I saw this on YouTube and it resonated with me.
Maybe you’re not a music teacher like this guy, but I bet music technology has changed the way you listen to and learn music to.
Some thoughts on music in the digital age…
Category: Hobbies for Amateur Musicians
My Favorite Thing to Do with Music – by Ben Levin
If you’re looking to learn more about music or want to consume some eccentric YouTube videos about music you need to check out Ben.
The Week In Destroyer Of Harmony History – July 26 to July 31
It was a pretty dismal posting effort this time around 4 years ago and 8 years ago on the site. So this history post is short and sweet. 4 Years Ago …
The Week In Destroyer Of Harmony History – July 26 to July 31
The Gamification of Musical Learning
In what has been hailed as the “Ludic (play-centric) Century”. we can see growing evidence of gamification in music education.. In this article I …
The Gamification of Musical Learning
How to Clean Your Guitar
Learn how to clean your guitar, and you’ll be able to keep it shiny and looking like new. These tips will help you get rid of the dirt, streaks, and …
How to Clean Your Guitar
Hobby #8: Active Listening
This is a common sense hobby – you probably don’t need someone like me to suggest it. But I bet for most of you it’s been months or even years since you’ve done it… so indulge while I nudge you a little bit.
Dedicate Time to Focus on Active Listening
Minimize distractions: let the dog out, put the kids down for nap, and silence your phone.
Grab a note book and pen so you can take notes. Scribble what do you like about the instrumentation, any lyrics that stand out, and any emotions you feel.
Consider headphones: this will help you hear the depth and spacing of the instruments better. Any headphones will do, but noise cancelling over ear will help block out the world and let you get lost in the soundscape.
Get comfortable: Dim the lights, light a candle, and pour some wine.
Listen to your favorite tune, or try out something you’ve never heard before. (See the playlist below for suggestions if you’re looking for something new).
Set a reasonable volume: heavy metal should me loud, classical music should be loud enough to hear dynamics, or whatever is appropriate for the tune you’re enjoying.
When the song is over, review your notes in silence- add any final impressions you have. If you feel compelled, listen again.
Move on to another tune. Then when you are done with the session take a moment to reflect. Did you learn anything new about your artist, album, song, genre etc? Can you draw any new conclusions?
Is there something that you’d like to share? Publish on social media or share with friends or consider starting a song club.
The most important thing is that you make the time, because if you don’t, life will get in the way and you’ll miss out. Get listening!
Never too late
“I wish I’d kept up my piano lessons!” How many people do yo
Never too late
Hobby #4: Create a Fake Band – HUH???
I hadn’t planned this post, but I woke up early this morning and this was on YouTube. It’s already the last day of August, summer is falling. That marks this time sensitive so here we go…
Pat Finnerty does a comedy video series called “What Makes this Song Stink.” It’s tremendously clever satire of YouTube videos loosely following the format of Rick Beato’s music appreciation series called “What Makes This Song Great.” You should check them both out. Seriously, they’re some of my favorite channels.
Pat recently made a video poking fun at the MGK song Emo Girl. In his video he analyzes the song and forms a fake band and records a song in the same style.
The name of the fake band is August is Falling and their first fake song is called Mad This Summer. Long story short, through a strange series of event which he describes in the video below, August is Falling accidentally became a real band and now the members are inching closer to that elusive hot tub money.
Like Pinocchio, this fake band wants nothing more than to be a real band, but they need subscribers. So check them out below and subscribe. Then go back and watch all of Pat’s videos. I recommend watching them in order because his material is rife with call backs to previous jokes.
It’s ok, click away, enjoy Pat and Rick’s videos, then come back and leave me a comment if you enjoyed it.
Maybe you’ll feel inspired an you’ll want to start your own fake band. If so, you may want to write parody songs like Pat Finnerty does. If so, you may want to check out my post on writing parodies for some more inspiration.
Cheers!
PPAC Challenge: BJ’s Bar Fredonia, NY
The Always Write blog challenges users to post art found in public places. Here is my submittal for the PPAC Challenge #61.
BJ’s bar has been a staple for bands passing through western New York State for nearly a century. It’s dark and moody and there are so many trinkets to catch your attention.
Be sure to stop in and have a beer if you’re in town and certainly be sure to mention if it is your birthday.
Hobby #7: New Goblin Ears Images Created by Artificial Intelligence
Usually for my posts I either rely on stock photo images or photos I’ve taken personally. I’m no photographer, readers of this blog can probably easily tell which are mine and which aren’t.
I’m really excited to have learned a little bit about using artificial intelligence, or AI, to create images and I plan to start including some of them here. I’ve just experimented a little bit and I’m in awe of how the AI can take my instructions and generate something beautiful and original. Sometimes it turns out like I hoped, sometimes it’s much worse, and sometimes it’s much better. It’s always fascinating. Here are a few I made based using the command: “goblin taking off earphones with gold earrings.”
Below are some more examples that demonstrate the various styles and fidelity that the system was able to create. I particularly like the abstract nature of the one in the lower left corner. The prompt for that was “Grace Potter screaming into a microphone next to an organ.” The image is reminiscent of Grace’s face, but it is distorted stylistically to the point where it is barely recognizable. The other faces were generated entirely by the AI including the dog.
I know this post isn’t really about music, but take a moment to ponder the possibilities:
- Do you need artwork for your next single or album release?
- Do you need to make posters to advertise your next show?
- Do you need a band logo? I updated my recent Hasty Music Review of the song “Pisces” by Jinjer with artwork generated using the prompt “heavy metal logo of the Pisces symbol.”
Who knows, perhaps soon you’ll be able to generate an entire music video using AI. It’s a wild world out there – be creative, have fun!
If you want to learn how to generate your own artwork check out this video.
Do you use AI for your content creation? If so, what tips and tricks do you have to help others get started? Leave a comment below.
Plan M: Finding Joy in Music Blog 