I might have said that places of artistic wonder give me the necessary inspiration for my tunes, but recently I’ve been trying out some new locations, and wow…you can be inspired by so many things!
I found a nice little spot just outside my local car mechanic, and that seemed to work pretty well for a while. The guys didn’t know I was there, and I realised that different cars vary in their melodic engine hums. That was how I came up with my 26-part symphonic poem, entitled ‘MMM’.
It was mostly just that sounds, but there was also an ‘urRURR’ in there at one point. I think that was coming from the old Ford with the V8 engine. And then the people in the garage found me and asked me to leave, so now I’m here at the docks!
Boats and stainless steel marine welding make such a different sound to cars, and it just tickles my ears. It’s less of a low, undulating hum, and more of a loud, obnoxious grinding from all the welding noises. Obviously when we’re talking marine welding, that’s a LOT of welding, sometimes underwater. I had to add a whole extra two verses to ‘Song of the Ocean Marine Welding People of Melbourne Bay in the year of Great Celebration’, because I could see some people preparing themselves for underwater welding and I had no idea what that sounds like. I speculated, fortunately…although making the noise of flaming bubbles with your mouth is NOT easy. That’s why I’m an auteur. I’m going to try and purchase an underwater housing for my audio equipment so I can lower them into the great blue beyond.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll totally luck out and see someone installing a snapper rack, or fitting a boat for rod holders, or maybe installing a new motor, OH that would be AMAZING. A symphony for the ears, the mind and my banjo!
-Deirdre