A little update

Well I spent December 15-20 in Olivet.  My mother-in-law safely installed at home with my family, I loaded my Bug with a suitcase and guitar and headed for snowy, sleepy Olivet.  The students had left for winter break, so I only ever saw a few souls there (which was good, since I needed to write).  I stayed at Thorndyke Cabins on Pine Lake and spent quite a bit of time writing as a guest of the Upton Conservatory of Music.  Ramona, the piano professor, suggested that I meet a senior at the college who is a singer/songwriter and who is currently working on her second album.  This turned out to be Chara West.  Chara and I became fast friends and fans of one anothers' music.

I got rest during the week, I wrote quite a bit, and also met with my share of frustrations.  Writing is a painstakingly slow process lately, and I've struggled with finishing certain songs - the ones I consider to be my best work.  I think it was a bit of heavenly help that I crossed paths with Chara, because she listened to my frustrations and offered the kind of astute, sage and totally true observations that only an objective person could offer.  I listened to what she had to say and cried.  She really hit the nail on the head, and it helped.  I immediately finished a song after that, but that was at the end of the week so it was the only song that I finished during the writing retreat.  I did make a lot of progress on some of the existing songs and started a new one for my daughter.

I'll write more about all this later.  It's the middle of the night and I need to get back to bed.  I didn't have much Internet access while I was in Olivet, but I did journal quite a bit.  Now I need to get Finale for my mac and get to work.  I have been lazy since getting home!

It's really happening!

Well we picked my mother-in-law up at the airport today!  We're staying out of town for the weekend for the memorial service of a dear relative; she will be returning with my husband and children to our home during the coming week and I will be heading to Olivet to write and write and write!

Unfortunately my mother wrecked her car today so she missed the family memorial service while the ER determined whether she had a broken knee (she doesn't) and she got stitches for a split lip.  We're all thankful she is mostly unharmed!

Pam (my mother-in-law) saw my new Ibanez Exotic Wood Collection guitar (ash wood) and positively loves it!  I do, too.  It has that same warm, full sound that I loved about my 1999/2000 model Ibanez that I had to sell just before we moved to Michigan.  The action is so smooth and easy and I just can't say enough about the beautiful sound.  This new guitar is also totally gorgeous!  The wood looks 3D!

Well the time is soon coming that I'll be alone with myself, a piano, a guitar and a laptop.  I don't doubt that I'll be able to write enough material in 5 days to fill an album... my overwhelming question is whether I will be able to resolve the things that are on my heart and mind by writing these songs, or whether those things will still be bothering me after my writing blitz is over.  I'm journaling as I go along with the hope of getting the feelings sorted out and being able to move on.

Honestly, moving on doesn't always happen for me when I write the song - at least for the "diary" type of songs.  It's a process for me where I need to write it, and then I need to perform it over and over (preferably alone).  Every time I sing it, I get over it a little more.  Eventually it doesn't hurt anymore to sing it, and it's usually about this time that I feel comfortable sharing the song.  Eventually, it sounds trite to me and I just never go back to it unless I get a request - that's when I know I'm over it.  Some things I just can't seem to let go of (my grandmother, for example, who died in 1984 when I was 8).  There are dozens of songs I've written but have never shared with anyone.  My husband and I discussed this recently.  Although he'd like to hear it all, he knows he's only heard about 5 percent of what I've written, maybe less, and he's okay with that.  He knows I'll share when I'm ready.  Okay, actually... I have an admission to make.  Um, I'll share them when I find them and when I'm ready.  I have a compilation somewhere in storage that probably has stuff I'd be ready to share now but I don't necessarily remember the song until I see what I wrote down.  Haha!

Goodnight.  I will dream of what is to come!

The plans are written in Sharpie!

Ramona, my old piano prof at Olivet, got back with me, as did the new department head and the news is good!  I'm scheduled to be at the conservatory December 15-19 from opening till closing (or possibly beyond closing if I'm still inside when the doors are locked at 5:00 p.m.).  Ramona and Judy, their secretary who was there doing a different job when I was in college, are looking forward to seeing me Monday!  I can't wait to catch up with them, too!

I'll be using the practice rooms only.  Not only do I not know how to use the recording studio equipment, but there wouldn't be anyone there to help me, and anyway I don't need to record, I need to write the material for the album.  They also have a policy that I guess only active current students can use the recording studio.  That's alright!  I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

My dear mother-in-law is scheduled to arrive Saturday the 13th and return to Utah on the 21st.  I am so appreciative!  She will be staying with Husband and the children to help keep them occupied.  My lovely assistant Shakia will be coming over every day to help with housework, errands and all the other stuff she helps with.  She's totally awesome!  I also asked her to help with this project.  She'll be handling all the logistics and hiring/paying of musicians during the recording process and all the office-type stuff.

I'm just amazed that this is really happening.  I'm really going to have a week dedicated to writing music!  Not only have I given myself permission to go ahead with this project, but everyone around me has given me permission, too.  Not that I needed it, but the show of support is so nice!  I will make the best of the time that I have!

Heart We Will Forget Him

I FOUND IT!  I ordered 5 copies of the SSA arrangement of "Heart We Will Forget Him" (words by Emily Dickinson, music by James Mulholland, 1985 National Music Publishers).  When it comes I'll see if there's a number to call on it.  Perhaps just placing a call to them I can find out if/how to get permission to use this on my CD and to take liberties with Mr. Mulholland's arrangement too... pretty much to keep the basics of the melody and everything else to be rearranged.  Some composers are funny about that kind of thing and others are wonderful so who knows what to expect.  I hope he's still alive.

Maybe tomorrow I'll see about that song from The Secret Garden.  I do think that if there's a hope of being able to use these songs on the CD that I need to look into getting permission now.

My baby has been sick so I didn't get back to "Evening Song," but I think I know the direction I want to take with it and I think I will find the time soon.  I need silence and solitude to write, which is practically impossible with 3 tiny kids in the house!  However, the baby usually ends up in our bed at some point in the night and the boys have their own room, so I've been sneaking into her room at night to write.  I haven't woken anyone up yet even though I was playing the guitar!  I'm sooooo looking forward to having a week to write like a madwoman, but for now, I'll take whatever writing time I can get!

No word back from Olivet yet.  If that doesn't work out I will seek out a church that will let me use some space to write and practice with other musicians.  My husband's mother (I call her "Mom" too) was honored and excited to accept our invitation to come to Michigan and help Shane with the kids for a week while I write the material for this project.  I wish I could do this during Christmas break at the college so I could have a totally quiet conservatory without even so much as a class going on!  It would be cold though - they turn down the heat in all the buildings during the break.  Ah well, solitude can come at a price!

My Jaime

I just love my niece Jaime.  She's 18 and has grown into an awesome young woman.  Not only that, she's talented!  I invited her to join me for a day in Olivet to collaborate on some music and she said it sounds like fun!  She's written some music for classroom assignments but that's about it.  She's played the flute for years and so I asked her to bring it with her.  Years ago I wrote a piece for flute and piano entitled "Jaime's Theme" and gave it to her.  Unfortunately, her sheet music was actually stolen at school (!) and I had it stored as an electronic file on a computer hard drive in another state so... anyway, who knows when we'll get that out again.  I guess I could re-do the sheet music for it but I don't want to.  I'm just glad she accepted my invitation to come and write and just see what comes out!  It will be fun and I'm sure she is amply talented to be a songwriter.  She may also end up playing some flute parts for my project.  YES!!!

Making the arrangements!

Well, I sent an email to a couple of professors at Olivet's conservatory of music to see if I can arrange to do some writing, practicing and maybe even recording at the conservatory.  Or, if they can put me in touch with the person to talk to so that I can arrange that.

I've always wanted to perform at their little recital hall.  Wouldn't it be cool to perform the songs from this album there to kick off the CD?  I could probably fill it with family and friends alone!  Haha!

Well the last day of classes for the college was today so here's hoping that someone gets back with me before January.  I'm sure they will.

If I cover anything...

My plan is to create a CD of all-original material.  HOWEVER, I do reserve the right to put a cover or two in it.  The one I really want to do is a gorgeous tune from the musical The Secret Garden called "How Could I Ever Know?"  My favorite poet is Emily Dickinson, so I might put some of her words to music, or cover an arrangement we did at Olivet College in choir of "Heart, We Will Forget Him."  I haven't been lucky enough to locate this amazing piece yet, though if I end up spending a week there writing, I'll see if someone will let me check the choral library to see if it's still there.  So anyway, don't be surprised to see a cover or two on my project.  I'm not sure if I could get the necessary permissions in time for the 2-month deadline, though.  I'll look into it!

Evening Song

I'm diving right into a song that I started years ago and wrote for the guitar and voice.  Have you ever known someone who is so good at listening that they make you feel like you're the only person in the world, and it's a healing experience just to talk to them?  Imagine that person and that feeling.  The "you" that the song addresses is actually the memory of the person, a memory and feeling so strong that it could make me feel uplifted and protected all night, even though I was alone.  This is why the person that the song addresses is born of the evening and dies at the dawning.  It's a memory, the shadow of the person, that has done its job and now vanishes as I awake.  I hope that I can paint in song the feeling that I actually had, because it was wonderful, and I still long for it.  Who wouldn't?

The song is tentatively titled "Evening Song."  I have a long first verse and a transition, but no actual chorus.  I'm not sure I want one.  If I put one in, though, the title will probably change.  But it probably takes a minute or more to get to where the chorus would start.  I will have to think some more on that one.

Now that I'm re-learning the guitar chords, may I just say that I hate F?!  I HATE F!!!  It hurts my wrist to play it!

I'm finding though that singing and playing this song is healing for me.  It takes me back to that place a little bit.  I have tried to make the chord progression interesting and a little unexpected, and the melody beautiful.  If I can figure out how to finish this one, it would be a song I'd be proud to put on this project.

Kick off

I've given myself a budget of $5000 and a timeline of 2 months to create a music CD of all-original material.  I'm honestly not sure if this is realistic but it's my goal.  To start, I purchased a Mac iBook and a guitar - a lovely little Ibanez from their Exotic Wood line.  That alone was quite a chunk of change!

The mac came with a program called Garage Band but I'm dubious that this will help.  I'll check it out, but my initial plan is to get Finale and Tabledit.  I'll score out all the music in Finale and I'm using Tabledit to figure out what I want the guitar parts to sound like as well as to help me to learn to play what I write for the guitar.  I'm rusty and still trying to remember how to play some songs I wrote on the guitar!  It's coming back to me fast - don't worry!

When the CD is done, I'll have more than CDs to offer; I'll also be able to publish the sheet music in various forms and the guitar tabs.  I always receive a lot of requests for sheet music, so this will make many people happy, I'm sure.  It will also save time during the recording process if I have parts scored out for hired musicians.  I'm not opposed to jamming as long as what the musicians actually play gets recorded as sheet music.  This is because of the frustration I and many others have experienced purchasing sheet music from artists like Tori Amos only to find that the parts written vary greatly from what Tori actually plays (and the beautiful section at the beginning of "Mother" was missing entirely).  I'm going to do my best to make sure that the sheet music for this project doesn't disappoint!  By the way I love you, Tori - sorry to pick on you!  I'm a huge fan!

My husband has graciously agreed to let me spend a week away from home writing the material for this album.  His mother will be flying in to help take care of our 3 children.  I'm hoping to spend the week at my alma mater, where there is a conservatory of music and even a recording studio.  I don't know if I would be using the studio at all, but the thought of having a nice practice room to write in and some actual solitude is inviting!

The journey has begun!

WELCOME to my blog!  Here I am detailing the process of recording my first CD project from start to finish.  I hope that this blog will help someone else who just doesn't know where to start.  Stay tuned to listen as well - I'll be providing song samples along the way!  I hereby declare this project started!  Won't you join me on this journey?