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The Final Straw
I have tried to sit down a few times and write some poetry that captures how I feel about what is going in Iraq at the moment, but it always just ends up sounding biased and unjustifiably accusing.But then a buddy of mine pointed out that Michael Stipe from REM had written lyrics to a song that seemed to capture it all better than I could have anyway.
As I raise my head to broadcast my objectionClick here to listen to REM's new song, The Final Straw, a timely release and a simple but powerful message (plus it's a good song to boot - thanks Al!)
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.
| Posted by Matt at 01:08 /music # |
Music Mnemonics
I've always been fascinated with memory. How it works, why we remember some things and not others, different techniques people use to remember stuff.One of the most effective methods for remembering information is to use mnemonics - easy-to-remember phrases or stories that act as a link to the less-easy-to-remember information. For example, learning 2,000 Japanese kanji characters would be impossible without having a little story to remind you of each one.
Since starting to play music again I have been going back over some music theory - modes, chords, scales etc - that I have a vague recollection of once studying back in high school when I was playing the clarinet. But this time round I am applying mnemonics wherever possible, to not only make the theory easier to remember, but more fun as well.
Here are the mnemonics that I have been using, a collection of old classics and some originals too (with apologies to my aunt if she has gone off grapes lately!) If anyone else knows of some great mnemonics please add them as a comment!
For remembering.... Mnemonic ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- the strings of a guitar, top to bottom: E B G D A E Easter Bunnies Get Drunk At Easter the distances between notes in a major scale: Tone Tone Semitone, To The Second Tier, Take Ten Soldiers Tone Tone Tone Semitone the notes on a music stave (treble clef) gaps: F A C E The word 'face'. Easy. lines: E G B D F Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit (bass clef) gaps: A C E G Aunty Claire Eats Grapes lines: G B D F A Great Bassists Develop Finger Acumen the Circle Of Fifths clockwise: C G D A E B F# C# Come Get Drunk And Eat Bad Fried Chicken anti-clockwise: C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cats Fight Back Even After Dogs Growl the modes: Major (Ionian), Dorian, My Dear Parents Love Me A Lot Phrygian, Lydian, Myxolydian, Aeolian, Locrian
| Posted by Matt at 10:34 /music # |
Hunting Tom
Finally, the band that I have been practising with has some songs available for download! Check them out some tracks in MP3 format at the Hunting Tom web page - www.huntingtom.com.
| Posted by Matt at 15:26 /music # |