Song Insight: “Be to Me”

Composer: Greg Hintermeister, ©2000
Arranged: Greg Hintermeister
Performed by: Greg Hintermeister
Recorded: 2010 in Hint of Light Studios
Emotions: Detached, longing, pleading

Listen:
Other song insights

Background: 
Usually I write songs based on personal stories or strong emotions that inspire the lyric or music.

Not this time. This song, “Be to Me” is entirely fictitious.

I wrote it to accompany a drama we did at crossWinds church back in April 2000 (my stars…how time flies). The week was “Family Values – Everyone Counts”. The drama focused on a young man in a busy family who isn’t getting his dad’s attention. Over time we see the son being ignored and feeling more invisible. He looks detached and ‘over it’, but inside we learn he is really yearning for a closer relationship.

To fully engage the audience, we needed a song that fit perfectly to express more of the emotion the character was feeling. The actor stayed on stage at the end of the drama while the song unfolded.

This was a great chance for me to get into the mind of the character. I love doing that. It’s like writing the music for a mini-musical. I read the script several times to get the feel of the character’s feelings, then extrapolated as to what he would sing about after the scene ended. The chords and arrangement were critical in moving from this detached acceptance at the beginning to eventually having the character open up and yearn to be noticed.

I had a great time with the lyric writing, too. Since the audience knew the context from the drama, I was free to be a little more poetic. Notice the internal rhyming in line 3 of the verses. Thank you Stephen Sondheim.

Enjoy.

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Technical Specifics:

Recording Unit: Cakewalk MIDI software, Soundscape DAW
Drums: Roland XV-5080
Electric Guitar: Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II (rhythm and solo)
Guitar Amp: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Guitar Mics: close: Shure SM57;  3ft back: CAD E100
Acoustic Guitar: Ovation 1712 Custom Balladeer (CAD E100)
Bass: Fiama Hollowbody (recorded directly into the board)

Recording Specifics: 
I had a surprisingly rough time mixing this song down. My goal was to have strong, raw instruments that expressed the character’s raw emotions. After mixing and mastering, I noticed some anomalies in the chorus. After soloing the tracks, I discovered a few problems:

• The drums bled into the guitar track
• The drums in the chorus contained open high-hats that were too loud and harsh
• The bass had some clipping in strong parts

What’s really frustrating is that I know better. I think I was so excited to get the song ‘out’ that I rushed through some setup. I usually record guitar direct through my Line 6 POD pro, but wanted a real authentic sound with this song. I ended up mic’ing the Hot Rod Deluxe amp, and I think it sounds great, but that caused the drum bleedover. Why? Because I wasn’t using headphones to monitor the drums…I was just playing them through the speakers. Idiot. I just wasn’t thinking. Normally tracks bleeding through are not a big issue, but in this case, it made those loud open high-hats really shrill sounding…and limited any changes I wanted in the drums as the rough drum track was printed in the guitar track.

All in all, though, I’m still quite happy with the song.

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Lyrics ©2000 Greg Hintermeister 
Verse 1:
I never really wanted to be invisible 
it just sort of happened over time 
Began without a word…a small desire to be heard 
To you everything was fine

Verse 2: 
I guess you never noticed I’m amazing 
at never being noticed by you 
It’s just another skill I never wanted to fulfill 
Am I ever on your mind?

Chorus: 
I don’t want to be alone…talk to me tonight
any little thing will do…just look into my eyes
so you can see – it’s me…and I’m still here
waiting for you
To be real to me…that’s all I ever ask
is to be real to me

Verse 3: 
You seem to be distracted by the little things
I wish you were distracted by me
Maybe if I changed…the way I look or said your name
you’d spend some time with me

Chorus: 
I don’t want to be alone…talk to me tonight
any little thing will do…just look into my eyes
so you can see – it’s me…and I’m still here
waiting for you

Solo: 
I don’t want to be alone…talk to me tonight
any little thing will do…just look into my eyes
Will you look at me – and see…that I’m still here
waiting for you
To be real to me…that’s all I ever wanted
to be real to me

God, I LOVE This Guitar!

…and I wonder, did You plan this all along?

Then God said, “Let there be Luthier-quality tone-wood”. And God saw that it was good…saw that it was better than good. God saw that it rocked! Thus ended the third day.
Genesis 1:11-12 (GRH Translation)

I know Day 3 was a big day for you, but among creating all the “Seed-bearing plants” and “Fruit-bearing trees”, did you put a little extra love into East Coast maple, Indian Rosewood, and Mahogany… knowing that in 1999 these woods you created would be formed into my Paul Reed Smith Hollow-body II Black Sunburst 10-top?

Did you end Day 3 thinking, “I can’t wait to see Greg’s reaction”?

When you taught the Eagle to fly on day 5, did your eye twinkle knowing their flight would be honored on the rosewood neck using abalone inlays from the sea shells you made on the same day?

Were you giddy knowing that when I turned 30, and decided to buy my ‘dream guitar’, that you had already planted, cultivated, and grew the trees that would be used?

Did you guide the invention of glossy finish, 000 grit sandpaper, and black-sunburst stain procedures knowing it would only enhance the guitar’s flamed-maple top?

Do you wink when the wood reflects my smile, knowing it also reflects yours?

I wonder…did you gather the angels around your throne to watch (and sing) at the exact moment I first plugged my guitar into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, turned the gain to 3, and strummed an E chord?

…and did you audibly whisper to me, “Yeah, I knew you’d like it”, or did I just imagine it?

How about when I play? I know you are ruler of the universe and all, but do you smile when I nail that solo I’ve been working on…even if it is during a church service? Or, maybe, especially when it is during a church service?

When the band is tight, anticipating each others phrasing, filling the stage with sonic goodness, and I’m playing more from instinct than paper (and playing far better than I should be), is that you surrounding me? Is that my heart laughing with you?

Do you bless Jim Marshall when I play dropped-D through my Marshall Gov’nor Plus pedal because it’s the exact hard-rock tone a troubled soul in the audience needs to hear so you can soften his hardened heart?

How about on that cold winter morning when my PRS fell and was cosmetically damaged. Did you shed a tear with me, even though you knew I had to learn that a guitar shouldn’t replace You as the focus of my music?

I wonder…

Do you use my passion for this guitar as your way to help me understand how much you really do love me?

Song Insight: "Alice Wonders"

Composer: Greg Hintermeister, ©2002
Arranged: Greg Hintermeister
Performed by: Greg Hintermeister
Recorded: 2002 in Hint of Light Studios
Emotions: Hard Rockin’, Intense, Industrial, High-On-Life Energy

Listen:
Other song insights

Background: 
Sometimes, in order to take a BIG BITE out of life, to attack a stubborn issue you want gone, or to just remember what it feels like to BE ALIVE, you need the right soundtrack for life. Not some schooshy, lilty makes-you-want-to-curl-up-and-drink-chamomile-tea soundtrack, but an intense piece of music that can meet you down where you are and amp you up to take on ANYTHING.

This is my gift to all those who, like me, sometimes need a kick in the arse to get focused, motivated to finish, and energized to tackle the tough challenges in life. For me, this music is a reminder…

…A reminder that while I may be physically ‘getting old’, I can ‘stay young’ through my emotional, mental, decide-to-engage-in-life attitude…

…A reminder that while I’m here, I can define what is important, love with intensity, and take a suck-the-marrow-out-of-the-beast-of-life adventure and truly live a joyous life.

…A reminder that sometimes, you gotta throw every caution to the winds and you just gotta ROCK HARD! AAAHHHHHHHHHOOOOOO!

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P.S.  This doesn’t mean you have to physically scream…although that helps.  Sometimes all it takes is a subtle attitude-defining ‘ROCK HARD’ hand-salute while on a business trip in Sydney.

…or in Johannesburg…

For me, I need a constant reminder that God has blessed me with this present moment. I can decide how to use and react in this precious slice of time. I can complain, wish for the future, regret the past, or live a searing-focused God-is-here-with-me-let-the-adventure-unfold approach to life.

“Alice Wonders” helps me do this. I hope it helps you, too.

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I LOVED writing this. It has everything I love about aggressive music:

• Simmering beginning
• Great clean guitars
• Pent-up energy finally getting released through screaming guitars and aggressive drums
• Tuned down guitars (dropped C)
• Huge distorted guitars
• E-Bow, providing infinite sustain for great guitar tones
• Piano jamming away with those huge distorted guitars. This is my favorite instrument mix of all. I love aggressive piano with aggressive guitars.
• Many interludes that squeeze out every ounce of energy possible

I wrote this for a Rochester Civic Theatre production of “Alice in Wonderland”, directed by Shane May. He asked for music that was not usually heard in live theatre. I came up with these themes, and I decided the best way to develop the themes and moods of the whole score was to create a piece that tied them all together.

I think the music I ended up providing for the production worked well, but this specific piece was not used. I may have gotten a ‘tad’ carried away with the intensity of this song for live theatre :-)

I am so thrilled with how this turned out.

WARNING: Subwoofers will beg for mercy with the low synth sounds, which may cause ceilings to shutter, water pipes to burst, neighbors to snarl, and teenagers to smile!

If you ever need to get pumped up to fight life head-on, crank this and listen…and GO GET ‘EM!!!

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Technical Specifics:
Recording Unit: Cakewalk MIDI software, Soundscape DAW
Drums: Roland XV-5080, Alesis DM-Pro
Guitar: Dan Armstrong Model 341 “London Guitar”
Guitar Tuning: Dropped C (C – G – C – F – A – D)
Guitar Tracks: 1 lead track (clean and solo), 3 rhythm tracks, 1 E-Bow track
Guitar Effect in middle: E-Bow. Man I love the E-Bow
Guitar Effects Processor: Line 6 Pod Pro
Bass: Keyboards Roland XV-5080
Synth: Roland XV-5080
Piano: Roland RD-500

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Lyrics: No lyrics here. Sometimes they just get in the way of the primitive balls-out energy a song needs to deliver. The melody and harmonies are carried well enough by the guitars and synths.

Of Trees, Love, Locks, and The Danube

Sometimes the romantic in me wakes up. I know it’s been dormant for far too long. The little details of daily living get in my brain and I just don’t remember all the wonderfully romantic things I did when I was courting my Lady Evelyn.

More importantly, I don’t pay attention to the little things that make my life sparkle because of her. It’s not that I need to do romantic things in hopes of making her happy, it’s that I need to do romantic things because she makes me so happy.

I think I just found the perfect way to say “I Love You - A Lot” to my beautiful wife of 17 years.

In Budapest, there is a tree. It has many locks on it.

The legend is that if you write your name and your lover’s name onto the lock…

…then lock it onto the fence around the tree…

…then walk to the Danube River…

…and throw the keys into the river…

…then legend says your love for each other is permanently locked together in a crazy, beautiful, laughing, passionate, procreative, fun, musical, better-than-movie-ending real-life kind of love.

So…I did.

It turns out that I didn’t need a tree in Budapest to lock in the love I have for my lovely bride. We are two blessed souls that have been given the gift of sharing a lifetime of sounds-make-believe-but-is-wonderfully-real love together. No legend needed here.

But, it doesn’t hurt to show that love in action once in a while.

Love you Lady Evelyn.

You make me a hopeless romantic.

Sometimes…Guns ARE The Solution!

Thanks to my friend Steve, I just had one of the most beautiful, exciting, fiercest family-bonding afternoons of my life.

We learned what it means…

…to be responsible
…to have respect
…to laugh out loud
…to share
…to ride

…and to shout “Fire in the Hole!”

Yep. We shot guns.

Lots of guns. Cool guns.

Not just the adults. The whole family (The Nuge would be proud).

And not just at paper targets…

…we shot steel targets
…we shot jugs filled with water
…and shot jugs filled with explosives

That was my favorite :-)

My oldest got to ride hard and fast on a four-wheeler with his buddy.

He learned what it feels like to be free…and to have his life flash before his eyes as he almost falls…but recover and careen back wide-eyed and grinning ear-to-ear. His smiles were priceless. He learned to value and savor moments like this, and to engage the world to take advantage of what it has to offer.

He also learned how to catch air from a ditch at 32 mph.

My girls learned that life can be very dangerous, but with the proper respect and training, that danger can be wielded to their advantage…and high caliber joy can result.They also learned to reload in 2.3 seconds.

My youngest learned patience brings reward, that weapons are not toys, and 4-wheeling is awesome.
He also learned how to double-tap the center mass of his target using a semi-automatic. Oh yes.

My wife got to fire a hand gun. Not just any hand gun. a .357 Magnum. DAMN that was awesome. That bowling pin will never cross her again.

What did I learn?

…the right instructor teaches safety, respect, and fun
…handling a weapon opens your eyes to the real world
…blowing things up is really, really fun. Seriously
…my family is the best
…my wife looks awesome wielding a .357 Magnum
…shooting is the Hope Diamond of quality family time

Life skills result from weapons handling: respect, self-control, knowing limits, joy, safety, fun, friendship, companionship, right and wrong, sharing, connecting with God and nature, all of it. Maybe there’s an essay in the future on this.

Most of all? Everyone will remember this and SMILE!

Enjoy this movie of our adventures…we’ll be SURE to do this again

Song Insight: “No Uncertainty”

Composer: Greg Hintermeister, ©1992, 2010
Arranged: Greg Hintermeister
Performed by: Greg Hintermeister
Recorded: 2010 in Hint of Light Studios
Emotions: Hopeful, Uplifting, Encouraging, Determined

Listen:
Other song insights

Background:
“This song is dedicated to all the ladies out there” was my into to this song the first I played a version of this song…back in 1992.

I thought I wrote this song to encourage the girls in the youth group I helped lead music for…that they would navigate their teenage-trials with God in their sights at all times.

But now I know I wrote it for when I had daughters of my own.

This song is dedicated to them. I call them spitfire and pistol :-)


These two beautiful, independent, rambunctious, adventurous, insanely stubborn, ferociously loyal, playful, imaginative and crazy-fun girls have turned my life completely sideways with delight.
I pray that they have No Uncertainty as they walk through life.


No uncertainty in the joys of life:
They have taken a big bite out of life already and they’re only 9. They don’t let life pass them by. I can’t wait to see how their adventure unfolds as they get older.

No uncertainty in their self-worth, confidence, self-esteem.
I know what can happen if a girl is down and needs others approval to feel valuable. I know the pitfalls, I know the temptations, I know the spiral downwards that can happen. And I know my weaknesses…what boys real intentions are with unconfident girls. My prayer is that they see how valuable they are and use the confidence throughout their lives.

No uncertainty in the love for each other, the love of their parents, the love of their God.
I’m really stunned at how close they are. Yes I know they’re twins but they love each other more deeply than I may ever know. The best example is when Pistol had a heart stent procedure. They held each other, encouraged each other, and couldn’t sleep unless the other was there. Same thing happened when they were 2.5 months old during her heart surgery. 

It’s during times like these that the need to remember their brothers love them, we love them, and Jesus loves them and nothing will change that.


No uncertainty in their strengths…and weaknesses:
They’re so determined. They work hard, play hard, train in gymnastics hard, and this flows through all their adventures. I pray they understand their strengths and weaknesses so they know where to focus…when someone is trying to manipulating them…when temptation arises.

…that they walk with God and hold His hand when weaknesses surface.


No Uncertainty in their Savior:
I’m trying my best. But I am so flawed. My prayer for them is that I can help guide them through these narrow shoals of their youth. Point out rocky patches I had to struggle through, point out smooth path they could take, and give them my hand when they get stuck in the muck. 

My prayer is they make it through this amazing and soon-to-be turbulent time in their lives as wise young women, confident in themselves, their world, and their Savior.


No Uncertainty of their dad’s love:
I love you, ladies. I pray you will live how Jesus wants you to live. Don’t think you have to follow any preconceived path I have for you. Don’t change your course for any promise of love or affection from a guy…

…keep your eyes on Jesus, and walk his way. That is the surest path to an amazing, rewarding, loving, joy-filled, adventure of a life you could ever have.

Technical Specifics: 
Recording Unit: Cakewalk Sonar 4 MIDI software, Soundscape DAW
Drums: Alesis DM-Pro, egg shaker
Guitar: Ovation 1712 Custom Balladeer (double mic’d)
Bass: Fiama Hollowbody (recorded directly into the board)
Piano: Roland RD-500

Mic Specifics:
Vocal Mic: Sure beta58. I love this mic for my voice. When I record others I usually use the CAD condenser mic as it’s more ‘natural’ and captures the authentic vocal. But I don’t like my voice thru the CAD. I sound too drab with that mic. I like how the Beta58 colors my vocal…adds sparkle and ‘spank’…more rock-n-roll.

Guitar Mics: CAD E-100, RODE NT-1. I love recording stereo acoustic guitar. Such a full sound! The CAD is pointed to the 12th fret, and the RODE sits near the base of the guitar pointed towards the bridge. I like how it catches ‘what the player hears’ when the strings are strummed.
Oh, if you listen REALLY closely, you can hear a ‘ladies’ party going on in the background. The guitar was recorded during a party that my wife was having. Figured it was a good a time as any and if lady laughter came through, it probably added to the song :-)

Note: This has copyright 1992 and 2010 since the B section of this song is new. I never liked the old B section as it didn’t further the story, was to vague, and made the lead character sound confused. This B section clearly shows that every person stuggles with some temptation. In this case the promise of fame. I’m actually quite surprised the guitar part successfully rattled around in my brain for 18 years waiting for the right time to come out.


Lyrics ©2010 Greg Hintermeister 
Verse 1:
You’re walking on a narrow highway, you whistle a song
You’re looking up at a billboard, as you pass along
A pretty lady smiles down on you
She says “Every woman wants to be like me, Well how ‘bout you?”

Bridge: 
Oh, you smile and say with no uncertainty
“I love the Lord my God, so let me be”

Verse 2: 
A little time has passed, and the sun goes down
A handsome man walks by you, and he turns around
Says, “Baby tonight’s your night for love”
You say you couldn’t agree more – as you look above

Bridge: 
Oh, you smile and say with innocence so fine
Well, maybe you lost yours, but I’ll keep mine
B:
But there’s trouble ahead You’re walking into an ambush
They put your name in lights with a promise you’ll be famous
They draw to your side You draw strength from High
They draw streams of lies You draw the line!

Verse 3: 
Daybreak has come, you’re a little worse for wear
You shake the dust off of your shoes, and hair
But you made it though, your battle’s won
You tip your hat to the Father, and His only Son

Bridge: 
Oh, you smile and say with no uncertainty
“I love the Lord my God, so let it be”
“I love the Lord my God”
“I love the Lord my God”
“I love the Lord my God, so let it be”

Coda: 
You’re walking on a narrow highway
You’re looking up at Jesus and you walk on home his way

Fireside Chat

Ever been to a funeral where long after the ceremony, friends and family sit around reminiscing and having a great time remembering that person? I have. The only bummer is that the person being honored isn’t there! Since my dad is still alive and kicking at almost 72 now, I knew I had to do something unique…

My dad turned 70 almost 2 years ago. My brother and I surprised him and flew down to Florida (where they live) to take him on a 2 day salt-water fishing trip.

He was very surprised!

…and we each caught some big ones!

…and not-so-big-ones…

It was a weekend filled with laughter, early mornings, late nights, great food, hurricanes (just one), unique experiences,  manatees, dolphins, long drives, and three men enjoying each other like they did years ago catching crappies in Minnesota on Clearwater Lake.

For a present I created a memory-filled document I called “Fireside Chat”. I wanted my dad to know what an impact he had on those close to him over the years (without waiting for his funeral!) so I contacted family and friends and asked them to send memories, stories, and thoughts regarding my dad. I then compiled it into an imaginary fireside chat.

--> Click Here to Read “Fireside Chat” <--

I’ve always meant to share it sooner, but there it is now. Enjoy.

I love you, Dad. Hope we can do this again on your 80th.