The New Frontiers: Mending

So, I'm talking to my brother, and he says, "Guess who I ran in to? One of the kids that used to live across the street from us in Cedar Hill [Texas]. And he's got a band." So, he tells me where to find them... but I'm not holding my breath. You know how it goes. The band usually isn't very good. So, when I tuned in their MySpace, I didn't hear what I expected.

This is one of the best albums in my collection.

Go listen to several of the songs on the band's MySpace. Seriously. I won't go on to describe songs or how I feel when I listen to it. This music is so... tender that all the talk spoils it. Cheapens it. Just go listen.

They're playing Indie Rock / No Depression Country. It should appeal to anyone who likes The Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, Over the Rhine, Jon Foreman, and Jonathan Reuel (JRL).

The sad part: After giving it a go 5 years... they're giving up. Their last concert is Jan 3 2009 at Dada (Deep Ellum/Dallas). Don't let that stop you, though. This is good music.

Synth: Envelopes, VCA's, and the ALSA Modular Synth

While learning about subtractive synthesis, it works a lot better if you have a modular synth available to play with. The problem is that modular synths are boucoup expensive. So, the next best thing is a virtual modular synth... a program that runs on your PC. The best one I know of (for learning) is the ALSA Modular Synth. "ALSA" stands for "Advanced Linux Sound Architecture," and is the sub-system that provides sound drivers for Linux. Therefore, it's only available for Linux (and possibly Mac OS X). But any other software you find on non-free operating systems will probably have similar concepts.

Here's a screen-shot of my setup for this lesson. You have the ALSA Modular Synth (AMS) in the top window, JACK in the bottom left [1], and the MIDI Virtual Keyboard in the right. Using JACK, I plug the keyboard into AMS.



Inside of AMS you see a MIDI Controlled Voltage (MCV) module and a PCM Out module. The MCV converts MIDI messages into various voltage signals that can be used to control things like VCO's (voltage-controlled oscillators). The PCM Out module is how the sound will get to our sound card. What we put between will determine the kind of sound that we have.

In the next figure, I've laid out several modules:

• MCV - Midi Controlled Voltage module


• VCO - Voltage Controlled Oscillator


• ENV - Envelope Generator


• VCA - Voltage Controlled Amplifier


• PCM Out - output to sound card

However, I've directly plugged the sawtooth wave from the oscillator to the sound card output. Here's what it sounds like when I play C-G-C' (slow, then fast):



The clicks at the beginning are because the VCO is always on... it just started with a low frequency. Also, I didn't hold the keys down. When I released the keys, the note kept going. The VCO never stops.

Since we usually need to make our notes have a definate start and stop, we need to put the notes in some sort of envelope. Something that contains the duration of the sound. For this, we use an envelope generator and use it to control a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA), like this:



The envelope generator is not an oscillator. It's more like a cuckoo clock. When the clock strikes 12: a door opens, the cuckoo comes out and says "cuckoo!" and then goes back in, and then the door closes. In the same way, when you hit the keyboard it triggers a pre-defined set of actions or motions. It will turn up the voltage, then hold it, then turn it down. You can use this voltage signal to drive lots of different things: filters, VCO's, LFO's (low-frequency oscillators), or possibly even another envelope generator.

The voltage-controlled amplifier is like a volume pedal. However, instead of controlling it with your foot, it gets controlled by an input voltage. By plugging the voltage signal output of the envelope generator to the input of the VCA, we can make notes start and stop.

The envelope generator we're using is an ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release). When set like this:



It will sound like this:



The notes start and stop, and have a little fade-in and fade-out. The envelope generator is triggered by the MCV through the "Gate." A gate is an on/off device that says "we're playing now." "Ok, not now." So, it typically sends something like 1V when a key is pressed, and 0V when it is released.

When you set up an ADSR: Attack is time (usually milli-seconds), Decay is time, Sustain is volume (as a percent of full-volume), and release is time. When you press a key, the attack and decay will happen according to their timing. The sustain volume will last as long as you hold the key. The release determines how long it takes for the note to return to silence after you release they key.

If we want to make something that sounds more ethereal, softer, or just plain like a mosquito, you would increase the attack and release times to something relatively large (like 1/2 of a second):



And these settings sound like this:



So, the oscillator is your noisemaker. The envelope generator is like a computer program that will automatically turn a knob for you. The MIDI controller allows you to control notes and durations through frequency and trigger signals. The VCA is like a volume knob.

You can probably see that the VCA and the envelope generator (since they pretty much are manipulating voltage signals) to do things they were never intended to do. For example, suppose that instead of having the MCV control the frequency... you make the envelope generator control the frequency. This would get you annoying siren-like noises. Sounds something like this:



Have phun!

[1] Actually QJackCtl, but this only matters to people who already know what it is.

TQM Church: Small Groups

If you had the Spirit of Gawd, you wouldn't be afraid of that snake!

So, you're sitting in a small group with a bunch of normal people, having a normal discussion... when all of the sudden you feel something slither against your leg. Then someone to your left starts praying out loud in gibberish while the one across from you just starts moaning and crying. [1]

Wanna get away? [2]

This has got to be the worst fear of any evangelical church leader. And, believe it or not, stuff like this does happen. And experiences like this can be extremely damaging if it happens to you. How do you prevent something like this from happening?

Most churches implement their quality control by micro-managing the small groups (for example, requiring everyone to use the same curriculum or the sermon notes) and by being picky and choosy about who can be a small group leader. In churches where I've seen this, you notice that the people who have been in the church for years, "aren't ready" to lead groups and ministries. But... new people who just joined the church are "an answer to prayer." That is, until a couple of years rolls by and we see their mistakes and imperfections. Their names quietly go to the 'D' list ('D' for damaged goods).

Why does this happen? New people are perfect. They've never made a mistake.

Micro-management and high standards will prevent embarrassing situations like snake handling and weird doctrines and such. However, they promote another atmosphere where information is spoon-fed to the masses. That's fine on Sunday morning, but small groups are where you can interact — even argue. But a spoon-fed curriculum and yes-man leader will continue the trend of lulling people to sleep. Nice. Safe. Nothing to see here.

Also, the number of groups is reduced because you can't find enough qualified leaders. As people make more and more mistakes (which people do), the standards get higher and the group count gets smaller.

So, how to you keep stuff like this from happening?

Well, for starters: give up. Let Jesus be responsible for his own quality control. It's his church, right? He's responsible for our discipleship and for the growth of the church.

And then... because we do have some responsibility in this area: be in relationship with your leaders. (What a concept!) In fact... erm... isn't this how Jesus does it? With the disciples... and with us. Try not to make it like a boss-employee relationship... but more like friends or a partnership.

Kudos to my home church which has done this for years. Yes, there are down-sides to having a networking model of organization/management... but the up-side is small groups that change lives — imperfect people seeking God together... creating an atmosphere of God's power. The down-side of a network model is that sometime, someone will drop the ball... and since the organization is built around relationships someone else gets hurt. Also, sometimes the snake-handling might happen. It won't be the end of the world.

[1] I stole this idea from Garrison Keillor (A Prairie Home Companion).

[2] Southwest Airlines commercial tag-line.

Synth: Subtractive synthesis and VCO's

A few months ago, I promised Mike to talk about FM synthesis and subtractive synthesis. I ran into technical difficulties with that... so it's taken me this long to give up and take another approach. [1]

Most analog synthesizers take an approach called subtractive synthesis. This is where you take a strong starting signal (sound) and you remove parts of the sound to get the sound that you want. A very simple example of this is volume pedal. You take a strong input signal (like a guitar) and plug it into the volume pedal. When the pedal is all the way up, the signal should just pass through (unchanged). When you turn the pedal down, it subtracts from the original signal to make it quieter. This is actually one way to get synthesizer-like sounds out of your guitar (by doing volume swells or emulating an envelope generator).

Everything starts with a signal source. The source can be:

• An oscillator — an electronic device that creates basic wave-forms like a sine wave, triangle wave, sawtooth wave, etc.


• A sample — an actual recording of an instrument or sound. It's usually relatively short, and just a single note.


• An instrument (like a guitar, voice, electric piano)

But, let's start by talking about the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO).

A basic VCO has an input (a DC voltage from 0 to 10V) and an output (the audio signal with the desired osciallation). Most VCO's will let you select between several types of waves (click for Wikipedia links, some with audio clips): a sine wave (flute-like sound -- like a hearing test), a square wave (computer beep), a triangle wave (a harsh, electric-organ-like sound), and a sawtooth wave (a very harsh, annoying alarm-clock-like sound). As you turn up the voltage on the input, the frequency of the output signal will also go up. The standard is that the frequency will double for every 1V that you add. (Thus, they say "one volt per octave.")

The VCO does not have a volume knob, nor an on/off switch, nor keyboard, nor any other sort of nice things. The VCO is always on. If you plug the VCO directly to the power amplifier... you will always hear noise.

To control the voltage, you will typically feed it a signal from a keyboard controller that has a voltage output. Since you can only send one voltage to the VCO (and the VCO can only take one), this is a monophonic setup. No matter how many buttons you push, the controller will only send one voltage to the VCO (so you only get one note out).

So, what would happen if I put something between the keyboard controller and the VCO? Something that changed the voltage a little... like a slow-moving oscillator or something? What would happen? Answer: Vibrato.

Or... what would happen if I put something like an envelope generator between the keyboard and the VCO, and I made the pitch go up slightly after striking the note, and then have it go back down gently? Answer: It will sound like a string being plucked, or like a gong.

These two ideas are actually the start of a concept called FM Synthesis.

Now, as we said, the the output side of the VCO is always on. So, next time we'll talk about how to use an envelope generator and a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) to create attack, sustain, decay, etc.

[1] See the comments for a description of what I tried to do and the problems that I had.

Not Lyrics

In writing lyrics for rock
I used to think I ought
To learn the wit and form
Of poetry.
That in the mastery of such,
With rhythm sound,
I may transfer the thoughts -- emotion
To the form of melody.

It is not.

The word and mouth combine
In ways ineffable.
In consummate voice and breath:
One instrument.
And if the voice, unfaithful,
Conforms them to a tune
The words commit divorce
At this adultery.

But all this toil has not been wasted.
Begin with melody and rhythm,
And then you salt your note with lyric.
'Cos in the act of learning meter
And forcing words into a channel
A useful tool is in your purchase
To shape and sculpt the sound of singing.

A Blog Divided and Bloggal Suicide

Are you addicted to blogging? Does it seem sometimes that the purpose of your life is to experience things so that you can blog about them? Or, when you're reading something (a book or the Bible)... does it start out innocent -- but then become a research project for your next blog post? How often do you check your blog stats? Every 15 minutes?

This is a shout-out to my buddy Steve, who committed bloggal suicide today. He was hooked, and decided to kill his blog. Cold turkey. My other buddy, Mike, blogged on a similar issue today (just in a more existential way). This is also why my wordpress blog is dead. Some folks out there seem to have a full time job as bloggers.

Are you suffering from a blogging addiction?? What are you going to do about it? Leave your confessions here.

Also, ever since killing my wordpress "Bible" blog, this blog has become more comprehensive to all the things I'm interested in (mainly music, theology, programming, and Linux). However, I think that's made this blog cluttered and confusing. I think when folks come here, they're just looking for one of those (and the others become annoying). Plus, I can't change the URL to gabesRockPreachyHackyGeekyLog.blogspot.com.

So, tell me (both of you who read): Should I split up this blog, or keep going like this?

TQM Church: Do I belong here?

I wrote before about The Total Quality Management Church, including links to various high-quality, well-marketed church web sites. The main issue I had with them was this: Would you feel welcome at these churches if you looked like this:



I know I wouldn't, even if I were all dressed up. With everyone so perfect... where would I fit in? How would this church be relevant to what I'm going through?

Sure, all the stock and professionally done photos evoke a positive message, one that won't offend, and one that won't scare anyone. But, they also tend to project the kind of people that you're looking for. It unconsciously says to the poor, the needy, the outcasts, the ugly: we don't want you around.

Like I said before: it prevents defects (nobody gets offended by an ugly picture), but it also prevents excellence (an atmosphere where God changes the lives of real, un-perfect people).

[1] - Image is of Yu Zhenhuan, who holds the world record for "Hairiest Man."

Broken String

I broke a string while performing this Sunday. Really embarrassing when you're only doing 3 songs.



It was my D string. Broke at the bridge. How do you break a D string? What do you do?

I had been religiously changing my strings before every 'gig.' I really love the sound of new strings, but very few people notice. So, at $4/pack I started making them go longer.

And when the cursed event happens:

• Everything on your guitar is now out-of-tune. It
  is, indeed, the laws of physics.


• What's that? Did you say that you don't keep a spare
  set of strings in your case? For shame!


• Changing a string will take at least 5 minutes because
  you have no roadies, and the case is 30 feet away.


• Tuning quickly and making do could work... but all those
  hours of practicing all those tasty licks are... not much use now.
  Every scale. Every arpeggio. They need that string.


• What's that? You don't know where the octaves on your
  guitar are located? Too bad. It's going to be very
  hard to make-do.

I chose to make do, because I knew I couldn't grab a string fast enough.

The best way is to change your strings is on the D'Addario website: here. They stay in tune, break in very quickly, and makes changing strings super fast. You end up with about 1 wrap (which breaks in quick), but you do a "lock-wrap" so that it stays really secure (which stays in tune). Using this method, I've been able to change strings right before a performance without having to re-tune more than once or twice.

So tell me: What are your broken string war stories? What did you do?

[1] - Image from http://www.verkstad.com/art/stringball/StringBall05.jpg, by John Kieltyka

[2] - @Mike: better? :-P

Jesus is a Friend of Mine

Modern pasters are all the time finding cool videos to use in their sermons. This one was shown recently at University Baptist Church in Waco, TX (home church of the David Crowder*Band):

Sonseed's "Jesus is a Friend of Mine"

Instead of being good boys and girls and listening to the sermon, they went to the office and learned the song. Check out the video on David Crowder's Blog.

Classic.

The Total Quality Management Church

Been to any "modern" churches or church websites, lately? Here's a few examples:

Irving Bible Church (TX)
Prestonwood Baptist Church (TX)
Fellowship Church (TX)
Lakewood Church (TX)

Very slick. Almost as much Flash animation as as a sports-related site (that's not a compliment). Stock photos of beautiful, happy, shiny, well-fed, well-dressed, trendy people. Is this what the church is supposed to look like? Why are we marketing "the church" like we're some cheesy consumer-products business?

It seems like it starts when things in a church get better organized. When churches are smaller, there are fewer rules, things happen without much overhead, and there's a little more freedom to fail. When the church starts to get bigger (called "success"), more people are involved, the relationships are harder, and there's more to "loose" if you fail.

This same pattern happens in businesses. And the larger a business is, the more they try to get a handle on this complexity. The fruits of this labor is called QUALITY. There's quality standards (ISO 9000, for instance), quality methods (Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, etc.), quality competitions (Malcolm Baldridge Award), etc. These implement ways for business to manage the various levels of complexity in their organizations in an efficient way -- for the purpose of meeting customer expectations.

Churches have seen this, and noticed that they struggle with the same things. Little by little churches start adapting the methods, practices, and concepts of quality from the business community.

The problem is that quality does not mean a high standard of excellence. When it comes to businesses, quality means a very repeatable standard of excellence. In other words, McDonalds -- hands down a leader in business quality -- offers up a high-quality product: The Big Mac. I would not say that it's excellent, highly precise, or really even good. However, if you order a Big Mac in New York, and another one in California -- you will get the exact same thing. This is what business calls quality. (It's probably different from what you mean by "quality.")

One great effect this has on businesses is that customers rarely end up with a dud or a lemon or a defective part. The customer knows exactly what he's getting when he pays money to get the product. He knows there's very little risk of being disappointed. However, one minor side effect of this is that exceptionally great products don't get to the customer either. It's not because they're weeded out, but because the processes and procedures tend to prevent them from happening. (For example, you'll never get a Big Mac with ground sirloin for the meat.)

Churches adopt this way of thinking, and they end up with nice, neat, clean, wealthy, beautiful churches. Full of beautiful people serving God. Purpose-filled churches. Very safe. Very marketable.

So, what do you think? Total quality churches: good or bad? Is that what God wants? How have you seen it happen (or not happen)? What does it look like? Let me know. I've got more to say, but this article is already too long.

I hate long blog posts. I've implemented a policy that all blog posts shall be between 300 and 700 words, 2-6 external links, 0-2 photos, and at least 1 lame joke.

Sarah Palin

Could everyone, please, be just a little less shallow about this?

[Photo courtesy of the State of Alaska. Used without permission, but I think it's probably public record. URL of source: http://gov.state.ak.us/large_photo-55800.html]

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a virtual drum machine that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Whenever I need drums, and have no drummer to borrow (always), this is what I use.Programming drum beats is pattern-based, so it's generally easy to figure it out just by experimenting. But, if you need more direction, it also has a manual in several languages. It also has an easy-to-understand way to create custom drum kits using various recorded samples. For that reason, there's lots of different types of free drum kits available for it (see http://www.hydrogen-music.org/?p=drumkits).

While it's an integrated sequencer/sampler (for those of you who know what that means), it can also be controlled by an external sequencer via MIDI.

Hydrogen is also an excellent example of Free Software. About 2 1/2 years ago, the lead developer Alessandro Cominu (a.k.a. Comix) either got bored or frustrated with it, and stopped working on it. But, because the code is publicly available, other people were able to make their own fixes when needed.

One example, I wanted Hydrogen to have a new feature, support for something called JACK MIDI -- something that didn't exist 2 1/2 years ago. Using the source code, I was able to add the feature myself. Others had other features that they needed/wanted... and so development has started again.

One of the devs released a beta of the next version of Hydrogen, and I expect the new version to be ready in a month or two. It will include a tap tempo feature, lead/lag, advanced humanization, swing, some JACK features (but not MIDI, yet), and some bug fixes. JACK MIDI is slated for the version after this, but if you want to play with it right now, it's available in the jackMidi branch of the Subversion repository (http://www.hydrogen-music.org/svn/branches/jackMidi/).

BTW, I'll explain what JACK is in a future post. It's very similar to ReWire.

My Brudders

I'm proud to have 3 brothers. Two of them are special today. One is just, well, special. ;-)

JOSH

Today, my brother becomes a licensed minister. He's been a youth pastor for about 5 or 8 years (I think), and is currently the youth pastor for the Church of God in Greenville, TN. He's worked long and hard on the process of ordination, and becoming licensed is one of the steps along the way. He's written many papers, done much research and soul searching, and gone through "a lot" to get here.

I'm really proud of my "little" brother. He's in Chattanooga today (where we were born) at the State Minister's Meeting, and that's where they'll do the honors.

Congradulations, Josh!

[Note: Sorry, I don't have pictures handy for the other two....]

GREG

Greg turns 28 today! When I first met Greg, he was a slightly akward 13-year-old. Greg is the exception to the rule. He never learned to read music (not even in band with the French Horn) -- but he's one of the best guitar players I know. When we all said he was making a mistake by going to trade school, he proved that it wasn't a mistake. He's been slowly working his way up at Schneider Electric (Square D), going from the shop floor to a cushy desk job. *snicker* He and Amy recently moved to Nashville, so Wendie and I are excited about getting to see them more. (Columbia SC is a little "farther out.")

Happy Birthday, Greg!

ERIC

Eric is not special today, but he's always special. :-) Eric was imported into our family about 5 years ago through Wendie's sister, Kristina. Eric has a PhD in early christian studies (I think), loves to play and create games, and loves Kristina. Eric is an active lay-minister in the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), and currently is head of education for the school of their Church. Kristina made a good choice. :-)

But most importantly, Eric introduced me to Strong Bad.

I Wubb Uu, Eric!

Linux

I'm killing my 'Bible Blog' on wordpress (not because I like Blogger better -- not at all), and I'm opening up the scope of this 'Rock Log' to incorporate more of the things that interest me: Including the Bible and Computers. In the odd event that someone is seriously tracking the blog... I'll try to maintain good tags so that you can filter out the things you do/don't care about.

So in our first, not-quite-rock'n'roll installment....

LINUX

Linux is a computer operating system. It's an alternative to Microsoft Windows and to Mac OS X. It's called a free operating system because (a) you don't have to pay for it, and (b) it gives you rights to the source code so that you can modify it to suit you. Further, most of the software that runs on Linux is free in the same way. Linux is very popular for servers, but it also a good OS for desktop computing (you know, using a mouse and windows and stuff). A good number of web sites that you visit run on Linux. So does your TiVo.

I'm a computer geek, and I love Linux. I came to Linux after the 2nd or 3rd or 4th time I had to re-install Windows ME on our computer (either because an update killed the modem, or a computer virus that the kids found, or whatever). Since I had to reinstall, I figured I would also try something new. I'd heard about Linux and figured I would try it out -- and hopefully I wouldn't have to reinstall because my kids clicked on some adware.

Since then, my house has a server, 2 PC's, and a DAW (digital audio workstation) -- all running Linux. Both of my mother-in-laws now run Linux (administered by me). My mom likes it, my Dad understands (and tolerates it), and the jury is still out for my mother-in-law (I just set her up this weekend -- she was using Win98). The fastest computer in the lot is a PIII 800 MHz with about 512MB of RAM (i.e. all computers are typical of those sold in Y2K). My kids don't like it because they can't run Microsoft games on it.

...but they're free to spend their own money to buy Windows Vista. Or a Mac.

Is Linux for everyone? No. It's best for geeks who like to tinker, and for people who hate computers (but have a Linux zealot who will admin. the computer for them).

Do I have to format my hard drive to try linux? No. There are Live CD's and DVD's that you can download and burn. The best one is Knoppix. You pop it in your CD-ROM drive and reboot. It will boot from the CD-ROM and then run the whole Linux OS from your CD-ROM drive. You'll boot to a windows-like desktop that looks like this:



If you need help, give me a shout. I'll say more later (including how this relates to the Synth thread).

(Props to Larry Ewing for the "official" Linux penguin logos http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/)

Edit: I added the paragraph that briefly describes what Linux is - 2008-09-04 10:50 PM

Hey Hollywood

I'm going to see Hey Hollywood this Friday at The Door Dallas. Let me know if you want to go, too. :-)

How to embed audio in your blog

Many of us want to embed audio clips into our blog. Here's one way to do it. (There are many ways to do it... none of them are... well... easy.)

First, you need to have a service for hosting your audio files. You can't store them on blogger. Steve found box.net, but check this link for other services. For me, I usually put them on my own web server: gabe.is-a-geek.org.

Two warnings about doing this, though. First, using this method people will be able to directly download the audio file if they want. If you want pure streaming, you'll need one of those other services. Second, if you ever go and delete the file (or move it to a different location), you'll have a dead link in your blog (which is un-cool when people stumble across it in 3 years).

Now that you've got the audio in a form that you can get through a URL (for example, mine is at http://gabe.is-a-geek.org/audio/large-20071113.mp3), you will click the 'Edit Html' tab while editing your blog post and type in something like this:

<embed src="http://gabe.is-a-geek.org/audio/large-20071113.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" autostart="false" ></embed>

The people who read your blog will see something like this:

What they actually see depends on their operating system and what plugins they have installed. For example windoze users will probably see Windows Media Player. On the other hand, in Linux I haven't quite got a good media player for the browser... and with autostart='false' I don't know how to get it started. :-/

And, finally, the audio clip is a Christmas song that's a work-in-progress for me. For you who are non-musicians: don't freak that it sounds a little 80's, has a bad singer (me), and isn't exactly CD quality.

Prodigal Jon has a good post about musicians and artist and the importance that God places on them.

FYI, I'm not done with synthesizer/MIDI stuff. It's just been pretty busy lately... and I've been trying to get some sort of "hands on" way to demonstrate modular synths.

A Clarifiaction: Dreams and Debt

In a previous post I encouraged young rockers to go for it, and pointed out some common pitfalls. Since posting it, I've had some conversations and experiences that warranted a follow-up post.

GO FOR WHAT??

My own heart is to see musicians make a good try for it.... but I really mean whatever dream that God has put on your heart — whether that's chasing music, or business ventures, or inventions, or a Ph.D., or whatever. You have a window of opportunity between the ages of 17 and 23 that you will never, ever have again. It's apropos to use this time to do some serious dream chasing. However, music is unique in that if you don't chase it seriously during this phase of your life... you probably won't be able to ever pursue music as a serious vocation again (only as a hobby). Usually you can seriously go after the other stuff even after you become respectable.

So, whatever your dream is (even if people think it's silly), if you're young: go for it!

DEBT

If you have a car payment, a house payment, and an HDTV payment — that forces you to be respectable and hold down a regular job. This means no touring and infrequent practicing. Whatever you do, avoid all debts like it's a sin. It bogs you down. The Bible says that "The rich rules over the poor / And the borrower is slave to the lender." Don't be a slave.

Really, the more general theme is: avoid entanglements. Things that tie you down. Things that prevent you from moving freely toward your goal.

My baby's gone

When I first heard the overdrive on this amp, I thought, "It's like the finger of God." The thunder rolled, and rolled, and rolled. Nice and creamy overdrive. At the time it belonged to a friend of mine, Erick, who's now the guitar player for Hey Hollywood. I loved this amp... especially when he played it. It's a Crate Vintage Club 50 (VC-5310, for those keeping score).

Around 1999 or 2000 I started playing the electric guitar again (thanks Chris W.). Around that time I started to have a vision about putting together the rock band that became se7en. To make the endeavor work, I needed a real amp. With tubes. Around that time, Erick graduated high school and enrolled in a Master's Commission program, which is an intense 1-year discipleship thing. During that time, he was nice enough to let me borrow (and eventually buy) his amp. I used the amp to get some sounds that were close to the modern rock sound that I wanted (but it's more of a blues/classic rock amp). It wasn't until later that I understood what sort of tone I was going for. It was still fun to turn it up, though. And I made lot's of use of the effect loop insert to put my wah, chorus, and delay after the overdrive.

Se7en lasted about 2 or 3 years. We all learned a lot and enjoyed making music together. We even played at The Door once. We broke up as friends after coming to the conclusion that we wouldn't ever be able to achieve our goals.

It wasn't until 2006 that the amp saw real action again when I joined the band at New Hope. As it happens though, it's 50W glory fell pray to the stage loudness wars. ("Turn that thing down!") After a month or two, I borrowed Steve's Line 6 POD on a full time basis (going direct to the PA — without an amp). Then I bought my own POD. The amp spent a lot of time in the closet.

While posting it on craigslist, I started looking in to the specs. The amp was originally a 3x10, but had been modified to a 2x10 with Eminence speakers. (For you non-guitar players, that means that the amp had 3 speakers that measure 10" in diameter. Someone converted the amp to have 2 speakers that measure 12" in diameter. The larger speakers give you more bass and tone, and Eminence are top-of-the-line speakers.) They did such a good job in the conversion, I never really knew.

Well, I watched my baby leave tonight. My first real rock'n'roll tube amp. I sold it to the guy that owns the tattoo parlor in Wylie. A really nice guy who slings some tasty blues licks. It's sad to see her go, and it brings back lots of memories. At least she's going to a good home.

*sniff*

Youth is Wasted on the Young

"Youth is wasted on the young."
— George Bernard Shaw

"When I was young I knew everything
She a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now I'm guilt striken
Sobbing with my head on the floor"
— Vander Ark ("The Freshmen"/The Verve Pipe)

"Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now."
— Bob Dylan ("My Back Pages")

When you're young, the world is wide open to you. You're unencumbered, strong, and free. You can go whatever direction that you want. The problem is that you're also not very wise. Wisdom often comes after years of making the wrong choices. So, the old guys sit back... wishing we could get a second take. Also, you're often encumbered by what you think you should be doing (going to college, getting a job, etc.). This stuff usually smothers your dreams of making it as a band.

If you really want to make it as a band, give it a real try. Here's a few things I've seen over the years:

• Don't get married (yet). Marriages kill this dream faster than anything. There is one exception: If she (or he) is involved with the band. If she really digs being your manager or booking agent or bass player or just being around the band on tour — then it can still work. But if she doesn't want to tour with you, it just won't work.
• Don't have kids (yet). Kids don't belong on tour with a young rock band trying to make it. They need to be at home. There's no way to make it work if you have small kids.
  
• Don't be too responsible (yet). Holding down a full time job (and doing the band on the side) usually doesn't work. Business, manufacturing, retail: they don't care about you. And they're not going to be flexible and let you have the summer off to go on tour. They also want you to work 50-70 hour work weeks. But you need to be able to quit the job, go on tour, and then go find another job.
• Ask. Do research. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Talk to lots of people. Get lots of advice and feedback. On the road. Off the road. Make lots of contacts in the business. How do other bands do it? How long did it take them to "make it?"
  
• Believe in what you're doing. Believe that you can do it. After that, it comes down to luck.
• Stick together/Get outside encouragement. The music business is tough. What's also tough is being in a business partnership (aka "the band"). The most imporant thing is that the guys in the band remain friends. Also find someone who can speak into your lives and give you encouragement when your down.
• Vision. Know what you are about. Why are you doing this. Are you a clone of something old... or are you something new? What are you trying to accomplish... musically?
• Pick a leader. Democracy has its limits. At times you need one person who will be the point. Who will make the split calls. Who will cast the vision for the band. You'll get farther faster if you pick a leader.

If you're young, and your in a band, and your talented: Now is your chance! Right now, you would probably sleep under a bridge for a couple nights while on tour. It would be a little uncomfortable... but a little fun, too. Try doing that when there's a wife and 4 kids depending on your paycheck.

Go for it, guys!

The WSG (Wierd Sound Generator)

Over at Music From Outer Space, Ray Wilson has a DIY (Do It Yourself) synthesizer project called the Wierd Sound Generator. For a few bucks, you can buy the components (locally) and put it together yourself. Half the fun is making the enclosure (left as an exercise for the reader).

There's a few good Youtube videos that demonstrate this thing. Check your brain at the door.

• A standard-looking model.
• Potar and his son
• A guy modding it up to add lights.

I plan to make up one of these as a project to do with my kids. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sequencing

Often, a band will get in to MIDI and synthesizers so that they can extend the sonic range of the band without adding another member. For example, you might have a song that would sound really good with an orchestra background. But, you don't want to have a 90-pc. orchestra waiting off-stage so that you can do that one song some justice. Synthesizers can help you get some of those extra sounds to round out your performance. Using a sequencer can also help you automate some of your other moves (like changing patches on your guitar rig so that you're not tied down to your pedalboard).

When we talked before about MIDI, we said that note information is going across the wire. Note that timing information is not.[1] So, if you just dump all the note information into the synthesizer then the synth will play all the notes as fast as it can. This is usually not what you want. A sequencer will keep track of note information and timing information so that you can record a performance and then play it back later. The sequencer, when playing a piece, will send all the text messages at the right time. So, think of the sequencer doing this:

"Dude #1: Play a C#"
(to self: one mississippi, two mississippi)
"Dude #1: OK, stop the C# and play a D. Dude #2 play an F#"
(to self: one mississippi)
"Dude #2: Stop the F# and then play an F#"
(to self: one mississippi, two mississippi)
"Dude #1: Stop playing all your notes and then switch to your Piano sound"
....

There's a couple ways to create a sequence. If you don't have any MIDI controllers, you need a sequencing program like Rosegarden, Cakewalk, Cubase, etc. Using the programs it's possible to enter in the notes by hand. (I'll probably explain the typical methods later.) The other (better) way is to record your performance with this sort of setup:

You plug the MIDI OUT of your keyboard (controller) into the MIDI IN of the sequencer. You also need to set up the Keyboard so that the notes you press only go to MIDI OUT (and they don't make any noise). Then, you connect the MIDI OUT of the sequencer into the MIDI IN on the keyboard. If your keyboard is also a synthesizer, configure it to "listen" to the incoming data. Make sure these are happening on the same channels. If you have any more synths, plug them up using the MIDI THRU ports.

The sequencer needs to be configured to echo incoming notes. But what this setup will do is allow the sequencer to record what you're doing as the messages are being sent to the synthesizers. The sequencers are able to record note info, the status of your pitch wheel, and knob/mod-wheel tweaks you make, and "patch" changes (when you change the synth voice).

After you've recorded it, the sequencer has note data — not audio. So you can fix mistakes, change keys, change tempo, etc. You can also insert stuff. For example, if you put a Line 6 Pod into your synth chain, you can send messages to the Pod that will change the patch you are on, change the volume, turn on/off the wah, set the delay time, etc. (This allows your guitar player the freedom of jumping off amplifiers instead of standing at his pedal board.)

USING IT LIVE

Sequencers are pencil-necked, inflexible, perfect people to play with. If a sequencer was a human, you'd call him a jerk because he doesn't listen to the band. If you're playing with a sequencer, it's his way or the highway. (One notable exception is Ableton's Live.) If you play with a sequence (even from Live) on stage, you will need to make sure that the band is fully synchronized on the tempo. The most common way to do this is with a click. This like a metronome that only the band hears while performing. Usually, at least the drummer will have the click, but anyone else who is going to be playing with the sequence will need to hear the click. The band will also need have the song progressions memorized. (Intro → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Bridge → Chorus → Chorus → Outro).

If the band gets off the sequence, there is no recovery.[2] You either have to stop the sequence or grasp to get back on track. Here's a few ways to get the click:

• Dedicate a synth (like the sequencer's built-in drum machine) to giving the click. The audio output of that synth will either go straight to the drummer's headphones, or into the mixing console the controls the stage monitors.
• If you're using a high-end keyboard with extra outputs (e.g. Left, Right, 1, and 2), you can often route the click to one of the auxiliary outputs). Or if you are using a softsynth and a break-out box with several outs, you can use one of those outs for your click.
• If your keyboard has stereo outputs and is able to do more than one sound at once (multi-timbral), you can dedicate the Left output to your real music, and then use the Right output for your click sounds.
• If you guys are musician gawdz, you can watch a blinking lights on the sequencer's console for the tempo.

Someone will have to be dedicated to starting and stopping the sequences. If you have a keyboard player or a DJ... that's his job. Otherwise this usually falls to the drummer. However, the drummer usually has too many things going on already... so a guitar player with a MIDI foot controller might be a better option.

USING IT LIVE (Take 2)

What we've talked about so far is a MIDI setup that is inflexible and pre-recorded. You also have to lug around synths and set them up. You have to make sure that they're all talking to each other. All set up so that the synths will make freaky sounds while you're playing cool leads on the guitar. Why are we doing all this again?

You might consider recording (audio) all this stuff. Put the synth sounds on the Left. Put your click on the Right. Load it into an MP3 player (or iPod if you live an iLife in an iBand) and plug the output into separate inputs of the PA/Monitors. It's the same thing, right? And it weighs a lot less. If you have some loopers, you can possible load them into that for real-time rearrangement.

You might be thinking, "But... but... my synths are all sound awesome in stereo. If I put all the audio on the Left... then I lose my stereo. I just can't live with that!" The answer to this is simple: 99.9% of the places that you are going to play have a Mono mix for the PA. And if they do use a stereo mix... it's not for what you think it's for. Use all the stereo you want in the studio. On stage, you have to deal with mono. Even if you give the sound engineer a stereo signal, he's going to combine them into one, single, mono signal.[3]

ONE LAST WARNING (STUCK NOTES)

Remember how in MIDI there's a command for note on and a separate command for note off? What happens if you send the note off command... but the synthesizer was too busy to heed your instruction? What if the sequencer forgot to send it? What if the patch that you chose has an infinite delay loop that has become very odious sounding? Then, my friend, you have a stuck note. There's a special MIDI command for "EVERYBODY BE QUIET!!!" There's another one for "DUDE #4, WOULD YOU *PLEASE* BE QUIET." This is often called the "Panic" button or "All notes off." There's often one on the front of the synth. Otherwise you can send these messages (CC means Control Change):

• For a single channel: CC#123 All Notes Off
• For all channels: CC#125 (Omni Mode On/"Everyone be quiet and listen"), CC#124 (Omni Mode Off/"As you were...")
  

You usually don't need to know those 3 control codes... it's usually already set up in your sequencer. Know where it is before you get on stage.

SUMMARY

So, to wrap up, here's what you should take away from this one:

• You can use a sequencer to automate your synthesizers.
• You can use the sequencer to automate your other digital gear.
• You must have a click set up if you're going to use a sequence.
• Instead of a sequence, consider using a stereo recording with the audio on the Left and the click on the Right.
• Know where the panic button is (all notes off).
  

Y'all have fun!

[1] - Actually, there are some special situations where timing information does go across the wire, but we won't get in to that.
[2] - Although, I've been working on something for Linux and the Jack audio server that allows for real-time tempo adjustment, beat skipping, etc.
[3] - Whether you like it or not, this is the convential wisdom for PA design. The idea is that the stereo mix is only effective for a person sitting in a single spot in your auditorium. That is to say, a stereo mix is not effective for 99.9% of the listeners. Plus, if you pan the guitar to the left, the folks on the right will not hear him. At all. Therefore almost all PA's in all bars, churches, and concerts are set up with a mono mix. Whether you like it or not. Agree or disagree. This is what you will find and complaints about having depth of sound will fall on deaf ears as they roll their eyes at you. And chances are that you are wrong. :-)

How Synthesizers Make Noise

While playing keyboard, you make lots of cool sounds if you tweak some of the knobs while you are playing. In fact, this is what makes a keyboard player different from a piano player who is playing on a keyboard. To tweak the knobs, it helps to know what it is you are tweaking. Today, I'll describe oscillators, filters, envelope generators, and how they work together.

Most of you have seen an audio waveform like this before:
...and most of you intuitively know what this is and what it's doing. If you don't, leave a comment and I'll go back and explain it. If you zoom in on a small section, you'll see this:
Notice how it's an oscillating signal. It's our goal to create a slightly complex waveform like this. This one is a little jagged because it is the combination of drums, guitars, bass, and several synths. So, since our goal is to create an oscillating signal, the typical way a synthesizer works is to start with an easy-to-get oscillating signal, and then season it to taste. Here's logically how most amplifiers process it:

This is what each part is and does:

• OSCILLATOR: This is the fundamental audio signal. It can be a sine wave, a square wave, a saw tooth wave, a recording of something (sample), noise, or anything else you could dream up.
• FILTER: This is like a tone control on your guitar amp or on a radio. Another way to think of it is that it's like an equalizer. It mutates the incoming signal to reduce (or enhance) certain frequencies.
• AMPLIFIER: This makes the signal larger (lounder) or smaller (quieter). This part is pretty boring except for.....

ENVELOPE GENERATORS

Have you ever turned down the volume knob on your guitar, pluck the note, and then raise the volume? Kind of give a glassy or violin sound, doesn't it? Or how about played with a wah pedal? You pluck the note and move the pedal — which gives is a new dimension while you play it. Well, the volume knob swell is like an envelope generator for the amplifier. The wah pedal is like an envelope generator for a filter. An envelope generator changes the settings of your oscillator, filter, and/or amplifier in a time-dependent way. The most common approach to an envelope generator is the ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release) envelope. Here's an image that explains the ADSR envelope applied to the amplifier (the bottom axis is time):

• ATTACK: After the signal to start playing a note (key pressed), this determines how fast and how loud the note should be (initially). To get a really harsh attack (like a trumpet), the attack time is short and the amplitude is high. To get a really soft attack (like spacey music that goes bwwwwaaaaaAAAAAHHH), the attack time is set much longer.
• DECAY: After finishing the attack phase, this sets how the amplitude should change. For an organ or violin, there often is no decay at all. However, for a plucked instrument (guitar) or brass instrument, the decay will usually drop back down substantially.
• SUSTAIN: After finishing the decay phase, if your finger is still pushing the keyboard for the note, this is how loud it will be while you hold the note. It is not time dependent.
• RELEASE: This determines how fast the note should go away after the key is released. For an organ, the signal will immediately drop, for percussion this usually has no meaning, but for something like a piano it takes time for the instrument to stop vibrating.
  

Most folks only play with the ADSR on the amplifier/amplitude. However, you can do some other cool things by using the EG's (envelope generators) for the other parts as well.

HANDS ON

This is all pretty boring unless you have something to play with. If you already have a synthesizer... get a hold of its manual and find out how to change all these settings on one of your tones. (Pick a simple tone like a flute, or start one from scratch.) Or perhaps you could visit a local music store and find a MicroKorg or a Moog to play with. (I did that yesterday, and it was pretty phun.) You can also find a softsynth and play around with its settings. Here's some softsynth suggestions:

• Windows/Mac: Check Out KeyToSound's Remedy
  
• Linux: ZynAddSubFx
  

And don't forget: have fun!

Notes and further reading:

• To see what an analog oscillator circuit looks like, check out this sine wave oscillation circuit.
• Sine wave scope image courtesy of , and permission is granted on that site to use its content for non-commercial use.
• The ADSR envelope image courtesy of tge Wikipedia article ADSR Envelope and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. That article also has a lot more info on the ADSR Envelope concept.
  

MIDI Basics (Musical Text Messaging)

When dealing with Sythesizers, you will end up messing with MIDI, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Because it is easy to implement, it is almost universally implemented electronic musical instruments, from synths to guitar amplifiers to video projectors. It allows you to chain together several dissimilar devices and have them do the Right Thing.

MIDI is pretty much Morse Code. When you hit middle C on your keyboard, the keyboard will send a MIDI message that says, "Dude: Play middle C kinda quiet." MIDI does not send audio. Just the code. Literally, it sends this message in morse code: 9A 60 31.

• 9 means "play a note."
• A means "Dude:" (specifically, dude #11).
• 60 is middle C (so, 61 is C#, 62 is D...).
• 31 is "kinda quiet" on a scale of 0 to 127. (0 is silent).

These letters are sent over the modem to the synthesizer. The synthesizer says, "Hey, that's me!" and produces generates a middle C. So, you see, there's no music going across the wire. It's just note numbers. Data. In a lot of ways, MIDI is a lot like ethernet, telephones, modems, and text messaging. u dwn W dat?

Notice above that A was "Dude #11." A single MIDI wire can only transmit over 16 channels (i.e. 16 dudes). However, it's possible for 2 or dudes (synths, sequencers) to listen to the same channel. Most devices have a setup where you select the "MIDI Channel(s)" to listen (or transmit) on.

You probably first encountered MIDI by seeing this:

These are called MIDI ports, and here's what they mean:

• MIDI IN - Messages coming in to the device. If this is a synth, you would plug your keyboard controller in to this port.
• MIDI OUT - Messages coming from this device. So, if this is a keyboard (or controller), then the note messages will come out of this port.
• MIDI THRU - This port will make an exact copy of everything that comes from the MIDI IN port, and resend the messages. This will not contain any of the data that is coming out of MIDI OUT. (However, some devices will allow you to do this.)
  

The MIDI THRU port is useful for creating a MIDI Chain, a one-way connected path for midi messages to go through. A really typical MIDI Chain is as follows:


One keyboard (or sequencer or computer) can send messages to a bunch of synths that are chained together. Notice that we're making good use of the MIDI THRU port. You will typically set Synth #1 to Channel 1, Synth #2 to Channel 2, etc. This way, you can have an analog synth making really cool analog sounds, and a sampling synth doing brass or strings, and a drum machine. All of them doing what they do best. From the keyboard, you can change the sounds, volume, pitchwheel, etc., etc.

You can chain together more than 16 synths. However, you will have to have 2 or more that will play the same thing at the same time. Often, you will do this to make cool multitimbral sounds — sounds made by combining other dissimilar sounds.

That's enough for today. The basic things that you should take away are these:

• MIDI is like a text messaging system, and there's several types of commands that you can use it for.
• There are 16 channels on MIDI. You can only do 16 things at a time on a single MIDI chain.
  
• Understand what the MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU ports do.
• Understand how to chain devices together.

Kids' Rock

Check out this video.

Synthesizer 101

As I journey into the world of synthesizers, I've noticed that nobody really lays out what it all means to the musician. The problem is that most of the info I've found sort of assumes that I already know what I'm looking for. I can find lots of stuff that talks about LFO's, arpeggiators, and samples... but few that have helped me piece everything together. So, I'm going to take a few blog posts to talk about synthesizers, and how a rock musician can make the most of them.

To start with, you have to understand how everything is layed out in the synth world, and where the boundaries are. Take a look at this diagram, and I'll define what each word means:

• Musician: This is the guy who is creating the music. It's usually a warm body. Sometimes it can be a computer that is creating the music.
• Controller: This is what the musician actually touches so that the music will be made. Usually, it looks like a piano keyboard. However, controllers can take many shapes... including a guitar, saxaphone, trumpet, and wierd antenna thingy (like the Moog Etherwave Theremins). The controller does not make any noise (unless you drop it on the floor... but that's not the kind of noise you want.)
  
• Sequencer: This is like an automatic musician, but it's actually just a computer. The musician will program the notes and whatnot for a song (usually using the controller). The sequencer will then play back the notes, sending the signals to the sequencer at the right time so that the song has an actual tempo.
• Synthesizer: This is a device that actually makes noises. It's usually an electronic device in a box that you never see (thus the transistor icon). It responds to signals coming from the controller and/or the sequencer. It doesn't care if it's being played by a controller (i.e. a musician) or by a sequencer. All it sees is incoming notes... and it generates tones according to the incoming signal and its current settings and parameters (typically called a patch).
• Listener: Obviously, the tones from the synth are sent to an amplifier and then heard by a person. However, sometimes it's a recording device... or perhaps another signal processor. I put it here because it represents the complete process.

The blue arrows represent a signal flow from one part to the next. Between the controller, sequencer, and synthesizer the data communication is usually done through a standard protocol called MIDI, but not always. In the old days, before MIDI, it was often done by sending a voltage signal. The voltage represented the desired pitch, and the pitch change was 1 volt per octave.

This is a very flexible system. You can purchase all-in-one systems (like the Yamaha S08). However, you can also break it up and just buy a controller (M-Audio's Axiom 49), sequencer (a PC running MusE or Steinberg's Cubase), and/or a synthesizer (Dave Smith Instrument's ). Because MIDI is the standard communication protocol between them, it's easy to mix and match components. But even if you buy an all-in-one package it is important to know where the divisions are. The all-in-one systems are usually logically divided up like this, and use these terms.

What's more, these days you can do all three on a computer. It's not uncommon for me to use the computer keyboard as my controller, use a software sequencer (MusE, Rosegarden, or seq24), and use a softsynth (a software synthesizer like ZynAddSubFx or FluidSynth).

In future posts I plan to talk about musicianship with synthesizer (i.e. how to use them for music), MIDI, the basics of how a synthesizer creates tones (internally), samples, loops, some of the different types of synthesizers on the market, and integrating it all into a live setup.

Gear Lust

Most guitar players lust after guitars and tube amps. Steve yearns for a Les Paul. Mike for a Rickenbacker. Nice guitars. I'd sure like a Taylor and another Electric. But as it happens, my friend James has turned me to the dark side:


(Click here for a YouTube video of a guy putting it through its paces.)

The Dave Smith Poly Evolver Keyboard. It's got 2 digital oscillators, and 2 analog oscillators, and 4 low-frequency oscillators. (Oscillators are the basic building blocks of how a synth generates sound.) It makes some really quality wacked-out sounds. You can even plug in a guitar and use it like an effects processor on the guitar.

And it has lots and lots of knobs.

This is cool, because lately I've been programming my Church's Korg Triton LE. Lots fewer knobs. So, to change any of the parameters you have to hit [MENU] [F3] [OK] [F5] [UP] [UP] [RIGHT] [RIGHT] [RIGHT] (oops) [LEFT] [INC] [INC] [INC] [MENU] [F1] [OK] [F1]. With the Evolver or (or a Moog Voyager), you just reach up and tweak the knob.

*sigh*

Monster Cables

A couple years ago, I needed a new guitar cable with a 90° jack. I went to Guitar Center to pick one out. The cable I liked was an 18-foot Monster Cable (Performer 500 Instrument Cable). It was big, large-gage wire. There was one problem: the jacks are molded.

If the jack breaks, I won't be able to repair it (by re-soldering the connection or something). In the past, I've had really bad luck with 90° jacks. So, I ask the sales guy about it (hoping he'd point me to the cable that I wanted). He said, "I'll make you a better offer: If it ever breaks, just bring in both pieces and we'll give you a new one. It comes with a lifetime warranty." I said, "Cool." I was sold.

I bought the cable, but I didn't quite believe them. After opening the package, the Limited Lifetime Warranty read a little different. So, I made sure to save my receipt in case I ever needed it.

And recently, I needed it. The 90° jack failed me. If you moved the cable while playing, it would short circuit. And I though, "Oh, great! Now I get to find out that I've been had." So I took the cable back to Guitar Center today. I prepared my story and everything.

However, it was pretty painless. They asked what was wrong with it and said, "Yeah... broken jack. We replace them for that." And they gave me a new cable. Pretty cool.

So, the whole sales pitch about being "optimally engineered for the best instrument performance possible" — that's just guitar player talk. Don't pay attention to it. But it's a good cable with a lifetime warranty — and do pay attention to that.

I like my Monster Cable. :-)

Art Rock (What's that song about?)

Sometimes when I listen to music I get too cought up in the meaning of the song. I spend time analyzing the lyrics to try and figure out what they are saying. I try and figure out what they are getting at. Sometimes I'll refuse to like a song until I understand it. Or sometimes I'll like a song until I find out what it's about. Do you do this? It gets even worse when you characterize yourself as a Christian artist. Now you have the implied responsibility of communicating some truth or encouragement to the listener.

There are two secular albums that are changing my attitude in this regard: Radiohead's In Rainbows and The Killers' Sam's Town. (Warning to parents: Sam's Town has some mildly offensive material.) Many of the songs on these albums actuall have no real meaning. Rather, they are trying to convey emotions and situational feelings.

One great example is Radiohead's Wierd Fishes. There's not a real story or a situation. It's more like something we encounter all the time. At the beginning of the song it's like we're following something exciting. Chasing a dream maybe. And the more we go after it, the more exciting it becomes. We chase it faster. Then all of the sudden: we're stranded. And things become very akward and uncertain. You will probably experience the song a little differently. You might think of it as a person rather than a dream. Or a journey. Or you might think of fishes. But chances are that the emotions will be similar.

At the end of Sam's Town is a song called "Exitlude" that starts like this:

Agressively
We all defend the role we play
Regrettably
Times come to send you on your way

We've seen it all
Bonfires of trust
Flash floods of pain

It doesn't really matter
Don't you worry it'll all work out
No, it doesn't even matter
Don't you worry that ain't what it's all about

So... when listening to music... sometimes you need to chill out and just experience it. And for Christian artists... sometimes we need to write a few pieces that convey something of the emotion and maybe a little less logic. Even in a worship piece. Now, that's not to say that we should be cavalier about truth... and allow untrue things into our worship songs. No, instead I'm giving you permission to write worship songs that aren't exactly clear in what they are talking about or what they are getting at. Pieces that are getting at the experience of God and the oly rather than the truth of God.

Chord Charts (Guitar)

My kids wanted some chord charts for the guitar. Heres a few good ones:

1. For beginners (1 pg., G/C/D/etc.)
   
2. For advanced players (7 pages, HTML/PDF/Postscript)
3. Both

When I get a chance, I'll make my own charts and place them in the public domain. In the meantime, enjoy these links. :-)

Counting past 4

Know of any good praise and worship music in odd meters? The answer is probably no. The conventional wisdom is "it's hard for people to worship God if they can't find the beat." But the problem is hardly ever with the listener finding the beat, it's the musicians who are dying! To prove my point, here are several "odd meter" songs that are very popular and people hardly ever lose the beat:

• Pink Floyd's "Money." The song is basically in 7/4... but some measures are in 6/4 and some measures are in 8/4. You never lose the beat... but as a casual, non-7/4 listener... there's something mysterious about the song that you can't quite grasp.
• Dave Brubeck's "Take Five." The whole song is 5/4. You don't get lost as long as you don't keep track.
• One reason Mat Kearney's song "Nothing Left to Lose" got so popular is the cadence at the end of the chorus when he sings, "...Push the pedal down / Watch the world around fly by us." He inserts a 2/4 measure in the 4/4 song to give the funny cadence. (Thanks, Courtney, for pointing that out to me!)
• Charlie Hall's "All We Need" is about as close as we get in praise and worship music. (Yes, I know there's a non sequitur 5/8 measure in Chris Tomlin's "Famous One.") The whole song is 4/4, but he sings the verses in 7-bar phrases to keep the song moving... giving you a slightly funny feeling when it happens. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
  

So why do it? It all comes down to your melody. What suits your melody well? Chances are, though... having been fed 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 since you were a baby (for 3 square meals a day)... you brain just plain works in 4/4. Even worse: did you start with a beat/chord progression and use that to inspire a melody?

So, that's why I've been intentional about odd meters for the past few months. Recording 5/4 and 7/4 rhythms and improvising over them. Trying to get a feel for where the stresses can/could/should happen. Trying to write a song in 5/4 or 7/4 without it sounding like it's 5/4 or 7/4. One morning, I even woke up with a melody in my head. After I recorded it, I realized it was in 7/4.

What I've been finding is that you can evoke some different moods and funny feelings by doing this. Generally, it ends up working a little like "All We Need" where you've created a little extra anticipation because of the "dropped" beat. Nobody really notices it, but they get sort of a sense of yearning or desire.

So, what are you experimenting with these days?