Abusing Instruments – In the Name of Genius

Sometimes innovation springs out of abusing and misusing existing genius. Musical instruments have been invented and honed throughout history. Below are some examples of people taking those instruments and coming up with new and creative ways to use and abuse them. The results are genius.

Who knew a Ukulele could do this?

If you’ve never seen Greg Pattillo, don’t stop with the video below – watch his others they’re all amazing

This song (and probably this video as well) has been played into the ground, but it is still amazing – Five people on one guitar

And similarly – Five people on one piano

5 Of the Most Worn Out Sounds In Electronic Music

I’m pretty sure this list will get me in trouble. The sounds and examples below aren’t necessarily bad – in fact, quite the opposite. These sounds and techniques are amazing, that’s why EVERYONE is ALWAYS using them. – But that’s the problem. These sounds get used SO much that they become tired and in some cases obnoxious when you hear them.

The Experimental Non-Experimentalist

Ever since I’ve been making music I’ve produced very underground songs, but I wouldn’t really call them experimental. I’ve never been interested in breaking new ground, I typically strive to make music I love, and work toward doing it better. In some cases I try to take already existing styles etc and push them to there logical extremes (the huge 4/4 of Orguss the FoeHammer etc). But recently my ideas have been so odd they just might border on experimental. Not that I’m pondering making random noises etc, but I would like to take music genres that don’t seem to mesh well with techno/electronic music and try to find ways of capturing the essence of those styles using electronic tools.

An example is Hot Jazz. I love Dixieland Jazz, but I’m no Jazz musician. I would like to find ways of getting the bouncy, toe tapping feel of Hot Jazz in my production. There are some other genres I’ve been pondering as well.

The biggest trouble is – being experimental – the results of such attempts are all over the map. It feels like wasting time making songs that end up being junk, thus it’s easy to ditch the experimental songs and go back to the ‘safe’ genres.

If you are a producer and you’ve found yourself in this position, share your experiences in the comments area. I would love to hear your story!

Protecting Your Ears

A musician’s hearing is critical. Obviously. Protecting your ears is therefore something you should be thinking about. I work a lot using headphones to hear what I am doing. I try to keep these turned down as low as I can and still hear my sounds clearly (until it comes time to rock the entire tune), and TRY to keep my car radio down enough to be harmless. But there are times that you will need to go the extra step and get yourself some ear protection. Below is a list of the author’s top 10 earplugs, and why, as well as links to online stores selling the earplugs mentioned:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shopping/2005/05/the_sound_of_silence.html
Then there are THESE. You need to consult with an Audiologist to get these custom beasts:
http://www.etymotic.com/hp/erme.html

 

What is your preferred method of hearing protection?

Free! Analog Synth VST Bundle

This is an excellent bundle of free VST plugins. My only criticism of this free bundle, is with its structure. You have to drill into various levels of directories within .zips to get to either the .dll itself or an install .exe. Other than that nit pickiness – it’s a killer bundle of free! gear.

Get it here!