I can't quite believe it, but I have made it to the end of six months. I should write a proper update about how I'm feeling, but for now here's a song. My starting theme was slow, and branches of a mind map led me to the lyrics. The melody is mostly improvised save for a little hook, and a few questionable notes snuck their way in and will need to be plucked out when I finally get time to revisit all these songs and do something exciting with them. What that something might be, I have no idea yet.

SCP #111: The Autumn Scuffle

I had a little songwriting energy back, so I took the original Scuffle text and used that as the starting point for this piece. I kept the spirit of the previous video's randomness by improvising the melody and piano part. And by improvising on piano I mean randomly hitting white keys without much consideration for what I was playing. Perhaps I shouldn't have admitted that...

SCP #101: Snap And Rattle

This one came out easily, unlike most of my recent attempts. My starting prompt was venetian blinds.

SCP #88: Filter (II)

Part II in a mini series. No wind this time, just lots of coffee.

SCP #67: Shiver

Yesterday I had to go into one of those huge city office towers to drop off some documents. It was the kind with a concierge in the lobby to direct you to the correct floor, and a stream of suits, motorcycle couriers and cycling lycra coming and going through the glass lifts. I spent a large chunk of my twenties quite unhappy in office buildings like this, and whenever I end up back inside one I feel very uncomfortable as the negative memories come flooding back in.

SCP #49: The Café And The Fly

This piece marks the end of week seven. At some point I stopped actively counting the days as they click past, so realising I've been at this for seven weeks is a bit of a shock. By the end of next week I'll have finished my third month, and one whole season of songs. These daily videos are not just a record of my creative output, but also a record of a year in my life going by, which is quite nice. We are coming to the end of Melbourne summer, so as the days become shorter and cooler I am sure my songs will adapt to the new season just as much as my wardrobe will. Despite fluctuations in energy and enthusiasm for the project my body and mind show no signs of quitting, so I really hope I can make through all four seasons of songs.

SCP #13: Clocks, Coffee

I'm writing this post a day late, although I did stick to my project rules and write and record this piece yesterday. I got it done right before I drove out to the beautiful Yarra Valley to play at a Bright Young Music wedding, and it definitely challenged my time management. I decided that the gig preparation took precedence, and that I would get all of that done first and use whatever remaining time I had left on this song, which was about half an hour. If I didn't have this self-imposed daily deadline I wouldn't have completed it, as the day of a large gig always comes with heightened stress levels. Of course the deadline is self-imposed, so I'd only be letting myself down if I took the day off, yet the public nature of this project means that I am also accountable to an audience.

Song-Chain Project, Clocks & Time, CoffeeErica Bramham21 January 2017mandolin, voice, critique, judgement, lyrical

SCP #12: In This Room

Today is the first day I really didn't want to sit down and work. Really, really didn't want to. My schedule has been fairly light the past few weeks as most of my music teaching doesn't resume until the school term starts back again, but I am playing at a wedding tomorrow and spent most of today preparing for that. I had considered building rest days into this project - one day a month perhaps - but momentum is an easy thing to lose. One day off the wagon and you start to want another, and another and another. I have no idea when I'll fit tomorrow's song in, but that's a challenge for the morning.

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