Came across this funny article (via Twitter) about children’s programmes on Nickelodeon Jr. Now, I don’t have kids but I do work with little ones sometimes. The guy who wrote the article rates the shows’ songs and music, too, which I found interesting. His descriptions led me to check out Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! on YouTube…
I liked the slightly unexpected melody in the chorus and the harmonies. There’s an effect on the voice, too, that’s like when you add upper harmonics to an organ sound – a breathy doubling at the octave.
At the end of the article is another treat – Yo Gabba Gabba. He includes a YouTube clip from this show of a song called Party In My Tummy. Now I know catchy and *this* is catchy!
I was chatting with a friend of mine today who helped me record this track – Watch Me Fly – a few years ago. We pitched it for a TV show about a bunch of kids in a stage school so I wrote a lyric to go along with a riff and chord progression I had.
The lights beckon: it’s time for me to get up off my knees
The world threatens to leave me in the cold and watch me freeze
My pulse quicker, I stand up tall and take my rightful place
My blood’s thicker than the water that I splash upon my face
I’m on my way…just watch me fly
Cold shouldered, pushed around and treated like a fool
But I’m bolder, there’s nothing you can do to break my cool
I’m on my way…just watch me fly
at Dublin airport, March 2007
If you’d like a copy in your iTunes library (I use Windows 7…):
right-click on the picture and select ‘save link as…’
go to your iTunes folder
in iTunes press Ctrl+, to go to Preferences
click on the Advanced tab
you’ll see the location of your iTunes folder – now click Cancel and go back to the window we were ‘Save link as…’-ing in
Make a new folder called ‘Jay Wilson’
Make a folder in that one called ‘Watch Me Fly’
Save the track in the ‘Watch Me Fly’ folder
Now right click on the picture again and select ‘copy image’
Go to iTunes and Ctrl+O to add a file to your library
Find the track and click Open
Now right click on the track in your library and select ‘Get Info’
Open the Artwork tab, click on the box, Ctrl+V will paste the image
Sorry if that seems complicated but if you weren’t familiar with how to do that, it’s really useful to know and there is a treasure trove of music out there on the internet for you to enjoy!
I’m happy to help you with any queries about the process (although I’m only familiar with PCs…).
Hope you enjoy the track – please leave some feedback. If it grows on you maybe you’d consider donating a few virtual coins via PayPal 🙂
Jen and I went to see the new Sherlock Holmes film the other night in our newly reopened local Swan Cinema in Rathmines. I really enjoyed the film and we cheerfully chatted about it as we strolled home, me wearing my new deerstalker hat. That particular part of the traditional Holmes garb was left out of the film but I appreciated l’homage myself…
The cinema are going to be showing live opera from The Met apparently, which should be interesting to go and see.
Guy Ritchie, who directed the Sherlock Holmes film, creates a wonderful world for his Sherlock reboot. London looks great and is alive with possibility: Tower Bridge is being built, Britain is at the height of her power, scientific advance and enquiry strain at the leash. And Holmes, of course, embodies that searching spirit. I felt the same admiration for the character that I felt about House in the first few seasons (before they explored his nastiness) – the thrill of watching a great mind pursuing truth and appearing totally in control.
[I think I may have copped on why American programmes are now referred to as ‘seasons’: what is the plural of ‘series’? Yes, it’s ‘series’. Not confusing at all. I found a wonderfully narky entry in Wiktionary, too, under ‘programme’:
Funny.]
Anyway…one of the most delightful things about the film was the use of The Dubliners’ recording of ‘The Rocky Road To Dublin’ as the music over the closing credits. I usually sit to the end of the credits in films because the music info (what songs were used, the composer, musicians etc.) is always right at the end. Sometimes, though – like with Avatar recently – the credits go on for about a day! And the music wasn’t great anyway. This, however, was a real treat. Luke Kelly’s masterful vocal rolling and tumbling the words of this slip jig (three triplets in the bar) with barely a pause for breath. Have a listen. No, have two listens…first time read the words, too…
Now with the band…
PS No sooner had I posted this but I remembered that House is, of course, based on Sherlock Holmes! Holmes, House, Watson, Wilson, House lives at 221B, takes drugs, plays music, etc. etc.
I’m excited about this year. I plan to start working on a portfolio of compositions with a view to starting a Masters in September. That will hinge on developing good work practices – finding a way to do some composition every day. I have a few pieces that I’d like to record, too, and I’d like to get those documented before the end of January.
Another important task for this month will be putting together an application to The Arts Council for a bursary to allow me to do this work. Then there’s the small matter of finding and applying for streams of funding for the Masters…
Along the way I’d also like to get my Grade Eight piano (which will involve some serious work and practice).
I’ll be blogging all the way so please check back regularly or subscribe to the RSS. Let me know if you’re doing similar things or if you have any advice. A big thing to get sorted out will be how to structure my working day at home and keep focussed. We live in a small apartment so I’m going to have to put my keyboard up each day and take it down again when Jen gets home (it kind of takes over the kitchen). We’ll see…!
Best discoveries of the past few weeks:
Morten Lauridsen. Trinity Singers performed his ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ at their Christmas concert and I had sung his setting of ‘Sure On This Shining Night’ at a choral conducting course last year. Bewitching and justifiably one of the most performed contemporary choral composers.
Eric Whitacre. I had heard some of his music and noticed a schism amongst musical people I know in relation to it. It was only the other week, though, that I bought the recording Polyphony did of his music and listened properly. Again, I was very moved by the sounds he elicits from the choir, his setting of text. His pathway into composition is very inspiring to me at this point; his blog (soaringleap) is also full of interesting insights into the life of a working composer. I hope I get to sing some of his music soon 🙂
Classical Music Master Collection. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch and you like music then get this app. What is it? It’s only “800 complete tracks (100 hours of music) by the great composers including Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Bach”!! It costs €1.59 from the iTunes app store. Seriously amazing value. There are more great apps detailed in this article from The Guardian.
Last night was the launch gig for James Vincent McMorrow’s debut album release at The Sugar Club in Dublin. While the album isn’t ready yet – it’s scheduled for a January 2010 release – James managed to put together a rather nice limited edition EP of three tracks with the help of his talented girlfriend. She made a lino print and did one hundred covers that James signed for people afterwards. The three tracks are ‘We Don’t Eat’ (its polyrhythmic drive featured in a recent episode of One Tree Hill. Which I’m watching now for research purposes. <token dissing of the show removed after enjoying (bits of) it>), ‘And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop’, and ‘Hear The Noise That Moves’.
I first played with James back in March last year in Whelans and then again a month later. He’s been busy since then working on becoming a recording artist (only part of which is actually recording, it seems!). His album sounds great; he gave me an unmixed copy to learn the songs from and I’m looking forward to hearing the finished version.I hope it’s a success because I’d love to play the songs to lots of people 🙂
So here’s what we (me on keys/banjo, Dave Lea on drums, Peter Ryan on bass) played:
We Are Ghost (solo)
This Old Dark Machine
Sparrow And The Wolf
And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop
Hear The Noise That Moves (solo)
Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree (solo)
From The Woods
If I Had A Boat
Early In The Morning
In Dreams (solo cover of the beautiful Roy Orbison song with that delicious I – IVm chord change on “…just before the dawn I awake and find you gone…”. Huh, nice piano playing on this live version including interpolation of Bach’s C major prelude at the start.)
I End The Conversation (solo)
Jen took some great photos, one of which she used for her photo of the day project. Go and check them all out 🙂
Today we sang at Farmleigh House – the old Guinness family home in Phoenix Park. It’s a splendid ‘big house’ and was thronged with people visiting the Christmas market, listening to the storytelling and enjoying the lovely crisp winter day.
We sang in the ballroom three times in the afternoon – taking full advantage of the delicious food to be had from the stalls in between. I had mulled apple juice from an orchard in County Carlow and a ‘Farmer’s Lunch’ (lamb, Brie cheese, salad, chilli sauce on lovely thick bread). And a slice of Christmas cake.
This picture was taken in the conservatory where RTÉ filmed us for Richard Corrigan’s cookery show to be broadcast on 22 December.
These guys make some rockin’ beats from the most simple materials – and it sounds great! I have a cajon (Spanish for, well, ‘box’) like he has. It’s pronounced ka-HONN (with a nice gutteral ‘H’) and is not to be confused with ‘cahones’. That’s something else.
Played banjo on RTÉ’s arts programme, The View, last night with James Vincent McMorrow.
I also sang carols with some of my fellow New Dublin Voices on the steps of The Gate theatre in full Victorian garb, complete with top hat. They were celebrating the opening night of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and it was probably as interesting for us to see the parade of Dublin’s finest heading up the steps as it was for them to hear our singing!
(Quick plug – NDV gigs in John Field Room (11th), St Ann’s (12th), and Blanchardstown (19th).)
Despite not growing up on the side of the fence that celebrated Irish trad music I will be forever indebted to my dad for passing on and fostering a love of our musical heritage. He never learned to play an instrument himself but encouraged me and my sister to play. He brought me along to my first session when we were off on one of our mountain-climbing trips – me barely able to play more than a few chords on my first, high-actioned, acoustic guitar!
A friend of mine put this message on Facebook this morning:
Looking for an easy chorus for a small choir of very young angels to sing in a nativity when visiting shepherds…anyone?
As if I hadn’t procrastinated enough this morning, I got the guitar out and came up with this little offering. Have a listen: Key’s a bit low for little ones, maybe? Any other thoughts?
A    F#m E                      D
Fear not! You must be pretty scared
AÂ Â Â Â Â Â F#m EÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â DÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â E
We’re not something that you’re dreaming
AÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â F#m EÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â D
We’ve got some amazing news to tell
AÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â F#m EÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â DÂ Â Â Â Â E
There’s a king born in a stable
A D         E        A      F#m Bm   E    D/F# E/G#
Hosanna in excelsis, Hosanna in excelsis
A D         E        A      F#m Bm   E    D/F# E/G# A  D E A   A D E A
Hosanna in excelsis, Hosanna in excelsis          deo
I know you’ve never seen a halo
But now we’re off to see the baby
Your sheep will be fine, sure what do they know?!
You should really get a move on
Hosanna etc.
I reckon this could be fun to sing. There’s definitely room for some actions 🙂
Found this site where you can print blank music paper for free. It’s very fully customisable – you can have any clef or tab, you can even print a key signature and a time signature if you want. Very handy.
jay wilson :: music 