bring music back into my life

We had a sort of reunion. And a practice. We sang 3 and 4 parts, the harmonies coming back as we sang. None of the instrumental musicians were there except Stephen, so it was either a capella or with his guitar.

Has it really been 5 years since we cut that last CD, the one that we ended up splitting over?

And then, we have two gigs coming up? Just as an experiment?

I can not afford to hope, because then I might cry. I can only afford to enjoy what is available right now, what will be available in the next few weeks. It might be another 5 years before we get together again.

and if you go at just the right time some of the dealers throw things away and I managed to get a copy of “The Bangles” “Different Light” vinyl LP for free :o)) I always had a thing for Debbie Peterson. I sat and listened to the album over dinner and went on a huge nostalgia trip.

Keep walking like Egyptians
D

I decided to take a look at what to see what was on her list and I spotted something that I then realised had been missing from my life for a while, Music. When I was young and foolish music formed a big part of my life, buying LP’s going, to concerts making mix tapes etc. Now nothing. Now I’m older but still not much wiser I shall put a soundtrack at the back of my life. Thanks for waking me up to this one Joie de Vivre, time I got back on track.

Long before there ever was a Brokeback Mountain:

He was only a Lavender Cowboy

The hairs on his chest they were two

He wanted to follow the heroes

And do like the he-men do

...

He battled for Red Nellie’s honor

He cleaned up a hold-up nest

He died with his six guns a-blazin’

But only two hairs on his chest

In my naive youth, I thought “lavender” just meant that he was young and inexperienced. Now I know better. Even “Nellie” is a code word in this song.

Another version

There’s going to be a Tiferet reunion, and we’re going to sing in September. How cool is that?

I had a sort of middle eastern melody going through my brain on the way to work today – working it in my mind in different variations.

Then I thought about words for it. I thought about the Aleinu. We usually sing the usual tune for the Aleinu at shul. It’s a triumphal tune for a triumphalist prayer of Judaism.

Maybe in a time of rampant anti-Semetism, that’s what was needed. Is that what is needed now?

I was thinking of using this innocent little melody I’ve been working on. And taking the words of the Aleinu, and doing a little interpretative translation that is more inclusive. And seeing what happens.

We are the ones given this way of praising the Holy One

We celebrate our uniqueness, and that of others

Immersed in the wonder of what we all are

Therefore we bend the knee, and we bow

We proclaim our gratitude to the Holy One

Something like this. Needs more work.

I asked Camp Sealth if I could volunteer at Guitar Camp

It came in the mail today. I sang my way through the whole thing.

I learned how to play from this book. I lost it maybe before or after I lived in Japan, I’m not sure. I haven’t sung from it then for at least 25 years.

The name is perfect – Joy of Guitar by Happy Traum.

I realized while in the bath today, that going at music through ensemble work or singing in a choir – this just isn’t me. And I did that for so long! Working so hard at blend and intonation, towards a performance. It just made me tired and quite often feeling inadequate.

I don’t want to do that. What I enjoyed when I was in Tiferet was the feeling of singing with wild abandon, not all the other technical stuff that I’d have to struggle with so hard.

I just want to play and sing, play and sing, play and sing!!

I sing and play the guitar, and then I have music in my head all day, especially on the bike. And I wake up in the middle of the night with the same thing going on. Not surprisingly, the songs I work on the most are the most likely to appear.

Leonard Cohen’s coming into town, so I worked quite a bit on “Suzanne”.

and just when you want to tell her
that you have no love to give her
she gets you on her wavelength
and lets the river answer
that you’ve always been her lover

I need to dig out more of my music books.

My whole life, I’ve only put the cheapest damn strings on a guitar. I’m a grown-up now, and I make OK money – I don’t have to put on $5 strings. Guitars Northwest put on $16 strings for me – yes, not only did I buy decent strings, I paid someone to put them on. The guitar sounds like a professional instrument with the right strings.

Then, because it was on the piano, I got out Great Songs of the Sixties. I played and sang a little. Then, I burst into tears during “Both Sides Now”, the second set of C – Cmaj7 – C6 – Cmaj7. I pulled it together, finished the verse. When I sang the second stanza, again, I started crying during the same chord progression.

I sang my way about half-way through the book, then put it down.

My fingertips are sore.