I love the Spring. Apparently so does my 5 year old pal Leila- who drew this for me the other day.

I was born in April, and have always felt a burst of creativity each Spring.

I’m hoping to focus that on finishing the present CD I’m working on.

Happy Spring to all of you reading this!

Even though I don’t go on many heavy duty hikes, or mountain climb, or even camp much these days  I still consider myself a Nature Guy for the most part.

Maybe because I got a ton of it (nature) as a kid, it has simply stuck with me on the inside, so to speak, and I am able to carry it with me regardless.

Simply put, I do like to have living things all around me, beautiful scenery, and an abundance of fresh air to breathe. That way when it comes time to burrow away in the recording studio for hours and hours on end, at least when I come up for air it’s in a relaxing setting!

So I wonder what’s next for me on the music creation agenda? What am I feeling strongly about? What am I concerned with? What melody is waiting to be born soon? Which keys will I press down to try and express myself?

What will come out of my inner musical flow this time that always takes me somewhere a bit different? Will it be previously explored territory, or the unknown? Who knows?

Whatever it is, I want it to be something that touches you somehow in a way that brings a deeper meaning to your life; I want it to be something you remember long after you first heard it..that would be my wish, as I get ready to sit down again.

The great thing about the piano is that there is always more to learning how to use it to express yourself. It’s got a great range of notes from low to high, and also wonderful dynamics of loud and soft to work with.

It’s also fun to play an instrument that has been around for centuries as one of the more popular, easily identifiable,  and beloved musical “sounds.”

Very few people would say that they really don’t like the sound of a piano. That’s fortunate for me I suppose, as I appeared to have made a wise choice as a kid!

More Music Coming

On that note we are working on getting the sheet music out to more of my songs before too much longer, in case you have written in asking about that.

I guess this evening I will work on writing more song ideas to include in the audition group for my next album. Song ideas have to pass the audition I’ve set up for them before they can have a place on an album, and many do have to go bye-bye I’m afraid!

Stay posted..

Hi and thanks for checking this post out. We are experimenting with including/sharing some of the inspirations for my songs for you on the site under the Stories link.

I wondered if you found any of the stories behind the songs interesting, entertaining, or valuable? Should we keep them?

Jim Chappell

I’ve decided to use my five year old daughter for a new song meter. If she jumps up and down and yells “yay!!” when she hears one of my faster pieces I figure that’s a good sign.

It’s been raining a lot in Northern CA lately, but today it cleared up finally! I have to say I’m mostly a sun fan..Here’s some fresh pics from the deck.