|
Recently, a passenger on my bus was telling me about her father dying. She said that she needed to prepare for speaking at his funeral. A few days later she read to me several poems that she wrote in honor of her father. These were things she wanted to say at his funeral service. What she wrote was very good, so I asked her if I could have a copy and try to put some music to it. She graciously agreed.
Later, I was listening to a series of pieces by Blue Keys Project and thought that one, "Optimistic Noise Part II" had the potential of matching the words in temperment. I began adapting the song and came up with a version that seemed to meet my needs.
I called Gary and asked him to set aside a day to record the song. When I showed up at the studio, he was at the keyboards working on his version of a melody. It took us about four hours to finally get the music set. Then Gary began singing.
Several times as he say the song through, we had to stop for an emotional break. Gary sang several harmony lines and then worked with his computer to refine the individual vocal tracks. We needed a stronger ending than provided by the original music, so I worked with the keyboards and Gary recorded a final chord for the fadeout. It was all coming together.
By the end of the day, two tired musicians had produced a piece of music. We hope that many people will find the uplifting, emotionally releasing song an appropriate and respectful addition to any memorial service.
Click here to hear the song and see pictures from the studio work.
|
