3rd Open Mic

ok if not that a couple of people told me there has been some improvement, I'd probably hang it up! Perhaps there's some hope!

[Nightingale]

Hi Pam,

Hey, you know what? Anything you do gets better with practice so just keep having fun with it.
I think it sounds like you have a blast singing and playing for people and that part of it is more important than being perfect at it.

That's really nice about your friend. You had to wait a lot of years to hear her perform again...that's wonderful that you could be there and share it with her.

I think it's great. More memories for the two of you to have....

That's very cool that your instrumental was a crowd pleaser That has to make you feel good!

[Yuri]

Hang in there Pam. As Nightingale says, things get better with practice - music, confidence, stage presence, interaction with the audience, etc. No musician will ever please everyone in the audience. Most major acts faced numerous rejections by the record company 'suits' and indifferent audiences until something sparked after which the hoards were stumbling over each other to claim they saw them first. Music is a funny business. As long it brings enjoyment to yourself, stick with it.

[Rainbow Trout]

Pam, hang in there. The more you do it, the better you will get. Just have lots of fun with it and don't worry!

[Patti]

Oh, Pam, it sounds like you are having a good time. I'm happy for you. Would you mind posting the lyrics for Little Bird? Or pm me.

[Moosedog]

Glad you're enjoying this so much, Pam.

Vickie

[Patti]

Pam, that is really nice. You wrote that 30 years ago? Did you write the words before the melody? Whether you think the lyrics are sophisticated or not, sometimes a person can just get a sense of a melody. Thank you.

[DawnsMinstrel]

Hi Pam,

sometimes sophistication can rob a lyric of its emotional power. I admire your efforts. Song writing is something that's usually hard for me. This week though the words have been flowing.

As I mentioned a while back I was supposed to go to Greece this week for a conference. Well, I must have lost my passport, because I've searched up and down my place for a week now and it's just gone. Vanished. I've had to stay home and sulk. But while sulking I wound up writing two songs. My wife says that that makes the missed conference worth it.

Anyway, what I really want to say Pam is that I really admire people who write songs and put them out there even when they're feeling a bit insecure about them. It's something I haven't done myself yet in 35 years of playing music, though I expect to be doing it soon. It's a brave thing to do and I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the great songs we have in this world were born of such insecurity. So keep it up and well done!

Tim

[DawnsMinstrel]

Any chance of seeing you perform any of these on a YouTube video? I'm particularly interested in the instrumentals. I have a few those myself.

Originally Posted by DawnsMinstrel

Any chance of seeing you perform any of these on a YouTube video? I'm particularly interested in the instrumentals. I have a few those myself.

Not any time soon since I don't have a guitar that I'm content with playing. I've been borrowing one to use for the open mics. The Ibanez I have has some issues -has gone through 2 repairs. Last time, I had the nut replaced and since then the strings are sitting too low. Not a major issue except has resulted in the B string being too twangy (this drives me nuts). Probably I will get around to fixing that myself soon. And the Goya...I'm not accustomed to playing w/nylon strings and I struggle to play on a guitar with a wide neck.

[Cathy]

Here's a quick fix. Cut a pick the same width as the saddle, and about an inch long. Take the strings off, pull up the saddle, and place the piece of pick under the E, B, G strings. Put the saddle and strings back on and tune it up. That should get you by. It may deaden the tone on the high end slightly, but probably not too much if the pick is hard plastic. It will get you by until you can either buy or make a new saddle.

Cathy

[Patti]

I have this one that I wrote 31 and a half years ago. I tried to get it set to music once about 28 years ago. They said they were going to do it with this big symphoney orchestra, but they wanted money up front and I didn't have money plus I don't know if their offer was legit. I wrote a lot around 77, 78, 79, but this is the only one that I still have a copy of from that time. Someone to collaborate with is would be nice. I don't know how to write music.

Originally Posted by Cathy

Here's a quick fix. Cut a pick the same width as the saddle, and about an inch long. Take the strings off, pull up the saddle, and place the piece of pick under the E, B, G strings. Put the saddle and strings back on and tune it up. That should get you by. It may deaden the tone on the high end slightly, but probably not too much if the pick is hard plastic. It will get you by until you can either buy or make a new saddle.

Cathy

Thank you very much!!! Probably though, I'm going to be a wimp and just try to buffer the groove in the nut for the B. Although the other strings are low too, there are no sound issues so I'm hesitant to touch them.

Actually, the twangy B is slightly diminished when I'm plugged in...which I haven't in awhile. Charging up a 9v now or will snag one from a smoke detector a little later to see if I still notice a difference.

If the nut-buffering doesn't work, I'll try your quick fix -sounds good and thanx again!

Originally Posted by Patti

I have this one that I wrote 31 and a half years ago. I tried to get it set to music once about 28 years ago. They said they were going to do it with this big symphoney orchestra, but they wanted money up front and I didn't have money plus I don't know if their offer was legit. I wrote a lot around 77, 78, 79, but this is the only one that I still have a copy of from that time. Someone to collaborate with is would be nice. I don't know how to write music.

Now your turn to post some lyrics ...would you mind? Or PM to me? How's your playing coming along? Perhaps after awhile, you'll be able to create music for your lyrics.

[Patti]

Arising

Walking with the wind, brown leaves at my feet,
Trees at my side and the sun shedding heat,
To myself, but not alone because one spirit's within
Every plant and animal striving to win.
My brothers and sisters form a spiritual guide,
I'll raise my head but I'll swallow my pride,
Because we're all made from One, we grow when we share.
When our height's fully reached, the soul never tears.

-written January 1977


I am learning to read the notes as I'm practicing, (when I practice). I haven't for exactly a month... will I ever learn? My son said it was starting to sound like music. Once in the 90's, I thought I threw away everything I wrote, (I was just tired of papers), but then a while later, I found this one. It's published in some anthology book somewhere, but I didn't buy a copy.

Patti, thank you for sharing, "Arising" . It is very, very beautiful I hope you're still writing! And seems like you've been making progress w/the guitar.

[Patti]

Thank you, Pam.

Yes, after reading that book you started, Trust Your Heart, by Judy Collins, helped me make some progress. I just couldn't do 2 hours of practice a day on the guitar a day like she did on the piano when she was a kid. 15 minutes is usually all I can handle. The most I ever did was around an hour. I think I've got the attention span of a two year old.

It would really be alright to be able to play guitar. Then I could write some loving songs for my ex husband.

[Patti]

I liked her story, but it wasn't very easy reading unless I skimmed over all those names. I can't imagine meeting so many people. One of her instructors told her to memorize one measure at a time, and I found that very helpful.

I would very much like to learn to play some of Jim Croce's songs .

Right now I'm reading The Unbidden Truth by Kate Wilhelm. It's about a piano player.

[Cathy]

I play Croce's 'These Dreams' and 'Time in a Bottle'. In fact, these dreams is on my CD.
I have the first CD that Croce ever recorded, and on by Jim and his wife. They're both decent CDs.

Cathy