Author: guitarbeau

occaissional smoke

| guitarbeau

Occasional Smoke a music video

What I am working on.
‘the occasional smoke’
a demo of a song.
Here so others can access it and contribute their part.
I can’t quite put my finger on where the ideas come from.
Though now that I think about it, there is quite bit of combining going on.
The first chord is a variation of Gm7 and C9 from Rocket Man by Elton John.
The intro bass line is possible because my current abilities can easily combine to make that happen.
When it changes to the slower bluesy part that’s where I get to struggle and where my effort needs to be focused.
Voicing the chords, using different inversions but the same notes whilst the bass line left hand part does its thing that’s the challenge.
Le Défi as the french say.
There are other recognizable musical conventions employed throughout, to make it accessible.
Recognizable yet still demonstrating some originality.
It is as much a learning process as it is a creative production.

There are of course other issues.
Energy to follow through.
What should be addressed next.
The other aspects of producing multi media art.
Distracted by the next stimulating thing.
This can be another song, sketch, video photo op, thankfully not just a tv show or some such.
And of course wanting to make it the best it can be.
Perfectionism it can derail the process because it can always be better.
But it also is what it is so there you have it.

Words to live by

IRREGARDLESS

So ‘irregardless’ (I know some hate that word I used to be one of them, I’m not anymore) because in the overall scheme of things what does it matter?
If it gets noticed by any or ignored by many.
The point seems to be, does it matter to me enough to do it irregardless.

My cousin, my evil twin recently passed and she know that I did not care for the word ‘irregardless’
So being the evil twin that she was made a video game avatar and facebook page for the character she named:

Irregardlessee

Irregardlessee.

She did this because in my linguistic capabilities or the lack there of especially in french.
I would conjugate at whim and did so with the word I now think I live by:

probablemente

Probably.
Seems like a useful life motto
She said the construct did not exist in her experience and it offended her.
So of course make an avatar name her ‘Irregardlessee’ to try and provoke my ire.
It did not, but we had fun dealing with such things.

Ironiquely I don’t really care that much about the word, I was just parroting off some comment another had made that I must’ve thought sounded intelligent so I adopted the posture of linguistic exemplar to foster an aspect of my identity I could feel good about.
Hence another example of creative combinating I’ve put to use to have something to say.

But wait there’s more

As if to demonstrate the evilness of both twins, she eventually did hear a French newscaster use the word ‘probablemente’
So vindicated I was right all along and my identity as a linguistic exemplar remains intact!
However I miss my evil twin immensely.

I have my memories to keep me challenged by our new proximity.

We visited Carcassonne France in 2016 here are some memories of that.

M E R C I

hot milk

| guitarbeau

Hot Milk a video.
Another creative expression using the tools at my disposal.
The music is by A.C. Hampton Sr,
We have been collaborating for a while now.
I am learning a lot about how to make my tools do things I haven’t thought of.
Animating this way and that.
So progress is always being made.
Still being drawn in many directions trying to make sense and cents of it all.

mission statement

| guitarbeau

So whilst working on a video for my friend A.C. Hampton, Sr. View ‘rumble bugs‘ here and ‘morning fog’ here. I got to the end of the project and wanted something to indicate my efforts in this regard. As I was doing my amalgamation of animating techniques I realized I do not have a suitable card to acknowledge my efforts. The above is a screen shot of a portion of the video end credits that I was quite pleased with generating. My animating techniques are still some what in the developmental stage but I have fun doing it!

This has been my mission statement ever since I decided to pursue a business. I was already busy but have bought into the notion of capitalizing on my busy-ness! I generated the simple but effective thought pictured above as an over arching intention so I would have a reference point if I get lost along the way.

“No man is an island but some are peninsulas” (Woody Allen)

As my efforts here on the blog suggest, I get lost along the way, a lot! I think the main reason is, I don’t have the confidence to really just go for it. The ‘so here I am deal with it, or not‘ motif. Ironiquely it is both, the dealing with it or not, that puts me off. On the one hand, if others are interested then I feel obligated to do more of the same and being somewhat commitment phobique (Yes I do francify a lot of my linguistique platitudinalness, as well as obfuscate words behind my wordinesss but that is what makes me literary!?) This despite being very committed to…

I don’t want to have to do anything! On the other hand, I don’t have to be miffed that nobody cares if there is nothing there to care about!? Having a diluted and deluded sense of self. I saunter and spend the hours and days and weeks and months and years in an off hand way. So much else is really just another effort at dilution and deluding. And what is life but spending the time we have as best we can irregardless and irrespective of any other as we are all only accountable to ourselves? I say this despite having a fairly well rounded education regarding biblical statutes as well as a growing interest and study of buddhism. Which has lead me to the self accountability assessment. Of course that is not entirely true. We are dependent on and depended on by others unless we have fallen off a cliff that suggests otherwise, at which point I mean we are dead! “No man is an island but some are peninsulas” (Woody Allen) So accountable we are, its just to what degree are we willing to commit to that, and this despite no one caring whether we do or not! See, it is self accountability in certain contexts.

So what was my point? Clarity is over rated, and half if not all the fun in life is about being surprised by the next thing coming around the bend! Despite some of that resulting in a collision of sorts that leads to…?

Nevertheless, I do manage a bit of consistency for the dependability principle to stay in effect, both outwardly and inwardly.

combinating creatively

| guitarbeau

manifesting musical multi media musings

Here are couple of video’s I made for A.C. Hampton, Sr. to share his music on youtube.

The one titled ‘look at the sky’ is of the Arizona sky at various times, some shots might be a bit dizzying!
Like humanity the sky has many moods.
As we watch it will change.
As do moods and the thoughts that create them.
Best not to leave the light on one thought or mood too long and miss those that are yet to come.

For the song ‘cruzin’ I made a video animating some questions.
These questions are usually the result of the plethora of options seemingly available to pursue.

Which way is forward?
Which way is up?
Why is?
Why not?
Optionalities abound.

poetically incorrect

Yes I get creative linguistically.
Taking liberties with verbiage.
As well as what constitutes animation.
Proffering another way to imagine and experience.
Part of my process to invigorate innovation.

impressions ? comment below

Either of the music or imagery or both!


Contact me for availability to create video and music for your project.

merci

dorkin in the dorian in c

| guitarbeau
the sonique spiderweb

what else is there to say?

And then some me thinks.
Yes there is more to say somehow despite the plethora of what has already been said.
Do you find an inane distractability in just about everything there is to do?
Maybe during practice, reaching for a beverage instead of maintaining focus on the difficulties of what we’re trying to learn!?
What I’m asking is, is it really thirst?
Does dehydration occur sitting at the keyboard learning to read music?
Enough berating of my anxious concerns about managing to get things done for the moment.

I’ve berated B flat Major in a previous post and as this is something of my paradigm to go through all the modes in all the keys as a project.

We come to Dorian in C.

A natural minor scale comprising all the notes of a Major scale but the root pitch begins from the Major 2nd interval.
In the case of B flat Major, the Major 2nd interval is C.
What makes it a minor is the 3rd note from this starting pitch which is E flat.
The 6th interval in Dorian in C is an A, this is a half step higher than would be in a natural minor scale where the 6th would be A flat.

I know, fascinating right.

All so we can find and play the right note on demand.

So knowing what we know about Major scales and B flat in particular, see if we can parse out or deduce the other pitches in C Dorian.

Fill in the blanks, in your head, on your instrument or on a separate sheet of paper if you like.
The pitches previously mentioned are filled in. The intervals are relative to the root C.

Root C, major 2nd___ , minor 3rd E flat, perfect 4th___, perfect 5th___ , major 6th A, minor 7th___ .

Keep in mind it should be alphabetic. So if there is a C and there is an E flat there must be a..?

Now go and find them on your instrument.

the dorian mode in various positions on the fret board in tablature

When to use the Dorian in C.

What chords are available given the pitches we’ve deduced above?
Find one or 7 and strum and then improvise using the scale over the lingering memory of the chord you played.
The obvious choice is of course C minor as a jumping off point.
Let us find some of the other possible chords that can be built from the sequence of notes we find in the mode.

Here is one way to find chords in a scale/mode

As is my custom, here is my take on mixing up the playing of the scale to challenge our fingers.

inverting the mode/scale to make it interesting to play

Merci

Counting time

| guitarbeau
Intro to Hopelessly Devoted by John Farrar

6/8 time

Why make this harder than it has to be?
Because sometimes a thing is hard to do?
Reading music is hard to do.
I thought I knew music and I do but there is always more to consider.
As far as reading it, eventually I found the note symbol names easy to commit to memory. I have been rather presumptuous in marching to the beat of my own drummer when trying to learn a new piece of music. The timing of the notes requires another level of consideration I have not been giving them. This I must now understand better especially in the context of timing.

Knowing how the song is supposed to sound but translating that to my fingers has proven to be difficult.
So changing the perspective of my inner drummer, (it wants to go faster than it is able presently), requires a mental shift into a more patient mind set.
Hence the numbering of the timing under the notes and rests, must not forget the rests!
It is really easy to miss an 8th note rest symbol, and what a difference acknowledging its there does to make the piece play properly.
I have also found it useful to name arpeggios (chords where each note gets played individually) when they occur to aid in memorizing the piece.
So writing these out on the music I am learning helps.
As well as the fingering sometimes.
Playing slowly and in time can be a chore, but does help to focus the mind.

beginning JUMP keyboard solo by Van Halen

Those 16th notes can be a challenge to count. But the eye opener for me was that tiny little rest at the beginning of the measure (hi-lighted). Ignoring that little 8th note rest the whole piece gets out of sync!

And those dots between the 1 . & . 2 . & . can be counted thusly 1 e & a 2 e & a etc.. Not easy to do at first or even the 70th time but will make a difference in a performance.

Interesting how the chord begins at the end of each measure

What to practice

Which reminds me of another point of consideration.
I can play various portions or parts of a piece just fine, but putting them together as a whole is where hesitations can occur.
The changes from one part to the next.
Or one chord to the next.
This is the place to focus attention and energy.
Not on what is already committed to memory and understood well.
Though that is a necessary part of the context.
To be able to make it through the entire piece without a hesitation.
So reading music is not only acknowledging the pitches on the page and where they are on our instrument but also the length and time between their occurrence needs to be understood.

A sort of musical punctuation.

Merci

Bloviating briefly in b flat major

| guitarbeau
Seems pertinent to the title

video LINKS to B flat major scale on the guitar

Some video’s displaying ‘the sonique spiderweb’ and its utility.

B flat major scale demonstrated at various positions on the fretboard

B flat major chord built from the triad of Root, Major 3rd and Perfect 5th.

C minor chord built from with in the B flat major scale.

bref

NOTE NOTES
So in dealing with the B flat Ionian we can use the sonique spiderweb further by building relative chords found with in the scale.
Most chords have a Root, a 3rd (major or minor) and a 5th.
A triad of 3 pitches, these pitches can repeat with in a chord to give it a fuller sound.
Or …., which also gives the chord a unique flavor.
(you can fill in the blank, I learned recently that leaving something to the imagination is pertinent to the readers expectation whilst digesting information and can more actively engage the mind more than spelling everything out! [this is going to happen some more just so you’re aware, this is a teaching effort after all])
Looking at the sonique spiderweb with the B flat Ionian on display we can see on the outer perimeter the Root Major 3rd and Perfect 5th being displayed
Bb D F
The premier triad.
By following that pattern around the sonique spiderweb we next come to C Eb G
A root pitch C a minor 3rd Eb and a perfect fifth G
Notice how we skip a displayed pitch to get to the 3rd and 5th
The outer perimeter of the web does not indicate these intervals, the relationship of intervals remain static.
Root > m2nd > M2nd > m3rd etc..
It is how we are using them in this context that their definition changes.
Above are a couple of videos demonstrating the chord assembly technique available in the sonique spiderweb as well as fretboard examples.
Your mission should you decide to accept it is to follow the pattern all around and ….?
See I told you you would have to use your imagination.

speaking of imagination

PERFORMANCE NOTES

So I gave my keyboard an erection recently.
Yep raised the stand it sits on so that I have to stand to play it or get a taller stool!
I find it offers a challenge and a way of focusing my thinking, changing up my position that sitting sometimes does not allow.
It is incredibly easy to get caught up in thoughts that are in no way focused on the task at hand, and subsequently distract from said task.
In this case, the practice of an instrument I am determined to get better at.
So changing my position in an effort to gain some focus is helpful.
Also I want to improve my vocals so standing helps with that as well.
To stand or sit whilst playing the guitar is also something to consider.
There are advantages to each.
The closer the guitar is to your chest can make playing certain things easier.
But for looking cool, a guitar slung low off the shoulder while standing really sets a mood, (I wanna rock!)
But that can make some playing techniques difficult to manage.
Take a look at your favorite performers at various points in a performance.
Do their instruments proximity change from time to time depending on the song being performed?
Even while sitting movement can be detected to enable reaching certain portions of a piece practical.
When playing do you watch to pick hand or your fret hand?
What can we learn from this?
What does it tell us we know or don’t know while looking at our instrument?

Close my eyes during practice.
I do this with the keyboard from time to time in hopes of becoming better acquainted with it.
Try to get a feel for where my hands need to be.
I did this whilst jamming with some friends with the guitar recently, but that was more to focus on the sound we were making.
To listen more I shut my eyes to limit sensory input so my brain could process the sound more closely.
With the end goal of getting the song we were playing to sound good!

Merci

Isolating the Ionian

| guitarbeau
Slices of the sonique spiderweb looking for something to do!

B flat Ionian

Finally finished A Ionian and the subsequent modes. Took a little over a year, at this rate, it will take 12 + years to go through all the remaining keys and modes.
I can do this more efficiently. Keep it simple stupid. Why the need to over sell the basics?
It is fairly easy to move the patterns learned in the key of A up one degree, or interval, or fret to arrive at B flat major.

Here is a primer video if you would like to see B Flat Ionian on the fretboard.
That is an easy approach. But to get to a deeper comprehension, and greater familiarity with the fret board.
Understanding the relationships of alphabetic music concepts is necessary.

INNATE VERSUS INANE

For something to be considered innate it should be natural. That is the goal of learning to play an instrument well. Having whatever it takes to play our instrument and make it sound like we want it to sound feel natural.

We want to know the relevance as well as the location of the notes we want to play as innately as possible.
B flat Ionian has an A note directly below it in pitch. This can be used as a leading tone, one that wants to find the next pitch almost as if asking a question, where B flat is the answer.
I used this in my song ‘enchanté’ in the segue to the chorus, where B flat chord variations (and they are varied!) are contrasted with an A note sounded at a time (leading to) in just such away as to ‘ask’ for the B flat resolution.

Using a leading

In another context the A in the case of B flat in a chord is a Major 7th which offers a completely different set of circumstances to explore sounding off about.
Just finger a B flat Major 7th triad can be fun and revelatory! Try these for fun.

B flat Major 7th triads

Or as inanely.

My french dictionary says this word is equivalent to inept stupid, this is not what I intend.
Rather I wish to imply by the use of this word, just letting go of preconceived constraints and seeing what comes of it can be fun.
Sitting down at the keyboard or guitar and letting the mind wander for a moment can be an impetus for new music to come.


Trying to remember to forget that which we don’t know is possible!


Is it possible to let go of preconceived concepts about what makes something sound like music to our selves?
Due to culture and circumstances beyond our control, and certain music being repeated more often than others, a musical DNA is ingrained, so to speak?
Exploring with just the desire to discover what else may come of our musical expression may yield surprising results that have just as much to teach us as comprehension of the basics underlying music theory.

More on that next time.

merci

enchanté

| guitarbeau
en fin

anatomy of a song

enchanté

Really its more of a history.
Developing a guitar technique led me to the intro of the song.
I repeated it thrice in case it was missed.
Discovered when transcribing that all the pitches in the 12 tone musical scale are contained with in its bewildering array!
I did not intend that, just happened, a happy accident!?
Found a chord structure to turn it into something more.
Smudged those in a few places.
The melody was apparent but the lyrics were a long time coming.
Could not commit to who or what the song was to be about / for.
Found some words that made sense with the original verbiage construed at the beginning.
It is for everybody now.
Recording was its own morass of try, become dissatisfied, leave it, try again.
Transpose it to the keyboard, learn to play the keyboard, so it sounds like music.
Become dissatisfied with the result, leave it, forget how it was played, relearn it, try again.
Let recording equipment go out of date, lose functionality.
Struggle to get that to work again, ignoring other alternatives.
Find that other recording alternatives can work!
Try, fail, try again, fail. Keep trying, failing as learning.
Accept it won’t be a grammy winner regardless, but is close enough for rock n roll.
Well Pop, Rock, Jazz as I am want to classify it.
Realize the process is as involving if not more so than the result.
Let it glow so the next one can come to fruition.
Perhaps it won’t take 17 years to complete!?