"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.

"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.

"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.

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 

and work hard but work smart

all the problems you've gotten

be sure to solve em

Work Smart 

and work hard but work smart

whatever you got today 

will be gone tomorrow

Work Smart 

and work hard but work smart

all the plans that you made

be sure you're on 'em

(INSTRUMENTAL SECTION)

Work Smart 

and work hard but work smart

all the problems you've gotten

be sure to solve

  

Work Smart 

and work hard but work smart

whatever you do today 

will be gone tomorrow

The results from this rework made the first half the alum much better.  No longer skipping over the stinker or looking for excuses listening to the lousy guitar work.   Single note 'biffs' like on "The Lone Ranger" are ok if the performance was strong but I would like zero blunders.

"Old Fashioned Boogie" - Piano

Le Moulin (4 pages)

"Waltz in G minor"

 "Waltz in G minor" - "On Time " (2012)

While working on "Waltz in G minor" I found the new parts I wrote we similar to the original "Work Smart"  chords from 1999.  I could remember the grove being more slow and floating, less reggae and guitar of , different other lyric. . . 

Practice Accordion "Paradise Island" and "After Your Gone". They both work well together. It's a Sailor Song you might image hearing at seashore, then into a minor War type-March.  I want more sections to this song like "Blue Danube".

"Blue Danube"

"Blue Danube" has a familiar 5 note start then answers with a 2 note at a time . . .  answer.  This same idea repeats with different notes and tones.  Some chords being variations but all building up to an end.  Then it repeats.

Later there are several other sections that are in great!  Knowing how they write  these sections that counter the main theme but are just a wonderful to listen to.  There nothing to the melody . . .  plunk plunk, da DA!  plunk plunk, da DA!  

plunk plunk, da DA!  DI DEE DEE DI DO DO DA DA Dee dee dee dee de da.

"Waltz in G minor"

Every now and then I will start playing an old song without the music and start making up new parts.  Here's one of those "every now and then's".

and here are some "Common Cadence Chords" I've been writing out for the Piano.

Ben Folds "Best Imitation of Myself" (2011)

Ben Folds

"Best Imitation of Myself" (2011)

Last year he put out, they put out an album of work since he was 12.
There were many songs and they all listenable and have good chords
and melodies.  You believe in the song and him as a singer songwriter.

There are Ben Folds Five songs as well.  Demos made from 1993
are great to listen to.  background vocals are silly.  You can see how much
the other band guys improved.

"Kate"

"Stars and Stripes Forever" Sousa

This song is very difficult march.  There are five sections, some very familiar others not as.

Waltz of the Flowers - Accordion

This revised version of the song music was converted from piano music to accordion.

This will help the student with the counter basses and bass clef notes. 

Waltz of the Flowers - ACCORDION

This first draft of Waltz of the Flowers will need to be revised.  But the 2 hour to make it was put in!

"Face of a Clock" - Guitar Chords

Some rough note for Music Notation programming

"Face of a Clock" guitar chords Learn these!

"Afraid of the Dark" guitar chords - Am and E7

The Bass Line is the key to this song.   

"Allegretto" - Franz Haydn

"I Me Mine" Beatles Loop Verse

The song "I, Me, Mine" by the Beatles is known as the last song recorded by the Beatles.  I was reading that Phil Spector took the recordings and looped the second verse to make a final third verse.  I was surprised to read this and took the song's verses and played them side by side (Verse 1)  favoring the right speakers and (Verse 2) favoring the left.

To my disbelief there was playing the exact same piece of recorded music.  I gather because it such a fine piece of work, that when you do loop it you don't even notice because it's so fluid.  I had tried this with my own tracks (in creating a backing track and on a full chorus) that I wanted longer.

I actually like the orchestrations even though Paul McCartney and the Beatles may have not liked what Phil Spector added. I wrote a song called "The Climb" which was also a "Heavy Waltz" in 6/8.

Rewriting Lyrics (Day 4)

Listen to this song 

as it's being created updated and fixed!

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http://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

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"Dark Cloud" 

There’s no sun today, all the sky is grey

(the weatherman said that there might be rain

but were really not sure what the day will bring)

I know you could complain

but just have some faith, it all could change

Every Cloud has it's Silver Lining

              

Spot the misty rain, turns the Weathervane

(You may wanna take your umbrella and coat

you don’t want a cold or a bad soar throat)

and though it’s not all that great 

you’ll just have to wait, you’ll just have to wait                       

Every Cloud has it's Silver Lining

(in such a Magical way)

It will be God's perfect timing

Every Cloud has it's Silver Lining

You can count on it soon shining

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VERSE EFFECT

After writing the lyrics over I found there was a large middle section missing words.  I never loved how this section was performed so I decided to write some other lyric that was to be sung or spoken coming from a small "radio".

KEY WORDS

After rewriting these section I found that it made the entire support verse stronger.  So I decided to go into the other verses and exhaust myself .  I look for "key words" words like 


Weatherman
Weathervane, misty rain
umbrella and coat, soar throat
complain, faith, change


VERSE EFFECT
I always wanted to have the tail end of a sentence 'echo' or 'delay' after the last word is sung.  So I found this song was perfect to try it on.   I had to struggle for about 20 minutes to get the right type of echo until I felt it was comfortably sitting in the track.

MISSING GUITAR

Lastly I wanted to add some acoustic guitar and spent on hour on it but was not happy with my performance and threw it out. 

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"Dark Cloud"

 There’s no sun today, all the sky is grey

You might, think it’s a waste 

but just have some faith

it’s not gonna to stay

Every Cloud has it's Silver Lining

Drops of mystery rain, pave the darkened lane

and though, it’s not that great

It's not much longer, that you'll have to wait

Every Cloud has it's Silver Lining

It will be God's perfect timing

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

It will be God's perfect timing

Soon, you’ll stop and say,

“Look all these clouds, have gone away”


2:34

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While working in Garage Band I experience a loud violent sound and had to power down the program. What could be causing this??  It is indeed horrible and should not happen.  

This song is highly influenced by the work of Madness's "The Sun and the Rain", "Dreaming Man", Harry Nilsson's "My Old Desk" and the Beatles "Benefit of Mr. Kite" but think I am finding my own voice and sound.  This kind of swing feel has a certain piano + drum groove that is hard to get just right.  


The passing notes on the baseline going down and following it to where ever it may lead you.  "Good Old Desk" does the same thing with the chords moving two measure and later same thing but twice as fast.

Hum I was going to post but . . .

Hum I was going to post but . . .

After three days of work, I finally got together my hand written pencil music that I wrote out by hand.  But for some reason the brand new computer has been has be acting up.  The mouse and the keyboard. Mouse is sticking and I hate it!!

The four documents I scanned looked ok and so I went to upload but I kept getting the "error message"

"FACE OF A CLOCK" has finally got words and I did recordings with some guitar and accordion overlays.  The basic track was looped three or four times and then I did the over dubs.

It's too bad the computer will not accept jpeg today.   I thought that was such a universal method of upload picture files.   Well not today.

let's see if I can even post this rant I just made . . . or will it do more weird stuff just to frustrate me?

This photo is from my sister Jill's Wedding that I was asked to D.J.

"Off to the Hunt"

This is meant to be played as Fox Hunting engages on the meadow.  You know, the red-coated English-styled riders behind a pack of hounds? They are tracking down the fox to protect farmers crops from devastation. Tally Ho!

Also learning to play this week is "Minuet".  Challenging

"Michelle" for Guitar

"Michelle" for Guitar