Ballad of the Wraith

The Ballad of the Wraith

A song by Staccatto Toccata

Composer's Note

This has been my first and only attempt at a more serious bardic song thusfar. I found it a bit disappointing and repetitive, but it was a good start and inspired me to write other things. I will write more serious pieces later, but I'm enjoying playful mockery for now.

The strum pattern isn't particularly complicated and I think it sounds best on a classical accoustic guitar (nylon strings plucked with the fingers).

Strum Pattern

The chorus is played as the introduction and between the first two verses. It is:

Four eighth notes of Am and two slow finger taps on the board followed by four eighth notes of Am with a mute slap and 1 beat rest.

Repeat with E. Repeat both lines again, but instead of a mute slap after the last line of E, strum Am into verse.

The strum during the verse is four half note strums of Am, followed by four of E.

Verses

All verses are done as sets of four lines. The first and third are sung over four half note strums of Am and the second and fourth are done over four half note strums of E.

Verse One

In the Crimson Sanctum,

lives a wolf amongst the sheep.

They say he hunts by the moonlight.

They say he never sleeps.

This man, he hunts the hunters.

This man, whose soul is black.

This man, whose howls cut the darkness.

This man, he leads the pack.

He lives in the shadow;

He is known as the Wraith.

And if your soul is wicked

You are never safe. '4 quarter note strums of E into chorus'

Verse Two

His mother was the wolf pack.

His father was the night.

From one he was taught to survive.

From the other he was taught to fight.

He kills without remorse;

There is no right or wrong.

He sees not good or evil,

Simply weak or strong.

Pray you never cross him

And pray you never meet.

Every man who dared oppose him

Has met with bloody defeat.

Outtro

So mothers watch your children,

Keep them home and keep them safe.

For after the sun sets,

These lands belong to Shadowraith.

Chorus to exit

Solo

I wrote a little solo to be played between the second verse and the outtro. It's kind of eerie and not very hard to play. It's in the key of A... I don't know how to write out the rhythmn here, but here's are the notes. Sorry for the strange nomenclature; it's played in the first position on the treble strings and the numbers are the intervals from the root of A:

8, Flat 7, 5

8, Flat 7, Flat 5

8, Flat 7, Flat 5, Flat 3,

1, Flat 3, Flat 5, Flat 3