Today I received an email from "Winterful Passions". The subject line was "Enjoy Oneofakind Passion at Winterful Deals".
This would be funny enough on its own. The term 'winterful' alone is pretty much to die for.
But, lo, this is actually only the icing on the cake.
Here is the text that accompanied this email (below the viagra ads enclosed therein). It is a story about paladins fighting over a damsel, and there is mention of "Brunello the dwarf, the subtlest thief in all Africa":
ecollection, and found himself in the same place where Angelica had formerly awakened him with a rain of flowers, and whence he had fled in contempt of her courtesy. This remembrance of the scene was followed by the recognition of his crime; and, repenting bitterly his ingratitude, he leaped upon Bayard,
as he approached the gate. This happened a second and a third time, and Rinaldo at length yielded to necessity, rather than to the entreaties of his friends, and cast away his prize. They soon reached the bridge and passed over without hindrance to the other side, where they found the trophy decorated with their arms. Here each knight resumed his own, and all, except the paladins
The contest was long and doubtful, when Mandricardo, determined to bring it to an end, threw his arms about Gradasso, grappled with him, and both fell to the ground. Mandricardo, however, fell uppermost, and, preserving his advantage, compelled Gradasso to yield himself conquered. The damsel now interfered, congratulating the victor, and consoling the vanquished as well as she might. Mandricardo and the damsel proceeded to the gate of the castle, which they found undefended. As they entered they beheld a shield suspended
Rodomont treated this declaration of the old prophet with scorn, and it would probably have been held of little weight by the council, had not the aged king, oppressed by the weight of years, expired in the very act of reaffirming his prediction. This made so deep an impression on the council that it was unanimously resolved to postpone the war until an effort should be made to win Rogero to the camp. King Agramant thereupon proclaimed that the sovereignty of a kingdom should be the reward of whoever should succeed in obtaining the ring of Angelica. Brunello the dwarf, the subtlest thief in all Africa,
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
B.McGuigs and the Deadlies!
Hello all!
I have a show coming up on Dec 23rd! But NOT JUST ANY SHOW.
Check it out:
That's right, next Friday at the Ironwood I'll be stepping out from my typical role of bassist into the ever-so-glamorous role of songwriter/bandleader!
What makes this particularly exciting for me is that, somehow, the cosmic forces of the universe have aligned to allow me to secure my Dream Team of musicians from my years of playing music in Calgary. This is quite literally the DEADLIEST band I have ever assembled!
I've been crafting these tunes over the past 4 years and fine-tuning the arrangements with the help of Warren Tse, whose impressive resume includes collaborations with everyone from jazz trumpeter/vocalist Johnny Summers to Emmy-winning composer Dave Pierce. Also helping with horn arrangements is legendary bass trombonist Dan West, who now lives in London, England and has actually performed for Jonny Greenwood. Nuff said. Following the show, we'll be recording this brand-new collection of tunes at Warren's studio, which will of course be followed by the release of an EQUALLY DEADLY CD!
This, however, is your big chance to hear all these tunes for the Very First Time Ever!
Our special guest vocalist Amy Wood will open the show, to be followed by a feature set by the full 12-piece band. It promises to be an outstanding night of music, and I'd be thrilled to have you there! If you are so inclined, you can reserve a table at the Ironwood by calling (403)269-5581. You can also just show up at the door! Cover is $10.
Hope you can join us!
I have a show coming up on Dec 23rd! But NOT JUST ANY SHOW.
Check it out:
That's right, next Friday at the Ironwood I'll be stepping out from my typical role of bassist into the ever-so-glamorous role of songwriter/bandleader!
What makes this particularly exciting for me is that, somehow, the cosmic forces of the universe have aligned to allow me to secure my Dream Team of musicians from my years of playing music in Calgary. This is quite literally the DEADLIEST band I have ever assembled!
I've been crafting these tunes over the past 4 years and fine-tuning the arrangements with the help of Warren Tse, whose impressive resume includes collaborations with everyone from jazz trumpeter/vocalist Johnny Summers to Emmy-winning composer Dave Pierce. Also helping with horn arrangements is legendary bass trombonist Dan West, who now lives in London, England and has actually performed for Jonny Greenwood. Nuff said. Following the show, we'll be recording this brand-new collection of tunes at Warren's studio, which will of course be followed by the release of an EQUALLY DEADLY CD!
This, however, is your big chance to hear all these tunes for the Very First Time Ever!
Our special guest vocalist Amy Wood will open the show, to be followed by a feature set by the full 12-piece band. It promises to be an outstanding night of music, and I'd be thrilled to have you there! If you are so inclined, you can reserve a table at the Ironwood by calling (403)269-5581. You can also just show up at the door! Cover is $10.
Hope you can join us!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Symphony of Cutlery
This is a short, fun lesson in 4-part group singing that was originally designed for students aged 10-12. However, I have found that people of all ages tend to enjoy it - it's just so silly! I tried it out on my music education class at the university and the reaction was positive:
How it works:
Each student is assigned one of four different utensils/kitchen gadgets: spoons, forks, spatulas and meat tenderizers. Each group has a unique song that is sung as a repeating 4-measure loop (see score below)
When each group has learned their song and is capable of singing it while the other parts are being sung, the next step is to sing along with the backing track (below):
Symphony of Cutlery (backing track - no vox) by Beautiful Unicorn Records
This adds a uniquely engaging element of harmonic context which is a great concept to begin reinforcing with younger students - when learning a short melodic line by rote, it is easy enough to imagine one's own possible harmonic context, or even ignore the concept altogether. In this activity, the chord progression of the backing track changes while the melody remains the same, so students who are unfamiliar with the concept of re-harmonization may suddenly be surprised to discover that the song still works, even though things now sound very different (what makes the harmony element effective is that it is only introduced as part of the culminating activity, after the melody is learned without accompaniment. As an extension, the students can try to create their own chord progressions that would fit the original melody.
How it works:
Each student is assigned one of four different utensils/kitchen gadgets: spoons, forks, spatulas and meat tenderizers. Each group has a unique song that is sung as a repeating 4-measure loop (see score below)
When each group has learned their song and is capable of singing it while the other parts are being sung, the next step is to sing along with the backing track (below):
Symphony of Cutlery (backing track - no vox) by Beautiful Unicorn Records
This adds a uniquely engaging element of harmonic context which is a great concept to begin reinforcing with younger students - when learning a short melodic line by rote, it is easy enough to imagine one's own possible harmonic context, or even ignore the concept altogether. In this activity, the chord progression of the backing track changes while the melody remains the same, so students who are unfamiliar with the concept of re-harmonization may suddenly be surprised to discover that the song still works, even though things now sound very different (what makes the harmony element effective is that it is only introduced as part of the culminating activity, after the melody is learned without accompaniment. As an extension, the students can try to create their own chord progressions that would fit the original melody.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
JAHBIL - GoingRound EP
Experimental electronic artist JAHBIL joins the Beautiful Unicorn roster with the exciting digital release of "GoingRound EP". Created over a 2-week period in Surakarta, Java, this 8-track sonic sampler covers an impressive and unexpectedly wide array of aural delights. Curious, off-kilter, full of the kinds of unexpected twists and turns that go along with a whimsically-crafted electronic mash EP.Stephen Hawking slam poetry, synthesized nylon-string augmented chord progressions, filter-sweeping minimalism, gospel-remix sampling 90s pop. All in one place. It begs a listen.
Listen to the title track from "GoingRound":
JAHBIL - GoingRound by Beautiful Unicorn Records
Download "GoingRound EP"
Listen to the title track from "GoingRound":
JAHBIL - GoingRound by Beautiful Unicorn Records
Download "GoingRound EP"
Monday, July 25, 2011
Music Theory: Building Chords That Work Together
My friend Denis emailed me the other day with some questions about music theory. Ever since I was finally able to digest the fundamentals of the subject in a way that made sense to me and was actually useful for songwriting/composition/performing, I've become quite keen about sharing it with others in case it becomes helpful in the same way it was to me. It's fun to talk about because it's sort of like math. I figured I might as well post this quick little tutorial since he said it cleared up a few things.
Below is a brief explanation about how to generate the 7 different diatonic chords in a major key. Simply put, these are the basic 7 chords that you can start off working with if you are writing a song in a certain key. Think of it as having a palette of 7 different colors, with which you can use to paint a picture. I don't know.
---------
Say you're in the key of C. All your chords are going to be built from the tones in that scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B).
When you build a chord on any of those 7 different roots, you start with that root and take every 2nd tone after that until you have a triad (C-E-G for example, if you're doing the 1 chord). in the case of A minor (your 6 chord) it's going to be A-C-E.
Both of these chords, C major and A minor, are triads, but they have different sonorities. What creates the sonority is small differences in the structure of the triad.
To create a major sonority in a triad, you need two intervals: a major third followed by a minor third (for example, in C major, C-E is a major third (4 semitones) and E-G is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor chord is the other way around - minor third followed by major third. So in A minor, you've got A-C (3 semitones; minor 3rd) and C-E (major third).
In the same way that you need the right sequence of intervals to build a chord of a certain sonority, the same goes for scales. A major scale is constructed from a specific sequences of Whole Tones (2 semitones) and semitones. The sequence looks like this:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
W W S W W W S (W= whole tone, S-semi tone)
This is where music gets super math. Think of that as a basic formula for generating your major scale. Now remember that a major scale is what we use to generate all our chords - the fact that we have to adhere to this formula means that the sonority of a chord in each numerical position is consistent, regardless of the parent scale. Take F major, for example:
F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E
W W S W W W S
Notice that while the specific pitches in the top row are different, the interval pattern in the bottom row is the same. Meaning if you take the 4 in either of these scales and build a chord on it (F in the key of C, Bb in the case of F) you end up with a major third/minor third interval sequence in both cases. Hence, the 4 chord is always major. That's what's being referred to in that one sentence you asked about: "A third of an A minor is C because the 6 chord in a major key is always minor". Basically just talking about that pattern.
So then. If that all makes sense, you will end up with a universal pattern of chord sonorities in any major key:
1 - Major
2 - Major
3 - Minor
4 - Major
5 - Major
6 - Minor
7 - Diminished*
* in the diminished chord, the interval sequence is a minor 3rd followed by another minor 3rd.
Below is a brief explanation about how to generate the 7 different diatonic chords in a major key. Simply put, these are the basic 7 chords that you can start off working with if you are writing a song in a certain key. Think of it as having a palette of 7 different colors, with which you can use to paint a picture. I don't know.
---------
Say you're in the key of C. All your chords are going to be built from the tones in that scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B).
When you build a chord on any of those 7 different roots, you start with that root and take every 2nd tone after that until you have a triad (C-E-G for example, if you're doing the 1 chord). in the case of A minor (your 6 chord) it's going to be A-C-E.
Both of these chords, C major and A minor, are triads, but they have different sonorities. What creates the sonority is small differences in the structure of the triad.
To create a major sonority in a triad, you need two intervals: a major third followed by a minor third (for example, in C major, C-E is a major third (4 semitones) and E-G is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor chord is the other way around - minor third followed by major third. So in A minor, you've got A-C (3 semitones; minor 3rd) and C-E (major third).
In the same way that you need the right sequence of intervals to build a chord of a certain sonority, the same goes for scales. A major scale is constructed from a specific sequences of Whole Tones (2 semitones) and semitones. The sequence looks like this:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
W W S W W W S (W= whole tone, S-semi tone)
This is where music gets super math. Think of that as a basic formula for generating your major scale. Now remember that a major scale is what we use to generate all our chords - the fact that we have to adhere to this formula means that the sonority of a chord in each numerical position is consistent, regardless of the parent scale. Take F major, for example:
F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E
W W S W W W S
Notice that while the specific pitches in the top row are different, the interval pattern in the bottom row is the same. Meaning if you take the 4 in either of these scales and build a chord on it (F in the key of C, Bb in the case of F) you end up with a major third/minor third interval sequence in both cases. Hence, the 4 chord is always major. That's what's being referred to in that one sentence you asked about: "A third of an A minor is C because the 6 chord in a major key is always minor". Basically just talking about that pattern.
So then. If that all makes sense, you will end up with a universal pattern of chord sonorities in any major key:
1 - Major
2 - Major
3 - Minor
4 - Major
5 - Major
6 - Minor
7 - Diminished*
* in the diminished chord, the interval sequence is a minor 3rd followed by another minor 3rd.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sunset Beach Dance Party
Yesterday we were lucky enough to have a perfect sunset on a Friday evening in the west end of downtown Vancouver. Also, I had the evening off, and had just finished acquiring a bunch of great new dance music from some of my favorite music blogs. Realizing the stars were aligning and the opportunity for Good Times had to be seized, I donned my dinosaur suit, made a quick dance mix (not in that order, mind you) and headed for the beach to stir up some fun. It was great to see so many little kids dancing their faces off. That doesn't happen often enough.
Monday, July 18, 2011
New Ideas
Quick mixtape of ideas I am working on. Tell me what you think.
Beautiful Unicorn Records - Sketchbook Mixtape 10-7-2011 by Beautiful Unicorn
Off to see Memory Tapes! Woo!
Beautiful Unicorn Records - Sketchbook Mixtape 10-7-2011 by Beautiful Unicorn
Off to see Memory Tapes! Woo!
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