Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)

More long notes - this time with lots of other notes happening on the keys below.  It reminds me of how hard I used to think it was just to sing and play guitar at the same time.  Of all the instruments I've tried, voice is far and away the hardest with all the things you have to manage while trying to make it sound natural and effortless at the same time.

This new electro voice mic is so much more clear and really helps with placing notes and trying to uncover new places to resonate in your throat and mouth and face, but I think I'm starting to get that feeling of finding the microphone that really gels with your individual voice...


Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)

The Milk Carton Kids version


Made with a microphone looper pedal.  

Long notes are tough to sustain and hold on pitch, but I think the capture is pretty successful.

The solo part goes off the rails for a second or two, but my fingers are so shredded that its time to move on.


I wanted to learn this song for two people: my good friend Andy and my friend and senpai here in Fukuoka Katsu san.  よろしく！



Bach: Menuets I & II

In G Major and g minor

My keyboard got a new "firmware" update and with it they threw in a piano sample that is blowing my mind!  Not only does it sound really good to me but after you've already paid for the device, the company goes ahead and makes it even better - completely for free!

Anyway, piano is really hard because playing faster usually makes you play harder which is very detectable given the wide spectrum of volume that a piano can make (the full name for the piano is piano-forte.... or maybe forte-piano which means "loud soft").  You want to keep it light while being quick and accurate and peppering in little musical accoutrements at the same time.  All of these things become more difficult when you're trying to record as well.  Why do I try to play more than one instrument?  Isn't one enough for a lifetime?

Its fun also because I got a new German backpack for Christmas from my girlfriend, and the brand name is Bach.

Also, it turns out the first melody which is really famous wasn't even written by Bach at all!  Apparently, it was written by a guy called Christian Petzold so wtf?


S.L. Weiss: Fantasie

Pretty big break thrus with this piece.  After 20 years, I heard a really good tip on youtube about polishing your finger nails when playing classical guitar.  The tip is, you have to polish them until they feel like the rim of a glass cup because even the smallest rough surface will interfere with creating a clean release from the string.  I tried it and holy hell does it make a difference.  I've always filed my nails on my right hand but sanded them this much before - I always assumed it was the better priced instruments that created the tone that the professionals make.  I quickly switched back to light tension strings to give my Left hand a break and I think I've unlocked a major piece of the puzzle.  I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but this discovery I believe is significant.

Recorded using the front camera on my smart phone - the quality is much worse but now I know what it looks like.

I used my Rode M2 mic which eliminated a lot of the external noise of cars driving down the rainy road outside.