#Frail Autumn,, #GarageBand,, #Lyrics, #music, #Retirement Projects, #songwriting, #The VeeDub Bus

Days.

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From the WP free library of photographs.

Recently it has been quite nice to realise that new softer songs I have swirling around my mind, have some promise. The guitar, tinkering along, allows a base in that the vocal keys chosen can hopefully flourish. I have been known to choose chords that do not feel at ease with the tune I hope for. One that flows and offers no vocal strain.

However, lyrics are definitely in need to be focused upon and tied down currently. I can’t keep singing a couple of lines and then subsequently continue with ‘La, la, la’.

But each upload here below are new found whisper singing to stronger vibes of ‘yeh…it kinda works’ vibes. These have all developed nicely in this current time. More choice into each dynamic. Hearing fuller inclusions in my head now and added melody backing too. Both voice and instrumental choice. When I get out in the VeeDub Bus next week, it’ll be time to sit and truly focus on each. Grab each of the songs and craft them into shape. That’s always the fun part.

Working title. ‘How many Years’.

Lyrical inspiration? There in lay the conundrum. Time is needed. Time can be found in reality. Simply, it is once I jump into the VeeDub Bus and find some corner in the local vicinity that allows the senses to relax and focus. A softly falling waterfall, a riverside, a glade, the hillsides. It used to be the beach for inspiration, but both the dunes and the pebble/sand sweeping stretches get very busy here at times.

Songs start very tentatively and with a frail enquiry. I kind of know they can become either full songs. Or can be little additions to others. These little additions sound like this. This shouts out ‘INTRO!’ to me. A guitar or keyboard tune before a quirky following verse.

The working title. ‘Living isn’t Easy…‘

I feel that my iPad with the wonderful Shure MV88 microphone would be a fine place to start laying down the ideas. Sitting and strumming guitar out in the open. Simply experiment the songs’ possibilities until the building block results come to conclusions. The Shure MV88 will be a massive upgrade on simply catching ideas by singing into the inherent iPad microphone. The inherent microphone? The quality is basic.

The working title. ‘Wrong or Right/Day or Night’.

Then? At home to develop. The Den ‘home recording studio’ with the Apple Mac M2 recording gear to build up layers from the bare bones. The bare bones do develop within a baseline idea. They spring upwards a grade when words and lyrics are found. Also little bass guitar riffs and tunes develop into a more coherent state that becomes useful to further tinker with. Like below.

Working title. ‘Waste of Time’.

I have spoken about taking the Tascam Model 12 mixing desk out with the VeeDub Bus excursions. This is still an intention. But I would prefer doing this with someone else involved. Technological prowess is definitely something I do not own. I’ve been struggling for a while. I would love to find someone with both a musical base (in themselves being a musician) and with tech know how. Achieving success using the Tascam is better served by shared discussion. I imagine settling in for a day, sitting with the kettle on, something cooking on the gas hobs, and working through the ‘finding how this works’ exercises. Preferably with another musician.

Be good to stop at a local place like here above and play guitar, sing and record, etc. I can almost smell the coffee brewing in the Moka pot

Idea recorded on the Mac M2. I played it in its naivety.

Working song title. ‘Stop this Heartache’. It has since developed.

I did use some of the above vocals and turned it into this below. Very different vibe. Probably prefer the acoustic based rendition really.

Working title. Imagination.

Currently? Working on a fair few song titles. About 8 or 9 new, alongside 3 old songs brought up to date.

‘Trust Me’ was a very upbeat soul song I wrote from the Team 23 days. We played it as a 7 piece soul band. It used to be called ‘Touch Me’. But an older head gears more to Trust as an alternative choice. And I kind of like the vibe of turning into a more slow and acoustic based song with more sweeping violin and keyboard additions.

An example of a finished song. But, I realise, it can still be produced correctly and more professionally.

18 years was 50 years ago. Having had a birthday recently? Now…18 years was 51 years ago. Doesn’t quite work does it. That’s why you have to seize the right moments in time.

HERE’S A POEM TO EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS TO FINALLY REALISE A SONG WRITTEN.

Today, I feel amazed

That, of all days, today’s

Happenstance

Chained down

Sought Dreams

That could finally begin.

I’m no longer afraid

Because Today seemed to last for

A million years.

Contentment and no fears

It’s now time to live life

Again.

Some days

Seem to find their own perfection.

And then?

Sudden ensuing calmness envelops.

Goodbye to fears

Of failure.

The jigsaw is complete.

Inspiration developed

Amongst the seriousness

Of dedication.

Concentration.

Seeking the inner creation.

Suddenly! Awaken.

Application?

In a single moment

Waves goodbye,

As faerie dusted happenstance

Comes by,

Stops,

And says ‘Hi!’

Lyrics and melody

Finally meet.

No more corrections.

They take each other’s hands

And naturally and simply

Begin to dance.

In that familiar rhythm.

Of twinned perfection.

Complete.

The dream-song has avoided

The bitterness

Of defeat.

Contentment and tears.

Spill.

11 thoughts on “Days.”

    1. Thank you Friedrich. I love to show the frail beginnings of exploration. I know my limits too in getting to desired results. So each small success as the song progresses gives so much joy. And of course, as with your painting, yourself and others have them for keeps. All the best.

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    1. Thanks Sheila. If there is, indeed, influence from the incoming elements of surrounding nature, whilst sitting, watching the world go by at the VeeDub sliding door floor space. Then I will embrace it all. The external and internal VeeDub story offers serenity to whoever takes up this role..
      Serenity should certainly be embraced. Freedom, amongst calm, to express the way songs present themselves, is the modern’ current need. Insecurity in achieving specific hoped for’s is also now being diminishing. I understand, after past ‘what is local’ visits, that the local offerings actually sing their songs too. Just need to tap into their stories and their ongoing energy.

      Cheers Sheila.

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    1. Cheers cookie. I was trying to imagine explaining how a song arrives in your head, gets released into reality by actual vocal sound and then begins to cement itself in reality. Then I thought that it is similar to how we actually quietly sing or hum our favourite tunes from our favourite artists when feeling chilled and going about our days’ routines. Songs sung low, gently and letting them just ‘be’. They provide comfort.

      This is how I ‘write’ my song ideas. Quietly.

      Also. Now you have said about the driving of the VeeDub whilst singing scenario, that is what actually happened many times with my finding tunes. Or singing others’ tunes. In the past, when the VeeDub was my daily transport to and from work, I often sang quietly to myself. Why? The Dub has no sound system inside. No radio, cassette or CD player to sing along to songs. Hence, humming or singing, without a sound system playing, accompanied the journeys taken. It was a way of settling my emotions. To quell the nerves when going to and coming from work’s intense realities as a nurse working in a hospital.

      Silence in thought was also present with reflecting the feelings of the days’ experiences or imagining what may lay ahead. When either felt overwhelming, distraction in singing any music was always the perfect go to. Now? No such worries anymore. I can sing or hum various melodies with no worrisome emotions in the background and certainly go somewhere fresh and alive.

      Again, you provide a thoughtful comment for myself to reflect on cookie. Cheers. 💫

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      2. The Mind is all important cookie. We live daily, even hour by hour, within its positive and negative tales. The Mind chatter that reflects upon the past, questions the present and imagines the future on a regular basis is worth listening to.

        Imagine we separate ourself from ourself. We are sitting in a theatre as an individual, and as an audience of ‘one’ watching ourselves playing out our life’s role so far on a stage. The script? Mindfulness. It is a centuries old philosophy. The past cannot be changed. The present is based on our current emotional status. ‘The future? ‘ we ask ourself as the audience of one, has the ‘what happens next in this story’ question. The audience of one begins to make up wishful thinking for the actor onstage. ‘Everything will turn out okay because we love this actor and she/he will do this….’

        And here comes the magikal part! Which is…as the one person audience to our own life, we can always be given the opportunity to imagine the experiences we, as the actor, will go onto. As the single person in the audience, we can imagine the ongoing narrative. As the onlooker, we can implore that we, on stage, are not going to go along the same old, same old. Instinctively we believe there will be a happy future ending to this theatre presentation of our life experience so far.

        Then….there is a huge surprise where we have that beautiful enlightening moment that we can get up from our theatre seat, walk onto the stage, swap the main actor’s role, and as the understudy, simply take on the main role and become the future story itself. By sitting, witnessing and understanding ourselves, outside ourselves, and as the onlooker, we have entered Stage Right, and simply taken much needed control. We are then organising the ongoing script.

        Sitting in the VeeDub and driving at end of the long day nurse shifts, I often looked through my VeeDub windscreen. I was that single audience member to the huge outside universal story in front of my eyes. And within the rural countryside situation, empty of intrusive environmental light, the silent darkness provided an amazing plethora of twinkling nighttime stars. They presented themselves as gifts. They gave me perspective cookie. A vast universe has infinite possibilities. If those limitless star combinations of unknown opportunities existed? I realised that my small contribution to enhance the vibe of their positivity was always a task worth undertaking. And so hope continued that I would find my positive past vibe again. A vibe that existed outside the stress filled nursing role. The inherent me that found grace in my past positive contributions to life so far. You too have life evidence of the inherent grace to what you have already given. To us and yourself. So grasp hold of the contributions and continue along their path.

        Hope this helps you in the oncoming winter dynamic cookie.

        All the best. Your life’s journey will definitely realise a wonderful outcome. You are already creating your own fabulous script.

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      4. Thank you cookie. The magic is really in a philosophy that can be adopted and allow well being. The concept of stepping outside the mind that exists in yourself and observing your ever present intrusive and unwanted thoughts acting out their influences. It is linked to the phrase ‘You are not your Mind’. If you type this phrase into an internet search it is worth a read.

        Two nurses and myself taught a ‘four sessions’ course, with Mindfulness involved as an important therapy. We taught it twice a year for about four years in our local community. It was NHS backed, so free to the public. The concept is, that by separating the real you and observing your culmination of a life long collection of thoughts, which keep returning to mess you about, you can see your deep inner ‘true cookie’ and find peace. You, are not your Mind.

        Cheers cookie. 💫

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