– Is Melody Maker a consciousness that you have?
[It is. I think writing beautiful melodies that can be called such is a duty that was bestowed upon me.]
– How long have you been aware of that part of your self?
[As long as I’ve been part of L’Arc~en~Ciel.]
– Do you remember the first time you wrote a song? What kind of tune was it?
[The first song I ever wrote was Satanic Metal (laughs). I called it writing music, but all I did was make guitar riffs, really. Because I thought the main melody of a song should be the vocalist’s job. That’s why there weren’t any songs where I had decided the general run of how each part would sound. Of course, now, when it comes to writing music, I create 100% of the melodies involved in my songs. Because if I didn’t, I couldn’t say I was the one who wrote it.]
– When is a melody born?
[Generally, my melodies don’t come out of any instrument. They just pop up from anywhere. Anytime, anywhere. To a certain extent, I can feel a chord take over my body, so that when I hum the melody, I can feel that chord at the same time.]
– So that’s when the song begins?
[No, it didn’t happen like that at first. You could say I’ve gotten used to it. I feel like I have a knack for this music writing thing now. In fact, way back when I was in high school, I kind of thought I’d never be able to write good melodies on my own.]
– Why did you think that?
[Well, I would hum to myself a lot, and think “Wow, this is pretty catchy!” (laughs). But I thought anybody could do that. Everybody can hum, right? Even people who can’t play any instruments can hum, so I didn’t think it was anything special. But as I got into the band, I wound up trying to write proper tunes, so I found I had a lot of good ones, after all (laughs). There’s good music to be found in practically everything around me, so that’s probably how my Melody Maker came to be.]
– Do you find a particular mood will get your music moving? As in, you can write more during sad times, or write more during happy times. Is there any sort of trend?
[I can compose any time, in any circumstances. I could write a bright song on a sad day, or write a dark one instead. I can make up to two of them in one day. It’s a bit hard to explain, but the order has an effect on the tunes I write. If the first one I composed was kind of a dark tune, for instance, then I’ll want to make the next one a bit happier. A song can give me ideas for the tempo of the next one, so the order is important. I might make slight changes to my songs based on the timing of other members’ songs, too. Someone else will bring in a new song, then I’ll listen to it with overall balance in mind. Like, we don’t have any songs like this yet, so I’ll make my next one fit.]
– Let’s say you have a particular type of image in your head. Can you make a song that fits that image?
[I can. Whatever song comes out, what I make, will be the one to fit.]
-What about slumps?
[Slumps, well, I’ve never had a slump where I couldn’t write any songs at all. Just, sometimes my songwriting speed will go down. Like, I couldn’t even write a single song today, or, I couldn’t write a single song for three days.]
– Isn’t that usually called a slump? (laughs)
[It’s not a slump even if I can’t write a single song in a week or two.]
– What’s the shortest time it’s taken you to compose one?
[The shortest was three minutes (laughs). I started with the A melody and the rest was done in three minutes. Putting it all together later, I think the structure only changed a tiny bit. A five minute song can be done in two, three minutes. Repeat this part, put in a guitar solo there; once the chorus is made up, I can make a five minute song pretty quickly.]
– Let’s say you’re walking down the street when a melody pops into your head. What do you do?
[I usually have an IC recorder (1). Or, to make sure I don’t forget it before I get my hands on an instrument, I’ll keep on singing it in my head, non-stop (laughs). If a melody comes while I’m in the bath, I’ll run to my guitar in the living room, still wet, without bothering to dry off. But sometimes, I’ll be trying to work out the chords, and it’s like I’ve left them in the bath.]
– Giving shape to your melodies must make you pretty happy.
[It does make me happy, it’s fun, and it’s strange. There are no words for the feeling I get from creating something out of nothing. At first, I thought there was no way something could take shape if it only existed inside my own head. Music isn’t something you can see with your eyes, but the music I make ends up as part of a CD, and that’s something visible, and if that song gets picked for a promotion video (2), then that extra level of tangibility is born. That’s incredible to think about. Things that started out in my own head alone can go out and reach people I’ve never even met. I think that’s wonderful.]
– I think that writing good melodies, composing music, must be a natural gift. Do you think there is any room for the element that might be termed your own effort?
[No, I’m not so sure it’s effort. I don’t really think it’s something that happens just because you worked hard on it, is it? You need some kind of musical talent. When it comes to studying music, you can be very knowledgeable about musical theory, and perform beautifully with your instruments, but still not be able to write a good melody. I listen to all sorts of music, and I think it’s all connected somehow. Myself, I like pretty melodies. Of course, I hear a lot of good melodies, and I think they make for good stimulation. Then again, I don’t want to let weird music get inside me. This is Japan, so the moment I get careless, some strange music is sure to get at me. Normally, in London or somewhere like that, when I get in a taxi, the driver, some old man, will be listening to Oasis or something. Then, just when I start thinking it might be the radio, it’ll turn out to be a cassette after all. That never happens in Japan.]
– What do you think makes a melody be good?
[A good melody is hard to define. It somehow squeezes my chest, strikes right at my heart. It has to get an immediate reaction upon being heard. That’s the kind of melody I can call beautiful. I don’t recall when I started applying that to my own melodies.]
– Certainly, the melodies you write are characteristically pretty and pop-ish, tetsu-san.
[When it comes to melody, I think anybody can write a rotten one. The only way to tell if an amateur is any good or not is by their melodies. Anybody can go la la la. A pro has to go beyond that and make especially beautiful music, or else the word has no meaning. A beautiful melody requires beautiful composition and beautiful expansion in order to touch people. I think that must be what’s called the melody sense. I think that as Melody Maker, I can’t help but make pretty music.]
– tetsu-san, when you compose music, are there differences in your methods depending on whether it’s for L’Arc~en~Ciel or for TETSU69, or differences in your awareness of your work? Or perhaps not?
[It’s really the same thing. There aren’t too many differences in key between hyde and I, so that’s the same. hyde’s more or less higher, but I think my falsetto is higher than his. Anyway, the key doesn’t change, so my composing isn’t affected.]
– Does the melody you create change depending on the image of the singer you have in mind?
[Sometimes it does. There are times when the image of hyde’s voice will give me something to hum. But, well, I don’t know if this will make you go “Wha-?” when I say it, but hyde’s voice and mine are similar. Sometimes when I listen to the rough tapes from way back, I find myself saying “Huh? Who’s singing this?” and I can’t tell the difference. Especially for lalala singing. When there are lyrics, it’s much easier to tell which parts are hyde and which parts are me. When it’s the lalala rough versions, I can’t always tell us apart.]
– You could say your voices are of similar quality.
[Mine is bit narrower though. Some people might think that’s a lie, but it really is true.]
– That’s for L’Arc~en~Ciel’s music, so how is TETSU69’s music different?
[That’s mostly timing. Sometimes I had to submit my songs for L’Arc in a hurry, or they wouldn’t be released. If the timing didn’t work out, I’d keep the song for my solo, where that isn’t an issue.]
– What do you think characterises the songs you write melodies for?
[I don’t think many people sing them. They’re really difficult. The melody will move a lot between low points and high points. I was once asked to write a song for a female singer, but the results never made it to a CD. I couldn’t get the voice right, so I had to change the key from my demo. I shifted it an octave, but it was a useless change in the end, and hard to do, too.]
– You could say many songs have their own requirements for being sung well.
[When I compose for TETSU69, I try to surpass my own ability as a vocalist, and it’s difficult. They aren’t simple tunes for a newcomer to sing.]
– The hurdles are rather high?
[Aren’t they? (laughs)]
– In what aspects do you refuse to yield?
[As a writer of music, it’s essential that I create good melodies.]
– When you listen to music written by other people, does is stimulate you?
[It happens.]
– The other three members of L’Arc~en~Ciel also write music. How does that influence you as Melody Maker?
[That’s a huge influence. Even overlooking the fact that we’re in a band together, and that I know them well, I still think they’re incredibly good composers.]
– The four of you write music together, but still your individual personalities come out.
[So then it’s only natural that I get stimulation from them. “That’s a good tune, I wanna make one too,” I’ll say. I’m sure there are common features to what each of us likes. Looking at our solo projects, they seem completely different at first glance, but I think there’s a common point that can be expanded upon. I think we all have some similarities, and that’s what allows us to come together as a band. We can understand each other’s goals and respect each other.]
– In what form would you say the other members have influenced you?
[They’ve influenced what I think is cool. But I don’t think I’ll be writing music that sounds like what other members have written.]
– Is there a melody you have in mind now that you’d like to create?
[No. At the recording of SMILE, I used them all up, so I don’t have any in mind now.]
– Do you want to create a melody that will be passed on to the next generation?
[It’s hard to say. Like I’ve said, anyone can hum a tune, so what I think is good might not be passed on. There are lots of tunes that make me wonder how they got to be popular. “This isn’t any good, there’s nothing to this song,” I’ll say. There are a lot of songs in the world that pass for famous music, but really aren’t (laughs).]
– Passing for famous music, that’s quite the expression (laughs).
[I find myself thinking “This song is nothing!” quite a lot. Whether it’s the arrangement’s atmosphere, the lyrics, or that person’s way of doing things, there are quite a few famous songs that I don’t think are any good. So, everyone might not agree with me that the melodies I’ve written, the ones people are likely to end up humming, are actually good.]
– You don’t have any particular desire to pass your music on?
[Music that gets passed on, in the end, turns out to be the songs that were hits, doesn’t it? So then, you could say that passing on our music has always been one of the principles behind our songwriting. Even now, I can still listen to our first song and think it’s pretty cool. It’s only natural that I want to write good music. I always squeeze it out (laughs).]
– Is there any sort of definite state you have to be in so you can squeeze it out, as you put it?
[It comes right after I’m about to give up, for me. First I’ll decide that it’s time to quit, then as soon as I start doing something else, the ideas come pouring out.]
– It sounds like you make it intentionally difficult.
[However, just because I can squeeze it out doesn’t mean I have the confidence to sell it. I don’t necessarily reach that point. Sometimes a song suitable for selling can be written by going cha cha cha. ‘Suitable’ might not be the right word, but I mean something that would get a good reputation in a situation where the strength of my shoulder didn’t matter and I could just go on playing. Oh, you’re saying “Huh?” (laughs). “Ok, here it comes, this is absolutely great,” sometimes I can put my all into it like that and the song still won’t be a much of a hit. It’s difficult when that happens.]
– As a creator, which would you rather make : something you yourself think is good, or something that many people will think is good?
[Since I have no way of knowing what people will think is good, I have no choice but to create something that I personally like. Part of the creating process is not knowing what other people are going to think. In the end, I can’t help but create all sorts of music. By driving myself to create song after song, I end up with some that don’t have much emotion to them. Of course, by creating so many, I also end up with a few good ones.]
– Do you intend to write music your whole life?
[I think I’ll stick with it. And, if people want to hear it, then I’ll be happier. Giving shape to what I have in my head brings me joy all by itself, but I think it’s better for the song’s own sake to be heard by more people than just me. That’s happiness.]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
[It is. I think writing beautiful melodies that can be called such is a duty that was bestowed upon me.]
– How long have you been aware of that part of your self?
[As long as I’ve been part of L’Arc~en~Ciel.]
– Do you remember the first time you wrote a song? What kind of tune was it?
[The first song I ever wrote was Satanic Metal (laughs). I called it writing music, but all I did was make guitar riffs, really. Because I thought the main melody of a song should be the vocalist’s job. That’s why there weren’t any songs where I had decided the general run of how each part would sound. Of course, now, when it comes to writing music, I create 100% of the melodies involved in my songs. Because if I didn’t, I couldn’t say I was the one who wrote it.]
– When is a melody born?
[Generally, my melodies don’t come out of any instrument. They just pop up from anywhere. Anytime, anywhere. To a certain extent, I can feel a chord take over my body, so that when I hum the melody, I can feel that chord at the same time.]
– So that’s when the song begins?
[No, it didn’t happen like that at first. You could say I’ve gotten used to it. I feel like I have a knack for this music writing thing now. In fact, way back when I was in high school, I kind of thought I’d never be able to write good melodies on my own.]
– Why did you think that?
[Well, I would hum to myself a lot, and think “Wow, this is pretty catchy!” (laughs). But I thought anybody could do that. Everybody can hum, right? Even people who can’t play any instruments can hum, so I didn’t think it was anything special. But as I got into the band, I wound up trying to write proper tunes, so I found I had a lot of good ones, after all (laughs). There’s good music to be found in practically everything around me, so that’s probably how my Melody Maker came to be.]
– Do you find a particular mood will get your music moving? As in, you can write more during sad times, or write more during happy times. Is there any sort of trend?
[I can compose any time, in any circumstances. I could write a bright song on a sad day, or write a dark one instead. I can make up to two of them in one day. It’s a bit hard to explain, but the order has an effect on the tunes I write. If the first one I composed was kind of a dark tune, for instance, then I’ll want to make the next one a bit happier. A song can give me ideas for the tempo of the next one, so the order is important. I might make slight changes to my songs based on the timing of other members’ songs, too. Someone else will bring in a new song, then I’ll listen to it with overall balance in mind. Like, we don’t have any songs like this yet, so I’ll make my next one fit.]
– Let’s say you have a particular type of image in your head. Can you make a song that fits that image?
[I can. Whatever song comes out, what I make, will be the one to fit.]
-What about slumps?
[Slumps, well, I’ve never had a slump where I couldn’t write any songs at all. Just, sometimes my songwriting speed will go down. Like, I couldn’t even write a single song today, or, I couldn’t write a single song for three days.]
– Isn’t that usually called a slump? (laughs)
[It’s not a slump even if I can’t write a single song in a week or two.]
– What’s the shortest time it’s taken you to compose one?
[The shortest was three minutes (laughs). I started with the A melody and the rest was done in three minutes. Putting it all together later, I think the structure only changed a tiny bit. A five minute song can be done in two, three minutes. Repeat this part, put in a guitar solo there; once the chorus is made up, I can make a five minute song pretty quickly.]
– Let’s say you’re walking down the street when a melody pops into your head. What do you do?
[I usually have an IC recorder (1). Or, to make sure I don’t forget it before I get my hands on an instrument, I’ll keep on singing it in my head, non-stop (laughs). If a melody comes while I’m in the bath, I’ll run to my guitar in the living room, still wet, without bothering to dry off. But sometimes, I’ll be trying to work out the chords, and it’s like I’ve left them in the bath.]
– Giving shape to your melodies must make you pretty happy.
[It does make me happy, it’s fun, and it’s strange. There are no words for the feeling I get from creating something out of nothing. At first, I thought there was no way something could take shape if it only existed inside my own head. Music isn’t something you can see with your eyes, but the music I make ends up as part of a CD, and that’s something visible, and if that song gets picked for a promotion video (2), then that extra level of tangibility is born. That’s incredible to think about. Things that started out in my own head alone can go out and reach people I’ve never even met. I think that’s wonderful.]
– I think that writing good melodies, composing music, must be a natural gift. Do you think there is any room for the element that might be termed your own effort?
[No, I’m not so sure it’s effort. I don’t really think it’s something that happens just because you worked hard on it, is it? You need some kind of musical talent. When it comes to studying music, you can be very knowledgeable about musical theory, and perform beautifully with your instruments, but still not be able to write a good melody. I listen to all sorts of music, and I think it’s all connected somehow. Myself, I like pretty melodies. Of course, I hear a lot of good melodies, and I think they make for good stimulation. Then again, I don’t want to let weird music get inside me. This is Japan, so the moment I get careless, some strange music is sure to get at me. Normally, in London or somewhere like that, when I get in a taxi, the driver, some old man, will be listening to Oasis or something. Then, just when I start thinking it might be the radio, it’ll turn out to be a cassette after all. That never happens in Japan.]
– What do you think makes a melody be good?
[A good melody is hard to define. It somehow squeezes my chest, strikes right at my heart. It has to get an immediate reaction upon being heard. That’s the kind of melody I can call beautiful. I don’t recall when I started applying that to my own melodies.]
– Certainly, the melodies you write are characteristically pretty and pop-ish, tetsu-san.
[When it comes to melody, I think anybody can write a rotten one. The only way to tell if an amateur is any good or not is by their melodies. Anybody can go la la la. A pro has to go beyond that and make especially beautiful music, or else the word has no meaning. A beautiful melody requires beautiful composition and beautiful expansion in order to touch people. I think that must be what’s called the melody sense. I think that as Melody Maker, I can’t help but make pretty music.]
– tetsu-san, when you compose music, are there differences in your methods depending on whether it’s for L’Arc~en~Ciel or for TETSU69, or differences in your awareness of your work? Or perhaps not?
[It’s really the same thing. There aren’t too many differences in key between hyde and I, so that’s the same. hyde’s more or less higher, but I think my falsetto is higher than his. Anyway, the key doesn’t change, so my composing isn’t affected.]
– Does the melody you create change depending on the image of the singer you have in mind?
[Sometimes it does. There are times when the image of hyde’s voice will give me something to hum. But, well, I don’t know if this will make you go “Wha-?” when I say it, but hyde’s voice and mine are similar. Sometimes when I listen to the rough tapes from way back, I find myself saying “Huh? Who’s singing this?” and I can’t tell the difference. Especially for lalala singing. When there are lyrics, it’s much easier to tell which parts are hyde and which parts are me. When it’s the lalala rough versions, I can’t always tell us apart.]
– You could say your voices are of similar quality.
[Mine is bit narrower though. Some people might think that’s a lie, but it really is true.]
– That’s for L’Arc~en~Ciel’s music, so how is TETSU69’s music different?
[That’s mostly timing. Sometimes I had to submit my songs for L’Arc in a hurry, or they wouldn’t be released. If the timing didn’t work out, I’d keep the song for my solo, where that isn’t an issue.]
– What do you think characterises the songs you write melodies for?
[I don’t think many people sing them. They’re really difficult. The melody will move a lot between low points and high points. I was once asked to write a song for a female singer, but the results never made it to a CD. I couldn’t get the voice right, so I had to change the key from my demo. I shifted it an octave, but it was a useless change in the end, and hard to do, too.]
– You could say many songs have their own requirements for being sung well.
[When I compose for TETSU69, I try to surpass my own ability as a vocalist, and it’s difficult. They aren’t simple tunes for a newcomer to sing.]
– The hurdles are rather high?
[Aren’t they? (laughs)]
– In what aspects do you refuse to yield?
[As a writer of music, it’s essential that I create good melodies.]
– When you listen to music written by other people, does is stimulate you?
[It happens.]
– The other three members of L’Arc~en~Ciel also write music. How does that influence you as Melody Maker?
[That’s a huge influence. Even overlooking the fact that we’re in a band together, and that I know them well, I still think they’re incredibly good composers.]
– The four of you write music together, but still your individual personalities come out.
[So then it’s only natural that I get stimulation from them. “That’s a good tune, I wanna make one too,” I’ll say. I’m sure there are common features to what each of us likes. Looking at our solo projects, they seem completely different at first glance, but I think there’s a common point that can be expanded upon. I think we all have some similarities, and that’s what allows us to come together as a band. We can understand each other’s goals and respect each other.]
– In what form would you say the other members have influenced you?
[They’ve influenced what I think is cool. But I don’t think I’ll be writing music that sounds like what other members have written.]
– Is there a melody you have in mind now that you’d like to create?
[No. At the recording of SMILE, I used them all up, so I don’t have any in mind now.]
– Do you want to create a melody that will be passed on to the next generation?
[It’s hard to say. Like I’ve said, anyone can hum a tune, so what I think is good might not be passed on. There are lots of tunes that make me wonder how they got to be popular. “This isn’t any good, there’s nothing to this song,” I’ll say. There are a lot of songs in the world that pass for famous music, but really aren’t (laughs).]
– Passing for famous music, that’s quite the expression (laughs).
[I find myself thinking “This song is nothing!” quite a lot. Whether it’s the arrangement’s atmosphere, the lyrics, or that person’s way of doing things, there are quite a few famous songs that I don’t think are any good. So, everyone might not agree with me that the melodies I’ve written, the ones people are likely to end up humming, are actually good.]
– You don’t have any particular desire to pass your music on?
[Music that gets passed on, in the end, turns out to be the songs that were hits, doesn’t it? So then, you could say that passing on our music has always been one of the principles behind our songwriting. Even now, I can still listen to our first song and think it’s pretty cool. It’s only natural that I want to write good music. I always squeeze it out (laughs).]
– Is there any sort of definite state you have to be in so you can squeeze it out, as you put it?
[It comes right after I’m about to give up, for me. First I’ll decide that it’s time to quit, then as soon as I start doing something else, the ideas come pouring out.]
– It sounds like you make it intentionally difficult.
[However, just because I can squeeze it out doesn’t mean I have the confidence to sell it. I don’t necessarily reach that point. Sometimes a song suitable for selling can be written by going cha cha cha. ‘Suitable’ might not be the right word, but I mean something that would get a good reputation in a situation where the strength of my shoulder didn’t matter and I could just go on playing. Oh, you’re saying “Huh?” (laughs). “Ok, here it comes, this is absolutely great,” sometimes I can put my all into it like that and the song still won’t be a much of a hit. It’s difficult when that happens.]
– As a creator, which would you rather make : something you yourself think is good, or something that many people will think is good?
[Since I have no way of knowing what people will think is good, I have no choice but to create something that I personally like. Part of the creating process is not knowing what other people are going to think. In the end, I can’t help but create all sorts of music. By driving myself to create song after song, I end up with some that don’t have much emotion to them. Of course, by creating so many, I also end up with a few good ones.]
– Do you intend to write music your whole life?
[I think I’ll stick with it. And, if people want to hear it, then I’ll be happier. Giving shape to what I have in my head brings me joy all by itself, but I think it’s better for the song’s own sake to be heard by more people than just me. That’s happiness.]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
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