The Goodbye I Fear To Say.....

Hola!

I hope everyone is doing okay. I'm cool. Nothing exciting has happened except that I finally got SIBELIUS!!!!! Yes, I'm excited by that! This is the next step in writing my music and to my sold out MSG and Plaza de las Ventas crowds. I got it for $500 at the Guitar Center. Now I need to get the $200 supplement for the pop/rock samples and another computer (deskstop). Installing it on my laptop took up all of the remaining memory on my laptop so I'm up shit's creek now! I talked to my dad to see if he could get me one so I can re-install sibelius and the other programs on that. Laptops have less memory space than desktops.

Anyhow, I'm still trying to figure how to work it. I actually started writing the music to one of my songs that's been in my ear. I won't give the name of it yet since I have not finished the lyrics to it yet. I'm excited that I finally got it. I've been toying with it ever since I got it!

I did finish writing the lyrics to my latest song and it's called "The Goodbye I Fear To Say...." The song has the same meaning but aimed at 2 different audiences. The first audience: everyone has been hurt and some hurt more. This causes alot of us to close up and gain a fear of opening up to the next friend/lover.

The second audience (I know it is a bit premature but...: to my fans. It is a song dedicated to my upcoming fans. Yes I know it's a bit premature but I'm doing this music thing to inspire others, to fulfill my dreams. My coming fans will be the fuel to get me there and keep me inspired...... :) It's a thank you...pretty much... I don't ever want to say goodbye to my coming fans.....never...maybe the lyrics will change with time as I gain fans but it is a thank you....

Anyhow, that's it......I'll talk to you soon....

P.S. Thus, the accompanying picture...albeit it is a repeat..... fits the song. Just put a brown skinned girl with long black wavy hair instead to get a better picture of what i'm achieving and what you will see in about 3-4 years....

The Voice....

Hey,

I had vocal class monday night. And something new came out of my throat. It was "The Voice...." I finally experienced for the first time what it felt like to completely align my throat while I sing. It felt so easy and a different sound came out. My teacher breathed a sigh of relief almost when I actually did it. I've been having problems doing this exact thing that will release my voice and I finally did it for the first time! Now I have to keep doing it. It's so technical since I don't do it naturally yet. It was reassuring and somewhat worrisome that he breathed a sigh a relief. I could tell in that moment that he's been trying so hard to get me to do it for so long and it was and is important for him that I sing well and do it properly. I could actually see that he actually loves doing this...teaching singing.... Hmmmm...just an fyi.........

I Can't Wait...

Hello Everyone!!!

I'm glad to be back to talk to you guys and see how everyone is doing, well in particular the few who have commented on this blog. I've been doing okay. Well better actually.

First, Colombia. I started to doubt that Colombia and my sold-out Plaza de las Ventas and MSG crowds would happen. Well, a couple of things happened the past couple of weeks. First, I was at the post office last saturday and one of the usual workers was there. I knew she was Latina. She seems like she's in her 50s. Anyhow, she was handling my stuff and she asked me where I was from. I said well I was born and raised in NYC but my family's Haitian and Dominican. She said that I had a beautiful complexion and I looked like the people where she's from. The USP lady has Jennifer Lopez's complexion. I said where are you from and she said CARTAGENA!!!! I was so delighted to hear that! I told her of my Colombia plans and she was pleased with that. I just thought it was weird that this woman who I've seen countless time at the post office is from Cartagena! Most people I know from Colombia are from Barranquilla or Bogota but I've never met anyone from Cartagena! I was so excited!. That got my spirits up. It made me think that this is a sign that Cartagena is calling and it will happpen! Weird huh?

Next, I've been seriously worried about the money for Colombia especially with the hours cut. Well, I did my income tax and I'm getting a HUGE TAX REFUND!!! I did not expect anything. I was hoping at least a couple of hundred dollars but I didn't expect this much!! Anyhow, thank you!!! So the money I've lost from the hours being cut through July will be made up through my tax refund!!! Another great sign!

Third, my Colombian singer emailed me Thursday saying HI and wishing me luck! This was out of the blue!! Thus that has gotten me revved up!

I guess good signs/things do come in threes or more!

Fourthly, I had vocal class last night after a 2 week hiatus due to my instructors engagements. My voice was much stronger and better! He noticed the difference. Maybe it's due to my scale exercises in the car while I'm driving. My teacher tells me that i can do a deep guttural/throat singing style that is something done in Central Asian Countries, and certain African tribes and rarely in the pop music world. Others do it like "Shakira." My teacher said I do it naturally and it's difficult and best of all I do it well. That is where I get my power he said. I do it all the time but never really thought about it. That's good! But I need to do more stuff!

Well, it's been good in that sense!!

Lastly, I've gotten inspired to do write more songs. It just came to me. I didn't force it. I'm not saying they are any good but it's good when it just comes. Anyhow I will talk to you guys later!

Please feel free to add comments!

P.S. The song I completed this week is title "I Can't Wait...." It's a song about finding that true love of yours and no longer being lonely. The lyrics are pretty simple but they are effective.

P.S.S. I'm leaving you guys with a picture of girls from Cartagena wearing traditional coastal costumes at a parade in Cartagena. Aren't they beautiful?!!!

Hi!!!!

I am BACK!!!

Sorry it took so long. It's been busy and lazy. I know that's weird. Busy in the sense that I had another performance where I actually played for the first time as a trio with a violinist and a cellist. I was on the piano. We only performed one song and it was Solfegietto by Carl Emmanuel Bach. It was good. It felt good to be onstage. My mom was actually there and she said that I got the loudest applause!!. Now my mom is a very pessimistic person and she never pumps me up so I knew that she was saying the truth. I even heard a couple of BRAVOS!! That was exciting!! It was weird though I didn't really hear the applause all that much if it was loud! Hmm.... Now mind you there were more advanced players there but I still got the loudest applause. I guess it was how I performed. I know that is my schtick! I am a performer! I know that from dancing, playing piano, and playing guitar in front of people. Now I just need to get my voice in order!

Well, I finally decided to open up to my guitar teacher, Richard, to see if I could find a latin jazz/pop piano instructor. I just told him I wanted to learn that style piano..nothing about singing. Again no one knows what I'm doing except for my vocal instructor. I even asked him about jam sessions I could tag along too. He said he didn't go to any which surprised me a bit but then he said we could have our own session! That lit my face up and that also got my heart are fluttery since my crush for him will never go away!

Well to date I have lost 42 pounds! My goal is to lose another 30 by June 1 which now seems like a hard task but I gotta keep at it. I already work out 2 hours a day 5 days a week. I may have to cut out the dressing on my chicken and eat 1 yogurt instead of 2 yogurts.

Things are moving along. I do think I found a jazz piano teacher who also teaches pop but he teaches Brazilian Jazz style not regular latin jazz that I want to play like the late Ruben Gonzalez of Buena Vista Social Club....May he rest in peace.

I have to admit time does make you appreciate things. I got the Buena Vista Social Club CD a few years ago and listened to it but did not actually listen to it. Earlier this week I started to listen to it again and it really blew me away. I have deeper understanding of it, the music, the musicians in a complete different way. I'm glad it finally hit me. They are our forefathers/predecessors in music especially in latin jazz. I'm glad my appreciation has hit me now.

Anyhow, I leave you with a picture of the great Ruben Gonzalez. He is my inspiration on the piano.

Talk to you soon!!! Promise I won't be away as long!

Frustrated.....You're Waiting......I'm Sorry....I'll Be Back Soon

Sorry!!!!

I don't have ready access to the internet anymore so I am having problems..... However, A quick bit of info on what is going on....I am preparing for my big piano recital this Sunday where I am playing as a trio with a violinist and a cellist! So I've been pretty busy. Wish me luck! Also I've been having a serious hard time trying to find a jazz/contemporary pop piano teacher in the DC area...so thus that is my next task for this summer. Didn't think it would be so hard to find one!

I've been slacking on the guitar. However, one of my songs has again been picked for our recital this coming April where we will play about 5-6 songs. The song I picked was by..of course..Juanes!! It's called "Que Pasa." This song is on his Mi Sangre album which is his current blockbuster release. I am so excited that it got picked because of course Juanes is my favorite and I need to know as much Juanes songs before I go to Colombia!

Anyhow, I can't stay for long. I will update later on this week. Sorry about the delay guys....!!!