Rainy Daze Rag
for
Self-Willed Windshield Wipers
for
Self-Willed Windshield Wipers
by
Kitty Allen
Preview
Full tune can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.
Full tune can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.
Semi-traditional rag composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, midi-keyboard, & laptop. Special effects of rain showers & mixed windshield wipers are added throughout.
This tune was inspired by an October road trip from northwest Ohio up through Michigan to Mackinac Island and back. In fact, this trip has become an honored & very enjoyable tradition for me & a variable number of college girlfriends.
This year, for the first time, unsavory weather ruled the week as torrential rain & high winds preoccupied both of our drives & much of our days on the island. We received a generous rendering of rain, sleet, wind, & one afternoon of spotty snow showers.
Mind you, the enjoyment of the trip was not diminished. In retrospect, the rain & wind prompted a rather relaxing & hypnotic rhythmic accompaniment to our road experience. We listened to steady rain, light rain, slow windshield wipers, quick wipers, intermittent wipers, & one moment of turbulent near-trajectory wipers. Once we even went without wipers...for 10 minutes. I missed their cadence & almost suggested that we leave them on for the beat. For added entertainment along with the rain & the wipers, we also joined bumper-to-bumper traffic slow-downs & entered major visibility challenges. After this, a long ride on a sunny day would surely be dull.
So, as a result of this vacation, I have new respect for a basic tool of driving in inclement weather - working automobile windshield wipers. See how far you go without them. To all sets & styles of wipers gracing auto front ends everywhere, this tune is for you. Wipe on & drive safely!
This year, for the first time, unsavory weather ruled the week as torrential rain & high winds preoccupied both of our drives & much of our days on the island. We received a generous rendering of rain, sleet, wind, & one afternoon of spotty snow showers.
Mind you, the enjoyment of the trip was not diminished. In retrospect, the rain & wind prompted a rather relaxing & hypnotic rhythmic accompaniment to our road experience. We listened to steady rain, light rain, slow windshield wipers, quick wipers, intermittent wipers, & one moment of turbulent near-trajectory wipers. Once we even went without wipers...for 10 minutes. I missed their cadence & almost suggested that we leave them on for the beat. For added entertainment along with the rain & the wipers, we also joined bumper-to-bumper traffic slow-downs & entered major visibility challenges. After this, a long ride on a sunny day would surely be dull.
So, as a result of this vacation, I have new respect for a basic tool of driving in inclement weather - working automobile windshield wipers. See how far you go without them. To all sets & styles of wipers gracing auto front ends everywhere, this tune is for you. Wipe on & drive safely!
A note of special thanks to Diane Sullivan, who navigated through this soggy week & never once lost her composure behind the wheel. Nice work, Diane. Another great trip...every day an adventure!
© - Kitty Allen 2017