What's New

New Song Writing, Adding Bass Guitar, Overall Sound

Cover of new music CD - Listen to clip from 1st track

Over the last year, I have been remarklably prolific as a song writer - well for me anyway - over 30 songs last year. Given that, I couldn’t resist recording some of the music that I have come up with.

I am mostly a guitar player - but have managed to develop enough technique with various drums and percussion to create a small band sound.

In this venture, I have added bass guitar, which on the surface seems like would be a simple adjustment from the bass strings of the guitar - since the notes are the same though the octaves different. However, it is another thing to think like a bass player or hear like one.

Finding the right bass line was a new kind of challenge and that is probably part of the freshness here though the songs are very positive as well. All in all, I am really pleased with the results and overall sound.

Though not available for purchase at this writing, I expect the cd to be available soon at outhousestudios.net/music. And I will be posting more clips.

See Also

• Bass Guitar Scale Page
  Looks interesting probably valuable - though nothing I used
• Songwriting Resources - A Reference guide for beginning songwriters
  Again - nothing I would use - but some articles seemed valuable
• Listening to Music at Outhouse Studios
  More info about Dan Beck’s music and recordings

Music Conversation, Embellished Themes, Shared Record

Jazz 3 - Digital Painting 2005

Unlike the previous explorations of portraying jazz, this one does not reference instruments. It does, however, attempt to reference music.

When it was created, I was listening to jazz, I was creating with the music as a fairly active listener - to the extent that is possible while painting.

As I am looking at the piece now, I see that perhaps I did create a conversation.  There are several key players - the cross-hatched black, the blue tablecloth patterned ribbon, the orange shapes. 

But what I see mostly that is similar to music is how everything is built upon each other. There is a theme and it is embellished upon and everything leads to something grander where everyone is contributing and it is bold but then it is done - contained in the space and/or time allotted.

The similarity between art and music is found in composition:  in the space not just the subject,  in the sense of being built upon within the piece, in the sense of building upon other art or music.

There is also the need for audience (even if it is just the author), and though much is unsaid - ideally it is a record that someone found something new and most likely wanted share it.

See Also

• The Connection: Painting with Sound
  Discussion of particular connection between music and art
• NPR: Manjul Bhargava: An Artist of Music and Math
  Other connections - Music, Math, & Beauty
• Multiple spaces: musical space/music-and-space
  Discussion of importance of space (silence) in music
• Joni Mitchell Hompage
  Had thought of her as good example of artist/musician then spotted her site in related search