New Things

I keep thinking of new ways to teach the song writing students. On Monday, we listened to the actor Richard Burton reciting the John Donne poem Catch a Falling Star, and first of all invented all kinds of backing vocal harmonies to it, and then made melodies for it with different moods. Once we got started, we could probably have gone on all afternoon. There is so much to discover in sound and words. Coming back into a teaching room after being away playing music feels very honest: there are no layers of institutional artifice, and it feels as though the students and me are together on a creative mission. I wonder if they feel like that?

Earlier this week, my fingers were literally itching to play guitar. I had to pick it up and play, and I was hoping to do bit more work on my album, although I was awestruck by the quality of Kenji's new songs and the standard of sound he has achieved. Next week, next week... It's weird having made decisions about the songs I want to record because as soon as that decision is made, I immediately start writing more songs that want to compete with the ones I'm committed to. Unfaithful creatures!

There are all sorts of things in the pipeline, but I've yet to see them emerge. I can hear the rumblings, but not see the shape or form. I suppose you could say that about life in general.