This coming week there are a bunch of bands coming to play at a local club, who were supposed to do "heavy metal", but when I looked them up, turns out they're hardcore/grindgore bands. Without the screaming voice, they'd be great... And so, 't was time to "do it myself." Et voila, my first composition that actually ROCKS!
I realized that all it takes is a drum kit and a killer bass loop to make a kick-ass song. You know, like Rage Against the Machine. I also realized that Noteflight does not have an electric guitar voice...
I realized that all it takes is a drum kit and a killer bass loop to make a kick-ass song. You know, like Rage Against the Machine. I also realized that Noteflight does not have an electric guitar voice...
I wrote this this morning (well, I started around noon). It took me 6 hours to compose and enter into Noteflight. *sigh* Hope you like.
Helmet Hairdo - Saturday Morning
Composed--in tab format--by Helmet Hairdo, on May 2, 2009
Blog @ http://helmet-hairdo.com
e |-------11-14-11--------------9-7-------------7-----------------------------|
B |----12----------12----12---8-------8---8-------8---------------------------|
G |-11----------------11----9-----------9-----9-----9-------------------------|
D |-----------------------------------------9---------9-7---------------------|
A |-------------------------------------------------------10------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e |-----------------------------------------------7-7-------------------------|
B |-----------------------------------------------8-7-------------------------|
G |----------------12-11-9------------------------9-7-------------------------|
D |-----2-5/12-9-----------10/12-----2-5/12-9-----9-7-------------------------|
A |---2----------------------------2------------7-----------------------------|
E |-0----------------------------0------------0-------------------------------|
e |---------------------9-8---8-8-7---7-7-5---5-5-2-3-5-7-5-3-----------------|
B |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G |---------4---7-6---6---------------------------2-3-5-7-5-3-----------------|
D |-----5-2---5---------------------------------------------------------------|
A |---2-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |-0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B |-------------------12------------------------------------------------------|
G |-----------9/11-12----12-11-12-11-12-11-12-11-12-11-12---------------------|
D |-----2-5/9-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A |---2-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |-0-----------------------------------------------------12------------------|
Named after the film El Bola, and composed right after seeing it, but not necessarily inspired by it... if that makes any kind of sense.
I started out with the 2nd guitar part (the bass line, if you will) and then composed the 1st guitar part (the solo) on top of it. Much more difficult, as whatever you play as the solo might not "fit" with the 2nd guitar part. So you have to back and edit and work out another riff that does work. When the opening part repeats, those two notes remind me of one of the guitar pieces in City of Angels, although that is played on one guitar in stead of two.
How long did this take me? Probably some 2 hours last night and another 5 hours tonight. Yep, composing is a full-time job!
I started out with the 2nd guitar part (the bass line, if you will) and then composed the 1st guitar part (the solo) on top of it. Much more difficult, as whatever you play as the solo might not "fit" with the 2nd guitar part. So you have to back and edit and work out another riff that does work. When the opening part repeats, those two notes remind me of one of the guitar pieces in City of Angels, although that is played on one guitar in stead of two.
How long did this take me? Probably some 2 hours last night and another 5 hours tonight. Yep, composing is a full-time job!
Helmet Hairdo - Warm-up Exercise
Composed--in tab format--by Helmet Hairdo, on Feb 9, 2009
Blog @ http://helmet-hairdo.com
e |-----5-7-----9-----------7-----5-7-----9-----------|
B |---7-----8-----10------8-----7-----8-----10--------|
G |-7---------9------11-9-----7---------9------11-9---|
D |---------------------------------------------------|
A |---------------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------------|
e |-----5-7-----9------7---------5-7-----7-6-5-----|
B |---6-----8-----10-----8-----6-----8---------8---|
G |-7---------7------9-----7-7---------7-7-6-5-7---|
D |------------------------------------------------|
A |------------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------------|
e |---5-----7-----5-------|-10-------8------6---------|
B |-----6-----8-----6-----|----11------9------8-------|
G |-7-----9-----7-----9---|-------12-----10-----7-8---|
D |-----------------------|---------------------------|
A |-----------------------|---------------------------|
E |-----------------------|---------------------------|
e |--------8-12-8-----------6-10-6------------8-12-8-----------6-10---6-|
B |------8--------8-------6--------6--------8--------8-------6----------|
G |----9------------9---7------------7----9------------9---7------------|
D |-10----------------8----------------10----------------8--------------|
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------|
e |-------------------------------------------|
B |-10-11-10----------------------------------|
G |----------12-10-9------------9---10---12---|
D |------------------12-11-12-----------------|
A |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------|
e |-----------------------12-9-------------------------------------------|
B |-10-------------------------11----------------------------------------|
G |----12-9-----------------------12-9-----------------------------------|
D |---------11-------------------------11--------------------------------|
A |------------12-10----------------------12-10---------------------10---|
E |------------------12-9-----------------------12-9-10---12---13--------|
e |------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------|
G |------------------12-9-10---9-------------|
D |------------12-11---------------12---11---|
A |------12-10-------------------------------|
E |-12-9-------------------------------------|
e |-----------------------------------------------------|
B |---------------11-10---------------------------------|
G |-------9-10-12-------12-10-9-------------------------|
D |-11-12-----------------------12-11-9-11-12-----------|
A |--------------------------------------------12-------|
E |------------------------------------------------10---|
Helmet Hairdo - Para mi gato que está enfermo
Composed--in tab format--by Helmet Hairdo, on Nov 29, 2008
Live @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf06adM6giA
Blog @ http://helmet-hairdo.com
e |-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
B |-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
G |---------------2-------------|---------------------------------------------|
D |-------2-2-4-4---5-4-2-------|-------2-2-4-4-4/7--5-5--2-4h5p4-------------|
A |-----2-----------------5-3-2-|-----2---------------------------7-5h7p5-3-2-|
E |-0---------------------------|-0-------------------------------------------|
e |------------------------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------------------------|
G |------------------------------------------------------------|
D |-------4-4-2-2-2/12--10-10-----9h10p9-----------------------|
A |-----2----------------------12--------12-9------------------|
E |-0------------------------------------------12-11--8-7-5-7--|
e |------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|
B |------12----------|-------------------|------13-----12---|-----------------|
G |----9--------11---|-------------------|----9------9------|-----------------|
D |-----------9------|------12------11---|------------------|------12---11-9--|
A |------------------|----9-------9------|------------------|----9----9-------|
E |-0----------------|-0-----------------|-0----------------|-0---------------|
e |-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
B |-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
G |-----12-11-9-----------------|-----12-11-9-----------------|
D |-------------12-10-9---------|-------------12-10-9---------|
A |---------------------12-10-9-|---------------------12-10-9-|
E |-0---------------------------|-0---------------------------|
e |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B |----12-12-12-12-10-------10------------------------------------------------|
G |-------------------12-11----12-11------------------------------------------|
D |----------------------------------10-9----------9--------------------------|
A |----------------------------------------9-10-12---12-10--------9-----------|
E |-0------------------------------------------------------7-8-10---12-10-8-7-|
e |-------------------------|-----------------------|
B |-------------------------|-----------------------|
G |-------------------------|---------------2-------|
D |-------2-2-4-4-4/7-5-4-5-|-------2-2-4-4---4-0---|
A |-----2-------------------|-----2---------------2-|
E |-0-----------------------|-0---------------------|
e |-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
B |-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
G |-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
D |-------2-2-4-4-5-4-2---|-------2-2-4-4-5-4-2---|-----------------------|
A |-----2---------------2-|-----2---------------2-|-----------------------|
E |-0---------------------|-0---------------------|-0---------------------|
Well, I finally got around recording myself play the piece in the previous post. It took A LOT of takes to get it to this point... I mean hours. Both my hands hurt... still! I'm really proud of this piece; enjoy!
Instruments:
- Guitar: Yamaha FG300A (steel strings)
Canon SD500 Settings:
- Video mode: Standard (30 fps, 640x480)
- Resulting file: 133 MB
- Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds
Instruments:
- Guitar: Yamaha FG300A (steel strings)
Canon SD500 Settings:
- Video mode: Standard (30 fps, 640x480)
- Resulting file: 133 MB
- Duration: 1 minute, 14 seconds
On Noteflight I listened to David Santos Marina's tango composition, and it triggered fond memories of the Flamenco music of Armik/Jesse Cook/Ottmar Liebert. So I took to the guitar and decided to let those Spanish juices flow.
Figuring out what time signature to use is hard with these interpretive pieces. I could not make it fit, so I just left it at 4/4. Maybe some pieces just have a string of notes and are not bound to a measure.
While I was composing, my cat got really sick and stayed with me as I entered my hand-written tab composition into Noteflight. Hence the title of this piece.
Figuring out what time signature to use is hard with these interpretive pieces. I could not make it fit, so I just left it at 4/4. Maybe some pieces just have a string of notes and are not bound to a measure.
While I was composing, my cat got really sick and stayed with me as I entered my hand-written tab composition into Noteflight. Hence the title of this piece.
It's very time consuming (and a lot of fun), but I was able to capture some of the drum melody I had in my head in about 5 hours. An hour or so at 2:30 this morning, and pretty much the entire afternoon. I might add a guitar track later.
Now that I'm working with sheet music (that is: real notes and stuff), an interesting thing is occurring... Just by looking at the notes alone, how they fit in between the measure bars, you get a sense of what "fits" and what doesn't. I wonder if it's possible for someone who's never played an instrument before and is not familiar with sheet music, to create a visually pleasing score, just by the appearance of the notes.
Sounds like the perfect way of testing this theory would be to let a computer compose the score. :-)
Now that I'm working with sheet music (that is: real notes and stuff), an interesting thing is occurring... Just by looking at the notes alone, how they fit in between the measure bars, you get a sense of what "fits" and what doesn't. I wonder if it's possible for someone who's never played an instrument before and is not familiar with sheet music, to create a visually pleasing score, just by the appearance of the notes.
Sounds like the perfect way of testing this theory would be to let a computer compose the score. :-)
I composed this on my parents' piano, probably in 1990 or so. Using my new-found toy (see the prior post), I transcribed it--which took about 3 hours to get right--so that everyone can hear and play it. :-) I'll have to video tape myself playing it on the piano, so I can get some more YouTube exposure.
Well, I do. I write my music using tab notation. You know, drawing 6 lines on a piece of paper to represent each of the guitar strings, and then writing the fret positions as numbers on the lines.
But then there is Noteflight, a pretty kick-ass new Flash app which allows you to easily create your sheet music online, AND, allows you to add it to your blog! I entered two of my recent compositions, which should be directly playable in this post.
Number 1, composed on 11/8/08, around 6pm:
Number 2, composed on 11/22/08, around 3pm:
Edit: Holy smokes they're PLAYABLE!!
But then there is Noteflight, a pretty kick-ass new Flash app which allows you to easily create your sheet music online, AND, allows you to add it to your blog! I entered two of my recent compositions, which should be directly playable in this post.
Number 1, composed on 11/8/08, around 6pm:
Number 2, composed on 11/22/08, around 3pm:
Edit: Holy smokes they're PLAYABLE!!
- Mood:
ecstatic
Based on a photo taken at the start of a recent vacation I took, I created my first album cover:
Now all I need is some songs... yah.
Now all I need is some songs... yah.
Read my review of an awesome rave starring Tiësto on LAST.fm.
Wrote this in the Last.FM shoutbox for Jean Michel Jarre's Diva on Fri 2/22:
Very fitting for such an eerie song.
These are the sounds you'll hear walking that long, long tunnel into Hell... liquids dripping from the ceiling... creatures staring you down from the dark... mocking you... trying to get you... You increase your pace... you see a figure of what looks like a woman in the distance... what is this place? Could it be... Heaven?
Very fitting for such an eerie song.
I was listening to Lenny's The Difference is Why, then saw a reference to Mr. Cab Driver, and two versions of the latter came into my head: a house/trance version, and a hard rock version.
I ran to the keyboard and got something worthy of remembering. But... how to record it? My keyboard has a floppy drive, but records in MIDI format. Plus, I wanted to capture my performance on video... but how? Well, as a quick fix I hung my camera from a couple of wires from the ceiling, right over the keyboard. :-)
Enjoy!
Experimenting with a techno version of Lenny Kravitz' Mr. Cabdriver.
Yamaha PSR-740 Settings:
- Style: 60 (Funky Trip Hop)
- R1: 424 (Resonant Slap)
- Tempo: 160
- Main/Auto-Fill: Start with C, alternate with D
- Volume: at 10 o'clock
Canon SD500 Settings:
- Video Mode: Standard (30 fps, 320x240)
- Resulting file: 28.9 MB, 47 seconds
I ran to the keyboard and got something worthy of remembering. But... how to record it? My keyboard has a floppy drive, but records in MIDI format. Plus, I wanted to capture my performance on video... but how? Well, as a quick fix I hung my camera from a couple of wires from the ceiling, right over the keyboard. :-)
Enjoy!
Experimenting with a techno version of Lenny Kravitz' Mr. Cabdriver.
Yamaha PSR-740 Settings:
- Style: 60 (Funky Trip Hop)
- R1: 424 (Resonant Slap)
- Tempo: 160
- Main/Auto-Fill: Start with C, alternate with D
- Volume: at 10 o'clock
Canon SD500 Settings:
- Video Mode: Standard (30 fps, 320x240)
- Resulting file: 28.9 MB, 47 seconds
On Oct 27, from about 7-7:30pm, I thought of these ideas for a video clip:
- For Depeche Mode's "Higher Love":
Jesus-like figure, naked except for white T-shaped cloth covering privates: arms spread as if on cross, long hair, looking down. Figure is not moving, but camera is rotating around figure.- For Jimi Hendrix' "Purple Haze":
Figure pretending to be flying through sky in purple robe. Cardboard signs with painted white clouds (obviously fake) are moving behind it. A hair-dryer simulates wind blowing in figure's face.
Two rap ideas, from way back in April 9, 2007:
Christian Bale
Mr. Chippendale
Get your ass outta jail
and
Mr. double-chin
Wipe off that grin
or kiss my chin
in your face
Gonna put you in your place
What the world needs... is a heavy metal version of a Carpenters song!
Just found out on Last.FM's awesome events feature that there's going to be a free concert of the Sick Puppies (remember, from that "Free Hugs" video)!! I'm SO there!!
"Dead Cell" by Papa Roach, off of the Queen of the Damned soundtrack makes you want to dive into the mosh pit and get hurt!!
In other news, MySpace deleted my artist page without warning! I noticed it a couple of weeks ago. What BS.
In other news, MySpace deleted my artist page without warning! I noticed it a couple of weeks ago. What BS.
Got some great ideas from the documentary American Hardcore, about the (hardcore) punk rock movement in the early 80s. Like, 30 second songs, variable timings, raw emotion, anger, just doing your own thing. I know some punk music, but I am never good at remembering band names. Out of the whole documentary, I had heard maybe one song before. Of course I recognized Henry Rollins, Flea, and Moby (yeah, for some reason, Moby is in this film), but that was about it. The band Bad Brains looks like something I'd really like. Also because nowadays, they left punk rock behind and totally turned rastafarian. I love reggae, man! So, better go find some Bad Brains online.
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helmet_hairdo- Helmet Hairdo
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Page Summary
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rockschool : Hard Rock (Finally!) [+0] - rockschool : Saturday Morning [+0]
- rockschool : El Bola [+0]
- rockschool : Warm-up Exercise [+0]
- rockschool : Guitar tab for "Para mi gato que está enfermo" [+0]
- rockschool : New Video! [+0]
- rockschool : Spanish Flair [+0]
- rockschool : Drum roll please [+0]
- rockschool : Memory of my Youth [+0]
- rockschool : Who needs guitar tabs? [+0]
- rockschool : Album Cover [+0]
- rockschool : San Francisco rave review [+0]
- rockschool : Jean Michel Jarre's Diva [+0]
- rockschool : First video-recording: a play on Mr. Cab Driver [+0]
- rockschool : Ideas for videos [+0]
- rockschool : Some raps [+0]
- rockschool : What the world needs... [+0]
- rockschool : Sick Puppies [+0]
- rockschool : Getting Agressive [+0]
- rockschool : American Hardcore [+0]
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