Category Archives: music

Game Changes

Posted on May 20, 2023 by midiguru

Last year I participated in the Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp). There are prizes for the top entries, and people are asked to donate to the prize pool. I knew I would likely win some prize money (and I did), so … Continue reading →

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Brain Waves

Posted on March 21, 2023 by midiguru

I’m angry at my brain. It no longer functions the way it once did. I’m 74 years old. I don’t think this is Alzheimer’s. It’s just being old. My brain still functions pretty darn well, but not in real time. … Continue reading →

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Structure and Meaning in Experimental Music

Posted on December 11, 2022 by midiguru

First, a brief stroll through history. When multitrack tape recording became affordable in the late 1970s, it became practical for the first time for musicians who didn’t have a band not only to compose music but to hear what they … Continue reading →

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Easley We Roll Along

Posted on November 19, 2022 by midiguru

If Wikipedia is to be believed, Easley Blackwood Jr. (born 1933) is still alive. We should all be so lucky! Forty years ago I interviewed him for an article in Keyboard. He was so articulate that the interview ended up … Continue reading →

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Processed Art Substance

Posted on October 10, 2022 by midiguru

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a Zoom panel discussion about the use of AI (artificial intelligence) software in the arts. This was hosted by Nick Batzdorf, who is the content director at the Synth & Software website, … Continue reading →

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Let Me Count the Ways

Posted on October 9, 2022 by midiguru

I first encountered a synthesizer in 1975. I had just been hired as an assistant editor at a startup magazine called Contemporary Keyboard. (The name was later changed to Keyboard.) My boss, who was living down the walkway in the … Continue reading →

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Fumble-Fingered

Posted on September 25, 2022 by midiguru

I’ve memorized a fair amount of piano music. I can sit down at the piano and play for an hour, going through ten or fifteen pieces, without opening any of the books of sheet music that are stacked next to … Continue reading →

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Artificial, yes. Intelligence, no.

Posted on September 9, 2022 by midiguru

This morning I had an interesting 90-minute Zoom discussion about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in producing works of art. I expect it to be uploaded soon to the Synth & Software website. Music has always been a collaborative … Continue reading →

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Strike Up the “Band”

Posted on April 17, 2022 by midiguru

Lately I’ve been doing bits of recorded music for the Sunday services at my local Unitarian-Universalist church. Before the pandemic (and before the lovely woman who was our pianist died) I used to play cello in services from time. I … Continue reading →

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Rack-It Science

Posted on April 14, 2022 by midiguru

As a retired guy with no family obligations and a pronounced disinclination to do yard work, I have time on my hands. I need a big project to work on. Writing novels is painfully complex, and also very under-appreciated. Instead, … Continue reading →

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