#Frail Autumn,, #GarageBand,, #meanderings, #music, #Retirement Projects, #songwriting

Singing to the Wall.

14 Comments
Found under the kitchen wallpaper.

THERE’S A SONG ON THE VIDEO BELOW.

LAST IMAGE WITH A WHITE ARROW ON IT.

Having just started decorating the kitchen, it was nice to see this distressed paint layered imagery under the wallpaper in one small particular area next to the back door frame. Awaiting to see if any more of the walls have similar distressed patterns like this.

If we lived in an old chateaux? I’d simply leave it as it is. Put a fair few layers of wax over it to create a sheen. Watch it blossom into a glorious shabby chic.

Anyways …… it was nice to sit this morning doodling about on the AKAI MIDI keyboard and find some index finger/one note melodies jump out of my neural synapses link to the music part of my brain again. The layering of choice instrumentation welds itself together. It has a strange way of becoming notes in a great big melting pot that swirl about together. Separation becomes more and more blurred and a lovely little ambience of rhythmic sound allows you to sing with freedom over the top.

It is always nice when various of my songs have instrumentally naive little tunes that evolve and allow me to sing various ‘bits and bobs’ melodies over them with a relaxed freedom. These ones here in the song below are a weird jumbly/mumberly of indistinct Ooohs’ Aaahs’, a single receptive chant lyric, which may then develop further down the line. But inherent is always, always an episode of what develops into Mindfulness.

Why Mindful? I can’t play piano. So what happens is that two repetitive little four or five note tunes bounce with slight differences and weave over a two chord structure from beginning to end of this piece. The repetitive nature means that concentration to not make a mistake is very focused.

Strangely? It has Mindful qualities in that it takes time to settle its pattern too. Even though I wrote and played it, on a first listening revisit it has a crazy unsettling nature. Immediately playing it a second, then third time, it falls into place. Rather like a Mindful Meditation session, it requires the little grey cells to acclimatise into a rhythmic comfort zone.

Guitar wise? This is simple in this song. And strumming with a little more freedom, in the rhythmic nature, of A and D chords.

Songwriting is a strange affair currently. There is an approach of no expectations at all. Recently I just need to put pieces of music together that are therapeutic. Gentle playing with no ultimate purpose means finding comfort and solace in the simplicity of results that do not challenge. And that ideal and approach certainly calms the soul.

Ultimately one by one

Realistically two by two

I just want to know

The truth

I just want to see

And believe

In life.

I believe……in life.

Singing to the Wall.

14 thoughts on “Singing to the Wall.”

    1. Cheers Friedrich.

      I actually did wonder if you would find interest in this imagery. It is a long, thin stretch next to the back door. Next to it is a plastered brick column and then a window. So I may simply keep it as a little contained sectional reminder of the past history of this room.

      The kitchen? Once again Annie Sloane chalk paint will be applied onto old, bare plastered walls. It has breathability and is used in virtually every room of the house. Wonderful ambience. A sage green, Coolabah Green, is the choice this time. So it should sit nicely alongside this past visual memory of paint colour contributions over the last century plus years.

      Hope you are keeping well Friedrich. Many thanks for your visit and thoughts. All the best to you too. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thank you so much, Gray! Of course, your wall really appealed to me 🙂 Even if everything is painted over, we know that something was underneath, and that shapes our perception. There are some artists, like Arnulf Rainer, who have often based their art on this principle: overpainting. Have fun with your work in the kitchen! Best regards, f

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you so much for giving me an enquiry to follow up with now Friedrich. Covering an original piece of art? And imagination regarding perception on ‘what once was’ is never ‘now has been’. Because it still holds its place in space and time.

        And so, after reading your mention of Arnold Rainer, I went to look at his work. The usual AI Google inclusions on searching gave the explanations of meaning and purpose regarding the philosophy of the art. So now? It is a time to mull over these words. Whether I can relate to his intentions. Art has always fascinated myself due to the emotional responses and subsequent positive or negative reactions I feel when seeing it. Rather like music. The synergy of sound and melody is very often so much more important than the lyrics. Interest as to how they achieved the songs technically are not so important, if at all.

        Hence wanting to keep a section of the wall’s distressed patina as I see it now. Positivity in acknowledging its longevity and that the story is still there to be seen and witnessed that it is emotionally beautiful in its uniqueness. It also gives the kitchen a talking point tale to be continued.

        Cheers Friedrich. Regards to you too. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

        Like

    1. With each different tune-line colour gently appearing and settling into a rainbow of painted light from the greyness of internal strange. A pale, translucent colourful melody, softly singing out calm into the surrounding air, to be grasped and taken back internally. It shrugs softly in comfort and contentment, and lay-layers down over skittish emotions in order to therapeutically web heal a fractured and fragmented mind.

      Thank you Shep. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. Liking your new Avatar Shep. Been a-painting a bit of colour yourself. Just found a strange, but interesting, little YouTube site called Cocteau’s Horses. Says ‘Australia’ in the info. I get a lot of these little Worldwide musician low subscription sites popping up more and more recently. Nice though. 🫨🌏

        Liked by 1 person

  3. This is great, Gray. I love the music but what i really love is the way you’re really back in touch with your music. I know its always been there, but what this post tells me is how ingrained in every aspect of your life.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Brenda. It’s great to relate in a different way to music. Realisation that it can also be positive with adopting considerations other than simply producing songs in a serious manner. Dynamics as to why this has been a long, a few years, recent journey have changed a lot. Challenges to understand processes and skills are now not the most important part of this anymore. It’s good to relax and see what materialises.

      I watch YouTube uploads as to how you can get songs sounding so much better. But the crux of the matter is that is not the aim now. Songs are a fantastic settler. By simply accessing your brain with gentle enquiry in order to feel calm with the results. Basically, the mind playing around with tunes and enjoying and accepting whatever happens.

      Hope you are finding your varied sleep patterns are being positively answered and are becoming more settled. Hope too that your planned holistic considerations to various regimes are finding wins. They do sound very logical. Wonderful analytical approach to your discoveries.

      Cheers Brenda. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. who would expect to find art in such a place … before reading, i thought its a painting lol …

    great singing, Gray …
    I believe……in life. – ✨️

    Not sure if you remember i spoke of getting a guitar…and i did 🙃
    but my daughter seemed so keen and excited to learn, i signed her up for lessons instead of myself …
    her little fingers took a beating …😬
    Is this an ongoing thing, or does it get better?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It was quite a find when, around five years ago, this type of patina on the walls was found in the hallway, stairs and landing areas. But much more pastel. It’s nice seeing past colour choices from literally about a hundred years ago and onwards.

      Glad you bought a guitar. And yes, initially the finger tip pads get sore, but after a fairly short time do develop a hardness and resistance and you feel absolutely nothing of the discomfort. Of course, you have to play a little every day to get acclimatised to the string’s eventual comforts.

      Just persevere in these early stages and she will soon find it much easier. Of course nylon and steel strings do differ. Steel being a little more intense on the fingers.

      Thank you for your thumbs up with the song vocals Destiny. Much appreciated. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. that ancient – i like the colors in this one…

        her tutor did say the steel strings are more harsh…😬 and when i asked about those ‘thingys’ (sorry, forgot the name ) to protect the fingers, he advised against it. Waiting for a school break to start her up again lol…

        pleasure, Gray…🍂🤍🙏

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Using finger covers will just hamper the chord shapes really. It honestly is something that will settle. I had similar when changing from my six string playing over to a bass guitar with much thicker strings. But it was fine pretty quickly.

        A chord book with good pictorial clear images would be a good idea. They are quite cheap really. She could practice moving from one chord to another and back again. It helps enormously.

        Cheers Destiny.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply