Where mere words can't go alone.....
Occasionally I am asked to perform at weddings, and one of the most memorable was a wedding in Italy where in between sets I was able to swim in the wonderful volcanic Lake Orta in Northern Italy. It was a truly beautiful experience and a wonderful occasion.
Occasionally I am asked to perform at weddings, and one of the most memorable was a wedding in Italy where in between sets I was able to swim in the wonderful volcanic Lake Orta in Northern Italy. It was a truly beautiful experience and a wonderful occasion.
Now, it will come as no surprise to my readers that when preparing songs for such occasions it can be quite a challenge to find a whole list of 'appropriate love songs', as it would seem that so many popular love songs are about breaking up, unfaithfulness, and broken hearts!! I've even heard people request particular 'love' songs because they clearly enjoy the melody but haven't perhaps noted the lyrical content!
On a personal level, I love a good love song if written from the heart, and have written a couple for my darling wife. It is always great to perform them as it reminds me of two things; 1. Love is a wonderful thing, 2. Music has power to convey messages that mere words cannot convey alone.
Songwriting is most recently becoming a much larger part of my work, on both a one to one and group work level. Quite often I will ask people to speak or sing out the first thing that comes to their mind; and whether young or old(er) the theme usually centres around love, relationships, family, friendship, and hope for the future. It seems that everyone has something to express, whether positive or negative, and the simple art of creating new music offers such a beautiful opportunity to do this.
The most amazing thing is hearing such comments as:
"A few minutes ago this song wasn't even written, let alone even thought of"
"This song is brand new, it's ours, no one else has ever heard this before"
"This is really helping me express how I'm feeling, and making me feel a lot more positive and hopeful about things"
"I've got loads of feelings inside, and creating music is really helping me let it all out in a positive way"
Why do I love songwriting and creating new music with people?....the above says it all.