Musician

It Doesn’t Come With a Monkey

Musician

To absolutely no one’s surprise, I’ve bought a barrel organ.

It’s one of those things that you imagine an Italian man with a monkey rolling down the street and cranking. Don’t be too concerned — The one I bought is a half-size version.

They weren’t produced for quite a while until a Spanish company started making them again in the 1950s. They were made in both organ and piano versions — something I did not know. Mine is a piano version. It has something wrong with the cogs inside, but that’s hopefully an easy fix. They’re pretty simple machines.

Here are some photos of what I bought and a few I found (same model) on the internet.

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The barrel part of “barrel organ” is a metal cylinder that sits inside the instrument that plays six different songs. In a few minutes I’ll be off to research where I can buy different barrels so I can add songs.

I imagine buying a stuffed animal monkey in a fancy costume and taking the instrument and my new plushy friend to events at church or in the park across the street. =)

“O sole mioooooooo …”

Creature of the Night

Goals, Musician, Personal

I’m a nighttime person.

Undeniably, part of the reason that I most enjoy the late hours is that everyone else is asleep (and leaving me alone). I understand and appreciate the privilege in my schedule — I have time to do things I enjoy, I can do some of my work while I am resting, and in fact, I enjoy my work.

I like where I have arrived. There were unavoidable years of survival jobs and work in music which necessitated long hours. There was returning to school to learn new instruments or improve skills. I’m thankful for all this, and also thankful that it’s now in the past.

I have a been assistant to a broker on the trading floor of a private bank. I have been a buyer’s assistant for QVC. I have been on corporate national tours. I have worked in retail at a record store. I have been a classroom teacher. I have been the receptionist for the office of a celebrity talk show. I have been a pit musician.

With all this past (and plenty left out), days are calm. Almost invariably, this is what my days look like.

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9:00 am

10:00 am

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12:00 pm

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2:00 pm

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6:00 pm

11:00 pm

2:00 am

Wake Up, shower.

Answer work emails, book work, planning, etc.

Composition, orchestration, recording time.

Teaching private students (piano, theory, music exploration).

Rest, watch a play or documentary; or DIY work.

Read, write a blog post.

Bed time.

I suppose the moral of the story is that it’s best to work hard honing your (practical) gifts and putting them into practice, working toward a long-term goal of peace and enjoyment.

Or at least, it worked for me.

Treasonous Medieval Electronica

Musician

Don’t tell King John (1166-1216).

For better or for worse, here’s a small sample of the music & recording project I am working on.

As I mentioned, it’s chill electronica/deep house using medieval influences, melodies, and sometimes instruments. I know it’s weird. It has a element of soundscape to it as well.

I’m planning on doing eight tracks. Each one will have its own location and “story,” as this one does.

I figure eight tracks is good for an album, especially with these tending to be around four minutes. I’ll put it up on iTunes/Amazon/Spotify when all tracks are done and if people stumble upon it and enjoy it, that’s great. =)

Medieval Tavern Chill

Musician

As you probably know, I’m a musician.

Like, that’s my job and I’m on salary. As well as creating and playing music, I teach privately, just outside New York City. Piano and organ are my primary instruments, but I teach other music-y things too.

I always like to have a fun project going, something diverting and unusual. I realized that in the car I’ve been listening to the “Chill” station on SiriusXM more often. I also love medieval music.

“Well, why not?” I thought. So, I’m working on a project that is essentially chill/electronica/downtempo/deep house, but takes melodies and inspiration from medieval English and Welsh music. How’s that for specific? LOL

I normally use PreSonus Notion for classical (etc) composing and recording, but for this, I decided to use GarageBand. Seemed fun, more appropriate, bit of a novelty for me. I even bought myself a new Bluetooth controller keyboard. =)

I’m approaching it differently than the usual hobbyist would. While I am using loops (because that’s the nature of the music), I’m not using premade Apple (etc) loops. That is, I am playing and recording my own stuff.

Perhaps my more classical approach will show up in the sound. For instance, I’ve used the chord progressions from the original Welsh and English tunes, but funked them up; and I have a particular Mozart jam from the Requiem that I want to get in there somewhere.

I’m thinking of doing eight, but I’ll post a recording when I get this first track done.