Woods & Strings

When I was working as the marketing arm for Dr. Brenda E.F. Beck’s animated series, The Legend of Ponnivala , I was struck by an interesting idea that hadn’t occurred to me before in the legends I had studied: that origin stories very often have their roots in the ancestral shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural society. In the Ponnivala story (which is an English adaptation of the local Tamil legend, Annanmar Kathai , or “The Brothers’ Story”), there is a region of forest that the goddess Parvati wishes to see become fertile and productive, and so she creates nine men who will be the farmers of this land. Now, from the perspective of a people who have farmed the region for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years, this makes sense; taking virgin land and taming it to feed the people is a reasonable expenditure of effort. Except, this is the South Indian jungle we’re talking about. Can there be any doubt that this dense forest was already “fertile and productive” before being cle...

High gain is where heavy metal lives, and since the 80s there's been no shortage of both amps and pedals designed to capture the right amount of clipping, distortion, grind and punch to deliver what demanding metalheads crave. A few years ago, Horizon Devices came out with their Apex preamp and Precision Drive, and these have since become industry standards for boutique-built sonic fury. The Precision Drive especially, developed by Misha Mansoor, is a djentleman's dream...a tight, crisp overdrive that doesn't overburden the amp tone, combined with an onboard noise gate that clamps the signal between notes, giving the user a scalpel-like precision in hard and fast rhythm passages. Well, this fall there are three signature dirt pedals that are making a huge splash in the marketplace; so much so that their builders are having trouble keeping them in stock. What's remarkable about these, though, is that of the three, only one is actually made by a traditional pedal company....

This is a hard truth about the music industry today: You are not unique or exceptional, and the music isn’t the product you’re selling. See, music used to be the product, and talent was rare. That was in the days when it cost a lot of money to find, develop, record, distribute, and market a musician. Today, we find that there are remarkably talented musicians everywhere, and everyone has the ability and resources to record as much as they like. It’s a buyer’s market, meaning fans can get music in any genre for free at the click of a button. Because there is no barrier to entry, there’s no commodity value in the music itself anymore. Take a look at American Idol this year: among the top 5, only one artist had never sung in public or recorded before. They all released singles as part of the competition(‘s money-making marketing machine). All of those singles charted to #1. Fritz’ self-produced and self-released EP charted to #1 on the iTunes pop charts. Why? Because he was on TV (it’s al...

There are a few factors at play here. You have to first recognize that the music industry in the first half of the 18th century was not what it is today. In order for a composer’s music to become well known, a pair of factors needed to come into play: First, that composer had to have a great publisher. Publishing was expensive in those days, and involved very careful and painstaking engraving of each note and staff. It was even more costly than printing text, and significantly more expensive than hiring a team of copyists to do it by hand. So, the publisher needed a really REALLY good reason to run things to print and distribute them. Oh, also, distribution was a horse and carriage. So again, really expensive. And SLOW. By the time Bach reached his apex as a composer, there were composers of secular music (Vivaldi, Handel, et al) who had better publishing deals and better court appointments. Bach was a church musician first and foremost, and by this time the style he was using for chur...

Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXbAlPl017z8q2kW72TSzJA/join ******** Episode 1 of my new "podcast" (I'm saying it like that because I'm just dipping my toes in the idea), and this time I'm taking a crack at Alip's PAGEBLUK, which, believe it or not, I've avoided even listening to until I was able to just set it up as a blind reaction.  @Alip_Ba_Ta is one of my most requested artist reviews, and so I'm trying a new format of just doing a six minute reaction to tide you over until I have time to settle in to a full review. Check out Alip's original video: https://youtu.be/gFovqX8dSNY INDEPENDENT ARTISTS: If you'd like your single (video) or album (full-length) reacted or reviewed and promoted, email me for info and to share you stuff (in my profile).  #alipbata​​ #Alip_Ba_Ta​​ #review #alipers​​ #acousticguitar #original #fingerstyle​ #indiemusic #indonesia #mantap #guitarist #pagebluk  MY LINKS: My La...

Originally written for the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO, January 2005) Haydn’s popularity outside his native Austria must no doubt have surprised him. After all, it was not common for composers as well-settled in their particular stations as Haydn was by the 1780s to be heard outside of their home courts. But under a revised contract with the Esterházy family—in particular with Prince Nikolaus, who succeeded Haydn’s original contractor in 1762—the court no longer held exclusive rights to Haydn’s compositions, and they were published in nearly every major European city. This fact in itself led to the widespread distribution of Haydn’s symphonic and chamber works, and contributed nearly as much to his comfortable retirement as his pensions did. Haydn’s 82nd Symphony was the first in a series of six works commissioned by a Paris concert organization in 1785/86. It was unusual indeed for a composer under contract to accept foreign commissions, but Haydn’s outstanding service at Es...

 Some years ago, I wrote an essay on how I perceived the steps to mastery. These steps were partly derived from my study of history and the historical context of artist training and education, and partly from some of Bruce Lee's terminology when applied to mastery in martial arts training. That essay was lost -- which is sad, because it was one of the best things I've ever written -- but the fundamental principals haven't changed. These are the stages as I interpret them: How do you become a good bass player? The same way you get good at anything: Take lessons, pay attention, and practice. That said, over the years I’ve developed a sort of theory of pedagogy (teaching) that deals with the stages of mastery. It goes something like this: Stage 1: Rudiments Learn what the bass is, how it works, how to create notes, and what notes are. Stage 2: Techniques Learn how to play correctly and efficiently. Develop the muscle mechanics involved in the task. Understand how different sty...

Quora Q:  If you had only 30 min a day, every day, to learn piano in a year, how/where would you start & how would you progress? You’re missing the first part, which is an explanation of the level you’re at currently. But, since you said “to learn piano in a year,” I’m going to infer that you mean starting from scratch. Piano is a very physical instrument, and that demands consistent exercise. You wouldn’t, for example, expect to compete in a figure model competition exercising only 30 minutes a day for a year. That said, there are several different methods of approach. Most classically-trained musicians are going to suggest that you might be able to finish a level one within a year at just 30 minutes per day. I’m going to suggest something completely different, and that you take a guitarist’s approach. You need to concentrate on PATTERNS and SONGS, not on dexterity and increasing complexity. To do this: The first 10 minutes of your practice should be scales. DO NOT start with ...

"Dark is the Raven's Wing" single NOW AVAILABLE for download on Bandcamp The song "Dark is the Raven's Wing" is the title track from Kim Erickson's incredibly masterful 2015 album, The Raven's Wing (which you must absolutely add to your collection immediately, here: https://www.kimerickson.ca/ )  With the string arrangements by the remarkably versatile Joseph Phillips (from whom I did borrow a few notes for my cover arrangement), the whole album is just a stunning triumph of poetry, lyricism, and warmly genuine musicality. Erickson's performance has a sort of intentional melancholy; a practiced whimsy, like a Merchant-Ivory production of an Edith Piaf fever dream. It has deep, deep joy that is wrapped in a shawl of nostalgia hinting at sorrow; a hiraeth ; a Welsh term for that longing we have to return to an ancient home from the distant past that perhaps never even existed in reality. This is the evocation I get from “Dark is the Raven’s Wing.”...

This question keeps coming up over and over and over again on Quora. So, in the interest of getting traffic from these multiple requests, I'm going to just link here to the blog. Here's the question: How can I tell if it is a bass clef or a question mark on a music staff? A bass clef and a question mark are the same thing. Wow. Not only is this person frustratingly ignorant about what either of those symbols look like, they go the extra mile to assert that there is in fact no difference. You tell me: Obviously and unambiguously "the same thing," are they not?

Here's another thing I learned last week... I'm a Taurus. Now, people who know me, and who know things about that kind of thing, know that I'm just about the most Taurus Taurean there is. While I may not personally put a lot of stock in the notion that stars billions of light years away control our destinies, there's no denying that people born at certain times of the year tend to  have certain traits or quirks that line up with their star sign. It was probably the other way around and misattributed to the stars. We'll probably never know. But never mind that part. There's something else interesting that falls under the banner of comparative mythology. Notably, this sign: Any guesses as to what that might be? Sure, it looks like a bull's head. And it is, in fact, a bull's head. But it's not a Taurus symbol. It's actually the glyph for the Slavic god Veles. Veles was one of the principal gods of the Slavic pantheon. His brother, Perun, was the god...

 Here's a thing I learned this week... As we all know, ancient Europe was often a very mobile set of populations. Between the end of the last Ice Age and the rise of Roman dominion over the continent, things get a little murky archaeologically speaking, when it comes to figuring out who lived where and when. This is especially true in the mid and far north, where climate and a lack of writing tended to make things less stable and knowledge less transferable. We have to rely on artifacts, and these can be spread far and wide too. Of course, we have a pretty good timeline for major groups, including the early induction of the Corded Ware culture that, in the west, became the foundation of the Germanic tribes. Somewhere between the arrival of the Indo-Europeans and the spread of the Germanic peoples was a period known as the Nordic Bronze Age. This period lasted from about 3700 to 2500 years ago, and was situated in southern Scandinavia (roughly the area of Denmark and Northern German...

Quora Q: Hi, not gonna say my name. I'm a minor, and I write music. I wanna post my songs and signing be my career. My voice could be better, but I can't go to a recording studio or a vocal coach. Any ideas, tips, help. This is my dream and I'm not sure what to do. First of all, if it’s your dream you need to be resourceful. “Can’t go to a recording studio or vocal coach” doesn’t explain why you can’t, so my first suggestion is that you explain to YOURSELF why you “can’t,” and then really think hard about whether that statement is true or not. Second, if you’re really not able to get to a coach (always get a coach before spending money on studio time), look into joining a choir. A school or church choir is a great place to start. You’ll get the skills and training you need for the basics. Singing isn’t like playing an instrument. On an instrument, you touch a thing or pluck a string and the sound comes out. With singing, you have to use your ear to direct your voice, an...

A tale of the Finnish gods, by Steve Baric A very very long time ago, when the world was still young and the people in it still like children, the gods were taking a break. Ahto, the sea god, and his wife Vellamo, goddess of waters and the rains, had worked hard all through the spring to ensure the streams were filled to the brim for the salmon and the fields were lush and ripe for planting. In their rest, the Sun was finally free to stretch and yawn after his long winter sleep. He planned to stay awake all day and night so he could fully revel in this freedom and enjoy the beauty and wonder of the world the gods had made. But the Sun was greedy, and he found that when he shone brightly the world would get hot. And the hotter it became, the more the ground parched and reflected his light. And the more his beauty was reflected, the more vain he became, until he realized he had usurped the world from the waters! The Sun came to believe he was more powerful than even the water gods, Ahto ...

Quora Q: As a guitarist, what is something you wish you knew sooner about playing guitar? Kit guitars are every bit as playable and sound just as good (sometimes with minor modifications) as major brand guitars, for 1/10 of the price. Here’s a “Strat” I built from a kit last summer: The kit cost less that $130. I replaced the pickups with Fishmans, the tuners and nut with Graphtechs, and the bridge with a special GFS bridge (the only short-block Strat bridge with a full-sized block). In total, about $1,100. But out of the box, this guitar was 100% gig-ready with the usual minimal setup. It’s currently the main go-to guitar for everything I do in the studio. Had I known this 30 years ago when I started, I would have had a full wall of guitars by the time I was out of high school.

 

I wouldn't have thought it out of the gate, but... OK, let me explain: I have this saying that "building kit guitars combines three of my passions: music, woodworking, and not getting divorced for buying $3,000 Gibsons." Hey, it's fun, and you get a great guitar if you put in the learning and some cash for upgrades. My favourite kit supplier is Solo Music Gear (< that's an affiliate link), because their service, prices, and product are all just fantastic. I own two instruments of theirs: a JEM-style electric, on which I haven't done any real work except change the knobs and the strap buttons, and a Strat-style electric, on which I changed almost everything. More on that one later, but you can see some of the before and after on my YouTube channel . I decided that for 2021, I want to do the same sort of upgrading on a Solo Les-Paul style kit. The problem is, I couldn't decide whether to upmod it as a vintage-toned model or a modern medal machine. So I p...

This year, October 31st is the night of the full moon. It's also a blue moon, meaning it's the second full moon of this calendar month. This alone, to those interested in the folklore of autumn, is a very significant event. In fact, it crosses over between a number of very interesting seasonal occurrences. In the Christian world, this night is the eve of the day devoted to All Saints. While it's usually celebrated on the closest Sunday, it's rare for All Saints Day to happen on an actual Sunday. According to legend, the eve of All Saints (All Hallows' Eve, or Hallowe'en) is the night when the veil between the spirit world and the living world is at its thinnest, and spirits "leak through" to our side. Black cats and Jack o' Lanterns are supposed to repel these spirits from the home, but the victory of the saints is what really protects humanity through the winter. Of course, this is one of those fusions of traditional paganism with early Catholicis...