Eric Stefani Music Blog: 2012

2012/12/17

TAKE A BREAK WHEN THINGS BREAK

Everything I was using broke in the process of making the CD. The profession paper cutter I ordered was seriously jammed. Two guys at KINKO's worked on it for me for half hour. A week later after using it to cut out covers and U-card, it jammed again!

Ink cartridges and paper jams also slowed the production time. After handing the printing off to others at Fedex Kinko's I was much happier with results. They're 30,000 dollar laser printers produce higher quality prints to the $200 HP ink jet printer.

Santa Balloon collapsing at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1940.

CDs Completed

Wooden Dowel

CD printing came out great. Thanks to Paul Sunich (Paul Frank) I was able to center the design straight on the CD with little frustration. He drilled a hole in the center with "saw" and had me run and get a 5/16 "wooden dowel" after digging through his wood department. He also used a high pressure air pump to clean out the detailed design where saw dust from sanding collected.

I still had to fill in some areas where the design did not print but enjoyed doing that.

Today I spent a half hour type setting the "name" and "title" with font point 7. Really not too easy but what is. The people I gave the CDs to where as expected but maybe if they saw I thanked them inside they would at least enjoy that much of it. . . ho hum.

MASTERING
Fixing mixes but running them through Garage Band to bring up over all level and trim front and ends. Fixed the "Strawberry Rag" interlude and renamed the album titles and fix artwork. All songs cut are saved on a separate playlist/album titled "Snowed Out"(2012).

"SNOWED OUT"(2012)

1) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2) When You Wish Upon A Star
3) Skater's Waltz
4) But We Won't Have Another Full Moon On Christmas Eve
5) #9 Dream (John Lennon)
6) All of Me
7) Peanuts
8) Dear Santa (Eric Keyes)
9) God Willing
9) Kick out of Farmers Market (2008)

2008 version of "Peanuts" have been printed on have the "SANTA CLAWS"(2012) and I have been burning and it's not even on the album!!!

2012/12/14

Linoleum Block Printing (2)

One hour later . . . I read directions, got the right ink and thanked GOD for being BIG.

Suddenly my prints started coming out great. I couldn't of been happier with this one. It seems as if my design was made for using the 'cutters' that came in the package.

Here's the instructions to read so you are not getting it second hand!

I use paper to roll the ink but they suggested glass or plastic pan (I lost) that came with the package.

Here's what they get when they open the CD not sure if I'm going

with the printing the title in red or not. This is TOO MUCH WORK

. . . and I still got to burn and wrap!

2012/12/13

Linoleum Block Printing on Blank CD surface

1) Make a custom printed CD, so just cut it out of a linoleum

then print on the cd.

2) Trace the circle with a pencil, and draw the design you wish to

Cut out your splendid design with various cutters (allow 2 hours).

3) Try some different inks, Cel Vinyl Paint

4) Don't recommend!

5) This was the best one out of 10. The upper right corner print perfect.

6) Like a little baby's head popping it's head out of the mother womb.

2012/11/05

Places You Get To Go

You got to come to a closed door

before you're going get inside

and not until you get up the tree

will you find the honey in the beehive!

and when the wind begins to blow

or the sky begins to snow

you better know, where you are going

in the places you get to go

You got to come to a stoplight

before you get to go ahead

and you better have directions right

and follow what the map said

and when the wind begins to blow

or the sky begins to snow

you better know, where you are going

in the places you get to go

(Instrumental)

You're gonna get there if you keep on going

don't let anything interrupt

and you got to keep momentum flowing

you don’t want it to end abrupt

and when the wind begins to blow

or the sky begins to snow

you better know, where you are going

in the places you get to go

(Instrumental)

2012/11/03

Le' Strawberry Rag

Though strawberry's have a shape that is crazy

and a taste that is sure ain't bad

there's something there

that is not really talked about

and that is because, it is sure is sad

Just take a knife and split one down the center

what do you see inside?

you might be surprised

that there's nothing in the middle

it's so sad, it makes you cry

it's so sad, it makes you . . .

but don't despair

blend the pair

up with crushed ice

you got a smoothy how nice

or chop them up
and decorate

your next cake

place them all 'round the side!

They make great homemade pies!

you'll have to Shoo 'way the flies!

Tell all your friends

that the Strawberry Fruit is ripe!

Tell all your friends

WHILE the Strawberry Fruit is ripe!

They are very low

in fat and in calories

as they're all going down

And they're sweet

but they won't give you cavities
(Instrumental Bass line)

They grew straight from the ground!

Come get them while there in town!

They got nothing to hide

Their seeds are on the side!

Would not it be

very nice to be Strawberry . . .

Each apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit

is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it

An achene (Greek ἀ, a, privative + χαίνειν, chainein, to gape;^[1] also sometimes referred to as akene and occasionallyachenium or achenocarp) is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not open at maturity). Achenes contain a single seedthat nearly fills the pericarp, but does not adhere to it. In many species, what we think of as the "seed" is actually an achene, a fruit containing the seed. The seed-like appearance arises from the fact that the wall of the seed-vessel hardens and encloses the solitary seed so closely as to seem like an outer coat.^[1

2012/08/08

"Minuet in F" by Mozart

Mozart wrote this at age 5. Somewhere lies an "A Postura " not too sure of the spelling and a "Deceptive Cadence" which is not a common cadence. Rare heard.

. . . can you find them?

The last two scales I need to learn.

2012/08/06

"Work Smart" (Day 7)

Last night I decided the arrangement of the song did not exist. Seeming endless loop the chorus where I could not tell where I was. To solve this I risk cut out several measures and went back the b-section the same at the song does the first time around. Then later I decide to instead of saving the minor section at the end, use it in the middle.

At the end of the song I decided to bring back the very introduction chords but just with a piano. They are the same chords at the b-section just stripped down. So all together there are only 3 sections of music.

I've been working on a guitar rhythm and arrangement so lyrically and vocally I have to still examine. I just did not want to put more hours in on something that wasn't working as a whole. I'd like to think the song is coming together but I really don't know but I am getting some good guitar practice in.

2012/08/03

"Work Smart" - Length 3:00 two b-sections

Today I lengthened the song "Work Smart" from the 2:00 to 3:00 by looping near the end back to the b-section. It sounds good musically but I can not decide if that b-section wants to stay instrumental or add words. Is there a hidden melody that hasn't yet been developed?

A new guitar solo came out that should stay in. The guitar keeps flip flopping from a reggae guitar to a march. Reggae/March. Also during this session I erased the 'flute and horn melody' lines after they repeated twice. This way it can change back to the vocal/ or a new melody, within the same 'rhythm track' without getting too repetitious.

Lastly there were two chord changes that happen right before the b-section (C# and F#) then goes into the "Bbm" b-section. They kind of sound strange but they give a hint something else is coming up.
The chords follow the "circle of fifths" and as they do, the song must be going out of key or something.

Note from Eric Abrahamson:
Very common in Classical music not to change key but use a "sharp", "flat", "natural" the note in order to write out what the composer wants it to sound like.

2012/08/02

Reworking "Work Smart"

Recently I've been reworking a least listened to song "Work Smart" from my C.D. "On Time" (2012). After talking about this song with a fellow musician I decided to take his advice and write with less chords.

In the original version the CHORUS had FIVE CHORDS ... and the VERSE had SIX. I had just discovered some more chords for a bridge then I met with Damien Riley. After speaking with him I decided to make the new TWO chords section I was calling a BRIDGE and use that as the MAIN VERSE. Trying it anyways.

The results were much better. Actually the song is mostly now all CHORUS like Damien Riley suggested. I came up 5 pages of new lyrics to see if there was some undiscovered words or ideas and settled on these.

Work Smart