Inspiration and Sons

I had some interesting comments on my post below, "Bored -- No Extremes." They have caused me to think more about why I have found it difficult to sit and play the guitar or write music for quite some time now. There are many things that have pulled me away. They may be a product of getting older/more mature, or they may be something else.

The pull of job, family responsibilities, and other interests have probably been the greatest factor in dampening the allure of music to me. Perhaps the best description is that I've spread myself too thin. With the limited amount of time we have each day, we must prioritize our responsibilities and interests in the manner that best fits necessity first, and then desire. Music has fallen lower on the list of priorities than it once was. When I was younger and had dreams of performing professionally, or of selling a song, music was a higher priority. When it became purely recreation, the priority dropped. When I found other recreational pursuits to occupy my time, such as writing, it dropped even further.

Another issue, which is directly related to the factors listed above, is time. In order to not become bored with playing music, I need to spend time learning new songs. Otherwise, I become bored with playing the same old songs over and over again. In many ways, playing for myself -- even for escape -- has become stale.

Songwriting is a different endeavor entirely. It can be approached in one of two ways. First, it can be a disciplined effort during a time set aside for the sole purpose of writing -- just like blogging has become. This has never really been my approach. It probably should have been. I have been told numerous times by various people (some who should really know) that my talent in that area is above average and should be pursued. I've never had the "burn" for it though. Second, it can be the product of inspiration. Like most creative endeavors, such as painting, inspiration is crucial to the process. Even in a disciplined approach there must be inspiration to write on a particular subject. For me, it takes time for that inspiration to "cook." It takes about three days of relaxation/vacation/avoidance of work and other demands to reach a point of being ready to write music. That just doesn't seem to happen anymore.

Writing for this blog is both inspired and disciplined. Throughout my work day I often think about what I want to write about. I look for subjects in my workplace, in the areas that I travel, and in the people that I encounter throughout the day. Not always, but usually, I have a pretty good idea of the subject of my post long before I sit down to the computer. It is more difficult with songwriting. For me, I need my guitar in hand. That is because the melody usually comes with the words. They rarely come to me separately. Sometimes the subject of a song will "percolate" throughout the day, just like a subject for my blog entry, but the music that is in the environment often corrupts the melody that comes with the subject. That's when I need the time to relax and let it resurface in order to sit and compose.

Interestingly, my son inspired me to learn a new song today. He has not read my post and did not know of the struggle that I have had with my music lately. But, he came to me with a song that he wanted to learn last night and asked me to help him. His question to me was, "Dad, have you ever just listened to a song you want to learn and then learned it?" My response was that most of the music that I know was learned by writing down the words to songs that I heard on the radio or elsewhere and then working through the chords to them. He played the song for me and I started playing along with the CD. I think he was surprised. Today, I pulled the Tablature off of the Internet (something I didn't have when I was his age) and after work today, I sat down and played it for him. Then I gave him the Tabs and he showed me some "licks" that he had worked out on his own. He has a lot of talent. I hope that he never loses the inspiration to play and learn. Maybe he will inspire me to stay with it.

Bored -- No Extremes

For years, my guitar was my escape. I could go in my room, shut the door, and become completely absorbed into the music. I would sit and play and sing for hours at a time. I probably knew well over 100 songs by heart.

Sometimes I would be in the mood to write music. I have no idea how many songs I've written through the years. They are tucked into files and notebooks and desk drawers or lying loose in my guitar case. I don't know if I've written a hundred songs, but probably at least fifty.

It seems that for the last few years it has been very difficult to get in the mood to play music, let alone to write music. Music comes from the heart. My heart hasn't been in it.

The mood to play or write music seems to be tied to extremes. When I am happy, I play music. When I am melancholy or despondent, I write music. The writing is a release. It usually lifts me from my despondency.

I think that I have fallen into a rut of complacency; that is why the music doesn't hold me in thrall the way it does when the emotional pendulum is at an extreme. Perhaps it is a warning sign. Maybe extremes are designed to recharge us.

In a way, it's like the diversity around us -- both in nature and in humanity. It would certainly be boring if it was all the same. Without the swings, we would probably die of boredom.

Ramblings on Music

This is choir night and I'm in Garden City, Kansas. I guess it seems strange that I look forward to choir practice the way that I do. I always try to get home in time to make it there on Wednesday nights. Church choir is what I'm talking about. I enjoy singing.

Our choir is very good. Not professional level of course, but very good. Don't tell him, but I attribute a lot of the high quality of our choir to the director. He is very demanding -- almost militaristic in his approach to practice and to performance. He brings a discipline to us that I've not experienced with other directors. It is a good thing. It brings out our best.

We sing a wide variety of pieces in choir ranging from arrangements of some of the more contemporary pieces to the very difficult "high church" music from several hundred years ago. We are always challenged.

I think some of my favorite pieces are the Southern Gospel pieces. We don't do a lot of them, but I especially like some of the Bill Gaither arrangements. However, I just as much like some of the arrangements of the Chris Tomlin pieces, or -- well, just about anything we attempt. It is just a joy to sing with a choir that can handle about anything that is thrown at it.

I also sing in a small group called BASIC. It stands for Brothers And Sisters In Christ. We do mostly contemporary pieces. The group is small enough and the members adept enough that we can do some difficult harmonies effectively. The hardest part of singing in BASIC is that we have to memorize everything. I have let my memory skills decline with age and it is sometimes difficult for me to achieve the confidence level necessary to perform the songs from memory. I always want a crutch of some kind. Fortunately (or, unfortunately), our director does not allow us to use a crutch. No notes, no music, nothing.

I have sung with self-accompaniment on the guitar for years. The guitar has become my memory crutch. As long as I am playing the guitar, it seems I can remember the songs. Without it, the words seem to evaporate. I don't know what that is telling me. Probably that my mental discipline has lapsed through the years.

Suffice it to say, I love music. I like all kinds of music. If you looked at the collection of CD's in the console of my pickup, you wouldn't know what my favorite kind of music was. There is everything from Rachmaninov to Stevie Ray Vaugh, The Eagles to Steven Curtis Chapman, and everything in between. I like any "good" music. I don't care for most Rap and I don't care for Pop (Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc.), but I like Blues, Jazz, Contemporary Christian, old Rock, Rock and Roll, Classical, Big Band, Choral, Instrumental, Country, Blue Grass -- and just about anything else you can think of . I like music. I like strong lyrics and I like great music even if the words are so-so. Strong lyrics combined with strong music are a rarity.

I've written a little music through the years. I'm not very good at it, but it is fun to make the attempt. Who knows, maybe someday, I'll write something that people will enjoy. My goal is just for them to not know that I wrote it, but ask, "who wrote that?!!"

Writing music and writing poetry aren't all that different. Many poems can be set to music. Most contemporary music is written to a formula. That's not my goal. I don't think that writing to a formula is true art. It is closer to mathematics. When I write, I want it to convey a specific message. Sure, the lure of selling a hit is always there, but the art itself should be pure. If the art is good (just like a painting that is well done) it should sell.

There is music everywhere. I think God "broadcasts" songs to the earth. Different artists hear it and therefore express it differently. I think that is why there are often multiple songs released on a common theme at about the same time. Have you ever noticed that? When some artist releases a song with a new theme, there are often multiple songs with similar themes released in the same relatively short time-frame. The time-frame is too short for them to have been created in response to the first release -- they had to have been created virtually simultaneously. To me, that's God supplying the theme and the creative impulse of man revealing it to their brothers. Who knows? Maybe I'm right and your belief that it is just coincidence is merely your way of denying the truth. Ok, so I'm on a soap box. My point is -- I like music. I believe it expresses our deepest feelings and reveals our inermost truths.