new music
…finally got around to putting The Marlin Spike into Finale and, I must say, it is much cleaner than the original. You can see the whole tune online here. I have also created a PDF version for download. If anyone is interested in the Finale file, please contact me and I will send it to you. Go nuts.
album
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You know the old line:
Well, I’m gonna try anyhow. I am certain you will enjoy it. |
new music
Now things are getting interesting. First Unstachio sent along his idea for backing. Then, with Luke’s help, I recorded a completely different track. Now Josh has sent me a rough mix that is much more jazzy than the first two. All of them are great and it is really fun to see how the same melody can be interpreted in a variety of styles. The best part is that I don’t think we are done yet!
new music
Luke surprised me this morning. I expected he might take my tracks, slice them up into tiny pieces and reconstruct them into something new. Instead, he went retro on me and added an upright bass line. Super cool. Check it out.
new music
O.k. It has a name now.
Also, here is a rough mix of a new set of tracks. They are a bit faster, include the flute and guitar and are repeated an extra time. The whistle track is a guide track and may eventually be thrown out. I would like to replace it with a fiddle track. If Josh sends me a guitar track, this guitar track will be thrown out. And, Unstachio will use these tracks to prepare a final bouzouki track.
new music
We are making some progress on our tune. I’m working on a final flute track. Josh Dukes tells me he wants to add some guitar backing. Luke is planning on taking my wav files and doing what Luke does. And Unstachio has already put down a bouzouki track on my mp3 whistle track. The sound quality is a bit degraded because he was unable to use the original wav files…but this is just for practice anyhow. It should give you an idea where things are headed.
I hope to have the flute wav files done sometime this week. If anyone is interested in using them for their own experiment please contact me and I will get them to you.
new music
I got power!!!
Not the superhuman kind, nor the political kind. Just the kind that makes my mics work again.
Now that I’m back in business, I took a few minutes to record a practice track of my new and still unnamed tune. From here I will start testing it out with other instruments, name it and maybe even write it down so that it is legible. Also, I’m hoping Unstachio comes up with a brilliant accompanying bouzouki part.
In the next few days I will attempt lay down a flute track I like and send him the wav files. He will then overdub his mighty bouzouki part. It is good to have a plan.
new music
Here is my latest tune.
I know it doesn’t look like much, but it is how most of my tunes start out. A fleeting idea enters my head as I’m driving to work. I reach into the console to find something, anything, to write on. I fervidly scratch the lines of the staff onto paper as I’m taking a corner (hey, at least I’m not on my cell phone). I pencil in a few dots to make up the first couple measures. Those first few dots are seeds. Sometimes nothing happens with them and they don’t grow. I have hundreds of scraps of paper lying around with seeds that never bloom into anything. My wife loves the mess. Other times the idea does grow. Sometimes into a weed and other times into something a little more enjoyable. I add more dots. Maybe even enough dots to make a tune.
At this point, I generally let that tune sit for a few days. This is part of my vetting process. If I can remember that tune a few days later without looking at the music, it might be worth playing for someone else.
Yesterday I played this tune for Unstachio, what I could remember of it anyhow. I haven’t wasted time trying to figure out a name quite yet. No sense in finding a perfectly good name for a perfectly crappy tune. Gotta save names for the good tunes. This might be one. Seems better than a weed.
So, here is the plan. Unstachio and I are going to continue watering this one and see how it grows. First I need to really learn it. Then I am going to do a rough recording of it send it to him so he can learn it. If we think it has merit, we’ll spend some more time caring for it…and we will see what grows.
I’ll post about the progress as we go.
announce
The Sudbury Colonial Fair & Muster of Fyfes & Drums is coming up and will be held on Saturday, September 27th this year. It is a great family event and I urge you to attend. Also, here is the line of march for those interested.
Here is a picture of me at the Sudbury Fair. 
I would place this photo around 1979. If you look closely in the dark shadows of my vest, just next to my elbow you will see an oval. That oval was actually a medal. Back in the 70’s, along with muster buttons, the muster committee made these lovely little commemorative medals. The artist of the medals and the buttons was a man named Les Longworth, a fifer from Sudbury who, ironically, celebrated his birthday on April 19th.
I was able to dig up my collection of these little works of art. Here are the medals that I still have, starting with 1975:
I believe this is 1981.
And, here are the buttons starting with 1976:
I don’t know where 1980 is. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I believe ’85 was the year that there was a hurricane and the Fair was canceled. Fifers and drummers still made their way to Sudbury and camped for the weekend.
’86 is the year I started fifing and my first time playing at the muster.
Unfortunately, the quality of design dropped dramatically in 1991 and I ultimately stopped buying the buttons. However, I should add, that the 1991 button did have a cult following. There are those that applauded its minimalist approach. 
announce
Michael is a run-away. He claims he was not getting the attention he craved at home. So, he hit the street. I welcomed Michael (all the kids call him Mikey) into my home where he has found love and attention.
Michael’s father tells me that he regrets that he neglected Michael and wishes him well. In fact, he sees how happy he now is and has asked that I adopt Mikey and give him a proper home and the attention he needs. I truly believe, however, that one morning the sun will rise and Michael’s father, seeing the error of his ways, will wish for Michael’s safe return home.
So, it is with some regret that I must inform Michael’s parents that I do not feel that it is right or honorable to adopt Michael. However, I will welcome him into my home and I will do my best to serve as a proper foster parent until such time that you desire his return. Until then I will take good care of him.