Finally: Collide

So, now that we're just days from leaving for the summer, we finally got to recording Collide. Yesterday, we spent the evening coming up with a new set for next year's Open Mic-- we've got some awesome songs lined up. We'll definitely do Collide, and we're also working on You and Me by Lifehouse. The next thing we're working on is a duet for Hallelujah. Last, we're going to try and get enough people to perform Ed Sheeran's cover of Wayfaring Stranger. Miguel's got the perfect voice for it, and he and Rose may end up doing a duet.

A word on Hallelujah before I post Collide: We were practicing last night, first with guitar and viola, then with guitar and voice. The chords are easy enough, minus the barre chords which are slowly ruining my hand. The rhythm was also decently easy to pick up on, once I found the right video to practice with. So, we we're playing, and Miguel went at it with the viola, which sounded great. Then we moved to a study room, and he started singing...and holy shit. I mean, holy shit. I knew he was a good singer-- but this is just crazy. I mean it, I'm trying to convince him to record it with me, because he absolutely blew me away. We were playing, and we got to the second verse, and then all of the sudden I just missed a chord cause I was too busy listening to him sing. The notes he hits and the quality of his voice are just incredible. I can't wait to record that one.

But before then, here's our video of Collide by Howie Day. The strange frame is because we had to use my phone to record, since we blew out the mic on my computer with this song before. Below is the tab, as usual. Sorry you can't see my strumming hand, but the pattern is consistent throughout the song, so you should be able to get it by listening to the intro.




Verse and Chorus:
            G        Dsus2   Em7     Cadd9
e |-------3-------3-------3-------3-------|
B |-------3-------3-------3-------3-------|
G |-------0-------2-------0-------0-------|
D |-------0-------0-------2-------2p0h2---|
A |-------2-------0-------2---3---3-------|
E |---3---3---2---2---0---0-------x-------|

Bridge:
e |--------3-----------3----2-------------|
B |--------3-----------1----3-------------|
G |--------0-----------0----2-------------|
D |-----2--2-------2---2----0-------------|
A |--2-----2---3-------3----0-------------|
E |--------0-----------x----x-------------|

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you, yeah

I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find you and I collide

I'm quiet you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know
I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find you and I collide

Don't stop here
I lost my place
I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find you and I collide

You finally find you and I collide
You finally find you and I collide

Time for Three and some new tabs

So, my friends and I went to this concert about a week ago where Time for Three played with our orchestra-- and they were amazing. Solo, they played a bunch of songs, including a cover of Hallelujah. Miguel turned to me after they had finished, eyes and mouth wide open. The first thing out of his mouth was, "Can we play that?" He sounded like a little kid asking for the biggest birthday present. What could I say? Of course the answer was yes, I just had to find some tabs. Fast forward to Thursday night, when classes are over and a few of us are hanging in the lounge. Béa fell asleep on the couch, she was so tired, but Miguel and I stayed up listening to some music I hadn't shown him before.

And that was when one of his comments really struck me. First, we were testing out our ranges, and he was trying to figure out how high my chest voice goes-- kinda hard when you can't do scales. But after that, I was showing him some things we could try for Open Mic: Hang You Up by Yellowcard, Hallelujah (of course), Cascada by Jesse Cook. Then we were discussing Time for Three, and I remebered a song I wanted to show him. Cook's Bay by Regina Carter has the most gorgeous strings part. So, we're listening to it, and he's echoing it to figure out the notes, and pretty confident that he can learn it. Then he asked if there was a guitar part, and I said no, it's mostly strings drums and piano, and he responded, "Oh, well it's not worth it then."

That was what really got me. One, because I was thinking, how could it not be worth it to learn that song just because there isn't a part for me to play? Then I realized, everything we had been discussing was for practicing together and performing together. More than half the fun is having someone to collaborate with, having someone to help arrange the song. So I started thinking, what we might try is to translate the piano and percussion to the guitar, and work something out that way.

Cause that's where the fun lies, right? Taking on something you think can't be done. So go have fun with it!

-Kal