Medleys Up And Running

Well hello again! I just wanted to announce that Storm Medleys is up and running, ready for your music-learning needs. Hop on over and check it out!

Rain And Storm

Edit: I used the wrong font for the "torm". Gotta change that. My bad.
Edit 2: All Fixed.
Edit 3: logo now viewable in an optimized rez (not full because full is HUGE).

Hey guys! Sorry, it's been busy over here. Planning posts for the new music blog (along with copious amounts of practicing, and playing Heavy Rain for the PS3) has really taken up my time. Plus, I spent an obnoxious amount of time on a logo for the blogs in the Ordered Storm network, so I didn't really have much time for a post today. Gotta figure out where I'm gonna throw it:

Anyways, if you own a PS3, you must buy Heavy Rain. Best psychological game ever. You gotta play it. Like an 8 hour movie, but one you control and you totally enjoy watching. It's amazing. Seriously. Well, other then that, I've got nothing to say. So... Whatever.

Music Man

Hello! This is actually more of a "I wanna post but what I have planned isn't ready yet" post, so forgive me if it's rather sparse. If you follow my twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, or even have read my blog for a while, you know that I'm prone to different art kicks. Sometimes I'll spend weeks only sketching, and then all of a sudden I'll start writing, or composing, or not do a single artsy thing at all for a long period of time. Recently, I've been on a music kick. Getting my bass skills up to snuff is important to me, because being a solid bassist can really help you be a better guitar player. So, lately I've been practicing scales -something I've always hated, by the way-, trying to come up with some good runs, and learning some stuff from Flea. I'm sure you've heard of him. The bassist from RHCP, played awesomely on quite a few records, has a signature bass, all that jazz. Anywho, I've figured that without submitting things for review, I'll never know what other people think of my playing and so I'm going to start posting things of my own composition as well as things that I've picked up elsewhere for your review. Bot for bass and regular guitar, please expect all sorts of tips and lessons on rhythm, fingerstyle, classical, lead, blues, and other types of music. This will be on a new domain, which I will attempt to route to here under a new music tab, we'll see if I can work that out. When it launches, please comment! Tell me what you find useful, what you find useless, what you'd like to learn about, all that jazz. And, please, if you find it useful and know someone that would benefit from this information, please direct them to the site! If I get enough followers, I may even get to purchase a domain for exclusive use. That would be so cool. Well, that's all! Keep a lookout for the new page.

Really Long, Inadequately Titled Post

Hey guys! So, as you may or may not know, I play music live on a regular basis. Every Thursday and Sunday to be exact. We've finally restarted practicing on Tuesday nights, and today's practice was for an opening of our new loft area at church. It's pretty dang sweet. You guys are all invited, here's the facebook event link: Loft Event. Pictures of our 98% finished loft:

This event is going to be awesome. I'll be playing my new bass, there will be tons of music, most likely free coffee, all that jazz. On another note, there's been something that I've been putting off doing, which is telling you how stuff panned out after the Freedom post from 7/11. To put it simply, it didn't. But, as I said in the post (and which I've been re-thinking and decided I still feel the same way) I'm perfectly fine with it not panning out. I was, and still am, satisfied with just making that first move. And, to be really honest, that makes me feel really good about myself because last year I would not have said that. It would've thrown me straight in the dumps. I don't know what to attribute this feeling to, but whatever it is is really cool. Finally, here's my last update on my Summer Checklist:

- Get at least halfway through writing my book.
     I didn't even get close to this, but I did do some work, and I will continue to do so. I will also continue with this for this year's NaNoWriMo, so I might even get it done before the year is out, If I apply myself to it.
- Learn to palm flip
     Didn't happen.
- to palm spin
     Didn't happen.
- to wall flip
     Didn't happen.
- to wall front flip
     Didn't happen.
- to Kip-up
     Almost happened! I'm so close, I hope to be able to do this really soon.
- to cartwheel (I still can't do one. At all.)
     Didn't happen.
- Run a 6 minute mile (sprint speed, not average speed)
     I'm not sure if this happened. I haven't tried, but I did do a lot of running this summer.
- to Kong Vault
     Didn't happen.
- to Speed Vault
     Happened!
- to Dash Vault
     This too!
- to run up a 10' wall (I can only do a 9' or so now, whatever height Mike is with his arms raised above his head plus 6")
     I can do 9'6", so better, but not my goal.

Now, onto stuff I did accomplish, but wasn't on my list:

• Made it more than halfway through language set 1 for Japanese.
• Started learning how to read people's bodily expressions.
• Bought a bass.
• Actually practiced my Violin on a consistent basis. I still suck, but I'm better than I was.
• Hung out. This is a rather new development, I've never really hung out before 2009 or so.
• Didn't stress out over a girl for the first time since like 2007.
• Learned a lot of new classical songs on my guitar.
• Got some semblance of abs, not just the natural abs you get from being über skinny.

Well, that's all for now. See you later!

Musically Challenged

Hey guys! It's starting to look like I'll be consistently posting on the weekends, and not so much Mon.-Thurs.. That's fine by me though. So, lately I've been trying more and more to write some music, and I have a lot of pieces floating around that I just can't really put down into one solid composition, which happens with my writing as well. I guess what I really need is to limit myself, because there are just so many cool places to go lyric-, music-, and story-wise that it's hard to not try and do them all at once. Maybe this problem only affects me, but I don't think it does. Aside from all that, it's also hard trying to get all the stuff together by yourself. With no-one to jam with, I can't just dole out music parts and have them play or sing the same section over and over again whilst I tweak other things. I need a band. Oh well, that's all for now. I'mma head off to bed, might post something else today. See you then!

Paramore

So, I tried my best to keep this from taking too long to load. Anywho, Paramore with Lexa yesterday was awesome. This is us, finally inside after about an hour or so of waiting in line:

I look like an idiot in this picture. But, anywho, about an hour after that the opening band played, and I had a feeling I might have liked them if I understood what they were saying.

Then this band called New Found Glory played, and they kind of reminded me of a rather weak blink 182. Fun fact? They played a cover of Sixpence None The Richer's "Kiss Me". That was fun. And they had a random guy in a green body sock on stage.

And now random pictures of the sun setting:

During this sunset a band called Tegan and Sara played, and they weren't too bad. No pictures of them.

And now...

Paramore! Yay! This was a totally fun concert, and they played for quite some time, somewhere around an hour and a half. Pics:

 All those sparks were the fake ending. If you've been to enough concerts, you know what I mean. You play a song everyone is content with you ending on, but not what they would've chosen themselves, and you walk off. In reality, you have two or three more songs lined up and are just milking the crowd for mutual enjoyment. Random note: I thought I'd have to clean up that sparks image to sharpen it up. Nothin' doin'. That thing has been unedited, just shrunk down in size to save on loading. Now for the real ending:

As you can see, their true end song was off of RIOT!, and it was "Misery Business". It was a good show. They even got a random girl from the audience to sing it with them. Kind of. The girl couldn't really sing. But it was still fun! I had a great time, and so did Lexa. Not many things could have made the night better. And now, I'll end with a random pic Lexa took of me on one of the lions at the Art Institute:

Eyes

Edit: My friend Lexa  is leaving on a trip tomorrow, and I'd like to wish her a safe trip and a fun time.

Not much going on here. Been busy writing a new song, but carved out some time to sketch these two sets of eyes. I don't think they'll work for my character though. Not cartoony enough. What do you think?

This set is bumpy because I drew it on a bumpy table. My bad.

Character Sketch

Hey guys! I've been working on an expression sheet for this character, but for now this is all I have to show you. Gotta do something artsy when I'm not playing guitar and writing, right?

Plus a bg I've whipped up for my other blog, which I will start working on again. Maybe.:

 

This is what I think is a cool guitar progression that goes C G Am F, and probably should be played on an acoustic, but this is through my electric. Enjoy.
Edit: I can't get the stupid media player to work, so just use the link:

Riffing In C

Cornerstone

So, tomorrow I leave for Bushnell, IL for my week down at Cornerstone. I won't be able to blog there, but I will keep a journal of sorts and post it when I get back! There will be many pictures, as well as some insight into the bands there. If you wanna text me, I'll check my messages about three times a day, and will probably text back when I get them. I leave tomorrow morning at 5 AM, so also feel free to say good morning if you'd so desire. And, if you head on over to the Cornerstone Website, you can examine the set list and let me know if there are any bands you want me to check out. I promise to stay for at least three songs before I decide whether or not they're worth my time. The link to my hard and fast schedule (as in don't pick sets that interrupt these bands) is right here: http://www.cstoneschedule.com/DarkAurora. Anyways, I'll probably post at least once more before I leave, so check back soon!

Edit: I'll actually have use of my phone all day everyday, so don't hesitate to text in those requests for bands! Talk to you soon!

Blues

So I finished the lyrics to that song, but I don't have chords yet. I've been practicing my blues scales for it though. I'm waiting to put chords to it until I solder up my pedal, which I ordered the other day. I did design the pedal though. It's gonna be a deep blue with white lettering done in some gothic font, with some clear coat over the top. It's gonna sound (and look) sweet. Other than that, I haven't done anything for this Arts Friday, sorry. Keep an eye out, I'll make it up to you.

Effects

Hey guys. I came across this site for kits to build your own effects pedals for guitars and stuff, and I so totally want one now. There's a Blues Overdrive meant to emulate the Blues Breaker, a really popular (and awesome sounding) pedal by the British company Marshall, and it's only $70! (Plus shipping, and any paint or labels you might want to put on, solder, soldering iron, all that jazz. but right now I'm set.) I'm really hoping to buy one soon, for two reasons (1) geek cred. I mean, soldering together your own effects pedal? Awesome. (2) The guitarist in me wants a bluesy overdrive pedal YESTERDAY, and for only $70 this is a really great deal (that is, a great deal for people who don't mind soldering. See #1.). Jonathan wantz, NAO. The link to the pedal follows: http://www.buildyourownclone.com/bbod.html

Swirling Consciousness

Hey guys! I just got home from getting my wisdom teeth removed. I feel a little dizzy, but that's about it. I've been thinking a lot about feelings lately (mainly love), and wondering about its intricacies, and ended up starting to write a song about it. It's not done yet, and I haven't yet even decided on a key, but I do know that's it's gonna be a blues song. Not sure if I'll do standard 12-bar blues though. Anyways, here's what I've got so far:
~
Sitting alone in your quiet hour
Wond'ring what it takes to make love flower

Maybe you wonder if it's just for the pleasure
Or it's something deeper,something science can't measure

I'm trying to tell you it's a worthy decision
But don't try too much; It'll be your religion


Sitting alone in your quiet hour
Wond'ring what it takes to make love flower

Maybe the rebound is your saving grace
It's really just you trying not to lose face
~
That's all I've got so far guys. I'll get around to finishing it and making my riffs in a few days. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you take the words to heart, because every word in it is true.


Roses are #FF0000

Strung Out

I'm still deciding on what I want the new layout to look like for the blog. And what the new title should be. But I'm not so sure yet. So this is the temp. layout. I've also been wondering (again) about how the narrative of my book should be, because right now I have to jump through hoops just to explain stuff, whereas with other styles of narration it would be so much easier. That, and I need to sit down and write out a whole storyline, because while I like just writing and letting the story flow, I also would like to leave those subtle plot hints that when someone re-reads a book makes them enjoy the book that much more. I hope I can do it.

Anywho, I picked up some new CD's the other day. They're all good, and I thought I'd make mention of them here. My Paper Heart by Francesca Battistelli, which has a rather unique sound that I like, The Invitation by Meredith Andrews, a Chicago artist that puts out some good stuff, and even though I don't listen to Paramore, I picked up the Paramore Piano Tribute CD by the Piano Tribute Players and the Strung Out On Paramore tribute CD by the Vitamin String Quartet. It's a good bit of acoustic rock, and you should check it out.

There's a bit more, but if I post it now then I won't have anything to talk about later! And who knows what I may be crazy enough to post when I come back home Friday tripped out on twelve shots of Novocaine and a few lung-fulls of Nitrous Oxide?

Simple Pleasures

I stood outside, listening to the Melody Of Resolution from the Crisis Core ost. As I stood there, listening to piano and violin playing together, weaving a melody, with my head thrown back and eyes shut tight, under the faux-sunset effect caused by city lights, I felt peace. A peace that made me forget the chill, and wish I could stand there forever, just enjoying it. It felt more a chore to open my eyes and walk inside after that simple pleasure than any other thing that I've ever had to do. I don't know how you can find this, but I hope you can. Brilliant joy in simple things. Just let it come. Enjoy the simplicity. Roses are #FF0000.

The Dream Ends

So I start class tomorrow. Ugh. Should be fun though. Java programming with robots. It's a 3 hour lecture/lab though. I won't like that. I'll be needing coffee halfway through! It's a later class though, it starts at 1.

So I've been working on learning the Canon in D on my guitar, and the arrangement that I'm learning requires the D modal (DADGAD) tuning. The great thing about it is when you have no fingers on the frets, the tuning plays a D chord. And it sounds so pretty. Also lends itself well to fingerpicking, which is another area of practice for me.

Working on getting a consistent tone while playing the violin. It is a little difficult, but I'm determined to learn.

Had a dream for the first time in a few months last night. I was an investigator, and I was looking for someone. Went to best buy for some reason, and helped some guy find CoD MW2 on the shelves. Then something blew up, and all the color kind of desaturated and the brightness went down. I helped some people out, Kaitlin H from Von showed up with Colleen and I directed them out. And then Colleen threw herself at me. And the dream ended. It was weird. At least I didn't die in it like the last dream I had. But they're so random, and I have no clue why. I'm just kinda glad I only deal with dreams every few months, because they're just too vivid and real-feeling to stand every day.

Working on a blog post for reflections right now, should be up either today or tomorrow. I really have to become more consistent with my updates. Meh.

Well, that's all for now. No revelations for me today. Until next time, roses are #FF0000, and my dreams are #000000.

First foray into MIDI files

Hey. I've composed stuff before, but this is my first MIDI file (converted to MP3). It's really short, and only worth maybe half of a verse, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. anyways, here's the file:



And, to be friendly to anyone on a mobile platform, here is the file link (also MP3. If you want the midi, change the MP3 to mid in your browser): File

Update

Lo(I'm)ve. Beatuiful, difficult, intricate, pure, flowing, wonderful. Yup, I'm in love. With music. Honestly, if I ever meet a person that's flowing, I'll call the hospital because people shouldn't flow. Seriously. Anywho, I've been going through some work. Been writing more of Aurora, which should make Lexa happy. Composing some stuff. Practicing guitar like crazy, haven't played a video game in over a week. Got a violin. Been practicing that. Working with Photoshop, making my own brush sets. Recording some picking patterns, when I get around to it I'll be working on getting songs done. Maybe I'll post some. Meh. Not much else going on. On the relationship front, I don't have anything going. No time to get to know anyone. Meh. I can deal. On the reading front, I've only got one book to go before I'm out of reading material. Dang. Well, that's about it. Until next time.

Ink drops on plain parchment

Because I promised that I would, here is my blog post for today: life has been going well. Got my headphones, my quill, AC2, stuff like that. Learned some new songs on guitar, transposing songs for my ocarina, looking at new (actually, old, but more on that later) instruments. Reading, writing, re-writing, gaming, training, caring, getting emotional, taking trips into my past and praying for my future. An average procession of stuff going on in my life. But again, more on that later.

First off, my stuff. Hoping to get the new skillet Alive CD. It's good stuff, and I had a great time at their concert at the House of Blues in November. My quill is great, and finally holds ink like it should. Or maybe I just finally started writing at the correct angle. Meh. It builds patience, and I just love the antiquated feel of my quill scratching its way across acid-free moleskine paper, after being dipped into a jar of a fine dark Italian ink. It's almost poetic. Then there's my new headphones, which are over-ear models. Not only do they have great sound quality, but they keep my ears warm in the cold! Sweet. For Christmas I'm gonna try and convince my whole family to pitch in for one gift for me as opposed to many: and that would be an acoustic-electric violin. Great tone, with all the perks of being able to plug in. The mid range model I want is like $500 though. But it's a steal compared to the one I really want, which is a ZETA that costs around $1,300. But yeah, I don't have my hopes too high. And, like I said earlier, while it would be a new instrument, it wouldn't be too terribly new to me. You see, the violin was my first instrument. I started at around 7, and then had to give it back when I transfered schools because my violin was on loan to me. So I would really like to pick it up again.

Anywho, off of stuff and onto me, which is what blogging is mostly about, right? Right now I'm kind of working through some simple and complex emotions, mostly of the variety that I regularly blog about. I guess you could say I'm in love with all aspects of love, and that makes being single annoying as all heck. But I'm used to that feeling, so I just gotta wait around for a bit I guess. It's rather hard waiting though. Anywho, because I know you'll be wondering, yes, I do darn near always like someone, and yes, right now is included in that time frame. But I can leave that for a later post. Aside from that, I can't think of anything else to write about today. So, in standard fashion, Roses are #FF0000, and so is my heart.