Twilight Meditations Sessions - Night 4

At night, when its a clear night, I like to look up at the sky, and try to see the dimmest stars I can manage.  These stars are, generally, farther away than the brighter ones.  The light reaching me from them is old, sometimes ancient.

Its a profound experience looking into the past this way, and many emotions occur.  One that is most significant is sadness.  I am sad because I am seeing something that will never be seen at that moment, in that way again.  I am sad that I will never be able to reach those stars in my lifetime, and wish I could look upon them from distances not impeded by my earthbound self.

To me, sadness is not a bad emotion to have, at least in this sense.  This is because it is not only sadness I am feeling, but happiness, joy and humble emotions I can't put into words.  These things all remind me of my life, and those around me, and the simple beauty that can be observed up there and here and on earth.

If you can see this, you are alive, and the stars are looking down at you. Why not have a glance up at them?

Track four : Star Light

Runtime : 8:17

See ya tomorrow :)

jack

Twilight Meditations Sessions - Night 3

Morning Gang :)

Night Three!  After taking two very much needed weekend evenings off, its back to work here on the album.  This evening, I found myself looking up at the metaphorical stars.  I remember as a kid looking into the night sky and see shooting stars going as far as horizon to horizon.  I remember they were some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

I felt it fitting to name this slow piece Star Trails because it evokes a small measure of the feeling those shooting stars gave to me.

I started with some heavily edited reverse piano and bell sounds, and progressed to more traditional elements for the middle of the piece.  I've noticed that I've been following a pattern without realizing it.  I favored the artificial and synthy elements in the beginning of the piece, and then moved to the traditional elements.  This piece was no exception.  Though a really pretty voice patch picks up the second theme at the end, simplifies it, and then piano takes us out.

The most enjoyable part of this is right around a minute.  I layered this little piano pattern with a staccato piccolo, playing the same notes in the same octave.  Its a little playful and sets up the first of the stars playing across the sky, those childhood moments when you realize there are amazing things in front of you, and the golden tickle of the excitement you feel.

It clocks in at a respectable 6:33.  I was going to lengthen it by repeating the first section but with different instrumentation, but if you feel like you said something right the first time, why say it again?

Know what I mean?

See you tomorrow night, and thanks for reading.

jack