June | 2015 | MidiMike

Archive for June, 2015

Music’s Universal Language – Mathematics!

Posted: June 8, 2015 in Music Theory
Tags: #12string, #audio, #band, #bass, #cdbaby, #creative, #creativity, #drummer, #drums, #guitar, #itunes, #keyboard, #language, #logical, #major scale, #math, #mathmatics, #memorize, #midimike, #music, #music theory, #musician, #pandora, #performance, #performer, #personal, #piano, #recording, #recordingstudio, #runningsound, #scale, #sing, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #Soundengineer, #soundman, #spotify, #vocalist, #vocals

Once we simplify the 12 notes and we are now able to find any Major scale very quickly (if you only did the exercise to find the other Major scales a few times you would see this is really easy….) and we can continue to explore the Major scales for other Keys. This is the foundation of the musical theory pyramid. It is important to understand how we get to the Safe Seven. No, you do not have to memorize every note in every scale, although ultimately that will help a lot. For now, try digging in and go over the Major scale for each of the 12 notes a few times. As you play the new Major scales, sing (or hum!) the Do Re Me song along with the notes you are playing. (tip for the day; as you hum each scale from the new starting note, you are changing keys!)

When we look back at the Safe Seven article, I showed a simple connection that I will repeat here:

C D E F G A B C

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

There is a lot of math in music and music theory. But instead of confusing things and making you change from your creative hat to your thinking hat, I find the math connection actually simplifies the confusion. It allows me to see the connection the various notes have. Personally, I HEAR and FEEL music more than I THINK it through. I have friends that can convert and spit out scales, keys and modes as easily as some of us use Pandora, Spotify or I-Tunes to change a song. I am really amazed at their skills, but that is something I am not all that good at. But you will see how easy it is to understand the art and the science by following these posts.
If we look at the Safe Seven for each Major scale, we can make an easy conversion (or universal language) for describing note or chord progressions for ANY Major key. I know, I keep on harping on the Major scales, but the others will be really easy once we have this understood and comfortable with the Mystery of the 12 and the Safe Seven, so let’s keep going. For those of you new to this blog, I have no formal training and I am self taught. I can assure you I am no genius. If I can get this, so can you. I just hope to make it a bit easier for you if you are just diving in or curious about how this fits together.

Knowing now that we call the first note the Root, and the same note higher or lower on the keyboard are called Octaves, we will begin a simple conversion; Root = 1. Each note in the Safe Seven can be represented this way by assigning it a value of 1-7. We just assigned Root = 1, so moving up is easy. In the example above, C is the Root so C = 1 and continuing the scale, D = 2, E = 3, F = 4, G = 5, A = 6, B = 7 and the octave is again the Root or 1. Each Major scale can be represented the same way. Use the Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half system to find the Safe Seven and then assign each to their corresponding number and we can stop talking about note names! As we get more into chord structure and progressions, this will also come into perspective. But let’s not get stretched too far. Play with these exercises a few times a day and we will build our solid musical foundation quickly. I will also go into the names of the notes as they change keys and this can be confusing to many until you see the method to the madness.

Appreciation and Perspective From “The Touch”

Posted: June 5, 2015 in projects, Video
Tags: # mixer, #atari, #audio, #band, #bass, #Cassette, #creative, #demo, #digital, #drummer, #drums, #effects, #guitar, #keyboard, #livesoundreinforement, #microphone, #Midi, #midimike, #mixingboard, #monitors, #music, #musicequiptment, #musician, #performance, #performer, #personal, #perspective, #piano, #recording, #recordingstudio, #retro, #runningsound, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #Soundengineer, #soundman, #studio, #studioengineer, #synthesizer, #tech, #technology, #vcr, #video, #videographer, #vocalist, #vocals, #Yamaha

I want to give you an idea of perspective on some of the articles I have posted and will continue to post going forward. This is the first video I have posted and while it is rather BORING, it is so informative at the same time. I guess I have recorded original tunes since the very late 1960’s. I recorded everything. I deleted a lot! But I recorded everything I could. I experimented and adjusted and re-did and failed a few more times than I succeeded in the early days to be sure! I also got into photography and then into video recording. I practiced the mundane over and over until I got the exposure right, then with video until I could zoom and focus manually. I joined the photography club in high school and learned to develop and enlarge my own pictures – something I thought was close to magic back in the day!

I shared earlier that I used (and still own!!!) what I think was the first personal computer to come out with built in MIDI ports – The Atari ST! I used a software program back then to record the MIDI tracks and I could generate SMPTE time code and send a signal from the Atari to sync it up with recording machines (I had the Yamaha 4 track CASSETTE recorder during most of this). When I talk about old technologies and how we used to record songs (or develop pictures…) It is hard for some to understand the challenges we had and the lo-fi quality of the final mix or product.

I want to use this video as an example of many things I refer to in this blog. In this video, you will see what I saw when looking at the Atari computer monitor when I was playing or recording tracks. Keep in mind this is all MIDI equipment available years ago. The song I posted earlier will now be stripped of all guitars, vocals, effects and additional live sounds you heard on the full mix. As you watch the video you will hear the sequences being played back live into the VCR input. I took the monitor video out and connected to video in of the video recorder so this is a straight feed for both. In the recording software, each “instrument” has a separate track. Drums are all on one track with additional percussion sounds on different tracks, and as a reminder, each note (as triggered from my DX7 keyboard) represented a different drum/percussion sound coming from a drum machine. You can hear the metronome from the Atari ticking away in the back ground as it is set to record. As each track plays you can see the musical notes light up depending on the intensity of the track information. You can also see the tempo of the song, the names of the tracks and the measures and beats as they click by.

The main piano sound is probably familiar to many of you even if you are quite young. It is the classic Piano Tine sound from the Yamaha DX7 synthesizers. This video should also give you a sense of quality and resolution available at the time. It might be difficult to hear the difference in song recording quality today, but we are all familiar with video resolution and HD cameras and large screen TV and computer standards available now. Just think how this applied to the audio quality back then and then play some really old songs you grew up listening to. It gives a better appreciation and perspective for some of the classic songs that seem to live forever.

Music Hits Me Deeply

Posted: June 3, 2015 in Opinions and Observations, Reviews
Tags: #audio, #band, #bands, #bizarre, #Buffalo Springield, #civil rights, #creative, #digital, #family, #genres, #harmony, #influences, #inspiration, #inspire, #lyrics, #midimike, #music, #musician, #observation, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #retro, #singer, #song, #Song review, #songs, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #unusual, #vocalist, #vocals

I have been influenced by so many individuals, bands, groups and performers over the years it is quite amazing. I was never stuck in a particular style of music. I am not a fan of opera or deep country music or blues, for that matter (I know, that will not go over well with some of you! HA!) as I lean to the other side toward open and interpretive styles. There are a bunch of names we all know and can pretty much agree on if you listen to rock, pop, jazz, R&B, country, etc. But I have almost always been drawn toward the unusual but talented; the bizarre and clever; off axis dead on target! I love bands with great vocals and harmonies. Some of my favorites are quite popular now! Household names sometimes, but many are just now getting recognition and others never gained much of a following…… I know what at least one feels like, LOL.

After growing up listening to the music of my parents and older brother and sister, I enjoyed groups out at the time. No need to go over ancient influences here. But as I was growing more and more music-aware, there were bands I really enjoyed – not just a song or two, but everything they would release. The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Procol Harum, Gentle Giant, Yes, King Crimson, Steely Dan, The Police, Chic Corea, Herbie Hancock, Frank Zappa, Simon and Garfunkel, Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and others before and after them just kept getting better and better.

Today I love a lot of music, but there are very few bands or artists I love most of what they do. For most it is hit and miss. Other groups are fairly consistent. Just no one I go out of my way to hear every song. Just me getting old, so no need to panic.

If you will, let me show you what has affected me growing up and songs from groups I consider the best of the best. I will probably get to your favorite groups to, but there are just so many over the years. As this is not a reflection of history, I will again avoid attempts to be chronologically accurate. Buffalo Springfield was one that managed to send me a message, and it helps to remember the times and the events surrounding some of these songs and those that lead to their hit “For What It’s Worth”.

Instead of mourning death, celebrate life

Posted: June 1, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #blog, #daughter, #death, #dreams, #family, #friends, #goodbye, #grandmother, #grieving, #letting go, #life, #loss, #love, #memorial, #memorial day, #midimike, #mourning, #musician, #personal

I have been busy lately and responses have been a little slow lately. Work and projects are always taking up too much time, but it’s always the unexpected that throws you out of whack. While we had history, the recent reports of my mother-in-law’s health continued to decline recently. She was 93, so we knew there would not be a lot of time left. The death of family member or loved one is never easy. As we get older, we travel this path more and more as those we grew up with grew old too. There are very few friends and same generation family left if you live past 90. Those alive probably no longer travel easily.

Her request was to have her ashes spread in the river in the same location her late husband’s ashes were released.

My daughter, Alisa, takes care of this blog for me and she lost her grandmother. All the kids called my mother-in-law Nannan. Shortly after midnight on Memorial Day 2015, Nannan did not hold on any longer. This Memorial Day was for her.

MidiMike

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Archive for June, 2015

Music’s Universal Language – Mathematics!

Appreciation and Perspective From “The Touch”

Music Hits Me Deeply

Instead of mourning death, celebrate life

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Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Archive for June, 2015

Music’s Universal Language – Mathematics!

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Appreciation and Perspective From “The Touch”

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Music Hits Me Deeply

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Instead of mourning death, celebrate life

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