Scurvy Lass is no more. Unless I find an eye-patch and a parrot, and decorate my bike with a pirate theme. Which I'm not ruling out.
But, for music anyway, Niamh de Barra I am and will be from now on. What I make isn't jokey, so the jokey name was a bit incongruous. I'd found it easier to make stuff if I was behind a semi-pisstake name, giving the impression I wasn't taking myself too seriously. Enough of that!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The tyranny of choice
Well,
January was a bit of a damp squib. Quel surprise. Wrote feck all music, due in part to my desire to "change direction", and also the fact that I got loads of new toys. The desire to change direction and the acquisition of new toys is a chicken and egg scenario, but stems from an innate dissatisfaction with what you're doing (I find). "I wish I was more edgy/dancey/experimental/abstract/fun/etc etc etc."
Found a lovely quote by a chap called Rabbi Zusya that both summed up and eradicated my fretting. "In the world to come, I shall not be asked, 'Why were you not Moses?' I shall be asked, 'Why were you not Zusya?'" Tis a very simple realisation (once you've realised it!), but very hard to see when you're in the middle of it.
It's fierce distracting as well to get a field recorder, new keyboard, and a rake of plug-ins and soft synths. And Reaktor. As well as trying to learn more about Ableton Live, my primary tool, which I've thus far only used on the most simple level.
Well, small steps. I'm glad the collywobbles are gone for the meantime though.
January was a bit of a damp squib. Quel surprise. Wrote feck all music, due in part to my desire to "change direction", and also the fact that I got loads of new toys. The desire to change direction and the acquisition of new toys is a chicken and egg scenario, but stems from an innate dissatisfaction with what you're doing (I find). "I wish I was more edgy/dancey/experimental/abstract/fun/etc etc etc."
Found a lovely quote by a chap called Rabbi Zusya that both summed up and eradicated my fretting. "In the world to come, I shall not be asked, 'Why were you not Moses?' I shall be asked, 'Why were you not Zusya?'" Tis a very simple realisation (once you've realised it!), but very hard to see when you're in the middle of it.
It's fierce distracting as well to get a field recorder, new keyboard, and a rake of plug-ins and soft synths. And Reaktor. As well as trying to learn more about Ableton Live, my primary tool, which I've thus far only used on the most simple level.
Well, small steps. I'm glad the collywobbles are gone for the meantime though.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A few words about words
Words in music - yea or nay? Well, that's a stupid question, especially if you take into account the spectrum between Stravinsky and wee djs to Elliott Smith and any Anticon nerdy wordy hiphop. In general (yoiks!, a gross generalisation!), I could do without it in most dance music. Another horror movie sample/filthy durrrty girl talking about cunnilingus/70s cartoon sample/posh English guy talking about drugs. SNORE.
As for vocal, song-based music, I'm not going to say anything about people who aren't American singing in American accents. Nope, not going to say anything about that. Nothing. Not one word.
Dot dot dot.
Although a lot of the music I listen to is free of The Word, I'm big into the words myself. I cut my musical teeth singing in a kiddies' choir, and later writing lyrics and supplying vocals for Ed. And there's all those "My best friend is Rog, He is a black dog" poems from eeehhh last year. The songs on the EP are just that; songs. I take a lot of care with my lyrics, and thus far at least, they're hugely important, so I decided to include them in the sleeve. Writing them out was kinda cool, laying them out Just So on the page. None of this old hat "left to right" nonsense.
I put them on MySpace, but it moved everything all over the shop. Aye aye, so many problems! They'll look pretty nice in that sexy sleeve though.
As for vocal, song-based music, I'm not going to say anything about people who aren't American singing in American accents. Nope, not going to say anything about that. Nothing. Not one word.
Dot dot dot.
Although a lot of the music I listen to is free of The Word, I'm big into the words myself. I cut my musical teeth singing in a kiddies' choir, and later writing lyrics and supplying vocals for Ed. And there's all those "My best friend is Rog, He is a black dog" poems from eeehhh last year. The songs on the EP are just that; songs. I take a lot of care with my lyrics, and thus far at least, they're hugely important, so I decided to include them in the sleeve. Writing them out was kinda cool, laying them out Just So on the page. None of this old hat "left to right" nonsense.
I put them on MySpace, but it moved everything all over the shop. Aye aye, so many problems! They'll look pretty nice in that sexy sleeve though.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Bye bye Christmas!
The bad workman blames his tools, they say. They (all-seeing, all-knowing, talk like your ma) don't realise that the bad workman can find ANYTHING to blame. My favourite these last few weeks has been Christmas.
"There's no point! I'll only get started and then I'll have to stop for a few weeks. The parties, the socialising, the inevitable, obligatory hangovers!!" Et-bleedin-cetera.
Well, no more!
"There's no point! I'll only get started and then I'll have to stop for a few weeks. The parties, the socialising, the inevitable, obligatory hangovers!!" Et-bleedin-cetera.
Well, no more!
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