In Canada, if you're bad, you get a lump of coal. In New Zealand, you get a sunburn. I burned my face pretty badly Christmas day, and now it looks like my face is falling apart.
But it was still a fun Christmas. I went to my friend Tamau's family gathering in Petone, a suburb just north of Wellington. He showed me around the area, including along the river, where I got most of my sun damage. The meal was fantastic, and was sort of a barbeque, because it was outside in the sun.
It's just me and the cat at the house now, because my other flatmates have gone their own ways for Christmas til the new year. It's been nice and quiet. I look forward to days of quiet practice while I wait for new skin to arrive.
Busking vs Marathon
Except for the fact that they are the exact opposite, running a marathon and busking all night are quite similar activities. There are lots of people clumped together at the beginning, and they thin out at the end. Not all people make it to the end. In a marathon, you run past the audience; busking, they run past you. But the visuals are the same. I suspect that you see more drunken audience members while busking than you would at a marathon. I've never had any desire to "attend" a marathon.
Toward the end of busking, your fingers are tired and sore, so you take longer breaks. But then a group of people will come by and encourage you to play a song. It's like cheering you on to the end. You want to quit, but you have to keep going.
It's a really good way to force myself to play a lot. I don't have to be playing terribly difficult stuff. Just as long as I'm playing. I find it much easier to avoid distractions on Cuba Street than in my room where I normally practice. Plus, you get paid to practice. How cool is that?
Toward the end of busking, your fingers are tired and sore, so you take longer breaks. But then a group of people will come by and encourage you to play a song. It's like cheering you on to the end. You want to quit, but you have to keep going.
It's a really good way to force myself to play a lot. I don't have to be playing terribly difficult stuff. Just as long as I'm playing. I find it much easier to avoid distractions on Cuba Street than in my room where I normally practice. Plus, you get paid to practice. How cool is that?
Sabbatical is the greatest thing in the universe.
I have begun to experience just how profoundly relieving a sabbatical period can be. To simply have the calendar free is wonderful. Nothing looms over you. There is no "but I have to go to work later," or things you should be doing because you have projects or assignments due soon. I take things on of my own choosing, and it's a wonderful feeling. I highly recommend finding a way to afford some time for sabbatical.
I've been working on quite a few different projects since I got here. I have my weekly open mic nights, which I prepare 6 or 7 songs for every week, although it's usually polishing up songs I already know. I have started to learn songs from my #1 hits list, to have more songs with mass appeal, for busking. I have been working with another writer to rewrite 6 episodes of a comedy that will be shot in Auckland early next year. I have also been trying to plan some concerts and a tour for when I get back to Saskatoon in April or May. I have a bunch of guitar compositions on the go, as well as a handful of songs. I have also found my first guitar student for early January.
And nobody told me I had to do any of these projects. They are my own. And that is the fundamental difference between sabbatical and work or school.
I've been working on quite a few different projects since I got here. I have my weekly open mic nights, which I prepare 6 or 7 songs for every week, although it's usually polishing up songs I already know. I have started to learn songs from my #1 hits list, to have more songs with mass appeal, for busking. I have been working with another writer to rewrite 6 episodes of a comedy that will be shot in Auckland early next year. I have also been trying to plan some concerts and a tour for when I get back to Saskatoon in April or May. I have a bunch of guitar compositions on the go, as well as a handful of songs. I have also found my first guitar student for early January.
And nobody told me I had to do any of these projects. They are my own. And that is the fundamental difference between sabbatical and work or school.
The Busker and the New Idea.
I went busking with a friend on Saturday. We played until 5:00am, and it was a lot of fun. After splitting the money, I walked away with $41 (New Zealand Dollars, approx. $30 CDN) for six and a half hours of playing. It certainly isn't the most profitable work I've done. But it was a lot of fun.
I learned some very valuable lessons while out busking. First, my song list that I have made for playing at a venue is poorly suited to the environment of busking. It's a list of microphone music. I need outside music. Also, it's all somewhat obscure music, which I like about it. But when I'm busking with someone else, if I play any Canadian music that isn't Neil Young or Terrible, nobody will recognize it. Which is fine for the people walking by, but bad for busking avec someone.
So I spent the greater part of a day looking through billboard lists for #1 hits from 1958-2009. There's a lot of crap (I'm looking at YOU, 1975!), but there's also a lot of good music. I picked just under 40 songs I want to learn, and tracked down the lyrics to them. I'm going to print them and add them to my binder. I'll make a few notes for how to play them. Next time I go busking, I'll have a better inventory.
I plan to make a full list of songs and laminate it, and see if I can make money for doing requests, or doing Acoustic Karaoke. I've had this idea for a while, but I always imagined it in a venue. Having thought about it, though, I think it works better while busking. We'll see by the weekend.
I learned some very valuable lessons while out busking. First, my song list that I have made for playing at a venue is poorly suited to the environment of busking. It's a list of microphone music. I need outside music. Also, it's all somewhat obscure music, which I like about it. But when I'm busking with someone else, if I play any Canadian music that isn't Neil Young or Terrible, nobody will recognize it. Which is fine for the people walking by, but bad for busking avec someone.
So I spent the greater part of a day looking through billboard lists for #1 hits from 1958-2009. There's a lot of crap (I'm looking at YOU, 1975!), but there's also a lot of good music. I picked just under 40 songs I want to learn, and tracked down the lyrics to them. I'm going to print them and add them to my binder. I'll make a few notes for how to play them. Next time I go busking, I'll have a better inventory.
I plan to make a full list of songs and laminate it, and see if I can make money for doing requests, or doing Acoustic Karaoke. I've had this idea for a while, but I always imagined it in a venue. Having thought about it, though, I think it works better while busking. We'll see by the weekend.
I still have not found work here yet. The recession is kind of a problem. And many of the jobs I would qualify for are not looking for someone on a temporary visa. But I'm still remaining hopeful. It's still been a great experience here in Wellington, and I really feel like I'm having a much-deserved sabbatical.
My flatmate Mark and I have similar tastes in television, and I've been getting into a few BBC series that he has on his computer. I mean... "on DVD." Anyway, I just caught up in Peep Show, a show about two flatmates. They shoot the scenes as they would be seen through the eyes of a character. While it's from their perspective, you also get to hear the inner voice. It's quite interesting.
The other show I've been watching is The Mighty Boosh. It's one of the weirdest shows I have ever seen, but it's quite funny. I'm actually using one of their weird songs as the basis for a guitar piece that I'm writing. It should be a fun project.
My flatmate Mark and I have similar tastes in television, and I've been getting into a few BBC series that he has on his computer. I mean... "on DVD." Anyway, I just caught up in Peep Show, a show about two flatmates. They shoot the scenes as they would be seen through the eyes of a character. While it's from their perspective, you also get to hear the inner voice. It's quite interesting.
The other show I've been watching is The Mighty Boosh. It's one of the weirdest shows I have ever seen, but it's quite funny. I'm actually using one of their weird songs as the basis for a guitar piece that I'm writing. It should be a fun project.
A Down Week
Last week, my flatmates' cat Madox died. We think he was hit by a car down the road. Murray, the other cat, has been mourning the loss of his little companion. It's been a sad week.
I've been sick for a week now. I have a head cold sort of thing, and it wasn't very fun over the weekend. Plus, I added a hangover to the mix, which was not wise.
The advantage of being sick was that I didn't have the energy to do much but stay in my room, so I've been doing a lot of practicing lately. I've been trying to practice up "Spiritual Groove" by Antoine Dufour for tonight's open mic. My throat and voice have not fully recovered, so I'm sticking with instrumental pieces tonight. I'm bound to make some mistakes, but that's alright. I need to know what kind of troubles I have playing it live, as opposed to practicing at home.
I've been sick for a week now. I have a head cold sort of thing, and it wasn't very fun over the weekend. Plus, I added a hangover to the mix, which was not wise.
The advantage of being sick was that I didn't have the energy to do much but stay in my room, so I've been doing a lot of practicing lately. I've been trying to practice up "Spiritual Groove" by Antoine Dufour for tonight's open mic. My throat and voice have not fully recovered, so I'm sticking with instrumental pieces tonight. I'm bound to make some mistakes, but that's alright. I need to know what kind of troubles I have playing it live, as opposed to practicing at home.
I hate making a title for my posts.
I finally got around to chopping up my radio appearance from a few weeks ago, so that one can listen to one song at a time. The setlist is available here.
My brain is convinced that time is going backwards. Or that it has stopped. It's a little bit confused, because there isn't any snow. I am aware of the date, but there's a part of my brain that is in some serious denial. I was in a store the other day, and saw a Christmas tree. My initial thought was that it was way too early to see Christmas trees. But then I recalled that it is, in fact, a month until Christmas. My brain just doesn't know how to handle it all yet.
This past week I tried out two very new songs. I actually don't know the words very well, so there were pauses while I had to consult my lyrics sheet. And the best part was that I was totally fine with the mistakes that I made. Mistakes used to get me all flustered, and everything would fall apart. I'm getting much more comfortable with the reality of live music. It's not that I want to make mistakes, but when they happen, they happen, and you need to move on and keep playing. Open mic opportunities are good for that, because most of the people in the room are musicians as well, and know what it's like. In that kind of crowd, you are almost expected to step up and try something that might go horribly wrong, because it shows that you're not holding back. I choose to embrace mistakes as a part of the learning process.
My brain is convinced that time is going backwards. Or that it has stopped. It's a little bit confused, because there isn't any snow. I am aware of the date, but there's a part of my brain that is in some serious denial. I was in a store the other day, and saw a Christmas tree. My initial thought was that it was way too early to see Christmas trees. But then I recalled that it is, in fact, a month until Christmas. My brain just doesn't know how to handle it all yet.
This past week I tried out two very new songs. I actually don't know the words very well, so there were pauses while I had to consult my lyrics sheet. And the best part was that I was totally fine with the mistakes that I made. Mistakes used to get me all flustered, and everything would fall apart. I'm getting much more comfortable with the reality of live music. It's not that I want to make mistakes, but when they happen, they happen, and you need to move on and keep playing. Open mic opportunities are good for that, because most of the people in the room are musicians as well, and know what it's like. In that kind of crowd, you are almost expected to step up and try something that might go horribly wrong, because it shows that you're not holding back. I choose to embrace mistakes as a part of the learning process.
Elliott Smith
Over the years, I've had people comment that I sound a bit like Elliott Smith. Until last week, I had never listened to Elliott Smith, and the only things I knew about him before was that he was dead, and that Ben Folds had written a song about him. I started listening to his first album, Roman Candle, and he's absolutely amazing. I could learn a lot from this guy, so I'm intending to listen to his albums chronologically over the next few weeks.
I've decided to record videos of some of my stuff, and post them on my YouTube channel. I have a few videos there already, and I hope to get a few more done this next week.
Also, feel free to leave comments on my blog, if you wish. I just changed the settings for commenting, and I'm curious how it will all work.
I've decided to record videos of some of my stuff, and post them on my YouTube channel. I have a few videos there already, and I hope to get a few more done this next week.
Also, feel free to leave comments on my blog, if you wish. I just changed the settings for commenting, and I'm curious how it will all work.
Terry's Songwriters Show: Power On
My session on Wellington Access Radio is now available online. I was putting off blogging until it was ready, but that took much longer than expected. I actually got a recording of it in the mail before it was available electronically.
Having listened to it, I definitely, ummm....need to stop saying "ummm." I also need to say "thank you" less. Clearly I need more experience in interviews. But it certainly could have been more awkward. It would have been much worse a few years ago, so I'm relatively pleased with the outcome.
I have been trying not to play the same songs at the same venues since coming to Wellington. I've been using a spreadsheet to keep track of what I play where, and the names of the people I meet. I'm starting to run out of original songs that I haven't played yet, but the good news is that I'm writing more as I go. It's really good motivation, because now I have a goal in mind: to finish and memorize two songs for open mic next Wednesday. It's quite possible that I'll have three ready, because I finished one yesterday, and have two more that are almost done. Mind you, it's the memorizing that will be the tricky part.
Another observation about cats: they can, and often do, use their hind feet as pillows. I think that's pretty sweet.
Having listened to it, I definitely, ummm....need to stop saying "ummm." I also need to say "thank you" less. Clearly I need more experience in interviews. But it certainly could have been more awkward. It would have been much worse a few years ago, so I'm relatively pleased with the outcome.
I have been trying not to play the same songs at the same venues since coming to Wellington. I've been using a spreadsheet to keep track of what I play where, and the names of the people I meet. I'm starting to run out of original songs that I haven't played yet, but the good news is that I'm writing more as I go. It's really good motivation, because now I have a goal in mind: to finish and memorize two songs for open mic next Wednesday. It's quite possible that I'll have three ready, because I finished one yesterday, and have two more that are almost done. Mind you, it's the memorizing that will be the tricky part.
Another observation about cats: they can, and often do, use their hind feet as pillows. I think that's pretty sweet.
Right Place, Right Time.
I played at Open Mic at the Fringe Bar on Tuesday. After I performed, I was approached by a local radio show host named Terry Shore. He asked me some questions about my original songs, and after some discussion, he said that he needed someone for his radio show for the next morning. A last-mintue cancellation opened up a spot, and he asked me if I could do 5 songs the next day at 10:00am.
It was a bit rough waking up early for the first time in a while, but it was worth it. It was a lot of fun, and a good experience for me, since I haven't had much experience singing until lately. I sang 5 original songs, interspersed with some interview clips. It's airing in Wellington at 2:30pm on Saturday, but it will be available online eventually as well. I'll post a link as soon as I can.
This is all further proof that Wellington is an awesome city.
It was a bit rough waking up early for the first time in a while, but it was worth it. It was a lot of fun, and a good experience for me, since I haven't had much experience singing until lately. I sang 5 original songs, interspersed with some interview clips. It's airing in Wellington at 2:30pm on Saturday, but it will be available online eventually as well. I'll post a link as soon as I can.
This is all further proof that Wellington is an awesome city.
I call it..."Song-taking"
Wednesday morning, I awoke around 4am to the sound of a bird I had never heard before. And it kept singing its tune, and it was damn catchy. So in the darkness of way-too-early morning, I scribbled some mostly legible notes in my music notebook. I returned to sleep, and in the morning, I had myself a sweet bass line, plagiarized from nature itself. Now I just have to wait for a bird to sing me a sweet chorus, and I'll have myself a song.
Tomorrow I have to get a new new bank card. I forgot which pin I selected for my new account, and in the process of trying to figure out which of my regular pins I chose, the bank machine ate my card for security reasons. Classic. As a side note, I will also spend part of tomorrow editing a script for a comedy that's going to be shot in Auckland, New Zealand. Seriously.
Oh, and it's Guy Fawkes Night here in New Zealand, which for me means that we celebrate yet another movie starring Natalie Portman. With fireworks.
Tomorrow I have to get a new new bank card. I forgot which pin I selected for my new account, and in the process of trying to figure out which of my regular pins I chose, the bank machine ate my card for security reasons. Classic. As a side note, I will also spend part of tomorrow editing a script for a comedy that's going to be shot in Auckland, New Zealand. Seriously.
Oh, and it's Guy Fawkes Night here in New Zealand, which for me means that we celebrate yet another movie starring Natalie Portman. With fireworks.
It's Cold.
I have neglected to write about the weather here, and it's truly something that requires some attention. It's cold. And not because it's actually all that cold. The high today was 14 degrees, which is 5 degrees warmer than Saskatoon today. The catch is that it's the temperature both outside and inside my house. We don't have a furnace here. We have small space heaters in each of our rooms, but when people leave for the day, they open all the windows and let the house air out. My flatmates are used to that here, whereas I am used to my house being a small bubble of hot air amidst the cold weather.
I'm slowly adjusting to the cold here, but I do wish that I had packed more warm clothing. I was not anticipating the spring to be so bone-chillingly cold. I suppose the humidity helps to magnify the cold, too. Luckily, the best solution seems to be to get out of the house and go for a walk. Every time I go downtown, I return sweating a bit from the climb up the hill.
I'm slowly adjusting to the cold here, but I do wish that I had packed more warm clothing. I was not anticipating the spring to be so bone-chillingly cold. I suppose the humidity helps to magnify the cold, too. Luckily, the best solution seems to be to get out of the house and go for a walk. Every time I go downtown, I return sweating a bit from the climb up the hill.
Wellington is Good for Creativity
Since arriving here, I have started writing six new songs. I have finished a song which I have been struggling with for over 5 years. I have made some progress on at least two other old pieces, including an instrumental. There are four open mic events per week (that I know of so far), and I've been trying to use them as motivation to finish off some of my songs. It provides me with a nice cycle of potential deadlines to meet in order to perform some of my original music.
The weekend has been particularly productive. I keep trying to go back to the stuff I wrote down in the last few days, with the intention of working on some lyrics. Instead, I get my guitar in my hands, and something new happens, and I've started another song. And I'm not going to complain about it. I'll let the flood of musical ideas come out, and worry about the lyrics when I have an overwhelming urge to write lyrics. I never like to force my writing too much. Just...nudge it when it's feeling too cautious to proceed.
The weekend has been particularly productive. I keep trying to go back to the stuff I wrote down in the last few days, with the intention of working on some lyrics. Instead, I get my guitar in my hands, and something new happens, and I've started another song. And I'm not going to complain about it. I'll let the flood of musical ideas come out, and worry about the lyrics when I have an overwhelming urge to write lyrics. I never like to force my writing too much. Just...nudge it when it's feeling too cautious to proceed.
On Cats
First off, I played at another open mic night last night. I felt a little out of place, since it was a blues bar, and I wasn't at all playing blues. Oh well. It went quite well. I think I sang better than I've sung before, and I like any exposure I can get.
Continuing my list of observations:
4. I love cats. I usually can't get near them, though, because of my allergies. However, I seem to be tolerating the two cats that live here quite well. There are several things about cats that I enjoy.
a) Cats can sigh. That's just cool.
b) Cats have dreams. And they get all twitchy, and it's funny to watch.
c) Two or more cats often have epic battles. Yesterday Murray (named after Murray in Flight of the Conchords) and Maddox (sp?) waged war in the living room and laundry room, complete with bath breaks, nap breaks, and over-furniture stalking. I was a little disappointed that I didn't see an elbow drop when Murray had the chance, but there's still time to train him.
My dislikes include when they drink the water from my glass and when they leap from your lap suddenly, using their claws to get more grip.
Continuing my list of observations:
4. I love cats. I usually can't get near them, though, because of my allergies. However, I seem to be tolerating the two cats that live here quite well. There are several things about cats that I enjoy.
a) Cats can sigh. That's just cool.
b) Cats have dreams. And they get all twitchy, and it's funny to watch.
c) Two or more cats often have epic battles. Yesterday Murray (named after Murray in Flight of the Conchords) and Maddox (sp?) waged war in the living room and laundry room, complete with bath breaks, nap breaks, and over-furniture stalking. I was a little disappointed that I didn't see an elbow drop when Murray had the chance, but there's still time to train him.
My dislikes include when they drink the water from my glass and when they leap from your lap suddenly, using their claws to get more grip.
Wellington Performance #2
Last night I attended an open mic night at a place called Bodega. It's just a few blocks away, and they run that event every Wednesday. I met quite a few more local musicians, and it was good to see who else is out there for acoustic performers.
It has been my goal to expose Kiwis to some Canadian artists who don't have a following here. Last night I opened my set with a song by Hawksley Workman, and followed it with a song from Matthew Good. I ended with "Talk Show Host" by Radiohead.
Through some of the people I met last night, I found out about another open mic night tonight. This one has a band of talented musicians who will play along to whatever you want to play there, including originals. I plan to spend most of the day practicing up for tonight. I hope to play a song that I have been struggling to write for 5 years, but could never get past the first two lines. I finished the song this morning, so I have to commit it to memory pretty fast.
It has been my goal to expose Kiwis to some Canadian artists who don't have a following here. Last night I opened my set with a song by Hawksley Workman, and followed it with a song from Matthew Good. I ended with "Talk Show Host" by Radiohead.
Through some of the people I met last night, I found out about another open mic night tonight. This one has a band of talented musicians who will play along to whatever you want to play there, including originals. I plan to spend most of the day practicing up for tonight. I hope to play a song that I have been struggling to write for 5 years, but could never get past the first two lines. I finished the song this morning, so I have to commit it to memory pretty fast.
Weezer Tribute Concert
Through a series of coincidences, I performed at a Weezer tribute concert last night, and it was awesome. When I found out that one band had to bail last-minute (due to a toga incident), I emailed the venue and asked if they could use a few more songs from a jet-lagged foreigner. And it worked.
I was the opening act, playing "My Name is Jonas" and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here." There were four other bands after me, and the variety was awesome. The concert concluded with everyone in the venue singing along to "Say It Ain't So." I lost my voice, but it was worth it.
I was asked to jam with some of the people there, and have made a few contacts in the Wellington music scene. It's unbelievable that I got to play in such a fun concert 36 hours after landing here. I never would have guessed that my first few days here would be so awesome. And I anticipate better things to come.
I was the opening act, playing "My Name is Jonas" and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here." There were four other bands after me, and the variety was awesome. The concert concluded with everyone in the venue singing along to "Say It Ain't So." I lost my voice, but it was worth it.
I was asked to jam with some of the people there, and have made a few contacts in the Wellington music scene. It's unbelievable that I got to play in such a fun concert 36 hours after landing here. I never would have guessed that my first few days here would be so awesome. And I anticipate better things to come.
Wellington is Superdope
I've only been here just over 24 hours, and I already love this city. It's very compact, and easy to get around by foot. I've spent a lot of time walking around downtown, trying to get lost, so I can find my way again. It's the unmetaphorical version of what I'm doing in New Zealand in the first place, only the finding part is much easier.
I met a few buskers downtown today, one who played flamenco guitar. I think I need to learn from his technique, because he has an interesting way of adding percussion while strumming. His technique is different from my own, but I think there's a lot of potential in combining the two.
The other one had a Warr Guitar, which was cool to see for the first time. These guitars are designed to be "tapped" instead of plucked, like a Chapman Stick, or the technique used by Stanley Jordan. It's pretty cool to see these kinds of things on my second day in the city.
I'm planning to keep an ongoing list of observations about Wellington. And I think I should start with the most pressing issue:
1. It is my primary goal to avoid being hit by a car in the first week. It's not that I will suddenly stop trying to get hit by a car. It's just that for the time being, my instinct is to look the wrong way for cars. I'm also a bit jet-lagged and tired. This is a dangerous mixture.
2. The birds here know different songs than Canadian birds. This is probably true of most two places on Earth, but I find the differences interesting. They do still have untalented chirping birds, but the songbirds are quite different. Waking up to new birds songs is better than waking up to old birdsongs, even with the jet lag.
3. My leg muscles are not used to hills; they are used to prairies. Going downtown is great, because it starts by going down a hill. Coming back is tiring, and daunting to the point where I actually stay downtown to delay the inevitable climb home.
I met a few buskers downtown today, one who played flamenco guitar. I think I need to learn from his technique, because he has an interesting way of adding percussion while strumming. His technique is different from my own, but I think there's a lot of potential in combining the two.
The other one had a Warr Guitar, which was cool to see for the first time. These guitars are designed to be "tapped" instead of plucked, like a Chapman Stick, or the technique used by Stanley Jordan. It's pretty cool to see these kinds of things on my second day in the city.
I'm planning to keep an ongoing list of observations about Wellington. And I think I should start with the most pressing issue:
1. It is my primary goal to avoid being hit by a car in the first week. It's not that I will suddenly stop trying to get hit by a car. It's just that for the time being, my instinct is to look the wrong way for cars. I'm also a bit jet-lagged and tired. This is a dangerous mixture.
2. The birds here know different songs than Canadian birds. This is probably true of most two places on Earth, but I find the differences interesting. They do still have untalented chirping birds, but the songbirds are quite different. Waking up to new birds songs is better than waking up to old birdsongs, even with the jet lag.
3. My leg muscles are not used to hills; they are used to prairies. Going downtown is great, because it starts by going down a hill. Coming back is tiring, and daunting to the point where I actually stay downtown to delay the inevitable climb home.
Summer is over...
...but it's almost summer again. In two days I will be going to Wellington, New Zealand to avoid the Canadian winter. I have little planned out for the six months that I will be there, but the plan was not to have a plan. The very act of showing up under-prepared is somewhat of an exercise in non-religious faith, trusting that things will work out.
After completing my work on Notepad Command, I worked on a second, as-of-yet untitled game for Monoclesoft. The music consisted of short loops which play until a certain even is triggered, then move on to the next loop, a slightly more layered version of the previous loop. It was all about stacking parts, musical elaboration, and gradual growth from an initial idea. It was an interesting process to tackle the music that needed to fit that model of progression.
I have been inconsistent with my blog posts, but I hope that my new adventures in New Zealand will inspire me to post more frequently.
After completing my work on Notepad Command, I worked on a second, as-of-yet untitled game for Monoclesoft. The music consisted of short loops which play until a certain even is triggered, then move on to the next loop, a slightly more layered version of the previous loop. It was all about stacking parts, musical elaboration, and gradual growth from an initial idea. It was an interesting process to tackle the music that needed to fit that model of progression.
I have been inconsistent with my blog posts, but I hope that my new adventures in New Zealand will inspire me to post more frequently.
Victory!
After much anxious waiting, Notepad Command is here! A lot of hard work has gone into this game, and we're glad that we finally got it on the app store. I think it's a pretty fun game to play, so if you have an iPad and are looking for a fun game, look no further. Just buy it.
Album Update
The people at Monoclesoft now have a trailer for the iPad game that I've been working on, Notepad Command. My work on the project is starting to wind down, so I'm looking forward to spending more time finishing my album. I have decided to distribute through CDBaby because I like their pricing, and they seem like a company that really know their stuff. They will sell my music directly, and will also get my music distributed on iTunes and other digital distributors.
I have settled on which songs I want to include on my upcoming album. I have finished writing all but one song, and a few of them are even recorded, but still need some post-production massaging. The one I haven't finished writing will probably be my favorite song on the album, and I'm excited to finish it. I have fragments of lyrics and phrases floating around in my head, but I have yet to bring it all together.
The guitar part is in a very strange tuning, one which I have never used before (Low C, G, D, G, C, E). I wanted to record the guitar part so that I could listen to it on my iPod, in the hopes that it would help the lyric-writing process. Since I did a guitar demo, I though I would post it here anyway. I got a strange stereo effect when I recorded it, and I'm not exactly sure how I got it. I hope I can reproduce it for the final recording.
Guitar Demo by ryanholaday
I have settled on which songs I want to include on my upcoming album. I have finished writing all but one song, and a few of them are even recorded, but still need some post-production massaging. The one I haven't finished writing will probably be my favorite song on the album, and I'm excited to finish it. I have fragments of lyrics and phrases floating around in my head, but I have yet to bring it all together.
The guitar part is in a very strange tuning, one which I have never used before (Low C, G, D, G, C, E). I wanted to record the guitar part so that I could listen to it on my iPod, in the hopes that it would help the lyric-writing process. Since I did a guitar demo, I though I would post it here anyway. I got a strange stereo effect when I recorded it, and I'm not exactly sure how I got it. I hope I can reproduce it for the final recording.
Guitar Demo by ryanholaday
Waiting, waiting, waiting
The long-awaited iPad finally launched outside of the United States on Friday. Since I have been working on a video game project for the iPad, it has been a rather anxious wait for the release. No matter how hard you try, you can't sell an iPad game to someone who doesn't have an iPad yet.
Now that iPads are available in Canada, I now have to wait until the iPad game officially gets approved for release via the iTunes store. I thought that once I wrote the music and created the sound effects, it would ease the pressure, but I'm finding the waiting part to be the most stressful. Even under the time constraints that I had before, I was not as anxious as I am now. I had the power to do something about it before, but now, it's in someone else's hands. Apparently I don't like other peoples' hands.
Now that iPads are available in Canada, I now have to wait until the iPad game officially gets approved for release via the iTunes store. I thought that once I wrote the music and created the sound effects, it would ease the pressure, but I'm finding the waiting part to be the most stressful. Even under the time constraints that I had before, I was not as anxious as I am now. I had the power to do something about it before, but now, it's in someone else's hands. Apparently I don't like other peoples' hands.
Digital Distribution of Music
I have spent the last few days looking into the options that a musician has for distributing music digitally. There are a lot of options, and many of them are similar. I came across the following useful article on 7 Ways to Sell your Music on iTunes, which proved to be quite useful.
Some of the sites also have promotional tools, their own network of musicians, and other means of helping musicians to market their music. Having tracks on iTunes does not make a musician rich, and they know it. It's so good to see this kind of support for the music industry.
For now, I plan to release my solo stuff for free, but I also want fans to have the option to pay me if they so choose. The easiest way to do that is to get my music on stores such as iTunes or Amazon Mp3. I hope to settle on an online distributor by next week.
I have added another solo track on my music page, and have uploaded the commission work that I did for the upcoming iPad game from Monoclesoft, entitled Notepad Command. You can find the soundtrack here.
In the Beginning...
I have wanted to get a blog going for years, but have always felt that I didn't have the time. Now that I am done University, I have been working on neglected projects. Digging through old lyric sheets and music journals, I have found a lot of musical and literary material from years past. These old projects will take up most of my time and efforts for a while, and will comprise the bulk of the content on this site for a good while.
When I sit down to write a song, I usually play around on my guitar, and wait til something comes to me. Sometimes it will be a series of chords, or a melody. Once in a while, though, it will be a melody with lyrics that I cannot detach from the melody. Even when the words don't necessarily make sense, or fit with the rest of the song that I wish to write, I cannot find any other words that seem right for that melody. I have learned that when this happens, I shouldn't fight the musical instinct to use those words.
The song that I am working on right now, entitled 'Damage Control,' is a combination of two separate musical ideas which had some embedded lyrics. Neither song was going anywhere, until I realized that they could fit together fairly well. Pairing them was the key to finishing the song writing process. I was unhappy with either piece on its own, and couldn't seem to change the lyrics without offending some internal musical sensibility. But they felt right in combination, so I went with it. The recording is almost done, but I still have to finish the glockenspiel part, and perhaps edit the organ part as well. I will post it here once I have it finished.
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