A Little Backwards Singing

February 25th, 2014

Backwards singing; it’s as cool as it sounds (wait for it…).

backwards-singing

A cute picture of backwards singing.

I’m currently in the final stages of putting up some new music; my first track that can actually be called a song. (Songs mean singing…and I’m very bashful about my singing…Oh man…I’m coming so far outside of my comfort zone for this new track.) Anyway, I’m resetting the text, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” with some poppy electronica flavors (I mean, really far outside my comfort zone). I’m not using the tune; just the words.

Most songs in this genre use highly processed vocal parts (no words…like scat!…techno scat…) somewhere in the song. The first thing I like to do when messing around with audio files is to play them backwards. I’ve never really listened to backwards singing before. I was stunned by how awesome it sounds!

I don’t want to give too much away about this new track (it’s going to be sweet). But I did want to isolate some backwards singing so that you all could enjoy it with me:

Backwards Singing

Cool, huh? And now I’m sharing this awesome Mutemath video for obvious reasons.

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Autotune: It’s for Pros

February 19th, 2014
autotune

My autotune’s interface.

I’ve never been against autotune. However, my classical training and bias have always looked upon it as a “lowbrow” tool. A tool for people who don’t want to take the time to get a good take. These are the musings of a musician more worried about making themselves awesome than about making awesome music. Here’s what I mean by that:

The cliche, “It’s about the music” isn’t as much of a cliche as many would have you believe. An artist should be more worried about making great music than about being an awesome musician. Being a great musician is a means to an end: great music. You can be a great musician and use autotune because great musicians are generally more worried about the final product than about how they got there.

So a track was doctored  to sound better. So what? It’s sounds great and that’s all that matters to an artist. There is no moral value tied to the means by which we make music.

“You used autotune. I didn’t need it. My audience will appreciate my awesomeness.”

Sorry bud, no one cares. Oh, and I was able to use a take that had more passion even though a couple of notes were a little off pitch…so I guess they do care.

I am a proud user of autotune.

Make sure to listen to some great music today. Here’s a suggestion:

Nickel Creek

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Autotune: It's for Pros

February 19th, 2014
autotune

My autotune’s interface.

I’ve never been against autotune. However, my classical training and bias have always looked upon it as a “lowbrow” tool. A tool for people who don’t want to take the time to get a good take. These are the musings of a musician more worried about making themselves awesome than about making awesome music. Here’s what I mean by that:

The cliche, “It’s about the music” isn’t as much of a cliche as many would have you believe. An artist should be more worried about making great music than about being an awesome musician. Being a great musician is a means to an end: great music. You can be a great musician and use autotune because great musicians are generally more worried about the final product than about how they got there.

So a track was doctored  to sound better. So what? It’s sounds great and that’s all that matters to an artist. There is no moral value tied to the means by which we make music.

“You used autotune. I didn’t need it. My audience will appreciate my awesomeness.”

Sorry bud, no one cares. Oh, and I was able to use a take that had more passion even though a couple of notes were a little off pitch…so I guess they do care.

I am a proud user of autotune.

Make sure to listen to some great music today. Here’s a suggestion:

Nickel Creek

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Make Music Everywhere!

July 30th, 2013

Make music everywhere; even at work.

make-music-everywhere

My Favorite Hand Drum

There is a big clear blue 5 gallon container we use at the coffee shop to haul ice from the back (where it’s made) to the front (where we use it). One day I hit the bottom of it like a hand drum, and it resonated at a perfect 4th! Later, I started playing the container using a regular pattern. My coworker then picked up a yogurt scoop and started banging on another (very small) metal container. It was fun and sounded great (and yes, we did still get our work done)!


We westerners tend to be way too reserved when it comes to audible expression. Just make some sound! It’s fun and you’ll be in a better mood when you’re done. You can’t play an ice container like a drum at work and not put everyone around you in a better mood. Just do it briefly, tastefully, and at an appropriate time (maturity guys, come on).

Make music everywhere you are…just because.

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