ARTS: The Treeleaf Music Hall is now open

[Bion]

Hello everyone!

Your friendly neighborhood music man, Bion here. Some of you might already know me from around the zendo and some might not (shame on me for not reaching out to more of you, but I will do better from now on). When Jundo wrote and asked me if I would be your host here in the MUSIC HALL of the TREELEAF ARTS & MUSIC CIRCLE, I said yes without giving it a second thought. I did not however do that because I think of myself as a musician. As a matter of fact, I know some of you are ACTUAL musicians, who´ve put their sweat and tears in mastering their instruments/voices. I am but a simple songwriter and music producer. That means basically that I rely on talented and skillful people to help bring my vision to life, whether it´s musicians playing instruments or singers performing what I write. So you see, even in my day to day work, I still host other people and their talents.

I´ve been involved in music for most of my life, really. First time I ever recorded in a studio was when I was just turning 14 and by that time I had been singing on stages for years. Then I became a teenager and, well... we have to skip a few years to get to the moment, as an adult when I decided to actually make music my career. So here we are, over a decade later, having written a couple hundred songs and in my own recording studio.

But enough of that.. let´s get to this funny business of the TREELEAF MUSIC HALL (I have just come up with that and I feel it´s catchy, just go along with it 😄 ).
This is my open invitation to all of you dear sangha members who are interested in, or actually creating, or maybe just very good at finding amazing music, to help this humble person give life to this little project. If you´re in the music business or maybe you create music, or play an instrument, or sing, or feel like you have an unexplored talent just waiting to be brought to light, come say hi and let me know what interests you. I´d love to know what this side of the ARTS & MUSIC CIRCLE could become, but it belongs to all of you, so again, I find myself humbly asking for help. I hope you answer my call!

Ok, let´s plug everything in its place, tune what needs tuning, and crank it up!

WELCOME TO THE TREELEAF MUSIC HALL

6987


🙏🏼 SatToday lah

[Ryumon]

I've been playing music for, well, about 45 years. I got my first guitar when I was 16, and have played several instruments over the years. Guitar, viola da gamba, keyboards (ie digital piano), and now shakuhachi. This last one has to be the most difficult instrument I've ever played, but it is without doubt the most satisfying. I had always loved the sound of the shakuhachi, since I had first heard it, probably on some early "world music" album in the 1980s, and about three years ago, I decided it would be interesting to try.

It's a humbling experience, and I kind of suck, but I really do enjoy the process of learning.

Here's a video of Kodama Hiroyuki, who made one of my shakuhachis, and who, together with my teacher, Kiku Day, is a student of Okuda Atsuya, who leads the small Zensabo school of shakuhachi. While my instruments are much shorter, I love the sound of these very long instruments, and I aspire to this style of playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF_S-7k8hFA

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Bion]

Such a nice coincidence that just last week Kotei talked to me about his Shakuhachi playing and recommended some pieces. it turns out I already had quite a few in my music library that I´d listened to, I just didn´t know what it was. Not having a tuned instrument, or a tempo or a rhythm must be a tremendously difficult challenge when it comes to learning and performing the pieces, right? What do you find is the most difficult thing for you when it comes to playing it?

[Gareth]

Hello,

I can offer electric guitar enthusiasm :) Here is a recording from a few days ago. I would enjoy collaborating on something. Heavy Mettal?!

https://vimeo.com/502434579

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, Lah

[Jundo]

Hmmm ... Kirk, maybe we need our own Shakuhachi area? What do you think?

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Ryumon]

Hmmm ... Kirk, maybe we need our own Shakuhachi area? What do you think?

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

I'm sure Kotei and I could discuss the instrument, and perhaps let others learn about it...

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Ryumon]

Such a nice coincidence that just last week Kotei talked to me about his Shakuhachi playing and recommended some pieces. it turns out I already had quite a few in my music library that I´d listened to, I just didn´t know what it was. Not having a tuned instrument, or a tempo or a rhythm must be a tremendously difficult challenge when it comes to learning and performing the pieces, right? What do you find is the most difficult thing for you when it comes to playing it?

The most difficult thing is mastering the sound. You blow across the wedge-shaped bit at the top of the flute, and getting a clean sound takes some time. There there are ways of playing sharp and flat, somewhat microtonal sounds, which need to be mastered, because when you play flat your breath has to be different. Even as you play the different notes up and down the instrument, your breath has to be slightly different: for the deeper notes, you need a "warm" breath, and for the higher notes a "cooler" breath.

It's not that the instrument is not tuned. There are two types of shakuhachi, one is jiari, which is bamboo with something in the bore, usually a sort of paste to make it smooth, but also to tune it. Jiari shakuhachis can be used in conjunction with other instruments, so they must be in tune with a standard (the most common shakuhachi, a 1.8 length, is tuned so the lowest note is a D). Jinashi shakuhachi, which I play, are not tuned to play with other instruments, but are tuned to themselves. The maker has to work the bore to ensure that each note is in tune, though the instrument's fundamental note may not be perfect to play with other instruments. My main flute is a 2.0, so that is technically one tone lower than the standard 1.8, and it should be a C, but it's a bit flat.

Some schools do play with a semi-fixed tempo, but mainly, the type of music I'm playing - honkyoku, which is the oldest solo repertoire - is built around the breath. Each phrase is designed to be played in one breath, and that's the rhythm of the piece. So if you can have long breaths, you could play a piece longer. There's something interesting about this way of playing, that each phrase is (sort of) self contained. So the rhythm as you play is that of breathing, rather than some continuous flow of music.

There are of course exceptions: there are some people who practice circular breathing, but that is not the traditional way of playing.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Bion]

The most difficult thing is mastering the sound. You blow across the wedge-shaped bit at the top of the flute, and getting a clean sound takes some time. There there are ways of playing sharp and flat, somewhat microtonal sounds, which need to be mastered, because when you play flat your breath has to be different. Even as you play the different notes up and down the instrument, your breath has to be slightly different: for the deeper notes, you need a "warm" breath, and for the higher notes a "cooler" breath.

It's not that the instrument is not tuned. There are two types of shakuhachi, one is jiari, which is bamboo with something in the bore, usually a sort of paste to make it smooth, but also to tune it. Jiari shakuhachis can be used in conjunction with other instruments, so they must be in tune with a standard (the most common shakuhachi, a 1.8 length, is tuned so the lowest note is a D). Jinashi shakuhachi, which I play, are not tuned to play with other instruments, but are tuned to themselves. The maker has to work the bore to ensure that each note is in tune, though the instrument's fundamental note may not be perfect to play with other instruments. My main flute is a 2.0, so that is technically one tone lower than the standard 1.8, and it should be a C, but it's a bit flat.

Some schools do play with a semi-fixed tempo, but mainly, the type of music I'm playing - honkyoku, which is the oldest solo repertoire - is built around the breath. Each phrase is designed to be played in one breath, and that's the rhythm of the piece. So if you can have long breaths, you could play a piece longer. There's something interesting about this way of playing, that each phrase is (sort of) self contained. So the rhythm as you play is that of breathing, rather than some continuous flow of music.

There are of course exceptions: there are some people who practice circular breathing, but that is not the traditional way of playing.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

That is fascinating. Sounds like something I could try and probably very much enjoy!! I am glad I discovered this beautiful art! For a “music” guy, I am genuinely too ignorant!!!
Thanks for the great introduction to the shakuhachi!!

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Bion]

Hello,

I can offer electric guitar enthusiasm :) Here is a recording from a few days ago. I would enjoy collaborating on something. Heavy Mettal?!

https://vimeo.com/502434579

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, Lah

Well, that is just awesome! Nice band you got there!!! [emoji1] I don’t know much about Heavy Metal but ai can definitely learn.. All I ask for is that we avoid invoking any creepy poltergeists or what not! I don’t do well with demons [emoji23] [emoji1787]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Gareth]

thank you! :) In terms of guitar type music I like it all and am happy to have a go, though I have been trying to learn blues and neoclassical shred guitar lately (long way to go, just doing some exercises each day for 10-20 minutes or so).

This has been posted elsewhere I think, or maybe his Metallica cover:


https://youtu.be/aGyhmZjeb0Q

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

[Soka]

I'm not musically adept, but always fascinated by music. I did my PhD in the acoustics of percussion, looking specifically at how modern drumkits are tuned. I'd love to get back into learning to play again one day, but drumming in a shared house is frowned upon (especially over the last 12 months with lockdowns). Instead at the moment I'm playing with Sonic Pi / live-coding of music as a way to scratch that itch and also to teach my nieces a bit about programming, and I'm also thinking about trying to build a musical instrument using a small jet-engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1mBqKvIyU
(for those interested in programming music)

Gassho,
Phill /Sōka
sat

[Bion]

I'm not musically adept, but always fascinated by music. I did my PhD in the acoustics of percussion, looking specifically at how modern drumkits are tuned. I'd love to get back into learning to play again one day, but drumming in a shared house is frowned upon (especially over the last 12 months with lockdowns). Instead at the moment I'm playing with Sonic Pi / live-coding of music as a way to scratch that itch and also to teach my nieces a bit about programming, and I'm also thinking about trying to build a musical instrument using a small jet-engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1mBqKvIyU
(for those interested in programming music)

Gassho,
Phill /Sōka
sat

Ooooh that sounds quite impressive!!! A musical instrument using a small jet-engine .. That made me go: “huh?!!”. How would that go? What made you think “this might be a good idea”?

[emoji1374] SatToday lah

[Soka]

Ooooh that sounds quite impressive!!! A musical instrument using a small jet-engine .. That made me go: “huh?!!”. How would that go? What made you think “this might be a good idea”?
[emoji1374] SatToday lah

A friend of mine has always wanted to build a jet engine, and so we were wondering what we could do with one once we had it. Lots of people have attached them to bikes and go-karts, so we're thinking of something a bit different. If you look at pulse jet engines, they're essentially a tube with air going through them - like a woodwind instrument. I'm not sure how feasible what we are planning is at the moment, but will be fun finding out :).

I've just been reading up on the shakuhachi. The first article I read was interesting, "Sacred Abjection in Zen Shakuhachi" https://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/journal/volume/17/piece/585 . I can't comment on the validity of anything there, unfortunately the two spectrograms of a "non-musical" and a musical" oriented player use two different pieces of music: Hifumi no Shirabe and Gekko Roteki, so I have no idea whether one is meant to be a more harmonic piece than the other anyway.

[Ryumon]

I've just been reading up on the shakuhachi. The first article I read was interesting, "Sacred Abjection in Zen Shakuhachi" https://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/journal/volume/17/piece/585 . I can't comment on the validity of anything there, unfortunately the two spectrograms of a "non-musical" and a musical" oriented player use two different pieces of music: Hifumi no Shirabe and Gekko Roteki, so I have no idea whether one is meant to be a more harmonic piece than the other anyway.

Um, okay...

First, beauty, within the confines of Japanese esthetics, is clearly essential in the playing of the shakuhachi. The instrument is all about tone colors, timbre, and contrasts between strong, powerful notes and soft, breathy notes. The author of the article is clearly a learned man, and I will certainly not contest what he says, but it's important to note that not much is known about how the komuso actually played the instrument, nor about how the instrument was made (in its finer details).

Comparing spectrographs of two pieces played on the shakuhachi without saying which type of instruments they were - jinashi or jiari - and not even mentioning the differences, is an academic sin, IMO. As I mentioned in my post above, jinashi are rougher instruments, and jiari are much smoother. It would be normal for a jiari to have a totally different spectrograph from a jinashi.

Anyway, I've asked my teacher, who is an ethnomusicologist, for her opinion on the article.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Tomás ESP]

Great initiative! Music has also been a big part of my life since I was a child. I played the acoustic guitar and sang for many years, although I haven't been keeping up with that lately. But my parents are professional violinists and play in the Symphonic orquesta of the Balearic Islands (In Mallorca, where they live). Here is a short sketch of what it looks like when they play:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IrVanmh29A

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[James J.]

Hello, apologies for going over three sentences.
Another shakuhachi enthusiast here. I’ve been playing off and on for years and In between other musical interests. I’ve settled on shakuhachi though and decided to stick with it for the long haul. I take lessons from Michael Gould via Skype. It’s a beautiful and confounding instrument. Some days it is the most amazing sound. The next day nothing works and you stare down the bore wondering what happened.

Sorry for going over three sentences.

Gassho,
James
Sat today

[Shinshi]

A while ago I took a course through Corsera on using Ableton. I recorded three things and that was it. I probably should try again. :)

This was my first attempt.

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/intheam

Next I wanted to kind of create a 60s vibe. I should go back and edit this. It is a bit too long but it was fun to do. I played the guitar parts that are looped

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/moose-and-squirrel

For my last assignment I wanted to try to create something that was sort of cinematic.

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/the-morlocks-and-the-eloi

The morlock vocalizations were recorded, digitized and converted so each word could be triggered. So those vocals are more played than performed. I played the native American flute in the second half.

Mostly I play the guitar. I started in punk and have kind of evolved over the years. I play at least a little every day. Mostly I play telecasters but I have working on my acoustic skills during covid - mostly trying learn Travis picking.

Thanks for letting me share

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Ryumon]

Hello, apologies for going over three sentences.
Another shakuhachi enthusiast here. I’ve been playing off and on for years and In between other musical interests. I’ve settled on shakuhachi though and decided to stick with it for the long haul. I take lessons from Michael Gould via Skype. It’s a beautiful and confounding instrument. Some days it is the most amazing sound. The next day nothing works and you stare down the bore wondering what happened.

Indeed, that's one of the frustrating things. You'll get past that, but it's a big hurdle to overcome with this instrument.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Ryumon]

So as I said above, I asked fellow shakuhachi players about the article that Soka linked to. The consensus is that it's bogus. Here are some of the comments I received.


The spectrograph part does not give enough information for the claim he makes. The spectrograph only shows one instance, one note. So you’d have to compare the same pitch on the same instrument to make any kind of claim about differences between the two with a spectrograph.



My reading of the spectrographs is that the biggest difference between the performances is in the quality of the recordings. The broadband noise recording artefacts present throughout the Watazumi excerpt make it difficult to analyse the relative amount of noise elements between the performances. Are there any studies which analyse the spectrographic differences between jiari and jinashi shakuhachi?



He's making a basic mistake of defining musicality in archaic Western terms, as if it is a standard.



He quotes Hisamatsu Fuyo, who was a Kinko player, then using modern Kinko playing as an example of so-called musicality. This is contradictory and only demonstrates that current Kinko playing and theory has evolved.



The article is too long and complex to tackle here, but Hisamatsu Fuyo's statement is, perhaps, a joke. In Zen, nothing could be more despicable than to say that something is despicable. To judge in this way is just another form of attachment. Suffering begins when I reject the tone I actually produce in favor of some imaginary "better" tone that I will (perhaps) produce sometime in the future. Suffering also begins when I am attached to always making a "splendid" tone (whatever that means) instead of simply listening and being present with the sound of the flute and the breath together. This is the difference between music as performance and music as a contemplative practice.



I remember coming across that (and the rebuttal) years ago and reading it rolling my eyes about it quite a bit. It's a shame because this topic is very rich and deeply nuanced, but in my version of the universe, it is practitioners who hold the wisdom on this, and not self-righteous speculative smarty-pantses. You know honey by tasting it, not reading all the history of it.

Drawing these kinds of boundaries is very narrow-minded from my view, and both/and is more often the answer than academics are comfortable with because their need to validate their steaming piles of opinions -- or at least seem intelligent somehow, often with inscrutable jargon -- is often stronger than their so-called objectivity -- in addition to having never tasted honey, which is really the top error.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Bion]

A while ago I took a course through Corsera on using Ableton. I recorded three things and that was it. I probably should try again. :)

This was my first attempt.

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/intheam

Next I wanted to kind of create a 60s vibe. I should go back and edit this. It is a bit too long but it was fun to do. I played the guitar parts that are looped

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/moose-and-squirrel

For my last assignment I wanted to try to create something that was sort of cinematic.

https://soundcloud.com/amdue/the-morlocks-and-the-eloi

The morlock vocalizations were recorded, digitized and converted so each word could be triggered. So those vocals are more played than performed. I played the native American flute in the second half.

Mostly I play the guitar. I started in punk and have kind of evolved over the years. I play at least a little every day. Mostly I play telecasters but I have working on my acoustic skills during covid - mostly trying learn Travis picking.

Thanks for letting me share

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

That Moose and Squirrel one got me hooked as soon as the guitar came in and I could definitely sample that for a pop banger! [emoji1] You should DEFINITELY do more!
A round of applause for rockstar Shinshi!!

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Soka]

So as I said above, I asked fellow shakuhachi players about the article that Soka linked to. The consensus is that it's bogus. Here are some of the comments I received.
Gassho,
Kirk

Thank you for sharing those comments Kirk. I'd had issues with the spectrographs, but I don't know enough about the instrument (or ethnomusicology in general) to know whether the whole thing was off. It's a fascinating instrument, if I was still in academia I'd be searching for someone to make me half a dozen jinashi and jiari to do some acoustic analysis and listening tests with. (To answer your fellow shakuhachi player's question: as far my limited seach has gone, sadly I've not found any research on the acoustic differences between jiari and jinashi shakuhachi.)

Gassho,
Phill /Sōka
(sat)

[Seikan]

Just want to say that I've long found the Shakuhachi to be an amazing instrument. I tried playing many years ago, and still have a fairly inexpensive one (not root end, with a natural bore). I got to the point where I could get a fairly consistent tone out if it, but I've fallen out of practice over the years. I'd love to pick it up again at some point, so I will be following any related threads here with great interest.

In the meantime though, I have just entered my second full year of formal piano lessons, so I should probably stick to that for the time being. ;)

Gassho,
Seikan

-stlah-


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[Bion]

Just want to say that I've long found the Shakuhachi to be an amazing instrument. I tried playing many years ago, and still have a fairly inexpensive one (not root end, with a natural bore). I got to the point where I could get a fairly consistent tone out if it, but I've fallen out of practice over the years. I'd love to pick it up again at some point, so I will be following any related threads here with great interest.

In the meantime though, I have just entered my second full year of formal piano lessons, so I should probably stick to that for the time being. ;)

Gassho,
Seikan

-stlah-


Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

We do expect a recording of you playing the piano (preferably USING THE PEDAL .. unless you’re trying to kill me). [emoji1]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Seikan]

We do expect a recording of you playing the piano (preferably USING THE PEDAL .. unless you’re trying to kill me). [emoji1]

[emoji1374] SatTodayPedal? What pedal? ;)

I use the damper pedal whenever it is called for. No more, no less. I will put you in touch with my piano teacher should you wish to register a formal complaint. :D

Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-


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[Tairin]

Music is a huge part of my life. I’ve been involved since my mid teens playing in local bands and playing for myself. Always original music (I never had much interest in playing covers). I am primarily a guitarist although I have dabbled with other instruments.

I don’t really like trying to describe my music because inevitably categorizations are limiting but the music is primarily instrumental and ambient. I am mostly self taught. I am a member of SOCAN with somewhere around 120 registered works.

Here is video of a live performance a few years ago with my friend Mark. I am standing just off camera to the left (you’ll catch a few glimpses of me). We are playing to a huge audience of about 25 people. :)


https://youtu.be/ci5WolU3wr4

We haven’t been able to do much since COVID so back in the Spring I decided to do some solo recordings of my own material and post it. It is just my guitar, a looper and a microphone stuck in front of an amp. Here’s a sample of that

https://awarrenpratten.bandcamp.com/track/for-g.

Yes Bandcamp is a commercial site but I make my music freely available for personal use and enjoyment.

Anyways like I said music is a huge part of my life. I don’t specifically try to make “Zen music” but I see my music and spirituality being tightly intertwined. Looking forward to seeing where the Treeleaf Music Hall goes (great name by the way :encouragement: )

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

(My apologies for all the sentences. It is impossible to limit myself to 3 sentences here)

[Geika]

I really do miss playing with a band. I have played flute for twenty-something years and now I usually just play along with recordings of classical.

Gassho
Sat, lah

[GrasshopperMan17]

https://youtu.be/nvIGCMhjkvw i really like this guy's music. He's one of us, a Zen Buddhist monk who was a music maker before taking up the robe. He uses his gift to help make Buddhism more appealing to the youth of Japan and worldwide. This is him making a "remix" of the Heart Sutra. Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Gassho, John
ST/LAH

[Bion]

https://youtu.be/nvIGCMhjkvw i really like this guy's music. He's one of us, a Zen Buddhist monk who was a music maker before taking up the robe. He uses his gift to help make Buddhism more appealing to the youth of Japan and worldwide. This is him making a "remix" of the Heart Sutra. Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Gassho, John
ST/LAH

Definitely the right place! [emoji3526]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Bion]

I really do miss playing with a band. I have played flute for twenty-something years and now I usually just play along with recordings of classical.

Gassho
Sat, lah

Ahhh lovely to read you’re a musician!! I love the sound of the flute!

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Bion]

Music is a huge part of my life. I’ve been involved since my mid teens playing in local bands and playing for myself. Always original music (I never had much interest in playing covers). I am primarily a guitarist although I have dabbled with other instruments.

I don’t really like trying to describe my music because inevitably categorizations are limiting but the music is primarily instrumental and ambient. I am mostly self taught. I am a member of SOCAN with somewhere around 120 registered works.

Here is video of a live performance a few years ago with my friend Mark. I am standing just off camera to the left (you’ll catch a few glimpses of me). We are playing to a huge audience of about 25 people. :)


https://youtu.be/ci5WolU3wr4

We haven’t been able to do much since COVID so back in the Spring I decided to do some solo recordings of my own material and post it. It is just my guitar, a looper and a microphone stuck in front of an amp. Here’s a sample of that

https://awarrenpratten.bandcamp.com/track/for-g.

Yes Bandcamp is a commercial site but I make my music freely available for personal use and enjoyment.

Anyways like I said music is a huge part of my life. I don’t specifically try to make “Zen music” but I see my music and spirituality being tightly intertwined. Looking forward to seeing where the Treeleaf Music Hall goes (great name by the way :encouragement: )

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

(My apologies for all the sentences. It is impossible to limit myself to 3 sentences here)

For G is a BEAUTIFUL piece. I have a weakness for electric guitar!!!! Absolutely love this!!


[emoji1374] SatToday

[Tairin]

For G is a BEAUTIFUL piece. I have a weakness for electric guitar!!!! Absolutely love this!!


[emoji1374] SatToday

Thank you. It is named for my wife. She’s thrilled that you liked it.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Bion]

Thank you. It is named for my wife. She’s thrilled that you liked it.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

I didn’t like it .. I LOVED IT .. I could already hear melody.. vocals on top of it!!! It’s awesome!

[emoji1374] SatToday


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[Tairin]

I didn’t like it .. I LOVED IT .. I could already hear melody.. vocals on top of it!!! It’s awesome!

[emoji1374] SatToday


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You’re making my day. Thank you gassho2

You’re a song writer. If you can come up with some lyrics to go with it I’d love to hear them.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Eikyo]

https://youtu.be/nvIGCMhjkvw i really like this guy's music. He's one of us, a Zen Buddhist monk who was a music maker before taking up the robe. He uses his gift to help make Buddhism more appealing to the youth of Japan and worldwide. This is him making a "remix" of the Heart Sutra. Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Gassho, John
ST/LAH

Oh my god that was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing, John. [emoji1431]

Gassho,
Eikyō/Dee

Sat today/Lah

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[Eikyo]

Hi all,

Thanks Bion and Kokuu for encouraging me to join the Treeleaf Music Hall.

I'm a musician, and I play violin, guitar and some assorted Mexican instruments. I am also learning harp - slowly! Oh and I sing.

I used to play piano, flute and saxophone but it has been years so cannot claim any proficiency in them.

I also write songs and used to spend a lot of time performing, pre-Covid. Life has changed significantly because of that.

I am not sure what I can contribute in the short term, as I am super pregnant and energy/physical stuff is all over the place at the mo! But I definitely want to be kept in the loop with what is happening and hopefully be a part of it in some way.

I also love the idea of learning about new types of music from you all so sharing songs that we like would be cool - I think Bion suggested it previously but perhaps we could make a Treeleaf playlist? Would be diverse and interesting I am sure!!

Happy to chat music with anyone who is interested [emoji16]

Gassho,

Eikyō
Sat today

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[Bion]

Hi all,

Thanks Bion and Kokuu for encouraging me to join the Treeleaf Music Hall.

I'm a musician, and I play violin, guitar and some assorted Mexican instruments. I am also learning harp - slowly! Oh and I sing.

I used to play piano, flute and saxophone but it has been years so cannot claim any proficiency in them.

I also write songs and used to spend a lot of time performing, pre-Covid. Life has changed significantly because of that.

I am not sure what I can contribute in the short term, as I am super pregnant and energy/physical stuff is all over the place at the mo! But I definitely want to be kept in the loop with what is happening and hopefully be a part of it in some way.

I also love the idea of learning about new types of music from you all so sharing songs that we like would be cool - I think Bion suggested it previously but perhaps we could make a Treeleaf playlist? Would be diverse and interesting I am sure!!

Happy to chat music with anyone who is interested [emoji16]

Gassho,

Eikyō
Sat today

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Definitely making some playlists .. [emoji1] I’ll come up with something soon, and THANKS for dropping by. It is AWESOME to have you here!

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Eikyo]

By the way this is my favourite song EVER and I've already decided I want it played at my funeral because it is impossible to feel sad while listening to it:

https://youtu.be/15hCD583UAo

Everything about this is awesome but I especially love the instrumental section in the middle where each instrument has their turn to shine: the vihuela, guitarrón, trumpets and violins. Makes me want to dance every time!!!

This is the style of music I grew up around and that my dad still plays. When I was little the mariachi band used to practice at our house and I was fascinated by the violins, so I begged and begged for one, and that is how I started learning.

Anyways I hope you enjoy the song!!

Gassho,
Eikyō
Sat

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

[GrasshopperMan17]

I am glad you guys like the Heart Sutra Remix. He also has other videos as well as podcasts about the Buddhist diet (among other things) if you are interested. I'm a big fan of Yogetsu

Gassho, John
ST/LAH

[Inshin]

Not by me obviously but too cool not to share.
Giant handmade xylophone plays Bach in the depths of a serene Japanese forest.
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/news/forest-xylophone/
Gassho
Sat

[Bion]

Not by me obviously but too cool not to share.
Giant handmade xylophone plays Bach in the depths of a serene Japanese forest.
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/news/forest-xylophone/
Gassho
Sat

Ok, that was kind of awesome [emoji1]

Thanks!!

[emoji1374] SatToday lah

[Jundo]

Not by me obviously but too cool not to share.
Giant handmade xylophone plays Bach in the depths of a serene Japanese forest.
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/news/forest-xylophone/
Gassho
Sat

The music is timeless, the forest is ageless, yet that phone model in the commercial is long gone ... :p

Gassho, J

STLah

[Seishin]

Well folks I guess as I was the one to offer some advice and point Jundo in the direction of his online Beginners Guitar course and all points beyond, reckon I should confess to my sins.

I have owned a guitar since my 40th birthday and then due to work commitments and a very heavy martial arts schedule including my own school for a good few years, I started a stop start journey of trying to play songs, riffs and solos and pretty much got nowhere fast. When early retirement was looming I vowed I would finally learn how to play the guitar and not just bits and pieces. So when I jacked in work at 55 in 2011 I started again but as we offed and left the UK for France and spent 6 months house hunting then some time doing up our new home, it was again spasmodic. So at the end of 2012 I knuckled down again going over old stuff but tumbled on Justin Sandercoe in early 2013 and haven't looked back. The forum related to his online lessons is similar to Treeleaf in that its warm, friendly, encouraging and supportive. And all levels are encourage to record and share their progress, from out and out beginners to some gigging semi pros. Like Treeleaf allows us all to connect, modern technology allows for global collaborations with takes and stems winging it across the web to eventually be mixed, produced and put out for feedback.

I still consider myself just an advanced beginner but I have recorded a host of covers and written a few originals. Spending most of my life thinking I was tone deaf and with limited range, I steered clear of singing until I was press ganged into a collaboration on an early 1970s prepunk project, as my Russian amateur (but excellent) mixer/producer wanted a London(UK) accent and I finally wilted under the pressure. And it came out ok. So with a little confidence I have since sung on a few of my own multi track projects and been invited to sing and play on more collaborations.

Around about last November having stumbled at all previous attempts, I finally got the courage to start singing and playing and to make it work. In the last 4 months I have recorded 4 "live" performances but still consider it work in progress. Live projects are recorded via webcam and OBS for video recording with an Audio Interface plugged into the PC. Multi Track projects cobbled together with Reaper, my go to DAW and a host of FX products for mixing and mastering, of which I am a rank amateur !

Wishing to improve my singing as well as my playing I am 4 weeks into a 12 week singing course and happy with the progress with a huge expansion of range. As a result of that I have some other projects in the pipe line that I will share with my guitar forum friends and potentially the wider public via soundcloud or youtube. I try and put out at least one recording a month if circumstances permit.

I try to practice each day and have currently restarted a Blues Rhythm course and a Blues Lead course. I've lacked focus for a couple of years due to worries over Brexit and my wife's health issue last year but so far so good in 2021.

Should anyone be interested in my recordings they can be found here

https://soundcloud.com/tobyjenner/tracks

There's the odd bit of noodling and some singing course tracks that can be ignored. Most of the tracks will indicate if its a collab or just me playing and singing on the odd occasion.

and here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wcjHmnrFuQyom6tqUtdrQ/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0&view_as=subscriber

My "live" performance come under the Madman banner, it follows the title of a forum post, when I lost the 100 FX on my Mustang III amp and went through the painful process of rebuilding it. As the factory FX were of questionable quality and use, I had spent the best part of 4 years replacing them all only to lose the lot and all the saved nuances I had applied to them......they were backed up offline though !! So I spent a week to 10 days seeking advice and council under the heading of the Madman's Diary as I was tearing my hair out, which included losing everything for a second time and then finding the original fault was down to a school boy error and nothing was ever lost, so the two rebuilds could have been avoided at the literal push of a button. Sitting was very help at this time. Anyway the label stuck and now indicates a little audio diary of social banter before I get to the actual "live" performances.

Interaction with these two mediums is purely voluntary but there should you wish.

Anyway that's about where I am at and short term where I am going but great to see so many other musicians here sharing there stories (can I say other ?) [claps]

Sat and about to play.

[Bion]

Well folks I guess as I was the one to offer some advice and point Jundo in the direction of his online Beginners Guitar course and all points beyond, reckon I should confess to my sins.

I have owned a guitar since my 40th birthday and then due to work commitments and a very heavy martial arts schedule including my own school for a good few years, I started a stop start journey of trying to play songs, riffs and solos and pretty much got nowhere fast. When early retirement was looming I vowed I would finally learn how to play the guitar and not just bits and pieces. So when I jacked in work at 55 in 2011 I started again but as we offed and left the UK for France and spent 6 months house hunting then some time doing up our new home, it was again spasmodic. So at the end of 2012 I knuckled down again going over old stuff but tumbled on Justin Sandercoe in early 2013 and haven't looked back. The forum related to his online lessons is similar to Treeleaf in that its warm, friendly, encouraging and supportive. And all levels are encourage to record and share their progress, from out and out beginners to some gigging semi pros. Like Treeleaf allows us all to connect, modern technology allows for global collaborations with takes and stems winging it across the web to eventually be mixed, produced and put out for feedback.

I still consider myself just an advanced beginner but I have recorded a host of covers and written a few originals. Spending most of my life thinking I was tone deaf and with limited range, I steered clear of singing until I was press ganged into a collaboration on an early 1970s prepunk project, as my Russian amateur (but excellent) mixer/producer wanted a London(UK) accent and I finally wilted under the pressure. And it came out ok. So with a little confidence I have since sung on a few of my own multi track projects and been invited to sing and play on more collaborations.

Around about last November having stumbled at all previous attempts, I finally got the courage to start singing and playing and to make it work. In the last 4 months I have recorded 4 "live" performances but still consider it work in progress. Live projects are recorded via webcam and OBS for video recording with an Audio Interface plugged into the PC. Multi Track projects cobbled together with Reaper, my go to DAW and a host of FX products for mixing and mastering, of which I am a rank amateur !

Wishing to improve my singing as well as my playing I am 4 weeks into a 12 week singing course and happy with the progress with a huge expansion of range. As a result of that I have some other projects in the pipe line that I will share with my guitar forum friends and potentially the wider public via soundcloud or youtube. I try and put out at least one recording a month if circumstances permit.

I try to practice each day and have currently restarted a Blues Rhythm course and a Blues Lead course. I've lacked focus for a couple of years due to worries over Brexit and my wife's health issue last year but so far so good in 2021.

Should anyone be interested in my recordings they can be found here

https://soundcloud.com/tobyjenner/tracks

There's the odd bit of noodling and some singing course tracks that can be ignored. Most of the tracks will indicate if its a collab or just me playing and singing on the odd occasion.

and here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wcjHmnrFuQyom6tqUtdrQ/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0&view_as=subscriber

My "live" performance come under the Madman banner, it follows the title of a forum post, when I lost the 100 FX on my Mustang III amp and went through the painful process of rebuilding it. As the factory FX were of questionable quality and use, I had spent the best part of 4 years replacing them all only to lose the lot and all the saved nuances I had applied to them......they were backed up offline though !! So I spent a week to 10 days seeking advice and council under the heading of the Madman's Diary as I was tearing my hair out, which included losing everything for a second time and then finding the original fault was down to a school boy error and nothing was ever lost, so the two rebuilds could have been avoided at the literal push of a button. Sitting was very help at this time. Anyway the label stuck and now indicates a little audio diary of social banter before I get to the actual "live" performances.

Interaction with these two mediums is purely voluntary but there should you wish.

Anyway that's about where I am at and short term where I am going but great to see so many other musicians here sharing there stories (can I say other ?) [claps]

Sat and about to play.

Thanks for sharing Seishin. You just made me remember Behind Blue Eyes, which I haven’t heard in years!!! [emoji1] THANK YOU!

Also, my professional opinion, is you should sing as often as your body wants to sing. Not healthy to keep music in, my friend. Also... far from tone deaf! [emoji6]

Awesome to have found yet another artistic friend here!!!

[emoji1374] SatToday lah

[Seishin]

Deep Bows for your comments Bion. My biggest issue with singing is confidence but that has grown with the recordings I have done over the last 14 months. Having a professional like yourself review some of my work and say that really makes me take notice and gives me a boost. So you have my deep gratitude for your words and openness. _/\_

The singing courses is with a guy called Chris Liepe who has quite a unique approach and focuses on building up from a strong foundation. So I know if I put in the work it will pay off. As for Behind Blue Eyes I hope it was The Who's version I reminded you of lol, it ended up as a Who/Limp Bizkit hybrid as my playing was not up to The Who's bridge section and to me that really makes the song. So the plan is to go back to it a some stage and fill in the blanks. Current project for multi track (2 gtrs and vox, plus Bass and Drum BTs) is White Rabbit, so Grace Slick's vocals will really be a challenge !! But the end of the intro riff is proving tricky, old slow fingers. Rhythm and vox will be fine but getting there. Next "live" Madman study/zendo gig (is that allowed) will be Blaze of Glory either acoustic or hollow body but reworked in the original solo section (above my pay grade).

So yep music is in my soul. And of course that non existent soul is only here while I am in this current cluster of molecules, so maybe its just in my heart.

Looking forward to see how this section develops. Who knows it may even lead to some Treeleaf Collaboration Projects !!

Nine bows and thank you once more.


Sat then played

[AnyaVMartin]

I am glad you guys like the Heart Sutra Remix. He also has other videos as well as podcasts about the Buddhist diet (among other things) if you are interested. I'm a big fan of Yogetsu

Gassho, John
ST/LAH

So glad you posted him - been jamming to Yogetsu for a while, two of his tunes are on Spotify finally. Love his podcast as well. :encouragement:

Gassho,
A

STLah

[Jinyo]

You’re making my day. Thank you gassho2

You’re a song writer. If you can come up with some lyrics to go with it I’d love to hear them.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

Hi Tairin,

I really loved that track too. Have written some lyrics for the music if you'd feel ok with me posting.

Short intro - can't call myself a musician as self taught and after years still very basic on acoustic guitar. I love writing lyrics - don't really enjoy playing covers so the guitar is just an anchor for
lyric writing. I'd like to do more collaboration - that's when the lyrics really come to life - have done this from time to time with musicians who are accomplished and its really satisfying but most times
I'm like a moody (68 years old!) teenager writing in my bedroom - which is fine 'cos I like that too! [morehappy]

Its great to see/hear what everyone's involved in musically.

gassho2

Jinyo

Sat today

[Tairin]

Hi Tairin,

I really loved that track too. Have written some lyrics for the music if you'd feel ok with me posting.

Short intro - can't call myself a musician as self taught and after years still very basic on acoustic guitar. I love writing lyrics - don't really enjoy playing covers so the guitar is just an anchor for
lyric writing. I'd like to do more collaboration - that's when the lyrics really come to life - have done this from time to time with musicians who are accomplished and its really satisfying but most times
I'm like a moody (68 years old!) teenager writing in my bedroom - which is fine 'cos I like that too! [morehappy]

Its great to see/hear what everyone's involved in musically.

gassho2

Jinyo

Sat today

Hi Jinyo

Yes please do post your lyrics. I’d love to see them and hear them if you want to try singing over the tune.

I am so glad you enjoyed the song and found it inspiring.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Jinyo]

Hi Jinyo

Yes please do post your lyrics. I’d love to see them and hear them if you want to try singing over the tune.

I am so glad you enjoyed the song and found it inspiring.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

Hi,
Atmospherically the acoustics suggested a dreamlike state to me, particularly the first four bars that repeated in a way our thoughts do when waking up in that half-dream state.

Not sure I can devise a recording of my singing over music but will try. Any chance of the chords for acoustic version? I've been playing with it all day and has kinda morphed as I'm rubbish
beyond a few chords I can play.

Lyrics often read a bit limp without the music but here they are - they do fit with the music as have been singing them all day but tricky in places :)

Intro – four bars- no lyrics

Morning
First light
You are here
In my mind

Maybe I’m just dreaming
Maybe I’m just scheming
My way back home to you

My way back home
Been lost and alone
I’m finding my way
Back home to you

Morning
First light
You are here
In my heart

Maybe I’m just dreaming
Maybe I’m just scheming
My way back home to you

My way back home
Never really gone
In my heart all along
I’m no longer alone

But maybe I’m just dreaming
just dreaming ... all alone

gassho1

Jinyo

Sat Today

[Bion]

Hi,
Atmospherically the acoustics suggested a dreamlike state to me, particularly the first four bars that repeated in a way our thoughts do when waking up in that half-dream state.

Not sure I can devise a recording of my singing over music but will try. Any chance of the chords for acoustic version? I've been playing with it all day and has kinda morphed as I'm rubbish
beyond a few chords I can play.

Lyrics often read a bit limp without the music but here they are - they do fit with the music as have been singing them all day but tricky in places :)

Intro – four bars- no lyrics

Morning
First light
You are here
In my mind

Maybe I’m just dreaming
Maybe I’m just scheming
My way back home to you

My way back home
Been lost and alone
I’m finding my way
Back home to you

Morning
First light
You are here
In my heart

Maybe I’m just dreaming
Maybe I’m just scheming
My way back home to you

My way back home
Never really gone
In my heart all along
I’m no longer alone

But maybe I’m just dreaming
just dreaming ... all alone

gassho1

Jinyo

Sat Today

Very nice! SUPER interesting how we both sort of had the same vibe when it came to the topic of the lyrics. I wrote some last week for it and we have a basic version recorded already. It literally uses the HOME theme and all I can say is : GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!! [emoji847] WONDERFUL!

(Sorry for the extra line there!!!)

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Jinyo]

Very nice! SUPER interesting how we both sort of had the same vibe when it came to the topic of the lyrics. I wrote some last week for it and we have a basic version recorded already. It literally uses the HOME theme and all I can say is : GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!! [emoji847] WONDERFUL!

(Sorry for the extra line there!!!)

[emoji1374] SatToday


Would love to hear the recording when its done !

Sat Today

[Bion]

Would love to hear the recording when its done !

Sat Today

I am all for sharing it when it’s finished. I have to re-record it cause we’ve made some changes. If Tairin is up for it, I’d love to share it when it’s finished.

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Jinyo]

I am all for sharing it when it’s finished. I have to re-record it cause we’ve made some changes. If Tairin is up for it, I’d love to share it when it’s finished.

[emoji1374] SatToday

That's great - thank you [claps]

[Tairin]

I am all for sharing it when it’s finished. I have to re-record it cause we’ve made some changes. If Tairin is up for it, I’d love to share it when it’s finished.

[emoji1374] SatToday

Absolutely! I’d love to share our collaboration with the Sangha.

Jinyo, your lyrics are lovely. Do you feel up to recording yourself singing them to my guitar? It doesn’t need to be anything professional, using your phone’s mic would be fine. You can send to just me if you don’t want to share more widely. I can PM you a place to drop the music.

Thank you both Bion and Jinyo. It really does mean a lot to me that you both found my track inspiring enough to write lyrics for. Deep bows to you both.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Seishin]

Tairin/Jinyo

Been playing catch on some of the tracks folks have posted and just listened to Tairin exquisite playing, which is tell me I need to do some work on triads and finger picking but it really suited a damp Saturday, working on what I need to practice tonight and my next project. It was so mellow and soothing, it may not be traditional zen but its still zen !
And Jinyo I think your word suit it perfectly and would love to here them sung over this progression.

This is really wonderful stuff folks, so deep bows all round.

Sat

[Tairin]

Tairin/Jinyo

Been playing catch on some of the tracks folks have posted and just listened to Tairin exquisite playing, which is tell me I need to do some work on triads and finger picking but it really suited a damp Saturday, working on what I need to practice tonight and my next project. It was so mellow and soothing, it may not be traditional zen but its still zen !
And Jinyo I think your word suit it perfectly and would love to here them sung over this progression.

This is really wonderful stuff folks, so deep bows all round.

Sat

Thank you Seishin.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Jinyo]

Well folks I guess as I was the one to offer some advice and point Jundo in the direction of his online Beginners Guitar course and all points beyond, reckon I should confess to my sins.

I have owned a guitar since my 40th birthday and then due to work commitments and a very heavy martial arts schedule including my own school for a good few years, I started a stop start journey of trying to play songs, riffs and solos and pretty much got nowhere fast. When early retirement was looming I vowed I would finally learn how to play the guitar and not just bits and pieces. So when I jacked in work at 55 in 2011 I started again but as we offed and left the UK for France and spent 6 months house hunting then some time doing up our new home, it was again spasmodic. So at the end of 2012 I knuckled down again going over old stuff but tumbled on Justin Sandercoe in early 2013 and haven't looked back. The forum related to his online lessons is similar to Treeleaf in that its warm, friendly, encouraging and supportive. And all levels are encourage to record and share their progress, from out and out beginners to some gigging semi pros. Like Treeleaf allows us all to connect, modern technology allows for global collaborations with takes and stems winging it across the web to eventually be mixed, produced and put out for feedback.

I still consider myself just an advanced beginner but I have recorded a host of covers and written a few originals. Spending most of my life thinking I was tone deaf and with limited range, I steered clear of singing until I was press ganged into a collaboration on an early 1970s prepunk project, as my Russian amateur (but excellent) mixer/producer wanted a London(UK) accent and I finally wilted under the pressure. And it came out ok. So with a little confidence I have since sung on a few of my own multi track projects and been invited to sing and play on more collaborations.

Around about last November having stumbled at all previous attempts, I finally got the courage to start singing and playing and to make it work. In the last 4 months I have recorded 4 "live" performances but still consider it work in progress. Live projects are recorded via webcam and OBS for video recording with an Audio Interface plugged into the PC. Multi Track projects cobbled together with Reaper, my go to DAW and a host of FX products for mixing and mastering, of which I am a rank amateur !

Wishing to improve my singing as well as my playing I am 4 weeks into a 12 week singing course and happy with the progress with a huge expansion of range. As a result of that I have some other projects in the pipe line that I will share with my guitar forum friends and potentially the wider public via soundcloud or youtube. I try and put out at least one recording a month if circumstances permit.

I try to practice each day and have currently restarted a Blues Rhythm course and a Blues Lead course. I've lacked focus for a couple of years due to worries over Brexit and my wife's health issue last year but so far so good in 2021.

Should anyone be interested in my recordings they can be found here

https://soundcloud.com/tobyjenner/tracks

There's the odd bit of noodling and some singing course tracks that can be ignored. Most of the tracks will indicate if its a collab or just me playing and singing on the odd occasion.

and here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wcjHmnrFuQyom6tqUtdrQ/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0&view_as=subscriber

My "live" performance come under the Madman banner, it follows the title of a forum post, when I lost the 100 FX on my Mustang III amp and went through the painful process of rebuilding it. As the factory FX were of questionable quality and use, I had spent the best part of 4 years replacing them all only to lose the lot and all the saved nuances I had applied to them......they were backed up offline though !! So I spent a week to 10 days seeking advice and council under the heading of the Madman's Diary as I was tearing my hair out, which included losing everything for a second time and then finding the original fault was down to a school boy error and nothing was ever lost, so the two rebuilds could have been avoided at the literal push of a button. Sitting was very help at this time. Anyway the label stuck and now indicates a little audio diary of social banter before I get to the actual "live" performances.

Interaction with these two mediums is purely voluntary but there should you wish.

Anyway that's about where I am at and short term where I am going but great to see so many other musicians here sharing there stories (can I say other ?) [claps]

Sat and about to play.

Its taking me a while to go through all the wonderful posts here.

Things very hard on the health front in my neck of the woods but listening to your music lifted my spirits today Seishin. I not only like your music you are a natural comic and the intros to the you tube
recordings made me smile ear to ear :)

The White Rabbit Cover gave me goosebumps as the gravelly tone in your singing voice reminded me of Johnny Cash - trust in your voice - I hear an old soul in it.

Would love to hear you play/sing a cover from New Model Army - any chance of the track Winter?


gassho2

Jinyo

[Seishin]

Its taking me a while to go through all the wonderful posts here.

Things very hard on the health front in my neck of the woods but listening to your music lifted my spirits today Seishin. I not only like your music you are a natural comic and the intros to the you tube
recordings made me smile ear to ear :)

The White Rabbit Cover gave me goosebumps as the gravelly tone in your singing voice reminded me of Johnny Cash - trust in your voice - I hear an old soul in it.

Would love to hear you play/sing a cover from New Model Army - any chance of the track Winter?


gassho2

Jinyo

Ah Jinyo your words brightened my day. I see you must have stepped into the rabbit hole of my Madman's Diaries. After nearly a year of covid that started as a bit of fun to bring a little cheer to our guitar forum and now its become an expectation from the members. Folks have said those intro's are just like my posts and I just say what you see is what you get, bit like The Jam. I am glad you liked White Rabbit it was a challenge playing the lead line and the vocals but has given me lots of confidence. Others have mentioned Cash. As you can see with the video diaries I have only just started making more of Youtube. Most of the videos were rideouts in Yorkshire and Cumbria and some more over here in France. But there's an early rhythm only cover of Another Man's Cause (must do more Levellers) that I cringe when looking back and Ascension Day (WWWIII proto punk from around 71) which I put up there performance wise with White Rabbit (vocals and rhythm on that one). I am trying to keep a catalogue on Soundcloud of all my recordings, so when I think I have not made the progress I would have liked, go back to some of the early stuff and see how far I have come.

I'll look into that NMA track further, just played it while typing and really enjoyed it. Think an acoustic versions is possible oh another one on the list ! Didn't know they were still going !! Some good stuff back in the day and always great energy.

Well if I have brought some joy, job done.

Deep bows for taking time to listen to an old man trying to recapture his youth.

Gassho

Seishin

Sat and played but not at the same time.

[Jinyo]

Hi Seishin,

well if you are an old man trying to recapture his youth not sure what that makes me ;)

I think you'll enjoy this documentary on NMA - they're still going strong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5KWzPnImtI

Will be following you on Soundcloud !


Gassho

Jinyo

sat today

[Tairin]

Hi Seishin

I love your version of White Rabbit. That’s a song I’ve always enjoyed.

I listened to most of what you posted to SoundCloud, it sounds like you are having fun exploring music in your retirement. :encouragement:

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Gareth]

One of my favourite songs is the Animals version of “The House of the Rising Sun”. I have had a go [smile]

https://vimeo.com/513567565

https://vimeo.com/513568227

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

[Bion]

One of my favourite songs is the Animals version of “The House of the Rising Sun”. I have had a go [smile]

https://vimeo.com/513567565

https://vimeo.com/513568227

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

Loved the playing, love the song, love the beard!! Thanks Gareth!!! [emoji1]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Gareth]

Thank you! It is my first beard :D

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

[Shinshou]

If there's anyone who has music that can be played but needs to be charted, send me a message. I've done lots of composing, arranging, transcribing, and transposing for decades. I'd be happy to take a listen and get it down on paper for you.

Shinshou (Daniel)
Sat Today

[Seishin]

One of my favourite songs is the Animals version of “The House of the Rising Sun”. I have had a go [smile]

https://vimeo.com/513567565

https://vimeo.com/513568227

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

Ha Gareth was not expecting that, thought you'd be launching straight into the chords/rhythm section. Thought you did really well on both recordings. Man its been years since I tried that solo, despite playing quite a few versions of HOTRS (last one up beat power chord version). Look forward to hearing more from you.

Sat

[Seishin]

Hi Tairin

Thanks for taking a listen to the "catalogue" and that's a stretched description to say the least ! Certainly having fun. Some ups and downs and just like our path here I have strayed now and zen (!) but keep making slow but steady progress. Aim this year is to do at least one recording a month but keep getting side tracked but always in a good way.
More to come but a friend in Calgary has just sent me off on another not so wild goose chase. See below.

Deep bows good friend. [monk]

Sat

[Seishin]

Jinyo

Thanks for that NMA documentary link, gonna take a look tonight. My last 18 yrs in the UK was in Wakefield, so those opening scenes bring back good memories. I know they were from Bradford originally so those moors look oh so familiar. Well I have worked out the chords for Winter but expect the vocals to be a challenge as there is quite a change of tempo in the second verse but its on the to do list ! A few other songs on the go but a friend has steered me away from drilling scales to improve my speed and dexterity and has suggested I learn the solo to Led Zeps Thank You. Always loved that song and now see I maybe able to play all of it, so another curve ball has taken me off piste and I am working on that too right now. So many songs so little time, plus I need to get another Madman episode out soon........................and that's why I find sitting sooooo peaceful. Watch this space or SC & YT.

Gassho [monk]

Sat

[Kiri]

Hello everyone! I don't play any instruments but music is a huge part of my everyday life. I was just wondering if anyone knows Joe Hisaishi and his amazing work. Here is one of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsowHW0t7CA

Gassho, Nikolas
Sat/Lah

[Seishin]

Hey Niko, not my normal go to but enjoyed this immensely. Good to listen outside the box now a zen. [monk]

Sat

[Tsuru]

Hey, everyone! Looking forward to seeing this one develop

I mentor and own half of an indie label for a living, been passionate about creating and being around music since I was 16, studied it for some years and currently doing a PhD linked to my composition. Here’s a link to the label and a recent release I think some of you might enjoy: https://beachedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-02-old-quarry-office

Also will be taking up shakuhachi later this year, nice to see there’s already a wealth of knowledge available here for that!

St, lah
Jonathan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bion]

Hey, everyone! Looking forward to seeing this one develop

I mentor and own half of an indie label for a living, been passionate about creating and being around music since I was 16, studied it for some years and currently doing a PhD linked to my composition. Here’s a link to the label and a recent release I think some of you might enjoy: https://beachedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-02-old-quarry-office

Also will be taking up shakuhachi later this year, nice to see there’s already a wealth of knowledge available hear for that!

St, lah
Jonathan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow! An industry peer! Great to have you around Jonathan! [emoji3526]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Tsuru]

Wow! An industry peer! Great to have you around Jonathan! [emoji3526]

[emoji1374] SatToday

Thank you! [emoji1317]

St


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Seishin]

Hey folks thought I would reply here regards the Open Mic, rather than clutter up the collaboration thread, which is still super impressive.

For starters thanks for the encouragement and support. The whole trial was a huge success with 11 performers and a total of 20 present in Zoom. There was about 9 of us who had never played in public before and despite it being my "home studio" was still nerve racking but we all got through it. My plan was to just have a good time and get folks involved with some audience participation, even though everyone was muted.

I decided to keep things very simple with a Dylanesque Knockin On Heavens Door for starters but then ramped things up with a number from Woodstock. Someone had posted a thread about protest songs on our forum back in January and naturally a few Vietnam songs were referenced. My input to that was Country Joe MacDonald and the Fish and his "Feel like I'm fixin to die" rag. So that was what I chose for the second song with the aim to get folks joining the chorus. So with the necessary explanatory intro to that one, I overran by 3 minutes but the whole gig finished 10 minutes early, so no harm no foul. But it was a hoot even if I was a bit OTT !!

Self critique as ever - stuffed up the beginning of both songs. Got a good few chords wrong and messed the odd line up. So yeah always my own worst critic but I need to see what went wrong to be better next time and oh yes we are already talking May for round 2 !!

For anyone interested I'll be dropping a cutting of my performance on my Youtube channel, as we are keeping the whole show in house (once everyone signs of on internal distribution). I'll edit the video and subsequently upload. If you know where I am you will find it but I'd rather not push it out for general circulation if that's ok.

So after a good few moths of working on just singing and playing, I am taking a little time out and doing some improv over Southern Rock tracks, as I really need to push my licks, riffs n lead skills.

Anyway thanks for listen to me ramble but as I always say, never to old to rock n roll and I'll be 65 on the 30th - no fool like and old fool.

Gassho

Sat

[Tairin]

Hi Seishin

I am glad to hear your Open Mic performance went well. I know what you mean about performing being nerve wracking but it sounds like you went in with the right attitude —having fun. Please do post a link once you have it.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Gareth]

Thank you! I would love to hear your power chords version or other guitar music. I have been trying to learn something new recently, actually a few new things, but some of it is a little fast and I’m still practicing. HOTRS is really nice imo.

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

[Seishin]

Thank you! I would love to hear your power chords version or other guitar music. I have been trying to learn something new recently, actually a few new things, but some of it is a little fast and I’m still practicing. HOTRS is really nice imo.

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

Gareth since you asked so nicely ! There are two versions on my Soundcloud, the first mixed and produced my me and this one by my good friend in Moscow, who is our guitar forum go to mixing guru. It was a fun cover with a bit more attitude than the OT but I do like to rock !

https://soundcloud.com/tobyjenner/hotrs-schlaffenwagen-mix

I should add from that track you should be able to see my other recordings, some good some bad and some I'd rather forget !

Sat n played

[Seishin]

Hi Seishin

I am glad to hear your Open Mic performance went well. I know what you mean about performing being nerve wracking but it sounds like you went in with the right attitude —having fun. Please do post a link once you have it.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

Tairin

Well the video is out there in our forum land and looks like OM2 will be mid May so its been as a success. Much as I would love to share the whole show, I need to respect my colleagues, so you will have to put up with me making a fool of myself. Guess there was a lot of Jundo's Fake It 'Til You Make in my approach but it was all in good fun !
Just need to get out of the habit of adding the lyrics "Wrong Chord !!" to all my videoed songs or just get the chords right !


https://youtu.be/6LLFWJZYHc4

Gassho

Sat

[Gareth]

Gareth since you asked so nicely ! There are two versions on my Soundcloud, the first mixed and produced my me and this one by my good friend in Moscow, who is our guitar forum go to mixing guru. It was a fun cover with a bit more attitude than the OT but I do like to rock !

https://soundcloud.com/tobyjenner/hotrs-schlaffenwagen-mix

I should add from that track you should be able to see my other recordings, some good some bad and some I'd rather forget !

Sat n played

Great playing, I like your version. It is a nice list as well - I'm down to An Irish Pub Song Cover currently! Some favourites - the Madman covers and the Tears of a Dragon cover. Also the Let's Play a Game 1962 collaboration, and the lead guitar in Where Do You Think You Are Going.

I have been playing over a Hendrix-style backing track lately...thinking about uploading a 'version 1', as the Treeleaf Music Hall should have people practicing, not just finished performances?!

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, about to lah
Edit: Apologies for going slightly over the sentence limit

[Onrin]

Hey, everyone! Looking forward to seeing this one develop

I mentor and own half of an indie label for a living, been passionate about creating and being around music since I was 16, studied it for some years and currently doing a PhD linked to my composition. Here’s a link to the label and a recent release I think some of you might enjoy: https://beachedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-02-old-quarry-office

Also will be taking up shakuhachi later this year, nice to see there’s already a wealth of knowledge available here for that!

St, lah
Jonathan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I enjoyed that mix Jonathan, thanks! Big fan of music of this sort (and most sorts). I used to run a small label/distribution company in L.A. and worked at a label in Tokyo before that. Have been thinking of getting involved again since moving back to Japan. Still messing about on guitar and drums all these years too.
Enjoying this subform in general all, keep up the music.

Sat today,
Chris

[Doshin]

Tairin

Well the video is out there in our forum land and looks like OM2 will be mid May so its been as a success. Much as I would love to share the whole show, I need to respect my colleagues, so you will have to put up with me making a fool of myself. Guess there was a lot of Jundo's Fake It 'Til You Make in my approach but it was all in good fun !
Just need to get out of the habit of adding the lyrics "Wrong Chord !!" to all my videoed songs or just get the chords right !


https://youtu.be/6LLFWJZYHc4

Gassho

Sat


Well that took me back. Far out, Peace (could not find the peace symbol :) )

Doshin
St

[Shokai]

Well that took me back. Far out, Peace (could not find the peace symbol :) )

Doshin
St

Seishin, Like Doshin said. Looking (and sounding) GOOD!! thank you for sharing

gassho, Shokai
stalh

[Seishin]

Doshin/Shokai/Gareth

Been meaning to do that Country Joe for 50 years but could never play let alone sing. Great fun though. Glad enjoyed it. _/\_

There was a 2nd Open Mic mid May where I covered a hybrid version of Behind Blue Eyes and another of the Foo Fighters' Times Like These. I've not had time to strip my part out of the full show video, which I am unable to share but when other musical projects die down, I'll cut, shut and post.

The Madman's Diaries now has another chapter added with Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory - just me and the guitar. But now added to a playlist, where future chapters will be available.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL3Ur4AkmxhbSguH4vkGWT9gsy3BbyBkz
I've been tied down writing and playing melody lines linked to a discussion on modes. Still work in progress and yet to be published. Of the six commonly used modes I am finishing up the last one at the moment. But as the author of the discussion decided Locrian was just too way out there, I created my own backing track and melody, which will finalise the project. But a side shoot is, the melodies are proving great exercises for increasing speed and accuracy of my picking by ramping up the tempo, so wins all round.


Gareth apologies for delayed reply but go for it. It will be nice to hear you playing, especially some Hendrix style. Please share.




I have been playing over a Hendrix-style backing track lately...thinking about uploading a 'version 1', as the Treeleaf Music Hall should have people practicing, not just finished performances?!

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, about to lah
Edit: Apologies for going slightly over the sentence limit


Again thanks for the comments and encouragement.

Deep bows folk.

Sat

[Gareth]

Seishin - I'm enjoying the Blaze of Glory cover! I just noticed your reply, I'm not sure how I missed it until now. I've been busy practicing, but the Hendrix isn't ready yet unfortunately...it is tough.

I have bought an irig2 for recording though and here is my first upload on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-991484405/untitled-guitar-masterpiece-1. I like the sound via the irig2 device compared with the iphone microphone.

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, Lah

[Rob Parisien]

I play the baroque lute with a focus on 18th century composers. The instrument has 13 courses - sort of like a guitar with 13 strings. Playing for me can allow for an open feeling that (at its best) is similar to zazen.
https://soundcloud.com/baroquelute/david-kellner-campanella-in-d
gassho2
rob
sat today

[Bion]

I play the baroque lute with a focus on 18th century composers. The instrument has 13 courses - sort of like a guitar with 13 strings. Playing for me can allow for an open feeling that (at its best) is similar to zazen.
https://soundcloud.com/baroquelute/david-kellner-campanella-in-d
gassho2
rob
sat today

Oh, that is beautiful! Sounds amazing. I can relate to that feeling of finding the zazen mind in other activities that require intense focus.

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Naiko]

I play the baroque lute with a focus on 18th century composers. The instrument has 13 courses - sort of like a guitar with 13 strings. Playing for me can allow for an open feeling that (at its best) is similar to zazen.
https://soundcloud.com/baroquelute/david-kellner-campanella-in-d
gassho2
rob
sat today

That is sublime. Thank you for sharing it.
Gassho,
Naiko
st

[Shinshi]

I play the baroque lute with a focus on 18th century composers. The instrument has 13 courses - sort of like a guitar with 13 strings. Playing for me can allow for an open feeling that (at its best) is similar to zazen.
https://soundcloud.com/baroquelute/david-kellner-campanella-in-d
gassho2
rob
sat today

That is really amazing Rob!

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Mrcpt11]

My wife and I met in Okinawa and started playing traditional Irish music together. She has played the tin whistle nearly her whole life; we joke she bought me a bodhrán so I’d have something other than a pint glass to occupy my hands while she was playing at the local izakaya (I’ve since stopped drinking, but that’s a different story). We don’t get too much time to play nowadays because the little princess you see dancing in the background of the video takes up most of our time. However, it is still a passion of ours and something we love to do together.

https://youtu.be/BaEf_yKhIcw

Sorry for the long message.

Gassho, William

Sat today

[Shinshi]

My wife and I met in Okinawa and started playing traditional Irish music together. She has played the tin whistle nearly her whole life; we joke she bought me a bodhrán so I’d have something other than a pint glass to occupy my hands while she was playing at the local izakaya (I’ve since stopped drinking, but that’s a different story). We don’t get too much time to play nowadays because the little princess you see dancing in the background of the video takes up most of our time. However, it is still a passion of ours and something we love to do together.

Sorry for the long message.

Gassho, William

Sat today

That was just so lovely. Thank you so much for sharing.

And your daughter is a dancer!

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Bion]

My wife and I met in Okinawa and started playing traditional Irish music together. She has played the tin whistle nearly her whole life; we joke she bought me a bodhrán so I’d have something other than a pint glass to occupy my hands while she was playing at the local izakaya (I’ve since stopped drinking, but that’s a different story). We don’t get too much time to play nowadays because the little princess you see dancing in the background of the video takes up most of our time. However, it is still a passion of ours and something we love to do together.

Sorry for the long message.

Gassho, William

Sat today

I loved that! Both of you have super hands [emoji1787] The little princess is adorable! Thanks for sharing!!!

[emoji1374] Sat Today

[Tomás ESP]

My wife and I met in Okinawa and started playing traditional Irish music together. She has played the tin whistle nearly her whole life; we joke she bought me a bodhrán so I’d have something other than a pint glass to occupy my hands while she was playing at the local izakaya (I’ve since stopped drinking, but that’s a different story). We don’t get too much time to play nowadays because the little princess you see dancing in the background of the video takes up most of our time. However, it is still a passion of ours and something we love to do together.

https://youtu.be/BaEf_yKhIcw

Sorry for the long message.

Gassho, William

Sat today

Cutest video ever! Lovely, thank you for sharinggassho2

Gassho, Tomás
Instasat

[Seiko]

The sounds of Medieval and Renaissance bagpipes with some photographs of my home town.

Amoroso - https://youtu.be/lLFAT9Pv2Yc

This Enderis Day - https://youtu.be/LCMVaTpbf4s

Kalenda Maya and Quand Hiver - https://youtu.be/WIhsbcwZvhc

Farandole - https://youtu.be/zdvxhhQwT7k

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[Seiko]

A 15th century tune.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nB9mzMVhFtA&feature=share

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[Seiko]

Credo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EHQ5HY7FU2I

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[KvonNJ]

Hi. May as well get in on this... I play several instruments, with varying degrees of skill as my condition and meds allow. My first love is drums... Started when I was six after hearing "God of Thunder" by Kiss. I tried to explain it to my grandfather... A whole song, that was nothing but drums! He went and put on a record... "Sing Sing Sing" from Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall, with the great Gene Krupa drum solo. Got hooked on two things: playing music, and jazz . Got my first drum set for Christmas that year. I also play sax, clarinet, a couple kinds of flute, guitar, bass, a little mandolin, ukulele and highland bagpipes. Again... To what level of success depends on how my meds are doing on any given day.
For listening pleasure, I am a huge Deadhead, otherwise, old jazz, particularly of the 50s and 60s.

Just sat a bit ago.
Gonna sit some more later.