McCaul Ragland

To my Dear

To my Dear was a song I wrote with a heavy lyric-driven melody. When writing either

lyrics or a melody, whichever is less resolved must be shoehorned into the other to some degree.

Typically I write vocal melodies first and then lyrics, but, for this piece, the song wrote itself the

other way around. I wrote the song backward not only to help myself improve at . . . , but also

due to my love for wordsmithing. Language allows us to say the same thing a thousand different

ways, with the same ultimate meaning. The difference, however, is the impact of the words. As

such, when writing poetry, I want specific vocabulary to fit the setting and mood. And, as my

grandfather always used to say, poets have taken truth and clothed it in the most beautiful of

language. That is what I strive to do.

To my Dear was a love letter addressed to a silhouette--my future love whom I do not

yet know. It was challenging to write about someone I do not know because I cannot assume

much about that person. So, I thought to myself, If I could write one letter to the women I love,

right now, what would it say? The letter was about patience, discernment, trusting, and comfort.

It warned about seeking love when urged only by loneliness; there,you will only find other

lonely people. The chorus captures the heart of the message. ...do not fear of what might have

been or what could have been. It describes the cruel game of missed chances, which all-too-

often accompany opportunities of love. That line is followed by this, when weve found

ourselves, then well find one another, offering the assurance that your chance at love will not

pass you by if you heed these words. Too many people get into relationships solely based on

outward appearances, and those who do generally do not have a clue about who they are, or who

they are partnered with. So, how do they know they are compatible? They dont. But if you
recognize compatibility is based off of the person you develop into, then the veil is lifted and you

can recognize who you can spend your life with.

The technical objective for the song was to write my verses in a major key (B) while

keeping the tonic key vague and exploratory until the end of the first verse. After the verses, I

modulated for the choruses to create individuality between the parts. The song started with an

upbeat on the tonic and then landed on its V. Following the V is a borrowed IV of V, signaling

that the assumed tonic key might be E major. A secondary dominant function was implemented

to bring variety to the chords and provide some momentum. As the chord progression continued

Es V was meant to push the listener to think the tonic may be B major and no longer the

presumed E major. Following the V of V chord was a borrowed F#m7 for color. The chord

progression ended with a F#7 to B solidify B majors place as the tonic key for the verses. The

second time through the verse chord progression is the same until the end, when a v7 V is used to

modulate to A major. I felt A major would be the best candidate for modulation because it had

already peeked its way into the verse chord progression. That way, I was able to capitalize on the

culprit chord, making the verse key ambiguous. I used the most of A majors differing chords

during the chorus to solidify its presence and then returned to the key of B major via E to F#7,

which had common tones. The final chorus had a small chord progression that prolonged the part

and, finally, returned to the tonic key B major.