This blog is going to be put to some use in the coming weeks.  I’m going to record and post solo covers of songs by Australian bands to achieve three things:

1. To demonstrate my ability to arrange these songs for solo guitar/keyboard & voice,

2. As a result - discover what makes these songs tick and perhaps provide insight into pop songs in general, and

3. Bring attention to the artists and bands in question.

On the cards (ones I’ve already arranged or am currently working on) are tunes from Deep Sea Arcade, the Boat People, Edward Guglielmino, Steve Grady and  Jackalpac.  The recordings will be unavoidably lo-fi.

This is going to be fun.  Please hit me up on twitter (@papashem) to let me know if there’s any songs by any Aussie bands that you would love to hear covered :)

ataxiwardance:

Chopin, Nocturne, opus 27 #2, piano solo (animated interval graphic)

… this is better.

whenever i try to explain hearing the special aural qualities of each specific harmonic interval, i always end up using this video. in my experience, nothing helps the casual music fan quickly visually “picture” music’s harmonic dimension as well as this video. the other musanim pieces are fantastic for illustrating melodic form, counterpoint and theme repetition (and inversion and retrograde and …) but this is the only one i’ve found that addresses harmony in an interesting way.

of course, the nocturne itself is gorgeous as well. if anyone would like an explanation of what is going on here and why it is important, let me know and i will do a write up after work.

baked some biscuits

This is Django’s first birthday cake what took us ages to make (but not very much time to DESTROY)

So this is what I’m currently writing for Skinny Jean to play (maybe).

In order to pull this off, we’re going to have to rely on Synth programming on Graham’s part, and maybe track down a vocal modulator that can pitch-shift me up an octave.  Sam will be able to sing at that register sans effect, surely…

NB: this is only half-way finished.  I just want to share it, because I’m getting excited (Monkey House Effect, possibly) -  also, it might be shocking to hear MIDI…

Long have I looked forward to subjecting my children to the torture of Christmas, its apparel and its songs, and where better to do it than at a very public Christmas carols concert!

c’est moi