Song Writing’s like Moulding Clay by Andy Douglas
Andy Douglas Studio
Andy Douglas has been impressing the media over several issue of the NCMdisc so we took the oportunity to get to know him better…
What was the inspiration behind your new song ‘My Shepherd’?
I really wanted to write a song that would be an encouragement to people, to help draw them closer to the Lord and to comfort them in times of need. Psalm 23 had been on my mind for a while and whilst writing the song, I was saddened to hear of the loss of dear Paul Davis, founder of New Christian Music. My heart went out to Paul’s daughter Laura and the family and also to my wife Louise who lost her best friend in 2009. Through this I wrote the words to the song which I adapted from Psalm 23. It’s also the first Country-style song I’ve written, and I really enjoyed it.
How do you write songs?
I don’t fully control the creative process, it kind of happens. For me I start with an idea and build on it. It’s a bit messy, like moulding clay. I usually start with a few chords I’ve come up with on the guitar and then play them into my recording studio (Logic Pro 9 on a Mac Pro laptop). Once I’ve worked out the speed of the song, I lay a simple drum track down and then copy the chord sequence through the length of the song. I then start back at the beginning and listen to the first few bars over and over again until I can hear in my mind what should come next. Once I can hear it in my head, I play it into the system. I then move on to the next few bars and do the same again. I tend to write as I record, first making up the words just to get the melody and then go back and record the proper lyrics later. I wrote and recorded My Shepherd in six days, with a few late nights!
How did you get started with song writing?
From about the age of eight we had an old Spanish guitar in the house. I remember trying to make up tunes on it and recording into a tape recorder. I’ve always loved singing and at twelve got my first acoustic guitar for a birthday present. I taught myself to play using the Guitar Case Chord Book by Peter Picklow and really enjoyed making up songs. Then at fourteen my friend Mark Roach got a Roland drum machine and we wrote a song called ‘Monkey in the Meadow.’ Mark was dismayed to find that I had deleted the song off the tape recorder after he announced that we may be called to perform on Top of The Pops. Of course he was only joking, but at fourteen years old, I took him seriously. Those were the days!
After I became a Christian at eighteen I started playing guitar in the Church at St. John’s in Woodley, Berkshire. When I started, I couldn’t play very well, but soon improved with the help of others in the band.
I was hurt in a car accident at nineteen and with the insurance money bought my first keyboard, an Akai AX80, Drum Machine Alexis 16 bit and Akai four track tape recorder. I spent hours recording my ideas and wrote a ballad on guitar called By Our Side for a lady in our church who was ill. I’ve been in and out of song writing since then and more recently my Country Singer friend Sam Millar has inspired me to record once again. In 2011 I recorded Find Another Dream and Find A Reason, experimenting with different song styles. I try to write songs that are an encouragement to others.
I now use Apple Logic Pro to record but before that I used Garageband and a great piece of demo writing software called Song Factory by www.notoriousnotes.com It’s great because you just write the song chords and record your vocal line. You can have quite a professional sounding demo completed in a couple of hours!
How did you become a Christian?
I became a Christian at the age of 18 in 1988 after being invited to Spring Harvest, an annual Christian festival, in Skegness. I had been searching for the meaning of life for a long time and at the festival, I spent a lot of time reading Christian literature and trying to make sense of the Christian faith. I tried to join in the celebrations and tried clapping along to the songs but I felt empty on the inside. On the last day of the festival I made a prayer of commitment, asking Jesus to forgive me of my sins and come into my life as my Lord and saviour. At that moment I had an overwhelming sense of peace and although not everyone has that experience, for me, I knew I had found God, or God had found me!
How’s life been since then?
I have the normal life trials that everyone else has but I know that whatever I go through, the Lord is with me and I never have to feel alone. After fifteen years in IT working at Microsoft and contracting in London working on the Millennium Bug (LOL), I had the opportunity to go to the London School of Theology in Northwood where I took an honours degree in Christian Life and Ministry. It was a fantastic time to explore the Christian faith in study but also in practical ways, such as leading a team of Bible students into the local prison to encourage the inmates and lead them in worship and also develop worship-leading skills which I have used in various Churches since.
I am very fortunate to be married to Louise and we have a wonderful son Matthew who is currently five. We named him Matthew because it means ‘Gift of God’, and he certainly was just that after having been told that we may not be able to have children!
What’s next?
I love writing songs that are an encouragement to people. It’s a way of ministry for me and I can express my faith in a way that I hope is accessible by everyone. I hope to write many more songs in the future and I’m working on a few now.
When I’m not writing songs I run a training company with my wife Louise and we specialise in Human Resources and soft skills training. If you want to know more take a look at www.graffhamconsulting.co.uk I’m also trying to get a new internet business off the ground and if you want to know more about that take a look at www.graffhammedia.com As you will see, one of my skills is web design. Lastly I would like to point you to my music website www.andydouglas.com where you can find out more about my song writing and what I use in my studio.
If you’d like to contact Andy email andy@andydouglas.com
www.andydouglas.com
Article written for New Christian Music 10th July 2011
Published Article:
http://www.newchristianmusic.co.uk/new_christian_music_news/content.asp?ni=847
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