Hi Everyone
I figured week 150 is a huge milestone for HIVE open mic so I thought I should jump back in this week and try and come up with something worthwhile for you all.
I haven't done an open mic post in a long time mostly due to burnout and lack of inspiration.
Back in October, I helped my uncle clean a lot of stuff out of his attic, he was moving house and needed to de-clutter before the new owners moved in.
A lot of the things in his attic had been there since he moved into the house in 1986.
One of the things that was going to get thrown into the rubbish skip was this old nylon-stringed guitar.
I only got around to buying new strings for it last week, it's been more than 20 years since it was last played or restrung. The tuning heads were so rusty it took a while to get them moving again.
This is the first nylon guitar I have ever played or owned. I watched a movie at the weekend called "The Beach Bum" written and directed by Harmony Korine. There is a scene in that movie where the song "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot plays.
I got the song stuck in my head and started playing around with it on the nylon with the capo on the 7th fret. Since this is the first song I've played on this guitar I thought it would be a good name for her, especially fitting since she almost ended up in a dump somewhere.
I hope you guys will enjoy hearing her sing again for the first time in over 20 years.I tried adding some Spanish subtitles to the video for our non-English speakers, hopefully not to much is lost in translation.
"Sundown"
Gordon Lightfoot
I can see her lying back in her satin dress
In a room where you do what you don't confess
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs
I see her looking like a queen in a sailor's dream
She don't always say what she really means
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feeling better, when I'm feeling no pain
I can picture every move that a man could make
Getting lost in her loving is your first mistake
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winning, when I'm losing again
I can see her looking fast in her faded jeans
She's a hard-loving woman, got me feeling mean
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feeling better, when I'm feeling no pain
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winning, when I'm losing again
-Hola a todos
Pensé que la semana 150 es un gran hito para el micrófono abierto de HIVE, así que pensé que debería regresar esta semana e intentar encontrar algo que valga la pena para todos ustedes.
No he hecho una publicación de micrófono abierto en mucho tiempo, principalmente debido al agotamiento y la falta de inspiración.
En octubre, ayudé a mi tío a limpiar un montón de cosas de su ático, se estaba mudando de casa y necesitaba ordenar antes de que los nuevos propietarios se mudaran.
Muchas de las cosas en su ático habían estado allí desde que se mudó a la casa en 1986.
Una de las cosas que iban a tirar al basurero era esta vieja guitarra de cuerdas de nailon.
Solo compré cuerdas nuevas para él la semana pasada, han pasado más de 20 años desde la última vez que se tocó o se volvió a encordar. Los cabezales de afinación estaban tan oxidados que tomó un tiempo volver a ponerlos en movimiento.
Esta es la primera guitarra de nailon que he tocado o que he tenido. Vi una película el fin de semana llamada "The Beach Bum" escrita y dirigida por Harmony Korine. Hay una escena en esa película donde suena la canción "Sundown" de Gordon Lightfoot.
Me quedé con la canción en la cabeza y empecé a jugar con ella en el nailon con el capo en el séptimo traste. Dado que esta es la primera canción que toco con esta guitarra, pensé que sería un buen nombre para ella, especialmente porque casi termina en un vertedero en alguna parte.
Espero que disfruten escuchándola cantar nuevamente por primera vez en más de 20 años. Intenté agregar algunos subtítulos en español al video para nuestros hablantes que no hablan inglés, espero que no se pierda mucho en la traducción.
▶️ 3Speak
How much beauty in this song, enjoy the music, the lyrics and the story of that guitar that you play with so much passion. Listening to you gave some magic to my day, thank you!!!!
Wow thank you so much for listening to the video, I'm really glad you enjoyed the song. Its a pretty catchy song and it's nice and chilled out , easy to play, it suits the nylon guitar.
20 years of being dumped and still sound great. I love how you had to revamp it to good use for this Hive Open Mic presentation. That was a nice song 👏👏
Thanks for the very kind words, yeah the guitar does sound surprisingly good with the new strings. Im glad you enjoyed the song,it has quickly become a new favorite of mine.
Throwing out a guitar? Surely that's unheard-of? 😄
Glad it got a second life..
Well played and your soft voice works sooo well with this song!
I love a bit of Gordon and this is beautiful!
She only had 3 strings left and was lying beside the skip when I found her . I'm glad I was there that day. With a new set of strings, she is singing beautifully again. I hadn't really heard of Gordon Lightfoot until I saw that Beach bum movie starring Mathew McConaughey. I should probably listen to more Lightfoot tunes, they do seem to suit my voice and they are really catchy and well-written. Thanks for listening and giving such lovely feedback :).
Always a pleasure! Glad you were by her side.. ;)
Hope you like some of his other stuff.. This one is so lovely, I have just changed the lyrics to be a female version.. Been meaning to learn it for a long time, so thanks for the heads up.. haha
Another classic of his if you fancy doing his songs:
If you could read my mind
Keep them coming..
"If you could read my mind girl,what a tale my thoughts could tell,just like an old-time movie ,about a ghost in a wishing well" I actually knew that one for a long time but didn't know the author. I think it was used in a Simpson's episode way back in the 90s and I've had that first line stuck floating around my head since then. It seems there is a documentary from 2019 that has the same title "If you could read my mind" I might watch that later today and see what other songs are featured in it.
Such beautiful lyrics that one.. I think you're right about the Simpsons, you got me searching for the episode now.. lol
Looking forward to you doing this one! 😍
If you find the episode let me know,I googled it and only found that documentary. I have a feeling its one of the very early seasons, probably no later than season 4.
I will! No luck as yet though..
I can relate not been able to get inspiration, it Always feel like I don't know what to do. Glad you are back. And I must say this is a great choice of music you have done
Thanks for the kind words :). Yeah, I think between 2020 and 2022 I have probably done somewhere close to 100 open-mic videos.For a long time, it was rare that I would miss one. After doing so many songs it can be hard to find original ideas for the weekly theme. Having a different style of guitar to play around with helped motivate me again, and hopefully, I will be able to contribute to this community regularly again this year. I look forward to seeing what song you post for this week.
Glad that you are motivated again and surely I will drop my entry soon
I really like the sound you achieved with the guitar by placing the capotrast in that place, at times I thought of the sound of a ukulele.
Great entry for this week, you have a very nice and sweet voice.
Yeah, I can hear what you mean about it sounding kind of like a ukelele. I think that key and type of sound the nylon gives suit the song. It would be a good one to sing on a beach around a campfire. Thanks for listening and giving some lovely feedback.
love your voice. beautifull song, ive got one of those nylon strung guitars,
it smells amazing, and sounds great
Yeah, this guitar has that amazing smell too, what causes that I wonder? Thanks for the kind and encouraging words :D. Will you be posting a video for this week's theme?
I really enjoy listening to the video of yours my friend and it is a great and wonderful passion you have behind of that music and the instrument.
Thanks so much for those very encouraging words :). Im glad you enjoyed the video .
You're welcome bro.
This is a lovely rendering of a well-known song ... sensitive and thoughtful singing, and really a pleasure accompanied by an acoustic guitar! Well done -- and, welcome back!
Thank you so much for the kind words and the welcome back.I have a feeling there will be more Gordon Lightfoot songs from me in the future. Yesterday I watched a Netflix documentary from 2019 called "If you could read my mind" about Lightfoot's career and influence on other musicians. His is quite a fascinating story,the documentary gave me quite a lot of inspiration for new songs to learn.
Looking forward to hearing what you come up with next!
I'm glad your guitar got a second chance at life.
Great song by the way