All original. I composed the backing track and played the mandolin parts. I came up with the recurring theme a few weeks ago, and decided to keep this simple instead of expanding the composition. So it's just an intro, and then a 4 bar riff that keeps repeating. For the mandolin part, I alternate between the main theme and a couple solos that are mostly improvised.
It's called "Brighten" because mandolins have a naturally bright, cheerful sound. And we actually got a ton of rain here in Arizona on the day I finished this (Monday). So when I was listening, it evoked the image of sun rays shining through rain clouds. For the cover, I found a picture like that on google.
Thanks so much for listening and sharing honest opinions. This probably won't be my only upload in September. I'll try to have something else finished by the end of the month, so stay tuned.