Saturday, May 21, 2011

Del Amitri

I just found this band today in the car while listening to the radio. I really like them and their style, despite the fact that the song I heard was actually from 1995. Who says old music can't be good music?

Here's the link to the song I heard:
http://grooveshark.com/#/s/Right+Time+To+Roll+With+Me/fRMGe?src=5

It's favorite-worthy in my opinion but you don't necessarily have to agree. ;)

The have an interesting style that I would describe as "acoustic rock" with a slight pop/country tint. Or something like that.

Check them out.

Their latest from the lead singer in 2010

Sunday, April 3, 2011

When Vocals go WRONG.

Oh yes. If you are musician of any type you know what I am talking about. Just as I was making my latest youtube musical video my vocals exploded into an expression of floppy passion.
Full Version without explosions:






Explosion!:






This happens to all performers.. at least I think it does. Here's a few examples of what can go wrong.







This is just bad, no excuses to be made but reaaally funny.






Sickness! Huge deal in the music world, losing your voice can kill performances and weaken your voice. It's taboo on tour with a band, I know in my sisters band they take oaths by Vitamin C tablets. It's a big deal. :P







Distractions, you'd be amazed how often you are performing only to be distracted by someone and totally mess up what you are performing. Learning to beat this is just a matter of dead practice, that guy has mad skillz.

I hope you enjoy this post, as it made me laugh.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Noteflight

A couple of days ago I discovered this sick nasty site called Noteflight thanks to a couple of my music theory friends. On it you can write sheet music for multiple instruments for free and listen to them play! It's pretty awesome. My current songs I'm working on are:
Passion
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/d180c52e655187410567bb4b312a3a72d2989622
Born On Black Keys
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/4752d9a13541d33a43399d477440af5acd05468b
Don't Forget
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/ec2e4d3e1f30dd1d06e06cbbb6ddec99509428e2

http://www.noteflight.com/

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Simply Discovering.. What was it again?

Music, that's right. This Blog is about MUSIC.
M-obs
U-sing
S-killz
I-n
C-reation

Yeah, that acronym may not be perfect, but it sure is a hmm of fun. Don't look at me like that.

To start this bad boy off, let's have some fun.
Llama Llama Duck Song

Yeah, not exactly the greatest song of all time, but pretty funny the first time you see it. This is a childhood song for me, and while we're on that track...
Numa Numa
This is the first song that I listened to over... and over... and over again.
Next, I don't know if you've ever appreciated children's music, on Nick Junior and Disney etc.
I promise you I never have. Just listen to THIS song you'll know why. Dora, the Explora. Not exactly the epitome of music. However, just the other day I was watching Nick Junior with my niece, and this show started to play. I watched it for a little while with her, when they started to sing, I was like, "This isn't half bad!" Therefore, I would like to congratulate Nick Junior on creating a TV show with decent music. The Fresh Beat Band.

Now that I've done that whole buis, time to move on to a straight up journalist style review of the song Make You Pop:

Make You Pop by Diplo and Don Diablo
5 Stars for Excellence
I first heard the song Make It Pop on a Blackberry Torch Commercial, the second it came on I started bouncing up and down on the couch. A couple weeks later, the song suddenly returned to my head and I had to figure out what it was. Make It Pop is a dynamic techno song, although slow in the beginning, when it hits the chorus you can't help but to be rocking your head to the rhythm with a sick base line in the chorus and the classic techno beat in the background. The verses have overdubbed electronic voices, that make the listener feel the rhythm. The best part of this from this reviewer's perspective is the lead up to the chorus where the electronic girls voice says "Jacked it" with a heavy drum beat in the background. There is a pause until she says "Pop-pop-pop". After this, the whole world explodes with the base, and the heavy base drum in the background. If you own skull candy headphones, this is the time to pump the volume and shove them in! Make It Pop will make you want to move, whether you like techno or not. Check this song out, or you'll regret missing it.


Yup, I just wrote it like I did. By the way, if you want a shout-out in my blog, leave me a comment, and I'll give to all you adoring fans. All one of you. "No, I'm not talking about myself Mom!"

Thanks for reading today's edition of Simply Discovering Music. This is DJ Ultimate signing out with your five songs.
Daily post 5 Song Tidbit: 
Since I obviously couldn't count in my last post and gave you four, here's a bonus :)
Make You Pop by Diplo and Don Diablo
The Middle by Jimmy Eat World
Bach Street Prelude by Vanessa-Mae
Every Tongue by Sovereign Grace Music
Stop and Stare by One Republic
House of Mirrors by Tenth Avenue North

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Oh... Reality... Why can't we... Seem to fly...

So, you're back yet again. I'm suprised, I thought you would have ran far away by now. I thought the hippo would get you for sure. Anywayyy...

Yup, I'm back. (Everyone cowers in fear.) No, but if you listened to my song tidbits, you'll know that my title is the wrong lyrics for Oh!Gravity... Well, that's because today I'm gonna share one of my songs! Weee! This song is called, unsurprisingly Reality.. Mmhm. "I'm gonna give all my secrets away."

Reality
Verse 1:
C             Em       C                    Em                 
Papers on a desk, what will happen next?(CGEDE)
F    G   Am  G            .
Why do they see it grey?
C                 Em           C                 Em
People say that I'm, not looking at real time
 F   G   Am       G              .
But my glasses aren't rose red

Chorus:
C                            .
Reality has got its own way
G                      . 
Of making itself a sinister fray
F           Am        .
And yet,   I see,
G                                         .
A much more beautiful day

Verse 2:
C                           Em           C                    Em                 
Books that hold good tales, run circles round the trails
F    G        Am           G       .
People say that they just can't be true
C                 Em           C                 Em
Let's open up a book, and go and take a look
 F   G   Am         G             .
Looking at a man who made things new

Verse 3:
  C                                  Em          C                   Em.        
This man was named the Christ, he died so I could fight
             F    G        Am                        G      .
Yet scientists say that we're made for naught
      C            Em           C                 Em
But Jesus rose again, on Easter so that men
      F             G       Am         G             .
So we could finally reach to heaven's door

Bridge:
       Dm              C            G
And now it's a apparent to me
  Dm      C            G
That watcha see aint watcha see
Dm              C            G
You have to make a choice
    Dm                  C                  G
To choose between grey and the color

Wowie.. that took awhile to map out. So, when I place chords, I usually place them above the words that they are played on. Sometimes, for instance in the chorus, I place them before the words showing they are played before the words. Another thing that I do when I write out my chord sheet, (Especially when I'm writing) is I add the melody notes after the words. Looking at the first line, you can see it after it. If you were to sing the words to those notes, you would have the melody for the first line of my song. Neat huh?
Anyways, as to the actual writing of the song first you need an idea or a concept. I started with a word. Reality. This eventually became a song title, but it might not have in the end. It could have been "Seeing in Color", or something of that sort. From this idea I thought, and pondered, and expanded. Suddenly, it struck me, I would write about how because Jesus died for us, reality isn't a grey world anymore, it has meaning. I then went to add some sweet chords combo or a riff, and voila, I have me a song once I've written the lyrics. Half Inspiration, Half Perseverance. I think that anyone can write music, and I think everyone has the creative ability to do it.

Now you know my own secret formula for putting together a song. I hope you liked it, and enjoyed it, and will now watch the video of me playing and singing right here.
here  and here
Maybe here                       NOT here
Possibly here..... okay.. here
I think we've been over the fact that I like hyperlinks.
Cellphones... Are... Awesome... For... SONGING PLAYING OF MUSIC...
Sorry I lost control for a second there... What I was referring to is this-
I couldn't find it..

I feel like a failure at life. However, if I do, you'll be the first to know. Yes. You.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG8yyRV5r20(Pirates of the Caribbean)
This is a sad replacement.. But oh well.
I don't have much left to say, except God is good and he shall meet those who come to him in humility. :)
Daily post 5 Song Tidbit:
Anthem for American Teenagers by Jon Mclaughlin
Move by Flame (from new album Captured)
Warrior by Sojourn
Secrets by One Republic

Monday, December 20, 2010

Oh Dear.

My deepest apologies to you, my readers, I've been crazy busy, and when I had time off extremely lazy. Today is my first day of cyberity week of school. Anyways, got some fun stuff to share with you guys.

Just looked at Grooveshark and found out that my sister's band Reilly's album has been uploaded! Booyah. Here's the new one and the two older ones.
Around the World
Let June Decide
While I Was on Earth

Anyway, that's my sisters band, they have an interesting Christian Alternative Rock feel with duel violins. If you want find out more you can look at their website here. (/End plug)

Speaking of music, let's check up on Billboards.com! There are a bunch of new releases up and about including JB(Justin Beiber)'s new acoustic album of "My World". Yay. Check out this video if you know who JB is... Beiber Fever-Off the Pill "Beiber Blast Ha!"

Looking at the Christian charts it looks like "Light Up the Sky" by The Afters is No. 1. That makes me happy inside, seeing as I found them before they reached the top 10, which makes it even "beber", see what I did there?

I just found out Tobymac has a Christmas Single because of Billboards called "Christmas this Year", Shyea!
Check it here.

Moving to a different topic, just recently,(since this summer) I have been playing guitar.(Note here, if you play any instrument and you want to learn a new one on the side, try guitar.) It's been a neat learning experience pretty much self taught. One thing that has been challenging is changing from thinking in C to thinking in E. While trying to play guitar you have to be thinking like a guitar, you have to be guitar, you have to TASTE the guitar!
(Don't ask me what's wrong with that guy...)
Just kidding, don't lick your guitar, and it's extremely impolite in Ultimate Guitar Tab language. Speaking of Ultimate Guitar Tabs, it's a great source for both chords and tabs! Whether you want to quick grab some chords to a song or spend a longer amount of time on a specific tab, it's a great source to use for learning some music.

However, you may be confuzzled if you play a different instrument, so right here right now let me break down for you a little about how sheet music works versus tabs. In sheet music you have your treble clef and your base clef. 


Treble clef "lines" that are on the staff are in the order "E(very)-
                                                                                  G(ood)-
                                                                                  B(oy)-
                                                                                  D(oes)-
                                                                                  F(ine)"
This helpful acronym should help the memorization process along.
The spaces in between these lines go "F
                                                         A
                                                         C
                                                         E
I really shouldn't have to give you an acronym to help you remember that one.. YOUR FACE.
Altogether it looks like Dis.
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F

However, now you gotta learn about base clef "lines" which go...
G(reat)
B(ig)
D(ogs)
F(ight)
A(nimals)

Don't ask me why I chose that acronym, I guess I'm a dog fighter at heart, seeing as how much I love M. Vick. For the Bass "Spaces" use this acronym:
A(ll)
C(ows)
E(at)
G(rass)

Comes out So:
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
If you know anything about scales, you may notice it's basically walking up the keyboard. That's basic music theory right there, gratz on learning something from my blog, now leave before your head explodes.(I here debated on whether to put a picture in here, and decided eventually to do so..)


Ha, just kidding, though, there were some pretty ones with lots of red in the search. :D

What? I was supposed to explain how to read Guitar Tabs? Oh yeah.

Now that you know all the above, throw it in the trash and bury it until you need it for future use.

Here's a tab for Silent Night, though not exactly the most festive piece to play. What might confuse you a little a bit would be the fact the tab is not accurate if you held it up to your guitar. You have to think of the E at the top of the tab as the "High E" in terms of pitch not as in position. Each string is represented in terms of where it is in pitch. In this case they'll be having you pressing down the 4th string on the "2nd" fret, which is what is meant by the 2. If this isn't clear enough, here is a site with more instruction and directions on how to read tabs.

That's pretty much all I've got to say for now. Love all of you, especially all of you. :) (Matthew 5)
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 Blessed are those who mourn, 
   for they will be comforted. 
5 Blessed are the meek, 
   for they will inherit the earth. 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 
   for they will be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful, 
   for they will be shown mercy. 
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, 
   for they will see God. 
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, 
   for they will be called children of God. 
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

New daily post 5 Song Tidbit:
To See You Leave by After Edmund
Oh! Gravity by Switchfoot
Animal by Neon Trees
Beautiful Ending by Barlow Girl
Say(All I Need) by One Republic