Blog-azic

Susan and I are together again, back in the hills of Southeastern Ohio. Hills with deep, bedrock bones - bones of sandstone, ever wet. On top of them, a covering of thick flesh - unyielding clay, brown. The path darts in and out, a numbing undulation: back into the hollow, out and around the hillside, back again. Streams are trickling down. Soggy forest litter, squishes underfoot. We're in an old pine stand listening to the trees. They're absolutely speaking to us in creaks, moans and whispers; tall pines, dead with spongy, rotten wood; half fallen over - one of them - and leaning against a live neighbor - so precarious. Susan and I become dramatic. We overemphasize the danger and run down the path, underneath the leaning pine. First, Susan and then myself. As one goes the other watches, smiling for the thrill of our game, but hoping against the unthinkable. On goes the path, bending left and right, up and down. It takes us into deeper stands of pine, shady but warm and carpete

I used GarageBand on the iPad2 to create this little number. I was glad to have the iPad, too. One of the great things about the iPad is its immediate power. It puts a bit of creative power at your finger tips right this second! On a lark, I plugged in my acoustic to a warm old tube amp, and put down a couple tracks on a song I wrote a couple summers back. It was easy, fast, and you can hear that the recording quality was fairly pleasing. Even after I recorded two acoustic guitar tracks, two harp track (thank Jebus I had my tuner app ), and two vocals, I could still hear that something was missing. Well, "when in doubt," I have learned, "look to nature." I stepped outside with my IPad to take a look around. Though it was a mild December afternoon, I saw nothing of immediate interest. No cats to sneak upon. No woodpeckers drumming. But, then what's more peaceful than a wind chime , I thought. Easy and quick, I had a short sample of chime bells. Inside, I added t

Every music teacher needs a properly tuned instrument. As such, electronic tuners have become a staple in most musicians' gear bag. Here is a short review of a free tuning app, called n-Track Tuner. Although another review suggests that this tuner is less than adequate, but I would disagree. Like most apps, there are features here which will not be useful to everyone. Likewise, there may be useful features which are not present. As a performing musician and teacher, I had no difficulty using it and would recommend it to other iPad-savvy educators who also appreciate budget-friendly apps. The tuner has two modes. In analyzer mode (above), the app will listen to audio through the iPad's mic. A graph of the frequency analysis is displayed against a grid that marks reference frequencies (in Hertz) and decibel levels. A triangle points to the frequency of the note that is tuning. The right side of the screen displays an overall signal level graph, which is probably not useful for t

This is the first part of my new Blogger series about the iPad facilitating music education. In this article, I'll tell you about Symphony Pro , an App that allows score creation by importing notes to a stave with the touch screen or with an optional keyboard interface. A big draw to the App is its ability to export finished sheet music (in a variety of formats, including PDF or MP3) to the iPad Photo App, by email to yourself, or to a wireless printer. Overall, I have found the App to be easy to use and a good investment for my music lessons (the app is currently priced at $14.99). The touch screen interface is intuitive with only an occasional looks at the included help book to learn more complicated functions, such as repeats and staff attributes. I've included some screen shots below to give you a more complete pictures of the App. I spent some time Friday writing out an arrangement of Bach's Prelude in C for the Well Tempered Clavier. Above, you can see the

Posting today from my IPad. Fairly easy too navigate around Blogger. Lots of cool music apps out on the web right now. Downloading a music notation app, will allow me to write sheet music. Seeing it as an excellent tool for my music lessons. I'll post guitar scores soon, and mandolin etudes. Happy Veterans Day.

This is a song I wrote years ago. I was in Puerto Rico at the time, visiting with my Grandfather. He's a hard man to live with, and I dreamed of taking a road trip adventure all the way from Washington DC to San Francisco, CA. Back then, I didn't get much farther than the melody and the first line of lyrics ("Oh, I wish I was in Californ-i-a."). Just a few weeks ago, I thought of the song while driving home from a visit to my girl friend in North Carolina. That night, I worked out the lyrics, and yesterday I spent an hour or so recording the song with my ukulele. I hope you enjoy it! Also, visit my myspace for more songs.

Click here to view the project at its full dimensions (it's easier to read).

Out in the old fields that line State Route 32, past the western edge of Cincinnati, beyond the Serpent Mound, and on into the Southeastern Ohio counties of Jackson, Vinton, Meigs and Athens, there's a soft, golden light. It is an anniversary occuring here, as old as the hills it is spread upon, and probably older still. Years beyond countless years, where only the rain and the wind claimed rights to shape the land. It is beyond the scope of a human lifetime - far bigger and concerning rhythms that are lost upon our humble ears. It is profound, and it takes my breath away. I watched it as I drove by two days ago, and again as I came back yesterday. Like a regal flowing robe of yellow, hemmed with purple silk. Goldenrods are alight in the fields, and Mistflowers dress the field edges. Solidago , the genus commonly called Goldenrod, is numerous in North America, and it begins to adorn the Ohio fields from August until October, but it is at it's most spectacularly widespr