Yesterday he and I sat down in his basement, and we went over the song a few times so he could hear what I'd come up with. He was blown away. I was just glad that he liked it at all, considering how out of my element I feel doing this project. Each new song is a different challenge, forcing me to think of music in ways I haven't understood it before. Even though there are certainly times when I get frustrated because I can't come up with anything I really like, I'm very grateful I get to be featured on such a unique album. I'm not sure what the best reward will be - the new-found improvisational abilities I'll find myself possessing, or the feeling of knowing I collaborated with another great musician to produce something amazing.
As most of you probably aren't aware, I began collaborating with acoustic guitarist Terry Rice last fall on his - now our - CD. Today we went into the studio and I recorded my part for a song, entitled "Ascension". The whole CD is really genre-unclassifiable, and has really pushed me in my improvisational abilities.
Yesterday he and I sat down in his basement, and we went over the song a few times so he could hear what I'd come up with. He was blown away. I was just glad that he liked it at all, considering how out of my element I feel doing this project. Each new song is a different challenge, forcing me to think of music in ways I haven't understood it before. Even though there are certainly times when I get frustrated because I can't come up with anything I really like, I'm very grateful I get to be featured on such a unique album. I'm not sure what the best reward will be - the new-found improvisational abilities I'll find myself possessing, or the feeling of knowing I collaborated with another great musician to produce something amazing.
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Yesterday I drove up to Lambertville, Michigan, to practice with The Fossil Creek Band - a bluegrass group that I just joined last week. I'd actually subbed in for their fiddle player at a show in Columbus, Ohio, back in January. It was a blast, but I never thought I'd end up being their full-time fiddler! Their previous fiddle player had to quit because of his day-job, but never fear: Krista, the freelancer, is here! (ha!)
We went over some of the new songs they're writing and working on for a CD we'll be recording within the next couple months - what a blast! I love playing with them! It's times like these when I think I'm so incredibly blessed to be able to do what I love - and with good people, no less... Looking forward to the next time we get together for practice! Yesterday I played a house concert with a friend of mine, Mike Miller (pictured below), for his mother's birthday celebration. There's something so wonderfully intimate about a house concert - ten or so people sitting around their living room, sometimes recording the music, sometimes munching on some snacks, but mostly sitting and listening intently (except for an adorably cute terrier named Max who was in his pen for most of the evening, much to his dismay). I love these settings so much, because of how close you are to your audience. Suddenly, there is no stage vs. crowd level; we sit at the same eye level, talk about the tunes being played, joke about the weather or just life in general, and relax in good company. An evening of good music, and good people.
Playing with Mike also lends me the chance to play some different things than I'm mostly used to, including beautiful Celtic tunes, older pop songs, and even a Beatles song once in a while. Every time he and I play together, we add a few more tunes to our repertoire list - but we never miss a chance to play Hector The Hero. |
Krista Solarsis a recent graduate of Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music with a Master's Degree in Violin Performance... (read more) Archives
August 2015
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