There was one lesson that everybody—teachers, fellow students, staff, random passers-by—seemed to want me to take home from this year’s Circlesongs workshop with Bobby McFerrin et al*. And that was:
Stop talking. Start singing.
At one point the lesson was delivered by a chorus, right on my face. I was trying to describe one of the things I could maybe show people, maybe it would be helpf… “Stop talking! Start singing!” Okay then!
I later heard that fellow student Jascha was doing a song-a-day project, and I knew that that was the just kind of daily practice I needed. I had heard of “A Drawing A Day” projects and knew how productive the daily practice was for illustrators. Here was a thing I could do, everyday, no matter what else was going on in my life, that would cause me to engage—and, hopefully, sharpen—some of my skills.
And so, it has begun.
Each day, five days a week, I will sit down with Loopy and sing something. Some days, I will carry an intention or a dedication as I sing. Others, who knows? I will sing loops, layer, and plan a little arrangement for how I will bring them in and solo over them. I will not process the audio parts afterward. They will, therefore, be un-polished, un-professional, at least at first. I’ll include the individual loops at the end of each song, in case somebody someday wants to use them in a creation of their own. I’ll upload the result to Soundcloud, and mention it on Facebook and Twitter. The whole process should take under an hour — 40 minutes if I’m properly dedicated to the immediacy of the music of the moment.
I could talk about music. I will, in fact. I got stuff to say. But before I allow myself the luxurious distraction of analysis and commentary, I will sing. And, so that the rubber is well in-contact with the road, I will show you what I sing, and let you use it if you wish.
That’s the gig.
* the rest of the faculty at Circlesongs: Rhiannon, Joey Blake, Dave Worm, Judy Vinar, Christiane Karam, and Karen Goldfeder. Deep gratitude to them for 4 years of lessons—some of them hard, all of them joyful.