composition - 'Removals'

As usual in the middle of the night, I've started work on a new song. The working title is 'Removals'; I'm actually pretty pleased with how this one is progressing. Considering I have had writer's block/lack of inspiration of late, I have surprised myself with how organically the structure is forming. The melody and harmony do seem to be "writing themselves". I'm scoring it for drum kit, (will probably replace this with something from the VST library in due course) neutral voice and piano. It's one of my typical depressing songs concerning how a fictitious guy wants to "remove" all aspects of a girl he once liked from his life so he can start feeling happier.

composition - rock opera: "Angry Father"

I've decided to completely redo the 3rd act of the rock opera because the storyline as it currently sits makes little sense. Decide for yourself:

Original synopsis: (Act 1) Eileen is a fifteen year old girl. She lives with her father – her parents separated 6 years ago. She has a penchant for Guns n Roses and gets into trouble all the time at school. One day she goes too far and gets expelled, so her father decides that she needs morals and values drummed into her. So he sends her to a nunnery in the hope of changing her attitude. (Act 2) Predictably, the ways of the nunnery prove to strongly disagree with Eileen’s attitude. (Act 3) She escapes and hides out at a friend's house, during which time they form a rock band and start gigging at local venues. The band works hard and eventually finds stardom and wealth.

Revised synopsis: (Act 1) Eileen is a fifteen year old girl. She lives with her father – her parents separated 6 years ago. She has a penchant for Guns n Roses and gets into trouble all the time at school. One day she goes too far and gets expelled, so her father decides that she needs morals and values drummed into her. So he sends her to a nunnery in the hope of changing her attitude. (Act 2) Predictably, the ways of the nunnery prove to strongly disagree with Eileen’s attitude. (Act 3) She escapes and hides out at a homeless shelter at the other end of town. Back at the school, her father is alerted when nobody can find Eileen, and a TV broadcast goes out. Eventually she returns home and reluctantly agrees with her father to try a little harder.

Following on from that, I have archived the original scores (crap, I even got the original rock opera score bound in its entirety at not inconsiderable cost... whoops) and have set out to compose new pieces to bring the work to a satisfactory conclusion. It seems to me that the path Act 3 should take ought to be something like this: Homeless Shelter -> Angry Father -> TV Broadcast -> Returning Home -> Promises -> All's Well/Finale

'Homeless Shelter' was rejigged a few weeks ago from the original 'Lying Low at Claire's' with some changes to the music and obviously the lyrics too. It should take another couple of months to finish the whole thing, time permitting of course!

performance - coming out of hiding

It's been nearly a year since I posted on here...and not long after I wrote on my other blog to "not expect any updates on JAG Music for a while as my musical creative drive has been flatlining", I have been asked to play the piano at two weddings. One of them would be for one of my best friends, Ben, who I have known since my student days at Leeds University. The other would be for my sister. I can hardly say no to either of them! Here's a taster of the set I have drawn up for my sister's wedding:

The Closest Thing To Crazy                      Melua

(Getting Some) Fun Out of Life                  Leslie/Burke

Love Lifts Us Up                                Cocker/Warnes

Your Song                                       Elton John

She’s a Star                                    James

Unintended                                      Muse

Drive/Sway                                      Runga

Mercy                                           Duffy

Heartbeats                                      Gonzalez

When I’m Sixty-Four                             The Beatles

Hands Down                                      Dashboard
                                                Confessional

Oxygen                                          Feeder

Never Stopped Loving You                        Pol

Fields of Gold                                  Sting

Brown Eyed Girl                                 van Morrison

Pretty Woman                                    Orbison

Moon River                                      Mancini

Arrivederci Roma                                Martin

Stand By Me                                     King

Hallelujah                                      Cohen

Sometimes When We Touch                         Hill

I Know Him So Well                              Paige

Unchained Melody                                North/Zaret

All I Ask of You                                Lloyd Webber

Prelude                                         Gliére

Clair de Lune (Bergamasque Suite)               Debussy

Sonata in C                                     Clementi

Le Onde                                         Einaudi

Stella del Mattino                              Einaudi

Gymnopedie I                                    Satie

Lied Ohne Worte                                 Mendelssohn

Prelude (Op. 28 No. 15)                         Chopin