Why I’m Writing A Song Every Day
Eight weeks ago, my wife and I became parents. Like any new parents, we’ve found our lives totally transformed — yes, the obvious changes like the new (and fairly brutal) sleep schedule, but, much more than this, the sudden, undeniable knowledge that we would do absolutely anything for this tiny human we have brought into the world, that the emotions we’re experiencing now seem to run deeper than any that came before. It’s been a time of seismic change — but change for the better.
In practical terms, one of my jobs is the early night shift. Different parents do things differently — we’ve developed a routine that works for us, in which, after dinner, my wife goes and gets a few hours’ uninterrupted sleep while I look after our daughter, Felicity. If I’m lucky, Felicity sleeps like the proverbial baby. If I’m not, I end up cycling through all the consolation techniques I can call to mind.
One thing I found started to work in the early days was playing her the piano. I’d improvise simple, relaxing piano music, and she’d drift back to sleep. I’ve always loved playing this type of music, and now finally there was a reason to do so.
As the nights wore on and the piano pieces I was writing stacked up, I realised that, if these pieces can send Felicity to sleep, they might also be helpful for other people. It’s been a tough year for everyone, and we all need to find moments of calm where we can. Music can be a hugely powerful part of meditation and mindfulness — so, given that I had this growing body of peaceful piano music, I thought I may as well share it.
The result is Tune Out — a free email newsletter that delivers a new peaceful piano track direct to your inbox every day. These are the songs I’m writing each day to send Felicity to sleep, shared as a daily email so that anyone looking for a dose of calm can unwind listening to three minutes of relaxing piano music.
If that sounds up your street, feel free to sign up. I hope it brings some calm into what’s otherwise been a turbulent 2020.
