3. jún. 2010
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
— Philip Pullman answers a question on the "shocking" title of his new book. Filmed at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford on 28 March 2010.
Beatles - The Long And Winding Road
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day.
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way.
Tony Levin’s BassCam: Sledgehammer
Here’s Tony Levin giving us a unique perspective of a Peter Gabriel concert in Lima, Peru. I love Tony’s background vocal appearance.
Check out more from Tony Levin’s Road Diary.
Tags: Tony Levin
via notreble.com
Rhythm Series: Keeping Time
Rhythm Series: Keeping Time
by Donovan Stokes Monday, April 12th, 2010
Keeping a steady pulse is a fundamental skill for any musician, and it is especially important to any one who is part of the rhythm section. Even in styles of music that encourage flexible rhythmic expression (i.e. rubato, etc.), the ability to maintain an accurate pulse is essential for a musician. No matter what style of music we play, or what instrument, we can all benefit from improving our “time.”
One of the most common causes of tempo problems is a performer’s inability to maintain an accurate internal pulse. In order to keep a steady beat musically we must be able to consistently feel the beat/pulse. Precise rhythmic acuity is the result of not only of an intellectual understanding of rhythm, but a finely honed physical sensation of pulse as well.
What does it mean to keep an internal pulse?
First off, an internal pulse something you feel physically, not something you understand intellectually. It is also something you feel… well…internally, as opposed to externally.
I sometimes try to express the sensation of feeling a pulse internally like this:
Dr. D: “Have you ever been to a concert where the music was so loud that you could feel the beat of the bass drum in your chest?.
Student: “Yes.”
Dr. D: “That is what you want to feel when you play”
Most people comprehend my meaning immediately. Your pulse should not be abstract or ethereal, but tangible. Although you can move your body to the beat by tapping your foot, bobbing your head, dancing, etc., it is the internal sensation, not it’s external representation, which is most important in having a good sense of tempo. Don’t start tapping your foot and hope it will remain steady. It won’t, and you will only be fooling yourself if you think it will. It is highly unlikely that your foot will keep a steady pulse without your express direction to do so, particularly while playing a complicated passage.
Of course, you can have an excellent rhythmic sense and not move outwardly at all. Some people feel this is the ideal goal to shoot for, others find it an irrelevant goal. Whether you like foot tapping and head bobbing or not, it is essential to realize that an internal pulse is something you experience, not something you understand. Aim for the feeling.
Using a Metronome to Improve Pulse
When someone performs with an inconsistent pulse, (i.e. they “can’t keep a beat”) they are usually advised to practice with a metronome. While this is an appropriate prescription for someone diagnosed with poor rhythmic accuracy, it is an incomplete instruction.
Although most of us know we should “use a metronome,” many people never learn HOW to use a metronome so that their sense of pulse actually improves. As a result, so many aspiring musicians practice with their metronome clicking or beeping away for hours on end, to no avail. They seem to have improved rhythmic accuracy when the metronome is going, but once it is off, they are back where they started. No matter the hours spent, they don’t improve. This can be frustrating.
The primary thing to realize is that the metronome should only be a guide to check your internal pulse, and not a crutch to keep time for you. If you are letting the metronome keep the time, and you are not feeling an internal pulse simultaneously, then you are not using the metronome to it’s best advantage. In short, the metronome is keeping time, but you aren’t. You are relying on the metronome, but not learning form it. Don’t fall into this trap.
When using a metronome you should keep an internal pulse of your own, one that just happens to be in sync with the metronome. In this way, the metronome can show you when, where and how often you need to correct your internal pulse. When your internal pulse rushes, drags or drops out entirely, you should notice it and adjust it to match the metronome. Again, awareness is key. The more you practice in this manner, the better your internal pulse will get. When the metronome is off, you should continue to feel your internal pulse, which you have been training with the metronome on.
When practicing with a metronome, you should be striving to create and maintain a visceral feeling of accurate pulse. If you remember this every time you click on the metronome, you should be on your way to an improved sense of time.
Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film goers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent.
Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere.
What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal… and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story is both a culmination of Moore’s previous works and a look into what a more hopeful future could look like. It is Michael Moore’s ultimate quest to answer the question he’s posed throughout his illustrious filmmaking career: Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?
Watch the full documentary now (Please read FAQ No.10 before watching)
2. jún. 2010
Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland : Natural Hazards
Recommend this image
Ash from Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano had drifted over northern Europe by April 16, 2010. The brown ash is mixed with clouds in this photo-like image taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite at 12:45 p.m. local time (GMT +2). The visible ash sweeps in an arc across the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia. It is likely that the clouds mask additional ash.
The airborne ash grounded flights across much of northern and western Europe starting on April 15. As the ash moved south, more countries began to close their airspace. Fine volcanic ash can clog jet engines, causing the engines to stall. Many airports anticipated remaining closed through Saturday, April 17, reported BBC News. Ash had been reported over Norway, Sweden, northwestern Russia, northern Poland, northern Germany, northern France and the southern United Kingdom, said the Icelandic Met Office.
Eyjafjallajökull began its eruption on March 20, 2010, after 187 years of quiet. On April 14, the volcano began a more forceful eruption, emitting plumes of ash. As of April 16, the eruption was still ongoing, with ash reaching heights of four to five kilometers, said the Icelandic Met Office. The volcano’s previous eruption lasted just over a year between December 1821 and January 1823.
The large image is the highest resolution version of the image available. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System, which also provides daily images of Iceland.
References
- BBC News. (2010, April 16). Volcanic ash: Flight chaos to continue into weekend. Accessed April 16, 2010.,/li>
- Global Volcanism Program. (n.d.) Eyjafjallajökull. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
- Icelandic Met Office. (2010, April 16). Ongoing Eruption. Accessed April 16, 2010.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
- Instrument:
- Terra - MODIS
Eric Clapton - Forever Man - [Jeff Porcaro (drums) & Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), how's that for a pocket!!]
Music video
This was Eric Clapton's first music video, showing Clapton himself performing the song with Donald "Duck" Dunn, Jeff Porcaro, Michael Omartian, Steve Lukather, Shaun Murphy, Yvonne Elliman and Marcella Detroit in a circular stage that in the center had a step, this is where Eric Clapton is performing, the other members of the band are a step below.
This video was directed by Godley and Creme, and it was the only music video made from this album.
"Forever Man" was performed twice by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood during their second US Blind Faith reunion tour at Madison Square Garden, NYC, February 25th-28th, 2008 and their 2009 US Summer tour (featuring Sharon White and Michelle John on backing vocals). Clapton also performed the song at the Royal Albert Hall in February 3, 1989 with Mark Knopfler on rhythm guitar.
Amazing photos of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruptions
Photos by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orvaratli/
Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ornsig/
Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hallgrg/
(Photos by Marco Fulle - http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/ )
Photo: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson - http://www.arctic-images.com/
Planes or Volcano? | Information Is Beautiful (via @johngoldsby)
We were wondering this today.
UPDATE 1: A few people have asked so here’s how we estimated the CO2 emissions of Eyjafjallajoekull.
Data here: http://bit.ly/planevolcanoWe couldn’t find a direct CO2 emissions figure for the icelandic volcano but we did find an emissions figure for Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) – 3,000 tons a day (Source)
When Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, it emitted 42 million tons of CO2 (source) and 17 million tons of SO2 (source). That’s a CO2-to-SO2 ratio of 2.47:1
Applying that ratio to the 3,000 tons of SO2 emitted by Eyjafjallajoekull gives us the figure of 7,412 tons of CO2 per day.
Clearly, this is a ballpark figure and it’s likely to be more complex. If any vulcanologists are passing by and would like to enhance or correct our numbers, please help yourselves to the data!
UPDATE 2: We’ve been sent some new figures from the Nordic Volcanological Institute of the University of Iceland (thanks Nicole!). They’ve measured the CO2:SO2 ratio as 5:1 (source). So Eyjafjallajoekull is emitting an estimated 15,000 tons of CO2 a day – twice our original estimate. We’ve updated the diagram accordingly.
Related posts
Photos - Horses saved from the volcanic ash from the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull Iceland
Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland April 17 on Flickr - Ash cloud seen from satellite
The MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an Ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull Volcano over the North Atlantic at 13:20 UTC (9:20 a.m. EDT) on April 17, 2010.The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted Wednesday, April 14, for the second time this month. The volcano is still spewing ash into the air and the ash clouds are impacting air travel in Northern Europe.
NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team
To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/iceland-volcano-plume....
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Feel like creating a little Jackson Pollock art?
Improvise
- The Auto-Tune Meme (Video) : Recording Magazine -
The Auto-Tune Meme (Video)
November 16, 2009
Much has been written about Auto-Tune in the mainstream media. Whether you love or hate the tool (and its effect), the public beyond recording engineers, producers and musicians has become hyper-aware of its use. And many people are starting to get annoyed.
A friend sent this video along this morning, and I thought those of you who find the T-Pain effect annoying might find this interesting. Though the video is humorous (and features "Weird Al" Yankovic--awesome!), it poses an interesting idea of where we are in the cycle of the Auto-Tune meme, referencing the history since Cher's release in 1998, and that we may soon reach a point of equilibrium. The effect will not go away, but rather be less overused and more balanced.
In the meantime, enjoy the video (5:52).
-Justin Peacock
Know Your Meme: Auto Tune (featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic) from Rocketboom on Vimeo.
Hear the actual bass track from the Brothers Johnson tune "Strawberry Letter 23", from the original master tape. - Louis Johnson isolated bass track
Hear the actual bass track from the Brothers Johnson tune "Strawberry Letter 23", from the original master tape.
James Randi's fiery takedown of psychic fraud
A Rare Look At A Motown Session (via Bobby Owsinski's Blog)
A Rare Look At A Motown Session
It's Motown week here on the Big Picture and we're going to start with an extremely rare look into a session by the legendary Temptations backed by the legendary Funk Brothers and recorded at the legendary Motown Studios in Detroit (the "Snakepit" as they used to call it).This video was shot back in 1967 for a CBS News piece called appropriately "The Motown Story." It featured the classic Temptations lineup including David Ruffin (the lead singer) and Eddie Ruffin, both of which would leave the band soon after this video was made. The song is called "Sorry Is A Sorry Word" and was produced by Motown writers Ivy Jo Hunter and Brian Holland (who stops the song mid-way through).
Some things to observe when watching:
1) As we'll see in upcoming posts, no one at Motown cared much about isolation between instruments since they were never going to replace anything anyway. Either the band got the track or it didn't, and no one ever came back to "fix" a part. Most of the songs cut in Detroit were cut on an 8 track recorder, so a lot of overdubs weren't much of an option anyway. They were only used for a bit of control over the final balance.
2) The usual Funk Brothers band consisted of a rhythm section of 2 drummers, tambourine, congas or bongos, bass, 3 guitars, and 2 keyboards which were all recorded at the same time in the same room! Horns and strings might also be cut at the same time as the rhythm section as well. Motown was only a house in the residential area of town and the studio was in the basement. Imagine doing that in your basement!
3) Only the arranger (the very talented William Witherspoon, who I believe was actually responsible for the early sound of Motown) used headphones. No one else needed them because they were all playing in the same room so they could hear themselves as if it were a rehearsal or gig.
Enjoy. Tomorrow, more Motown.
A World Without Money? - Money is Not the Incentive We Think it is.
Money is Not the Incentive We Think it is
Capitalism is supposed to be an incentive, a motivation for us to work harder. Yet this study shows a very different story.
Brilliant! Highly interesting video. Recommended.
'Waiting" 1st Bass Mix | Gavin Fisher
Um mig / about me
- Siggidóri
- Bass player, father, husband, band member, musician, son, brother, hobby photographer, friend, coffee drinker,
