swahili

So here's a few things to (semi-)make up for the months of absence!

1) Swahili originals

In Tanzania they speak Swahili, so I have been messing around with writing in Swahili, so for fun here's my first attempt (recorded in like 20 min…rockin' the 4-part harmony). Worship songs here tend to be MAD simple and repetitive (e.g "There is no God like you" [repeat x 50] ) and very call-response, so I'm trying to write stuff that they'd be able to do in church. Pretty much trying to go off the Psalms in my Swahili Bible so I know the grammar won't be trippin'… This one is from Psalm 149, the lyrics say:

Sing to the Lord a new song, Sing to the Lord 

(Mwimbieni Bwana wimbo mpya, Mwimbieni Bwana wimbo) 

Sing to the Lord a new song for He is Holy 

(Mwimbieni Bwana wimbo mpya, kwa kuwa yu Mtakatifu)

download: http://www.mediafire.com/?wsgq50d1iua4ug0


And this one my friend Desi wrote and I recorded it for him this week. It didn't have any sort of intro/outro, so I made up the riff I sing in it.


download: http://www.mediafire.com/?yr9f9cchp8jprmq


Don't ask about the verses...too complicated! But the chorus is just saying:
Hosanna, Twakupenda
(Hosanna, We love you)

2) collaboration skillz

my friend / host brother from my Tanzanian family wrote this awesome song and we were messing around and videoed it. Abraham is one of the few people around who can sing dynamics well :) very refreshing to the usual one-volume-only singing of the worship, and I miss singing harmonies with my brothers, so it's been nice to start making some individual music! The words sounds a lot better in Swahili than my English translation!

usituache wa pwekee (Don't leave us alone)

nenda na sisi (Go with us)

usipoenda nasi hatuendi Bwana 

(unless you go with us, Lord, we're not going)


download: http://www.mediafire.com/?705ivv5y7eiv853

And this was the first video we made, before I fully registered his propensity to ad-lib :)

jina lako, kuu sana 

(Your name is very great)

la pita majina yote 

(higher than all names)

jina Yesu la pita majina yote 

(the name of Jesus, higher than all names)


download: http://www.mediafire.com/?0ax6vzvqs5qk3ms

My friend Noella wrote this song and I figured out the chords for her. She's 16, has a fantastic voice and we sing alto on the worship team together.





download: http://www.mediafire.com/?fqh0chajtq2labl