MOTU Masterworks EQ

I Don’t Remember

After a bit of faffing about, I wasn’t getting any traction and decided to pull out the “inspiration bag of tricks” box. Modern software like Scaler and other “AI” type tools has provided a lot of ways to avoid needing any sort of formal music training or theory. I have basic to intermediate theory, but most of what I do is instinctual. It’s actually very similar to my command of the English language. I learned the formal rules a long time ago, but wouldn’t be able to diagram a sentence these days. I know when grammar is correct, though, because … Continue reading

The Sentinel

Mary left this morning for an extended business trip, so I’m a single-parent for the next week. And Olive, our 9-month old puppy is a harsh and jealous mistress. She’s matured a lot in the last few weeks, but she still needs a ton of attention and exercise. Now this may come as a surprise, but the writing music process doesn’t do so well with interruptions every 5-15 minutes. With this in mind, I figured I’d write something that could tolerate the interruptions and worked on another drone. I’ve been experimenting with various textures, and a lot of … Continue reading

Red Hill Danger Zone

Note: This post was written in 2025 and backdated to appear on the day I wrote and published the track. In past years, I’ve had “requests” come from friends to try different styles or write about specific topics. One of the most successful of these was 202’s Spicy Bee. I never guarantee that I’ll actually take the request – Song-A-Day is already stressful enough on its own without having to satisfy an audience, and inspiration isn’t always a predictable thing. I do, however, try my best to at least give   it a try. This year, the request was “do … Continue reading

Mare Marginus

Note: This post was written in 2025 and backdated to appear on the day I wrote and published the track. I tend to have a pretty strong self-deprecating sense of humor. I’m not sure if that’s a defense mechanism, an outgrowth of my early humility training by my parents, a natural extension of my sarcasm, or some deeper psychological thing that some therapist would like to talk to me about because they need to send their kids to college. To expand on the “humility training” thing a bit, I started acting in (little) musical theater at age seven and was … Continue reading

Sea Pap (Derek Greenberg Cover)

Note: This post was written in 2025 and backdated to appear on the day I wrote and published the track. Another Song-A-Day, another cover. I’ve written about my love/hate relationship with cover day before, so let’s just assume I rehashed it all. Most years, I struggle to pick something and then deal with all sorts of self-inflicted angst about covering a song that I know the original artist will hear. 2024 did give me a lot of possibilities, though. When I looked back at my notes, I had nine different songs written down as cover options. Surprisingly, Sea Pap wasn’t … Continue reading