Month: January 2013

Another new development

Spearcarrier

So while doing research to try to find music and things to work with, I happened across “Wuthering Heights”. This is one of my favorite songs of all time, although I admit I don’t much care for the original rendition by Kate Bush:

The version I first discovered the song through is by a South American heavy metal band, Angra, who turned it into a rock ballad:

So I decided that one thing I should be working towards is making a cover of this song, simply out of pure love for it. And I went on a quest to find some decent instrumental music I could use legally. (Keeping in mind I have no intentions of selling my rendition of the song.)

I looked at a lot of karaoke, one by a company that strictly forbade me using their music anywhere outside of my home. -_- And then I happened across a beautiful midi style version someone composed for lower-voiced singers. On their post they complained they couldn’t find vocals to mix with it.

Just so happens I’m an alto. I used to be alto-soprano before I took up, briefly, smoking. But anyway, hey. My voice is this native american crier meant for drums and powwows… that also likes to sing rock ballads. And this filk – and indeed Wuthering Heights fits the definition of pop filk, being it’s about a character from a popular book and thus popular culture – needs me to sing it. =^-^=

I contacted the composer and got permission. Now I just have to practice the song with the new music, master it, and manage to record vocals with broken equipment. EASY!

Oh, and here is another rendition of Wuthering Heights that I just found today.

Saw Ye Johnny Comin’

Spearcarrier

I haven’t had time to think about playing with music for months, so today I made time for it. I managed to get in a couple of hours to myself before my daughter came home from school – which is a big deal. I rarely get time alone these days.

I worked a bit on Loki’s song, but I’m having a difficult time getting the sound just right. So for the last few minutes I switched tracks to Johnny’s So Long at the Fair, which is one of my favorites. The Society for Creative Anachronism doesn’t feel it’s a valid Medieval song because the rendition we all know today comes from a collection of sheet music in the 1770’s or so. But truth is it dates farther back from that, coming from a really old ditty entitled “Saw Ye Johnny Comin'”. It’s English in origin, although there is at least one recorded Anglo-Scot rendition.

In other words, this song is old people.

I still don’t have instruments I can work with. I have definitely decided to stick to simple percussion, but the kind of drum I want is expensive. -_- And a xylophone: same situation. Fun fun.

But I’m working on it. I have O Dear recorded. I just need some tinkles for it.

Anyway here are the original, definitely Medieval lyrics:

O dear, what can the matter me
And what can the matter be
O what can the matter be
Johnny bydes lang at the fair

He’ll buy me a twopenny whistle
He’ll buy me a threepenny fair
He’ll buy me a Bunch o’ Blue Ribbons
To tye up my bonny Brown Hair

O saw ye him coming
And saw ye him coming
O saw ye him coming
Hame frae the Newcastle fair

I looked at all of the version we use today and decided to do a mix of the nursery rhyme version plus what we sing with full lyrics.

Hope I can put it out soon.