Musical Horizons

"When there is more in your head than you find in your life, calls for a change"

This is one of my most favorite song lyrics. Its from the Sundays, "I Can't Wait" off their Static & Silence album. You're listening to this song right now. If you've never heard this album, take a listen! Its such complicated, well-composed, amazing music, IMHO. This sentiment has rung true for me at various points in my life. I listen to this song often, as this is one of my favorite CD's. Sometimes, when I hear these words, I don't think about them much. But when I find these words striking a chord within my soul, then I know its time for a change. Time for me to pursue something that will broaden my mind, my heart, my horizons. I am going through such a time right now.

I am going to take this opportunity, since I am talking about the Sundays, to post the complete lyrics for another song on this same album, "Folk Song". This song is just so beautiful I have to. Of course the lyrics alone are no way to enjoy or even come close to fully appreciating a song, and that is certainly the case with this song especially, but until breathe gets home and shows me how to post a song file legally, this will have to do. Update- thanks, breathe! You got it to work. Luv ya!

"Folk Song", by the Sundays

summer sky and a throat bone dry
and the fields are all gold
dusty lane with a song in my brain
and it stoned me to my soul

I climb higher move towards the fire.....blaze sun
silver trees and a whispering breeze
are my sight and my sound
the thought of heaven couldn't drag me from the path
when I'm wandering here alone
I climb higher move towards the fire.... so blaze sun
watch until it dies slow falling from the sky
pale fading sun

I have recently felt a pull towards writing music, getting things down on paper, or recorded, that are in my head. The time of day this happens most is early morning- I often have a lucid dream of some music or lyrics, and wake up with it in my mind. But then I head to the shower, and by the time my hair is dry, its gone. Rarely have I been able to hold onto it long enough to get to the computer to write the lyrics down (or type them up, however you want to say it!). And I haven't ever been able to sit down and play the music to accompany the lyrics. So this is what has lead me to my latest endeavor: learning how to play the piano. My brother, who is very musically inclined and has lots of experience with it, has told me that the piano is the absolute best instrument to learn to read and write music with. I have started Class Piano I at College of DuPage for this fall semester. I can tell already how challenging it is going to be. I played the violin in grade school, so I know a tiny bit about reading music, but the bass clef is new to me, and of course I am not used to using both hands equally, and it's going to take a lot of discipline and time. And I have to cut my nails! But the payoff will be worth it. I get chills thinking about actually being able to compose a song and play it. I am a long way off from that, but I'll get there. Maybe when we finally get our iMac with garage band on it, I will be much closer to being able to lay down some tracks!!

I now have the challenge of needing to purchase a counter-weighted digital piano with all 88 keys on it, with MIDI, under $500. Anyone know someone selling a decent used one? Its not urgent, as I can practice at my sisters' house or at COD, but eventually I will be needing one.

I'll conclude by posting a song I wrote myself. It's hard for me to post this, I'll admit. I wish I could post the music too, but I can't.

"Here We Are" (written 2-18-06)

(slow, piano solo, drawn out notes)

Here we are
So alone, with nowhere to go
Like a dreidel spinning out of control
When will we topple over?

Here we are
It over-takes me, the desolation
Looking out, it will never, ever end
Till our minds become one

We could go on
What would the point be, it's done and gone
Another universe, another crime
Will that get us to the Church on time?

We are one
Always have been, not the chosen ones
Every breath, every kernel in time
Woven together like wool

We will go on
like a big smoke screen, Oh what does it mean?

(could be ending bridge, building drums)

'Till out comes the sun
And that warming burst of fire,
It fills us with burning desire
All we have is that desire