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Music to me is a very passionate way of expressing myself and a means to learn about the experiences and feelings of others. My parents at one time both played in a band, my mother playing guitar and singing, my father playing piano and violin. I am sure I have received my passion for music and whatever talent I have from them.
The types of music people like tells me a great deal about them, who they are and how they feel about life. I believe that, in most cases, people choose music which expresses the way they feel on a very personal level.
My own collection is very eclectic and comes from all genres, including classical, classic rock, pop, country and western, etc.
When I work on a musical composition, I tend to think of the words first, their context and how they work together to create a certain melody. Then, I sit down at the keyboard and attempt to create the melody which will express the song and my feelings about how it should present itself. Often the piece does not go as desired and it and must be reworked many times until the specific feel I have for it evolves and is expressed in the melody and rhythm. In many cases the words may be irrelevant if not superfluous.
Not a proficient musician, I prefer to spend more time composing and less time in learning to play a piece. Later, I work with a musician, such as Kleve, who is an excellent pianist. Since we both 'hear' music in the same sense, we can easily communicate to bring the piece to a more finished state. Kleve's rendering of 'You!' expresses my feelings most profoundly!
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The two pieces used on this web site, 'You!' and 'Alberta Safari' represent two different topics, approaches and feelings.
'You!' was written for one of my partners and its nature is indicative of the many up and downs experienced in that relationship. The piece has had a profound effect on many people, and I have received many comments about its effects from appreciative listeners. Personally, it is an incredibly awesome feeling listening to 'You!' while watching another's reactions. Sometimes they reach the point of crying as the piece spins its lonely and haunting melody.
'Alberta Safari,' however, is a fun piece, written as a 'travelling song' for my frequent escapes to my other home in Calgary. It has a happy, jaunty feeling designed to uplift one's spirits as one leaves for a well-earned holiday.
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