#145

[Big - Al]

Hi. I feel a little timid about posting anything here in the company of so many very accomplished musicians and songwriters. Here's a little composition I created for the church choir I'm in . . . Psalm 145 set to a pretty simple original melody . . . instrumental only demo recording to hopefully comply with all applicable forum rules.

Ps 145 on Box

It's hard for me to judge my own work, but I thought I'd post something for the group to examine. Please ridicule in moderation.

[islandguitar]

That was really nice! Full sound, interesting melody with piano/guitar that is easy and pleasant to listen to.. I can really see this doing very well at your place of worship.

[Big - Al]

Thanks! For quite a few years, I've been composing the occasional piece for groups I've been in as need dictates.

There have been times where there isn't a guitar-friendly piece in the song book for a specific occasion. I try to come up with simple, interesting melodies and chord progressions that are easy for amateur musicians to play. Hopefully, the songs wind up in a comfortable voice range and are predictable enough that the congregation will be able to catch on quickly and sing along.

Often, the compositions wind up sounding like folk songs or four chord pop tunes . . . which makes sense, I guess, since that's what everyday people can sing comfortably. I'm not an accomplished musician or much of a vocalist. I figure if I can play and (mostly) sing the tune, it will probably do the job. Most of my demo recordings are instrumental to spare people from hearing my often uncooperative voice.