Music!!

So - once again it's been way too long since I've written. I had mentioned trying to write some poetry, but I'm not feeling poetry right now.  Actually, right now I feel like writing about music.  It's going to be more of a brain dump than anything - just writing whatever comes to mind.

   

My current favorite song is On My Own by Ashes Remain (my favorite song changes often).  They're a new Christian rock band.  This song is definitely worth looking up, and you can get it for free right now off iTunes from freeccm.com.  Here are the lyrics of the chorus:

Bring me out
Come and find me in the dark now
Everyday by myself I’m breaking down
I don’t wanna fight alone anymore
Bring me out
From the prison of my own pride
My God I need a hope I can’t deny
In the end I’m realizing
I was never meant to fight on my own

Not only do I really like the driving guitar and the fast paced vocals, I really like the words to this song.  It's all about how we need God in our lives and we don't have to go through this life by ourselves.  That message is one that I try to keep with me, and the style of music just really drives the point home.

Of course, I don't let music like this replace real worship music (meaning hymns).  This kind of music doesn't bring the spirit quite like hymns do.  It more helps me feel motivated and relieves stress.  One of my favorite hymns is Praise to the Man (hymn #27 in the LDS hymnbook).  For any non LDS readers, it is a hymn praising (not worshiping) Joseph Smith.  The chorus goes like this:

Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.

Sometimes I get frustrated.  I have many non-Mormon friends, and it's difficult, because they believe so much differently than I do.  They don't believe Joseph Smith was a prophet.  They don't believe that there are prophets today.  That would mean they believe that all that the early saints suffered was for nothing - everything that Joseph went through was for a lost cause.  Or maybe they believe none of it really happened.  Whatever the case, when I sing this song (or, more often, play it on the piano), I know that he was a prophet.  The spirit is so strong, I don't know how someone could deny the truth.  I realize that my friends are good people, and to be blunt, I think most of them will see someday, although most of them would read this and shake their heads.  Some would probably be sad because I'm "deceived."  But songs like this give me the faith to push on despite all that; to do my part to keep the legacy God restored through Brother Joseph alive.

Piano playing . . . :D.  If I have an addiction to anything, it is to playing piano.  Give me a Jim Brickman, David Lanz, or Jon Schmidt (my favorite new age piano artists) book and a piano, and I'll be happy for hours.  I play hymns during priesthood, seminary, mutual (sometimes), and I play for the ward choir.  I also have a Top Christian Hits of '09 - '10 music book that I play from, and, if I'm feeling really adventurous . . . try to sing along with.  My way of relieving stress after school is playing the piano.  It gives me a way to express my feelings.  If I'm feeling angry, sometimes I'll bang out Battle of the Heroes from Star Wars, or if I'm feeling somber I'll play Bittersweet by Jim Brickman.  The reverse also works, though.  Right now if I'm stressed and tired, instead of playing a stressful and tiring song, I might play First Run by Jon Schmidt (a song I am working hard to learn, but it's tough) or David Lanz' variations on Pachelbel's Canon in D Major to cheer/wake myself up.  I think one reason piano playing is so fulfilling for me is that I have worked very hard to learn the piano.  I have spent hours and hours stumbling over music until I could play it decently.  Every time I get good at some music, I move on to harder music I can't play yet (and there's always harder music).  It's something I can work at, and something I know I can do.  In that way, it's very motivational for me.

So yeah, thanks for reading, listen to good music, and if you can't you should definitely learn to play the piano!  (unless you really don't want to, of course)  Catcha next time,

~Scotty~