My Life's Musical Journey... Araluen... a place of singing waters
Track 1
'Dawn Opera'
Blending in the sounds with my music however was by no means an easy feat. I had to chart the bird song, find out what key it was singing in, create a harmonic progression to match the song, and then find a melody line to suit. This first track, eight minutes long, took 200 hours to accomplish.
Track 2
'Araluen Theme'
The CD had to have an 'Araluen Theme', so this one came to mind. Some sweeping sounds to match the location of a valley between two hills.
Track 3
'Dreaming On The Margin Of A Quiet River'
The sounds of running water were perfect for this track. Many a time I had thought of the title long before I actually composed the song. As a boy I used to go up to the local wooded park and sit alone by a quiet stream and dream about all sorts of things.
Track 4
'Pool of Reflection'
The history of Araluen Botanic Park can be found on their web site. Once having read that account, it will be easy for the listener to relate to my music on this topic.
Track 5
'Lazy Creek'
I actually used a slow swing rhythm for this tune. No one was more surprised than myself. But it seemed to suit the sound of the frogs and running water and all I could think of was a hot summer afternoon, lying on a nice green lawn, by a 'lazy creek' gradually finishing off a bottle of white wine. What a way to go !
Track 6.
'Dancing With A Memory'
One of the reasons for this album was to give the visitor a CD that they could go away with and remember their time spent in the park... hence this title.
Track 7
'Dusk'
A mixture of bird song from the evening chorus with a slow reminiscent beat finishes this popular CD off nicely. British Airways thought it was nice too and played it, along with ‘Beyond The Clouds’ for another year or so.
The Western Australian Government Department for the Arts had a scheme whereby an artist could apply for venture capital to commence a project. I applied on the basis that I intended to produce my own CD. Capital was approved and I released ‘Araluen’ having done everything myself! Furthermore, I won the prestige award for the most successful venture 1997 for my efforts on this album and the way I had set about marketing and selling it.
