Worked on Climb The Hill pretty much all day (I'm over half done now!). After midnight I decided to take a break and listen to the new Flyleaf album (which is really quite good for the most part). I just started back on more choreography.
So now I have Lacey in my head going 'Fire from the tongues of liars' and then Rick going 'Oh climb, climb the hill...'
And my brain is going, The heck...?
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
03 January 2013
21 May 2012
National Choreography Month - Day 21
1.49 am -- Just spent two hours reading stuff on contemporary dance, jazz technique and the Shim Sham on the Internet. My eyes are tired now. Thinking maybe I can throw some jazz walks into Apathy Alert somewhere. Also, now I have a really annoying song in my head but I don't know what it's called -- just some song on one of the videos of some girl in a really skimpy dress that was actually more like a shirt. How can anyone walk on a stage before hundreds in that getup without either dying of embarrassment or freezing to death?
Sort of dreading choreographing The Gift. Yesterday morning I realised I've only heard that song like five times in my entire life -- I only picked it because it was short and I was feeling like an underachiever for only planning two dances.
Apathy Alert has picked up a little (as of early yesterday morning, before I went to bed), but it's fast becoming a Sing Your Freedom-like show of potentially-impossible-to-execute technical prowess. And speed. Because technique and complex sequences are nothing without speed to make it look even more amazing.
Also, getting sick of the song Apathy Alert. I've been solving the problem by listening to Sheila Walsh and reading random dance articles online. Unfortunately, that's not very choreographically productive.
Sort of intimidated by all the stuff I read on choreography though. Most of it was modern/contemporary-based, but still. I can't expect any of my output so far to get noticed. It's horrible stuff. But I only have till September to get some solid performance-worthy choreography in place if we want a shot at getting our first decent-sized gig. Thank goodness I'm not the only choreographer on the team...
3.10 am -- Just killed spider the size of a dinner plate. Off to bed now... though whether I'll actually sleep now is another matter.
12.39 pm -- My mother is yelling at me again because I'm apparently not productive enough.
7.39 pm -- Finally starting work (of the choreographic persuasion). Apparently today was spring cleaning and as such I was unable to report for duty till now. Am starting work at about the 2.04 mark of Apathy Alert.
7.59 pm -- Got a phrase divisible into threes? Eschappés are your friend. I doubt the poor saps -- I mean, highly skilled and amazing dancers -- who actually have to perform the sequence will agree, though.
8.30ish pm -- Am now at the 2.34 mark. (I'd like to know how I managed that kind of speed because I'll definitely need to replicate this feat in the future...)
11.45 pm -- iPod just randomly crashed and made me lose my place. Continuing on... Almost done notating the eschappé/relevé sequence.
Sort of dreading choreographing The Gift. Yesterday morning I realised I've only heard that song like five times in my entire life -- I only picked it because it was short and I was feeling like an underachiever for only planning two dances.
Apathy Alert has picked up a little (as of early yesterday morning, before I went to bed), but it's fast becoming a Sing Your Freedom-like show of potentially-impossible-to-execute technical prowess. And speed. Because technique and complex sequences are nothing without speed to make it look even more amazing.
Also, getting sick of the song Apathy Alert. I've been solving the problem by listening to Sheila Walsh and reading random dance articles online. Unfortunately, that's not very choreographically productive.
Sort of intimidated by all the stuff I read on choreography though. Most of it was modern/contemporary-based, but still. I can't expect any of my output so far to get noticed. It's horrible stuff. But I only have till September to get some solid performance-worthy choreography in place if we want a shot at getting our first decent-sized gig. Thank goodness I'm not the only choreographer on the team...
3.10 am -- Just killed spider the size of a dinner plate. Off to bed now... though whether I'll actually sleep now is another matter.
12.39 pm -- My mother is yelling at me again because I'm apparently not productive enough.
7.39 pm -- Finally starting work (of the choreographic persuasion). Apparently today was spring cleaning and as such I was unable to report for duty till now. Am starting work at about the 2.04 mark of Apathy Alert.
7.59 pm -- Got a phrase divisible into threes? Eschappés are your friend. I doubt the poor saps -- I mean, highly skilled and amazing dancers -- who actually have to perform the sequence will agree, though.
8.30ish pm -- Am now at the 2.34 mark. (I'd like to know how I managed that kind of speed because I'll definitely need to replicate this feat in the future...)
11.45 pm -- iPod just randomly crashed and made me lose my place. Continuing on... Almost done notating the eschappé/relevé sequence.
29 February 2012
Choreography Is The Best Job Ever
Seriously, name me one other occupation where you can listen to your favourite song in the world for hours on end and have absolutely no shame in doing so.
22 February 2012
Today's Commute (As Chronicled By The iPod)
Today's two-hour commute to and from dance went as follows:
(Backstory: A friend from church ended up with a second iPod car adapter he didn't need and gave it to me. I decided to put my 2 GB nano back to work (it had been kind of forgotten since my library outgrew it). I loaded it with a bunch of random songs and took it for a spin today.)
I started it off myself with The Devil Is Bad by the W's. It was the first song that caught my attention as I was scrolling through the song list and I thought, 'Hey, why not?' (It was also peppy enough to get me through the first few minutes of the drive when I'm still tired and not really alert.)
Then I set it to shuffle.
I didn't recognise the second song at first... but when I did I started laughing. The only Christmas song on the iPod (and, I had noticed after syncing, the *gasp!* only White Heart song). It seemed quite fitting as the clouds hung thick and white in the sky, heavy with glorious snow so rare.
We were off to a very good start.
Next up, the analogue recording of PFR's Name (even though the dragging is awful, I couldn't part with the analogue tracks even after getting the CD).
After that, Petra's More Power To Ya, followed immediately by Adonai.
That right there, my friends, is a good commute song. Actually it's good for pretty much anything. (Have I ever mentioned that I love this song?)
It was kind of a downer when the best rock praise song ever recorded (says me) was followed by Switchfoot's More Than Fine. Not a lot of tracks can easily follow Adonai, and that wasn't one of them.
Then came Frontlynaz's Addicted (a random hip hop song I heard once and kind of liked so I downloaded it. You know, back when I had money for that kind of frivolous stuff).
Then the iPod abruptly changed gears and put out two early Amy Grant tracks in a row -- Love Can Do and Angels (eerily appropriate for driving that highway at times).
Then it apparently tired of the '80s and moved on to R&B/Soul-type stuff (Nicole C Mullen's Witness and Mary Mary's Shackles (Praise You)).
Midway through that last track we arrived at the studio and the iPod was put on hold for several hours in favour of piano music.
Upon returning to the rattletrap and finishing the Mary Mary song, it pulled out Owl City's Fireflies, much to my sister's delight, then, as we came off the overpass onto the main highway, one of my favourite Newsboys tracks, Praises.
Following that, Fisherman Song by Boxtree -- a sweet little flashback to my childhood. Such a cute cheerful song. Stylistically it's like PFR's Great Lengths, only nobody's ever heard of it.
Then came the ultimate in modern pop (as modern pop as one gets on my iPod, anyway), the remixed version of ZOEgirl's Even If. This is definitely a song you blast from the speakers as you rock down the highway. (At least that's what I did.)
And the ultimate in BeeGee-esque late '70s rock (as far as that goes on my iPod -- see previous paragraph) Petra's Angel Of Light. It was a bit of a jump, but hey, Petra is always fitting. Always.
We pulled into Tim Horton's just as Angel Of Light finished and paused it while I went in and ordered our weekly pair of small iced capps. (Yes, non-Canadian readers, that's 'capps' with two p's. It takes less time for the weather to change around here than it does for us to say 'iced cappuccino' and we just don't have that kind of time to mess with because the hockey game starts in ten minutes and we have to hurry up and get back to home sweet igloo before the face-off.)
Anyway, the trip from Tim Horton's to the next lights followed the soundtrack to Phil Joel's Strangely Normal, and the trip from those lights to the next were underscored by PFR's Goldie's Last Day. (Is it just me or did I drive really really slowly through town? Wow. Two songs seems a bit excessive. Apologies to the people stuck behind me.)
The Newsboys' Joy carried us out of town and back onto the highway, followed by Steven Curtis Chapman's This Day and Jasmin Gibb's Come To Jesus.
As I made the left onto the gravel road to our house, the final leg of the journey, and the last note ofCome To Jesus faded into a mere echo in the short-term memory, I began to seriously hope the next song wouldn't be a dud. Years of living in the same house, taking the same road over and over and over again has taught me that from the turn onto the gravel to our house is four and a half minutes -- just enough for one more song.
What would it be? Which should I hope for?
Come on, don't pick a lame one, don't pick a lame one...
Drum beat. Drum beat. Three more, successive.
Yes. (*insert mental fist pump here* I couldn't do a real one because if I took my hand off the wheel the wind would have swept us neatly into the ditch.)
People In A Box.
Just a little bit of eighties to stick in my head for the rest of the afternoon. (Okay okay, maybe a lot of eighties to stick in my head for the rest of the afternoon.)
And then once I got in the house it was too quiet so I put on some DeGarmo & Key. So much for that other plan.
(Yes, I know I need a life.)
(Backstory: A friend from church ended up with a second iPod car adapter he didn't need and gave it to me. I decided to put my 2 GB nano back to work (it had been kind of forgotten since my library outgrew it). I loaded it with a bunch of random songs and took it for a spin today.)
I started it off myself with The Devil Is Bad by the W's. It was the first song that caught my attention as I was scrolling through the song list and I thought, 'Hey, why not?' (It was also peppy enough to get me through the first few minutes of the drive when I'm still tired and not really alert.)
Then I set it to shuffle.
I didn't recognise the second song at first... but when I did I started laughing. The only Christmas song on the iPod (and, I had noticed after syncing, the *gasp!* only White Heart song). It seemed quite fitting as the clouds hung thick and white in the sky, heavy with glorious snow so rare.
We were off to a very good start.
Next up, the analogue recording of PFR's Name (even though the dragging is awful, I couldn't part with the analogue tracks even after getting the CD).
After that, Petra's More Power To Ya, followed immediately by Adonai.
That right there, my friends, is a good commute song. Actually it's good for pretty much anything. (Have I ever mentioned that I love this song?)
It was kind of a downer when the best rock praise song ever recorded (says me) was followed by Switchfoot's More Than Fine. Not a lot of tracks can easily follow Adonai, and that wasn't one of them.
Then came Frontlynaz's Addicted (a random hip hop song I heard once and kind of liked so I downloaded it. You know, back when I had money for that kind of frivolous stuff).
Then the iPod abruptly changed gears and put out two early Amy Grant tracks in a row -- Love Can Do and Angels (eerily appropriate for driving that highway at times).
Then it apparently tired of the '80s and moved on to R&B/Soul-type stuff (Nicole C Mullen's Witness and Mary Mary's Shackles (Praise You)).
Midway through that last track we arrived at the studio and the iPod was put on hold for several hours in favour of piano music.
Upon returning to the rattletrap and finishing the Mary Mary song, it pulled out Owl City's Fireflies, much to my sister's delight, then, as we came off the overpass onto the main highway, one of my favourite Newsboys tracks, Praises.
Following that, Fisherman Song by Boxtree -- a sweet little flashback to my childhood. Such a cute cheerful song. Stylistically it's like PFR's Great Lengths, only nobody's ever heard of it.
Then came the ultimate in modern pop (as modern pop as one gets on my iPod, anyway), the remixed version of ZOEgirl's Even If. This is definitely a song you blast from the speakers as you rock down the highway. (At least that's what I did.)
And the ultimate in BeeGee-esque late '70s rock (as far as that goes on my iPod -- see previous paragraph) Petra's Angel Of Light. It was a bit of a jump, but hey, Petra is always fitting. Always.
We pulled into Tim Horton's just as Angel Of Light finished and paused it while I went in and ordered our weekly pair of small iced capps. (Yes, non-Canadian readers, that's 'capps' with two p's. It takes less time for the weather to change around here than it does for us to say 'iced cappuccino' and we just don't have that kind of time to mess with because the hockey game starts in ten minutes and we have to hurry up and get back to home sweet igloo before the face-off.)
Anyway, the trip from Tim Horton's to the next lights followed the soundtrack to Phil Joel's Strangely Normal, and the trip from those lights to the next were underscored by PFR's Goldie's Last Day. (Is it just me or did I drive really really slowly through town? Wow. Two songs seems a bit excessive. Apologies to the people stuck behind me.)
The Newsboys' Joy carried us out of town and back onto the highway, followed by Steven Curtis Chapman's This Day and Jasmin Gibb's Come To Jesus.
As I made the left onto the gravel road to our house, the final leg of the journey, and the last note ofCome To Jesus faded into a mere echo in the short-term memory, I began to seriously hope the next song wouldn't be a dud. Years of living in the same house, taking the same road over and over and over again has taught me that from the turn onto the gravel to our house is four and a half minutes -- just enough for one more song.
What would it be? Which should I hope for?
Come on, don't pick a lame one, don't pick a lame one...
Drum beat. Drum beat. Three more, successive.
Yes. (*insert mental fist pump here* I couldn't do a real one because if I took my hand off the wheel the wind would have swept us neatly into the ditch.)
People In A Box.
Just a little bit of eighties to stick in my head for the rest of the afternoon. (Okay okay, maybe a lot of eighties to stick in my head for the rest of the afternoon.)
And then once I got in the house it was too quiet so I put on some DeGarmo & Key. So much for that other plan.
(Yes, I know I need a life.)
28 March 2011
One Thousand
I started my first iTunes library in July 2007 on a computer that I'm not even sure works anymore. That music library has since been copied to two other computers (including the Zombie) to continue its expansion and (in part) to two iPods. I'm not sure what the first song was that I ever put into iTunes, but I've narrowed it down to one of three Michael W Smith songs (most likely).
However, I can now tell you what the one thousandth song is -- Do You Hear What I Hear? by Connie Scott. I copied it off the cassette tape and added it to iTunes less than ten minutes ago. It's actually quite exciting to reach that little milestone. Now if only I could get the Zombie working so I can sync the iPod touch and its many remaining gigabytes of free space... (the home of 693 songs; last synchronised on 23 August 2010).
In other news, The Late Great PFR on CD came in the mail today! (You know, the one I stupidly paid thirty dollars for.) Finally I was able to listen to the second half of the album. And I must say, aside from Pray For Rain and Merry Go Round, it didn't seem nearly as good as the first half. Perhaps it was because I was expecting more of the hardcore rock that had pretty well dominated Side A. It'll probably grow on me though; after all, I've only listened to it once.
However, I can now tell you what the one thousandth song is -- Do You Hear What I Hear? by Connie Scott. I copied it off the cassette tape and added it to iTunes less than ten minutes ago. It's actually quite exciting to reach that little milestone. Now if only I could get the Zombie working so I can sync the iPod touch and its many remaining gigabytes of free space... (the home of 693 songs; last synchronised on 23 August 2010).
In other news, The Late Great PFR on CD came in the mail today! (You know, the one I stupidly paid thirty dollars for.) Finally I was able to listen to the second half of the album. And I must say, aside from Pray For Rain and Merry Go Round, it didn't seem nearly as good as the first half. Perhaps it was because I was expecting more of the hardcore rock that had pretty well dominated Side A. It'll probably grow on me though; after all, I've only listened to it once.
19 March 2011
The Golden Rule Of Novel Revision For Music Nerds
The Golden Rule of novel revision for music nerds who have just discovered buried musical treasure is this:
Never, never, never, never, never succumb to the temptation to Google song lyrics, paste them into iTunes' Info > Lyrics feature, and then read them the next three times you listen to the song so you learn them.
Not only does this halt all eating, Facebooking, and similar novel-revision-related tasks while you are learning the lyrics; this dramatically slows down all future productivity once you have them memorised and want to sing them while writing about deadly plagues and Y2K-like computer viruses. This is very difficult when you are listening to a rock song with an odd lyrical rhythm that demands your complete concentration to get the timing right.
Heed this advice and your novel is far more likely to survive the harsh uncharted territory of revision.
You're welcome.
Never, never, never, never, never succumb to the temptation to Google song lyrics, paste them into iTunes' Info > Lyrics feature, and then read them the next three times you listen to the song so you learn them.
Not only does this halt all eating, Facebooking, and similar novel-revision-related tasks while you are learning the lyrics; this dramatically slows down all future productivity once you have them memorised and want to sing them while writing about deadly plagues and Y2K-like computer viruses. This is very difficult when you are listening to a rock song with an odd lyrical rhythm that demands your complete concentration to get the timing right.
Heed this advice and your novel is far more likely to survive the harsh uncharted territory of revision.
You're welcome.
28 January 2011
This Week's Gem From Kate's Music Library
This week we're finding something a little newer. Short and sweet, this one. I remember listening to this on the radio when I was younger -- back when the station actually played material worth listening to. Be forewarned that it's catchy...
Title: 'Great Lengths'
Artist: PFR
Year: 1994, possibly 1993 (that's what I could find through Google... my copy is from a 'Greatest Hits' album marked 2006)
Album: Great Lengths (however, other sources say Goldie's Last Day) and compilations.
You can buy it from iTunes here and listen on YouTube here.
Title: 'Great Lengths'
Artist: PFR
Year: 1994, possibly 1993 (that's what I could find through Google... my copy is from a 'Greatest Hits' album marked 2006)
Album: Great Lengths (however, other sources say Goldie's Last Day) and compilations.
You can buy it from iTunes here and listen on YouTube here.
21 January 2011
This Week's Gem From Kate's Music Library
Terribly sorry for the late post, today felt like Saturday to me...
Anyway though, you simply can't help but get chills when you listen to this song in the proper mindset (or maybe it's because I tend to associate majestic mountain photos with it -- my first significant exposure to this song was while making a slideshow to it which included some gorgeous mountain-climbing photos, similar to this one... only far more inspiring).
Title: 'For The Sake Of The Call'
Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Year: 1990
Anyway though, you simply can't help but get chills when you listen to this song in the proper mindset (or maybe it's because I tend to associate majestic mountain photos with it -- my first significant exposure to this song was while making a slideshow to it which included some gorgeous mountain-climbing photos, similar to this one... only far more inspiring).
 |
| Photo by Kate. |
Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Year: 1990
My recommendation: turn it up. You can't get the full effect unless this fills the room (especially after the 3.26 mark -- the chorus/background singers are stunning).
07 January 2011
This Week's Gem From Kate's Music Library
(More creative titles for these music posts are still welcome!)
This week's song is sort of in the lyrical genre of Casting Crowns, but the musical style is more like... I don't actually know. But it's a good thought-provoking song. I think it's a shame no one knows of this song anymore, even in the Christian music circles.
Title: 'Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows'
Artist: Petra
Year: 1982
Album: Originally released on More Power To Ya, plus compilations that have been released over the years.
Here it is on YouTube. Here it is on iTunes.
Enjoy!
This week's song is sort of in the lyrical genre of Casting Crowns, but the musical style is more like... I don't actually know. But it's a good thought-provoking song. I think it's a shame no one knows of this song anymore, even in the Christian music circles.
Title: 'Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows'
Artist: Petra
Year: 1982
Album: Originally released on More Power To Ya, plus compilations that have been released over the years.
Here it is on YouTube. Here it is on iTunes.
Enjoy!
31 December 2010
This Week's Gem From Kate's Music Library
(If anyone has a better title for these posts, don't hesitate to recommend it to me!)
The last Christmas song recommendation of December!
This is a gorgeous arrangement of 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' by Phillips, Craig and Dean. They're quite popular in the gospel music circuit but I don't really care for their other material because of how much it's overplayed (there are songs that they released three years ago that still play at least three times an afternoon on the local Christian station).
Here it is on YouTube (you may have to turn up your computer speakers to hear it). Buy it from iTunes here.
(By the way, if anyone out there is wondering if I'm getting paid to endorse this, the answer is no. I just love music and quite like the iTunes Store and I want you to experience all this great largely-unheard-of music and the wide (legal) selection on the iTunes Store. I'm getting nothing out of this except the thrill of sharing great music with people.)
The last Christmas song recommendation of December!
This is a gorgeous arrangement of 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' by Phillips, Craig and Dean. They're quite popular in the gospel music circuit but I don't really care for their other material because of how much it's overplayed (there are songs that they released three years ago that still play at least three times an afternoon on the local Christian station).
Here it is on YouTube (you may have to turn up your computer speakers to hear it). Buy it from iTunes here.
(By the way, if anyone out there is wondering if I'm getting paid to endorse this, the answer is no. I just love music and quite like the iTunes Store and I want you to experience all this great largely-unheard-of music and the wide (legal) selection on the iTunes Store. I'm getting nothing out of this except the thrill of sharing great music with people.)
24 December 2010
A Gem From Kate's Music Library
Merry Christmas everyone! (Christmas Eve to those of us in the west.)
I've arbitrarily decided that my music recommendation day will be Friday. Don't ask why.
Well okay, it might perhaps possibly be so I can post two Christmas songs before December ends and the 'legal' period for Christmas music is over.
Today's song is 'One Small Child' by Connie Scott. Unfortunately doesn't appear to be on YouTube (gasp!), but you can buy it from the iTunes Store here.
Seriously, go buy it. It'll be the best dollar of your Christmas money you will ever spend. (Until next week anyway.)
I'm not too familiar with a lot of Connie Scott's work (I've heard some, years ago), but the Christmas album is beautiful. Sure it has some eighties overtones, but we can all use a little eighties music in our lives, right? (Says the child of the nineties...)
Enjoy!
I've arbitrarily decided that my music recommendation day will be Friday. Don't ask why.
Well okay, it might perhaps possibly be so I can post two Christmas songs before December ends and the 'legal' period for Christmas music is over.
Today's song is 'One Small Child' by Connie Scott. Unfortunately doesn't appear to be on YouTube (gasp!), but you can buy it from the iTunes Store here.
Seriously, go buy it. It'll be the best dollar of your Christmas money you will ever spend. (Until next week anyway.)
I'm not too familiar with a lot of Connie Scott's work (I've heard some, years ago), but the Christmas album is beautiful. Sure it has some eighties overtones, but we can all use a little eighties music in our lives, right? (Says the child of the nineties...)
Enjoy!
21 December 2010
A Proposition
I was thinking the other day about things I could post on this blog so it doesn't end up getting neglected for so long. Then I thought, 'well, I've got a rather eclectic/obscure music collection. Perhaps I could recommend one song a week and get some of these excellent bands some well-earned (and in most cases posthumous) attention.'
So... there's the idea. What do you, my readers, think of it?
So... there's the idea. What do you, my readers, think of it?
14 October 2010
Doing choreography ...or trying to.
So in order to see if I really want to pursue this dance idea that I have, I'm going to try my hand at choreographing dances to a few of my favourite songs.
The thing is, there's next to nothing out there in the form of choreography resources. Writing the choreography on paper, that is (actually dancing it and figuring it out that way is no problem). I've searched the library, I've tried several differently worded Google searches, and nothing comes to light. I know at least one form of choreography notation exists, but I've no idea where one could learn it. So I'm writing it in a rather cryptic format that even I struggle to understand when I review it two days later.
There has to be a better way to do this.
The thing is, there's next to nothing out there in the form of choreography resources. Writing the choreography on paper, that is (actually dancing it and figuring it out that way is no problem). I've searched the library, I've tried several differently worded Google searches, and nothing comes to light. I know at least one form of choreography notation exists, but I've no idea where one could learn it. So I'm writing it in a rather cryptic format that even I struggle to understand when I review it two days later.
There has to be a better way to do this.
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