Warning: this is a rather philosophical post with limited practical value. 😉 In the world of music psychology and such you often see music compared and contrasted to language. This makes sense as both music and language use sound. Some would argue that they both use sound to communicate. In language, we know if a statement…… Continue reading Emotional meaning in music
A couple days ago I was doing some stretching on the carpet and I was looking upwards at the ceiling fan that cools our apartment. It was on, so all I could really see was a ghostly circle as the arms of the fan rotated too fast for the eye to observe. It struck me…… Continue reading Music is like a ceiling fan
This youtube playlist is a collection of songs in different styles. Enjoy!
Here’s a recent recording I did with a great Canadian clarinet player, Michel Martineau. It’s a recording of the jazz standard “Black Orpheus” done with an electro jazz twist. I played guitar and did most of the backing track. Let me know what you think.
I was working with a student recently and was reminded of all the subtleties of uke strumming. For instance, I use my index finger, sometimes supported by my thumb, to strum. When I do a downstroke, my index finger is curled upward and the nail part of my finger drags against the strings. When I…… Continue reading The nuances of uke strumming
I’ve been talking a lot on here about various ways of picking notes on a guitar. To see some of these techniques in action (edge picking, pick slanting, etc.) look no further than this video of Paco de Lucia, Al di Meola and John McLaughlin playing the song “Spain.”
(Note: this article is a piece I’ve published elsewhere but seems relevant here.) Years ago, I was watching a “Star Trek: Next Generation” episode in which Picard, the sage captain of the space vessel, walked into the room of some impertinent alien prince. The kid was playing this absolutely chaotic, atonal music full of clangs…… Continue reading Music and Sound
This is a baritone uke piece I’ve been toying around with for a while. I’m always interested in the design of music and thought I would break down the song here. The tune starts off with a series of arpeggios all built off chords in the E minor scale. Â This section then repeats with a…… Continue reading A look at “Justine’s Garden” (uke song/video)
Wil Forbis Music 