Reeeeeealy good uke . . .

As my fingers bleed, I keep watching these guys . . . this is good uke.



Also, a great Kate Bush cover . . .



And, a wonderfully atmospheric version of The Good and the Bad and the Ugly.



They are mad!

Of grills, block parties, and ukuleles

Well, summer has arrived, has it not? I thought I would let you know what's up and what's down. We are continuing with our 'no oven' policy. That's right, it's so warm up here that we have forsaken the oven as well as the stove top (aka, the hob). In lieu of our gas bill we have taken on the charcoal allowance. That's right, every meal is being prepared by outdoor grill. We can grill anything. Besides the normal meats (the brats, the whole chickens, and Angela's favorite rib eye steak -- boneless), we also grill whole onions, heads of garlic, asparagus, potatoes (a personal favorite), and eggplant. Other 'experiments' also include kohlrabi, turnips, and kale. I do not recommend the kale on the grill . . . rubbery.

Another harbinger of the summer season is the 'block party.' Not an original institution, but I believe one that really reaches its fullest expression in Chicago. Only here, in this large metropolis, may neighbors come together, and for the low fee of about $100.00, have their block completely shut down, taken off the grid, for an entire weekend. Throughout this summer, drivers will grumble as they are vexed, their normal drive home (or to market) blocked by barricades stating: NO PARKING/BLOCK PARTY. But it ain't just any block party, this is America after all. There will be bouncy castles, kegs of beer, face painting, a stage with lighting and amplification, and the requisite cover band, whose output allows the passerby to guess, with amazing accuracy, the median age of the block's residents. These 'events' will keep building in intensity until the dreaded Village Block Party. These weekend long bacchanals take up five to six blocks. They are mini Lollapaloozas, two to three bands playing a variety of Top Forty hits. These begin in about a month and last until October . . . there is some type of Halloween costume parade for the kiddies . . . by this time everyone is sick of it and the 'fun' is a bit constructed. But, it is early, and we shall, for now, eat corn on the cob, drink warmish beer, avoid August's Guinness and Oyster Fest (warm beer/warm oysters) . . . who thought this was a good idea? So it goes.

Oh, I bought a ukulele. It's fantastic. I've had it one day and I already know three chords . . . that's all I need. Next, hook it up to the computer.

Today the outdoor markets are open, fresh fruit and veg, organic cheese and meats. We will purchase today and grill for the week. A beautiful thing.

Peace.

jg

Birds . . .

I awoke early this morning to the urban dawn chorus of birds. I went out with the deck and pulled some recordings which I am cleaning up over coffee. As I walked around I began to slowly realize that these birds were everywhere. Probably 100 birds to every person living in the city. Who knows? There was an interesting hierarchy to their movements and their songs. Then I began to notice the air conditioning units. Each unit turning on and off. There was an interesting hierarchy to their movements and songs. Two species, one ecology.

jg

Let's get physical . . .

This is a programming kind of time for me. I am using Cyrille Henry's PMPD (Physical Modeling for Pure Data) and its Max/MSP incarnation developed by Mathieu Chemagne (known as mc.pmpd) to develop more natural sounding gestures and behaviors for acousmatic improvisation. It's working out pretty well and I will post some experiments to this blog when I figure out how all that control information will influence the sound of the improvisational 'world' I am developing. It is basically the following formula: [field recordings (edited)] * [sample playback processes] * [physical models(constraints)]. Somehow, that makes an hour of music.

jg

Don't fear the dead cat . . .

Well, since we are getting into production with the Sound for Interaction kids (ahem . . . students), I though I might as well start a little project aimed at reducing the wind noise in my field recordings. So, I made what they call in the business a dead cat, le chat mort?

The basic install is a foam cone over the microphone, creating an air pocket around the XY-configured condenser microphones. This pocket shields the microphones from unwanted fluctuations in air pressure and the faux long-hair fur (this style, your Grizzly Black) channels the air around the cone, thus attenuating the sound of the air grazing the outside of the cone.

Voila, dead cat to reduce wind noise for your Zoom H4! It actually works pretty well. I think it looks a bit like Ernie, or maybe it's Bert?

I have enough material left over to make a toupee as well.

The write stuff . . .

I would like to share a brief observation that drives my teaching methodology at the tertiary level. The mantra goes like this: If you write it three times, you will probably retain it. When I teach I use a white board. (I have eschewed the PowerPoint-in-the-classroom paradigm, realizing that PowerPoint is for presentations -- to be observed and not absorbed.)

With dry-erase marker in hand, I write out an outline of every lecture on the board prior to beginning. I encourage my students to copy this down in their notes as I put it up. (Note: First writing.) Next, as I present each point (the narrative) of the lecture, I write key phrases, definitions, and illustrations on the board. I encourage my students to write along with me. (Second writing.) Finally, students are encouraged to recopy their notes into a complete form. (Third writing.)

In my classroom, all exams take the written form: essay, short answer, and the so-called 'fill-in-the-blank.' (Fourth writing?)

Students who write retain.