Synchroneity 

What do you get when you mix:

a 300 year old violin, Yamaha C7, Bosendorfer Imperial 290, Synchronicity, Birds...?

A new album...

Coming soon...

SONG MEANINGS: Pensato, Alex and Copenhagen 

I don't often explain or share song meanings. This last time I did this was in 2014 for my albums "A song to remember" and "Music all around" I used to get offended but not any more if someone asked me: "are there any words for this song?" 

All my compositions have themes and carry a leitmotif. Below is the meaning of each song from my latest album Pensato. I've also added my two singles Copenhagen and Alexander.

Pensato 2019 : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conundrum: A confusing time in your life. Thoughts and riddles in your mind like a carousel. A troubled mind with problems to solve.

Hope In Anticipation: To have hope and anticipating the arrival. Yet it never arrives, but one stays hopeful. 

80’s Nostalgia: I was born in the 80’s. Nostalgia about this decade. The way things were, the music and just being nostalgic about the 80’s. I used 80s drums and instruments to encompass this era. 

Like a song of Kate: This song is a dedication to Kate Bush. This song reminds me of something that Kate would compose, mysterious and unknown. I could only think of this title, to use as a track name. This song portrays the sentiment when I first heard "Wuthering Heights"

Pensato: An Italian musical term meaning. An imaginary or very soft and tender note.

Melancholic: Feeling or expressing pensive sadness.

A Dark Place: The wrong place at the right time... We've all been there, a caliginous sombre time in your life

Lost and Found: Quite a ironic thing to say. Could you be both of these at the same time?

Sad But True: The truth does not always set you free. It could be sad and true.

7.7 Billion: The world population in 2019. There’s too many of us and we are destroying our home.

Sanctuary: My home is my sanctuary or haven. This includes my family, friends and animals. 

Copenhagen 2019 Single:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first trip abroad and I found a gem of a place called København in Denmark. The empty streets and not congested with people. The fresh air, Nyhavn, the ethos, antiquity, ambiance, the food and people. A place to long for once you’ve been there.

Alexander 2019 Single: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This song is dedicated to my boy cat Alexander. He was taken too early and was only 5 human years old. The most loving spirit I’ve come across in my entire life. He was not just a cat... 

I composed and recording this song 2 days after his passing. RIP dear Alex.

 

Copenhagen and Alexander 

I was fortunate enough to visit Denmark in May this year and I completely fell in love with Copenhagen. I composed this song when I got back home. I'm only posting this now on my blog due to a crazy June and July.

 

I lost my cat child "Alexander" on 14 June. I simply had to compose a song to honor and remember him. What a great soul and a humongous personality. He was really like my own child and I will miss him dearly. He was not just a cat, he was my "Alexander The Great"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's both of them :)

 

København (Copenhagen):

 

 

Alexander:

 

Pensato - New Album Coming Soon... 

My new album "Pensato" will be out soon !

I started recording Pensato in January 2018 and it is almost ready to be released.

Some of the track titles will be :

  • Conundrum
  • Hope In Anticipation
  • Lost And Found
  • Like A Song Of Kate
  • Melancholic
  • Sad But True
  • 80s Nostalgia
  • Sanctuary
  • Pensato

and more...

 

To Compose or Decompose ... Steemit Post 

To Compose or Decompose ... Steemit Post

https://steemit.com/music/@bernardtjames/to-compose-or-decompose

 

How do I compose music ... 

Is it a phenomenon? ... 

I have my own ways and they are not set in stone. 

Composing music is an art, for some there's also calculations or math involved, for example in some sequential classical music. 

I get inspired by life, experiences, religion, people, etc ... 

My best place to compose is to play my old upright piano with a handheld recorder, or a cellphone's voice recorder works very well! I then literary start improvising and recording them as I go along. If something sounds good, I keep recording and I'll call it a "sketch" or a draft. 

They do not always get names immediately. That's why I call them sketches or ideas. Sometimes I list back to old sketches that I never used and then they sound amazing. So do not throw them all away. 

I never play incomplete songs to anyone. 

I do not compose all the time. I usually work towards a project or an album.  
I try and release an album every year, but it is not always possible. People do not realize how long it takes. The composing, arranging and recording takes several months. 

Once again you must work toward a goal or a theme.  
For example my album Music All around inspired by the universe and space. Risurrezione by faith and religion. 

To most time consuming for me is the transcription. These days we are lucky to have music software to help us. I use Musescore music notating software. This is very important and enables you to copyright your music.  

How long does it take to compose a song? 

Well ... it depends ... sometimes you compose the most amazing song under 5 minutes! It just works!  
Then you have ideas / sketches that you work on for hours, weeks or even months! 

Composing instrumental music needs a lot of depth and detail. You do not have lyrics to help you. 

Studying Music and Composition 

Studying music definitely helps your music-ability and knowledge, so I believe it could make you a better composer. It could also improve the quality of your compositions. 

Thanks for reading :) 

 

My New Album "Unresolved" Now Available on Bandcamp ! 

Hi All, 

My new album Unresolved is now available on Bandcamp. You can download/stream from the website or mobile apps. 

It will soon be available on iTunes, Google play and many other online stores.

I hope you enjoy it ! :)