Artist Statement
In this musical piece, I aimed to tell the tale of the South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. The intro of the song utilizes a major pentatonic scale played using a flute. This illustrates the general culture of Vietnam, as well as creation a soothing, peaceful sound. This exemplifies how peaceful Vietnam originally was. Then, booming drums and relatively dark piano sounds come in. The music gradually rises in tempo and volume, creating increasing tension. Then, the piece explodes into a booming minor key, demonstrating the chaos of the warfare as the South fought the North in Vietnam. Then, the music stops for a bit and is replaced by a mellow major key. This symbolizes the USA coming into Vietnam to “save” the South Vietnamese. A second, loud part is added to the piece, illustrating the change in the USA’s involvement in Vietnam, morphing from being simple advisers to full military aid. Then, the piece descends into a minor key again, as the US began to kill even the South Vietnamese, not knowing who their enemies were. The same chorus as before plays, with a few random, quick licks thrown in. This exemplifies the immense confusion that the American soldiers were facing in the new environment. Then, the music stops again and is replaced by a flute piece similar to the intro. However, this new section is played is a minor, and much lower key. The song finally ends on a minor, slightly off-key chord. The finale is meant to symbolize the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Many people are dead, and the country is now under communist control. The fighting may be over, but at what cost?
Music Tracks
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