#Compact Disc, #Frail Autumn,, #GarageBand,, #Lyrics, #meanderings, #music, #Retirement Projects, #songwriting

Spring to Winter. The Frailty of Autumn leads to Winter’s Miracles……

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Older.
It doesn’t matter. Needs a mixing process next. Get the sound and instrument levels to balance.

Planning the future aim of a 2 CD (Compact Disc) recording intention, a song order list is important. These CDs are to be given out to family and friends and a double CD, numbering 100 total, is the number which are going to be made. Initially it was thought 3 CDs could be the plan. However, each CD can hold 80 minutes of music. Time considerations regarding how long all the songs total up together is still being worked on. 160 minutes/2 hours 40 minutes is a pretty long time to fill! I don’t think that is achievable in reality. But 80 minutes on each CD format doesn’t have to be filled!

Two CDs can have a nice totality. A themed ‘Spring/Summer’ vibe on the first one can be followed by ‘Autumn/Winter’ atmosphere on the second one. A double gatefold sleeve with inner lyric booklet would be very aesthetically friendly too.

The second CD is to be titled ‘The Frailty of Autumn leads to Winter’s Miracles’. Ever the optimist.

The first CD is yet to have a title regarding the meaning of what the Spring to Summer journey in life entails? No idea as yet. Can’t remember that far back!

Deliberations have begun. Which song follows which. At first? There was the thought that it could be time led. That being early to later songs written in my life. Or song style format. That being echo pop type songs, instrumentals and acoustic songs, together.

There She Goes is a nice example of simple tweak remix.
An Echo song. All that is needed is to get rid of the introduction inane speech blurb, maybe add a bit more instrumental dynamic (sweeping violin in latter ‘say our goodbyes’ to end ‘so goodbye’ bit) and then remix sound. Pull back the bass notes that cause that rumble speaker feedback. There you go!

A bit more thinking and the realisation that an eclectic jumping trip of back and forth diverse style as the songs present could be best really. Tales of the unexpected is a great way to live life. I love The Beatles ‘White Album’ and the way it crosses so many styles.

This morning it was wise to have a good look at the song list in GarageBand. See how many have been recorded. Confidence ensued because there are a nice number of finished and truly okay ones. Tweaks can round them off to a decent standard really.

Noticing the very first recording made, when first getting the ‘Mac M2 home recording equipment’, the little less than a minute trial song, on the video up above, was spotted. ‘My life has changed’. Suddenly it was evident that it could be a great little introductory opener to the whole project.

My life has changed

In so many ways.

Rearranged

Depending on the days.

It doesn’t matter much to me.

I guess it really doesn’t matter.

The philosophy of life, in those above short lyrics, has been of that premise. Changes over life regarding new adventures in career or hobbies/interests/pastimes has been of constant surprises. Musician, travel agent, potter, photographer, petrol station attendant, Whole food shop employee, sign language interpreter for Deaf students in education, teacher/lecturer in further education for adults, social services support worker, working in a Mental Health hospital situation, youth club work, Staff Nurse and more smaller career uptakes have been undertaken. And very many various hobbies, pastimes and interests that come along throughout life, as they are found or suggested, have been taken up and investigated as fully as possible too.

So I suppose that the lines in this little ditty above ‘It doesn’t matter much to me. I guess it really doesn’t matter’ are fairly apt. This is generally how I feel after situations have been experienced and then gone. Enjoyable at the time and taken very seriously. But once over and moving on to the next adventure? New and exciting opportunities are grabbed with open arms.

Aphantasia (lack of a mind’s eye) has a great deal to do with this situation. A visual recollection of nothing whatsoever, other than a blank grey canvas behind closed eyelids, means no true attachments to memories. They simply happened. Nothing emotional exists when born from a total lack of past imagery. All my emotions are present as current life happens. The ‘Here and Now’ basically.

Because I never have a mind vision of what has happened during past times, the enriched fullness to past situations is nonexistent. They are now pale upon paler has been experiences. “‘What once was’ is ‘Now has been’. So drag yourself into the light”, are lyrics from the song ‘18 years was 50 years ago’. Basically, a life of moving onwards and the inability to remember in depth the amazing experiences life has given me. Opportunities for the new unknowns are therefore enthusiastically taken up.

The last song on the CD #2 titled ‘The Frailty of Autumn leads to Winter’s Miracles’ will be ‘18 years was 50 years ago’. Albeit, when the CDs are finished when I am 70 years old… my 18 year old self will be 52 years ago! The 18/50 years ago song is an ideal outro to this project.

18 years was 50 years ago. The intentional last song on the 2 CD albums release.

Looking forward to realising this two CD scenario. Should be fun.

Younger.

20 thoughts on “Spring to Winter. The Frailty of Autumn leads to Winter’s Miracles……”

    1. Thank you Friedrich. It should make a nice aim. And I have now got all the blank CDs, the little burning CD machine and bits and extra bobs. Also, a few songs raring to be recorded. So can focus properly. All the best. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      2. Thanks Friedrich. In September and arriving at 70 years old, it will be good to make something concrete to hold. It has been a sharp learning curve as a technophobe. But great fun.

        Gifting the CDs to those who have been supportive will be a way of saying thank you. It is perfect that I have a small core of WordPress friends, a small social circle of friends locally, longstanding friends from my music days and of course, family that have been supportive throughout life.

        What would be nice is if I can have help with sound and technicalities. I know people from the past. But no one local. So just need to forge on. It would be nice to suddenly find all the right computer buttons to press. 😊

        Thank you for your support in this Friedrich. Much appreciated.

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  2. Oh Gray, being 72, I basically know what you are talking about 😎 Not many friends left if it comes to tech stuff. But we have learned not to give up. Challenges are rewarding. Just go for it, young man 🤣 🎸🎶☀️🍷

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    1. Sorry for the late reply Friedrich. Sunday night was really impactful with illness. Mighty strange, but very, very intensive. I slept all day Monday. And still feeling a bit woozy and wobbly today, but have come through the worst. I’m living today in Mindful fashion in that I am treading extremely softly and working slowly through and taking notice to every little intention. Even making a cup of tea has true focus.

      You are correct. Unless there are older people who have carried on with their learning curve and embraced new technological advances, it can be quite difficult to catch one if they themselves haven’t caught up. I suppose there is a ‘gem’ out there somewhere, but I believe they are still far from sight.

      And thank you for your encouragement as ever Friedrich. It is always appreciated. All the best to you too young man. 🙏🏽😊🍁🍂

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      1. That doesn’t sound good, and I hope you’re feeling better! I just got back from an intensive health check: extremely good results. “Young man” is definitely fitting 😊

        Regarding “gem”: I know there are valid objections, but AI is one of those “gems” that I can’t and don’t want to do without. Problem with a device, a technology, etc.? Ask AI, problem solved.

        All the best to you too, young man. 🙏🏽😊🍁🍂

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      2. Cheers Friedrich. As an ex staff nurse I can’t help thinking of long term effects from those dark COVID years. To be honest Friedrich, I have never seen my face so drained of colour. And the pain was over the top. But, as you ask, yes I am feeling better. Thank you.

        I like it when health checks, especially blood tests, show normality. So am really pleased you have passed with flying colours. People can’t believe it when mentioning our age. So we must be doing something right. Maybe it is pursuing the joy of art itself.

        Somehow, I cannot bring myself to accept AI. I have read about musicians who are really angry with it. Various reasons like plagiarism, no soul, etc. As you highlighted, a few musicians and their rawness can truly be soulful. And that shows me that results should be accepted for what they are. A Warts and All part of me. It’s just that being a songwriter, it would be nice to get a small collective of people to bring the results up to a more satisfying level. I can’t play lead guitar like my brother. We were talking of Marc Bolan’s guitar playing. Jimmy Paige of Led Zeppelin showed him how to play. Worlds apart in capabilities. But Bolan has a style unique. The Prettiest Star, one of David Bowie’s songs, is played by Marc in the very first recording. And then later by Mick Ronson. Mick was a fabulous guitarist. But Bolan’s hits differently somehow. Rather like the piano pieces you sent. I did listen to all of them. Let’s say that I am not a fan of speed. So there are two that are far removed from my favourite styles.

        All the best Friedrich. 🙏🏽🍁🍂🧉

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      3. Since you have a healthcare background, you’re in the best hands 😊
        By AI, I don’t mean those idiotic programs that pretend to be able to compose music or paint pictures. That’s worse than rubbish. I mean a tool for answering questions or solving problems. Creativity belongs in the hands of us humans; AI can solve annoying problems. Enough said.

        I’m going to listen to Marc Bolan. (I only know the ones of his songs that were in the charts). Yes, Jimmy Page is right up my alley, and David Bowie was an exceptional artist anyway.

        Take care, young man too. 🙏🏽😊🍁🍂

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      4. My brother is a massive Led Zeppelin fan. He has all the vinyl and used to play the riffs on his guitar. Robert Plant regularly visits our local town of Machynlleth. He had a cottage in Artist’s Valley and one of Led Zeppelin’s albums was written there. Many people have met him locally and he is always friendly. I never have. But I did nurse his next door neighbour. Because the next door neighbour couldn’t keep his garden in shape, Robert sent his own gardener over to do the work. Nice generous man.

        Marc’s guitar version on The Prettiest Star is lovely. Bowie re-recorded it for the album Aladdin Sane. Much more put on that version. But there is a more earnest version with Bowie’s voice on the arlier single with Marc. Marc had those electric pop hits from Ride a White Swan and onwards. His earlier work was as a two man band called Tyrannosaurus Rex. Very Tolkein in vibe. And very much acoustic guitar based. His bongo player called himself Steve Peregrine Took. I loved that period of his. It shone over my teenage years. Very quirky with Marc’s voice in unique fashion. John Peel the DJ loved the band and promoted them massively on his show. Tony Visconti was their producer too. As he was David Bowie’s. So a nice ‘family’ set up. Hence my love for this interactive musical scenario.

        I will look at various options for AI, but do worry regards an app that allows access into my iPad. I shall have to be careful in seeking out needs too.

        Thank you for your thoughts Friedrich. Always a great feedback involved from you. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      5. Thanks, Gray, for the exciting information! I’ve already started exploring Marc’s work. That era certainly shaped me, but I was very selective. Our generation was truly fortunate in many ways, and the great music that emerged back then is part of that.

        I hope you’re feeling better and can dedicate yourself to your CD project. Best of luck! 🙏🏽😊🍁🍂

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      6. Thank you Friedrich. You are so right concerning music back then. It must have shaped our nature. My parents were music lovers and listened to many genres. Mario Lanza, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Gene Vincent, Tom Jones, and so very many more. My Aunty brought lots of vinyl to the house for us to listen to. Tamla Motown, Soul with Stax and Atlantic singers, Carol King, Todd Rundgren, and more. Then, having two brothers and a sister, we ourselves had our own influences which carried us into the end of the 1970s. So for two decades at home, all kinds of music was listened to.

        There is a video of Robert Plant chatting about Machynlleth (that is where my wife has her Wholefood Shop) on YouTube. How he embraced Welsh local historical culture. The influences for the third Led Zeppelin album were born from no electricity at the cottage. So lots of acoustic guitar was played by Jimmy. Robert has visited here since childhood and truly loves our local town. Jimmy last visited here in 2022. Wish I could have met them!

        And, thank you, I have got over the worst now. That was a truly horrible experience Friedrich! My CD project will have to wait a while though. My son thinks they have asbestos in their plasterwork at home and have sent off samples. Their cottage was built in the 1800s, so I feel it is unlikely. Safety first though. So the four of them are staying with us currently. 😵‍💫

        All the best. And I hope your own art has many inspirations too. I read your Sound Eagle exchanges. Exciting. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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    1. As said to Friedrich here Shep, sorry for the late reply. Getting over a horrible bout of invasive illness. Wiped the floor with me.

      When you say about your own life, what is really obvious in your write ups is that you truly have lived. I know people who have worked in the one place all their lives. And once retiring are lost. Of course, music is an amazing possession to own. So we are both extremely fortunate.

      When you say about ‘time for another change’, do you mean you yourself Shep? I know you wanted to hang fire with the blog for a while. Or are you going to try something completely new.

      My introspective self is born from lack of confidence Shep. Write it down, makes it make sense. Recording the songs by myself is weird. When you’ve played alongside dozens of musicians throughout life, you know your own shortcomings deeply. I suppose it has always been wise to hold onto the fact that people have said I can write a decent melody at times. That’ll do for me. 😊

      Cheers Shep. Thank you for the drop by. Much appreciated. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      1. Yes you can pen a nice melody and not too shabby with the lyrics either. Yeah twas me. Try something new. Not sure what though. Write a book? Learn the Banjo? Perhaps not. Invent something useful for the planet? I am an ideas man. 🤔 🤔

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      2. Thanks for the comments on lyrics and melodies. I suppose growing up, having the joys of listening to the serious tune writers back when has left a little bit of hope in the way of writing myself. Not as high fallutin’, but it’s nice to try.

        Whatever you decide to chase Shep, it will be a success. The Banjo is a great instrument sound wise. Have never actually played one though because I am useless at ‘plucking’. I play bass with a plectrum. And Horace from The Socials kept wagging his finger at me. ‘Use your fingers!’ So if you can do that Shep, you would love it. You’ve got inherent rhythm so would find it easy. And your writing style screams for you to write a book. Utopia Avenue style? Bet you’ve met loads of characters like those guys. Slade in Flame is pretty awesome too.

        This WordPress journey is slowly running down its course now. I will probably put it on a back burner and go out to find inspirations ‘out there’. But will keep the site open. There are a core of ‘bloggers’ who have become good friends. Two, sadly, have died since I started this in about 2014. One had a VW like mine and exchanged stories and thoughts with me about the journeys on emails every so often. Another was an American audiologist. He was a truly fascinating guy. His back stories were absolutely spell binding. He was a photographer on Flickr and then came over to WP just to simply follow my site. He used to send emails too. They were essays! But such stories. This is why WP is worth keeping around.

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    1. Thank you for your comment Sound Eagle. Since retiring, the whole return to music has been such that it has been focused on ‘something to do’ in order to keep the days interesting. Back in the 1970s and two years into the 1980s, it was a case of playing alongside other musicians. I was simply a bass guitar player who sang both harmonies and sometimes leading vocals. I wrote a lot of songs.

      Technophobia is my weak point. I have never enjoyed the process of capture. So simply use my computer set up to catalogue the songs written. Of course I write that I want to overcome the technical challenges. But have always known true self limitations. However. My Mac M2 with various additions of Tascam Mixer, Audio interface, pre amp booster and small AKAI MIDI keyboard can capture nice quality sound if Apple’s Logic Pro platform were to be used instead of the basic GarageBand system I use now. I may get the Logic Pro app soon. Professionals use it. So it would be a sensible choice for recording onto. But there are chart singles that are GarageBand recorded. So I am ‘still deliberating’ whether to use its familiarity in truth.

      Of course there are very many limitations in ‘flying solo’ too. I am no six string guitarist or drummer. And I never played bass guitar for decades until the last few years. Even less now the songs are being recorded mostly with six string guitars.

      I was really ill last year too and feel energy has been zapped. Living in a rural countryside situation and fast approaching 70 years old (a few months away) means that others who could contribute their energies to such a project are like misty memories. So, simplicity is going to be the aim now. I have no ambitions of success whatsoever. But still want to give a very reasonable CD captured result for my family and friends to own. Only 100 CDs are going to be made. I have the blank discs and a CD burner. I will simply given away the finished results to those who have given me wonderful support over the years. Decades on decades actually. A way of saying thank you for your friendships.

      So intentions are to think carefully over the next few months and capture songs with basic solidity in order to realise a decent ‘Frail Autumn’ sound. Top level quality for intentional platform plays like Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple, Prime, YouTube, etc. ? There is no intention to realise such aims. The 100 CDs are the limit set. Maybe a future oddity and enigma of Summers’ life will be its eventual story.

      I loved your recent write up regarding your collaboration with Friedrich. A wonderful man and so gentle too. I really am pleased that you both realised the joint project. Amazing results. I shall re-read again your post. Currently, life is a bit crazy and busy, so intentional focus with WordPress is very limited. I intend to take a few months where only a few posts will surface.

      Cheers and all the best Sound Eagle. Thank you once again for your interest in my work. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      1. Dear Gray,

        Thank you very much for outlining your plan for the next few months or the rest of 2026. Even though some technologies can be intimidating, practice makes perfect. Logic Pro is very good, especially when you can get over the initial learning curve.

        In lieu of CDs, you can just upload your music to some platforms such as SoundCloud, so that anybody can assess your music.

        Like you, I have been exposed to many genres of music. Since you have taken the liberty to discover on your own one of my oeuvres, namely, “The Last Rag”, I would like to inform you that most of my written works (in the form of academic research) and my musical compositions are still unpublished. I probably have enough materials to last me another 20 to 30 years of self-publishing on my website.

        Whether or not you consider yourself to be an audiophile and connoisseur of fine sonic art, you would be pleased by the availability of a fair amount of music on my website, much of which comprises my musical compositions.  These constitute only a fraction of my total musical output, as I have yet to find time to showcase the rest on my website, for I have been spreading myself quite thin with many errands and diverse interests over the years.  Moreover, those published compositions are by no means representative of my musical oeuvres, which are very diverse.  Hence, you may want to turn on your finest speakers or headphones, as some of my posts and pages will be playing music to you automatically when you visit them on my website.

        A good post to visit for a good sample of my music is entitled “🦅 SoundEagle in SoundCloud: Art, Music and Compositions about New Sensations, Love, Life, Country, Nature, Dreaming, Meditation and Spirituality 🏞🎼🎶” available at

        🦅 SoundEagle in SoundCloud: Art, Music and Compositions about New Sensations, Love, Life, Country, Nature, Dreaming, Meditation and Spirituality 🏞🎼🎶

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle🦅

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      2. Dear Gray,

        Hello! I have replied to you by submitting a long comment a few minutes ago, and I hope that the comment has got through. Please kindly check whether it has been mistakenly consigned as spam by WordPress. If so, please unspam and then approve it manually.

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle🦅

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