[What is the most important aspect of your songs/music?]

It's the best avenue I have to express myself! Words fail unless they are written down in lyric form and carefully constructed. Then putting those words into a melody, altering them and making words and melody work together, then getting to sing it over and over again as much as I want creates a sense of satisfaction that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. It's kind of like meditation. The new song becomes a mantra for a while and brings healing until the next one comes.

[New Music Friday #23]

7 hours ago, john said:

Very good Emily! I always enjoy your songs. You have a captivating and earnest sound. The subtle backing vocals add a nice depth, and the strings support the piano and vocal beautifully.

Thank you! I always enjoy your songs too! This one, cry freedom, is energetic and makes me feel a desperate feeling, like I want to fix the world, or escape reality, and I don't want to wait any longer.  It has the capacity to strike the heart. Thanks for sharing and for your comment. 

[New Music Friday #23]

10 minutes ago, Just1L said:

 

Funny, I didn't notice any spots that seemed out of place. I'm glad you skipped the "and" in the "I know what Love is and this ain't it" It sings great. Great song and superb vocals.

Oh, I'm glad you couldn't tell! The most obvious spot to me is the phrase "that I would grow to find another love" and there are some other minor spots, but I guess there is a lot of room for flexibility in the vocal part so it doesn't need to be exactly on beat. You should have heard it last night before I fixed the piano part! Ha.

[New Music Friday #23]

@Just1L I really like your lyrics! This is a fun song. Thanks for sharing!

 

@Clay Anderson Johnson I always learn something new and interesting from your blog posts. Thanks for taking the time to write them.

[New Music Friday #23]

Here's one I'm working on called "This Ain't It," but I didn't use a metronome when I originally recorded it because I wasn't sure what tempo to have yet, but then it turned out to be a problem because I tried to fix little spots and then the timing got all weird. It snowballed into way more work than it should have been, and there are still some spots where the timing of the vocals is a little wacky, but I wanted to share it anyway as a work in progress.

 

So, sorry about the weird timing issues!  Lyrics below:

 

I loved myself when I was a child

I loved myself because somebody loved me

I thought you were the same, but you don’t owe me anything

So why would you? Why would you?

 

I love myself even now

And that is why I can’t remain in this

I know you’re not the same now

I’m not a fool not like you claim

But how could you? How could you

say you love me and treat me this way?

 

It’s not your fault

I know you do the best you can

You were trained to react this way

That’s what you tell me,

But I know what love is baby

And this ain't it, this ain't it

 

How could I know when I was a child

If I would grow to find another to love

I may be naive,

but I know what I need

And I know what love is

 

I know what love is baby and this aint it.

I know what love is baby and this ain't it. 

I know what love is baby and this ain't it. 

This aint it.

 

and I may be naive...

 

but I know what love is baby, and this ain't it....

 

[New Music Friday #21]

14 minutes ago, john said:

We really should update your interview / feature and maybe do the same on our other sites over time?

That would be great!  Just let me know what you need when you are ready.

[New Music Friday #21]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcG7Z4Yljn7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

I wrote this one today. Have never tried to share a video from Instagram on here, so hopefully it'll work okay!  If not oh well, I'll try again later maybe. 

[New Music Friday #17]

2 hours ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

but it need bass and drums badly

I have a friend who added a bass part yesterday, and I'm going to figure out drums in cakewalk and fix some of the bare bones on this. 

[New Music Friday #17]

John,  I love how your vocal melody soars over the chords changes.  This is a beautiful song. 😊

[New Music Friday #17]

Happy Friday! Here's a new one from me, called Mountain. I think it's one of the ones I'm going to have mixed and mastered for the EP I'm working on with Steve. It would be cool to know if I need to do anything to the basic bones of this song, the performance of it and all, before sending stems. Have a lovely weekend!

 

[New Music Friday #17]

3 hours ago, Christopher Burke said:

Anyway, here's one I did day before yesterday, been a bit lazy today!  Love to know what you think. 

Yours respectfully - feel free to criticise the mix, I need to learn -

Chris.

I think this is so lovely! Maybe the piano sounds a little mechanical and could breathe a little more. It's kind of cool how it disappears in the mix a little, though I agree that the synths overpower it maybe a bit too much. And maybe there could be some more contrast within sections, as the song feels a bit like it keeps going but doesn't have any particular form or pattern of sections? Maybe I just haven't picked up on it. And that's fine if that's what you like! I am just a big pattern-person. I tend to prefer the a b a b c b  pattern, or something basic like that.

[New Music Friday #16]

This sounds good, @Steve Mueske! I'm glad the cello in the last chorus has been found, and I think the ending is working out very nicely.  

[New Music Friday #16]

2 hours ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

 

That's really great!  I am glad to hear it for the both of you. 👍🏻

 

🎵 I believe Emily to be the most talented artist on this forum.  Her voice is great and her musical skill level far exceeds anyone else.🎵

Wow, thank you! 😊 That is really kind of you to say. 

[Just Joined This Forum. I'm Going To Post A Song To Introduce Myself. It's Called Recurring Dream.]

Emily, sorry to interrupt the normal flow of responses, but this is posted in wrong subforum.

When mods move the topic they can delete my post

I'm sorry, which subforum should this be posted in? 

[Just Joined This Forum. I'm Going To Post A Song To Introduce Myself. It's Called Recurring Dream.]

There's a sophistication to this that I personally don't hear in modern music very often, but I think you have to have a certain measure of ability to achieve a composition like this, which you have in spades.

 

Wonderful piano playing.  Absolutely awesome.  Chord progression, voicing, runs up and down, etc...

 

Overall the musical spirit of this song reminds me of the old Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby days.  It has that pop/jazzy vibe to it.  Would love to hear a big band orchestration behind it.

 

Lyrics are very poetic.  

 

Really enjoyed this one.  I think you're the female Ben Folds.

 

Larry

 

Thank you, Ichough. 

[Just Joined This Forum. I'm Going To Post A Song To Introduce Myself. It's Called Recurring Dream.]

Since recording this I have found my pop screen and placed it on the mic. So, hopefully that will solve that issue. Thanks for the suggestion Hobosage. And yes, starise, I added some harmonies. Hopefully it's not too unexpectedly off-putting. Thank you for listening and commenting!

[Just Joined This Forum. I'm Going To Post A Song To Introduce Myself. It's Called Recurring Dream.]

 

Thursday Night Original Song - "Recurring Dream"

http://emilyandersonmusic.com

 

Lyrics:

 

"I woke up in the morning to a crash of thunder and a flash of lightening. I sat up thinking of my recurring dream that was rudely disrupted.

 

In the dream I'm running from something, and my feet pick up off the ground,

and I slowly rise, higher and higher, to the top of the trees, then I keep going to the top of the clouds, with a cold mist in my face.

 

I'm thankful for the rain and I'm happy for electricity.

But when it wakes me up, I remember to pray that the morning finds us alive. 

 

And dreams are barely there like memories except they never were.

 

And when the thunder dies down I can go back to sleep, but the dream has faded. And when it returns on some other night, for the moment I'll pretend that it's real.