2025-Mar-29 - Ice Blue
This week's randomly selected song Ice Blue is track #15 from disc #2 of my triple CD album It Was All Just a Dream.
I released Ice Blue as a single in 2019 prior to its inclusion on It Was All Just a Dream. This is the first time the song is available on CD. I re-recorded the bass, drums, and a few guitar parts for the final version of the song, and it also features a substantially improved mix.
The Story Behind The Song
It feels like a lifetime ago. It was January of 2019, and I had my first opportunity to attend the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) trade show in Anaheim, California. I was blown away by the sheer number of attendees and exhibitors. As I roamed around the various displays during the 4-day event, I stumbled upon the Sully Guitars booth. I had been following Sully on YouTube and other social media for several years prior to this, so I was excited to finally be able to see, hear, and hold a Sully instrument in person.
At the show there was a prototype of an "S-type" guitar that I gravitated toward, and so I picked it up and played with it for a bit. I was immediately struck by how nice the neck felt and how comfortable the guitar was against my body. I talked a bit with Jon Sullivan, aka Mr. Sully, and he recognized my name from online chats. I enquired about the guitar and we worked out a deal that enabled me to buy it right there after the trade show. Sweet!!! I was thrilled!
I brought the guitar home, and the song Ice Blue pretty much "fell out" of the guitar. I ended up naming the song "Ice Blue" after the name of the color of the guitar's finish. Super creative, I know. 😝
The Music Theory Behind The Song
Ice Blue is predominantly in the key of E minor (like 75% of all guitar rock songs 🤣). But I also occasionally throw in a couple of chords that aren't in the key, just for a little added interest.
The chords in the intro to the song are what's known as "quintal chords", i.e., stacked 5ths. But that's just kind of a nerdy shorthand way of saying "add 9, no 3rd". These quintal chords lack a 3rd and as a result there is no major or minor quality. This makes these chords very open and ambiguous in tonality, and it gives a little more melodic freedom, as it means not being locked into either major or minor.
Melodically, I ended up using a repeating motif through out the verses based on one of the perfect 5th intervals from the E quintal chord. But I add a slight bend to the second note in the motif that pulls the note up from a tonally neutral F# to a G, which brings out the minor feel.
There is a key change to B minor when the guitar solo section transitions from the ambient bluesy half-time lead to the full-bore high-gain overdriven lead. The guitar solo ends on an F major chord which isn't in either B minor (the key of the guitar solo) nor E minor (the key for the remainder of the song). In fact, F major is a tritone away from B minor, making it one of the most tense chords I could have chosen (and it was definitely deliberate). But also, an F major chord (F+A+C) resolves smoothly to an E minor chord (E+G+B) because the F and C notes are only a half step away from E and B, and the A is only a whole step from G. So that F major chord served the purpose of elevating the tension to a high point, and it resolved by taking us back to the original key of the song.
Guitars and Amps
I used just one guitar on Ice Blue: that very same ice blue colored Sully 624 Conspiracy Series prototype that I bought at the NAMM show. I played all of the parts through my Mark V:25 using both the Fat and IIC+ voices.
 2018 Sully Guitars 624 Conspiracy Series Prototype |
If you love what you hear and want to support the music I make, please consider purchasing It Was All Just a Dream on CD or digital download. I will gladly personalize and autograph your copy.
https://chrisstark.com/it-was-all-just-a-dream
Keep an eye out for next Saturday's song spotlight, and as always, thank you sincerely for all of your support!
Love, Aloha, and Rock!
❤️😎🎸