My Friend

You might have noticed that under the title of this song it states "for my friend, TJ." Those are the initials of a very dear friend of mine - Teresa Jennings. We've been through a lot of ups and downs over the last dozen years or so, and I wanted to write a song that would pay tribute to our friendship. So, that was the inspiration for "My Friend."

This song might be a little more challenging to learn, although our studio singers picked it up fairly quickly. There is a second vocal part from measure 14 to the end. While it is optional, it does add a really nice touch (and a little extra challenge).

One thing you will notice on the recording is that the tempo is very rubato. It ebbs and flows to express the "feeling" of the song. Once you and your singers hear it a few times, it will feel very natural.

The arrangement features piano, guitar, fretless bass, and strings. You could do a totally live performance with piano, guitar, and bass; however, the strings on the recorded accompaniment really add a lot to the piece.

This song would work nicely for Valentine's Day, but would really work quite well in any concert setting as a nice quiet moment or a beautiful tribute to friends everywhere. (Thanks for being such an amazing friend, TJ.)