Graham Denny
Music
To meet my bucket list target of selling a piece of music to a complete stranger has to be one of the hardest things to do.
The market in every genre is incredibly competitive and to produce something that gets noticed at all - let alone produced and purchased is very hard.
'Music' was the first challenge I took on and I literally spent years learning to play some instruments in a top floor bedroom.
At the start I couldn't read or understand music but I gradually began to pick it up. Lessons were not a thing I considered as I've always been stubborn and I also got a kick out of learning the 'hard way'.
I couldn't (and can't) sing very well so I had to recruit people who could sing my songs in the way I wanted.
I bought myself a Zoom recording console and got to work!
The first venture was a Christian album entitled 'Until the very end of time'
The singer was Graham Marwood and Glen Cronin also helped out. I called us 'Minor Miracle'!
The album became available on Apple iTunes, MSN Music and Amazon.
The track 'Sometimes (Toybox Child)' was adopted for a while by the Toybox Charity and we featured in the Christian Music magazine 'Cross Rythms'.
By the way the cover phote is of my son, Dexter, who I grabbed when the sunlight was perfect for the photo I wanted to take.
'Until the very end of time' Minor Miracle. The first published collection of my songs
Once again, after doing the 'hardest part' I decided to enjoy myself with, what I considered, were easier projects.
One of the new songs I wrote was inspired by the story of a prisoner on death row.
I was amazed and delighted when a death row support charity chose this song for their web site.
'I just want to stay' has apparently been heard by death row inmates and their families and I understand it has brough some comfort.
To have my song on the same web page as comments from The Archbishop of Canterbury & Jon Snow (Broadcaster and Patron) was (and still is) a delight.
Link to the HumanWrites.org website with a description of my song.
I really enjoyed writing the words and music to new compositions and I decided I'd try my hand at as many different genre's as I could. I employed Scamp Studio to reproduce my own productions and they did a wonderful job.
At the moment, after moving house, I'm waiting for a loft conversion to enable me to compose some more music (I'd love to do a classical album), but in the meantime here's some of the other tracks I wrote:-
A break-up song. Words & Music Graham Denny. Performed by Scamp Studio
One of those parties in the 1970's.
Words and music Graham Denny. Performed by Scamp Studio
I tried to use the format of The Lord's Prayer in a gentle country style song.
Words and Music Graham Denny Performed by Minor Miracle
My frustration with the insular American view and waste of youth through drugs.
Words and Music Graham Denny. Performed by Scamp Studio