I am an advocate of intentional planning to be sure, but certain excellent experiences lurked in my periphery. I heard this idea put into words recently.
Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, you won’t see the shiny thing out of the corner of your eye. ~ Tim Minchen
A few such times come to mind in my life. One was modeling with my mare, Roses Casino, for Lakota Trailers billboard and (2008,2009) product catalog, going turtle feeling(don’t ask), and making a Christmas CD as the lead singer. These were never life long goals of mine. I wonder if that is why the Lord often shows us the next step and not the whole journey? To be certain, I had already developed basic skills allowing me to be ready for these events. With a bit of coaching, I enjoyed them to them to the fullest!!
Justified and the making of a Christmas CD
Deciding on the songs
All three of us, Sheila, my Mom and myself, spend many hours deciding on songs for the CD. One of us would suggest and if it did not pass for the other two or if it was going to take too much time to learn we scratched it! If my memory serves me correct, the list was never finalized until the recording began. I think we had 12 songs picked out and ended up with 10.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
We would get together for a few hours and practice 1 or 2 times a week. My Mother often made a 3 hour round trip for our practice. To save on gas and time she would spend the night at Sheila’s house or mine. I look back on that time with warm feelings of the fun we all had.
In the Studio…
Laying the basic track with basic vocal. I sang lead vocal while the basic instruments were recorded, guitar, drums, bass, and some keyboard. My vocals were later scraped, or dubbed over for my actual vocals on the CD.
Adding the vocals to the basic track. I did most of the lead. On some songs, we featured my Mom’s wonderful soprano, and Sheila’s beautiful voice. I learned harmony lines in parts of Silent Night, Down From His Glory, and O Holy Night. I think Sheila and my Mom probably reached deep for the patience to teach me those lines. Remember I had spent the last 30 years focused on horses, not music. I did learn. Between their coaching and taking fiddle lessons, I am beginning to develop my ear.
Instrument fills when recording songs allow for ones artistic side to fully express itself. My Mom and Sheila were not newbies in the studio like me. They had a definite ideas about what they wanted where. By the time we were done with the CD I had even voiced a few thoughts as to what I was hearing as well. How fun to find a new way to express my artistic side.
Sheila worked in the studio we recorded in. She led us as the project manager and edited the CD with input from my Mother. The mixing and producing credits appear on the CD.
Ordering CD’s
We opted to order the CDs from a company in Texas. An early winter storm brought shipping to a stand still. A consequent delay of 3 to 4 weeks left less than 2 weeks until Christmas when we finally received our CD’s to sell. We did eventually have them. I recall my excitement!
Summery
This particular project signifies my musical roots. I did not dream of being a lead singer on a CD as a child. While I have always loved music I did not believe it to even be up for consideration until the year it happened. My mother, on the other hand, had been offered a place in the Nashville scene with her sisters as a late teen. (They declined.) I grew up in the shadow of regret for her dream that got away. The time spent while working on this project with my mother allowed me to connect with her and see her musical gift brought into fruition once again. For me, I woke up to a part of me that never had enough of my attention.
Would you like to hear a song from the CD?
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.Shiny Spots in my Peripheral View
I have to ask, what is lurking in my periphery now? What is lurking in yours?