In the Blue – Music Story

John played the harmonica. He found backing tracks of songs he loved and played along.¹ But there was one song that he couldn’t find a backing track for. So he asked me to play it on my piano and record it for him. He would use the recording as a backing track. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the sheet music anywhere. I had to tell John that I didn’t have the ability to play the song by ear.

But!

I did find a chord progression for the song. I took the chord progression to my piano, wove a melody around it, and penned lyrics that reflected John’s love of fishing. I sent John a recording of the song.

A few years later I realized the melody and refrain from John’s song would be perfect for a song I was writing based on Philippians 4:6-7. I posted “Surprised by Peace” in my blog in the middle of COVID.²

John died this December. The family contributed photos for a memorial slideshow.³ You can hear John playing the harmonica throughout the photo montage. The last few pictures are accompanied by John playing his harmonica to the recording of this song that I composed for him.

From the album “Paper Book Colors – Nature Sings” this video is scrolling playback of a song I wrote for my brother, John.

Kathy

Click here to read Philippians 4:6-7.

Print (PDF) sheet music is available for In the Blue.

Click here for PDF.

¹ John on the harmonica with a backing track: DON'T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING
² #songsofmyheart: Surprised by Peace – Music Story
³ The slideshow can be seen here: Obituary for John C. Stillman

Tempted – Music Story

The Spirit of God led Jesus, the Son of God, to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, to be tempted just like us.

Challenge #1

God “rained down bread from heaven” [i] to feed the children of Israel when they were hungry in the wilderness. Jesus was hungry in the wilderness.

Shouldn’t God’s Son make bread from stones?
Shouldn’t the Creator feed us when we are hungry?

Challenge #2

Psalm 91 promises that no evil would befall the one who made God his dwelling place. The angels “will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”[ii] Satan brought Jesus to the highest point of the temple and told him to throw himself down.

Wouldn’t people believe Jesus was God’s Son if God kept him safe?
If he wants us to believe in him, shouldn’t the Creator kept us safe?

Challenge #3

The children of Israel had a choice: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”[iii] If Jesus didn’t like God’s way, he could choose Satan’s.

If Jesus bowed down and worshiped Satan, Satan would give him all the kingdoms of the world.
If the Creator doesn’t fulfill our desires, we’ll go elsewhere.

According to Jesus, these three challenges are not valid reasons for rejecting the Creator and refusing to serve and worship him. Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses, he “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”[iv]

From the album “Redemption” this video is scrolling playback of a song based on Matthew 4:1-11.

Kathy

Click here to read the temptation of Jesus.

Print (PDF) sheet music is available for Tempted.

Click here for PDF.

[i] Exodus 16:3-4 Exodus 16 | NIV Bible | YouVersion
[ii] Psalms 91 | NIV Bible | YouVersion
[iii] Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24 | NIV Bible | YouVersion
[iv] Hebrews 4:15 Hebrews 4 | NIV Bible | YouVersion

Bread of Life – Music Story

Jesus:
I am the bread of life.*

The Lord’s Supper:
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.**

From the album “Redemption” this video is scrolling playback of the Lord’s Supper.

Kathy

Scroll down here to read about the Lord’s Supper.

Print (PDF) and/or digital (MusicXML™) sheet music is available for Bread of Life.

Click here for 4-page PDF.

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML files.)

*John 6:35
**1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Fern Fiddleheads – Music Story

Fern fiddleheads ...

... stir ...

... to the insistent call of spring.

How might an artist illustrate it?

What about a songwriter? From the album “Paper Book Colors – Songs from Nature” this video is scrolling playback of the song.

Kathy

You can get print (PDF) and/or digital (MusicXML™) sheet music for Fern Fiddleheads.

Click here for print sheet music.

Click here for digital sheet music.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML™ files.)

Mystery - Music Story

The Making of a Music Story

Colossians 2 describes Jesus as the mystery of God! Mystery would be an awesome theme and title for a song based on that chapter.

My notes on Colossians 2 spill over into the next pages. I’ll write then rewrite and rewrite lyrics.

The final revision of lyrics sits at my work station where I play around with melody lines in major and minor keys.

Now to create the song on my computer. Going for a nocturne-like arrangement of Garritan® virtual instruments.

Finale®, my music composition program, creates a WAV file of the score. I add it to my iTunes playlist and listen on my iPod. The arrangement needs work.

So I edit the score. Again. And again. And again.

Now to make a video. I’ll need a public domain image as backdrop and interesting fonts for music and lyrics.

From the album “Sing” this Music Story video is a screen capture of Finale® playing Garritan® instruments.

Kathy

Did Mystery capture the theme of Colossians 2? Click here to read the passage.

Print sheet music for viola and piano is available for Mystery.

Click here for PDF.

Do you play or teach the viola or piano? Mystery is on SmartMusic, the comprehensive music practice app!

Click here to practice the music. Click here for SmartMusic help.

You can change key and instrumentation with MusicXML - digital sheet music.

Click here for MusicXML.
(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML™ files.)

Mystery is on SmartMusic here.