So here I am this morning sipping my coffee, telling a story about my disco days, my black disco outfit, my black (Le Black Cat) Capri and I remembered this song from FAWM 25. And the story behind the song and how it may have a new name (ghosting), but it’s nothing new.
What’s a girl to do? Live your best life, of course. :)
(This song is from the “7 Keys to my Heart” album on Bandcamp).
People often ask me how living in Las Vegas compares to living in Florida and this (in the video) is what I tell them. As for the rest, it comes from a lifetime of people watching and eavesdropping – lol!
The song is a remix of an original I wrote during 50/90 2023 called “A Woman’s Dilemma.”
Hope you enjoy!
Reading a sample of “The Music Lesson” by Victor Hooten, I found validation for what I’ve been saying all along:
“You are just a bass player. That means you play the bass guitar. A true musician, like me, plays Music and uses particular instruments as tools to do so. I know that Music is inside me and not inside the instrument. This understanding allows me to use any instrument, or no instrument at all, to play my Music. I am a true musician, and one day, you too shall be.”
And goes on to compare a musician with a writer:
“A true writer can write using a typewriter, a pen, a pencil, or anything else that he chooses. You wouldn’t call him a pencil writer, would you? Your understanding that the writing utensil is just a tool allows you to see past it and into the truth of what he is–a writer. The story is in the writer, is it not? Or is it in the pencil? Your problem is this: You have been trying to tell your story with a bass guitar instead of through it.”
Bravo! In too many music circles, people are being judged for using their DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as their main instrument instead of a guitar or piano or whatever. Being treated like they’re not a *real* musician.
My very first instrument was an electric organ. *Electric” – did you catch that? I’ve been using electronic instruments since I was 7 years old. Yet, I’m being treated as if my music isn’t *real* music. I’ve been involved with computers since my first *real* job in 1976. Boomers are often criticized for not knowing computers or understanding electronic music. But not this one. Old or new, they’re all just tools.
I may also play a piano riff and mix it inside my music. Or even a guitar riff (Yes, I have two guitar–acoustic and electric). I may even use a loop. Gasp! (as if the “professionals” don’t). Because it’s all about experimenting with different tools for the sake of the song. The *music.”
I love music, all kinds of music. And a DAW gives me the power to focus on the music and not just one instrument, which I always found so boring! I don’t play any one instrument well! I got too bored to just focus on that one instrument. Especially the violin – lol! But I love the sound of all these instruments. And I love mixing many sounds together to make music.
In my great grandfather’s day, they didn’t have DAWs. But loving music, he crafted several instruments and played them all. Those are the tools he had. And these are the tools I have (acoustic, electronic, and digital instruments). I’m so thrilled to have these tools. Because it’s all about the music.
None of this addresses the whole AI situation. But, perhaps, there’s room for that, too. If viewed as just another tool.
And now I need to download the rest of that book.
I seem to set a few of my stories on cruise ships. It’s the perfect setting to me. The location is mostly contained, which I find very helpful as a writer, and I happen to live not far from a cruise port where I love to hang out for a bit of breakfast after church early Sunday morning. It’s a perfect day.
“Star of the Seas” is in port on Sundays right now. We’re counting down to our cruise on her with a stop at “Perfect Day at Coco Cay.” So it’s a perfect day in more ways than one.
Here’s my latest short video on YouTube.
Counting down to my 25th cruise, I’m remembering my first published novel – the one that got me an agent. And how another agent had said that “Cyn was fabulous!” Maybe this will motivate me back to writing “Night Moon” for Nov/Nov, although I might have to change the setting to a cruise ship – lol!
Here’s a little audio excerpt I did for YouTube.
NovNov has begun, replacing NanoWriMo, the 50K writing challenge every November. I did it once and created a bunch of garbage. Looking for some kind of challenge, this year I stumbled onto NovNov (November Novel). I’m not aiming fpr 50K this month but I do hope to write something each day.
I also hope to finish the first draft by February so I can write the album during FAWM (February Album Writing Month). I’m scribbling some song ideas down as the writing is inspiring the music and the music is inspiring the writing.
This year’s rocktober is winding down. Rocktober is when our little songwriting group shares cover songs. This song stood out from “The Voice” last week. I struggled with the chorus because I don’t have the chops to hit those high notes. So I went lower but to compensate for the build of the chorus through the vocals, I gave the piano a boost to build the excitement of the chorus.
Praying for the people of Jamaica!
Kathy Holmes Music 