Continuing my efforts to document my spontaneous singing (i.e. vocal improv) and to work with a phenomenal vocalist, I invited my friend and former instructor Judi Donaghy to join me in the studio this past July.

I admit I was a teensy bit apprehensive. (She was my teacher! She sings with Bobby McFerrin!). But I needn’t have worried, Judi’s generous and thoughtful (and did I mention a superb vocalist?). She cheerfully held rock-solid grooves and let me explore. Once I got comfortable being front and center, some nice things happened.

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We did a number of things during our brief time together, but I think this blues we created is my favorite. I used my thoughts about how it felt to improvise the piece to make up the text. (Judi brilliantly — and patiently — laid down the bass line for over four minutes!)

“So I’m sitting her with my friend Judi
She’s the one who’s singing those low notes
she’s laying it down
building a floor for me to stand on
so I can riff all over the place
sing the blues
got lots to do’s
while we work out this improv game …”

Listen to the track by clicking the play button (the little orange triangle) below.

Enjoy! (And let me know what you think. *smile*)

[audio:http://songtaneous.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/04-Improv-Blues-1.mp3]

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Thanks, Judi, for the musical conversations and the continuing education!

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”  — Napoleon Hill

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(Post #9, Again, because I said so.)

When I’m singing and improvising, I look for and gravitate toward a sense of ease and effortless. Direction without expectation. My friend Lori says that when you play really well, you don’t remember much about it. She thinks (and I agree) it’s because you’re really present in that moment.

When I’m getting ready to write a post for this blog, I sit at the keyboard and wait to get inspired. I might cruise around the web or skim through some notes I’ve made, but most of it’s waiting.

I do the same thing when I’m singing spontaneously.

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Hold on, it’s less passive than it sounds.

I look for the things that resonate. I wait for the “click.” The sound of things falling into place. Of my internal tumblers aligning so something can become clear and accessible.

What I’m learning is that 9 times out of 10, I have a really good sense of what I’m doing should feel like. Maybe not what it looks like, or how exactly it will take shape, but when it’s right I just “know” it. Call it my gut, intuition, the real me, whatever. As one of my friends frequently says, “When I know, I know.”

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I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration. What inspires me to create? Sound, color, texture? Places, events? What do other creative people do to get motivated and get moving? And, if I can quit hanging out with Procrastination and her pal Perfectionism, I hope to have a grasp on the topic and some things (tools, exercises, a workbook?) to share with you.

What about you? What inspires your creativity?