Music, Art and Idea

I have moved!

2010-08-02T17:22:00.001+01:00

Hey all,

Just to let you know, I have moved my blog on over to WordPress who offer me a much clearer layout and just a much better interface. I will keep this site active (until I forget to do so), but to keep up with me online pop on over to:

www.michaelbarkley.com

If you need the un-masked URL for following then try:

www.jazzvine.wordpress.com

If you have an interest in my playing, endeavours or custom guitars, there will be plenty of media available!

Dig it!

Mike

Vision, Artistry and Music

2010-06-17T21:40:00.004+01:00

I have recently been thinking about deeper meanings in music; how abstract playing an instrument is to making meaningful music. Alliteration aside... Glenn Gould's beautiful performance of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations spurred my mind into thought last night (whilst I couldn't sleep), so before I go on do watch some of this video.

Gould is amazing. Everything he does is intertwined with meaning (character, emotion; those things which have a very human gravitas or connection), the very fact that he is singing as he is playing augments the performance. As I said, last night as I was perpetually not sleeping, listening to Gould made me think of a couple of important subjects. Note that I reference performers, but in my opinion this is equally valid to composers.

The best musicians who give the best performances have a strong vision; they have conviction to play the music with their own voice and embrace the music almost as if they had lost self-awareness.

Technique alone means nothing to music; technique is a hindrance if solely pursued. (Within the heading "Technique" I would include any physical aspects of playing which do not address interpretation or the human element of performance).

I have been careful with my word choice; I am not trying to make a blanket statement to grab a short shock value, for that I would be much more blatant.

ALL SPORTS SUCK.

See?

Listening to Gould's above performance really linked my above points. He does not have perfect technique, however he was a virtuoso pianist. Much more importantly is the musicality and daring of his performance which can only come from someone who has a real vision and conviction on how they want to perform. It is not good enough that we, as performers, would study just to copy what has been; there is no musical merit to that! There is a LOT to learn from transcription and diligent study - that is not in question. Also it is obvious that not everyone is going to be one of the most eccentric concert pianists ever to have lived, but you have a responsibility to put meaning in your performance and composition, otherwise it is pointless; a CD player will play your piece better, a sample library will flawlessly execute your performance (however clinical and devoid of nuance) only you can add the abstract notion of meaning.

A good example before I start talking in circles:

John Coltrane was one of the world's greatest Tenor Saxophone players, he has left us a legacy, he had a strong confidence in his vision on how he wanted to play; he was not Charlie Parker II, he was John Coltrane. One of his most famous tunes is called "Giant Steps" which was released in 1960 on an album of the same name. The solo which Coltrane plays on this is iconic. It is bebop influenced and it is a for teller of things to come in Coltrane's musical career, playing "sheets of sound" and with dense harmonic complexity and sheer virtuosity. None of this ability diminishes the recording, nor do the alternate takes. It was no secret that Coltrane, who obsessively practised, shedded this tune for a year before recording it. My point is that there is meaning in this music, I can appreciate the connection of music and musician.

Before we get to Coltrane, I will show a clip of Parker playing so that you have a reference point. Shoot me, but I wish Buddy Rich played less, and Charlie more!

This video has a very nice transcription which is mesmerising if you vacantly stare at it while the music plays. It is also interesting to musicians to see in their language.

And now, like Babe Ruth, I am going for the home run... A video that us music geeks know well; the Japanese robot playing Giant Steps. Remember, you aren't far from this if you are set for perfect technique and neglect to personalise the music, or in fact if you have bad technique and just wade on through the music like washing the dishes.

And at 350 BPM! I can't get through these videos, they are really nasty!

Time to finish off (I usually say this at the half way point of emails - for those of you who know me and get longer emails from me, you can smirk!). The players and examples above feature very capable, virtuosi instrumentalists, but my point on technique is fair. The pursuit of technique alone is meaningless, because although it will facilitate the playing of exceptionally demanding pieces, it is not inherently musical and meaningful. Caveat: Yes, I like my concerti without mistakes... I also like great cadenzas, exciting tempi, bebop, Wayne Bergeron and beer. These all require good facility on the instrument (Trumpeters dig the latter few... I hope!), but just to repeat myself; technique is meaningless without the cognitive effort of personalising the music you use it to play.

The importance of technique is more that a lack of it will impede your playing of certain music. I could not convincingly play through the "Carnival of Venice" by Arban. If I thought I would be able to express myself adequately with this piece of music, I would shed it really hard, however, I would prefer to have the technique required to play this piece because it is transferable to all aspects of playing which is why I study aspects of this. It is good to note that every clip that I have shown has players with phenomenal ability, players who obsessively practised. They didn't have flawless technique, but I believe that their pursuit of technique was for a musical end and that they did indeed create music with meaning.

Another chronic practiser was Clifford Brown, one of the finest bebop trumpeters to have lived. Sadly a very young death halted what would have almost certainly been a ludicrous career in music; who knows what Brownie would have worked on!? Alas, that is not the point. He worked on his technique so that when he was to improvise, he could play what he heard in his head and what he wanted to express. A fairly famous solo of Brownie's is on "Joy Spring" - it is technical but not cold or robotic, and you can hear the hours he spent shedding the changes and working on his playing so that when he recorded it there were fewer road blocks... Sometimes I can't even see a road!

Ignore the picture of Miles. This is Brownie.

Voice, nuance and character within music - interpretation - links me to my final point. Yes, very few of us will be near Gould's level of artistry (or eccentricity if you prefer to see it this way) but all of us are able of independent thought, don't deny yourselves this in your music. OK, you could be playing somewhere very restrictive, like Violin II desk II in the Symphony, but you don't need to pull the tempi to pieces as Gould does. The magnitude of the effect of your personalisation of the music need not be anywhere as dramatic as Gould's; the only important level is personal if you are consciously doing this, obviously soloists get much more freedom in this respect. Alternatively you can take the Eroica at half tempo. Email me if you do, I would love to know what your conductor says :D

As a tentative link to interpretation and technique: Freddie Hubbard playing Clifford Brown's Joy Spring.

Obviously with Jazz the improvisation is the perfect place to personalise the music, it is also very easy to think that "your thing" isn't acceptable and therefore you just imitate. Freddie clearly didn't. Freddie's technique wasn't perfect; he had a lot of embouchure problems, yet his artistry was not affected. There are points here to address at another stage, I don't want to loose the point of this in a sea of Philosophy, improvisation, Jazz and the like.

I hope that this wasn't too rambly, and made some sense. The barrier between a feeling and the words to usefully convey it is immense, just know that I am earnest about what I write and am in no sense of the word a "professional" performer or musician. I love music, I love playing and composing. I am happy in what I do... and when I hear the video I am about to post, I am literally speechless. (considering that in the recording he was early 20s, record contract age 14, age 17 recorded what I would class as "sickest trumpet chops ever" on his CD "Carmen Fantasy" available on Teldec I believe. This has to be heard to believed.)

Sergei Nakariakov playing a transcription of "Rondo Capriccioso". Sergei is probably the greatest Trumpeter to have ever lived. He is capable of outstanding virtuosity, and musicality.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sergei-Nakariakov-Limit-Camille-Saint-Saens/dp/B00004SX2J

Mike

MBTrio @ SD Bells

2010-06-17T19:42:00.002+01:00

This is a wee tune my trio played on Sunday past at SD Bells.

Piccolo trumpet video.... (clip)

2010-06-01T17:52:00.001+01:00

I ordered a JP piccolo after reading Gordon Hudson's reviews of the Jinbao piccolo - he surmised that the John Packer was the same instrument and that it would be worth a try given the very attractive price.

I believe that this is the Jinbao piccolo, and it seems to be a very good performer so far. In this clip I had not properly tuned the piccolo (crucial) and you will hear a couple of intonation issues. This is user error :) (especially that low D - E trill... the 3rd valve slide was not set). It also sounds a little flat to concert pitch as I was practising with my young brother who plays on a rather flat Eb Tuba.

The clip is a mash up of the Te Deum by Charpentier - nothing like the original :) I played this on the Bb side in Concert Bb major. I used the tight mouthpipe with my standard Curry 3M. trumpet mouthpiece.

Apologies for the poor sound and video quality. You would have seen me correct that low D and play on, but the video got terribly out of sync - it wasn't worth posting. The good news is that I will have a Zi8 to record with soon! Sadly it will take a while longer before my playing is better ;)

A very good resource on Piccolo Trumpets is found here. There is great detail on choosing one, tuning etc... The only thing I would say is to try one of these Jinbao piccolos. While the market is swamped with terrible instruments from the Chinese manufacturers, this instrument is different. It plays well and is apparently well made. I can vouch for the John Packer Trombones and Cornets as I have played (not owned) them. I can also vouch for the Thomann FH600S Flugel Horn, as I have owned one for five years now and while it cannot touch my Kanstul 1525, it is a very worthy instrument that I don't want to call "budget" because of the negative connotations therein.

These horns in the UK are called "John Packer" they are made by Jinbao (to the best of my knowledge) and go under the name of "International Sound" as well as "Jinbao". Dillons in the USA also sell cheap piccolos which seem to get decent reviews - with a decent returns policy (as John Packer has) you can hardly stand to lose. My bank just loves how I buy stuff but hardly ever feed it monies :)

If you are interested in this piccolo, John Packer are very good to deal with, very friendly and accommodating. They can be found here:
http://www.johnpacker.co.uk/default.aspx

Making radius blocks / bandsawing

2010-05-28T17:02:00.001+01:00

Re-sawing Sepele:

Router jig for sanding blocks:

Finished product:

Neck shaping. Tool tips.

2010-05-22T20:41:00.012+01:00

Here are 2 videos showing a little work that I am doing on the 6 string bass.

This video is a general "what I am doing" one. The semi-hollow body is nearly finished - I have been play testing it a lot (IE I like playing it and don't want to take it apart to finish...).

This is a mid-stage video of the headstock and body carving. The key in the work is to visualise and maintain focus on the end goal and not to freak out about using a rasp or chisel and leaving an uneven surface - you work in varying degrees of coarseness for the sake of efficiency.

Spoke shave/Chisel/Rasp/File/Cabinet Scraper/Power tools/Sand paper?

Here are some of my criteria for choosing which tool to use when shaping a neck - this is not a complete resource - experiment. I have seen people shape whole instruments with a rasp - there is no "right" way. (HINT: A drywall hatchet is NOT the right way. Someone actually did this!!!).

Power Tools

I like to do as much as I can with power tools. These are often the best at working with very hard woods, they work (often) faster than hand tools. Since I am specifically mentioning the neck, I will stay on topic regarding my use of them.

- Main cuts in the preparation of the neck, all thicknessing/surfacing (laminates etc) (Bandsaw, table saw, router, power plane)

- All channels (rods/bars down the neck) and holes (machine heads) (Router/drills)

- General sanding (Palm sander/belt sander)

*After rasping it often works that a palm sander can clean the gouges up just faster than a file, however it is not as nimble. This is very good because the cabinet shaper will work VERY well on a smooth surface.

- Penultimate sanding (Palm sander)

NB. Keep all fingers! Sharp tools, tight collets, awake operator. Cut 3 times, measure once... right? ;)

Spoke shave

The spoke shave is the main tool that I use to shape the neck. It allows me to do long smooth cuts and due to its narrow base I can work on curves, slopes and in confined space. The long plane fails because its base is much too big.

- Main neck shaping (to any contour - deep "C", "V", hybrids or compound shapes).

- Limited shaping at the body and headstock side - this is due to its size. Much like the long plane cannot fit to shape the main part of the neck, the spoke shave is limited, and that is why I have a handful of tools to work with.

NB. Remove less rather than more and be aware that grain can reverse and tear out. A sharp blade, strong grip and shallow cut depth will help.

Rasp

The rasp is a very rough tool. It is excellent at removing a lot of material in hard to reach areas. It is capable of creating very natural curves, and with care the "clean up" of the gouges it leaves is simple. The palm sander/file/sandpaper are good options for removing the gouges.

-Neck/headstock transition area. This is the only tool for the job (in my opinion). The spoke shave will not do this well. Sanding will take forever, as will a file.

- Body/neck (heel) transition. In conjunction with the chisel and spoke shave this moulding can look very neat.

NB. Long, controlled strokes - pushing or pulling in the direction of the cut work best. Resist the urge to drag the tool back across the work piece - you un-necessarily wear the tool and yourself.

Chisel

I like carving with the chisel because it seems like something that they would have done in the "old times". I don't like cutting myself with the chisel, though I bet they did that too!

The chisel is fabulous at carving the tight radius shapes found at the heel, for detailing areas anywhere - sometimes the chisel more accurately removes wood.

- Neck/body transition area. The chisel is indispensable for shaping in here, as I am building mainly through-necks and there is always a very tight radius needing shaped. The rasp runs the risk of damaging the body with scrapes whereas patience and a bit of focus with a chisel will turn good results.

- Headstock/neck area. The chisel is useful to help shape this transition in several ways. Before the rasp is used you can remove bulk wood with the chisel to speed the rasp work. (I do this sometimes). Or after you can clean up rasp marks in hard-to get areas, or indeed just general shaping.

I find that a firm, strong grip with both hands, 1 supporting the blade is necessary for most of my shaping. If the tool is sharp there is no need to muscle the cuts - you should not be taking so much wood off that it needs undue force. If this is happening, sharpen, think, work. A firmly held work piece is a MUST for working.

NB. As with most wood working tools, the chisel is USELESS if it is blunt. It is a danger to your piece and to you if it is blunt. Sharp tools = good work.

File

The humble file is very useful at cleaning up the gouges left by the rasp - seems like most of the tools here are damage management for the rasp - ha! It is very capable at shaping and cuts very effectively across the grain. Like the rasp it leaves gouges, it can also ruin a nice carved radius if you run the edge into it - stay awake.

- Cleaning rasp damage. This is anywhere you use a rasp - anywhere on the neck.

- Working on medium radices. Usually nearing a final step as it will take some time to shift even 1-2mm.

NB. Push, don't push/pull. Files cut in the push direction and you speed up the wear/bluntening process if you push/pull. The dust doesn't get as good a chance to clear and it cuts no faster. Good support from both hands will always give better results, 1 handed filing will produce more scrap wood... guitar shaped wood. Or some "clever" thinking (about how to get around the gaff).

Cabinet Scraper

Very useful tool for final shaping. It can remove more wood than you wood think. (sorry) They can get into reasonably tight radii and will mess things up if you are too hasty, especially against the grain. They work remarkably well on sanded wood, much better than a rough surface. They can tend to accent a rough surface unlike a file or sandpaper which removes the peaks and levels it.

- Entire neck final shaping before sanding stages. Useful to remove any slight undulations in the carving.

NB. Keep a keen edge on this tool. Support with both hands, and tell it that it is just as useful as all the other tools even though it is just scraper...

Sand Paper

Hand sanding is the final stage. It is so painfully boring that I like to do as much as I can with a palm sander. Work from coarse to fine, do not let any scrapes from a previous stage pass into the fine stages of sanding because you will never shift it with fine paper. Lift the cabinet scraper/coarse paper.

- Entire neck/entire instrument.

I tend to work in the following order of grades:

1. 80 grit (palm sander)

2. 120 grit (hand sanding - block/sponge support optional)

3. 180 grit

4. 320 grit

5. 400 grit

6. 800 grit

You don't need to go much further on an oiled instrument, and on a spray finish you should stop at around 320/400 grit to give the paint a key to grip, then finish the paint up to 1600+ grit.

I have been writing too much, I now have a headache. I think watching some Frasier or something will help!

Until next time, here is a cool guy playing a bass.

Blessings,

Mike

How to check if your neighbour is in.

2010-05-07T23:06:00.005+01:00

My neighbour is a dick, is he in tonight? Let's see...

Firstly, this is how me and my brother check to see if our neighbour is out. Let it be known that there is a mutual disdain between ourselves and the single-brick depth walls do little for sound insulation. In any case I am in a perpetual state of annoyance at having my playing curtailed and enjoy these moments.

Secondly, you should treat this video as a rare opportunity to glimpse into the lives of trumpet players and musicians. We hope that you learn from this video, we know that even the best can learn from this.

Dan is pictured with the silver trumpet, Mike is off-screen for the benefit of the viewers... (AKA poor film work)

Enjoy :-)

4 new tracks

2010-04-20T20:40:00.003+01:00

These are recordings from a rehearsal session. Basically the 1st time through most of these tracks. I enjoyed myself, I enjoyed playing the music and to me the recording says that I should work towards a bigger goal. The playing is very much of a sightreading nature; you can forgive the blips therein.

Exile:

http://www.box.net/shared/94c4xsksb9

Nightshade:

http://www.box.net/shared/rtu9gdxfol

Solanum:

http://www.box.net/shared/0yigavk3rz

Dawn:

http://www.box.net/shared/duh6apxi0f

Adios!

A new creation

2010-04-19T10:30:00.008+01:00

I have been "inventing" - I bet this has been done, but none-the-less it is an invention.

I play a little on low brass, a Bach USA marching baritone really - this was an impulse buy but it is proving to be more useful as time goes on, so I want to be able to easily double on it and my main instrument - the trumpet.

I took an old 12C (Blessing) and cut the shank off, and brazed a Denis Wick 5 French Horn mouthpiece - this is like a large trumpet mouthpiece, but exceptionally deep. I think the depth is what helps it keep some core in the sound - it is bright, but not horrible.

Step 1: Ruin 1 mouthpiece

Step 2: Check that they fit well. I actually drilled this out more such that the French Horn mouthpiece sat in just under 1/2" more for the sake of tuning. Play testing before brazing was a smart idea. Nearly didn't bother!

Step 3: Ruin 2 mouthpieces

Step 4: Give her a wee clean up and admire the sight of 2 ruined mouthpieces!

Step 5: Stick up a dodgey youtube video!

For neater results the brazing requires more heat than our small blowtorch can produce, so if there is a next time(s) I may invest in an oxyacetylene torch. What we have is an air-tight, strong seal, so I am happy with the result. There is a "bend" in the mouthpiece (more like an angle between the cup and shank of the piece, it was not bent, it just seated off axis when brazing). This actually feels very comfortable. I have half a mind (over-statement) to get one of my Trumpet pieces professionally bent, say to 5*. Maybe I will just drop it down (more) stairs... might work!

Anyhow, forgive the playing - I really don't play these instruments much, or ever as is the case for the Bass Trombone which had a Denis Wick 0 mouthpiece in it. (my sister's horn) The sound quality on the video is rough, but anyway you can hear my "laconic" voice... which I am sure everyone wants.. deep down, yanno?

Anyway, I have the semi-hollow body carved-top completed (not oiled yet). Very favourable comments from Mr Mark McKnight. I have some video clips from Mark's play testing with the Linley Hamilton Quintet, but the audio is clipped - I will try to fix this and seek the appropriate creative permissions to share the video here.

My blessings,

Mike

Blogging via email

2010-04-15T12:00:00.001+01:00

This is a quick test of technology. Do not adjust your tv.

Routing for the archtop pickup - Video

2010-03-27T19:25:00.005Z

This is what I was at yesterday - I am taking a day off because I woke up feeling head-coldy and I am too tired to be doing important things on the instruments - I will resume tomorrow or Monday.

This is a picture of the removal of the most of the pickup cavity wood - less work for the router to do, it will help the blade last longer due to less unnecessary cutting.

I will sign off here, I am relaxing to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. That boy could write a wee tune liek... :)

Be well,

Mike

Neck shaping videos / Fretting tips and technique

2010-03-25T20:03:00.005Z

Shaping the headstock and neck transition area.

Bear with this one - the video glitches, but my short commentary at the end will still be heard, just out of sync! Apologies on behalf of technology everywhere!

Neck heel/body transition area.

Rough neck contour completed.

Fretting tips and technique.

God bless you,

Mike

2 more videos - Thicknessing

2010-03-22T22:56:00.003Z

I am near paralytic with tiredness tonight, here are 2 videos - #2 and #3 of 3, showing some thicknessing. Video #1 is 12 minutes long and therefore too much for youtube to handle, I will be trimming it soon... I assume that everyone waits with bated breath...

I was super productive today, hence paralysis... more videos to follow. More pics to follow, and just to round this off...

Blessings!

Mike

Building is progressing.

2010-03-20T22:22:00.007Z

I am very tired, words will be few and pics many. There are videos on the way, stay tuned :)

The pics are all out of order, and I really haven't got the energy to sort this. I am sure you can work out how this progresses.

This is my main interest - everything just sitting in place, but I will be gluing soon! Looking nice.

6 necks and 1 to-be neck.

The fretless was in to get a finger rest fitted.

7 bodies.

2 bass necks.

6 string musicman bass pickup. Weaponry.

6 string bass headstock planning.

8 string guitar headstock.

8 string guitar, parts and body set on to visualise.

New electric body design. I like this. See above.

8 string headstock design.

2 necks in progress (now nearly complete).

Laminating the top onto the hollow body.

The "f" hole - free hand sketch, then cut with a coping saw. Super pleased with this!

working on the 8 string headstock.

Working on chambering the hollow body - not complete here, all neat now.

Rear of 8 string.

Rough cutting the 8 string neck. Bandsaw.

Affixing the headstock wood. Doing measurements here, gluing uses 4+ clamps.

Now to get some sleep!

Blessings,

Mike

Videos from the workshop.

2010-03-17T10:02:00.001Z

Here are a couple of videos from the past week or so.

A quick recording

2010-03-14T17:14:00.003Z

Another music related instalment - but only to be succeeded by many building related instalments...

My friend Jeremy asked me to throw down a quick old style blues, like 1930's era so I wrote a head chart with some horns to simulate a small big band. I say simulate because I don't play reeds, so I used a marching baritone for bass trombone and tenor trombone sounds, flugel for top trom, 3 trumpets and melody doubled on cup muted trumpet and harmon mute (no stem). I haven't worked out my "drummer"... that all time favourite joke pops to mind:

What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?

You only have to punch the rhythms in once on a drum machine!

There are too many... onwards...

The recording itself is OK - I am happy for what it is, but since I don't play the baritone horn often I find it hard to keep in tune, furthermore, this is basically the take of the 2nd read through. The playing is deliberately in an older style but I still need to shed the blues big time! Well, here she is; "Blues for Jeremy":

http://www.box.net/shared/8yr51b1fx4

I got to use my new Rode NT2A mic - really beautiful. Multi-pattern, high SPL capability, ultra low noise design, large capsule. On the trumpet it sounds super smooth if you roll off a little around 8k - there is a peak here, I roll off from about 6k onwards, and maybe 1/2dB boost across the 100-1000Khz range for a little more body. I am going to have some fun recording more with these - I will post about this later!

Should anyone want the chart, I can send a PDF if you like... you probably have no need :)

I am taking a day away from the guitars - I am seriously wrecked, so I will just make mistakes! Back to that tomorrow, and perhaps a post outlining my newest work. I am now building 7 instruments... lots to do!

Blessings,

Mike

A little playing

2010-03-05T22:50:00.011Z

I realise that my blog is often about everything bar music. I suppose building guitars is related, but whatever. Over the past while I have...

In no particular order...

Recorded a couple of tunes for Rory O'Connor and Amy McGarrigle (links later):

My gear:

Recorded a CD with the KJJO (Ken Jordan Jazz Orchestra):

Played a 2 week production of Sweeney Todd at the Millside Theatre (I really miss this, I would have loved to have done another month. Loved every night!!) Peter Corry and Nuala McKeever as Sweeney and Mrs Lovett.

Sorry for stealing your photos, Kate, I was playing and didn't have time to snap any...

Actually I did... final show, standing ovation, sold out. Excellent!

Lovely building!

Recorded with Ricky Graham and John King "Signals Under Test":

I played with them on a couple of gigs, 1 in the Black Box:

KJJO Gig, Errigle Inn:

I have to start writing more music, making more time for that and trying to get an average of 1-2 hours of un-productive practice a day into 2 hours of solid grind. Linear patterns won't learn themselves. Fact.

Night!

New guitar/bass projects (lots of pics)

2010-02-28T21:18:00.010Z

I finished 2 hand planes and I meant to update this a while back but here they are. A convex bladed one and a short block plane for smoothing:

I designed a new instrument a while back for either thin-line electrics (sort-of retro feel) or for a deep body chambered jazz guitar with a laminate top and an "f" hole like on old 335s or other archtops. I am super pleased with my plans - I really do like to draw. My design:

I trued up some Sepele and Tulipwood to build this from, here is the result (the Sepele (Mahogany) one will be a deep jazz guitar, the Tulipwood will be the thinline - both neck through, both with that Les Paul neck relief):

Here are the projects that I am working on, from left to right;

1) 8 string, 27" scale laminate through neck. Planned tuning of F# B E A D G B E or F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb - the longer scale should sustain this with heavy strings and still sound tight. Emg 45DC 6 string bass pickup being used - seem to be highly recommended by luthiers - active electronics. Ash body, Walnut top, Maple/Walnut laminate neck. Fingerboard not ordered yet.

2) (under the 8 string) 4 string semi-acoustic fretless bass. 34" scale, through neck. Tulipwood body, Ash top. Vintage bridge with brass saddles, Jazz bass pickups.

3) 4 string, 34" scale, neck through (maple). Music Man Kent Armstrong pickup. Active or passive.

4) 6 string bass, 34/35" scale, laminate through neck. Planned tuning of B E A D G C on standard guages. I have a Wilkinson 6 string Music Man pickup coming from the States for this :D Active or passive.

5) Thinline electric guitar, 24.75" scale. The neck relief is in contention due to the thinline design, it may end up being straight with a recessed bridge - I will plan when my parts arrive. PAF style pickups, wound with more wire for a bit of a hotter output, but ultimately a super versatile pickup.

6) Jazz guitar - deep body, through neck, chambered, Walnut top, PAF Jazz pickups with 12 individual adjustable pole pieces on each... maybe un-necessary, but sure they come recommended.

My dad found a very simple but AWESOME idea for a router jig which will level even bad planks, it is just a set of parallel guides, bars for the router to run on and a level bottom surface. It works VERY well, so I will do a post entirely on that, but here is it in use:

Maple:

Sepele (how beautiful is this wood!!!):

It leaves you with a super finish and a planar board:

Couple of shots of a couple of laminate necks that I am building:

I am levelling the neck out in this shot:

I am super pleased with the joints - tight :)

Here are the 6 neck blanks. 2 Maple, 2 Sepele Mahogany, 2 Maple/Walnut laminates:

I levelled out the 8 string body and prepared the laminate to create the laminate tops on this. Note that the design is old; the overall shape is ok but I am going to redesign it within its current size so that I don't have to build again - that would be pretty wasteful. Just a couple of curves I don't like. Can be totally sorted!

This is 1 of the 2 wings, both currently in the front room hardening in the warmth - wood glue is useless beneath 10*c.

That is all for now. I am expecting parts this week, so I can get on with cutting the necks to shape and get some things looking more like instruments!

God bless all :)

Mike

Convex hand plane - home build.

2010-02-16T23:29:00.011Z

Short post - I am tired, medicated and tired. Did I just say that?

Ok..

I made a convex handplane to help me make carved top guitars which I plan to do. I cannot possibly justify spending £55 or more on a plane - I mean I could put that money to much better use, so I bought a £7 plane blade (35mm Stanley) and cut it to an approximate rounded tip (I drew a guide, but worked by eye a lot). I then cleaned this and bevelled a 30* blade on it with a grinder and finished off on the wet stone. I spent a good hour or 2 on the blade.

Next I fabricated the parts for the plane out of Ash, Oak and Rosewood. I had scraps of each of these from old projects or old furniture (hoping dad didn't have plans for that table...). There are plans online, just google it. I looked at them and much in the same way that I cook, I remembered a few key stats and went ahead with it.

The blade is set at 45*, the opposing side is also 45*, the plane blade bevel is 30* and the gap between the blade and the front of the plane (sorry, it must be called something better) should be between 1 and 3mm. I have mine set near 1mm because I plan only to take the smallest amounts of hardwoods off. For a smoothing plane or a block plane I suggest a little more, especially if you plan to work with softwoods because this gap ensures the cuttings go up and through the plane rather than falling under it causing the plane to slip and the cut to be very uneven. Just build one and see what I mean - you can easily modify it if it is too large or too small an opening. Probably easier to shim one which is too large though. Maybe worth erring on that side.

Some un-finished media below - I have since finished the plane with Tung oil. It has really lifted the colours of the woods. Rosewood is beautiful for the purple tone to it, really beautiful. Nice to work with as well, despite it smelling like circuit boards.

Here is a video of the plane:

A couple of pictures:

Just applied a coat of Tung oil:

Here is some of the timber for some new builds - not pictured - 10' of 12" wide tulipwood.

Left to right: Ash, American Maple, Sepele Mahogany, 2x Walnut.

Cyclone Dust Extractor - Home Build #1

2010-02-08T21:56:00.013Z

Considering that I am planning to make a few instruments (or at least a good amount of dust) this year, I have decided to invest in some dust extraction. I cannot justify the cash required for a large machine, so I decided to buy a powerful chip extractor and build a cyclone filter system which should filter down to 2-4 micron particles of dust - the chip extractor alone would only extract down to 12-14 microns, so MDF and all fine dust goes through and is still in the air.

The chip extractor is induction motor powered, and is an impeller design which kicks out 1000 cubic metres/hour (573CFM). This is pretty good for my purposes - 400CFM is recommended for bandsawing, and similar for bench-sawing. These are about the most demanding.

It is recommended not to reduce below 35mm on these systems otherwise the impeller just generates drag. I am using 100mm for most of the work and for the smaller tools I am reducing to 40mm or thereabouts.

I looked at a few cyclone home builds online - a google will turn up lots of these in all wonderful various sizes and designs. Ok, some are pretty terrible designs, but hey - you have to give it to people trying.

Here are 2 links:

http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/site/articles/machinery/extractor2/cyclone.html

http://www.codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/cyclones.htm

The first shows a simple design which is pretty functional and effective, the second is fine for hoover-based stuff, though it will never handle more than light dust. there are a bunch of very cool builds showing sheet metal construction in much larger scales - I can't find this right now. Anyway, the principle is simple, so I started into it the same way I like to bake and cook - with no plans - just an idea of what I want the end product to be. Ok, I planned a little, but all in my head last night.

My cyclone chamber (top) is a Tesco bin. The dust will fall into the green water tank which was un-used in the garden. I cut tops out of some left-over chip-board - it won't get wet (hopefully) so even this terrible "wood" will do the job, plus it is re-using old materials which I like to do.

In the top chamber there is 1 turn of a screw - I made this by chopping up the old lid from the water tank. There is 4" drainpipe which will attach to some flexible aluminium tubing (for extractor fans) - this goes to the tool. All secured up well, gripfilled to within an inch of it's life :) It is worth noting how VERY weak the bin is - polyprop I think, but very very thin - it shatters very easily - I cut the most of my holes with a poker I heated in the fire... couldn't find dad's soldering iron (ok I could, but I didn't have the heart to wreck it, or my own for that matter!).

Down the centre goes the pipe leading to the chip extractor - this is mounted in the lid:

The whole top section will be sealed and will lift apart at the top of the green tank, here is the top plate of the green tank with a hole cut for the cyclone bin part - no trammel bar work here folks - traced a rough circle and winged it with the jigsaw. Does fine - it isn't a piston head or a guitar!

Here is this lid attached (grip-filled) to the cyclone part:

This is how it looks with it all bolted and glued together minus the top plate with hose. I have used expanding foam to fill any gaps around the drainpipe.

Here is a show looking into it with that foam starting to expand. It is awesome stuff.

Ok, not much to say - I will complete this tomorrow and hope that the extractor comes soon - looking forward to a dust free experience :)

Back to the show tomorrow night - last week was really successful, so here is to another fun run!

God bless,

Mike

Wear gloves

2010-02-04T23:09:00.003Z

So today I decided to put the 5/8" blade on the saw before I did some warm-ups before playing Sweeney Todd. I really wanted to see how it ran... how impetuous! Anyway, the blades are coiled and I know they can spring and since the blade was 5/8th it will have quite a spring, so I decided to hold the blade tighter to stop it surprising me. Without gloves. This is what you get for being stupid:

A lot of blood involved, but it isn't as bad as it looks - all super-glued back together. Gloves from now on... Incidentally, not only does the blade cut person really well, but I cut a 1mm laminate from a 2" piece of rosewood - just some scrap from an old table. Like butter. Nice.

In the next few weeks I will have the workshop cleaned and I will be going to buy the following timbers:

Walnut, Ash, Maple, Mahogany and maybe some Tulipwood.

Instrument wise you can expect:

Archtop electric - aimed at jazz players

8 string electric - probably going to suit rock playing

6, 5 and 4 string basses, maybe a couple of fretless basses

Cannae wait!

Mike

New build, misc...

2010-01-20T23:17:00.007Z

I find myself snapping lots of random things I am doing, so these next few posts will be pic heavy. I really ought to space this out to see me through the inevitable drought, but I am in a good mood, listening to Tower of Power and feel motivated to do this.

In the past few days I did a few interesting things:

Started a new bass/guitar build

Made/retro-fitted a replacement nut (it is interesting... really)

Learned how to lie more convincingly - see above!

Repaired a broken neck

I found a piece of Ash from a build I did in 05/06 - it was large enough to make the wings of my bass design from, so I decided to try the bandsaw out for what it was intended. Bear in mind that Ash is pretty hard, it is the reason my old cheapo Ryobi bandsaw is hosed - just couldn't manage it.

2 1/4" Ash, semi flamed on inspection! Beautiful!

My design:

My templates have an extra inch or so on the edge to allow me to attach them to an over-sized blank for the sake of stability when routing to finish the edges. This is why it doesn't' matter that they are over-hanging.

This is the final shape from the cutting. This was done about an hour faster than normal - minimum! I remember cutting that Ash the last time - it was a nightmare!!

I got a rather fancy looking bass in to repair. To the naked eye it was made with a burl wood and lots of exotic materials, but it sounded TERRIBLE. I refused to believe that woods which would have cost £300 for the build were going to sound soo bad, so I reckoned that they had somehow put an image on some plastic wood (not an oxymoron... Ibanez use this), or used MDF or something. It still baffled me, but the grain was all wrong. Anyway, I HAD to know. I opened the back plate and found this:

CONFIRMED! Injection moulded chipboard! I am amazed at how real they make this look. I bet 95% of people are fooled. I am disgusted! Anyway, I wasn't paid for my opinion, but to replace the nut... more rant.

The nut was in to be replaced because it was wearing out (plastic nuts are horrid, weak and have NO tone - but then I am just a little biased). So I took the nut off - gentle tap with a hammer:

Cheap ROT!!! Injection moulded plastic, and not even solid!! People, if you have a plastic nut - do yourselves a favour and replace them, the benefits are seriously worth it!

This is the replacement blank - rough sketches to show you how it will look - these are not my measurements... just rough! The nut I am using is bone which is legally sourced (ie not Ivory), and it weighs a lot - for it's size. 10x the weight of the plastic nut I reckon. It works nicely and smells HORRIBLE!!!

Getting the depth and width right:

Sitting well, despite the slot that was there being over 90*, so I had to file this to about 93* or so. No big deal.

These are my light initial marks for guidance:

This an initial slotting and shaping pic:

Finished!

Operator's note - this is NOT how a headstock joint should look:

It is now fixed - no pic of that though, will probably get one soon!

That will do me for now - currently clearing the workshop. What a task. I don't have the motivation... more coffee?

Best wishes :)

Mike

Bandsaw

2010-01-19T19:25:00.005Z

I was fortunate to have a friend whose father was a retired carpenter and happened to have a saw which totally suited my needs - a good tool as well! I picked it up last week and here are some of the things I have been working on before putting her to use.

This is how it looks (if these photos look odd it is because I rotated them online).

And the reason it is called a bandsaw - the blade is a band of toothed steel which runs around 2 pulleys, 1 of which is driven - in this case by a 550w induction motor.

One of the top guide wheels was supported by a fractured piece of cast aluminium (rubbish material really) so I set about replacing that. Firstly the wheel, and a look under the top guide mechanism. The left wheel support is fine.

Here you can see the fractured holder, and the 1/4" metal strapping which I planned to cut to suit. The hole in the strapping both suited the bolt position and size! Nice, eh!?

I really just break things so that I can angle grind stuff... or take pictures of me angle grinding stuff... honestly! (not really)

This is the replacement shoe which needs a slot ground in it.

There is the shoe with the slot ground - far from perfect, but close to "good enough"!

Here is the top support set correctly - all guides are not touching until pressure is applied in that direction.

And a cut from a piece of 2 1/4" Ash - all working well!

The owner before Ronnie had this set very poorly. (Ronnie used this saw once or twice, but never had the call to, so all comments apply to its previous owner) Out of interest I checked the bottom supports, and the right hand ceramic pressure support thingy (technical term) was deflecting the blade by almost 1mm - BAD. The rear support wheel was about 10mm from the blade!! BAD. All set properly now!

To get to those fixtures I had to remove the cast iron work top and the bolt that secured it was cast into a plastic wing-nut which had rounded and didn't grip any more. I broke that away, removed the bolt with spanners. I then cut a large washer and had my dad weld it to a suitable nut. I cleaned it up with an angle grinder (woo) and it works better than ever! (considering it never worked...)

I will do the same thing for the guide stanchion on the front of the tool - same plastic rubbish nut. I put a wing-nut on there, but it is too small for my delicate fingers to work with! Here is an example of a rip-cut from a future guitar neck:

MUCH to my surprise the starting capacitor blew while I was lightly using the saw!! Now load on the motor wouldn't cause this, and there wasn't even much of that, so I guess it was defective, it is 12 years old after all. Still, I didn't want to see this:

And for the grand price of £5.95 inc. postage I have a replacement part! For anyone running the Elektra Beckum or Metabo BAS315 (and 316/317 - the updates) the start capacitor for the 0.55kW motor is labelled "16400". It is 16 micro-farads @ 400V.

I have some good examples of scroll work to post up, but this post is long enough. I will sign off with a few points.

5/8" (15mm) blades for rip sawing large depths coming - 6 and 3TPI versions.

1/4" (6mm) blade @ 10TPI for general finer sawing on the way.

I found some suitable hardwoods locally. When I manage that bank job I will drop a bit of cash and start building more instruments.

I have 2 bass body wings cut and ready, and 1 guitar body wings cut and ready.

There will be an 8 string guitar this year.

Finally, since no-one would believe this unless they saw it - this is half of the workshop... and tomorrow I start tidying.

Good night and God bless,

Mike

Computer Build #5

2010-01-14T19:51:00.005Z

Right, this will be the final instalment until one of 2 things happen:

1) I decide not to get water cooling (in a month or 2) and make the outside pretty.

2) I decide to get water cooling and replace the drive bay covers.

If I decide to pretty it up now and get water cooling, I will not need that big fan at the front - or I *may* not need it, so I would quite like the case to go back the way it was, looking all normal at the front. Though I might decide to keep that fan. Actually I probably will, but I don't want to make a rash decision, so there is no rush to pretty this up, so I can leave it as it is until I make a final decision.

The advantage of the water cooling - 4.5GHz. Need I say more?

The purpose of this post is to show off the lighting. I couldn't resist putting a cold cathode lighting setup in this - I figure that if the chip catches fire, I may as well have the case glowing red so that I don't notice at first thus lessening the blow of my i5 processor going down the toilet, hahaha! I am usually not one for "speed stripes" or "things" but I just wanted to do this, after all I did build this with an angle grinder, so here goes.

2 RED CCTs, mounted to the side panel - the tubes cannot easily be seen here, so aesthetically this is the best choice.

This is how they look when running:

This is the wee transformer. Note the black switch (out of focus due to wide aperture for light) - it is huge. Where exactly did they think it would fit? Was I going to drill a 12 or 13mm moutnting hole in my case? Seriously guys, thanks for supplying it as a quick fit, pre-wired job, but that switch is a real huge ugly brute.

All set and whistlin' dixie!

Here is a picture showing a little... unconventional wiring. Well it is conventional in the sense that + to + and - to -, fingers in the mains socket standing in a pool of water barefoot next to a lightning conductor on a stormy day, but since I ran out of fan jumpers, I pushed single core wire into the back of one of those 3 pin plugs to create the connection. People are too precious about the power drain through these. News flash: the fans are about 2 watts each... I'm not loosing sleep. I know, I know - I can't control the fan speed by jury-rigging them, but my motherboard only supports speed control on the CPU fan and *maybe* 1 peripheral fan. I have speed control disabled - I want these working hard :D

That is all for now, computer wise. Here are some things that I plan to do in the next month:

Collect a bandsaw (all being well, tomorrow! Amazing to have found one, what a God-send)

Chamber ensemble and Indian (Haydn, Handel and Bhuna... Friday night sorted!)

Design some more instruments

Continue preparations for "Sweeney Todd" which will be performed in the Mill Side Theatre as the NI Première (Theatre at the Mill). This is running from 2/2/10 to 13/2/10. Again, on my birthday I will be playing trumpet, and I wouldn't change that for the world :)

Write more music - I plan to write maybe a head-chart a week and post it to my blogger as inspiration, I might start with one I have already written to give me some buffer time!

I will have to clear a workspace in the workshop. I have been preparing for this day... I am still delaying! Man alive. Could it be more messy? The answer is no, and I will post a picture soon, no-one will expect the level of mess. Only people who have seen it will believe it.

Keep to a better sleeping routine: 8-9am bedtimes and 1-3pm getting-ups is horrible, I feel like such a waster when I do this and I hate waking in the dark evening! Last night I managed a 12am bed, sleep by 2am, up with no alarm clock at 9.30am. More like it!

That is all for now, I won't continue an endlessly boring list for no reason, besides there are things which I don't want to be accountable for, like clearing the back drain - but I did that already. Horrible day that was!

Here's hoping! (hopping)

Mike

Computer Build #4

2010-01-10T18:29:00.007Z

This is an update concerning the cooling solution on my computer. By messing with the order of fans and the case layout a little I have managed to drop the overall temps by 6-10*C. The main reason for this is airflow, or the lack thereof. The intake vent on the front panel of the case is abominable! It was providing no throughput, so I decided to take out the 5.25" bay windows, cut the spacers away and install a fan there.

Now I did every iteration of fan layout possible, measured my temp tests under all the circumstances and what I now have is probably the best I will get short of replacing all the 120mm fans with that Akasa Apache which kicks out 60CFM. Also, the next logical step is water cooling, but I will only venture there if the summer's heat drives me to (haha, NI heat) or if I want to bump up to 4.4GHz.

Onwards. I am currently running the PC in a room which is getting warm (thanks fire) and I will be able to stress test as-if the summer was here, and actually warm. More on that later (at a cursory glance the temps have gone up a few degrees, but not much.

What I did:

CPU cooler back to normal (ie 92mm fan).

5.25" drive bays opened, Akasa Apache 120mm fan installed sucking in.

Rear 120mm fan extracting.
120mm fan (perpendicular to the rear case fan, sucking air through the CPU cooler and out the PSU fan).

So in that burn test I have it from a peak of 82*C down to a peak of 74*C... much happier now!

In any case there is excellent air throughput now! Some temps for you (Idle):

Before (at new 4.1GHz clock):

Case: 21
CPU: 26
C0: 36
C1: 32
C2: 33
C3: 29
GPU: 35

After (also at 4.1GHz clock):

Case: 19
CPU: 20
C0: 30
C1: 26
C2: 27
C3: 21
GPU: 30

In the following test the 5 temperatures are the temperatures of the CPU die for each iteration of the test of which 5 were run.

Before (Improved Vcore, sub-optimal fan setup!)

Burn test (CPU temp):
53, 63, 66, 67, 67 with a core peak of 78

After (Improved Vcore and fan setup)

Burn test (CPU temp):
59, 62, 63, 63, 64 with a core peak of 74

Now some nerdy things. (turn away if numbers give you dizzyness!) Bear in mind that measured voltages don't often 100% match set BIOS voltages, so U try to give an account of both where applicable.

Vcore: 1.31v measured by CPUID (BIOS set @ 1.318750 I think)
Vin1: 1.62 - measured by CPUID (BIOS was set to 1.64)

Bclock: 216MHz
Multiplier: 19x
DRAM multiplier: 6x
Core Speed: 4104MHz
DRAM Speed: 1296MHz
DRAM Timings: 9, 9, 9, 24

All extraneous power BIOS power functions, power save, turbos etc etc... turned off.

My previous settings were something like (for the 4.1GHz clock):

Vcore: 1.36v measured by CPUID (BIOS set @ 1.3618 I think)
Vin1: 1.62 - measured by CPUID (BIOS was set to 1.62)

So initially I got the Vcore as low as possible by lowering by a step, testing, repeat. When it failed to boot and was unstable I bumped it up a setting or 2 and stress tested. Thermal implication is that lower voltage is obviously going to heat the chip less, and even though we are changing millivolts here, it really matters! I got ~2*C off the chip temp by getting the Vcore slimmed down! What I did find was that with the Vcore at its most efficient setting, I had to bump the Vin1 for the RAM from 1.62 to 1.64V. Note that the ram will work fine at 1.65V. (my Gigabyte m/board adds in .02 at a time, so 1.64/1.66/1.68 etc... but 1.64 is working well.

To break this down into manageable data:

CPU speed is a by product of the FSB x Bclock multiplier. Vcore supplies the voltage/power for the chip. This is nominally AUTO, but when clocking you want control of it.

On the i5 1.35-1.4v is about a high as they recommend pushing it.

RAM speed is a by product of FSB x DRAM multiplier. Vin1 supplies the voltage/power for the RAM chips. Again, this is AUTO, but in clocking you need the control to give the RAM more power when needs be.

You change the FSB to accommodate a higher clocking and since the CPU and DRAM are affected by this you may have to settle for a lower RAM speed.

It is recommended that the Vcore and Vin1 are kept within 0.5v of each other.

At 4.1GHz my CPU benchmark was 7115.5 which I am dead pleased about! I ran a bunch of stress tests. OCCT for 4 hours, Prime95 - 2 hours on large FFTs, 10 mins on small FFTs (I read that 10 mins should show whether the system would cope or not), hours on blend. Intel Burn Test - I ran the default 5 cycles, and it pushed the chip hard, but it was fine. I also ran SuperPi and LinX.

I am monitoring heat with:

SpeedFan
Core Temp
CPUID

Real Temp

Stress testing with:

OCCT

Intel Burn Test

Prime95

LinX

SuperPi

Benchmarking with Performance Test 7 on evaluation.

The settings which REALLY push the processor are the small-FFTs. I assume that stands for Fast Fourier Transform, and there endeth my knowledge on that matter! Also LinX gets her warm!

Now in the future I can see me running a water-cooled unit to get that 4.4GHz, but until then I may as well do some work on this instead of endlessly testing it. Currently a faster computer has led to less work done than ever (except computer faffing and searching for bandsaws...).

Finally, I have the black plastic 5.25" drive bay overs to cut up and make the front fans look much neater - everything is a bit "temporary" right now, and it will eventually look neat! That black tape on the side fan will be cut into a circle soon.

That ought to do it for now, I must process some photos and try to find a 14" bandsaw somewhere. I forget that we are in 2010... and I was born *after* imperial was the norm, so I should really be talking MMs more! 350mm would do :) I blame dad for my use of both systems (not totally illogical - lots of the guitar gear is american, and sometimes inches just work neater!).

God bless all,

Mike

Computer Build #3

2010-01-05T05:10:00.006Z

It is nice to be posting this from the new machine - it is really a lovely computer! And that was a spoiler. This may become 2 parts - I am getting tired. Lets get the good news out of the way first.

1) It works.

2) It works much better than expected.

3) It achieved a CPU Benchmark of 7257 @ 4.2GHz and it seems stable (more testing).

4) There is more scope for speed, whether it is necessary or not.... ok, it is totally un-necessary, but the potential is there. I think 4.4GHz stable is possible.

5) Temperatures are all within reasonable limits, Idling quite cool.

6) Vcore settings not too high.

7) Not too loud.

So I will get on with the talking. I got my parts this morning - having had a good 3 hours sleep I decided it wise to start building with angle grinders and what not.

I started by cutting out the vent holes with an angle grinder - less impedance = more cooling. Bit rough, but good enough.

Smoothed off with a Minicraft drill + grinding tool.

I then set about mounting the 2x 120mm fans with blue foam to stop them transferring too much vibration.

You can see how I used triangles to space the fan from the frame.

I then replaced the 92mm noisy CPU cooler fan with a quiet (18dB(A)) fan with a large 60CFM air flow (compared to 40).

It ended up looking quite neat!

Now, cutting out the 18CM fan slot in the side of the case. Dangerous cutting and photographing at the same time... what's the worst that could happen (I just shuddered).

Quite circular for an angle grinder! (and for my primitive metal work skills)

Sealed with tape, mounted with zip ties and spaced with the same blue foam. the tape is part aesthetic - the silvery edges from the cut looked a bit naff.

Now to cannibalise a DVD drive (external). IDE, but it will do until I buy (and can afford) an SATA drive.

There is the soft underbelly of the DVD drive!

Looking good!

Big fan!

The black tape above the fan is actually holding on a piece of plastic which blocks an un-necessary vent. I blocked all vents off that did not have a fan in them - I want to control the air as much as possible!

Is this pretty... it seems it... in the same way a big V-twin Harley is...

Loading... it worked!

Testing with Half Life 2 - I am not a gamer, but I do own this game, so I may as well test it. 40FPs on the heavy stuff, 200-300FPS on the light stuff. Again, old game, not like Crysis! Also, this is my brother's monitor - just doing the build/test initially up home where the tools are! I have the benefit of a 22" monitor in my room, so that is nice for photos etc etc...

Checking out some over-clock temperatures.

Running OCCT stress testing the system. (I am using Prime95, Intel Burn Test, OCCT and SuperPi).

4.2GHz, 30*C nominal @ Idle:

60-70*C @ 100% Prime95 (expect higher, around 80 in Intel Burn Test).

CPU Benchmark: 7257 (currently)

Geek specs:

Vcore1: 1.3v

Vcore2: 1.65v

FSB: 210MHz

CPU Multiplier: 20x

DRAM Multiplier: 6x

You can see the Vcore1 is quite low, yet stable. I want to see if I can juggle the FSB and the multipliers to give me a slightly faster RAM clock speed (currently 1260MHz). Interestingly I dropped the Vcore1 from 1.3850v to 1.3v to try and lower the temperature, and I took 1-2*C off the chip! This seems inconsequential, but it really isn't! Hence how I want to either bring the multiplier up, boost the Vcore1 voltage and test the temperatures, or really just get this puppy lean... Anyway, I think an 8 hour Prime95 test should be called upon before I do much more! I will post the results soon, so....

... tonight I will leave a stress test on, and maybe consider some sleep! Hot water bottle (I am such a nanny), some form of sitcom and hopefully a lie in (you can count on it!)

God bless!

Mike

Computer Build #2

2009-12-31T04:00:00.003Z

Ok, it is 4am and I am running strong on about 7 espressos... I wish I was more inclined to do real work or sleep right now, in limbo... onto the post.

Cooling:

I decided (prompted by wanting the most cooling at the least dB) to ditch the 92mm fan and replace it with the silent Akasa 120mm fan... should be a zip-tie bodge job, which is actually my middle name - Michael zip-tie-bodge-job Barkley; operational but at risk. Anyway I could just be blowing warm air (ha) because I haven't seen the board and I can't say what will fit, but that is the plan.

Additionally I have 2x120mm Arctic Cooling case fans (1 for a top blow-hole type use) and the other for hopefully routing the hot CPU air out to the back. Pretty cool (pun after pun... almost tiresome to write) that the blade design on the Akasa 120mm fan in the previous post offers a 5dB reduction in volume with a 23CFM increase in air flow... all blade design and layout. Awesome stuff - they both run at about the same 1,400RPM or so (between 800 and 1,500 I think are the operational limits).

120mm, 22dB(A), 37CFM

Providing the main hurricane is an 180mm Akasa fan which should deliver 51CFM (not the most CFM, but quiet and actually plenty of air).

180mm, 15dB(A), 51CFM

This I plan to mount on the side of the case and have air blowing directly onto the northbridge, RAM and CPU. Not totally traditional cooling, but I think for my purposes it will be good. Worst case scenario is that I move some fans - no big deal.

I am aiming for a slightly positive pressure system to keep dust intake through air leaks to a minimum, but with huge fans I will be planning on a fine mesh, like a fly screen - mainly to keep out hairs and large debris - fine mesh could end up murdering the air flow. Some use tights... pity mine are all laddered.

Cutting an 18CM circle to give clearance for that large fan will be a bother since I have no hole saws that large (nor should I!), so I will drill a series of 3-4mm holes along the circumference, get that roughly cut out, then with a small grinder bit (in the drill, a cylinder) I will smooth it, finish with sandpaper, and in all likeliness it will look like something from SAW. I am going to check out some plumbing fittings, there could be some convenient sizes which would cover up the roughness.

I will be mounting the fans with a layer of foam (from a Tesco camping mat - waaay cheaper than sticky foam tape) between the case and the fan - less vibration noise I hope! Double sided carpet tape to the rescue; it is VERY sticky!

Finally, and I will confirm this at a later date, but some modern PSUs suck air INTO the case. Maybe to increase circulation within. To me it seems stupid - they are at the top and at the back, a prime area to suck air OUT I would have thought. So, they distribute pre-warmed air in the system; not on my watch. 2 options:

1) Turn the PSU upside down and cut a hole in the roof of the case.

Pros: PSU has good cool air 100% of the time.

Cons: A pain to cut another hole.

2) Take the PSU, open it and flip the fan around, thus making it suck.

Pros: Should be easy, no case hole, more air throughput in the case.

Cons: Warm air through PSU, could lead to a negative pressure system.

I will have to see how the connections are organised on the unit before I start destroying everything! I wish I had huge hole saws. Or a good bandsaw (unrelated, but it would make guitar building much quicker.)

My last 2 days have involved:

Thinking (overclocking, BIOS, cooling, fans, voltages, life, existence, motivation, objective)

Forza 3

Trumpet

Coffee

Sleepwalking

Cacti

It is cold, my bed is warm, best leave now! Parts arrive tomorrow (today in a few hours I hope to be realistic since 5am is on the way up).

Mike

Computer Build #1

2009-12-29T01:19:00.005Z

Right, Blogger wiped my last blog text which I am now re-writing, but in a more indignant and to the point manner.

I am building a new computer - my 4/5 year old Acer 5051 is near death's door. I didn't want to spend too much money as I don't have a lot, but I decided to build a machine which will be somewhat future-proof.

-DDR3
-P55 (socket 1156) board
-supporting high FSB
-supporting FAST memory

I decided to build a system based around the i5 750 chip which is a bit legendary for overclocking. People have boasted a safe 4.2GHz (from 2.66GHz) - that seems a bit heavy for me, that chip ran at 80*c and would require me to upgrade the cooling solution I ordered, so I am aiming for 3.6-3.8GHz.

A rough idea of power (processor benchmarks):

N270 (1.6GHz single-core Intel Atom) - 300
Turion-64 (2GHz single-core AMD) - 400
i5 750 (Intel Quad-core at stock 2.66GHz)- 4100
i5 750 (at 3.4GHz OC) - 5400

I am hoping to nearly grace the 6000 with the full over clocking.

For CPU cooling I have chosen an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro:

It is quite a brute of a cooler, and it wasn't that expensive (£20). I hope it fits on the motherboard - it should clear the capacitors at the ram slots, but it may obscure a ram slot, regardless, we will see. It can always be sent back or modified - I am not afraid of wire cutters or a hacksaw :)

Worth noting that the above CPU cooler, the PSU and the 120mm case fan are especially quiet - nothing worse than a BIG WHIRRING desktop!

The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-P55-US3L Intel P55 which should facilitate easy over-clocking. Should be able to push the FSB speeds enough on it. Not really worth including a pic, but I will anyway!

The RAM is DDR3 - Geil Ultra Series (4GB) PC3-17000 2133MHz (Dual Channel). Having really fast RAM is an advantage, because I will have to under-clock this to over-clock my CPU.

Being tired is really lowering my interest in talking about every component - lets keep this sharp.

- 500W OCZ eXtreme PSU

- boring cheap ATX tower

- Akaza 120mm silent case fan

- Radeon 4350 1024MB PCI Express graphics (IE cheapo, low powered graphics - not intending to game)

- Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB drive (16MB buffer, SATA-II)

- Existing 22" Acer screen (x224w or something)

All in, I spent about £80 more than I wanted to, but it is a system which should be blisteringly fast with plenty of upgrade potential. In the future I plan to add:

1TB drive - preferably Samsung - never had a Samsung fail, quiet great drives. Unlike Hitachi - in my family in the past year we have witnessed 5 Hitachi drives fail. Can you believe that?! Total rubbish. AVOID. Western Digital have let me down before, but I have an external which has been reliable for years now, so no complaints.

A further 4GB of ram.

A DVD-R/RW drive, preferably a dual layer one - should only be near £20 - I have an external which will do for now.

A card reader - again, I have an external, but it would be nice to have one built in.

Anyway, it should arrive on Thursday, so I am excited! I expect a few days of no sleep and Prime 95 torture testing on the computer :)

Till then... peace!

Mike

The bass is complete! Video #1

2009-12-18T18:57:00.003Z

I have finished the bass, and this is a preview. I will be posting the complete build photo set soon complete with commentary and writeup, so I won't bother with that here!

Thanks to Mark McKnight for the music:
www.markmcknight.co.uk

Thanks for watching!

God bless,
Mike

Nearly there

2009-12-13T03:16:00.001Z

Job nearly done!

Bruce Adams Hang

2009-12-10T23:25:00.011Z

Another one for you instrumentalists/jazz musos...

I went to Luton last year or the year before to hang with Bruce Adams, get some tips on playing etc etc... Well it was a great day, Bruce is a total gent, a really fabulous trumpeter and great cook! Over the course of the day I got fed, watered and musiced (new verb...). We chatted and played, ate chilli and had a couple of beers - it was a great day. I learned soo much from listening to Bruce play - I recorded 3 tunes on my wee H2 recorder, I wanted something to record his playing so that by listening over and over I could appreciate his phrasing etc etc...

I have put the track online and you should have a listen. Some of it is me talking with him (nothing much more than small talk), but what speaks loudly is the music. Such natural rhythm and time feel and a real sense of swing. There are a few audio anomalies - where I have had to boost the gain to pick up the talking etc etc...

The tracks: Softly, As In A Morning's Sunrise, I Remember you, Groovin' High.

Bruce has a number of great recordings out, my favourite is "Sure As You're Born" - worth checking out. He does a bunch of recording with Alan Barnes and is featured on the Cat Anderson chair on the "Echoes of Ellington" disk - this is another cracker. With respect to the other guys on that album, who do play well, Bruces' solos blow them out of the water - such command, confidence and coherence within. I am also fairly sure there is a Double F# or G on that album... chops of steel!

Bruce was over doing a solo spot with the UYJO (Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra) - I was playing for them at the gig, and it is the first time I met him. He pretty much scared the whole band... Good times! This was probably 2007.

Some clips of Bruce from his Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/bruceadamstrumpetflugel

Take her easy!

Mike

Mouthpiece placement. Upstream/downstream.

2009-12-07T01:35:00.004Z

For the benefit of any brass players who happen to read this blog, I will post more things that Mic Smith has generously shared with me! I will include my email, and amend any facts necessary! WARNING: This gets geeky, and only touches on a small area of playing, one which fascinates me all the same.

Hi Mic,

I decided to check out a Curry 3C. from the marketplace, and man it is a really nice mouthpiece. I think it is becoming my fave quickly. It has the big fat sound that the TF has, sounds brighter, slots nicely and is in tune. Cheers for the tip - I thought it would be like a Bach 3C which is why I didn't bother with it for some time, and it isn't! Still favouring the 3M. for lead, but the 3C. could quickly become the go-to piece! I am playing Joseph in a local production in a few weeks time, might see how it goes!

I am still having inconsistent days, but on those good days I am playing up to a good F. At a band competition I had a decent Ab on the cornet... which was uncalled for but out of an immature reaction to a comment made I played the solo cornet line 8va... I didn't do this on the actual competition :)

I wonder if you have experience of players who can switch to an up-stream style embouchure from a downstream type. I reckon it isn't a great idea, but I will admit to doing it for the thrill or when I am really beat, I don't do this much in fairness. I can quite often pick out a double C at about a mf - F dynamic, or up to a G at any volume I want, but I really do avoid this because I reckon it isn't good practise... The give away is when you can't play in the normal register with any security, but the switch is pretty quick, 8th rest if even. I know in 1 example, Bruce Adams (big Scottish trumpeter, really great jazz player) used to gig a lot in his youth (6 hours a night from 14 years old) and I think he hit his lip and he had to do shows and learned how to play upstream and always has since, but that was due to physical damage. That is a pretty serious case! In any case, Bruce has INSANE range - often something I attribute to upstream players.
Anyway, just a quick update - I hope you are well in what is probably unquestionably warmer weather than we have... and I have nothing to complain about... yet! How are those new springs? I emailed Kanstul to see if I can get my 1525 valves moving better

Mic's reply:

Hey Mike,

Like I said, I find my self using the 3C as much as possible. There's something unique about the cup shape that makes it more efficient than say a Bach 1C or 1C shape without losing the depth of sound players like. Before this 3C, if I were on a Broadway show, I would use either the the 3B or 3DE. Now, there is no choice to make...it'll all goes to the 3C. The 3Z I just sold was a great lead piece but I did have to deal with compromises in my sound on or below the staff. After shipping off the 3Z this past week, I worked a couple of studio things where I used the 3C so I basically spent the entire week on that piece. I had a couple heavy-hitter lead gigs this weekend and used the 3DE. I found that there was no loss of power, range or endurance using it as opposed to the 3Z. Sure, it might take a little more air but not much more. I like the depth of sound the DE provides...something that was lacking with the Z.

I know you probably hear all kinds of theories about lead players having to play on extremely small and shallow equipment. They say its a sign of being efficient as a player if one can handle playing all night on a 6A4a. The problem is that your chops have to have room to vibrate and this has nothing to do with the size of one's lips, contrary to popular belief. I've worked beside too many players with huge lips who sound quite good on very shallow cups for this idea to make sense. While I can play on cups as shallow as the 3Z, it did start to feel a little cramped towards the end of the night. With the 3DE, I don't have this feeling. It plays as free as the the 3B I use for classical work.

As far as your upstream experiments go...be careful. It doesn't hurt anything to experiment a little but make sure you aren't killing your "bread & butter" downstream embouchure. I actually took a couple lessons from Doc Reinhardt way back in the day. He "diagnosed" me as a type 3B downstream. He said that a lot of 3B's make a gradual progression towards upstream players due to them performing a lot in the commercial world. As you know, the bottom lip is all but indestructable so moving the placement down to, say 1/3 top, 2/3 bottom can help a player deal with pressure better. I've never messed with it much as what I have works pretty well and it would probably screw up my classical sound. The one thing I do know (for me) is that keeping almost all the weight on the bottom lip is a great way to increase your endurance because it babies the top lip. I used to have an exercise I made up that promoted keeping the bottom lip as the "anchor". I would play some note in the staff and while holding it, I would move my jaw out and slightly rotate the horn down to the point where it ALMOST breaks contact with the upper lip. So, at this point, 100% of the weight is on the bottom lip. Once I got the feel for this, I would start doing everything with this set up. The depth of sound isn't quite as meaty but its more of a feel thing. While I normally play with more weight on the bottom now I will use this little trick on long blows where I don't want to tire the top lip out. I would try this before taking the plunge into upstream but only you can decide if its hurting anything.

I benefited from that info quite a bit. I think my reply email sums this up best - again - this is online for the benefit of others, not me - I have benefited already. Take the care to note why I benefited - I was returning to a previous mouthpiece placement, previously avoided due to damaged tissue in my lip. Soon I will experiment with a 1/3 top, 2/3 bottom lip placement soon, with all pressure on my lower lip. I have not yet tried this - I want to understand the implications of this. I am currently working to consciously lower pressure, extend the lower jaw and solidify a happy placement of mouthpiece - too high was clearly a temporary answer for a temporary problem which in hindsight could have been cured by using a sensible mouthpiece, less pressure and a LOT of long tones. More at the end.

Your comment on mouthpiece placement was very interesting... and rewarding. And above all - even when I reckon my mouthpiece can't get any lower, it still hasn't hit 50-50... (this is when I am lowering it in experiments).

Ok - so I don't change mouthpiece placement just randomly because of emails or because I think I suck and it is bound to be gear related... but I did change it because I remember consciously moving it up once because 1) I had hurt my lip playing too much on a really sharp-rimmed tiny mouthpiece about 2 or 3 years back - moving it up seemed to help (I also went to a larger piece, from basically a Schilke 13a4 size to a B4S - a 3C). and 2) because although the range suffered, my sound on the B4S plus moving the piece higher, was much mellower and pretty. That I now know was substitute for a "useful" tone. Mellow is at times synonymous with dead to the younger player (I was he) I didn't realise how useless such a dead sound was! Anyway - the past week or 2 I have been doing a lot of my blowing on the 3C. or the 3M. - they are soo similar - the 3C. is a better all rounder, the 3M. is less work in big band, yet I want brighter in that case... anyway - after looking at some older photos of me playing - say 4 year old ones - I had a lower mouthpiece placement. So I reckoned it was worth a shot. I don't use that much arm-pressure when playing, so I figure I can't damage myself just experimenting. Well I tried it - it felt foreign, but nice. My sound became more vibrant or clearer, pitching went a bit weird, but when I slotted a note it seemed solid! Chipping and splitting a few easy notes, but everything else was better! I think my horn angle is a little lower now, my range is about the same, my attacks 100% clearer, my sound much fuller (if a little brighter or richer), and my endurance is better surprisingly! I can't muscle high notes as easily when tired - but I don't see this as a downside - I shouldn't be doing that anyway! As for sound - I still like the dark sounds, but the core sound I have on the 3M or C or TF or Z when I can play it is the same, but the overtones and quality differs. The TF is a dream to play, soo easy, I guess I like the looser slots and mellow tone, but it is draining and lacking sometimes. The 3C. is cracker for most everything else - did a little lead on it - sounded good!

Again - thank you for your help - I am glad you mentioned moving the piece down - I had forgotten that I had consciously moved the piece up in the past and by the results I am getting now - it was detrimental! I am no Charlie Scheulter, but I am pleased to have made more of an improvement by what could be returning to my older position, or perhaps even lower than that. I am going to experiment - I will have to get a feel for where it sits optimally for me. I feel like I need some weight on my top lip to make everything work - weight wise I think I play about 1/2 1/2, but trying my best to favour the lower lip - admittedly if I am wrecked there is sometimes a tendency to lay it on the top lip which is bad, but I do try to avoid that!

And there you have what, for me, proved to be invaluable correspondence. Again, I urge you to check Mic's playing - support a fabulous musician!

www.myspace.com/micsmith
"Trumpets Alone" Mic Smith
Available at CDBaby:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/micsmith

I want to stress how player-specific this is. For a full month I have been playing with a lower placement, and it is working for me and probably because I used to play somewhat like this. I am going to try 1/3, 2/3 placement, and work on getting the weight on my lower lip, but I reckon that what I have is what I am going to work with. As Mic and other great teachers say - experiment, but realise when you are doing yourself harm - tread cautiously! Re: downstream/upstream, well I am classed as a IIIB embouchure (downstream), and I make the switch (to upstream) - when I take the head-staggers or sometimes I am just plain done. I know for a fact that working on this and not my normal IIIB setup is detrimental if done in excess. There is also the tendency to play the uppermost notes on a lead pad with the upstream embouchure - this never trains the normal set to do this work and ultimately you (I, me) am taking a step backwards - if that clarifies anything for a reader, I am happy - I learned this the tough way.

Finally, for anyone who gets the WTF face when they read "Curry 3C. mouthpiece" etc etc... I will make a brief synopsis so that you can stay with me.

Deeper mouthpieces emphasise lower harmonics and sound darker/mellower, less harsh. Shallower mouthpieces do the opposite, and there are varying degrees in between. The mid point most often being the "C" mouthpiece. I my case a "Curry 3C.". The reason is that different music demands different sounds, furthermore the shallower mouthpieces facilitate playing louder for longer in the higher tessiatura. This page explains the Curry mouthpieces that I currently use.

If you got this far - pat on the back. If you got this far and don't play a brass instrument - I will buy you a pint!

Cookin chilli at 2am

2009-11-28T01:50:00.001Z

Nom nom!

Getting there!

2009-11-19T01:45:00.001Z

This is a sneak preview of the bass project. . . Stay tuned . . . What a bad pun!

Will Vinson

2009-11-04T21:39:00.001Z

Wow

In the back garden with Lily

2009-11-04T14:06:00.001Z

This is my cat, and she is pretending to like me today! Probably wants more food! Cute wee thing, bit of a belly though :)

Good morning!

2009-10-31T11:03:00.001Z

This is all I need! Good morning Espresso. :)

Sound concept ideas with Mic Smith

2009-10-23T21:09:00.007+01:00

I have had the privilege to be in fairly regular contact, via email, with trumpeter Mic Smith. Mic is a top US studio musician, and a snippet from his biog, for your information:

Mic Smith received his formal orchestral training while attending the Peabody Conservatory and the Julliard School. His teachers include Wayne Cameron, Ray Moore and William Vacchiano. His professional experience includes performances with the Baltimore Symphony and both the Broadway and road companies of “Cats”, “Phantom of the Opera” and many other touring shows. He has worked as lead trumpet backing up many performers such as: Frank Sinatra, Celene Dion, Pia Zadora as well as many others. In the studio, he has recorded many radio and TV jingles as well as film scores and CDs. Currently freelancing in the Tampa/Orlando areas, he enjoys a wide variety of work from recording studios, solo engagements, and various chamber ensembles to corporate and Latin bands. Mic maintains the position of principal trumpet and orchestra contractor for the Spanish Lyric Theater.

To add, he has been on the road with Brian Bromberg and played lead for Arturo Sandoval recently... he can REALLY play, and I have asked him many questions on many aspects of playing which he has graciously answered! I will include one here, it is interesting reading.

My much abridged question:

How do you think you should find your own sound, and how does this fit in being an adaptable musician?

Mic's answer:

Your question about the sound ideal is a good one. Sure, with every context you play in you'll have to change your sound to a degree. Using the right mouthpiece is what I prefer as it limits the amount of adjustments I have to make. I could use the Curry 3BC (deep and dark) to cover a lead book but I would have to work very hard to brighten my sound and this can get tiring. With the 3Z (shallow and bright), the sound is already brighter so my effort is saved for the demands of the book. In the studios, I have to cover all the parts on a session, meaning I will be playing trumpet 1, 2 and 3 etc. Usually, they like to double the parts as well so that means 6 tracks for one tune. I like to use a different mouthpiece for the doubling because it fattens up the recording...sounds like different players were involved. Since you're really asking about your personal jazz sound, you already have that. Of course, you've listened to Freddy, Clifford, Miles, Brecker, Botti, Dizzy, Wynton, etc., and have their sound in your head too but if you record your solos, you'll find that you do have your own sound. Each time you practice or play a gig, you're taking the sounds you've heard from these guys and mix it in with your own so a "sound evolution" of sorts is always taking place. In a jazz context, there is a lot of room for sound variety...everything from dark and diffused to bright and centered. In the classical style, there is a much smaller target for sound. Here, you need to play with a darker, fuller centered sound that more closely matches what an orchestral trumpet player would sound like, even in a solo setting. Its logical because everything in a classical setting is more strict. I have to change my sound all the time in the studios because I might be on a film session (orchestral) from 10~12 and then a commercial lead session (accuracy + high notes) later in the day.

The bottom line is that if I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about your sound. Let it develop and evolve. You sound like you know what you're doing so this shouldn't be a problem for you. Each player out there has their own sound, even in an orchestral setting. Listen to a bunch of recordings of the opening of Mahler 5 and you'll hear many different sounds. If you're worried about your sound getting lost in the mix of all of this, make sure you dedicate time in your practing to gaining control over your sound. Take one of the Charlier etudes and play it several different ways. Try it with a big, dark orchestral/soloist sound, then repeat it with a more relaxed maybe jazz-like sound. You can develop a lot of control over what is coming out of the bell this way. Of course, as you know, when we're playing with other trumpet players in a section, we need to keep a lot of the personal inflections out, such as vibrato and we need to blend. The principal/lead player will have more flexibility with this but not overly so...he still needs to sound like part of a section. So, you'll find yourself using a generic (wallpaper) sound for this only because the section as a whole is more important (in this case) than the individual player. When you are the soloist, you can make your sound what YOU want it to be as long as you're staying within the genre.

Great answer I thought, and it has helped me a lot - thanks Mic!

Check Mic's playing out:

http://www.myspace.com/micsmith

http://mic.bandcage.com/
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/micsmith

Ok, I have some more of his emails concerning playing which are very informative, I will add these at a later date!

Take care and God bless,

Mike

The beginning

2009-10-21T23:49:00.001+01:00

This is the start of a fretless bass guitar. More later! Wood is glueing.

Sea shell on a...

2009-10-16T17:56:00.001+01:00

A find.

Down by the beach

2009-10-16T17:27:00.001+01:00

Out the front of my house, what a lovely evening!

Tonights Italian meatballs

2009-10-14T17:58:00.001+01:00

The before shot. Rosemary on the way - thieving that from mum's garden! I am hungry!

Dod's

2009-10-11T02:51:00.001+01:00

More of a post for the owners of the house! Great night with great friends! Going to slumber land with Family Guy! More practise tomorrow, and maybe cooking. Sort of fancy more chicken soup. . .

Je l'aime

2009-10-09T20:13:00.001+01:00

Cooking with Chris

2009-10-06T14:54:00.001+01:00

Jambalaya with Chris. New recipe, super! Look forward to eating this bad boy! Next. . . . Jazz.

Studies, wine, office

2009-10-05T23:57:00.001+01:00

Monday night. . . Charles Colin advanced studies, cheap wine, the office. Nice.

My special diet!

2009-10-05T13:49:00.001+01:00

This is how i keep my body is such sweet olympic swimmer state :) fried eggs and moka made espresso. Serve with soda bread and garnish with bacon! I don't often get breakfast but dan left this morning having fried some bacon which really put me in the mood for a mini health break! Not even remotely related to music, sorry! Though I am currently writing music. I like mobile blogging!

Merville House Début

2009-10-04T14:23:00.003+01:00

I did my official first gig on the 30th of September, and I will briefly summarise - I have practise to do, a computer to re-format and install Windows 7 onto, music to write and stuff to tidy. All on top of my hefty 7 hours a day of procrastination! How will I do it? Easy... go to bed at 7am again.

I was playing with my go-to musicians, Scott, Dan and Matt. These guys are awesome, and make my life easier by keeping me right when needs be and just playing the hell out of their instruments! The first 2 tracks were a bit nerve racking, but I soon relaxed into the gig and besides the odd clam, I think overall it was a great wee concert. It was very well attended which always makes you feel like playing better and doing your best to play music. I shan't say much more. I was very pleased with my tune "Dawn" which I wrote for the concert, it was played very nicely buy the guys and by my own estimation, is probably the start of me writing more modern music.

Well the first review is through:

http://projectormonkey.com/2009/10/the-michael-barkley-jazz-quartet/

Band Members:

Michael Barkley: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Scott Flanigan: Keyboard
Dan MgGeown: Double Bass
Matt Weir: Drums

On a typical evening where local acts provide the entertainment, usually it entails watching a haze of check shirts and floppy fringes bouncing up and down like the stage is their mother’s mattress, and the music sometimes falls on deaf ears, or causes deafened ears. However, this is a particularly different concert to which I normally attend. In Newtownabbey, The Michael Barkley Jazz Quartet are about to embark on their first gig.

Recently appearing on late night BBC radio show with Linley Hamilton, local music virtuoso Michael Barkley has been performing in the background of many high profile musical events around the country for many years, and this evening, the spotlight is finally all on him, armed with his extraordinarily talented backing band.

Playing to a rather small audience in an even smaller room, the quartet ran the jazz gamut, playing impressive renditions of Miles Davis, a thoroughly enjoyable Bossanova number, and a gorgeous original piece, entitled “Dawn,” which Mike informed the audience that it was only penned 48 hours previously. That is something quite spectacular, especially considering that the piece sounds like a 40-year old jazz aficionado painstakingly wrote it over a period of months; never mind a young man of 22 years of age writing it within an evening. No doubt about it; this is perhaps one of the most talented young men performing in Northern Ireland today.

Though jazz is certainly not the cup of tea of most modern music fans, The Michael Barkley Jazz Quartet deserve more praise than most local acts out their, on the merit of their acute musical sensibility, their enormous respective talents, and their humility. So pour yourself a glass of brandy, get comfortable in your burgundy robe, open your Nuts magazine (if you like that sort of thing…), and have The Michael Barkley Jazz Quartet provide the soundtrack to a sophisticated and enjoyable evening.

These guys are available for bookings and private functions. Check them out on http://www.myspace.com/michaelbarkleyjazz

In other news I have started keeping a practise diary, just noting how much I play each day to keep me focussed and to help me level it out to an even 4 to 6 hours if at all possible. I will maybe spreadsheet this and share in December. Friday was a LAZY day for me! 1 hour. For shame!

Time to organise the photos from the gig and get some long tones going!

Mike

Trumpet in low g

2009-10-02T17:11:00.001+01:00

I was messing around with my trumpet and was able to get a well tuned low g by swapping the pipes and connecting them as pictured. This is probably bad for the instrument! Still it was cool to hear such a sonorous low g! Time to email will spencer!

Some roses, test 2.

2009-10-02T00:03:00.001+01:00

A 'grand lincoln' and a 'peace' rose. These are all from my front garden and they smell fantastic!

Test from k800i

2009-10-01T23:16:00.002+01:00

Some beers!

Opening gig, radio

2009-09-30T00:35:00.005+01:00

I have been a bit lazy on the blog front and this entry will be no different, I must go to sleep. I was on the radio recently, you can check it this week here: (30:29 in) http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mzt8w/After_Midnight_with_Linley_Hamilton_27_09_2009/

I will rip that to mp3 and put it online soon, so don't despair (as if you were).

My first official quartet gig in my name is tomorrow night!

I will be doing standards and a tune called "Dawn" that I wrote 2 days back. Should be a good evening!

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/michaelbarkleyjazz

Radio: (30:29 in): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mzt8w/After_Midnight_with_Linley_Hamilton_27_09_2009/

Mike

Demo tracks!

2009-09-09T14:59:00.005+01:00

After some serious practise and a lot of planning to make this happen, I have my first 4 demo tracks done, so before I start writing rubbish about bio-mechanical death monkey-sharks I will post the appropriate links!

Myspace (feel free to add me as a friend!)

http://www.myspace.com/michaelbarkley

And tracks on Box, which will probably be a better quality and can be downloaded (all 320kbp/s MP3s)

Softly, As In a Morning's Sunrise:

http://www.box.net/shared/8zlj064xb1

I Remember You:

http://www.box.net/shared/h3rxlzeyq7

Footprints:

http://www.box.net/shared/u2i2oh9bpg

Killer Joe:

http://www.box.net/shared/8aj9s9n4uh

The musicians on the tracks, again, were:

Michael Barkley - Trumpet and Flugelhorn

Scott Flanigan - Piano

Dan MgGeown - Double Bass

James Anderson - Kit

And the sound engineer was John King.

I want to thank these guys again for the fantastic playing, and for coming to record with me! John I want to thank for doing such a great job on the recording and mastering! Thanks!!

Recording is totally new to me, and so some of this is a little green sounding on my behalf. It has highlighted areas in my playing that need attention and it has been a great learning experience! I can't wait to stop being sick, get back to practising, and start planning the next one! Next time I will really hope for more time for the recording, and perhaps write some original tunes for it.

I don't have too much to say in this entry, so do have a listen to the tracks, and drop me an email if you want:

michael . barkley 07 (at no spam) gmail dot com

Cheers and God bless!

Mike

Sushi, Ambient Music and Trumpet

2009-09-01T11:21:00.006+01:00

Another day, another dollar... or in my case no dollars... come on job!

Trumpet

----------

Since the recording my practise has become a bit slack and I am annoyed at that, I do have excuses, but they don't exactly get your practise back. Must focus, and get my books back from my wee bro and buy him a set! Can you believe an 11 year old Tuba player (EEb) does about 2 hours (sometimes 4) a night on Arbans, Collins, Caruso and all the other goodies I should be working on!? It is no surprise that his ability is sky-rocketing! I should probably rename this section 'Tuba', I have spoken more about Andy than myself! His range is impressive as well, from C# above double pedal C to top C at the starts of most days... puts me to shame! Anyhow, Trumpet can lead to some interesting gigs, see below...

Ambient Music

------------------

My friends Ricky Graham and John King asked me to come and take some pictures and sit in on their session at the Black Box last night, so I was game! Trumpet, harmon, Nikon, clothes (optional!). The music they play is interesting - looped lines, quite ambient, improvised and a heck of a lot of computer wizardry from the both of them! Ricky plays a guitar that I made him a few years back, recently I fitted some cool gizmos to it which facilitates the type of music which he now plays. A multi-phonic piezo system on each of the 7 strings and a sustainer pickup which allows for infinite (ok not infinite, it is battery powered) sustain with the choice of the pitch or the 2nd octave harmonic if I remember correctly. John takes these signals and works some jiggery pokery with it, so the 7 signals all break out into 7 outputs and then add a mono (normal magnetic pickup output) to this and you have a really neat instrument. You can pan all of the strings to anywhere, and as Ricky says, it is like a small orchestra!

Anyway, I was playing on the 2nd section on this, and we jammed it out in the day time. This was really new to me, I was uncomfortable at first because of my background in playing - mainly studying Jazz or trying to read Classical music. I used the harmon just to have a bit of a cut in the mix and not to dominate at the same time. It was a great experience, playing just really long chord tones, or working with small amount of pentatonics or in cases the leading tone. It gave the ears a bit of work, though we were in concert E (F# major for me) and the overall harmony was basically Emajor9, the usual Jazz clichés or lines would not fit! Anyway, I think it went fine, the guys played well, and I am going to Derry to play with them again tonight, see if I can't learn a bit more now! I will try to get those multiphonics working a bit better this time!

Sushi

-------

On the way home I grabbed some Sushi from late night Tescos. It was amazing! I do love Sushi! On the less classy side of life I bought 17 packs of 9 pence noodles, mainly Chicken flavour. Nice!

Time to go, the coffee is brewed and there is only 3 minutes of the morning left, calls to make, coffee to drink, practise to do!

Mike

I just remembered - I decided to practice my trumpet at the train station on the way home, very few people about, but those who were there thought I was mental. Also practising for an hour in the dark before the gig got a few looks :) I like playing in the dark, it is nice to cut out all the distractions and just relax.

Next, please!

2009-08-28T14:44:00.004+01:00

Well I am still alive!

I had little studio time, but I did bootleg my own session to get a listen to what I did before the real tracks appear post mixing - and as a real backup, I am anal like this! I have only listened to the first few takes of Softly, As In a Morning's Sunrise, and the final take is decent, at least by my playing standards. My playing was more adventurous in the 2nd take, but I think more focused in the last.

Because of the way everything panned out (no pun), my sound engineer took a portable kit and we recorded in a local carpeted church hall - it has a nice reverb and had the space at the time we needed. I will admit to being rather stressed for about 2 weeks concerning everything that transpired today!

Being my first recording experience I was a bit nervous, and although some of what I have heard so far has been fine, for me, some hasn't worked as well as it did in practise. I find it hard to totally open up and really forget myself, when I do I play best. Anyway, for me, I am still reserved about my judgement, I am very much still a developing amateur, but I think for my first attempt it is ok (by my standards... compared to... well lets not go there!!!)

I was amazed at how insanely fast it all went by... this day although seemingly incredibly slow at first, shot by from about 2.20pm till bed, 12 hours later! Anyway, its done, an honest days work and what is will be (if that makes sense!!)

After recording I cooked a killer steak dinner and enjoyed a nice glass of South African Cabernet Sauvignon. Bit of a wind down! (I enjoy cooking you see). Peppered steaks, baked vine tomatos with brown sugar and pepper glaze (thanks to Dan MgEown's recipe!), Irish potatos, corns on the cob, caremalised red onion and too much garlic butter!

Mike

Clean valves, play MUSIC, phrase, develop!

2009-08-25T21:44:00.003+01:00

I am recording tomorrow, and things have been hectic, but I think it is all in order and calming down. On the session we have:

Scott Flannigan (www.zcott.com) - Piano

Dan MgEown - Double Bass

James Anderson - Kit

Taking care of the audio is John King who is really keen to get this recording under way.

Ok, so the tracks, finally, are:

Footprints

Softly, As In a Morning's Sunrise

I Remember You

Killer Joe

Anyway, the title refers to my check list which has these reminders on the bottom; Clean valves! Play MUSIC! Phrase! Develop! These are things which are tantamount to success!

Clean valves:

My flugelhorn's 1st valve is somewhat unpredictable, even after 2 trips to the repair shop. It seems to be behaving itself right now. My trumpet is quite new and needs its valves cleaned regularly, hence that part of the title.

Play MUSIC:

Reminding myself not to forget what I am playing or trying to create; music, not a dirge of thoughtless notes. Lets hope this one pulls through! I have been practising and recording these tunes a'cappella if you will to try and improve my weaknesses, and while it is very humbling to hear your mistakes so clearly, it is a very useful tool! I realise an interesting thing; I was annoyed by an excess of air in my sound on a bunch of recordings and the answer was two-fold. 1) Microphone placement - right in front of the bell up close isn't ideal, I found placing the microphone at an angle beside the horn and in front gave the best results so far. 2) The more tired I got, the more air sound was present, and I was usually recording myself after 2 hours of hard work. That seems almost too common sense now that I write it!

Phrase:

Phrasing in the solo is one of the biggest things that I have been told to remember, and one of the best things that I appreciate in a solo; obviously a great solo will have it all going on, but this is elemental!

Develop:

Another thing of importance is development in solos. Again part of playing music, and phrasing! I'll leave that one there!

Not too much more to say. I only have 3 hours in the hall which is tight, but I reckon that will give us 2 hours of actual recording time which should be enough to get about 3 takes of each tune done if needs be, and maybe a little more; it depends on how long the solos end up being etc... I am just trying to be realistic. It will also look a little like a Nikon show room on account of 3 of us being keen photographers! Hopefully I will have a few shots of the process to include online at some stage!

Wish me luck!

Mike

Sleeping, testing, stressing.

2009-08-17T23:51:00.004+01:00

Right, the title is a lie. I haven't really been sleeping, merely trying to! The testing and stressing go hand-in-hand, as does Music, Trumpet, practise and coffee. Coffee is usually in my hand, so it has a head-start!

I have made a microphone reflection filter, a little like this. (Cool, I still remember some html!) My deflector is not quite as glamorous, nor has it cost me a penny, so I think for now it will do. Pics to follow.

I made this because I might be recording in a reverby room - there is a shortage of studio space, and there is a Steinway grand in the room that might be the venue for recording - anyway, I am just being prepared, I have heard recordings destroyed by room reverb! Anyway, I am testing this with my CAD Trion 6000 Ribbon mic. This is perhaps what we will record the Trumpet with, though the final test will be with the engineer's mics and our ears! Ribbons have a way of very naturally rounding off the higher frequencies and creating a nice warm body of sound; perfect for horns. Anyway, regarding stressing, this is it. Getting the venue sorted! Deep breaths...

I have done over 30 different recording tests where I change placement, using the baffle and not, and it does help to vastly reduce the 'crap room' sound of my dining room. I chose the worst room in the house deliberately; it really let me hear the affect the baffle had. My results; close micing seems to give me the best results on both trumpet and flugel-horn - it cuts down the bad room sound, and due to the proximity effect that the ribbons inherently have, it warms the sound a little when closer, this is pleasing to me!

Recording, especially solo, is brutal. I have always tried to record some practise sessions, rehearsals etc... but I will be doing it much more because it is really exposing my faults. There are things that I play, and strangely have worked despite thinking 'oh, that won't come across well' and sadly there are times when I have thought 'that was pretty safe' and it came across like a turd; it is now time to find a balance between working and turd... I am getting all philosophical again!

I have my work cut out for the next couple of weeks, and I need to learn how to sleep all over again. I think something involving a sharp blow to the head will fix me. In any case, tomorrow should hopefully pan out to include:

Finish the baffle (some glueing to do, a mount to make).

Practise (scales, lines, chords, time).

Fill out forms, job applications.

Arrangements.

Record to backing tracks the tunes I am going to do in a couple of weeks, record several versions of each. Critique.

Brass band rehearsal (now, where is my Cornet... haha!).

I want to test recordings of the Curry 3TF mouthpiece VS. the 3BC I usually play. The TF is a very deep "V" shaped Trumpet mouthpiece (TF: Trumpet-Flugel - the Flugel cup is deep) whereas the BC is classed as hybrid-deep, more of a "U" profile. The implications are simple; the deeper and less "C" shaped the cup is, the fewer high harmonics are present in the sound which sounds "darker" or "mellower", the problem is that it can sound dull and lifeless. To get an idea of dark VS bright sound, it is easy; the opening top C in the Trumpet section in the Star Wars score, and indeed most of the brass is a bright sound. Also The Incredibles has a bright brass section, along with most movies come to think of it. A dark sound is equally easy to think of; Chet Baker and Miles Davis had famously mellow tones, Wynton Marsalis will also have often what I would class a dark sound, I say often because he varies it on some recordings and is brighter. Use your ears! Finally, the Curry Mouthpieces make life really easy, this may not mean much to a non-Trumpet player, but the rim is exactly the same between depths of mouthpiece cup from extremely shallow to extremely deep. This means that as the player, you can switch very easily and not have to adapt so much to a new rim and feel. It was about time someone did this for brass players, some have tried and come up short, Mark Curry hit the nail on the head! Really worth a look here!

I currently use a 3M for Big Band Jazz or general playing, a 3BC for the solo Jazz and for a bigger Classical sound and a 3TF for combo work and working the chops out! I have a 3B in the post (its cool when you can trade stuff) and plan to try the 3STAR or Z for really bright sounds and the 3TC because it is the one most people seem to rave about! On Flugel I play a 600 series Curry 70FLD. This is like the 3 size, but a cushioned rim, and an exceptionally (0.875") deep cup. I actually prefer the regular 3 rim, so the 70FLD will be swapped for a 3FLD or FL, though there is no great rush.

My personal sound concept is that of a darker tone, though this is only for Jazz, and combo work, working in a Big Band or Orchestra requires you to blend. That is another topic. My tests tomorrow will help me identify how the sound comes across in the recording, something which is paramount for me. I can cope with splits and the odd naff note, but if the tone isn't worth listening to, I will be unhappy! Currently the 3BC mouthpiece is helping me produce a fairly dark sound which isn't dead or lifeless, the fact that my sound is 'ok' on the tests is good because as a player you don't get a true representation of your sound because you are behind the bell of the instrument and so I worried that what I was practising and working on would end up sounding horrifyingly different when recorded. It didn't sound too different, attacks were a little breathier than I can hear from behind the bell which isn't necessarily a bad thing in Jazz, but for Classical I will need to tighten this up. More on this later, I have some wise words from other fantastic players which are well worth reproducing on-line.

Time to try and get a night's sleep!

Space, time, and arrangement.

2009-08-13T16:49:00.005+01:00

Yes, another post. I am being artifically powered by Starbucks coffee, and taking advantage of the free refill on drip tap. Nice. So I am not really awake; most people know that is my style!

Space

------

Right now I am trying to get some studio space and time with an engineer. Organising this is proving harder than waking in the mornings! That's a lie, but with time constraints and being sort-of quite busy all the time it is just being a little slow. Maybe I will get through soon! I always have a few back-up plans, but they are the backups for a reason! Anyway... best of luck me.

Time

------

Sorting out time within arrangements is pretty crucial to the arrangement sounding musical. It is the same with a solo, this is something I am learning more and more and something which I think should be a huge focus for musicians. The importance of space and time within music. Hopefully I will have a lot of practise time to sort out my own head for the recordings, playing in the show is dominating, so I am feeling lazy for taking it easy during the days!

Arrangement

--------------

I am becoming increasinly interested in more thoroughly composed Jazz music. The typical lead-sheet form to tunes (AABA or whatever) is fine, but there is soo much space for more. There are a bunch of great modern players who have obviously become aware of this and are producing some fantastic music; Tom Harrell, Terrell Stafford, Kurt Rosenwinkel etc etc... so this is something I will be studying over time.

Regarding harmony, I am becoming more and more fond of clusters and secundal chords. Obviously these, as with dissonance and consconance, must be used in appropriate harmonic context. In any case, I really enjoy the resonance from clusters and seconds.

That is all for now. I should start working again!

Shows... what can happen.

2009-08-09T01:47:00.003+01:00

As much as part of me wants to be objectionable and make the title of the post redundant and meaningless, I must not. More on how I feel the urge to be contrary and myself later.

I have really enjoyed playing the Wizard of Oz so far, it has been a very much reduced orchestra (8 piece), but the cast are fantastic! They are mainly young, and really putting everything into the shows and it makes it such a joy to play for; there is rarely this much connection in more professional shows! I am going to really enjoy my remaining 7 shows! There are elements of the show that still make me laugh even though we have rehearsed it and played it seemingly endlessly now! The dog, Toto (Rosie) is for lack of a better, more masculine word, very cute! I have little more to say, other than... the Wizard of Oz crashed. On Friday night. I don't think that was expected, nor did it ever happen before! There was some funny ad-libbing, and everyone found it very funny, crisis averted!! Pretty funny I thought!

Anyway, shows. What can happen?

You can expect to show up to do an Elvis tribute set, just like last years gig (which was awesome) and just be amazed... At how much better it was this year! I am not the biggest Elvis fan - this is a gig, so I am happy to play it for experience, money and fun, but it really was enjoyable! Score! Our charts weren't too bad (accuracy wise). The sight-reading was sweet, and I was generally fairly pleased with my sound and range (even though I was using ear-plugs, and I don't have a great range, but the sound was right). Most of the tunes ended with a top B or D, which was nailed, and I was happy about that - last year I was more nervous and lacked the experience to stick with my notes. This year was much better, more relaxed, better sound and what always helps - better gear. Gear which is going to stick by me!

Basically - you can turn up to a gig which you expect to probably be dodgy, and it turn out to be a real winner! I am really pleased that this was a winner - I need to take away all the positive feeling as much as possible. It is very hard to grow as a player if you leave depressed by some aspect of the performance. Tomorrow; The Wizard, and hopefully all of his top D/Cs in tune :)

Finally, I have an intro/arrangement for Footprints done, I must run this by the band and see if they like it. I might use this on the demo, providing it all suits the tune and performers, as with everything, it doesn't have to be used!

Mike

Dorothy, Footprints and Skirting

2009-08-04T17:19:00.006+01:00

Good title. Poor content. Story of my life! Actually I decided that a story of my life would be called "Operational but at risk!". That sums up my Trumpet playing, it really does!

Dorothy

-----------

My music arrived this morning (The Wizard of Oz) at about 10am or so, and after going to bed at 6.30am I thought it was wise to get up and learn the show. The first thing that hit me was "there is an awful lot of music here", and there is, about 60 tunes or so. The parts are really nice, from the Royal Shakespeare Company, but it has a bit of a demand on endurance. It should be o.k. I hope! My schedule is quite busy for this now;

Wed - Rehearsal, Sound check - 5.30 - 9pm

Thurs - Rehearsal - 12pm, Show 7.30pm

Friday - Show - 3.30pm, Show - 7.30pm (I think)

Sat - Show - 7.30pm, Elvis Show, Empire @ 9pm (TBC) - can maybe do both, in any case, I have permission to miss this production if needs be.

Sunday - Show - 5.30pm

Monday to Saturday - Shows at 7.30pm, perhaps with a matinée performance on the Friday as well.

Saturday 15th also has me out with my brass band (3rd Carrickfergus Silver) - I hope that my times don't clash, and secondly that my lips hold out!

Footprints

-----------

I have chosen the set for the demo recording:

Stella By Starlight

Footprints

I Remember You

Killer Joe

I spent last night, from 10pm to 5am agonising over the tracks, specifically the ballad; each ballad I chose, I liked initially then I decided that it was a bit cliché and started to dislike it. I liked 'Infant Eyes' - lovely harmony, but the form is odd - three 9 bar phrases, that is fine, and the melody is a little boring. I also liked 'Naima', lovely harmony, quite dissonant, but it seemed a bit too much for the demo, probably wouldn't have sat nicely. I am going to play 'I Remember You' as a ballad, probably on the Flugelhorn, and hopefully sans fromage!

There is a nice arrangement of Stella on an Aebersold volume "Tunes You Thought You Knew" - it has been re-arranged and re-harmonised. I wouldn't mind doing this, it is cool, and is a bit different. It is such a classic tune though, I would hate to ruin it.

Skirting

-----------

Touch-up gloss painting on the skirting boards in the front room is all that remains in there - I got the emulsion painting done yesterday, floor cleaned, tables asembled, life pondered etc... My highlight was lifting the washer/dryer in from the rain (under a tarpaulin), up a step and fitting it. It was very heavy. I did not enjoy that.

That is all for now, paint to do, lips to mourn... practising till 6am will leave you with a fairly un-fresh start as I just found. I have band to do in 2 hours, and I have put in a serious bit of practise today... here goes nothing. Maybe I will play more quietly tonight, maybe take it easy!

Mike

Wizard and House

2009-08-03T15:20:00.003+01:00

Is the title exciting? No? Okay...

A project which has been underway since February has been the restoration of a fairly dishevelled house, and it is really near completion! Very cool for me because I will be residing dans this house. Two tables were purchased at very little expense from IKEA yesterday (sale) and I constructed these this morning. One of their diagrams was wrong, so that slowed progress on number 1. Time was made up by using a drill instead of a screwdriver which is exactly what they said not to do... I know what I am doing... cheating! And it felt good :)

Aim: front room completed today. Likeliness: 4/10, maybe 6/10 if I lay off the Trumpet (and interwebstubes)!

I will be playing in a production of "The Wizard of Oz" running from the 6th to the 15th. This is good - I need money to fund my demo recording. Things are slowly falling into place (and some falling over. That is to be expected!). I should get my parts by the 5th at the latest, this will let me know whether I need to go to anything more than the dress rehearsal... hopefully not! One of the arrangers did say that he re-organised parts and Sibelius told him that he had gone out of the range of the Trumpet and that I should modify my parts to suit... place bets now; Violin writing? Bagpipe writing?? Oh, lawds!

Some projects, some nonesense!

2009-08-02T00:53:00.004+01:00

How to start a post to an anonymous cloud of internet users? I might just fling myself at it much like a large mountain lion might fling itself at a snowy owl were said owl giving away the keys to a Ferarri 360... or something.

I planning to record a short demo at the end of this month (all being well) where I will be playing Trumpet on a couple of standards with the intentions of using this as promotional material. I have not yet chosen my tracks, though I have several ideas and will be putting in some serious practise time!

When the tracks are done I will be able to use this on Linley Hamilton's radio show, which will be really neat. Hopefully they don't scare people away from my gig on the 30th September (Merville House, Time and Price TBA.). The set for Merville is chosen, you can expect a bunch of standards and hopefully some good jazz!

Recently I have been really liking the tune "Footprints" by Wayne Shorter. I would like to arrange this at some stage.

I have no more to say really, time to go much like a large mountain lion would... oh... I did that one. Gotta think up some more funnies... Nevermind!

Mike

The start

2009-07-31T17:31:00.001+01:00

This is my first proper attempt at an online blog with which I hope to perpetrate my thoughts, activity and music. This entry shall be short and sweet; it is only to advise that I am alive, and to encourage me to post and hide this otherwise useless opening. Ciao!