Greetings... Earthlings! :)
Here's the latest song I've been working on. Still a work in progress. As I discussed in the previous entry on this subject (check out episode uno: Songwriting and the Soul) this is the "sister song" to "England". This take was recorded a few minutes ago and is basically just documentation for what I've got so far. I find that recording while I write is extremely helpful.
If the widget thingy doesn't work click the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/maggieberry/dreary-november-in-the-soul
I sort of like where the song is heading, even though it's still growing and becoming an actual song.
More info and tidbits coming soon!
-MB
Monday, August 12, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Jackson Browne Part 1
I discovered Jackson Browne when I first started playing guitar. My lovely, and wonderful guitar teacher insisted upon teaching me songs like "These Days" and "Something Fine." Even though it took me forever to nail down both of these songs (I'm still admittedly fuzzy on "Something Fine"), these have become two of the many songs that make up my soul. I'm pretty sure Jackson Browne music makes up at least 86% of my soul; probably more.
I can't remember which song I was presented with first. I know that I learned "These Days" much quicker than I did "Something Fine", but that doesn't mean it was the one I heard first. In any case, I'll start with discussing "Something Fine" because the first time I heard it was a pretty significant life moment for me.
I walked into this basement computer lab, where the man who taught me about guitar and life basically lived (at least in my mind at the time). I was having a difficult time dealing with other people's teenage drama that seemed to be infecting school, which has always been a zone of peace for me. I can't remember if he asked how I was or if I'd just started blabbering on about all the crap, but in any case his response to my angst was "That's why we're going to learn 'Something Fine.'" He then handed me a pile of papers with a tabs, chords and lyrics on it and showed me a Youtube video of the song. This song has been a bizarre source of comfort to me ever since.
Still, it took me forever and a day to even remotely figure out how to play the song. All I really know at this point is you're supposed to tune your A string down to a G and then I know some of the chords. I still don't really have the whole song down.
I love the lyrics though: "California's shaking like an angry child will who's asked for love but is unanswered still"-- I think I probably feel like that child more often than I'd care to admit. "And you know it's taken it's share of me, even though you take such good care of me..." Yes. I feel that.
"The future hides and the past just slides and England lies between"--Perfect.
I have the guitar line to "These Days" down solid. This is one of those songs I want at my funeral. It's just so full of meaning. Here's a cover I did right after I got back to school after being in the hospital for two weeks after almost dying of not one, but two pulmonary embolisms:
Don't judge it too harshly, as I explain in the video my lungs were still pretty weak (and I was pretty physically as well).
More Jackson Browne love coming soon. I have a lot more to say about the man and his music.
Peace.
-MB
I can't remember which song I was presented with first. I know that I learned "These Days" much quicker than I did "Something Fine", but that doesn't mean it was the one I heard first. In any case, I'll start with discussing "Something Fine" because the first time I heard it was a pretty significant life moment for me.
I walked into this basement computer lab, where the man who taught me about guitar and life basically lived (at least in my mind at the time). I was having a difficult time dealing with other people's teenage drama that seemed to be infecting school, which has always been a zone of peace for me. I can't remember if he asked how I was or if I'd just started blabbering on about all the crap, but in any case his response to my angst was "That's why we're going to learn 'Something Fine.'" He then handed me a pile of papers with a tabs, chords and lyrics on it and showed me a Youtube video of the song. This song has been a bizarre source of comfort to me ever since.
Still, it took me forever and a day to even remotely figure out how to play the song. All I really know at this point is you're supposed to tune your A string down to a G and then I know some of the chords. I still don't really have the whole song down.
I love the lyrics though: "California's shaking like an angry child will who's asked for love but is unanswered still"-- I think I probably feel like that child more often than I'd care to admit. "And you know it's taken it's share of me, even though you take such good care of me..." Yes. I feel that.
"The future hides and the past just slides and England lies between"--Perfect.
I have the guitar line to "These Days" down solid. This is one of those songs I want at my funeral. It's just so full of meaning. Here's a cover I did right after I got back to school after being in the hospital for two weeks after almost dying of not one, but two pulmonary embolisms:
Don't judge it too harshly, as I explain in the video my lungs were still pretty weak (and I was pretty physically as well).
More Jackson Browne love coming soon. I have a lot more to say about the man and his music.
Peace.
-MB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)