Songcrafters.org

Two days ago I did something I've always wanted to do: I hiked down to Indian Garden in the Grand Canyon with my backpacker guitar (https://amzn.to/49tOtzT) and wrote a song.


You can hear some wind noise in the song. I forgot to bring headphones, so I just recorded mono in the MBR's MP3 mode.

It's very unusual for me to write and record a song this fast, but I didn't want to leave the canyon without having done both -- and I didn't have a camping permit.

I added bass tonight.

great song and recording ted, the wind  sounds incredibly like the sound my dog makes when he runs down the stairs just as i record my vocal tracks on my mbr.

Great story, great experiment, and great song! That last, hanging 'if i were the first down here, there wouldn't be a path' line is so friggin' cool! A brilliant performance too. Bravo!

I tanked this down to my phone before heading to work today and listened .....  and listened ..

And now I'm listening and enjoying it again !

Excellent Ted. Love how you did this .... and that first picture is just beautiful ... nature and the silver brick ...

Inspiring !!

You sure don't need several days to make a great song

I'm a fan !

Great song and performance. It sounds really fresh.

A little more about Plateau Point, because my photo doesn't do it justice. It's one of the most dramatic spots in the Grand Canyon; about 1,300 feet (400 m) above the Colorado River, and 3,000 feet (900 m) below the trailhead at the south rim.

I like to think this is where no MBR has gone before, but I can't know that for sure.


I'm not sure how much longer I'll be living in Flagstaff, so I need to do more hikes like this.

Quote from: Greeny on May 27, 2014, 03:11:32 AMThat last, hanging 'if i were the first down here, there wouldn't be a path' line is so friggin' cool!

I wasn't sure how I felt about that, it's so unresolved. But with the Greeny Stamp of Approval, I think I'll keep it. I may do a more polished version of this in the future.

Thanks, Jim, Greeny, Geir, and Jarle for your comments.

Beautyfull!!!
Voice as great as Neil Young... Superb acoustic performance...

I sincerely think that the energy , the "spirit'" of the place where you play ang sing influence your way to play or compose... Positive vibrations, natural and large winds of "force"...

The Force : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUKGTkiWik  ;)

Easy to do a "Live In The Living Room" for anyone...  8)

But a "Live In the Grand Canyon"???   :o   Great idea!!!  :D

Really excellent inspiration...

Thanks for your lyrics in manuscript

Jean-Sébastien

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=15502.msg260833#new

I propose for a future festival : "Live In A Great Natural Place",

Place known as the Grand Canyon or totaly unknown as a little place in the middle of the south of France in the garrigue in french, scrubland...

Jean-Sébastien

Sounds really good for how it was recorded.  Its a really good song, nice chords and excellent lyrics and vocals.  Its a top flight song.

I love the squirrel verse. I'm expecting a connect with nature scene and you teach us a hard lesson. I love that you went on this journey and completed it so well.

really like this, the whole process the images the explanation and the song all compliment each other......I like the ending also....

That's a great story, great pictures and a great song at the end of it.  You have a lovely voice for this music.

Twenty years ago I was in Phoenix with Land Rover North America.  On one of the weekends they took us up to Flagstaff and then back down on tracks through Sedona in a Range Rover.  It's a beautiful part of the world and that trip is one of the highlights of my life so far.  Like to see the Grand Canyon some day.

A beauty of a song and an excellent place to record it ...you did a great job!! With an excellent idea...I think it would make a great fest....the great outdoors you have to write and record a song out in the open and take pics to prove it ..

 ;D

Quote from: thetworegs on May 28, 2014, 12:57:30 AMA beauty of a song and an excellent place to record it ...you did a great job!! With an excellent idea...I think it would make a great fest....the great outdoors you have to write and record a song out in the open and take pics to prove it ..

:D You are agree with me about a "Great Outdoors Fest" as you call it or a  "Live In A Great Natural Place" as I named it!!!
The thread is here : https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=15502.msg260833#new

Jean-Sébastien

Excellent song brother, everything about is super cool but without a doubt the ending is the coolest of cool. Like Greeny said that's a great line!!!! Having been to that spot a few years ago, I'm super jealous that you got a recording!! Had the family there a few years ago & we went to the church service & I managed to mooch a guitar for about 20 mins & got o play in that setting & I'll never forget it.
I also have a backpacker, I did a thru-hike of the Appalachian trail 18 years ago  :'( and took one along, great guitar. After getting seriously abused over the 6 month trek I hung it on the wall for years
, strung it up last year & it played great. I've never been a fan of Martin guitars but they make quality.
Great song, great performance & great recording!
Rock On!

Man, I'm lost for words here. The package as a whole, with the pics and all, is masterly. Love it...

                                                          henwrench

Does 'intrigued' count as a superlative? You got me here Ted. Do you live near the canyon? Or is it miles and miles away?

                                                               henwrench

This is a beauty (the song and the surroundings), liking them languid chord progressions and the simple bass additions fill out the sound nicely.

That vocal just flys, and the wind noise adds to the great ambience of it.

I lived in California for a couple of years when I was 11-13 and it took me ages to figure out that you Yanks referred to Maths as "Math"...I figured that you were just mispronouncing it each time. :D ;)

This is not only a great song but a great story of the journey you took to get it.
This is so interesting and I do hear neil young in there.
The place looks amazing and it's great that you shared your experience with us.
Well done Ted.

Quote from: henwrench on May 28, 2014, 03:00:33 PMDo you live near the canyon? Or is it miles and miles away?

The park entrance is about 80 miles away. Does that count as near? I might not be living here much longer but the Grand Canyon has meant "home" to me for many years, even when I lived in Africa and Washington DC.

Quote from: Tangled Wires on May 28, 2014, 03:56:12 PMI lived in California for a couple of years when I was 11-13 and it took me ages to figure out that you Yanks referred to Maths as "Math"...I figured that you were just mispronouncing it each time. :D ;)

When i lived in Africa, Anglophone Cameroonians said "maths," and I always thought it was a mispronunciation by people who spoke English as a second language.

Quote from: kenny mac on May 28, 2014, 07:18:33 PMThis is not only a great song but a great story of the journey you took to get it.
This is so interesting and I do hear neil young in there.

I may do it again someday soon. Next time I'll bring headphones and try to do a multitrack recording of a song written the same day. I might need an overnight trip to make that happen. I understand the trick is to get to the park really early and pick up on a no-show reservation at the campground.

The Neil Young comparison comes up occasionally. I can't say that I count him as an influence. But if you mean it in a good way, I'll take it.

Quote from: Ted on May 30, 2014, 08:56:18 PM

Quote from: henwrench on May 28, 2014, 03:00:33 PMDo you live near the canyon? Or is it miles and miles away?

The park entrance is about 80 miles away. Does that count as near? I might not be living here much longer but the Grand Canyon has meant "home" to me for many years, even when I lived in Africa and Washington DC.

         Well, in my book, I'd say you live near. I don't know quite how strictly the speed limits are enforced down your way (I know it's a ridiculously slow 55mph), but here, I'd do 80 miles in way under an hour, say about 45 to 50 mins tops...but then old henwrench doesn't hang around...I ain't got time...

                                                                       henwrench

The creative process is a wonderful... yet personal thing.
It fascinates me as much as the work... the fruits of the labor, I like to call it.
What a wonderful experience you've laid out for us.
The coolness of the song...... for me is enhanced by the story behind it.

Thanks for sharing.

I enjoyed the song quite a bit, but the story that goes with it is enthralling.  I really appreciate the photo journal. It's like your own Storytellers episode.

Blooby

Brilliant Ted, what a cool idea. Great song, your vocal really reminded me of David Thomas from Pere Ubu when it started. Love the lyrics, no resolution needed for me. I could never do anything like that, so I'm really impressed you could create something so worthwhile in such a short time and in such a location. Bravo sir!

Master bump...

So here I am in Madagascar, in my house digging for some paperwork and I came across the handwritten lyrics to this song.

I may have to repeat this experiment before I leave Madagascar. On the few excursions I've made, I haven't thought to bring an instrument. My kabosy isn't much bigger than a backpacker guitar.

Maybe I'll visit the "Limestone Labyrinth."



After I wrote all the stuff above I just noticed that it's been one year, to the day, since I wrote that song in the Grand Canyon.

Agree with comments...this is an amazing piece of work and
great location . lovely lyrics. and nice music all around agree
with comments. grat to hear u again TED. cheers NEIL 1

Cool story bro. You going to re-record the song in a nicer studio?

Still have this song on my phone !! :D

Still a great song !!

Really hope you'll revisit this process when you visit  "Limestone Labyrinth"!!!

We can never have enough Ted-songs !!!

Been to the southern point of the canyon twice- through Flagstaff and up... magical place.
Like the tune, magical too and short sweet, wish I could have done that too.
Nice!

An other listen for me...

Still a such beautyful song, with the great genesis story of the song, played in a extraordinary place.

"Maybe I'll visit the "Limestone Labyrinth." Hope you can play a song associated with magic place on the photo!

When some say there is a kind of "Neil Young style" in your composition or interpretation, even if it is not a real musical influence for you, it is a true positive comment and a compliment.

Jean-Sébastien

Long story...

• Someone on Twitter reminded me about this song.
  
• I came here to look at the post, and discovered that the photos weren't showing – they load from my personal website
• Looked into it, and discovered my website had been hacked
• Spent all evening recovering my website. Forgot all about the SongCrafters post until I started closing my open tabs
• Came back here to fix the image URLs in the original post
• Masterbump

sorry to hear your pc was hacked. This was a good song you wrote on your travels in the grand canyon. I nearly bought one of those boss micro multitrack units years ago. Your vocals and guitar sound really clear on it considering you were outside. Great song in a moment of inspiration. Darren :)

super cool and I really liked the story of it and the photos...added to the intrigue of the song....I think it's neat that you did it...when i first heard you singing this i thought it was Geddy Lee and i had to turn it up...
I find it to be alot easier to just look around and write lyrics about what you see...that works well and it looks like there was a bit of that going on here...

Quote from: StephenM on April 02, 2021, 03:29:49 AMwhen i first heard you singing this i thought it was Geddy Lee and i had to turn it up...

People say Neil Young sometimes (and other singers known for approximate intonation) but this is the first time my voice has been compared to Geddy Lee.