TranZendental Danse of Joi

I'll be posting this up on my website soon enough, but for the time being, you get grab a glance at the score for TranZendental Danse of Joi by clicking here...

Courage & Compassion

Getting set up to do a little spring cleaning on my website... figured I'd upload a .pdf version of the score of Courage & Compassion... remember you got it here first, folks...

reading books

I must say that I do enjoy reading, although it's usually difficult to find the time. I often read when I'm travelling; last October's frequent plane rides allowed me to get me through several literary masterworks, such as the Dicken's classic "Oliver Twist", the Hindu holy book "The Baghavid Gita", and "The Dirt" -- the autobiography of Motley Crue. I'm currently reading two books and so far I'm really enjoying both -- so much so that I'm actually waking up early in the morning so that I can spend some time with them!

The first is a book called "The Diamond Cutter", which was written by Geshe Michael Roach. Roach is an American who went to study with the Dali Lama for 20+ years. The Dali Lama then sent him back to the U.S. to apply Buddhist principles to an American business, and Roach chose the diamond trade to make his attempt. The book is very interesting, illuminating many aspects of the diamond industry, as well as offering great wisdom and insight based on Buddhist teachings.

The second book is Sting's autobiography, "Broken Music". I've been a long-time fan of The Police, and I've always thought that Sting's lyrics were phenominal. He brings that same rich flavor to this prose, and for that alone, it's a pretty cool read. I've only just started it (he's like 7 years old right now), but it's a good foil for "The Diamond Cutter", which I don't want to read unless I can really focus on what it has to offer.

IT IS ALIVE!

Remember that Pat Metheny concert I'd blogged about a while back? Well, a buddy of mine stiffed me for a ticket -- I fronted the money, and then he backed out at the last second. Nice. In exchange for this minor misdemeanor, he offered me this old Gallien Krueger 250-ML guitar amp. Quick history lesson: this little 2-channel, stereo amp is a mini-powerhouse -- it was a GREAT amp back in the 80's, and was the choice of such guitar greats as Alex Lifeson of RUSH and umm-, well, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme. I figured it'd be great for jam sessions and small gigs, so I took it. The only problem was that the speakers were rotting out -- guess that's to be expected, as the amp IS 20 years old...

This led to much research online, to find replacement speakers for an amp that is no longer in production, as well as a little mechanical advice from my future father-in-law, Al Corp. Al schooled me on Kepps nuts, 6-32 phillips heads, and various flavors of thread lock. Then came the good part -- disassembling the entire amp, just like those walkie-talkies I had when I was 7 years old... and hoping that I'd be able to get it back together again when I was finished (the walkie-talkies weren't so lucky)! Fired up the old soldering iron, and I was off!

After a thorough once-over with a dustrag and bottle of compressed air, I'm happy to say that this amp is back in business and it still ROARS. It's got a very distinct 80's sound -- back when solid-state and spandex pants were totally rad. The onboard chorus is super-syrupy smooth, and it's also got this digital reverb that was state-of-the-art 20 years ago (now it's rather quaint, but it's nice to have the option!). But I think the coolest thing is that I brought this sucker back to a musical life, after being an oversized, musty-dusty lunchpail that was going to waste in somebody's closet.

Chaos Theory guitar parts

I've received alot of requests for the guitar parts for Chaos Theory -- either a director wants to show the part to a guitarist before they buy the piece, or a musician in the ensemble wants to take a crack at the part themselves, etc... so I've uploaded these parts as .pdf's, and anyone who wants to can now download them:
CT1 Electric Guitar part
CT2 Electric Guitar part
CT3 Electric Guitar part
I'll probably make an easier link on my website for this, sometime soon... in the meantime, enjoy!

coolest. ad. ever.

Here it is folks, the Citroen C4.

And yes -- at heart, I am a 10 year old boy.

Don't jink it!

Remember when I used to write about music? Y'know, writing music, performing music... there are so many irons waiting to be dropped in the fire it's kinda stupid:

- I started sketching a new band piece earlier this week, but it's going to have to go on the back-burner for the time being...

- spoke to a band director on Tuesday -- we are rock-solid on a commission for drumset soloist and wind orchestra -- it'll be premiered at an all-Bonney concert in Colorado in January 2006...

- heard from a consortium of band directors in Texas on Wednesday, who are ready to talk turkey about a commission for 4 more tone poems based on water themes, to become a collection with "Reflections in a Tidal Pool"... I've been waiting 3 years to write these pieces!

- ran into a buddy at the gas station this morning -- I'm supposed to be getting a call today from an unnamed video game company, who's going to contract me to help them with sound effects for a new game...

- I'm still practicing guitar 1-2 hours a day, completely rebuilding my right hand picking technique and my left hand vibrato technique from scratch; as well as improving my chord vocabulary, improvisation abilities, and preparing for more Chaos Theory performances in mid-May...

... and I've got to start writing music for my wedding! 5 pieces for brass quintet (and hopefully percussion)... anyone know how I can get a full set of timpani into a choir loft?

publishing questions

I received this email today. I thought the questions (and the answers!) were good enough to warrant public consumption, so here they are:

I've decided to start my own publishing company, and I was wondering if I could run a few questions by you:

1) Do either of you use ISBN's or ISMN's? Are they necessary or reccomended?

I've never used ISBN's, ISMN's, ICBM's, TGIF's, or MSNBC's. Hal Leonard uses them for their organization, but I don't write nearly enough music to need a numbering system -- the titles seem to keep 'em separate enough for me!

2) How would you reccomend finding distributors?

Ewww... tough one. I will say this: distribution is not going to help you early on. You stand to make a LOT more money by handling your own distribution for as long as you can stand it. It's not the distributor that kills your profit, it's the retailers that use them. Retailers will take 50% of the sale! So after printing, shipping, and the (hopefully) modest distribution costs, you're not making much on a set-per-set basis... you stand to make ALOT more by selling fewer, but keeping more of the sale... at least until your reputation as a composer starts selling the music by itself.

3) Do you bind your own music? Do you reccomend any store/company that binds 11 x 17, or do you do it yourself?

Yes, I bind my own music. I don't sell enough sets to warrant a print run with a printing company just yet... I begged, borrowed, and stole binding resources for several years until I got hold of a GREAT deal on a binding machine (thanks again, Eric!). I do know of two places in the Chicago area... Let me know if you want that contact info...

4) Any other important info?

The publishing dream doesn't necessarily come together fast -- it takes patience and perseverance. My first Midwest Convention, I stood outside the UNLV booth with a portable CD player and a set of headphones, politely asking people who wandered by if they'd like to hear some new music. For every 5 people I asked, one would listen. I probably played my music for a hundred people in those 3 days. I sold ONE score that year. It starts out small, but every new opportunity buds from the last opportunity. Get your stuff out there so people can check it out. The best thing is for people to HEAR it -- get it performed as much as possible, and if possible, get it recorded. It doesn't have to be a perfect recording, just good enough that people can tell what the music is about. Build a website -- it doesn't have to be fancy, just easy to use and easy to get information. And you can never have too many friends -- meeting people and people meeting you is one of the best things you can do to promote your music. And you don't have to come off like a used car salesman to promote yourself. Just be honest, energized, and sincere -- what works in good music works in good personal communication too.

Hope that helps!

Jim

The only other thing I didn't mention in that email is that every small step in the right direction counts -- it's still progress, no matter how small. One of my favorite quotes is "Don't ever say 'I could have done that', because you didn't."

Pachelbel's bizarre fan club

My cousin and his fiancee have asked me to play for their wedding -- of course I am very flattered and honored to do this for them. It's also a great excuse to get my classical guitar chops back in shape, AND I'm going to have to pick up some new music to perform for the ceremony. Among those pieces: Pachelbel's Canon in D. I played it in guitar quartet when I was a freshman at CIM, but have never played it on solo guitar. Not a problem -- a million people have transcribed this chestnut, so that makes my work that much easier. I head off to find an arrangement online.

I came across this version. First bad sign -- it has a tablature version along side the notes, but I decided to give it a shot. After reading through the first page, I could tell this was not a very well-crafted transcription. But just before I'm about to jet off to the next exotic internet destination, I decide to read what some customers have said about this version.

Now I don't want to sound pompous or condescending, but if you're going to write a review, you should at least have something OF VALUE to say. If you have the time and inclination, I urge you to go and read everything these numbskulls had to offer, and decide for yourself if I'm being unfair -- but in the interest of brevity (and comedy), here are a few choice quotes:

"I like Canon in D, but I think that this version of it is a little too much for such a delicate composition."

Ummm... it's a piece for 3 strings and basso continuo, that's been transcribed for ONE guitar... NOW it's a little too much? It's not like the arranger ADDED NOTES!?!

Here's another one:

"This definitely isn't a beginner's piece, and requires some hand strength and speed to play well, but anyone remotely serious about playing guitar well should have this tab."

OK, for starters, it's not music, it's tab. This goober can't even read music, and he's writing a review? But wait, there's more:

"while I still have to work on my speed and tone quality, I've been told it sounds damn impressive when I play it."

Oh, I'm sure it is Bucky, I'm sure it is...

Now I don't know about you ladies, but I find this next guy kinda SCAAAAAAAAARY...

"I plan to use this song to propose with. Maybe have her blindfolded and have candle's burning. PERFECT! I have looked a long time for Pachelbel's Cannon in D transcribed in guitar for this reason."

Blindfolded? "candle's burning"? Is it just me, or does this sound just a little too "Silence of the Lambs"-esque? Like maybe he hasn't found the girl yet, but he's found the arrangement of Pachelbel's "Cannon" (BOOM!!!) in D!!!

Here comes another rocket scientist:

"Canon, especially when played with strings using a synthensizer or keyboard, is an excellent piece of music. "

I think Pachelbel would probably agree that it's a dramatic improvement to perform this piece from a guitar arrangement, on a "synthensizer"...

This is my favorite:

"I'm korean. I like pachelbel so very much. "

That is the whole review. What makes that funny? 5 of 15 people found that review helpful.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate

My friends, I am very excited to tell you that my very good friend, Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate, has a website ready and waiting for your enlightened eyes and ears. CLICK HERE to visit his website now.

Jerod is Native American -- a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. His musical training is steeped in classical music, and he is a very accomplished concert pianist. But his heart and his convictions are strongly tied to his American Indian heritage, and he has researched a great deal into the musical traditions of many American Indian tribes. His music melds these two spheres of creativity; historical, mythological, socio-political, and musical themes taken from the American Indian tradition, and structure, orchestration, and notation techniques taken from the Western classical tradition. His voice is honest, unique, and sublimely expressive, and his work is some of the best examples of "nobrow" music. I'm very honored to be able to share his work with you.

As a small side note, you can hear me playing guitar in the short excerpt from his piece for classical guitar and percussion, called "Inchokkillissa", which means "Worth of the Soul"...

FW: email of the day

After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form,
and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor... Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident. ... Enjoy!

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit. S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield. S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute
descent. S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud. S: DME volume set to more believable
level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative. S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield. S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing. S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny. S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums. S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last:

P. Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer. S: Took hammer away from midget.

Real men don't change socks

This morning I managed to slice my ankle open quite nicely on the sharp edge of a piece of furniture. I was getting ready for work and swung my leg into it while walking into the bathroom. After a few choice swears, I washed it out in the sink and continued to get dressed. Now my sock is bloody and I can feel it sticking to the open wound.

Oh yeah. I feel manly.

But besides mistreating an injury, what else can one do to feel like a real man?

How about killing something? Yeah, that has a manly flair to it. How about hunting cats. No, not big dangerous man-eating cats. Nooooooooooo... I'm talking house cats. Free-roaming house-cats. I can just picture it:

Tex: "Hey Rex, how did you do today?"

Rex: "I bagged me a Tabby and three Calicos."

Tex: "Not bad, not bad. I got me a Siamese -- see, I tied 'em onto the hood of my mini-van."

Yep, nothing says manly like killing something that drinks milk from a saucer and purrs while it rubs against your leg.

Here's another good one for you under-testosterated-types -- go to watch a sporting event, and punch someone while they're in the midst the game. Nothing says "big man" like cold-cocking someone when they not only will never see it coming, but didn't do anything to deserve it. Of course, the manly response is to hold onto the ball and hit the person back before you get back to the game, while allowing two runs to score. Yep, that's getting your priorities straight...

Or, if you're more the passive-aggressive type, there are still ways you can avoid being a total pantywaist and look like a man. For example, why not name a slime beetle after the president of the United States. These tough-guy scientists say the were honoring this powerful political icon, but I think it's just a thinly-veiled ruse to start the mother of all revolutionary slap-fights -- one that will slowly rise from being totally insignificant and dorky, to being extremely ignorable and dorky. But only time will tell... their progress shall be measured one bug at a time, my friends, one bug at a time.

another G.A.S. attack

(G.A.S.= guitar addiction syndrome)

It struck again... I was starting to think about the upcoming performances of Chaos Theory in Minnesota next month and it hit me. I NEED MORE GEAR. Today's remedy? A Keeley Bypass Looper (nicknamed "The Japanese Apartment"). The stuff this box does is so mundane and boring that I can't bear to explain it to you -- suffice to say it'll make my tone much more pure. The clean stuff will have more sparkle, and the distorted stuff will be way, WAY nastier. Uh-huh. Good times.

Fortunately it's not very expensive, and Robert Keeley makes the best stompboxes on Earth. His "Twilight Zone" modifications to my stock Boss Metal Zone pedal made all the difference in the world. It can make a crummy Peavey practice amp sound like a wall of Mesa-Boogie Dual-Rectifiers set ablaze! Plus it's super Q-U-I-E-T...

the plot sickens

...it gets worse, folks... CLICK HERE.

My favorite line: "Obviously, if we have more of a finger than she lost, you might look at that on face value and say it's probably not the same."

march update

Remember that British march I was working on? Ummm, yeah... I sent it out to them on Friday (note: I DID make my deadline), with a request for more time to track live musicians and clean up the arrangement a little bit more. Their response -- "No problem, old chap. No hurry here. Cheerio!".

WHAT'S THE USE OF GIVING ME A DEADLINE THAT IS INCONSEQUENTIAL?!?!?!? Grrrr.....

So I'll be putting a little more time and effort into the production of that tune. Due to budget constraints, I can only use in-house musicians, but that still means I've got trumpets, saxes, clarinets, flutes, piccolo, and full percussion... I sure wish we had a trombone player around here!

in the words of Liss, "ew."

...and just when you thought it just couldn't get any weirder... CLICK HERE.

Vai rules

VAI. IS. GOD. Seriously. To listen to his recordings is mindblowing. To see him live is a transcendental experience. It was love and suffering and rapture and sex and hate and fear and glory and pain and lust and tenderness and greed and passion and warfare and glee. He has passed the limits of what is technically possible on an electrified fretted instrument and he now approaches at it as if it were something to be toyed with -- while at the same time, there is not a single note that is not fully formed, perfectly shaped, and wholely expressive. I can only imagine that two hundred years ago, concert-goers had the same experience witnessing a performance by Nicolo Paganini. I feel changed for having witnessed this performance.

I double-dog-dare ANYONE to go and see Vai perform and not be musically blown away. In fact, I will reimburse you for the price of your tickets for you're not completely stupified. I will, however, require a statement, in writing, that you're a soulless, tone-deaf moron who is incapable of being affected by any human emotion whatsoever.

Oh yeah, I saw Eric Sardinas play too. Technically, he's quite impressive, but his show was also a pretty good testimony to why you should NOT play an entire show of blues changes in one of two keys with the same tone and the same groove at the same tempo.

Live @ House of Blues

Very soon I'll be heading out for the House of Blues to see Eric Sardinas and Steve Vai. Eric Sardinas is a monstrous blues slide guitar player, and Vai is GOD. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow...

Veo Lux

IS ANYBODY WATCHING STEVE BRYANT'S NEW BLOG?!? There's info on more developments of his new piece, Veo Lux...

pointing the finger?

For those who enjoy keeping track of the more sick and twisted developments in the news... CLICK HERE

email coolness

Here's a picture of my sister and the famous boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard. Anne is on the right. Sugar Ray is in the middle. I have no idea who is on the left. Anne was just hanging out at the Miss USA after-party when someone took this snap... so what did you do last night?

TranZendental solo

I wrote out a solo for "TranZendental Danse of Joi" last night. I'm still not sure I want to "freeze" that moment musically with what I've got, but I'm concerned that alot of schools are not going to have a jazz improviser with the chops to handle this piece, and they're not going to look in their community for the opportunity to have an experienced musician come in to play with the ensemble. I've also come to realize that soloing over those time changes is not only tricky, but can create some really stilted phrases. So I think I'm going to make that entire section simple 4/4 time. I reserve the right to change my mind, but that's where my mind is headed...

keyless

Nic drove off with my set of keys in her ignition. Can't get into my writing room. I'm in the main studio now... she should be back soon...

speed-bloggin'

In an effort to mix things up for you and keep things interesting for me, for the next few days I'm going to try writing lots of short entries throughout the day, rather than one big one in the morning... if you've got easy internet access, and nothing to do throughout the day, check back often...

Sin City

Well... let's put it this way: it ain't no "good-first-date"-type movie...

second thoughts

I'm having some concerns for "TranZendental Danse of Joi". Everyone seems to like it just fine, it's just that they're having issues. Some directors are having trouble with the woodwind flourishes. Other directors are having trouble with the improvisatory section -- in a nutshell, their soloists just ain't cutting the muster. So I'm seriously considering reworking this piece. Again.

Oy.

Avenue X

Jonathan Newman has news on his latest piece: Avenue X.

Go there. Read.

onward!

My throat is getting much better, and everything looks like it's on the mend. I want to thank you all for your "get well soon" cards and flowers and balloons and especially the singing telegram -- I was really touched by all your kind expressions of care and concern.

I managed to create a pretty good sketch of the entire march yesterday -- it's amazing what you can accomplish when you're under the gun. The tune is a little doofy, but hey -- it's a march -- what do you expect?!?

Before I started writing I did some research and listened to some different marches. I'm writing this for a British game team, who wanted to avoid the already "over-the-top-American" soundtrack that was in the American version of the game. I can't say that I blame them -- would you want to listen to a disco-pep-band medley of "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", and "Battle Hymn of the Republic"?!? Okay, maybe you would...

But I listened to some British marches (including Elgar's "Imperial March" and "Pomp and "Circumstance") and compared those to some Sousa marches -- THE sound of American marching brass. It was very interesting and illuminating, and I'm really glad I took the time to listen. The British melodies moved in a more stately, step-wise motion, while the Sousa tended to have more heroic leaps and arpeggiation. The British accompaniment was different too -- it favored a more Bach chorale-like harmonization, rather than than the more layered, contrapuntal style of the Sousa marches. Granted, Sousa's works came a few decades after Elgar's, but tonal harmony had extended FAR beyond what either of these guys were doing in their composition, so I attribute these differences to cultural preference and acceptance.

Homework completed, I began sketching as I usually do -- hear the germ/hook/catchy part of a tune in my head, get that down, and start building the rest of the tune from there. Then sketch out as much of the counterpoint and harmony in the sequencer with just with a piano sound. First thing I'll do today is ice the cake -- finish embellishing the moments where I think it's still necessary. That should be finished before lunch. Then after a break for lunch -- I will furiously start to synthestrate -- breaking my piano sketch into orchestration, and re-performing the separate parts with separate synth patches and samples. I'll do that until mid-afternoon, when I'll need to start really focusing on the mix. I'll mix for maybe an hour, dump that off, and start mastering and processing the recording for the proper format (a proprietary 16-bit/31.250 Hz sampling rate!?!). I should be able to deliver by the end of the day, in time to hop in the car with Nicki and her sister Jessie to head up to Northern Michigan for the weekend...

i sound like redd foxx

throat still thrashed. still gargling razorblades. doesn't matter. too much to do. i have to write, record, and master a brass band march by TOMORROW. ironically, i've never written a march before. i only received the project on monday, and due to many other conflicting issues, and my very untimely illness, i haven't even started it yet. i am going to try to get an extension to this deadline. i can certainly finish by tomorrow, but i know that i for one will HATE WHAT I COME UP WITH. on top of that, the stress and exertion will also inevetably make me sicker. hopefully the producer will understand -- normally i would prefer to make this kind of request in person, but he's in england, so i can really only communicate with him through email. i suppose i could try to call him on the phone, but it's hard to turn on the soft soap when your voice sounds like septic death. we'll see what happens...

i feel like a million cents

i'm sick again. throat this time. i sound hilarious. ouch.

i haven't been this sick in YEARS. jeez...

FREE AT LAST!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially debt-free -- I paid off the last of my student loans today. The lady on the phone even cheered for me!

BOO YAH!!!

In Just-

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and
the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

-- e. e. cummings

The Monkeyman Prophesies

Steve Bryant has just started his own blog!!! Keep your eyes on this one, folks...

April Fools...?