. . . More Bits and Pieces pt. 2 . . .

Apparently I have found a flaw in this blog system. I has a maximum file size per post, so it won't stream longer songs if they are grouped together. Interesting.

This is the newest piece. Consider it one part Jethro Tull, one part Schubert, and one part of something much, much darker. I present Wintersong, a melody to end the ages. (Note: this one might be a bit quieter. I haven't bothered mastering any of these tracks yet.)

. . . More bits and pieces. . .

The new studio setup is coming together. Realistically,  as my guitar rig progresses, so does my recording setup. I have a couple of new tricks for my mics, and new speakers for my guitar cab on the way. Ted Weber designed, for anyone who might care. A few more pieces to get my guitars back into tip-top shape, and then I'll be looking at new pres and a control surface. There's a nice synergy going on there. Oh, and there seems to be a new part to it too. Pulled out a book of classical scores the other day, which heavily influenced one of the songs below. It came together rather nicely throughout the course of a single day, which is kind of unusual, so I picked up a book of Lieder songs by Brahms. He's been one of my favourites as far as instrumental music goes, and The German Requiem is rather nice, but I think I'm going to have to develop a separate opinion about his Lieder as they have a different feel.


Anyhow, first we have a piece with working title "Old Habits". This one's been in the cooker for a bit, and I just can't seem to get words for the verses to sit quite right.

Music Preference and Personality

We're getting ready for our yearly inventory count at work. I've sort of been handed both the "band instrument" (really should be called orchestral, but that's too long for marketing) and "print music" departments over the last couple of months. As part of the preparation I've been going through the print bins to make sure everything is in order and will be easy to count. In a lot of ways it's similar to a library; there are different sections according to instrument, publisher, genre, format and so on. While sorting the piano music tonight I came up with a few conclusions. Most of these have to do with illiteracy, or more simply those who can not / do not follow the alphabet.

My list of illiterate customers is something like the following thus far in my discoveries:

1. Parents and teachers of young children. Several books in both our easy piano and big-note section were misplaced, and not anywhere near there proper location. It should be noted that our print bins are tall enough that the children which these books are for can not reach them of their own volition. AS such, it must be either parents or teachers looking at these. If parents, hopefully their children can benefit from the mind-stimulating activities they are being tutored in. If it is their teachers we have an explanation for why modern pop music sucks.

2. Fans of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Just about every book we have by one of these two was grossly misplaced. Enough said.

3. Mozart and Bach. In our classical piano section, these are the only two misplacements of any significance. It should be noted that there was one Schuman piece misplaced, however it seems as though someone attempted to return it to its proper spot and did so in the most logical position they could find. Not a big deal. There were a few more Bach pieces misplaced, and the Mozart was far removed from where it should be. A couple theories here. first, we have about as much Bach as we do Romantic composers in general. It is simply a staple, and as such more likely to be misplaced. Second, Classical era pieces are again more abundant than either Romantic or Modern pieces, with Mozart and Beethoven at the forefront. We're a bit low on compositions by our friend Ludwig at the moment, so it's only natural that Wolfgang found n unusual home. Finally, both these composers seem to be used earlier as lesson material. Naturally, more copies are needed and younger players will be looking at them. These factor in to how many copies might be displaced. Brahms and Dvorak are sought after by more mature audiences who have the patience to search for them and return them to their proper location. finally, no one actually likes playing modern classical pieces, let alone pay for them. If I ever have to replace, or sell, a modern piece I will publicly apologize to all modern composers, after I wake up after passing out that is.

4. Christian piano. For being one of the smallest sections it was the messiest. It showed signs of pure laziness and indecision. I could go into more detail, but it would get rather offensive.

I'll keep you posted as I tackle the rest of the sections tomorrow.

Bits and Pieces. . .

. . . and maybe even video game music. Who knows.

Setting up my new recording workstation and transferring files between computers. Found these unfinished works in the process. I'm posting them because winter sucks and I don't feel like doing anything else. Here's to the sunshine returning - hopefully it's sometime soon.






One last thing. Been working on new recordings. Lots of noise and warbly sounds, which led me back to shoegaze. One should check out a newer band called Fleeting Joys. Not sure if there should be a 'the' in front of that. Whatever. Their website is here. Has free music steamer which will sample their two CD's for you. Lots of good stuff on both albums, but Occult radiance (the newer one) does sound a bit more developed and mature. I can't get 'You are the Darkness' out of my head.

Actually I'm off to listen to it now. Grim out.

Run Boy

New music in the works.

Here's a chorus to get you hooked - being written for the voice of the lovely lass I work with. You'll have to put up with mine for now though.