Currently, I am down in my birth town visiting family and shortly going on to another town to continue helping my daughter to move. I’ll spend until later today doing this. Angie and myself spent 3 days last week moving our daughter and the grandchildren to their new house. The older house still isn’t empty and also requires a massive tidy up before finally handing back the old house keys. Hence this visit. Anyways…..back to the music stuff.
When you write a song it can lead to various adaptations. After going ‘all guns blazing’ electrically at a particular song recently, I switched it to an acoustic vibe. How it developed…..After whisper singing an acoustic warbling, (audio below) I upped the idea into an electric guitar format. But then going on to write full lyrics, the lyric word choices changed the whole mood. They were about my life. I got quite emotional with the lyric result and thought they were more appropriate for a gentler approach. So I went back and did an acoustic version, made up a completely new tune on the spot (actually whilst recording) and found it preferable for the lyrical vibe. Named the song ‘18 years was 50 years ago’.
This morning, early hours, I was listening to the electric instrumental version born from the simple acoustic song idea again. And then went back to listen to the quiet acoustic initial idea……again. Back and forth electric, acoustic, electric…. Lyrics started forming to the quietly played and sung out of key tune and I wondered if the initial tune idea could fit the electric format properly. Yes! it can fit the driven chaos. So intend to write lyrics now.
Apologies for ‘sniffing’. I had a fleeting allergy or slight cold it seems. The sinuses are very sensitive at times!
And the electric version which can fit to the little whispered melody? It is crying out for a chorus too.
IF YOU TURNED UP THE VOLUME TO HEAR THE ACOUSTIC PREVIOUS AUDIO, PLEASE TURN IT DOWN AGAIN. THIS ONE BELOW IS LOUD! THANK YOU.
So. In short, there could be two songs develop from a single idea. Sometimes it just happens that way. Especially on a two chord song. I go back home later today…..or if pushed concerning the huge tidy up of our daughter’s old house, then tomorrow.
Monday I can hopefully get a lyric and vocal done on the electric song. Calling it ‘Wrong or Right’. I do like the melody that is buzzing around my brain currently. So fingers are crossed. It will all be re-recorded totally anyways. Why? Well……..
The intention is to start from the beginning of December to re-record 14 songs. The 14 songs were experiments to building knowledge as to how it all works on GarageBand. It has been a really fantastic learning curve. So now the intention is to go back to scratch and look at each song individually over a few days each, analyse improvements and get them sounding a lot more polished. In most cases they need each song’s sectional development, full length/longevity and all the arrangements to be sorted out. Added sung harmonies are a must. All the songs need to be recorded in true earnest, belief in them and taken seriously now. Recording them again, from scratch, will more than likely produce lyrical tweaks and improvements too. A three month project I reckon.
Gray Summers 
I’m thinking of something I read by poet Juan Felipe Herrera, it goes “Do not wait for a poem; a poem is too fast for you. Do not wait for the poem, run with the poem and then write the poem.” I feel this is true about songs too, and it’s what I feel when I read about how your songs are going. I have this image of you running with the song whether on moving day or sitting in your sweet home, just kind of running with it as it goes, keeping up with its twists and turns, both of you smiling at the happy changes you discover and make together along the way.
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Thank you, as ever, cookie. You are always so on the spot. Now you have me hunting the works of Juan Felipe Herrera. Just arrived back from my daughters. So late in reply. And will chase the poet’s work tomorrow.
When writing songs, some have been mingling and being played in my mind for years. Simply because the songs have had no one to present them to. Then they have simply disappeared slowly and now are not quite remembered. It’s like those little iPad recordings that are happening now but back then they were based on the playing of guitar riffs on the guitar and tunes coming back in the memory through the six strings. I wasn’t worried about the songs not being finished. But it all has purpose now.
As you say, the songs have a life of their own and are like a friend running alongside over the day or days. It is nice when it looks like it could be a winner. Cheers cookie.
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Beautiful, Gray! You are sooo introspective! You are right about the multiple and myriad ideas (that’s tge fractal nature of things), that can come from one idea. Beautiful to split this out. Also, things may rumble tumble around in your psyche while away from home helping your daughter move/clean the house, etc. I will listen later, as I usually do, before sleep. Off to spend the afternoon shopping and painting canvas and ceramics with my daughter and eldest granddaughter (who only has one weekend home per month, as she goes to her dad’s home three weekends a month).
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It’s great family are now connected and part of your life. Modern families, when regarding dynamics, can be a different scenario to our own experiences when growing up.
As said to cookie, the songs can be around for years at times. Or disappear altogether. But now the ball game has changed due to recording them properly. Just back from three days away with family. Still tidying up the old house before handing over the keys. Today was very tiring work wise. So now chilling. Cheers Sheila.
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Ah, listening now, Gray, and reading all the comments/replies. Just got back from a long day out also. Wonderful day spent with my daughter and eldest granddaughter (13 year old). Just had my sauna time and now resting with a wee dram of Laphroaig. Yes, and rehydrating with water too.
Caught my typo from earlier comment, “that’s the fractal nature of thing.”
I type all these comments with one finger via Jetpack on iPhone. Ha!
I was play my All-Time Favorite songs playlist and meditate while in the sauna. Super relaxing. We’ll see how you compare to Elvin Bishop and Moody Blues. Ha! I know these songs won’t disappoint (they never do). Cheers!
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Ah, I love the new music and vibe of ‘18 years was 50 years ago’. Sweet!
Not sure about the whisper one, but enjoyed the third song, though I quick had to turn the volume down on my phone/headphones after having cranked it up for the whisper song! Ha! You caught me off guard on the one, Gray!
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Thank you Sheila. The whispered one extends to other areas in my brain now. A very first stab at a tune, like this one here, carries on to other areas and weaves about experimenting and extending according to where it thinks it sounds best. Over hours, days, weeks or months at times. I did jump too, when switching from one to the other of these in my MOTIV app. One record on a simple iPad mic. The other through the Apple Mac shows the differences massively. But many local family and friends have spoken about 18/50 years and how much they like the song’s vibe. They know my story probably and can relate a bit. It was born from lyrics I followed up with from a subject we both spoke about a short while ago. My memory is so poor I can’t pinpoint which one though. 😊 Cheers Sheila.
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Did see you liked the comments Sheila. Thank you for that. I had a couple of JD’s when back last night. Relaxing having a bit of spirit for a bit of spirit isn’t it. I always rehydrate too. Good practice with spirits. I never clicked on your typo. My brain can read altered text as it thinks it should be. I remember showing a group we were teaching an altered word message. But they could all still read it as it should be. The brain is an amazing adapter isn’t it.
Great you spent time with your granddaughter. One of our granddaughters lives with her Mum. My daughter’s partner’s first child. She comes to spend time with her three siblings at least twice a month. She loved the space in the new house. They are all over the moon to be honest. Busy day yesterday with cleaning the old house. Angie and my daughter went out for cleaning products and brought me back bright pink gloves! Hilarious.
I supported autistic adults a few decades ago and one gentleman loved a sauna and steam room visit twice a week. So I did experience often and loved saunas. Steam rooms I could take or leave and were not truly bothered with. Frankie the Fella stopped meowing in the car journey home when we put a Paul McCartney CD on. When it stopped for about five minutes, he started meowing again. So we played a Christmas CD and again the meowing stopped. So Frankie loves music. Getting better and better as the Beatles sang. The vet who gave him his first inoculation thinks his Tom Cat father is actually a local Maine Coon cat. So that’s cool. Cheers Sheila.
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Oh, yes, Gray. I can read the scrambled words too, and know exactly what you mean about altered text.
I’m so glad you and Angie still get to see your granddaughter who lives with her other mom. That was always something I feared (but have since ‘worked through’ losing time with either of my children or grandchildren through divorce. Thankfully, I always had custody of my two children and my daughter has three girls (the twins with current husband, and eldest she has joint custody with the ex but residential custody of who lives here but has to visit him 3 weekends a month, something that is getting harder to do with school dances etc.)
Yes, sauna is miraculous! I have wanted this specific model for 4 years! Ha!
Oh, Frankie sounds sooo adorable. I just happened to have been invited to a Maine Coon cat Facebook group! I have no idea why! LOL
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It is totally a different world now concerning families isn’t it. But it is good to still have moments getting together. Sounds like you have quality time when you meet up. When new friends start to increase, as with secondary school, then times do get less with other social experiences developing.
I would love to get a sauna at home, but cannot see that happening in reality. And it is weird that I am getting all things cat now on advertising on the iPad. I am a firm believer that they do pick up on your iPad/iPhone content at times. All the best Sheila.
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Yeah like the melody too. Interesting times ahead channeling your inner George Martin. All the best Gray.
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George or Tony Visconti….. I wish! I want to know basically how to get vibrancy and drive. It’s harder than I imagined Shep. One bad apple of inclusion spoils the dynamic. My ears ain’t what they were either. But I have belief. Cheers Shep.
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