musicians who have used open tunings in their work include Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Bon Iver, Pearl Jam & The Rolling Stones.
My main inspiration to write “Sphere” came from composers such as Bach, Haydn and Mozart, who were able to create many pieces of music that communicate timeless beauty.
Below is a link to the second movement of Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, composed in 1787 and recorded in 2014 by the Camerata Academica Salzburg.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title. In some cases, I’ll add also add lyrics. When the songwriting process is finished, I’ll record the entire song as an audio-file. Sometimes, I’ll also record video.
This video features a song titled “Inflection”.
Lie with the leaves and sway with the willow | I hear your whisper in the depths of my mind | Glide through the breeze and shine through the drizzle | I feel your rhythm in the swing of my stride | I perceive your life revealing | The right direction in the smothering haze | I concede with grateful ease to the inner flame illuminating my way | Inflect the ever-present | Disseminate possible approaches to co-evolve | Slide through the stream and smile through the heather | I see you glisten through the dew on the vine | Brighten the creek, reside in the shadows | I sense your presence in the darkness and light | Descending, embracing the entirety of space and ascending, evolving ever onward | Seep through the steel and rise through the tarmac | I see your radiance through concrete and wires | Enliven the streets and brood in the sewers | I sense your silence in the stillness of night | I perceive your life revealing | The right direction in the smothering haze | I concede with grateful ease to the inner flame illuminating my way
“Inflection” is a song composed in the key of F#. Other popular songs written in the key of F# include Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”, Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”.
One of the many bands who inspired me to play guitar like I do on the song “Inflection”, was The Black Crowes.
Below is a link to “Struttin’ Blues”, a song recorded in 1990, featuring highly energetic guitar playing.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title. In some cases, I’ll add also add lyrics. When the songwriting process is finished, I’ll record the entire song as an audio-file. Sometimes, I’ll also record video.
This video features a song titled “Inflection”.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title. In some cases, I’ll add also add lyrics. If I feel the song is good enough to be on an album, then I’ll create a computer drumtrack and record acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and vocals, so I can show any musicians I’m working with what my basic idea for the song is.
This video features a song with a computer drumtrack titled “Run”.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Amar Preciado, Kelly Lacy, Dimitri Baret, Roman Odintsov, Lars Mai, Magda Ehlers, Kelly Lacy, Taro, Free Music for Video on My YouTube, Kelly Lacy, Max Avans, Tom Fisk, Mike, Conrd R, Kelly Lacy (2x) & Teela Hudak (via Pexels, Pixabay & Videezy)
If you’re there pick up the phone | Today’s the day i said would come | Pick you up in ten | I hope you’re all packed and ready to run from this town | Drive the night inside out to where folks live by the hour and know their silence from their sound | Get your coat and hold your mouth | It weren’t my prints that got us found | Just close the trunk and sit yourself down | ’Cos now’s the time to run while the shroud of this hour keeps us cloaked as we cower | Run like thieves run for cover to where the law doesn’t bother | I get the feeling that you’re starting to leave a scent | I find an address but you get us kicked out again | Now at the motel you start making all kinds of friends | I hear you talking to the guy at the downstairs desk | If you’re trying to get us caught you’re doing well | You’ll be in trouble if I see you sneak off somewhere | I should have never let you talk me into this game | I think I’m catching on to what keeps you motivated | Where do you think you’re going now? | Put your suitcase on the ground | Climb into the trunk your game is up, it’s time to run once again to the ends of the earth | There is no safe way out – and peace there is nought | No release, no escape, nothing more than delay
When recording, a digital drumtrack (click-track) makes it much easier to combine different instruments into a coherent song.
At the same time, a click-track makes it much harder to record, because you have to continually synchronize your internal rhythm to an external metronome.
Some bands, such as Muse, Pink Floyd and U2, occasionally use click-tracks during their live shows.
One of the artists who inspired the feel and lyrics of the song “Run” is Mike Patton, whose bands include Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and Tomahawk.
Below is a link to “Mayday”, a Tomahawk song recorded in 2003, showcasing Patton’s singing abilities.
All instruments & lead vocals: Lee Mason | Backing vocals: Mathieu van den Berk
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-free stock footage provided, in order of appearance, by Taryn Elliott (2x), Mikhail Nilov, Steven van Elk, Maksim Goncharenok & Taryn Elliott (8x) (via Pexels, Pixabay & Videezy)
It’s not all that likely that I’m going to get my point across | It might be a whole lot easier if I knew just what it was | But I’m stuck with nothing more than just some memories of a simple single stare | It’s rather troublesome that I’ve now succumbed to dreaming of your hair | Weaving all the strands and threads to trap illusion in its web | And ascertain the beauty as the eager eye beholds | Why and how this all occurred I’m not aware | It’s not in my nature to meditate on such affairs | You see, I draw the life from time and have idle moments few | Yet still I find my thoughts disperse and magnetically gravitate to you
I recorded “Infatuation” with a friend of mine, Mathieu van den Berk, who provided backing vocals.
Mathieu is also an actor, who has starred in a number of Dutch films and theater productions, including “The Elephant Man”.
The chords which make up the verses of the song “Infatuation” are E – G – A, which creates a bluesy feel.
These same chords are repeated during the solo, where I play a harmonica in the key of A.
The bassline in the song “Infatuation” is inspired by the melodic artistry of Bernard Edwards.
Below is a link to “Thinking of You”, a Sister Sledge song recorded in 1978 and released in 1984, featuring Edwards on bass.
Apart from composing my own music, I also occasionally try to play other people’s music.
This is a very low-quality video of me attempting to play a simplified part of the bassline on the song “Act Like You Know” by Fat Larry’s Band…
Here’s the actual song (with significantly better bass playing!), released in 1982, featuring Fat Larry James on drums and Larry La Bes on bass.
Music: Robert van Spanje & Lee Mason | Lyrics: Lee Mason | Guitars: Robert van Spanje | Bass: Willem Zwarthoed | Drums: Wouter Stoeken | Vocals: Lee Mason | Recording & Mastering Engineer: Peter Akkerman
Video Created by Lee Mason | The newsreel footage in this music video shows landscapes across the Eurasian landmass | The news footage is owned by Periscope Film LLC | The footage is used under the 4 pillars of YouTube’s Fair Use Policy: (1) The use of the footage is for non-commercial purposes; (2) The footage is factual and familiar within the public domain; (3) The original footage has been used in a creative way to produce a new clip with a certain degree of educational value; (4) The usage of the news footage does not harm the copyright owner’s ability to profit from their original work | The Periscope Film archive is one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA
Light drips down in a corridor | Broken bottles on the dusty floor | This is where we used to run from everything and everyone | But tide after tide swept this world from our minds | You know, life slips by and at times I wish we hadn’t gone our separate ways | But there’s no use in holding on when change outsmarts us every day | They’ll never find out how to turn this thing around | Well, it didn’t really take us long to both move on
Took a left, took a right, never really figured I would run out of time | Who knows what the future holds in store? | When you work nothing matters but the nights you’re off | You spend the others trying to catch up on the sleep you’ve lost | Who knows how quick the years can pass? | Sooner or later though, you start yearning for those days of old | No, they’ll never find out how to turn this thing around – time | So we’re stuck with the ways that we go through our days and we hope for a change
Guitarist Robert van Spanje played acoustic guitar on “Sooner or Later”. He also performed the slide guitar solo.
Guitar player Robert van Spanje wrote the music for the verses of “Sooner or Later” around 1994. Some 14 years later, I wrote some extra music and added lyrics, creating the current version of the song.
“Sooner or Later” was recorded in 2010 for the album that would become Statement 8’s “Consciousness Precedes Matter”. However, the feel and energy of this acoustic song was entirely different from the rest of the material, so we left “Sooner or Later” off the album.
One of the bands who inspired the feel of the song “Sooner or Later” is the British rock band Led Zeppelin.
Below is a link to “Thank You”, a Led Zeppelin song released in 1970.
Apart from recording my own albums, I’ve also occasionally recorded music for other artists.
The following is a video of the song “Bring it On” [Alternative Version] by the band Kiss Me Kill Me, on which I play harmonica.
Arne Popma – Bassguitar | Boele Weemhoff – Keys | Bouke Visser – Saxophones | Fokke van Dijk – Trumpet | Josse Popma – Vocals | Lex Bak – Drums | Maurice Vastenouw – Percussion | Ulrich de Jesus – Guitar | Lee Mason – Harmonicas (Alternative Version only)
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Geri Art, Phuc Nyugen, Ko Tewan, Distill Videos, Nadezdha Moryak, Shalender Kumar, Engin Akyurt, Finding Footage, Vimeo Free Videos, Tavan 501, Gram Film, Tavan 501, Shalender Kumar, Everywheresean, Engin Akyurt, Free Creative Stuff, Free Creative Stuff, Ko Tewan, Maksim Goncharenok, Oleg Magni, Nadezdha Moryak, D-Munk Digital Artist, Cinemitch, D-Munk Digital Artist, Engin Akyurt, Daniel Absi, Naresh Babu, Beccera Govea, Ko Tewan, Padrinan, Dayana Naneva, Artyom Saqib, Sam Kirby, Shalender Kumar, Sharon McCutcheon & Koolshooters (via Pexels, Pixabay & Videezy)
The song “Bring it On” was released by the band Kiss Me Kill Me in 2011 on their album “V for Variety”. Guitarist and vocalist Josse Popma sings and Arne Popma plays bass.
To listen to the entire album, check out Kiss Me Kill Me’s Bandcamp page.
One of the artists who inspired my harmonica solo on Kiss Me Kill Me’s song “Bring it On” [Alternative Version] is multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder.
Below is a link to “Boogie On Reggae Woman”, a song recorded in 1974, on which Stevie Wonder plays harmonica, bass, drums, keys and also sings.
Apart from recording music, I’ve also occasionally collaborated with other musicians to perform live.
This is a video of the song “Close to Paradise” by Patrick Watson, which I covered together with a one-time band to celebrate the wedding of Michel & Sofie, friends of ours.
Video recorded by Marieke Ruardi.
On our cover of the song “Close to Paradise” by Patrick Watson, Wouter Verhulst plays drums, Julien Oomen plays piano & glockenspiel and Jerry de Mars plays bass.
Here‘s Wouter’s band Electric Feathers.
Here‘s one of Julien Oomen’s songs.
Here‘s a link to more information about Jerry de Mars and the Dutch film he released in 2017.
Most of the songs I’ve written once started out as a short riff or lick on guitar.
This video is an untitled piece of music that started out as an improvization.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, sometimes I’ll compose an entire song and add a title.
This video features an instrumental piece of music titled “Spiral”.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided by Distill (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
The song “Spiral” was recorded with an acoustic-electric guitar, which is an acoustic guitar fitted with a type of microphone, so it can be directly plugged into a recording device.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar or bass, I’ll sometimes compose an entire song and add a title.
Here’s a video of an instrumental piece of music titled “Slumber”.
The song Slumber was composed on acoustic bass.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided by Addison, Pavel Danilyuk & Mikhail Nilov (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
The song Slumber was composed on a short-scale acoustic bass.
A short-scale bass is a bass with a shorter neck than a regular bass, which makes it easier to transport.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, sometimes I’ll compose an entire instrumental song and add a title.
Other times, I’ll improvize a vocal melody to go with a short riff or lick that I’ve written on guitar.
Typically, I’ll hum along while I play guitar and try to find sounds that fit the feel of the music.
Here’s a video for an instrumental piece of music titled “Hum”.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided by Artisc88 & Jon DeTray (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
One of the artists who inspired me to compose Hum is Stevie Wonder, who released the song “Love’s in Need of Love” in 1976.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll sometimes compose an entire song and add a title.
Here’s a video featuring a song titled “The Torch”.
Better not to speak when the fire has gone out | The slightest sound travels miles in this valley | Careful near the creek, there are thieves about | If the breeze blows south and you creep you’ll go unnoticed | You owe the throne nothing more | Hopeless as it seems when supplies are down | And the frostbite cripples your hands you need to press on | Even as you sleep you must keep in mind | The peace you strive to see is worth the struggle | Your home’s no more – only the road | The flock has flown, the scent is cold | Weave the wreath and carry on | Own the storm, raise the torch | Off your knees and overcome | Assemble all the weakened and lead them on | Through the rain and fog – teach them not to stare at the bodies and debris on the frozen ground | Let them hold their mouths when the fires go out and tell them | You owe the throne nothing more| The flock has flown, the scent is cold | Weave the wreath and carry on | Own the storm, raise the torch | Off your knees and overcome
The song “The Torch” was composed as a song with an instrumental passage between two vocal segments.
One of the musicians who inspired me to write “The Torch” was Chris Cornell, who released the song “Seasons” in 1992.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll sometimes compose an entire song and add a title.
In some cases, I’ll add lyrics.
Here’s a video featuring a song titled “Weather”.
Now when you talk weather | and I talk weather back at you | Are you aware that I’m playing along? | ’Cos if I talk substance when you talk rubbish | I go messing around with the walls of your world | But I don’t get it | Why live at all if it’s in denial? | Why live at all if you’re scared of life? | So if you talk rubbish and I say nothing | It’s ’cos I can’t be bothered to respond at all | But when you get fed up of talking weather,
I’ll be standing outside the walls of your world | Which is to say | Why live at all if it’s in denial? | Why live at all if you’re scared of life?
The song Weather was composed in an open guitar tuning (DADF#AD) instead of a regular guitar tuning (EADGBE), which allows for different chords and different sounds.
One of the musicians who inspired me to use alternative tunings is Joni Mitchell, who composed the 1976 song “Hejira” with the guitar tuning CGDFGC.
In earlier video descriptions, I spoke about the steps from improvizing a lick or riff on a guitar to recording a low-quality demo version of a song. The next step is to record a high-quality studio version, such as for this song titled “Cynicide”.
Music: Robert van Spanje & Lee Mason | Lyrics: Lee Mason | Guitars: Robert van Spanje | Bass: Willem Zwarthoed | Drums: Wouter Stoeken | Vocals: Lee Mason | Recording & Mastering Engineer: Peter Akkerman
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided by Cinemitch (Mitch Martinez) (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
You think that everything’s been done, but you’re wrong | You missed the memo, listless, kissing blisters with your poison tongue | But soon all the shadows you cheated will gather to feed on your marrow and put you right for all the times you whispered your worrymongering mantras to them and whispered your self-deluded banter | I’m the reaper – the nemesis of cynicism | Be sure that you can’t hide where I can’t find you | You’re an affront to consciousness and love | You’ve tried to hide the stench of failure with the scent of lies | But now the slipping mask reveals the despair in your eyes | And soon all the shadows you cheated will gather to feed on your marrow and seize back their laughter and put you right for all the times you licked their blisters with your poison tongue | Whisper your worrymongering mantras to them and whisper your self-deluded banter | I’m the reaper – the nemesis of cynicism | Be sure that I’m a nightmare adversary and where you hide is where you’ll find me
The song “Cynicide” was recorded by sound engineer Peter Akkerman at Amsterdam’s IJ Studio in 2010.
Guitar player Robert van Spanje wrote most of the music for Cynicide. I wrote some extra music and added lyrics.
Cynicide was recorded in 2010 for the album that would become Statement 8’s “Consciousness Precedes Matter”.
However, the feel and energy of this song was somewhat different from the rest of the material, so we left Cynicide off the album.
One of the artists who inspired the feel of the song Cynicide is the guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, for instance, with his 1984 song “Couldn’t Stand the Weather”.
Guitarist Robert van Spanje played electric guitar on Cynicide. He also performed the guitar solo.
Most of the songs I’ve written once started out as a short riff or lick on guitar.
This video is an untitled piece of music that started out as an improvization.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, sometimes I’ll compose an entire song and add a title.
This video features an instrumental piece of music titled “Soar”.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by 김-대정-8171503-김 대정, PravinSTR, INNORECORDS PhotoVideos, Nicky Pe, Ninthin Pa, Mathew Kurian, Djoys777, INNORECORDS PhotoVideos, Videogrammer, Malabika Bora, Pixabay, Sesha, Helmut Schwartz, Malabika Bora and Ninthin Pa (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
To create a sense of movement, the song “Soar” switches between guitar plucking and guitar strumming.
Another song that features both guitar plucking and guitar strumming is “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles, released in 1969.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar or bass, I’ll sometimes compose an entire song and add a title.
Here’s a video of an instrumental piece of music titled “Antarctica”.
Whenever I’m recording a definitive version of a composition, I stop whenever I make a mistake. Because “Antarctica” is technically quite challenging to play, it took me approximately four hours to record the song without any major mistakes.
One of the musicians who inspired me to write Antarctica is Steve Vai, who released the song “Sisters” in 1991.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title.
Here’s a video featuring a song titled “Thrust”.
On the song “Thrust”, I play with a very thin guitar pick, so I can strike the guitar strings with as much speed as possible.
Another guitarist who used thin guitar picks was Eddie van Halen.
Here’s Van Halen’s song “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love“, released in 1978.
The song Thrust was composed as a song with a strong rhythmic drive.
One of the artists who inspired me to compose Thrust is guitarist Nile Rodgers, who released the song “Good Times”, with his band Chic, in 1979.
Apart from playing my own music, I also occasionally play other people’s music.
Here’s a video of my cover version of the song “A Hazy Shade of Winter”, originally written by Paul Simon and released in 1966.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Pixabay, John Mark Smith, Pixabay, InvisiblePower, Maksim Goncharenok (2x), Photomix Company, Ana Shvets, Kay Graphic, Maksim Goncharenok & Ruvim Miksanskiy (2x) (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
Apart from playing my own music, I also occasionally play other people’s music.
Here’s a video of my cover version of The Lovin’ Spoonful song “Summer in the City”, released in 1966.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Kelly Lacy, Cityxcape, Mixkit – Free Video Assets, Taryn Elliott, Arthouse Studio, Kelly Lacy, Laura Tancredi, Tom Fisk, Cityxcape & Pixabay (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
Most of the songs I’ve written once started out as a short riff or lick on guitar.
This video is an untitled piece of music that started out as an improvization.
Here’s a video featuring an instrumental piece of music titled “Lull”.
After improvizing a short riff or lick on guitar, I’ll compose an entire song and add a title.
This video features a song titled “Lull”.
The song Lull was composed as an instrumental song.
One of the musicians who inspired me to write Lull was George Benson, who released a cover of the song “California Dreamin’” in 1972.
Apart from creating original music, I also occasionally play cover songs.
Here’s a video of my cover version of “Bye Bye Blackbird”.
The song “Bye Bye Blackbird” was first recorded by Sam Lanin and his orchestra in 1926.
Apart from creating original music, I also occasionally play cover songs.
Here’s a video of my cover version of the traditional folk song “House of the Rising Sun”.
“House of the Rising Sun” was also recorded by The Animals in 1964.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Athena, Shuraev, Taryn Elliott, Street Donkey, Caelan Kelley, Ivan Khmelyuk, Caelan Kelley (3x), Pascal Beckmann, Caelan Kelley, Taryn Elliott & Baezajis (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
Apart from creating original music, I also occasionally play cover songs.
Here’s a video of my cover version of the Joe Cocker song “Delta Lady”, originally written by Leon Russell and released in 1969.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by James Cover, Luciann Photography, Kelly Lacy, Samed Gojak, Matthias Groeneveld, Kelly Lacy, Samed Gojak, Lay-Z Owl, Ilker San, Tom Fisk, Kelly Lacy (3x) & James Cover (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)
Apart from creating original music, I also occasionally play cover songs.
Here’s a video of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ song “I Put A Spell On You”, originally released in 1956.
Video Created by Lee Mason | Royalty-Free Stock Footage provided, in order of appearance, by Padrinan, Darkfoxelixir, Edie Reed, Åke Wall, Amin Alizadeh, Rostislav Uzunov, Engin Akyurt (3x), Baris Seref, CineMitch, David Donesana Tacla, Kelly Lacy, Padrinan, Sergeispas, Ivan Samkov, Free Videos & Cottonbro (5x) (via Pexels, Videezy & Pixabay)