I realized this the other day…. but then another thing occurred to me, it is actual practice. Constant, unending practice.
When we are working on a new song, whether it is on our own or together, it is a process, a long and sometimes arduous process.
There is more than just the notes on the piano or guitar… there are the lyrics… there are the vocals… there are the harmonies… there is the phrasing… there is the ‘feel’… there is the timing… there is work, lots of work. So while I have this current earworm, which happens to be a new project song and sometimes drives me crazy, I know that in the end it will be right, and it will be because we practice, even when we aren’t practicing.
The right tone, the well-placed harmony, the just-right phrasing all make a huge difference in a song. You may not know what it is, but you know when it’s right. It is the difference between ‘they do this song’ and ‘they nailed it’ — we prefer the latter.
One of my favorite moments is during a wedding ceremony, Jack playing ‘Your Song’ by Elton John on the acoustic piano as a gift from the Groom to his Bride; watching the tears well-up in the Bride’s eyes and then freely flow; seeing the huge grin on the Groom’s face as he realized he had just given her such a wonderful moment; then the cherry on top – going through the receiving line after the wedding and having the adult son of the Bride, who happened to give away his mother, grab Jack, hug him and say ‘f***ing awesome, you were just f***ing awesome’ 🙂 Colorful yes, but still qualifies as: one of the Best. Compliments. Ever.
