Here is another video of me performing a new song I'm working on. Just another 1 minute or so clip:
I'm pretty excited about this song and the other one I posted a few days ago. I just have to finish writing them and then come up with arrangements for them. Both this song and the other one, "Call On Me," were inspired by early Bee Gee's music. These 2 songs just came to me as I was working on recording another song right around the time Robin Gibb was deathly ill. I had originally envisioned both this song and 'Call On Me' to be sung in my Robin Gibb-imitation voice even though I did not sing that way in the videos. I have not yet decided what tone I will use for the actual recording but that is still a long ways from now.
It is already mid-October and I absolutely need to finish the current project I'm working and get at least 1 more song recorded before the year is up. And that would make 4 songs I complete this year. But first I have to make a final mix & master of the song I've been working on for months now, "(Doesn't That) Blow Your Mind." I should be working on that right now. Off I go....
Occasionally I will stray on writing about my musical projects or past endeavors to present some other thing near and dear to me. And that will be the case with this post.
With Halloween right around the corner, I want to touch on one of my favorite childhood books of the holiday, "The Pumpkin Smasher," by Anita Benarde from 1972. Some years ago I was able to relive my childhood memories of checking out this book from my school library each year by acquiring a hardcover copy. This book along with "Georgie's Halloween" were probably my 2 favorites of the season.
I'm not sure why this particular book is out of print. This is a classic and should be readily available. The artwork is great and the story really draws you in. I'll be sure to revisit the pages of this nostalgic tale in the coming days.
There are several other blogs which present this book as well so I will not say too much more about it other than it brings back lots of memories.
A couple of years ago I posted a shorted video on YouTube of myself playing a portion of the intro to the 1965 classic song "King of the Road" by Roger Miller. The original song was performed with an upright bass--double bass, acoustic bass, string bass, bass violin, whatever your preference--but I used an electric bass and I played the opening and a portion of the first verse note for note. Then for the remainder I improvised ever so slightly. I kept the video really short because I was not sure anyone would want to watch me playing bass for the whole 2 minute length of the song. (Actually I try to keep all my 'cover' videos short for that reason).
Many folks have asked me for the tab of what I played in that video. I am glad to make it available right here (see the glad face :D ) and I ask that if this is beneficial to you that you would consider making a donation by clicking the PayPal button on the upper right hand side of this page. I don't want to be like Public Radio or television asking for funds every hour but I do want to make known that my donation link is now active and live. Additionally, making this tab--and others in the near and distant future--available here saves you the trouble of having to contact me, giving me your email address and waiting till I can steal some a moment away from my survival routine before getting back to you and sending what you asked for.
I created this tab using a special software program. I realize that by putting it out there on the world wide web anyone can claim it and say it is theirs. But please rest assured that I am the originator of this tab and it is completely my work.
Here is the video:
Here is the tab:
G :-------------------------|-----0-3-----------|--------------------|
D :3-5-3------------0--0---0|1--------0-1-2-3---|-3-3----1-3-3-1-----|
A :------5-1--1-0-1------4--|-------------------|----------------3---|
E :-------------------------|-------------------|------------------1-|
G :-------------------|------------------|------2-3--3-2--0-|
D :-------------0----0|1----1----1-2-3---|-3--3-------------|
A :----0-1----1-------|--------1---------|------------------|
E :1-3----------------|------------------|------------------|
G :------------------|------------------|-----------------|
D :-3-0--------3----3|1----1----1-2-3---|-------3--3-1--0-|
A :-----1----1----1--|--------1---------|-----------------|
E :------------------|------------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|------2-3--3-2--0-|
D :-----------0----0|1----1----1--3---|-3--3-------------|
A :-3--1----1-------|--------1--------|------------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
G :---0-2-3--3-0---------|-------------------|------------------|
D :-3------------3------3|1----1--0-1-2-3----|------------------|
A :----------------1--1--|----------------3--|------------------|
E :----------------------|------------------1|-------1--1-3-1-4-|
G :-------------------|-----------------|----------------|
D :-------------0----0|1----1----1--3---|-3--------------|
A :--0---1----1-------|--------1--------|----------------|
E :1---1--------------|-----------------|----------------|
So this tab is just what I played in the video. Nothing more, nothing less. Please keep in mind that the song starts in the key of B flat and then modulates up to B. The part that changes to the key of B is not written out here but this tab can still be used by adding 1 to each number--so 3 becomes 4, 5 becomes 6, 0 becomes 1, and so on--or just moving everything up 1 fret.
Here it is. My 3rd creepy, unsettling video for the Halloween season. Another simple concept. Just going down a staircase with some spooky sounding notes played on a piano.
So I just made a video while going down a staircase and then slowed it down and distorted it a bit. The music comes from a band called Starfield and a song called "My Generation". I just used the intro, looped it, slowed it down, changed the equalization and added a scratchy record sound to it. I think that together with the video it is absolutely chilling. Upon retrospective consideration I perhaps should have made the film black & white and also more grainy.
Anyway, here is the song I borrowed the music from.
There it is. I uploaded my video to YouTube nearly 2 years ago and it hasn't done exceptionally well. There's always now.
I don't have any additional scary videos that I made. I didn't make any last year and I have not made any this year, but perhaps if I get the right idea and right sounds I will make a few more clips.
