Archive for the ‘My Tunes’ Category

When in Doubt

Posted: August 25, 2023 in My Tunes, Poetry
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When in Doubt
Throw it out
When in Doubt
Stand up and shout
When in Doubt
Just do without
When in Doubt
What’s it about?
When in Doubt
Kick them out
When in Doubt
Prepare for drought.

When in Doubt
Figure it out
When in Doubt
Follow the scout
When in Doubt
Take another route
When in Doubt
Go in or out
When in Doubt
Sit there and pout
When in Doubt
Hold your snout.

When in Doubt
Better to be stout
When in Doubt
Follow the crowd
When in Doubt
Say it out loud
When in Doubt
Pretend you’re proud
When in Doubt
Hide in your shroud
When in Doubt
Water the sprout.

When in Doubt
Open the spout
When in Doubt
Time to head south
When in Doubt
Shut your mouth
When in Doubt
It’s not allowed
When in Doubt
Fields should be plowed
When in Doubt
Do a recount.

When in Doubt
Always in doubt
When in Doubt
Always in doubt

When in Doubt
Close your account
When in Doubt
Pay any amount
When in Doubt
Prepare for draught
When in Doubt
Follow the crowd
When in Doubt
Say it out loud
When in Doubt
Shut your mouth.

When in Doubt
When in Doubt
Always in doubt

My family has been asking that question for decades!

Posted: August 24, 2023 in My Tunes
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Where did your name come from?

The Wrong Thing

Posted: August 11, 2023 in #poetry, My Tunes
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Maybe I’ve been lookin’ for the wrong thing.
Searching for the perfect harmony,
When I can’t even sing.

Maybe I am way out of my depth.
Thinking; just another minute
Right when I lose my breath.

I have banged my head against every wall:
Waited for anyone I know to call.
Listened to the righteous, but above all
Followed those thought of as weak or small.

Independent, courageous and defiant;
Yet I can’t seem to help myself.
Beat the dumbest giant.

So sure of myself all those years ago.
Put everyone that I love on hold.
Places I’ll never go.

I can solve everyone else’s problem.
Yet can’t even see my own.
The Wrong Thing lives again.

I have banged my head against every wall:
Waited for anyone I know to call.
I have banged my head against every wall:
Waited for anyone I know to call.

The Wrong Thing lives again.
The Wrong Thing lives within.

In the early days I worked at a musical instrument store. This was when MIDI keyboards were first introduced. I was a geek so programming and learning midi keyboards and interfaces was not difficult for me. That’s how I got the nickname MIDI Mike.

Posted: July 28, 2023 in My Tunes
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What’s the story behind your nickname?

Still Your Choice

Posted: July 28, 2023 in #poetry, My Tunes, Poetry
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You want us to play
But the game’s no fun.
Nowhere, no way
No how.

It’s not the lesser
Of two evils:
It is neither,
Neither, none.

Of the few choices
It certainly ain’t
This, that
These or those.

Sleeping with the bears
Or with tigers
Eenie, meanie,
Miney mo.

You spoke, but no one listened
Do you still have a voice?
The garbage is made to glisten
It’s Still Your Choice.

You are the many with nothing
Why don’t you all rejoice?
The powerful know you are bluffing
And it’s Still Your Choice.

They know its money,
Not skills we lack.
One step forward:
Two steps back.

Lie to your face,
And stab you in defense.
It’s all the same
Difference.

Six feet under
No more in the cup.
Dig a ditch.
Now, fill it up.

You spoke, but no one listened
Why don’t you all rejoice?
You are the many with nothing
Have you lost your voice?

Everything.

Posted: July 25, 2023 in My Tunes
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What would you change about modern society?

Take Away One Lyrics and Music

Posted: July 21, 2023 in #poetry, MUSIC, Music Theory, My Tunes
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I wrote lyrics for Take Away One based on the idea of removing a particular note from a 4-note-chord. This leaves you with a specific 3-note-chord. Hence the name of the song and also the foundation for the original poem. I had to add a verse to the poem converting them to lyrics because for a few weeks one band member or the other could’t make a scheduled music jam. Often three members would drop out one by one leaving me as the only bandmate that made it for the jam! Sometimes we travel and jam in person, but more often we use a program for on-line musicians and connect from our homes. That is how we survived the Covid-19 lock-down.

You will notice the difference right away. This is another example of a song that came together really fast because it was based on a mathematical theme or idea. The chord pairs were based on the idea above, but the progression was completely random. The arrangement was pretty basic so it wrote itself. Once I had the title it was easy to think of examples in life where things get taken away. You’re probably doing it right now.

If you get writers block, try starting from a different point. I’ve never had writers block in my 50 years of writing and recording songs, so maybe I’m on to something.

I had fun with the ending and the arrangement has a few twists as usual. Enjoy Take Away One.

Reading a great book will do it every time.

Posted: July 19, 2023 in My Tunes
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Which activities make you lose track of time?

Music for “Take Away One”

Posted: July 14, 2023 in Music Theory, My Tunes
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I posted a poem called “Take Away One” recently. I knew this one was a song in the making so I started working on writing music around the theme. I tell my friends that I ‘feel’ music theory more than I know or understand it. Sometimes I look at the patterns and rhythms, often I get fascinated by melodies that twist within the chords. Often I get distracted by simple mathmetical relationships in music – ’cause that’s what it is.

There are many tonal relationships between chords in any arrangement. For background, two notes played simultaneously is an interval. With three or more individual notes you can form a chord. The more notes within the chord the greater the potential for complex tones. Some combinations sound calm, delightful and inspiring. Other combinations are uncomfortable or have a lot of dissonence. Some are downright ugly by themselves if truth be told.

Not to get too deep here, because I can’t swim in these waters, but the arrangement uses the relationship when you have a 4 note chord (of any root note you prefer). Start with a G Major 7th chord as my example. It consistes of 4 individual notes: G (the root here by definition of the chord name), B, D and F#.

If you Take Away One – the G in this example as root note of the chord – you have a 3 note chord called B Minor. The arrangement consists of alternating between pairs of Major 7th chords and their relative minor 2nd chord. (or is it its 2nd relative minor?). Then I pick another random pair of Major 7th/2nd Minor chords and continue. Hence the name of the song.

I am working on the melody line and recording the vocals but here is the instrumental version of “Take Away One“.

Take Away One

Posted: June 30, 2023 in #poetry, My Tunes
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Take Away One
The song has already begun.
Look at the possibilities
And Take Away One

Take Away One
Makes it more difficult to run.
Everything used to be a breeze
‘til you Take Away One

Take Away One
It’s now someone else’s problem.
All dressed up and eager to explain
Then they Take Away One

Take Away One
Not enough shade from the sun.
Finally only one will remain
Until they Take Away One

Take Away One
Take One Away.
Soon they take another one away.
Take Away One
Take One Away
Now there’s no more to take away.

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