The rules are pretty simple. In fact there are more non-rules than rules.
- It has to be a new song, not written in another month (the rules are fuzzy on scraps and ideas, so I’m just going to count songs that I finish during February).
- It only has to be written. It doesn’t have to be recorded. (I'm going to try and cut scratch demos of as many as I can, and then post them here)
- It doesn’t have to be great, it just has to be finished. (That's the way most of my tunes end up, anyway!)
- It can even be rewritten afterward, in March
- It can be in any style, genre, or instrumentation
Now, considering that, in the past, my output of new material has been on the order of three to four newly written songs in a YEAR, the thought of writing 14 of them in a month is pretty daunting. I may not make it.
But, hey, I can shoot for the stars and land on the moon, right? Even if I end up with six or seven new tunes, that can’t be bad! I’ll have material to go on recording for months, even years to come!
So, here’s the deal:
- First of all, I’ve singed up and made the commitment to do my best this month. I’ll also post whatever I write here at Markhansenmusic.com
- Second, I’ve encouraged all of my LDS musician friends to jump in and join with me. Post your tunes on your blogs/sites/whatever, then comment back here so we can all read/listen to them!
- Third, if you’re not an LDS musician, or any other kind of musician, help me out by posting your song ideas in comments here. Scripture stories, quirky things that happen in life, good quotes or observations are all great sources. If I use your idea, I’ll credit you as a cowriter. you can share in my wealth and fame (such as it is).
Come back often to hear about new songs and shows. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including his Dutch Oven blog: Mark's Black Pot and his LDS pop culture blog: MoBoy blog.
3 comments:
Hi Mark,
I just visited your site today, read your FAWM entry, and jotted down the following lines to give you, hopefully, some seed ideas for a song. It will be fun to see if you can come up with anything with them.
"Two"
The second day
of the second month,
the year of our Lord
two zillionth.
Candlemas,
Groundhog's Day,
Simeon's pledged
Hypapante.
Note: Hypante, also known as Candlemas, is a Christian commemoration each February 2nd of the Virgin Mary's purification, prescribed by the Law of Moses, forty days after the birth of Jesus. The name comes from the meeting (hypapante in Greek) of the Christ Child and his Mother with Simeon and Anna in the Temple. Simeon, as you recalled, had been promised that he would see the Messiah before he died.
Good luck!
David Lund
spiritrange@yahoo.com
http://www.myspace.com/spiritrange
P.S. The first four lines from following old English poem are kind of cool. Maybe you can find inspiration in these:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop
Hey Mark,
If the line "two zillionth" is too corny, you could change it to "ten and two thousand."
Best,
David
Actually, I'm kinda intrigued by the story of Simeon. It's a really cool idea!
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