Don't visit the musical instrument store

It's twice now that I go to guitar shops at lunch and make major purchases. Yesterday, bought a midi pickup and pedal/synth set. What could I do? We were looking at getting such an interface to fill the sound, and the store had 2 used versions of Roland midi pickups, one with a rack mounted synth and the other with a pedal synth. I got the pedal. We actually left the store without buying then went back (demi-tour) and tried it, with intention to buy. The response time is quite good, latency is not perceptible although style of playing has to be adapted, has to become more melodic since guitar chord strums sound like arpeggios when translated to keyboard sounds. The last time I bought an effects guitar: X guitar by Alesis. Both were (sort-of) necessary, but it is feeling like a dependency.

Found lyrics

1991, some lyrics I found dating from then, some with chords attached, a melody I forgot, but that may work with the mood of the tunes we have now. Also a new lyric, after HST died. Two songs about death - there is ForRay too, written in 1989.

Also found an online book on musical composition that talks about balance, interest and completeness, using classical references, but applicable to any music. The more pop oriented sites talk about lyrics being 90 percent of the song. I disagree, unless you are Bob Dylan or Tom Waites, and even then, imagine the same songs done by Celine Dion or William Shatner and then tell me that the arrangement does not count!

Music is not a model, not logic, but lives in the corpus callosum, the in-between, the holistic meeting with the logical, the abstraction meeting with the memory of emotion, or even just the raw emotion.

We need a concrete target for completing songs, and making an album. Live honing would be nice too. Are we ready for an audience?

A new member

Alain is bringing a new member for the band, a brand new 4 string all in a dark wood color. It has 2 soapbar active pickups and 24 frets. Along with this he is bringing some UK influence and sound... since it is the country from which this new bass comes from.

From England

Composition

Comes from nowhere, often sounds very wrong, needs to be recorded and listened to, a bit like forced empathy. Like a drawing, post it up on the wall and try to live with it, if you can't then it is probably not good. Listen again and again, until all the flaws are obvious.