Love Birds (with audio)

N.B. Now that I've discovered how to upload audio and video, I'm just going to start off with short clips of things ... and now and then (as in today) a full piece of my music. Do not despair if download time ever seems long on your end. Good things come to those who wait.

*

The LOVE BIRDS Experience

When performing in some shows, I have used one of my pieces of music, Love Birds, to create an interactive "Music for the Movie of your Mind" experience (see below explanation of Music for the Movie of your Mind). The experience is a visual, meditational one.
*
Before playing the track, I ask the audience to close their eyes and for each person to place their hands over his/her heart and envision the heart as an egg. As the music progresses, the 'egg' will become warm and start to open, releasing many birds. These birds (Love Birds) will fly to touch anyone you want to send love to - no matter how far away (or how close) they are. Sometimes I don't tell people what to envision and I just let them have their own visualisation experience. Amazingly, a few people have seen a similar scene upon hearing this piece of music - i.e. a boat on a river with Amerindian people in it.
*
Usually at the end of the song, people are quiet and seemingly in a daze for a while (i.e. those who have taken part. Some people are cautious about closing their eyes and experiencing it).
*
Some people are cautious about closing their eyes and having the experience, but there have been a range of reactions to Love Birds - mostly people come to me after and say it was relaxing.
*

But ... the most touching thing that I have personally experienced with this piece of music was when I was invited to put on a concert for the girls at my former high school (to help them raise money to buy a camera for their school newspaper). I talked a bit and sang some of the songs from my INFINITE cd, then I closed with the Love Birds experience. The auditorium of students fell quiet (except for some restless ones who were whispering) ... But afterwards, one of the teachers came up to me and hugged me. She was crying and said "Thank you ..." Just weeks earlier, her only child (daughter in early 20's) had been killed in a car accident and she had been having a hard time dealing with it - understandably so. She said that when Love Birds was in process and her eyes were closed, she sent out love birds towards her daughter and she felt her daughter come and touch her as if acknowledging receipt of the love and sending love birds back to her mother. She said it was a very healing experience and the first thing since her daughter's death that made her realise that her daughter was in a good place.

*
Close your eyes and have your experience ...

love birds

Music by Elspeth Duncan created on Roland XP-50 keyboard workstation.

(Now featured as track #6 on the Waiting for Elaine CD, available from Happy Hippy)

*
Why I call my music "Music for the Movie of your Mind"
Rather than slotting my music into existing genres, I prefer to make up my own. The music I create on my keyboard - either instrumental only or with vocals - I refer to as 'Music for the Movie of your Mind'. This term came to mind because of what I see and feel when I am doing the music. Most of the time, I don't think about the music as it comes out ... or plan what will come next. To me it is a multi-sensory experience, including the visual. An instrument or particular musical phrasing conjures up images, feelings and moods, maybe even a story. No two people will see the exact images and feel the exact moods or get the exact story from the piece of music. When you listen to my music you may not see what I saw or feel what I felt at the time of creating it ... but you will see/feel your own "movie" (hence the genre).

- Happy Hippy -