A few weeks ago I got on Skype with Victor over at the Typical Mac User. We both were musicians in a former life so it was fun reminiscing and chatting about our current Midi set ups. We also eventually got around to the ways you can exercise your musical bent on a Mac with just about any budget. Head on over and check out.
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It has been awhile since I posted any music so I thought I’d add another Thelonious Monk song to the mix. “Ruby, My Dear” is one of my favorite songs to play when I need to unwind. I really like the harmonics at the end that mix tension with resolution. It just seems right. I recorded this in one take. I hope you enjoy.
Monk’s “Panonica” is one of my very favorite melodies. For some reason I always visualize myself pushing my daughters on the swing (when they were younger .. around 3) when I play this song. Monk actually wrote it for Baroness Panonica Der Konigsweiller (sp?) or “Nica” for short, who was a active patron of the arts, and lasting friend of his. I once heard a recording of him explaining Panonica as a butterfly that nobody could catch.
Now having evoked touching imagry, the recording is nothing spectactular. I just recorded begining to end and made no post recording “fixes”. I really did not do the song justice but it is passable, if not a little heavy handed. One of these days I will do it again.
Enjoy my Panonica
**Download Note**
For some reason downloads of the music files with Safari Beta 3 are sometimes wonky. If you are having a problem. Try with Safari or Camino.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination with Jazz music. Throughout High School and College I played piano and saxaphone with numerous bands and even did studio work before falling into law school. It is a standing joke around my house that when everyone was listening to Duran Duran, I was listening to Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. I first heard Thelonious Monk when I was about 12 but my piano teacher wouldn’t let me play his music. Well it took me nearly 30 years but here I am stickin’ it to the man. This was done in one take so there are a few funky notes but … ummm … those are correct .. it is Monk after all. Enjoy friends.
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Okay … I must admit … I still love E.T. I think I like it so much because that WAS my childhood. The bicycles, the D&D, the late nights with friends, the whole thing (excepting the alien … wink). So I’ve been working on playing my favorite melody from the movie and got a somewhat passable version recorded over the weekend. I am going to try and do this with more orchestra instruments later but for now I was just happy to get to the end on the piano. Enjoy.
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This weekend I am officially taking a break from the law and (in addition to playing/swimming with my kids) planning on spending some time with Logic. I have about 7 different music projects all in one state or another of completion. While I doubt I’ll finish any of them this weekend, I will have fun trying. In the meantime I found a great link at MacMediaCast for musicians linking some very good plugins right here. Check it out.
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Take Me Out to the Ballgame – MacSparky style
I’ve got some really great footage of the kids playing baseball. I wanted to put it to the music for “Take me out to the Ballgame” and decided to record it myself. Using Band-in-a-Box, Logic, and my MIDI keyboard and WX11 Wind Controller (MIDI Sax), I came up with the attached as my first attempt at using Logic. For some reason it makes me laugh to think I laid down the Hendrix guitar with a MIDI Sax. I really like the instrument sounds but clearly have lots to learn. Its kind of funny that my first recording as an avid jazz fan is more along the lines of hard rock. My sister in law (a SERIOUS baseball fan) thinks it an abomination. Enjoy anyway.
