Keeping track of everything that needs to be done with musical ideas is very difficult for me. I have thousands of ideas, ranging from little snippets to near complete works, but not enough skill to juggle all that needs to be done with them. I tend to abandon ideas for months or years at a time for one reason or another, then try to revisit the ideas without being able to find them. I feel a need to learn my system from scratch all over again - to go through everything step by step, as if from square one. I have to remember many things, which are often in lists scattered all over my house and computer.
To ease my pains, I'm attempting to hack apart my creative process. So far, it has offered me this insights - there seems to be three steps in order to get into the flow, or feng sui, of composition:
1. Idea Generation
The creative capacity is first discovered and developed on its own, as a free act. I call this free creativity (I also affectionately call this "free-ativity.") This type of creativity embodies the idea of one doing whatever one wants with no long-term goals in mind. It helps (in fact, it might be crucial) to be absolutely alone. Naturally, a stream of consciousness would need to be embraced for complete freedom (I play mostly guitar, but often improvise on the piano which can breakdown my pre-established patterns that I get into with the guitar.) If one needs, the boundless nature of absolute freedom can be tamed by imposing some limits/having some things in mind*: Experimentation with a theme (musical or otherwise) music theory idea (time signatures, a new chord, phrase structure, etc). Use of an unusual basis for a song, like a drum beat can get the creative juices flowing. Archive: write everything you can down (or record it) without judgement. Write down the date no matter what and time if necessary.
*One may need to plan when to have their idea-generation sessions and what limits they'd like to impose. See the next step for more.
2. Organization and Planning
Rarely does one have a finished product after the first step. It's very easy to forget an idea if you don't archive it somehow. Keeping loads of new ideas can become daunting and can get cluttered very fast. Organization of your archived material is crucial. One needs to make time to do this.
After becoming organized (sometimes, during organization), one can then plan which ideas are going to be visited again. One must listen to and study the previously generated ideas. Make lists of songs that you'd like to move to the next step. Inevitably, one must plan when to write lyrics, basslines, vocal harmonies, and all of those things that often forgotten until the bitter-end of a project. One also needs to plan which instruments need to be recorded in order to set up mics, move amps, warm up for days ahead of time, etc. I recommend setting up specific days/times in your calendar to get stuff done. This can of course be ignored if the moment takes you, but more and more I find that time needs to be allotted even for this. I find it difficult to plan more than 2-3 days in advance for creative work, but your style may be very different.
The first thing I have to tell myself is to not get frustrated by the infinitude of places that the next idea could be. If one has a long to-do list, and scattered ideas, it's very easy to get overwhelmed. Sometimes it helps me to write, as I am now, to organize my thoughts and think about my life in order to untangle the old brain.
3. Idea Refinement
Finish composition of songs (assuming that a work can ever be truly "finished"). Record them. This is not the time to choose what to do next, this is the time to focus - which has been allotted by the organizational step. There are many details of making a score look good, making sure the form and transitions flow properly, making sure one has a good take, etc. Your brand of perfectionism takes over here, and you decide what the song needs. Sometimes input from another person can be helpful here.
more to think about: Tim Hurson talks about Productive Thinking
http://scraggo.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Environmentally dangerous post
Face-washes have become very popular - especially ones with micro-bits to help exfoliate your skin. Many times these tiny tiny bits are made of plastic, and as they make their way down your plumbing, into streams, and into natural habitats, smaller and smaller organisms are eating these undigestible things and dying. Try to buy only organic, natural products and avoid any of these ingredients: polyethylene and polypropylene. Plastics plastics plastics - read The World Without Us by Alan Weisman to find out just how evil they are. I will probably review it at some point.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Environmentally safe post
I'm always on the lookout for new ways for businesses to adopt environmentally-friendly practices. Wild Harvest Organic products http://www.wildharvestorganic.com/ use 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based environmentally-friendly inks for their boxes. The ink part is especially awesome. Sure, paper is biodegradable, but If you think about it, most paper that is thrown away has ink on it, and that ink will run-off with the rainwater, into streams, back into rain and into drinking water. Normal ink is a pollutant, and I didn't realize that there was a biodegradable alternative. Their food is also very tasty and organic, they boast:
Growing bodies are susceptible to pollutants. We keep unpronounceable ingredients out of our food and away from your family.Unpronounceable ingredients are usually preservatives and super refined sugars and corn syrups. I'm not trying to advertise for this company, I really would just like to see more businesses to adopt environmentally-friendly practices.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Book Review The Tao of Physics
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra reviewed by David E. Cohen
Anyone interested in both quantum physics and eastern philosophy, like myself, should feel very at home reading this book. Equally lucid in sharing the ins-and-outs of particle physics and basic tenets of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Chinese religions, Capra can appeal to theologians and physicists alike. Chapter one begins with the question, "is physics a path with a heart?" or in other words, is the pursuit of the knowledge that physics has to offer worthy? He offers some ideas into how we've split mind and body, beginning with the ancient greek "atomist" philosophers who were the first to finally declare that there is a separation between "alive" and "dead" matter. He believes this lead to a rift between man and god. He said that this led to an attainment of important rational knowledge, but the more "organic" views of the east are ultimately better suited for understanding the strange dynamics of particle interactions. While some of the western philosophy in the book is considerably lacking in depth, I found his insights to be useful.
In chapter 3, he begins to elucidate how light can not be viewed as one thing; it is a particle and a wave simultaneously. In this way, it defies language, and is similar to the paradoxes contemplated in Zen koans. Later, Capra reveals some of the perplexities brought upon by E=mc2 - the famous special relativity equation - and how it relates to speed of electrons whizzing and so forth.
Next, he treats Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Hinduism, and Chinese religions in separate chapters, showing how alike, different, and rich these ideologies are. The book is worth a read just for the comparative religious study alone.
The rest of the book is devoted to drawing parallels between physics and the aforementioned religions. The parallels which stuck out to me most were drawn in chapter 14, "Emptiness and Form." Particles can be created and destroyed suddenly, as if from nothingness. This is akin to the void found in Buddhist thought. It's as if we are only perceiving a "macro" reality of concentrated energies. Capra believes that everything conceivable is happening and the void is where everything truly is interconnected. Ultimately, he argues for the "bootstrap" approach of Geoffrey Chew, which seems enticing, but I'm not sure how it holds up today. Finally, Capra calls for a cultural revolution where we adopt a practice of non-violence and becoming one with nature, rather than dominating it.
For me, this book was quite an eye-opener. It's a relief that there are others who believe that there is religious truth in the pursuits of the sciences. I am a fan of books that are a survey of one or two topics, and this one fits that genre perfectly. I had about 20 "aha" moments and ultimately agree with the authors claims. As for the negatives, there seems to be plenty of controversy surrounding this book. In retrospect, after reading a survey of western philosophy, I agree with some of the criticisms of how the ideas are presented in the greater context of the logic in his book. Sometimes, I believe the author doesn't draw enough parallels, but I can see the difficulty in doing this. The core controversy seems to be reducing science or mysticism, but I don't think the author at any point does this. He maintains that physicists don't need mysticism, nor do mystics need physics; but the common man needs both to better understand the world we live in. I believe the book is positive and tries to bridge gaps that many have not dared to attempt.
http://scraggo.blogspot.com
Anyone interested in both quantum physics and eastern philosophy, like myself, should feel very at home reading this book. Equally lucid in sharing the ins-and-outs of particle physics and basic tenets of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Chinese religions, Capra can appeal to theologians and physicists alike. Chapter one begins with the question, "is physics a path with a heart?" or in other words, is the pursuit of the knowledge that physics has to offer worthy? He offers some ideas into how we've split mind and body, beginning with the ancient greek "atomist" philosophers who were the first to finally declare that there is a separation between "alive" and "dead" matter. He believes this lead to a rift between man and god. He said that this led to an attainment of important rational knowledge, but the more "organic" views of the east are ultimately better suited for understanding the strange dynamics of particle interactions. While some of the western philosophy in the book is considerably lacking in depth, I found his insights to be useful.
In chapter 3, he begins to elucidate how light can not be viewed as one thing; it is a particle and a wave simultaneously. In this way, it defies language, and is similar to the paradoxes contemplated in Zen koans. Later, Capra reveals some of the perplexities brought upon by E=mc2 - the famous special relativity equation - and how it relates to speed of electrons whizzing and so forth.
Next, he treats Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Hinduism, and Chinese religions in separate chapters, showing how alike, different, and rich these ideologies are. The book is worth a read just for the comparative religious study alone.
The rest of the book is devoted to drawing parallels between physics and the aforementioned religions. The parallels which stuck out to me most were drawn in chapter 14, "Emptiness and Form." Particles can be created and destroyed suddenly, as if from nothingness. This is akin to the void found in Buddhist thought. It's as if we are only perceiving a "macro" reality of concentrated energies. Capra believes that everything conceivable is happening and the void is where everything truly is interconnected. Ultimately, he argues for the "bootstrap" approach of Geoffrey Chew, which seems enticing, but I'm not sure how it holds up today. Finally, Capra calls for a cultural revolution where we adopt a practice of non-violence and becoming one with nature, rather than dominating it.
For me, this book was quite an eye-opener. It's a relief that there are others who believe that there is religious truth in the pursuits of the sciences. I am a fan of books that are a survey of one or two topics, and this one fits that genre perfectly. I had about 20 "aha" moments and ultimately agree with the authors claims. As for the negatives, there seems to be plenty of controversy surrounding this book. In retrospect, after reading a survey of western philosophy, I agree with some of the criticisms of how the ideas are presented in the greater context of the logic in his book. Sometimes, I believe the author doesn't draw enough parallels, but I can see the difficulty in doing this. The core controversy seems to be reducing science or mysticism, but I don't think the author at any point does this. He maintains that physicists don't need mysticism, nor do mystics need physics; but the common man needs both to better understand the world we live in. I believe the book is positive and tries to bridge gaps that many have not dared to attempt.
http://scraggo.blogspot.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
New Guitar and Amp
The SG model fits my body unlike any other guitar does. The lower bout is cut lower than most guitars and that seems to fit my leg really well. The neck profile is thin, but not paper-thin, and has a slim-taper: the neck profile on the lower frets is thinner than the med and higher frets. The nut is cut super narrow, about 1.6 inches, so the strings are really close together. I wanted a guitar that is barely there and really easy to play. The SG seems to be a really popular guitar, I'm sure many people wanted that same exact thing.
Finally, I got a great deal on a Peavey Delta Blues amp, all tube, 1X15, 2 channels, reverb, tremelo, very cool amp. Sounds great with my Samick Royale RL-3 Greg Bennett guitar as well.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
How To Organize A Million Files
Most of my November and December 2009 have consisted of organizing files on my computer. Two months straight of clicking, dragging, and renaming files. (See my previous blog on tendonitis.) Why did I need so much time? I don't think I have anything short of a million files. I tend to keep everything, and I generate new ideas almost every day. These ideas may be sound files - me strumming chords into a computer, notation/midi, garageband, etc. They may be text files - lyrics, to do lists, research, teaching documents. I've got tons of pictures and images. My goal was to be able to find anything instantly. I'm sort of close to getting there, a lot closer than before. Here's a run-through of how I'm staying organized now.
First of all, I have a mac, and it's much more conducive to staying organized than a PC. (Those things turn into cluttered messes very easily.) I no longer keep anything on my desktop except for three aliases: my "documents" folder, my "DEC" folder, and my "to organize" folder. (I also put these 3 folders onto my dock for instant access.) I don't keep anything but the "DEC" folder in the documents folder, because various programs tend to clutter it up with nonsense.
The "DEC" folder is my main folder, and no loose documents are allowed in it. Here my main prefix system comes into play. Each folder is naturally organized alphabetically, and I have some folders which I always want at the top, so they get a - or a 0 beforehand, sometimes a -0. These 0 docs at the top are aliases for my most used folders and documents, about 5 things. The next prefix is DEC, which are my initials, and any folder with that prefix contains original thought or things that pertain to organizing my life. The next prefix is "To" for action folders: ToBurn, ToBackup, ToDo, Etc. ToOrganize is my most important folder, and I actually have an alias in the same folder that puts a "Z" prefix so that this folder is always at the bottom. ToOrganize is my main inbox/outbox for hot files that I'm working with. Within the folder are temporary storage places, a folder called "ToMove" and other such things.
This biggest challenge I have faced for many years is how to keep my compositions organized. I have decided that keeping stuff organized by year (starting in 1997) and in my unfinished compositions folder, each year gets its own folder. I have a bunch of various sound-creation programs, Logic, Garageband, Sibelius, Audacity, ProTools, etc, all of which are used for different sorts of idea generation. Each main program that I use gets a folder with a "1" prefix. So within each year folder, you'll see folders that look like this: 1-Garageband, 1-Logic, 1-Audacity, etc. Many files are in these folders and don't go much further. Once I begin to combine files, they leave their respective program folders and move into a "multiple file" folder, and this usually indicates that I'm taking this song more seriously. There are other folders within the year, like collaboration projects and practice sessions I've recorded.
Finally, I need to mention Spotlight, Quicksilver, Voodoopad, and Butler. Spotlight comes with the mac and is the instant way to search your mac by hitting Cmd+Space. I've downloaded two other free programs with immensely increase productivity, file navigation, and launch applications. Butler occupies Ctrl+Space and Quicksilver occupies Alt+Space, giving me 3 different tools at my instant command. Finally, Voodoopad allows you to create documents that easily link to themselves in a wikipedia-style way. I really really really recommend these programs for anyone who needs to navigate quickly and efficiently through their computers.
So, in conclusion, clean up your desktop. Stay organized with folders and date them. Find out how you work and make an individual work flow. Clutter is inevitable - try to keep it in one place and organize it frequently. Always remember to backup your computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(click on a number to check out a link!!!!!!)
Desktop Organization Links: 1
2
3
Butler: 4
Voodoopad: 5
6
Quicksilver: 7
8
9
10
11
12
http://scraggo.blogspot.com/
First of all, I have a mac, and it's much more conducive to staying organized than a PC. (Those things turn into cluttered messes very easily.) I no longer keep anything on my desktop except for three aliases: my "documents" folder, my "DEC" folder, and my "to organize" folder. (I also put these 3 folders onto my dock for instant access.) I don't keep anything but the "DEC" folder in the documents folder, because various programs tend to clutter it up with nonsense.
The "DEC" folder is my main folder, and no loose documents are allowed in it. Here my main prefix system comes into play. Each folder is naturally organized alphabetically, and I have some folders which I always want at the top, so they get a - or a 0 beforehand, sometimes a -0. These 0 docs at the top are aliases for my most used folders and documents, about 5 things. The next prefix is DEC, which are my initials, and any folder with that prefix contains original thought or things that pertain to organizing my life. The next prefix is "To" for action folders: ToBurn, ToBackup, ToDo, Etc. ToOrganize is my most important folder, and I actually have an alias in the same folder that puts a "Z" prefix so that this folder is always at the bottom. ToOrganize is my main inbox/outbox for hot files that I'm working with. Within the folder are temporary storage places, a folder called "ToMove" and other such things.
This biggest challenge I have faced for many years is how to keep my compositions organized. I have decided that keeping stuff organized by year (starting in 1997) and in my unfinished compositions folder, each year gets its own folder. I have a bunch of various sound-creation programs, Logic, Garageband, Sibelius, Audacity, ProTools, etc, all of which are used for different sorts of idea generation. Each main program that I use gets a folder with a "1" prefix. So within each year folder, you'll see folders that look like this: 1-Garageband, 1-Logic, 1-Audacity, etc. Many files are in these folders and don't go much further. Once I begin to combine files, they leave their respective program folders and move into a "multiple file" folder, and this usually indicates that I'm taking this song more seriously. There are other folders within the year, like collaboration projects and practice sessions I've recorded.
Finally, I need to mention Spotlight, Quicksilver, Voodoopad, and Butler. Spotlight comes with the mac and is the instant way to search your mac by hitting Cmd+Space. I've downloaded two other free programs with immensely increase productivity, file navigation, and launch applications. Butler occupies Ctrl+Space and Quicksilver occupies Alt+Space, giving me 3 different tools at my instant command. Finally, Voodoopad allows you to create documents that easily link to themselves in a wikipedia-style way. I really really really recommend these programs for anyone who needs to navigate quickly and efficiently through their computers.
So, in conclusion, clean up your desktop. Stay organized with folders and date them. Find out how you work and make an individual work flow. Clutter is inevitable - try to keep it in one place and organize it frequently. Always remember to backup your computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(click on a number to check out a link!!!!!!)
Desktop Organization Links: 1
2
3
Butler: 4
Voodoopad: 5
6
Quicksilver: 7
8
9
10
11
12
http://scraggo.blogspot.com/
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Recipe For Tendonitis
Don't stretch or warm up
Winter (causes my joints to swell)
Have arthritis and other joint conditions run in your family
Play multiple instruments and bang on them LOUDLY
11 or more years of not so great technique on said instruments
Hundreds of pieces which are beyond your playing ability
2 or more hours of uncareful computer mouse and keyboard use per day
This all being said, I've finally discovered the causes of my playing discomfort. The computer use was a big one, even while taking long breaks without playing instruments, I found that my tendons were still in incredible pain, and I finally linked it to using a computer without taking breaks. Never again will I willingly type as fast as I used to...I just bought an ergonomic keyboard to help with this (The Microsoft Comfort Curve, I believe).
I need to investigate voice-to-text software, so that I don't even have to type. I have found that the bout on my guitar is quite uncomfortable for my arm, and I am obsessed with finding the lowest price I can find on a used Gibson SG 1961 Reissue, which fits my body like a glove.
I've also decided that winter isn't the best time to do intense musical projects...and I've dedicated it to theoretical ventures. This all being said, I've found some important discoveries about the chord shapes of the guitar, which I will share with the world as soon as I have formalized the concepts completely. Also, I will soon share some hand exercises that I've collected and discovered that have strengthened my arms/hands/fingers in the past few months.
http://scraggo.blogspot.com
Winter (causes my joints to swell)
Have arthritis and other joint conditions run in your family
Play multiple instruments and bang on them LOUDLY
11 or more years of not so great technique on said instruments
Hundreds of pieces which are beyond your playing ability
2 or more hours of uncareful computer mouse and keyboard use per day
This all being said, I've finally discovered the causes of my playing discomfort. The computer use was a big one, even while taking long breaks without playing instruments, I found that my tendons were still in incredible pain, and I finally linked it to using a computer without taking breaks. Never again will I willingly type as fast as I used to...I just bought an ergonomic keyboard to help with this (The Microsoft Comfort Curve, I believe).
I need to investigate voice-to-text software, so that I don't even have to type. I have found that the bout on my guitar is quite uncomfortable for my arm, and I am obsessed with finding the lowest price I can find on a used Gibson SG 1961 Reissue, which fits my body like a glove.
I've also decided that winter isn't the best time to do intense musical projects...and I've dedicated it to theoretical ventures. This all being said, I've found some important discoveries about the chord shapes of the guitar, which I will share with the world as soon as I have formalized the concepts completely. Also, I will soon share some hand exercises that I've collected and discovered that have strengthened my arms/hands/fingers in the past few months.
http://scraggo.blogspot.com
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