5 on Friday - Set 186

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

This week's set was also prompted by Promises, Promises.

Last week I focused on the subject matter of the song. This week I'm revelling in the joy of complex time signatures. Promises, Promises gets a second play, as it's the launch pad once again.    

1 - Promises, Promises - Dionne Warwick  

This song alternates between 3/8 and 4/8. 

2 - Good Morning, Good Morning - The Beatles

This song uses 5/4 and 4/4, with 3/4 to transition between the two!

3 - Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel

This song uses 7/4 while moving into 4/4 at the end of each chorus.

4 - Seven Days - Sting

This song alternates between 3/4 and 2/4.

5 - First Circle - Pat Metheny Group

Hoo boy, do I love this one.

Here's a bit of conversation about it in the user comments on You Tube:

"Someone who has experience as a percussionist told me the time signature was 22/8." -- Mark

"It is. It's easier if you break it down into 12/8 and 10/8 though. Count 3+2+3+2+2 and 3+3+2+2." -- Alex

Thursday Thirteen - 288 - 13 Songs I've Played Obsessively While Writing

I freely admit to many forms of obsession.

I don't see any of them as minuses in my life as a creative person. An obsessive compulsive disorder detracts from a person's life, getting in the way of doing basic things.

A driving passion, however, is not only to be embraced if you're going to master something enough to truly understand your creative medium (or your sport, if that's what you love to do) -- it's actually necessary.

If I told you someone repeated the same actions in the same sequence over and over every evening before he went to bed, you might think, wow, that person must have OCD. Yet, if I told you that person was an elite violinist and he was working on musical scales, perfecting his technique, you would have a much different view of that person than if I told you it was a guy who re-sorted his DVD collection into perfect blocks of color according to the packaging spines of the jewel cases -- but only if he looked behind each DVD three times.

If you asked hockey superstar Sidney Crosby how many hours he's spent shooting a puck into the net, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you. If he didn't obsessively practise his hockey technique, he would not be the player he has become. For artists and athletes, the word 'obsession' could basically be replaced with 'passion'.

One of my most enjoyable obsessions/passions is listening to music while I'm writing. It often has nothing to do with the tone or subject matter of the scene I'm working on. I just have to be obsessed with it.

I'll know I'm obsessed with a song or a piece of music when I end up choosing it as the first song of the writing session, playing it about six times in a row, and then returning to it a few times during that writing time.

Often, that song will go through my head while I'm riding the bus, and I'll hum it through the day, only to race towards it once again the next evening.

For me, I find that my musical obsessions act as a short-cut to placing me in the head-space I need in order to write fiction. I'm telling my brain 'Write NOW' with my obsessive selection.

So, here are thirteen of my current and former musical obsessions, all of which have led to the scenes that become my books.  

1 -   I'm Your Boogie Man -- KC and the Sunshine Band

2 - Assassin -- Muse

3 - Princes of the Universe -- Queen

4 - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? -- Moby

This version specifically, with all of the Dean and Sam voiceovers from Supernatural

5 - Lies -- The Pierces

Also, this version specifically, because there are Guy of Gisborne scenes in this one that I will stop to watch.

6 -  I'm Crying -- The Animals

I guess I can see a bit of a pattern here (LOL!) Guess that's why I'm obsessed with these ones.

7 - I'm a Man -- Black Strobe

8 - And Your Bird Can Sing -- The Beatles

9 - Sex Crime -- Eurythmics

10 - Peace Frog -- The Doors

11 - The Song Remains the Same -- Led Zeppelin

12 - Closet Romantic -- Damon Albarn

13 - So High -- Elvis Presley

5 on Friday - Set 185

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

This week's set was prompted by Promises, Promises and built up from there.  

1 - Promises, Promises - Dionne Warwick  

2 - On a Promise - Fine Young Cannibals

3 - This I promise You - N Sync

4 - Promise Me - The Smashing Pumpkins

5 - Promises - Eric Clapton

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today

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5 on Friday - Set 184

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Last Sunday I bumped into a broadcast of Gladiator while my mom and I were just finishing up breakfast. I hurried downstairs to our apartment and settled in with Brad to watch it. Oh, how I love Gladiator. It was the film that made me fall in love with movies again, after getting burnt out a bit, following film school.

So this week's 5 on Friday begins with a favorite piece from the Gladiator soundtrack, and moves into different soundtrack pieces that are amongst my favorites. 

1 - Now We Are Free - Gladiator - composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard  

2 - Message For the Queen - 300 - composed by Tyler Bates

3 - The Riders of Rohan - The Two Towers - composed by Howard Shore

4 - The Gael - The Last of the Mohicans - composed by Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones

5 - Duel of the Fates - The Phantom Menace - composed by John Williams

5 on Friday - Set 183

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Birthday girl time -- here are five tunes featuring singers born in August.

1 - Milk - Shirley Manson from Garbage

The first of our lionesses.  

2 - From This Moment - Shania Twain

3 - Wannabe - Geri Halliwell from the Spice Girls

4 - Bedroom Hymns - Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine

I featured this song not too long ago, when I discovered it in a Vikings fan video. I just love it. 

5 - Hung Up - Madonna

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today

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I'm blogging at Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada today -- 5 on Friday

I'm blogging at Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada today -- join me for 5 on Friday -- Set 182 for five pieces of music that introduce the characters from my work in progress: Book 2 of my dark fantasy Dragonsfyre series.