What Am I Doing?

Hey, how are you all?

It's been, hmm, ten or so days since I last posted.  I was meaning to post before now, but I just got carried away with things, more music than anything else.

At this exact moment I am listening to some music by another person that is taking part in the 50/90 songwriting challenge, and their work is with ambient music, which is different I know, but I like it a lot.  A lot of it is relaxing, plus they seem to come out with sounds that are always fascinating to listen to.

Now that song has finished (which I enjoyed), and the next song on the list on the 50/90 site is another ambient piece, this time more minimalist and over twenty minutes long...  Hmm. If this person created fifty pieces in ninety days, then technically they could produce potentially twenty hours of music.  Amazing!  What is more amazing is that five minutes through it I am not bored.  It is very relaxing (perhaps too much so for a night shift).  I am fascinated by different styles of music, the equipment used, and that sort of thing.  I like experimenting with it all as well, but at the same time I sort of make things up on the spot hoping it will work essentially.  Eleven minutes in and still good.  The piece can be found HERE if you're interested.  It wouldn't be out of place in a Blade Runner sequel, or something like that.

Now that is a space to create music.  Not my space though.

I have listened more recently and heard some great music, and I am happy to be making more friends through the experience.

Because of these friends that I have made, I know for certain that when the time comes that I can, I will most certainly be sorting out a passport and making my way to America one of these days and doing that dreamed of road trip, which will take place during a future 50/90 songwriting challenge period.  I will be travelling around the United States meeting fellow 50/90ers, hopefully jamming with them, getting to know them, hopefully staying with a good few of them as well, and generally having fun between bouts of driving from one place to another.

A picture I found of some participants, possibly including
some that I will meet sometime during my eventual road trip.

There are a few negatives to this idea though, and I have only just recently realised this.  One negative is that I won't be able to spend long enough with these people to get to know them as well as I would like to.  The reason for that is because I would be doing a trip around the states during a ninety day period, which is one heck of a lot of miles to cover, and there are a lot of people in the US that take part in this madness that is the 50/90 challenge.

Madness in the way that there are some who are writing so frenetically and prolifically that they must be locked inside their music writing areas with only a little food and drink being forced into them by some sort of drip.

I've got past the fifty songs now, so I've disconnected mine. ;-)

I'm doing more listening of people's songs and reading of their lyrics now I think.  At least that is the idea, but a problem is that I am still being inspired and coming up with ideas, so I'm not doing as much listening and reading as I was meaning to.  Oh well...

As I have no doubt already said, there are pieces I have been working on that will probably turn out to be good and some that I will possibly leave well alone.  That realisation will come once it is all over and I get to listen to all that was created.  Click HERE and check some stuff out.  If there's anything you like, then let me know.  I was particularly happy with the songs No Money In My Pocket (lyrics by Cindy Prince) and 6,000 Miles (lyrics by Arthur Rossi).

NOW I WILL TAKE A BREAK...

Crikey, it's been two days since I wrote all of that...

I have started putting music to another of Cindy's lyrics that is called Wildwood Passion (and uses quite a few chords and has key changes, so that won't be easy to do), and I have two sets of lyrics by Wyman Griffith to put music to as well.  I am hopeful at writing more with Liz Petty, and a few others.  There is a thirteen year old taking part who has posted up some very good lyrics who I almost feel as though I should spur on by finding something to put music to as a backing for her to sing on.  I'll find something, or perhaps put a music backing up and point her in it's direction to let her write something to go with it...

I'm not just writing with others though.  I am still writing both words and music as well.

Photo of our caterpillars.

Me and Louise frequently play word games and mess about with silly rhymes.  I occasionally write poetry, and yesterday I did just that, so I sent a text of what I had to Louise.  A few minutes later Louise sent me something back that worked with it.  It was about about Cabbage White butterflies, and I decided to make what there was into song lyrics.  The two bits I wrote I have put as the verses, and Louise's bit I have made into a bridge.

It was based on the fact that we had got some cauliflower given to us from a friend's allotment, and while I was at work Louise sent me a text to say that there were come caterpillars in with the cauliflower, which were Cabbage Whites.  Louise didn't want to just throw them away, so she left them in the container with the leaves from the cauliflower (and a little bit of cauliflower as well).  They were okay for a few days, but then we decided that we should take them somewhere.  I took them to the churchyard across from where we live, and left them in what I think was a nice little area.  So, that is how that came about.  Not a usual subject for a song, but I am happy with it.  All I have to do now is set it to music.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

August 14 2013 (42 years, 9 months, and 19 days old).