Worlds Apart

21 Jun, 2026

Music Information:

• Under the Sun Notebook
• F Major/ D Minor
• 36 Measures
• Cello and Piano
• 3:32 Min
• 4 Pages

My life isn't defined by choosing one side or the other, but by how I move between opposites

EMBRACING DUALITIES

One of the most fascinating realizations I've had as a composer is that every concept in music has its counterpart which can be used to our advantage to make beautiful music. This discovery opened up a world of possibilities, not only for music composition, but strangely, for how I see the world.

Why not explore two examples that had enhanced my existence, with clear opposites within, and notice how these elements from different ends help each other to create something that, from my perspective, has been and still is meaningful in my life. These opposites reminding me to embrace dualities and all its shades in between. Contrast is a source of beauty and growth in life.

WORLD FULL OF CONTRAST

Just as we live in a world full of contrast - up and down, black and white, deep and shallow, savory and sweet, sick and healthy, fast and slow - music thrives on opposites. Opposites are not enemies, they are partners. Contrast creates meaning in music, as well as in daily life. For example; a sweet melody feels sweeter after dissonance; joy feels deeper after sadness, and so on.

It was the year of 1994 when I first heard the song Zombie by the Irish band The Cranberries. I immediately felt in love with it, but I couldn't tell why until I realized that the song is full of these "opposites" from beginning to end. It is mind-boggling how many layers of contrast one can detect in the song, all happening at once.

Soft vs. Aggressive sound The verses are almost restrained, the bass in the background guiding the direction. Suddenly the chorus burst into heavy, confrontational distorted guitars. This emotional escalation is effective, it is magical.

Melody vs. Anger To me, the melody is one of the most catchy tunes I have ever heard, it's almost impossible to get it out of my head once I hit play. But the delivery carries so much frustration and pain that almost anyone can relate. I find myself pull in by something beautiful, then confronted with something harsh.

Repetition vs. Meaning The repeated "zombie" lyric is simple, almost numb. But it has a purpose, it's pointing to something that is equally disturbing and reassuring, as if putting a name to it, becomes harder to ignore, but easier to face.

Personal voice vs. Political subject The song feels intimate, personal. It's easy for me to make that grief I hear my own, and yet, the lyrics are rooted in a real conflict. A conflict with such violence that affected us all, even when we were thousands of miles away.

FROZEN WRAP IN HEAT

Years ago, while working on a restaurant in Eureka CA, there was a popular dessert on the menu with conflicting elements: The Deep-fry Ice Cream. It always felt like a contradiction on a plate. Something frozen wrapped in heat shouldn't work, but it did, and it was delicious.

Warm vs. Cold Once served, the contrast of heat and cold coexisting on the same plate challenged all logic. I questioned the chef's sanity for coming up with the idea, and then my own when I first tried it. The tension between opposites was surprising to customers, but it gave them something interesting enough to remember.

Soft vs. Crunchy Inside, the ice cream stayed smooth and soft. Outside, it was crisp and golden. The contrast was the whole experience. No need to sugar-coated when it was already all about opposites.

Comfort vs. Surprise Ice cream as we know it, is familiar, comforting. But frying it transforms it into something unexpected, and yes, it was almost disorienting at the first bite.

Expectation vs. Reality I thought I knew what I was about to taste, but the moment I tried it, it really challenged that assumption. It was both exactly what I expected and nothing like it.

IT COMES IN PAIRS

Without opposites, I believe, neither music nor life would have depth. And perhaps that's why I'm constantly choosing which side of the spectrum to lean into _ not because I want to belong to either extreme. Most of what I want in life and what I need in music comes in pairs that often don't quite fit together so a good balance is always appreciate it.

To be effective, opposites don't need to be on the extreme end. It only takes a small adjustment to be on the other side. Indeed, I am not necessarily looking for one side of the opposite, but rather, I am expecting balance or even the contrast itself. Life feels meaningful because of tension, just like music does.

OPPOSITES IN MUSIC
Major vs. Minor
Consonance vs. Dissonance
Fast vs. Slow Tempos
Loud vs. Soft Dynamics
Simple vs. Complex Textures

OPPOSITES IN LIFE
Joy vs. Sadness
Conflict vs. Harmony
Movement vs. Stillness
Public vs. Private Selves
Order vs. Chaos

WORLDS APART

I've composed a duet for piano & cello, inspired by the idea that opposites attract. Like a negative charge to a positive one, they are pulled together by an invisible force that seems stronger than logic. Granted, I didn't use all the possible elements from the list above in my composition, because, after all, music needs to be structure to be beautiful.

This Andantino in F Major was composed without much preparation. It came into my mind without warning, shifting from one extreme to another while making changes, trying different key signatures and dynamics. As I wrote, I found myself increasingly thinking about opposites in life: courage and fear, restraint and impulse, mercy and severity.

As we all do, I carry contradictions, I am not sure if they were acquired or inherited. But, I am very well capable of generosity and hardness, patience and defiance. I live with competing forces within myself, worlds apart that somehow occupy the same heart and the same mind. May this piece bring you the same joy it brings me.

ARE YOU STILL WITH ME?

However, this piece isn't about a place or a people, but it does make me think that a lot of times I find myself being fascinated towards situations that unsettle me, as well as gravitating towards people who challenge me. But not so much that at the end, it represents too much effort.

My life isn't defined by choosing one side or the other, but by how I move between opposites. This duet is a reflection that the tension, the contrast, the balance, is where real meaning begins to take form. If you are still here, I really hope you go on and check out the song "Zombie" by The Cranberries, and while you are at it - if you are lucky enough - find a place that serves a good "Deep-Fried Ice Cream" and try it.