Category: Photography and Music

Here’s a new arrangement and recording of an old hymn from the Sacred Harp:  “My Spirit Looks to God Alone”  (Sacred Harp #26).  The lyrics were written by the famous hymn writer Isaac Watts in 1719, and are based on Psalm 62.  The arrangement in the
Sacred Harp is based on the Samaria tune.  My arrangement is simple — voice and acoustic guitar, with a little synth padding, and some gongs.  I thought the gongs added a nice, meditative touch to this somewhat somber yet hopeful song.

Something I dug up on my hard drive that I’d forgotten about.  A draft of a hard fusion sort of thing.  I might have posted a version of it a while back but it’s kind of fun.

Here’s another tune from the Berea Archive:  “I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger.”  This is a well-known negro or Appalachian spiritual from the late 1700’s, made famous in modern times by Burl Ives.  The Berea recording is from the Sacred Harp shape note book, sung by the Berea shape note singers.

I just love these evocative lyrics and the sad minor melody.  I wonder how many people have sung this from places of deep trouble over the centuries?

After the Berea recording, I include a rough guide track that I recorded this afternoon.  It’s just me an an acoustic guitar, playing and singing into a microphone.  It’s awfully rough, but I kind of like it as a stand-alone track, even though my vocals need work.  Hopefully I can do a fuller arrangement soon.

Here is a new song I’ve recorded. Actually, it’s an old Appalachian gospel song.  I found a great digital library of Applachian folk music at Berea College, and I’m doing some new arrangements of public domain songs.  Included below is my new arrangement and the recording from Berea’s archives.

Here’s some new ambient music I produced this morning: “Bali.”  The guitar is my strat through the AdrenaLinn plug-in.  Enjoy!

Here’s a ridiculous little dance track I produced messing with my synths this morning.  Enjoy!

Here is a recording I made of Henry Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary.  I downloaded a midi file of the public domain score from the Choral Public Domain Library, played and recorded it in Finale using the Kontakt sampler’s choir and organ voices, and did finishing touches in Sonar.  It doesn’t sound exactly “real,” but it’s pretty close.  A cool way to hear old music come to life.

Good article on the great composer Arvo Part.