Whisperings

Cooler weather

Allen — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:39:39 +0000

Jumpin’ Jesus is close to completion. 12 songs, the first release to be “God Is Love.” Final guitar work, sweetening and vocal overdubs are to be performed next Tuesday with Nite Fire. I’m very excited! -Mr. Allen

Launch exhaust

Allen — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:12:12 +0000

September 2009 has whirlwinded my web-presence. The FashionArt Show in Santa Cruz brought levity to all. But should these designer-created abstractions have more sparkle (rhinestones), or those shoes don’t match? Should a rhino have three horns or two? Luck’ly (by the way, luck is God’s blessing), roses come in all colours and ev’rybody wants to be in the movie. Tonight I’m going to take band pictures for local promo, tomorrow is a recording session in Campbell, CA going for final mixes and sweetening of JUMPIN’ JESUS. FM&S (final mixes & sweetening) comprises repairing one little note or phrase, tweeking EQ (treble & bass tone), determining final song order and adding angelic voices and sound effects.
Out the door. -Mr. Allen

From the heart of God

Allen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:36:46 +0000

Songwriting for me starts with the desire to share with my home church. I begin by reading the Bible…sometimes with a topic (looked up in the Concordex), sometimes with a Biblical character (looked up in the Index), sometimes just opening the Bible and following the footnote references in my study Bible. This is similar to warming a pot of salted water to start soup.

With soup we add root veggies first; with a song we establish a groove (otherwise known as a time signature at a tempo). The main ingredient is a rhyming chorus (often 4 or 8 lines). The chorus should be congregation singable by the first repetition (the salt of the earth).

Associated poetry in the verses grow the details related to the themes in the chorus. In soup, thickening agents (arrowroot, legumes, sauces) resemble the verses’ structure. When the chef tests with a spoon midway through the simmering, the composer is finetuning the couterpoints and test-driving an arrangement.

The key of the tune often changes at a later time, or I may want to add a key modulation or a Coda. The final tempo must wait until finishing touches. The real test is rehearsing with the praise band. One primary consideration is which fret to capo the strum guitars (in a praise band). -Mr. Allen

Hello world!

Allen — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:20:09 +0000

galactic communications

Designed with my friend, Beldon, this shape is the icosahedron, made of wood, bolted and glued and then raised in my front yard.