As I sat here looking at my piece of paper filled with scribbles, random thoughts, and crossed-out sentences, I can't seen to find the words to convey the feelings within me. I have started other blogs before but they have fallen by the wayside. I can't believe that this is the 50th post. It's been 2 (?) long years. Life has held some disappointments filled with exasperation and tears yet these things are more memories than everyday occurrences now. I have celebrated so many great milestones: There was my first SNC concert, my first Brian Free concert, the Perfect Man Builder 2012, and my birthday. There have been times of learning in the Learning to be Lonely series. There were times of regret with I'm Scared and Confessions of a Single Woman. Yet through it all, I have become a different person. Someone who loves more and is more content with life. As I write each post, I ask myself what I need to hear. Sometimes I end up in tears as I read each sentence and let the truth sink in. Funny but as I started writing this, it began to rain. Rain is such a wonderful thing. It nourishes the plants, trees, grass, animals, and even us. It helps us keep nature alive. It helps keep me alive. Without the "rain" of life, I wouldn't know how to savor the good moments. I wouldn't be as close to my family and friends as I now am. I wouldn't have grown or matured. Yet just when you think you've learned all there is to know, another storm comes your way carrying a new type of rain. A new challenge for tomorrow. In honor of my 25th year of lie and 50th blog post, I will be taking you on a journey. No need to pay for a ticket, arrange airfare, or book a hotel room. Sprinkled among my regular posts, I will be trying my hand at vlogging. Vlogging, you say, what is it? If you aren't aware it's video blogging. I've always been interested in it and have decided it's better to try and fail then to wonder what if. If I fall flat at least I'll know I'm a horrible vlogger. So instead of me writing all the time about my experiences like my SNC concert, Brian Free concert, etc. I'll be vlogging about it. Instead of writing it days after it happened I'll vlog right then. Look for the first episode soon about a certain Broadway play I'll be seeing on Saturday. There will be a giveaway with the vlog too. Well there you have it, the end of my 50th post. Nice, short, sweet, and to the point. Be sure to subscribe to my channel Simply Singing in the Rain...see you on Saturday!!
Always Remember to Be Happy Being Single!!
Always Remember to Sing in the Rain!!!
***My apologies to my
readers for not posting anything in over a month. To be honest, I do not want
to post something just to post something. My thinking is quality over quantity.
However, I do endeavor to do a better job at posting in a timely manner. On to
the blog…***
Ask anyone who knows me and
you will find that I am a lover of piano. From the age of 5, the desire and
burden to play piano was instilled in me. If you don’t know my whole story, you
can read about it here on my post called A Passion for My Purpose. If you are an avid reader of this blog, you would
remember I had written a couple posts about my favorite songs. I should have
entitled it my favorite songs of 2011 since they change so much. That being said
I have decided to go back and update some songs. What say you? I can’t! Well
it’s my blog so I can do whatever I want to. No, I’m just kidding…maybe.
Anyways, on with it…
Hatikvah (La Mantovana) by Jarrod Radnich
I first discovered Jarrod
Radnich when The Piano Guys featured him on one of their YouTube videos. He
played his own piano arrangement of the Pirates of the Caribbean Theme song. I
feel immediately in love with his playing style and arrangements. I downloaded
his Christmas CD Ornaments and discovered
Hatikvah. Hatikvah or The Hope is a Hebrew song which is the national anthem of Israel. His arrangement
of this song starts out very somber and a painfully slow tempo but then speeds
up to more of a patriotic tempo. My favorite part is the octave run at 2:42.
Any Israeli national would be proud to have this arrangement as their anthem. A
superb and brilliant work by Jarrod!
Bring Him Home
by The Piano Guys
If you don’t know about The
Piano Guys, shame on you! No seriously, The Piano Guys are a group of super
talented musicians made popular by YouTube. The Piano Guys consist of a cellist
named Steve Nelson, a pianist named Jon Schmidt, and other videographers and
sound dudes. Bring Him Home is a
prayer in the play Les Miserables sung by the main character Jean Valjean. To
get the total grasp of the song you would need to know the whole plot of the
Broadway play which I don’t have time to get into right now (sorry) but we
still can capture the essence. Jean Valjean is praying that his “daughter’s”
love be returned back to her safe from the battle. The song is written for a
high tenor but in this arrangement, the cello brings some richness and depth to
the song that a tenor wouldn’t be able to provide. The last note is special as
it is drawn out to create the feeling of longing for the prayer to be answered.
If you just need to relax, it’s a very good song to listen to. A+ job by The
Piano Guys!!!
Hymns by Anthony
Burger
This CD is a masterpiece!
Not only was it recorded in one session with no cuts these 10 or so
arrangements truly work as one continuous, harmonious arrangement. This CD is a
very good background CD when you are cleaning the house, hosting a party, or
just need to chill. Anthony Burger hits every note with just the right amount
of expression. These arrangements let the hymns speak for themselves as there
are not a lot of fancy runs or jazzy moves in them. My favorite arrangement is
The King is Coming. The harmonies and octaves just bring out the truth in the
song and the placement of every note is perfect. Great work by a great
composer/pianist!!
Side Note: This video is not of The King is Coming because I wasn't able to find one that his arrangement. However, this my favorite video of him playing When We All Get to Heaven in many different styles. What a talented guy!!
1000 Years by
the Piano Guys
Keeping with the theme of
instrumentals, I first heard this song when I purchased The Piano Guys self-titled
album. This song is special to me because it reminds me of a poem I wrote for
my future husband. The lyrics state “I have died everyday waiting for you,
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years, I’ll love you for
a thousand more.” The song was originally played in the Twilight movies. Never read the book or watched the movie so
I have not a clue how it’s used but it’s a wonderful song regardless of how it
came to be popular. Again the melody switches from cello to piano and so forth.
The masterful thing about The Piano Guys is it they know what instrument would
sound the best playing the melody. The cello plays the melodies of the verses
creating the feeling of longing while the piano accents with the harmony
creating a sense of anticipation. The piano takes over the melody in the chorus
creating the feeling of hope and happiness while the cello creates depth and a
feeling of reflection.
Little Drummer Boy by Jarrod
Radnich
I know, I know Little Drummer Boy
is the most repetitive Christmas carol there is besides the traditional version
of The 12 Days of Christmas. Like the
SNC version of 12 Days of Christmas,
the Jarrod Radnich version of Little
Drummer Boy is way more creative than I could ever possibly imagine. I was a
little apprehensive when I saw this carol on his Ornaments CD song list but decided to listen to it anyway. Wow was
I blown away! The creativity of each verse is astounding. The bass octaves keeps
the tempo like a drum would while the treble brings new Celtic style harmonies
to the old, repetitive melody. There is nothing repetitive about this song
though, each new verse brings new harmonies, octaves, and chords into the mix.
Variety is the name of the game here. Trust me, if you don’t like the
traditional song (like me) you, you will love this version.
And there you have it my favorite instrumental songs of 2012. Up next
are my favorite Southern Gospel Songs of 2012. Looking forward to seeing you
guys again soon. Let me know what other categories to write on. Until next time
remember,
