How to use The Hour - new record out now: bit.ly/rlaeFC
The Hour is a collection of 12 five minute (approx) piano songs that fit seamlessly together for devotions and prayer.
Sometimes, during my morning quiet time, i would get so caught up in reading or praying that i’d end up late for work. i couldn’t focus and relax unless i turned the kitchen timer on. unfortunately, the sudden buzzing of a timer is annoyingly jarring. So i needed something different.
A Devotional Timer:
The idea behind The Hour is that if you have 15 minutes to read or pray, you can just take 3 tracks, put them into a playlist and you have yourself a beautiful timer. just take how much time you have and divide by 5. that’s how many tracks you need. when the music stops, you’re ready to go off to work or school! this is perfect if you’re new in faith and want to work up to a certain length of time with God in the morning.
The Nerdy Info For Those Of You Interested In Music Theory:
Each track of The Hour is in a different key. because the Circle of Fifths looks like a clock, i decided to start the first track in G (at 1 o’clock) and go all the way back around to C (at 12). each song begins in it’s native key and ends on the Fifth, providing an easy segue into the next track, seamlessly. this way, you can get 4 or 5 tracks in and not realize you’ve traveled a great distance away from the tonal center you started in.
The Titles:
Because each track is largely improvised, i titled them after they were recorded, naming them according to what i felt they sounded like. Each title is biblically significant… and i won’t give away the stories they come from… you’ll just have to read those for yourself!
Recording:
The Hour was recorded at my house on a Wurlitzer baby grand piano given to me by Mandy Smith. it was her husband Zac’s piano. Zac is a dear friend, now at home in Heaven, having died of cancer last year.
The final touches were added by Justin Land at the NewSpring Studio in Greenville, SC. Mix and Master was done by Brandon Swafford in Atlanta.
The cover art was shot by Dave Keller and designed by Joshua Blankenship.
