The first piece of this project is entitled “Cradled”. The experience of getting something new down on paper and into the air felt wonderful. I could direct you to several older pieces of mine that share similarities to “Cradled”, but that’s not too problematic to me. I don’t want to write the same tune over and over again, but some similarities might just be my style coming through. And the nature of a project such as this - publishing a new song every week - allows for that kind of thing in my opinion. Not all the songs that come out are going to be unique or great. But hopefully a handful of them will be.
The moment I got a couple melodic ideas down on the page felt great. After filling it out a bit, I had essentially a melody with a lot of repeated quarter note chords, mostly major triads. Then the idea of creating some moving voices in those chords came to mind. I think the moving voice adds a lot. Also, there were some chord qualities that I added that were not my first instinct. They felt a little forced and unclear in the process. But after returning to the piece the next day, I really liked them. One thing I’ve enjoyed recently is unusual phrase length, and the opportunity arose for some of that in this piece. The sections of the song are 8 bars (typical) 5 bars (less typical), and 8 bars again. The coda may be a familiar progression to you, except it’s a 3 bar version. I enjoy how some the odd phrase lengths might obscure the form a little upon first hearing the song.
The titling of instrumental pieces is a bit subjective. You might get a different feeling from the piece than I do. However, titles do help me in connecting to the piece myself. If I connect emotionally to the piece, I believe it will be easier for a listener to as well, despite the fact that we may get different feelings from it. This title came to me almost immediately as I got the first few measures down on paper, and from that moment on this piece became an expression of what this title refers to for me. I’ll enjoy sharing what this title means:
In January this year, I decided that my heart could use some exercise. I started with jumping rope. It was fun, but I didn’t like being inside. So I tried jogging, but that also wasn’t the right fit. It stressed my joints, and I didn’t like running next to traffic. My parents suggested I walk hills in Beacon, and the idea occurred to me to starting hiking a nearby trail that goes up Mount Beacon. In March I began a routine of briskly hiking this trail 3 times a week. It’s a good heart work out! I usually set a timer at the start of the trail for 20 minutes. I ascend as fast as I can. I’m usually climbing about 700 feet. I take a short break at the top, then descend down. It started as a workout routine. But quickly I started noticing things, naming places along the trial, identifying plants, and feeling a deep connection to the trail. I’ve now experienced the trail for about 6 months. I’m excited to continue observing for an entire year, although I’m sure snow and ice will interrupt me a little. We’re due for a snowy winter. Imagine what I’ll have learned by observing for a whole year. What if I continued for 10 years, or 20 years?!
Occasionally I devote a little more time to my hike and visit the Mount Beacon Reservoir. The reservoir occupies a natural hollow near the top of the mountain. It was dammed in 1922 and I believe it’s the main municipal water source for the city of Beacon. There is a strange silence around the reservoir. There’s not much wind there on an average day and you can hear hikers approaching from far away - I think you can hear footsteps crunching the gravel road from about 100 meters away and voices from 200 meters or more. It’s a very peaceful and serene place. When I sit by the shore, or lay on the rocks I get the feeling of being cradled by two giant hands. Often when I’m falling asleep I put myself back in that place. I feel very nurtured there. It’s wonderful. I wanted to capture a photo of the spot for this post, so I went there today and found the reservoir shrouded in fog. I captured some nice photos as the fog was lifting.
What a special place. “Cradled” is my song of gratitude for this place and the support I feel from it. I hope you enjoy the song and get some feelings from it too.