RoughMix

Writing music is the first step. For many that is enough. For me, I want to usually work it out with a band, to draw upon the creative juices of others and to hear it a bit closer to what I hear in my head but cannot produce myself, because I can only sing, play guitar and create percussion (and even this not all at once - and the live part of it all is not to be underestimated.)

This is a rehearsal with my German band [Steffi Weiss - keys/vocals; Petra Wolfsperger - recorder; Christian Mees - bass] (we even created some German lyrics for the song specifically this.)

As is usual this was recorded on the Palm Tungsten which records mono and does a very poor job of dealing with clipping and audio that gets too "hot". That is part of the roughness of what works.

The raw material provides insight into discussions, general direction and more that you will need to discover for yourself and to which you are warmly welcomed.

I should note that this was the first and only time we got together on this tune. It was performed 3 days later.

The original post on this song is RoughMix episode 108 - http://ruffmix.com/entry/2008-02-22T03_05_53-08_00 where I shared two versions of what I did in the original writing of the tune.


This episode is sponsored by http://elephant-town.com - add your own cover version to the Uke sensation!

ENJOY!

You can also save 10% on domain names at http://GoDaddy.com by using the code "blu6". It is a great place to buy AND manage your domains.

RuffMix is a member of the blubrry community, that's http://blubrry.com (without the "e" s)

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to simply sit down and play without a plan, without any goals, and see what happens. As in most cases this got recorded on my Palm Tungsten, which is almost always with me - which makes it a good tool for capturing spontaneity.

I had a listen to this clip afterwards and heard that I had a few elements that could be of use:

* some tapping
* some harmonics
* some rhythm change-ups


Most importantly, to keep it rough I was not afraid of making mistakes just because I was recording it. I believe it is precisely this that allows for discovery of something new, something fresh and unique

That's what I did here in RoughMix episode 125, which I am calling "Acoustic Airs".

For those of you really into the roughness I am also sharing the original Palm based wav file online:

Acoustic Airs.wav: http://tinyurl.com/AcousticAirs

This episode is sponsored by http://elephant-town.com - add your own cover version to the Uke sensation!

ENJOY!

You can also save 10% on domain names at http://GoDaddy.com by using the code "blu6". It is a great place to buy AND manage your domains.

RuffMix is a member of the blubrry community, that's http://blubrry.com (without the "e" s)

This time around I am sharing a tune with two "drafts". Here I played around with the theme long enough to have some unique things spring forth just by virtue of staying at it long enough. Listen carefully and you will hear my daughter chime in with some background vocals.

For those of you really into the roughness I am also sharing the original Palm based wav files online:

First "capture": http://www.mediafire.com/?yisfmqofzef
Second "capture": http://www.mediafire.com/?gouqotcme8j

This episode is sponsored by http://elephant-town.com - add your own cover version to the Uke sensation!

You can also save 10% on domain names at http://GoDaddy.com by using the code "blu6". It is a great place to buy AND manage your domains.

RuffMix is a member of the blubrry community, that's http://blubrry.com (without the "e" s)

RoughMix 123 - Press 1 (the songwriting cast about how music is made)

Sounds are all around us. I have slowly come to the conclusion that all of them are potential tools for inspiration, as this episode of RoughMix shows.

Welcome to RoughMix 123 - Press 1.

As the title implies, this episode was inspired by a recording I made while trying to call a credit card company. It was the automated voice that annoys us all so very much. I decided to try and use it as an inspirational tool and this cast is the result.

The important thing is not what I did (the music is truthfully pretty lame) but this is the Rough Mix and therefore I am sharing with you the raw data of the songwriting process in the hopes that it will whet your songwriting appetite.

Your inspiration may create something quite different - who cares! Your music should be yours - let loose!

:::::

Here some housekeeping:

I can be contacted a number of ways. You can:

* visit RuffMix.com and leave a comment
* send an email or voicemail to [email protected]
* twitter me at: nlnnet
* Skype Me at briankelley

There is also a bonus for those who listen to the end - a tune Brian wrote for his daughter of http://Elephant-Town.com fame back when she was very little. This is the third verse.

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/unleashingmephotography/2316833560/sizes/o/

Two rough "tunes"
* In your Hands
* 3rd fret start - it sounds like I here had a lick which was central to what became experimentation after that - always returning to the basic theme and then branching off from it again. I also included licks from other songs in it 2:22 for example, and others

Over time you create a style and a body of work. This is a resource than you can plow again using it as a fertilizer for new projects - often improving and refining what you have already done. When I create something new it is impossible for me to not know my past.

Sometimes it makes sense to try extra hard to do something unique, but why not try at least sometimes to embrace your songwriting past and incorporate it into something intentionally?

Photo CC License - http://flickr.com/photos/alaala/163091182/

This episode has the meek Uke serving as an inspiration to its 6 stringed bigger brother.

Enjoy the cast - as always, feedback is most welcome in whatever format you choose.

Visit my Twitter account - http://twitter.com/nlnnet

RoughMix 120 - Dancin Singing (Sorry Yoko)

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/andrewbaron/71618124/sizes/m/ - by Andrew Baron, CC Licence

Just to show you how rough you can get this episode has its place. I am sharing with you all of the rough, which includes an embarressing "Yoko Ono" like voice, which is followed by what that inspired. (Sorry Yoko!)

Oddly enough, the second could not have happened without the first.

And so the tip this time - do not be afraid of making a fool of yourself (it is after all for you.) If you let your thoughts freely flow you may end up being surprised by what follows.

The original file as recorded on the Palm can be downloaded here for those of you who really want the details:

Original WAV file: http://www.mediafire.com/?unmjdonii1j

As I write this episode my audicity software is going crazy and doing nothing that it should. I have had to revert to an earlier version of the software, which meant that all of what I recorded was useless. I needed to mix down all of what I had to an mp3 file and then use this as the new base - sorry for any loss of quality - rougher still!

If you like this podcast send us some love! We want to hear from you! Email: [email protected]

Not much to say this time - this is an episode that should speak for itself as it takes a riff and works with it.

You can also access me and my random thoughts at: http://twitter.com/nlnnet

And do not forget that if you choose a new domain to save 10% using our Godaddy.com discount code "blu6". (Please, please! ;-)

Enjoy the episode and share feedback via email, comments or voicemail.

Take a ride with me into the distant past when my hair was black and my back was strong enough to schlepp around electric pianos.

118 has a look into what is possible when you do not even have "real" instruments.

The most important part of songwriting is not the tools at hand, but the tools in your head.

You can also access me and my random thoughts at: http://twitter.com/nlnnet

And do not forget that if you choose a new domain to save 10% using our Godaddy.com discount code "blu6". (Please, please! ;-)

Enjoy the episode and share feedback via email, comments or voicemail.

Some times it feels good just to hit things - added bonus if that is a guitar that results in sounds you like.

That was in any case the attempt represented in this episode of RoughMix which I am calling slap therapy. Listen in on the clip, recorded on the Palm Tungsten and you hear why I chose this as a title.

My tip this time around is to let things run awhile. Do not always be in a hurry to "make" something and don't worry about polish or beauty. Raw emotion, and unvarnished energy and the simple joy of not have any rules is sometimes a real pleasure.

It also has the added benefit of often causing something more refined to spring from this little exercise.