The Joy of Music

"Oh, that's nice."

"How would this work?"

"G-B-D."

"Nnnnoooo, that doesn't sound quite right."

"Really? I kinda like it..."

"C-sharp."

"Oohh, I like that run."

"Now, here's what I started with this..."

Can you tell what we're doing? Arranging, of course! For the past two days, Daniel Z. and I have been working on arrangements that will be included on our upcoming CD. The possibilities and permutations when arranging are enormous, but the Lord blessed our time and we successfully completed two songs - "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" and "Bless This House."

"Can you start from here?"

Those of you who are familiar with Finale will know that it can play back what you've written. But did you know that you can mute the sound, then follow along and play the music while the computer "turns pages" for you? Nifty... (Note the excessive amount of sheet music on the piano - an inevitable "side-effect" of producing a CD!)

Almost done...

Recording dates are set for early March in Indianapolis. Practice, practice, practice!

As an added bonus, I played the Brahms violin concerto a few times with Daniel - what a blast. If you haven't heard this piece, you simply must check it out - if, that is, you like intense classical music. :) The Brahms violin concerto is probably my favorite concerto ever written - for any instrument. (I prefer Itzhak Perlman and the Chicago Symphony under the direction of Carlo Maria Giulini. Even though the orchestra is a little behind in places, Perlman's expression is unmatchable.)