Recently I started experimenting with open-tunings and it has opened new musical ideas
In the past I found that replacing the low E string on the guitar with a D string from a bass held pitch better, and also that DADGAD was a lot of fun for riffing.
One time I settled on DDAE tuning, which was interesting as it switched around notes when picking arpeggios.
Anyway, this time I've gone for DGDGBD and really like the way it sits sorta between a guitar and a bass.
It was using that tuning that I started writing the song in the video at the top.
However, a recent Junto project asked for a remix and I thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit the song.
I knew there would be vocal performances that were close enough to layer together for the thick sound one gets through doubling.
The remix below worked from those pieces and added a 909 beat and a wubby bass part.
Being long-sighted and having man-hands mean that I find the interface frustrating to use.
They sound terrible too.
The ringtones might be polyphonic but the speaker still sounds like a shrill piece of plastic.
However, I recently returned to full-time work and they insisted I'd need one.
One of the IT guys couldn't believe I didn't have a phone, but I wasn't going to list the ways an iPhone had disrupted my life five years earlier -- especially since he was clearly an Android user.
The phone they gave me has been useful for the demands of checking-in at supermarkets, now that COVID-19 contact tracing is part of our lives.
And it's quicker to see if there's an email waiting for me, although I will use a computer to reply.
The phone makes strange noises at times and I haven't learned what they mean.
I've disabled a lot of the apps but some of them still seem to announce themselves.
Anyway, last week the Disquiet Junto project asked for a transformed sound and I thought I'd try to improve the ringtone of the mobile phone.
I've slowed it down and replaced the instrument with a piano that has a lot of character.
There might be a way that I could use this piece as the ringtone, but I worry that might change my relationship with the mobile phone.
My family recently undertook a comparison of five takeaway hamburgers and chips in Leeton
In the details below you'll see I've included some basic observations about each, as well as noting weight and price.
Our order at each venue was for a plain hamburger and a minimum of chips with sizes varying as well as prices.
Some venues asked whether we were happy to have tomato and beetroot in the salad and one asked if we wanted cheese, but we didn't accept as that might be considered a cheeseburger.
The plain hamburgers shared in common the beef patty, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and bun.
They each differed in ways that make this comparison an exercise with contrasts and I expect the ratio of ingredients will vary between preparations and probably changes depending on staff at each venue too.
We split these five hamburgers over two meals and bought our favourite from the first round a second time to assist in calibrating our taste buds.
It was also interesting to note the burger from Luke's was 9 grams heavier when we bought it on the weekend, compared to the second one we bought on a weekday.
Country Fried Chicken:
Burger had beefiest tasting patty and lots of lettuce. 327 grams / $8
Chips were crisp, golden and fluffy inside. 439 grams / $2
Golden Fried Chicken:
Burger had a sourdough bun with noticeable butter. 317 grams / $7.50
Chips were served, rather cooked specifically for the order and didn’t seem as crisp (but had been brought home in a plastic bag). 507 grams / $4.40
Luke’s Cafe:
Burger had oregano added to patty and a noticeably toasted sesame bun. 284 and 275 grams / $7.50
Chips were crisp and highly rated, possibly the oil. 519 grams / $3
Tourist Supermarket:
Burger had lots of fried onion, which gave a sweet flavour. 333 grams / $11
Huge serve of chips with some crispiness. 909 grams / $3
Amesbury Crossing Family Store:
Burger tasted grilled and seemed to contain more salad (tomato and beetroot were prominent as well as mixed lettuce leaves rather than just iceberg). 326 grams / $6
Chips might have been served and came home in a plastic bag in a box branded GFC. 258 grams / $2.50
Conclusion
It’s worth noting that family members had differing opinions but the adults largely agreed on the following preferences.
Overall the Amesbury burger was the favourite and Luke’s a second place, but they were quite different in the style of patty and the amount of salad.
Overall Country Fried offered the favourite chips, with differing opinions about second place but my partner and I preferred Luke’s.
While cereal-based loaf recipes date back to around 10,000 BC, around 2000 years ago Pliny the Elder reported that Gauls and Iberians used the foam from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples.”
My recent baking has been an adventure with beer as I’ve tried using various drinks to constitute loaves.
The beer flavour is subtle and I found that a Guinness-style stout added a richness that enhanced the bread, while a soft drink created a thick glossy crust.
A simple loaf made with a can of Coke, a teaspoon of salt and three cups of self-raising flour produced a crunchy damper-like bread that tasted great with butter.
The most popular results have gone for a sweeter bread that included three tablespoons of brown sugar (or treacle) and a cup of cut-up dried dates, as well as a teaspoon of dried ginger and half teaspoons of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Experiments continue with a savoury cumin flavour, as well as another loaf spiced with a teaspoon of Caraway seeds (shown with pumpkin seeds added to roast outside).
Next I want to try a loaf from flour, salt, sparkling tonic water and a teaspoon of oregano.
I bought four packs of sultanas to compare and contrast
They were all around $5 each, except the $4.50 Turkish brand Fuel from Aldi.
The results varied greatly.
Those shrunken little Black & Gold brand fruit had bold flavour like a Shiraz wine for the intense acidity.
The Australian Sweet Vine fruit from Aldi were swollen and juicy in comparison, but the flavours weren’t as strong alongside the others (maybe I’d call it a Merlot).
That Turkish brand were nuanced and kinda mellow in comparison (like a Cabernet.
While the Woolies homebrand seemed to balance the sweet flavour in a fruit that was not too dried (like a blended wine, I guess).
There are three Chinese restaurants on the main street in Leeton, so I thought it'd be interesting to compare and contrast their meals
Our takeaway order included sweet and sour pork, as well as chicken with cashews from each.
These two dishes seemed a good choice as one is something of a standard, while the other offered scope for interpretation.
Prices varied, from $31 to $38 for both dishes.
Before starting our meals, I weighed each package and was surprised to find that the cheapest meal was also the largest.
The cheapest restaurant was most popular with my kids, while the most expensive restaurant was characterised by complex flavours. (Particularly the sweet and sour had a distinct citrus flavour, while the chicken had a richness that reminded me of oyster sauce.)
The compare and contrast exercise was a satisfying activity for my family.
We all really enjoyed the roasted cashews, with that ingredient providing a distinct comparison in its presentation in each meal.
Each restaurant offers a distinct value proposition and I think that speaks to the ability of three Chinese restaurants to operate within a kilometre or so of each other.
Some months ago my son asked me to help him develop a science project
We looked over the suggested experiments and I gravitated towards those involving yeast.
We discussed ideas, he discussed them with his high school science teacher, and we settled on cooking multiple loaves of bread using different flours.
I liked the idea because using a bread machine would remove many of the variables.
It's now the second day of the school holidays and we've cooked almost half of the bread required for the report.
I'd assumed that hemp powder wasn't going to work and, although it required additional water, it seems it was too heavy to rise.
I've eaten some of it and it's okay with Vegemite, although very filling.
The big surprise just now was the result using supermarket's brand plain flour.
It's the cheapest flour we'll try and yet the result is comparable to the more expensive baker's flour, which contains higher-protein flour and also bi-carb.
The loaf is almost an extra-large size, despite being a large-size recipe.
In comparison, the Wallaby bakers flour didn't rise as high, but I guess the density is a sign of the protein content because it's definitely chewier and has a thicker crust.
Our final experiment is a blend of spelt and quinoa flours, which tasted great but didn't rise much more than the hemp powder. It was a lot tastier though.
The Disquiet Junto recently offered an opportunity to revisit a track from 2016
Remove Borders was a response to a Naviar Haiku prompt and I'd consciously develop a section of the song that sped-up and had in mind that it was a plane taking flight.
So when the Junto asked for "a short piece of music that is intended to blend in with the industrial drone of modern air flight," I'd remembered the earlier track and thought it could be reworked in an ambient style.
The Disquiet Junto number 424 shared a project by Jonathon Keats, who instructed participants to perform outside "employing nature as your conductor."
I recorded my guitar by the water channel, changing pace based on the wind on my face.
Before I'd begun I'd an idea to layer the takes, using a technique shared by Brian Crabtree in Disquiet Junto project 223.
Then, after reflecting on the missed opportunity to incorporate a palindrome, I revisited the recording and reversed one guitar part then added my attempt at a solo on top.
It was this last version that I thought might be likely to interest Leeton locals, so I posted in on a Facebook page.
There I was delighted to prompt the following response from Dale Richey:
[That's] "Across from my parents home lot's of history on that bridge. I seen you over there first time a guitar has been played there.
"That was where nearly every kid in leeton swam mudfights fist fights laughter tears and many good times were had there ask any local aged between 55 and 65 and you will get a smile out of them as they remember the good times at the canal."
I can't resist buying chocolate when it's heavily discounted
It was especially pleasing to see two varieties of sea salt caramel flavoured dark chocolate on special recently.
I love comparing and contrasting products.
The line "compare and contrast" first came to my attention in essay questions at school.
In more recent years I've learned the value of having two bottles of wine open, as it lets one evaluate their flavours against each other.
When I drank I'd start with a small glass of a cheap wine and it'd help me appreciate the following glass more fully.
When I eased up on wine and began drinking coffee again, I bought every brand of bean available and evaluated their merits before settling on a combination of two contrasting flavours.
A similar thing happened when I ate these dark chocolates.
First I had the Frey branded chocolate, noting the bitter and salt flavours -- particularly the lingering molasses-like liquorice taste.
Then I had the Lindt, enjoying the smooth mouth-feel and sweetness, as well as the burnt sugar toffee.
And, finally, I ate them both together and marvelled at how well they complemented each other.
Sure, it has been argued that "video killed the radio star" and that's a catchy line in a catchy song.
And, admittedly, I initially studied video production to broaden my skills in marketing.
However I ended up shifting to publishing my music in videos as a result of necessity.
The first prompt came in 2011, when I started a project remixing playgrounds and initial feedback from friends was that they couldn't link the sounds to the locations.
At first I began editing video to match the remixed results, which was a laborious process.
Within months I discovered that Ableton Live could handle video, and began preparing the material by exporting the videos to contain the contact microphone recordings.
The loops I made in Live would be exported (at a lower resolution) and then composited together in video editing software, such as Motion and Final Cut.
(In recent years Apple disabled Motion and I've been steadfast in refusing to be blackmailed into upgrading.)
The second prompt came when Soundcloud disabled the groups functionality.
I was sensitive to the destruction of online communities after Ninja Tune removed the forum from their website, which had been a part of my life since moving to regional Australia near the start of this century.
It led me to make the decision to no longer use Soundcloud, and the obvious alternative at the time was Youtube.
These days I find more traffic on Facebook, although both services have been playing games with smalltime producers like me.
Anyway, the result is that I publish on both platforms and have built a huge collection of videos.
This body of work will contribute an exhibition later this year.
Case study
The Disquiet Junto is a regular activity and one that prompts me to develop most of my material.
Each loop was individually exported from Ableton Live, then composited together in Final Cut.
For a Junto project last year using a single tone to create a piece of music, I used the same source material in a different way.
You can see that visually it has a different look, with the individual loops treated with duotone effects in Final Cut and then layered on top of each other with transparency.
Rendering the video takes a while but otherwise I move fairly quickly.
Sometimes the track and the video can be created in a single day, although often the video takes longer than the composition of the track -- which is something I feel is a weakness in the result.
I'm trying to remind myself that it's good to have a day or two and return to a piece with fresh ears.
Sometimes I will revisit a track, usually before it goes on Bandcamp, but more often I will develop new music using older material.
Do you know those times when you sense resonances across disparate subjects?
I've been having a few of those recently and it's surprising how, after reading across seemingly unrelated subjects, patterns start to form between them.
For example, I've mentioned my interests in fermentation starting with Kimchi to lately brewing beer, as well as Star Wars.
While reading Stephen Harrod Buhner's Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation, I've been learning about the mythology that informs -- as well as, in a sense, scripts -- the process of fermenting.
Many cultures describe the god-like figure that shared the first recipe for beer, gruit, mead or wine as being one who also returned from the dead or the underworld, possibly also as being a fertility figure with plants literally growing as a result of this heroic potency.
The stories explain processes like bacteria growing and seeds germinating, these illustrate how human culture grows with agriculture.
Both are demonstrated in beer-making too, particularly yeast and malt.
The respect for the ability to cultivate life underscores religion, just look at Jesus' bread and wine.
"...they were going to get into a microbiotic world."
George Lucas' space opera draws on mythic themes, particularly the apparently spontaneous inception of Annakin Skywalker as a parallel with the virgin mother Mary.
Then there's Skywalker's return from death as Darth Vader.
I guess his siring of the twins Luke and Leia might also be significant too.
Now that I think about it, it's significant that Star Wars has become a new kind of May Day in recent years.
Now the idea of Darth Vader as a fertility figure seems a bit weird, but as I read how indigenous cultures display few of the negative effects of alcohol, I pondered if he demonstrates the dark side of our relationship with fermentation.
Did Skywalker's anger lead him to misusing the sacred Force or did this antisocial tendency develop as a result?
Those Sith Lords seem like a bunch of lonely guys, right?
It came about because some weeks ago while shopping, my partner tried to dissuade me from buying more sausages because we already had some in the freezer.
My response was that we should buy more sausages so that we could compare and contrast the results.
In the past we've compared local pizzas and it's an interesting exercise that I've learned from when I was developing my taste for wine, although I drink less of that lately.
Today we ate five varieties, two were boiled and three were barbecued.
The result was surprising as usually some family members are reluctant to eat kangaroo and it was universally the favourite. The meat was lean and free from gristle, with little extra flavour despite being promoted as containing bush tomato.
In second place was the rook wurst, a Dutch-style hotdog. It was juicy and mild.
Third place was more hotly contested, as I liked the kransky and kids liked the chicken and my partner liked the Italian beef and pork.
A black pudding remains in the freezer and, although I'm curious to try it, no one else seemed very interested in experiencing it.
One of those unfinished ideas on my desktop was a short tour video to show the size of the museum where I worked up until the start of the month.
I added a piece of music to it and it seemed to go much faster, even though I'd sped up the footage. Then it occurred to me that it's a bit like the first music video I made about 12 years ago, featuring a bike ride outside Wagga Wagga but without the dramatic ending.
Wrote and recorded a song on my new electric ukulele last weekend.
The result took shape with two of the projects I regularly engage in, the Disquiet Junto and the Naviar haiku. Each project is a weekly prompt to record.
I got the idea for the chorus first, from the line in the poem about the ceiling fan. Then the Junto proposed composing a piece about ghosts and Al Capone's banjo.
I’ve passed trespass stolen keys to the city drawn curtains on opportunity like snakes and ladders I have risen then fallen like an angel into prison
In my reflection is insight I find clarity in hindsight from hard sell to my hard cell from life this truth I tell
Round and round round and round round and round around it goes
I don’t think you understand despite that card in your hand which ever way the die spin the house will always win
Round and round round and round round and round around it goes
Then I gave the track an electronic makeover, with 909-style drums and a synth line from Native Instruments' Monark.
Sometimes it's because the version that met the deadline isn't the finished version and sometimes it's because the parts get recycled for another project.
Recently I recorded a jam in G minor for a Disquiet Junto project and the first draft was wild. It had four drum takes, two basslines, two four-string guitars, guitar and a few vocal parts.
Then I revisited the track and used only a bass, drums and two-four strings for a Naviar Haiku project, but ended up adding more takes when I produced the video.
Yesterday I used the parts for another Junto project, moving them into the fore and background.
Each track is like a refraction of the view offered by the parts recorded. Each shows a slightly different perspective on the moment and each seems to suggest a different interpretation.
It's interesting to hear so much possibility in sound, I think.
