I’m a musician, writer, and comic artist. Welcome to my website.
All in Music
This is the song that put the "power" into power chords. It was also the first 45 (vinyl single) I ever bought when I was 12. It had the album version of Smoke On The Water on one side and the radio edit of Smoke On The Water on the other. I remember thinking "What a rip-off." Ha ha.
One of my musical goals is to play a green tambourine in a yellow submarine.
"Now listen while I play, play, play, play, play, play, play, play..."
I was just thinking how much the way of life in the "Wild West" affected 1980's "Hair Metal" music. For example, imagine if cattle driving hadn't been such a big part of the old west, and Bon Jovi had to re-write the lyrics to Wanted Dead Or Alive to reflect
Chicago was one of the most popular rock bands of the 70s to incorporate a horn section into its music. This song is one you can learn in stages. Even beginners can handle the fun, opening riff with a little alternate picking practice. It simply descends down the 6th string moving form the 5th fret to the 3rd to the 2nd to the 1st to the open 6th string. Then starts again.
I have completed the first part of creating a chord melody arrangement. For me that involves the actual arranging of the music. I use Sibelius notation software to notate the arrangement. I used to use paper and pencil, but I have gotten fast enough at Sibelius, and notating rhythm accurately, that it makes no sense to do it twice. I can make edits easier in Sibelius than on paper. And I burn through less erasers that way.
I guess timing is everything. After spending over 200 hours putting together a band and learning to sing soaring falsetto vocals with two other guys over a musical style that features elements of funk, latin, and soul music with a steady four-on-the-floor beat and an open hi-hat on the off-beat, including a prominent syncopated electric bass line and strings, horns, electric piano, synths, and funky electric guitars that create a lush background sound, I found out about the Bee Gees. Just my luck.
Back in the 1960s when instrumental rock was twangy and cool, Wipeout ruled. Wipeout is a surf music classic that has been featured in over 20 films and countless covers by other bands. It has catchy riff/melody and only three chords. It is a great alternate picking workout, and you get to practice chord stabs. Which is good practice for not playing 3 1/2 beats per measures. Not playing can be just as effective as playing and often better than playing too much. Drummers love this song too, making it more likely to be requested.
The Allman Brother Band were know for having two electric guitar players playing harmonized guitar parts. They fused blues, jazz, and country to create a style that became known as “southern rock.” But this song feature acoustic guitar and the use of open chord shapes ascending and descending the neck with lots of open strings.
When I set out to record some jazz songs I had written, I planned them to be demo tracks that I could give to musicians to learn and practice my songs. I had several factors that I had to deal with. First, I had zero budget for recording. There would be no going to a studio. So this would have to be a laptop studio project using existing instruments and software. Second, I don’t have a decent room for recording and I mainly have late night for recording. So it would have to done direct into the laptop. No microphones. Third I play guitar, bass, and keys well enough to get my ideas across, but I don’t play drums. So I would depend on drum loops and drum software to build the drum tracks.
Johnny Cash’s music is often labelled “country music” but it was really his own unique thing. His driving, train-like "boom chucka, boom chucka" alternating bass note and chord rhythm created a popular rhythm guitar style for both country and rockabilly guitarists for generations.
I have just posted the third song for my upcoming album My Kind Of Jazz on the Media page. It is a mellow song called Nice Evening. It hope you enjoy it. You can listen to it on the Media page.
I have finished recording and begun mixing the third song for my album My Kind Of Jazz. The song is titled Nice Evening. I originally titled the song December because I wrote it one December. But the name didn’t really fit the song so I renamed it. It seems to me more like a “relaxing” song that you might play at the end of a nice evening than a song about a cold winter month.
I have just returned to my long neglected attempts at arranging jazz chord melodies for guitar. This time I chose the standard “A Day In The Life Of A Fool.” I wasn’t sure I would be able to come up with anything interesting for this song but it seems to be going pretty well. Amazing guitarists like George Benson, Johnny Smith, and Ted Greene could crank these things out in a heartbeat and throw in mind-blowing technique and runs, but for me they are a lot of work. I love doing them, but it doesn’t come easy. Which is why I tend to keep my arrangements fairly simple.
I have posted the first two songs from my upcoming album My Kind Of Jazz. They are titled Arrival and Boom Bip Bip. You can find them on the Media page.
For several years I played guitar in a band called Upstairs Jazz. It was occasional. We did cafe gigs, weddings, Christmas programs, and anniversary parties. It was great fun. The best part was I got to write original jazz music and then hear it played by great musicians.
