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STRANGER IN YOUR SOUL 1

Written by Neal Morse, Pete Trewavas, Roine Stolt and Mike Portnoy

MELODIC PARTS IN MUSIC NOTATION

The discussion in this document is mostly the same as that in the TAB based arrangement but

the musical examples are illustrated with notation in place of tablature. The separate

reference chart is still required for structure detail.

A NOTE ABOUT TRANSPOSING

The recordings sound one semitone lower than the keys depicted in these charts. Guitars and

Keyboards are transposed to B - thus C=B A=Ab etc. On "Live In Europe" Neal can clearly be

seen playing "white-note" chords in the introduction whereas on "Building The Bridge" his

Hammond overdubs were played a semitone lower. Neal evidently has little difficulty inre-learning these parts for the live shows.

PRELUDE: [awakening-theme in Gm]

PETE'S-PROG:

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I. SLEEPING WIDE AWAKE 2

SLEEPING-THEME:

Seven beat rhythm can be felt in double-time with accents on the down-beats and a half-beatmissing at the end of each bar.

> > > > > <- accents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 <- eighths count in 7/8

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + <- eighths count in 7/4

Acoustic Guitar part suggests the quarter-note feel with the last three beats of the bar being

syncopated and played with up-strums.

Rhythm Figure G*

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 +

d u d u d u d u d u d u d u <- down/up strum

> > > > > > > <- accents

G Gsus4

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3

SLEEPING-THEME: Rhythm comparison in 7/8

VERSE:

Ensemble sound during Em/C# resembles A9 in first inversion. Lead guitar sometimes plays

an A-note on the last eighth of this bar - logical but inconsistent with vocal melody.

CHORUS:

Vocal sings major-sevenths over G/B and F-chords.

REFRAIN: [awakening-theme in Dm]

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II. HANGING IN THE BALANCE 4

HANGING-RIFF: 5/4 accents on 2+ and 4+

Guitar and organ alternate and then play the C-lick in unison except for the last beat where

the guitar continues the parallel dyads while the organ plays a C-chord. Both shown above.

Highest notes in the Dm-pattern vary in alternate repeats.

HANGING-RIFF-VARIATION: 5/4 accents on 2 and 4

Dm-pattern changes to sixteenths and the second variation is always played. Third variation is

omitted under the vocals.

Drum pattern is 'straighter' but interjecting licks are further complicated by being one beat

shorter or longer than previous verse. A superfluous 3/8 bar is thrown in with a play-any-note

harmony then the melody skips the down-beat. The vocals are split across the four singers with

overlapping lyrics, double meanings and homonyms. The fives riff is transposed to G and playedin the refrain in place of the sevens. Whether the listener is expected to assimilate all of

this or merely perceive a cacophony is open to conjecture - maybe "it will make sense".

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III. LOST AND FOUND Pt.2 5

PRETTY-LINK: [awakening-theme in Em]

JAM-SECTION:

Example shows opening figure - repeats vary.

REFRAIN-MODULATION:

Organ fill is not quite the awakening theme sequenced to A-major.

CADENZA:

Neal has a fondness for this chord and has used it many times. Most likely discovered on the

guitar, the voicing is duplicated on piano. The charts notate the chord as F#m11 but not all

of the notes are included F# A C# E G# B - strictly Esus4/F#.

The next section begins with the same chord but modulates to the key of E-flat (or B-flat)

and has thus been labelled Gbm11. Piano plays Gbm7 while the 11th is added elsewhere.

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IV. AWAKENING THE STRANGER 6

Distinctive Neal voicings ingeniously blending two unrelated keys.

Ensemble adds 11th to Gbm7 and 3rd and 6th to Ebsus2.

AWAKENING-THEME:

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V. SLIDE 7

PHRYGIAN-RIFF:

Organ voicing of Cm is very evident but guitar is probably playing Ab thus Abmaj7.

G7.. syncopated lick

Organ plays rising line

G7-- shuffle lick

Vocal melody creates a four-against-six cross-rhythm with accents every three sixteenths.

The first acapella phrase "awakening the stranger" appears to slow down but in fact eachsyllable is four sixteenths with the eighth duration remaining the same throughout.

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Go7-lick 8

INTERLUDE-VARIATON:

Similar syncopated and shuffle patterns with truncated bar-lengths.

Note that Go7-lick and Gm-lick are based on awakening-theme.

VI. STRANGER IN YOUR SOUL

SLEEPING-THEME-BRIDGE:

Theme reprised in 4/4 except for Bar-11 which mimics the 7/4 phrasing.

CODA: