03 October 2010
Autumn
07/10/10 10:08
Its that time of year again. Autumn. It has always been one of my favorite times of year – a time for reflection. The last few years have been more reflective than usual, as this is the time of year that my son Jon left us. As I have struggled to come to grips with his passing, I have turned to the music (both mine and others) as a way to sooth the intense feelings generated by these memories (“Loneliness” in the Music section of the site is my closure song for Jon). While not a cure – music is certainly, for me, a healing balm. It reminds me of an old gospel favorite – “There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul”. Music has always been that for me – a healing balm. My therapy.
Autumn is also a time for putting away the gardening tools and lawn tractor and increasing the time set aside reading, listening, and of course for creative output. While I try to work on the music on a regular basis, it happens more consistently once the distractions of summer are past.
Lately I have been going through some of my old analogue recordings, and rediscovered a few creations that I had almost forgotten. One of them – “Over Me”, really captures the sadness conjured up as the days shorten, and mortality seems to stare us in the face. It was recoded on a Teac A-3440 4 track. I will post that to the “Music” section later today. I didn’t know it at the time, but the capstan drive belt was wearing out and stretching, so you can hear a little wow/flutter if you listen closely.
Thanks for listening – and have a great Autumn.
By the way – the photo at the top, “Grasses” is by my wife, Martine. Visit her site here.
Comments
The Muse...
03/10/10 12:52
What inspires us to write has probably been the most asked question by friends and fans alike. The creative process has long been a mysterious road that bends and winds and somehow ends up at a destination - not always the one intended at the outset. For me, there seems to be two distinct processes. The first, process is very brief and flows from start to finish fairly rapidly - sometimes as little as 10 or 15 minutes. Something grabs me (it could be an idea, a phrase, or a simple melody). The rest flows out naturally and quickly. Here I am truly only an instrument, and while I may edit, rework and polish at the time, or later - the real work happens spontaneously.
The second process is much more deliberate and thought out. While it often starts out in a similar fashion (with a kernel of an idea about topic or melody), the rest of the process involves a lot of hard work and wrestling with every part of the work. I have literally struggled for a year or longer with some songs. Some are never completed and are set aside for a later, more inspired time. I have also found that collaboration helps. Often when I am stuck, working together with another person brings added inspiration and possibility.
I have found over the years that the more I write, the easier it generally flows. I think it is much like a physical skill - the more you practice, the better you get. However, the mystery remains and there is always, for me, something magic in the doing.
The second process is much more deliberate and thought out. While it often starts out in a similar fashion (with a kernel of an idea about topic or melody), the rest of the process involves a lot of hard work and wrestling with every part of the work. I have literally struggled for a year or longer with some songs. Some are never completed and are set aside for a later, more inspired time. I have also found that collaboration helps. Often when I am stuck, working together with another person brings added inspiration and possibility.
I have found over the years that the more I write, the easier it generally flows. I think it is much like a physical skill - the more you practice, the better you get. However, the mystery remains and there is always, for me, something magic in the doing.