Monthly Archives: May 2010

Mixed Feelings

Posted on May 31, 2010 by midiguru

As a musician, I purely hate powered gardening devices. The excuciating sound of a power mower is enough to give me homicidal impulses. I also avoid yard work whenever possible, which is almost always. So this morning I sit down … Continue reading →

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Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Posted on May 27, 2010 by midiguru

I’m having a stab at learning Dreamweaver, Adobe’s complex and sophisticated website design system. And in idle moments, I’m asking myself why I should be doing this. I think I know why. It’s not just that I enjoy learning new software. … Continue reading →

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Burnin’ Down the House

Posted on May 20, 2010 by midiguru

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Fight Socialism!” That and the Ronald Reagan bumper sticker made it crystal-clear that the owner of the car must be of the conservative persuasion. My question for this addle-pated individual is this: When … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, society & culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Bad Examples

Posted on May 17, 2010 by midiguru

Sometimes the best way to learn is by watching others fail. When we read, view, or listen to a work by a master, a work we admire for its perfection, the craft that went into it is not always apparent on … Continue reading →

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R U A UU?

Posted on May 16, 2010 by midiguru

I’d like to have a better network of social contacts. Friends, I think they’re called. Church attendance is rumored to be a way to build a social network. My choices in this arena are limited, as I’m an atheist. The … Continue reading →

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Goats in the Machine

Posted on May 14, 2010 by midiguru

I have a talented cello student, a sophomore in high school, who on his own initiative found and started learning Mark Summer’s “Julie-O.” Summer is the cellist with the Turtle Island String Quartet, and “Julie-O” is his big unaccompanied solo … Continue reading →

Posted in cello, music, technology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Lost in the Clouds

Posted on May 13, 2010 by midiguru

Today I’m wandering around SoundCloud, checking out the electronic music. Here and there I stumble over a piece that’s not so bad that it makes my skin crawl, but they’re few and far between. The composers (using the term very … Continue reading →

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Cage-in-a-Box

Posted on May 12, 2010 by midiguru

Tonight I downloaded Richard Devine’s amazing GrainCube, which endlessly spews out a constantly changing stream of provocative, ear-catching noises. It’s the ne plus ultra of abstract, aleatoric electronic music. The connections among sonic events in the slipstream are entirely in your … Continue reading →

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Third World Impossible Music

Posted on May 12, 2010 by midiguru

When a large, powerful, well-organized force moves into a small, relatively isolated region, sets up camp, and goes about extracting wealth from the locals, we have a name for it: That’s called colonialization. This is a pretty good description of … Continue reading →

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Player Piano

Posted on May 9, 2010 by midiguru

Conlon Nancarrow is a covert hero of mine. “Covert” because I’m not sure I actually like his music. He’s a hero because he went off and did what he did. The fact that nobody was paying any attention didn’t stop … Continue reading →

Posted in music, random musings, society & culture | Tagged , | 5 Comments