A sudden rash of creativity!

This is one of three pieces of music I wrote this week in a sudden rash of creativity following the completion of my exams for this semester.
Funny how that happens.
It actually started because I had a semi crash and burn on an exam at the beginning of the last week and to console myself a little I picked up the guitar and a nice little progression popped out. I thought to myself well that might turn into a little guitar quartet and that's what happened.
I then revisited a little study I had written specifically for a student a few weeks earlier and extended it into a longer piece including a further technical issue for her to deal with.
On Wednesday morning I wrote the above duo for guitar and another instrument in about 45 minutes before I had to rush out and pick up my ailing but currently recovered Mum from the Hospice where she had a few days of respite.

You can hear the pieces (Midi instrument so not a fantastic sound - must get Finale 2008 one day) on this site's new music player and they are the:

• Little Duo in Em for guitar and solo instrument
  
• ICT211 for guitar quartet
  
• Little Piece in Am for solo guitar
  
  

I have uploaded the scores of all 3 pieces including separate parts for the quartet to my account at eSnips. Please feel free to download them and use them as you desire.

I have a few other pieces, including a fanfare for a local brass band, stashed away which I must get into Finale so as I can work on them a little more.
Anyone know how to write for transposing instruments in Finale - specifically writing initially so as you can hear how it sounds and then transposing the parts that require it so as the band can actually play the piece?

Change at last!

Finally, Howard has gone and gone good as it looks like he has lost his seat too.
Hopefully, now a return to an Australia with a government that is not merely reactionary in it's policy implementation but proactive and actually uses what is left of the extraordinary economic circumstances occurring in recent times to build a foundation for the future for all Australians not just those at the top of the tree!

They are back!

My all-time favourite rock band in concert again on December the 10th in London for the first time in 30 years! John Bonham's son Jason to fill in for his old man who was the best rock drummer of all-time!
Damn that I found out too late and I won't be there to see it.
I last saw them live in the early 70's at Subiaco Oval in Perth and I travelled a long way (from Singapore) to get to that concert and I would be happy to do an even longer trip to see them again.
I spent a considerable part of my youth learning to play their riffs having bought their first album in 1969 when I was 16, resulting in a now nearly 40 year association with the guitar.
Damn, Damn, Damn!

Free Documentaries!

I love a good documentary and I was delighted to find this beta site offering a whole swag of documentaries absolutely free which they appear to have gathered together from various video sites such as YouTube and Google Video etc. A great idea! I am half looking at the "Dixie Chicks - Shut up and sing" doco as I write this. I am going to be spending a lot of time at this site!

Categories include:

• 9/11 and London Bomb
  
• Activist
  
• Animal Abuse
  
• Environmental
  
• Election Fraud
• Female Focused
  
• George Bush
  
• Globalization
  
• Health
  
• Human Rights
  
• Media
  
• Politicial
  
• Religious
  
• Slavery
  
• Societal
  
• War
  

Meet DBR! A 21st century Paganini!

Although classically trained, Daniel Bernard Roumain is doing some interesting stuff taking the violin to a very different place with his eclectic compositions including other musicians as diverse as Philip Glass and DJ Scientific.
There is plenty of video to view at his website. Sounds a bit like Steve Vai at times! Amazing what you can do with some effects! And sometimes he uses a 6 string violin not the usual 4 string one! Amazing and exciting music!

A realisation more than a blog name change!

It is clear that we will all be soon using the Internet as our main resource for entertainment and information.
The beauty of this medium, of course, is that individuals can be the ones that make decisions about what content to present and how it should be put together providing a unique experience for those that choose to view it!
This blog represents a beginning of this rapidly developing change in our entertainment habits.

Welcome to the Wizard Web Content Network!

Larry Lessig on the new Internet inspired content copyright issues

Very interesting and well worth viewing all of this if only to view the hilarious remixes in the middle!

Want to meet people, make friends!! Join ITtoolbox today!

Sometimes two people discover each other and form a special bond.


Locutus, a Turkey domiciled expat Aussie and Payton, a Tennessean in the great tradition of Tennesseans, appear to have formed such a bond.
Could this be another beautiful and enduring Yankee/Aussie relationship like that of John Howard (Man of Steel) and George Bush (Dubya).
Find out more by joining ITtoolbox today.

Happiness as a habit!

I have pretty regularly posted videos from TED as it has so much amazing stuff on it and here is another for you.
I am not huge on the importance of the notion of happiness as for me a sense of contentedness (is that a word?) is probably more attainable and reasonable to strive for.
However, even though I don't believe that Tibetan Buddhism has all the answers, the speaker in this video has explored the notion of happiness from a scientific point of view also and it is an interesting take on it.
So enjoy the monk, Mattheiu Ricard, on the "Habits of Happiness".