Yeah, I know. It's been awhile.
I had a bit of a stumble - I went to Virginia for a gig, then got a bit sick, and soon I was two weeks behind on my song project. I'm almost caught up, but now there's another impediment. The Friday before last, on my way to my usual busking spot (Main and Howard), I did something stupid. I was carrying my guitar case on my shoulder, as I do when I'm hauling my busking gear. I turned my head at precisely the wrong moment, and walked straight into a parking meter. Full speed. And of course, the impact came entirely on my left ring finger, smashing it between the metal meter and my hard guitar case.
I set up and tried to play through it, but couldn't get past two songs. My finger was swollen and purple. Damn it! Here it is, a week and a half later, and I still can't play my guitar. So frustrating.
Fortunately, I'd started catching up on my backlog earlier that day, so I had two songs with guitar recorded. I was able to finish them up, thanks to some clever chopping and pasting of the guitar bits I had on file. Here they are:
Love is a Wonder
This is a very positive song. Shocker. Dirk writing a positive song? Unthinkable! Well, what can I say. I'm a positive guy, and it comes out in my music.
Falling (In Slow Motion)
I had the melody. I liked the melody. Didn't have a clue what to write. And then it hit me. The song is told through the eyes of a narrator who is being hanged for something. Perhaps it's the same character from Alibi. Maybe the whole alibi thing didn't work, and he's now being executed. Who knows? In any case, the idea is that the song takes place in that brief moment between the platform being dropped, and the rope snapping his neck. Sounds morbid, right? But that's not the feeling I get from the song. It's more of a moment of clarity and insight. I was really satisfied with how this song turned out.
I wrote these on the same day, and I must say, I'm pretty happy with both of them.
I had a third bit of guitar recorded as well, which I should have a completed song out of tonight. And then I'll need to do this week's song, and then I'll be caught up. I think. I've lost track now.
In other news:
I have a new tool/toy. It's an iPad, and I love it. I've got some great songwriting tools on it. Garageband for the iPad, while limited, is an incredible tool for writing on the fly. Using the "smart" instruments, I can cut and loop chord progressions in minutes, anywhere. Using the built-in microphone, I can even record vocals. I have an app called "Songwriter's Kit" or something, which is a lyric-writing tool. I can assign lyrics to verses, bridges, choruses, and move them around. It has a built-in rhyming dictionary and a sort of thesaurus. Awesome.
Oh, and now I can take credit cards when I sell merchandise. Pretty sweet!
Yesterday I took it to the dog park and started working on ideas for this week's song. What an amazing tool.
My finger is still too sore to play, so who knows if I'll be able to busk this weekend. At this rate I'm guessing not.
My apologies for the long silence, I'll try to be better about updating! Have an excellent day.
I had a bit of a stumble - I went to Virginia for a gig, then got a bit sick, and soon I was two weeks behind on my song project. I'm almost caught up, but now there's another impediment. The Friday before last, on my way to my usual busking spot (Main and Howard), I did something stupid. I was carrying my guitar case on my shoulder, as I do when I'm hauling my busking gear. I turned my head at precisely the wrong moment, and walked straight into a parking meter. Full speed. And of course, the impact came entirely on my left ring finger, smashing it between the metal meter and my hard guitar case.
I set up and tried to play through it, but couldn't get past two songs. My finger was swollen and purple. Damn it! Here it is, a week and a half later, and I still can't play my guitar. So frustrating.
Fortunately, I'd started catching up on my backlog earlier that day, so I had two songs with guitar recorded. I was able to finish them up, thanks to some clever chopping and pasting of the guitar bits I had on file. Here they are:
Love is a Wonder
This is a very positive song. Shocker. Dirk writing a positive song? Unthinkable! Well, what can I say. I'm a positive guy, and it comes out in my music.
Falling (In Slow Motion)
I had the melody. I liked the melody. Didn't have a clue what to write. And then it hit me. The song is told through the eyes of a narrator who is being hanged for something. Perhaps it's the same character from Alibi. Maybe the whole alibi thing didn't work, and he's now being executed. Who knows? In any case, the idea is that the song takes place in that brief moment between the platform being dropped, and the rope snapping his neck. Sounds morbid, right? But that's not the feeling I get from the song. It's more of a moment of clarity and insight. I was really satisfied with how this song turned out.
I wrote these on the same day, and I must say, I'm pretty happy with both of them.
I had a third bit of guitar recorded as well, which I should have a completed song out of tonight. And then I'll need to do this week's song, and then I'll be caught up. I think. I've lost track now.
In other news:
I have a new tool/toy. It's an iPad, and I love it. I've got some great songwriting tools on it. Garageband for the iPad, while limited, is an incredible tool for writing on the fly. Using the "smart" instruments, I can cut and loop chord progressions in minutes, anywhere. Using the built-in microphone, I can even record vocals. I have an app called "Songwriter's Kit" or something, which is a lyric-writing tool. I can assign lyrics to verses, bridges, choruses, and move them around. It has a built-in rhyming dictionary and a sort of thesaurus. Awesome.
Oh, and now I can take credit cards when I sell merchandise. Pretty sweet!
Yesterday I took it to the dog park and started working on ideas for this week's song. What an amazing tool.
My finger is still too sore to play, so who knows if I'll be able to busk this weekend. At this rate I'm guessing not.
My apologies for the long silence, I'll try to be better about updating! Have an excellent day.
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