This was originally posted to my tumblr blog, and I thought I’d post it here as well.
Music is something that is pretty heavily involved in my life. Had I actually kept up with my piano lessons when I was much, much younger, it might have an even bigger influence. Though, I’ll admit, I’m not dead, it’s not like I can’t go out, pick up a guitar from a music shop, get some lessons and teach myself how to play (with enough motivation, and of course, extra cash). But yeah, music’s been around my life for years and I often think about music whenever I’m writing. Music is there when I’m playing video games. It’s there in the background when I read. I was even there when I worked in broadcasting as a news anchor.
My mother is a professionally trained pianist and vocalist. She has her ARCT in voice and piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. If she had wanted to, she probably could have been with a large music company, performing operatic pieces or accompanying other professional singers. But she didn’t, because she was happy doing what she did. A small town piano teacher, who managed to turn heads on Sunday in church and eventually became the choir director for the Conquest United Church.
My tastes in music are decidedly different than my mother’s (though, there is some crossing, such as we both like Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Loreena McKennit, and even Enya). I don’t think I’ll ever hear my mom ever say “can you play that CD you have, the black album, you know, the one from Metallica”. If that ever happens, then I’ve definitely stepped into an alternate universe.
I listen to music when I write, and it has as of late, had a lot of twang to it. But there’s a lot of other bits of music that goes with it. Coming up with the descriptions of Shani and Wren, there’s been bits of O De’min Kwe Sisters, some Sierra Noble, and even some Natalie MacMaster. For Pania, there’s lots of Natalie MacMaster, Loreena McKennit, Enya, and even the Corrs. For Abisayo, there was a lot of the old Gospel songs that were used during the Civil War, plus a lot of traditional Yoruba music (I’m not familiar with it, as I’ve just started listening to many different artists, so I can’t rattle off names as easily as I can with other musical pieces).
One thing I’ve found with each of those pieces of music, however, there’s a lot of percussion, even in the Maritime fiddle, Celtic music, Mohawk, Metis, Yoruba and even in the spirituals. They actually compliment each other very well.
It’d be cool if those pieces could be mixed in some way; a Metis fiddle player with a Cape Breton piano player, along with First Nations drums and Yoruba vocalists.
That was random, but music just got me thinking of that.
ADDITION: Got a message from failedslacker who said:
Have you ever listened to afro celt soundsystem? It’s a west african/celtic blend and they add electronica into their later albums.
I listened, very cool stuff indeed.
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