Two CDs. Twenty-two original songs. No written, published representation of the music. Yet.

Every song from Hallelujah Land: Songs of Faith and Freedom and Metaphor will be published in this songbook in two different formats: sheet music and chordster.

The sheet music will have, well, all of the things sheet music has. You know, time signature, key signature, a melody line, and chord symbols written over the top of the staff. In other words, lead sheets. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “chordster” is a “camp” style representation of the songs: lyrics with chord names above each line in the appropriate places. Perfect for guitar players and song leaders.

We will include some anecdotal material pertaining to the songs (time and space permitting). (I didn’t mean that to sound as cosmic as it did.) The book will feature a full color, glossy cover, and saddle-stitched binding. It will all be professionally proofed and typeset. It will be a product that I will be proud to offer, and you will be happy to own.

OK. So, why do I need your help? I'm a DIY musician. Self published, self recorded, self booked, and self financed. While all aspects of the book are being produced professionally, I have no publisher, no distribution and no cash advance. I don't expect to make a lot of money from sales. Like my CDs, it's a labor of love - passion, really - and, while they seem to bring pleasure to people, for me, they are marketing tools. I really just like to play music for people.

Over the years I've gotten many requests for sheet music to my songs. I'm humbled and grateful that my music is "out there" and being used and enjoyed by so many people. So, I'm looking for support from my fans, especially the educators, song leaders, and other musicians who would love to have the book, to bring this project to fruition. In other words, at most levels of pledging, I'm asking you to purchase the songbook in advance to cover the costs of production.

An anecdote: At this writing, I'm only one day into the Kickstarter campaign. Of course there's been a major push to make people aware of the project - a flurry of emails, Facebook updates, and tweets. In response to a mass email I sent out, one of my friends sent an email to me with this question: Do you want to donate? I thought it was an odd question (and Kickstarter prohibits one from donating to one's own project anyway) but I responded this way: Do I want to donate? Yes, but I have already put money into the project, directly to the companies doing the transcription, proofing, graphic design, typesetting, printing, binding, etc. Not to mention the hours of time planning, writing and designing.

A couple of hours later came her embarrassed reply: I meant to send that to my husband. 

I've spent a lifetime making music. I've been fortunate to have been able to make a couple of CDs and share my music with a wide audience. Now, I'd like to make my music as accessible as possible to all of those who want to use it.

You can hear samples of all of the songs and purchase digital downloads at oySongs.com. Oh, and by the way, all of the sheet music will be available digitally there, too.

To learn more about me, check out my website at noahbudin.com, and my songwriting blog "Keeping My Composer."

I'm happy to provide the detailed, line item budget for this project upon request.