Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I've Officially Gone Garage Band...
I've found out that the underground parking structure between our two condo towers doesn't reverberate up into the buildings, and it's heated.
I will be able to practice through Winter.
Saxeleuia!
Boogie woogie ON!
Dan
Saturday, June 30, 2012
July 1st - Chicago Smooth Jazz Event Update - BIG Holiday Edition
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From: "SmoothChicago.com" <norman@smoothchicago.com>
Date: Jun 30, 2012 8:47 AM
Subject: July 1st - Chicago Smooth Jazz Event Update - BIG Holiday Edition
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
From: "SmoothChicago.com" <norman@smoothchicago.com>
Date: Jun 30, 2012 8:47 AM
Subject: July 1st - Chicago Smooth Jazz Event Update - BIG Holiday Edition
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
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SmoothChicago.com | P.O.Box 1119 | Elgin | IL | 60121 |
Saturday, March 24, 2012
66 Sax: Tiny Practice Amp Vs. Small Gig Amp
The lttle guy is 4 watts, sounds great, $32, and great for practice or a lesson.
Rock on,
Dan
Friday, March 23, 2012
66 Sax: My Venture Into Fenderland...
...is bringing me a lot of joy and soft melody. I'm pretty sure in the long run, I'll play both instruments well, but I think guitar is easier to practice in my current environment.
I love Bello & Rosie both, and that's enough. My sax is bright and my guitar is the prettiest red.
My guitar teacher is helping me learn a lot of little mechanical tricks to make playing easier, and of course a Beatles song to start. (Twist And Shout)
I have a million hours of practice to go, but it's a gentle journey with a lot of sweetness along the way.
Rock on,
Dan
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Rosalita - Fender Stratocaster MZ5204006
I found a teacher, too, a fellow named John Ross. His guitar is named Judy, like my Mom. I just found that out today, which is appropriate.
Rock on!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
66 Sax: On Wall Street...(Sax Track)
On Wall Street...
http://www.archive.org/download/OnWallStreet/OnWallStreet.mp3
Did you see Tony Baloney?
Did you see their crying faces?
Did you see freedom of speech,
Freedom of face,
Up against a car,
Freedom of neck,
Kneed onto hard blacktop?
Did you see orange,
Pretending to be red white and blue?
Have you heard yet?
Don't worry,
They'll get around to coming for you.
Just sit there,
Just sit tight,
Just zone into TV,
Every night.
The aliens already took over,
If they took you to their leader,
you'd wind up on Wall Street.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 10/01/2011
In support of the Occupy Wall Street protests going on around the world.
http://www.occupytogether.org/
http://www.archive.org/download/OnWallStreet/OnWallStreet.mp3
Did you see Tony Baloney?
Did you see their crying faces?
Did you see freedom of speech,
Freedom of face,
Up against a car,
Freedom of neck,
Kneed onto hard blacktop?
Did you see orange,
Pretending to be red white and blue?
Have you heard yet?
Don't worry,
They'll get around to coming for you.
Just sit there,
Just sit tight,
Just zone into TV,
Every night.
The aliens already took over,
If they took you to their leader,
you'd wind up on Wall Street.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 10/01/2011
In support of the Occupy Wall Street protests going on around the world.
http://www.occupytogether.org/
Saturday, September 24, 2011
66 Sax: Shaman's Trek - New Song (Instrumental)
http://www.archive.org/download/ShamansTrek/Shamans-Trek.mp3
New Age Blues Sax - Tenor sax, Audacity echo-effect, pin-can percussion, C-harmonica, low-octave tenor sax overlay. This tune has a haunting yet smooth effect, like walking on a misty night in the fall.
Play on, and thank you for listening.
Dan
PS - poetry to go with the track:
Night Of The Pumpkin Mystic...
Walking the Hollowed Hills on a thin-misted night,
Stars glitter in and out of view,
Shadowed trees reach dark limbs,
Leaves rustle underfoot,
Dried grasses rustle the soft breeze,
Chills tingle spine,
Steps beat time,
Entranced,
Treading to the Underworld,
The place of pumpkins and candle smoke,
Where a faded flower dwells,
Seeking whispers and secrets,
Seeking the roots of time.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 09/24/2011
Side note:
Kind of interesting how I did this track - I used a program called Audacity, which is free online. The program has numerous effects, and can record numerous multiple instrument tracks. There are actually two tenor saxophone tracks, a c-harmonica track, and a "pin-can" percussion track. (Meaning that the percussion is literally an empty paint can full of colored plastic stick-pins.) I went through and cleared noise and adjusted volume level on each track, then added echo to the high-octave sax track. The result, as you can hear, comes out kind of "spacey" and yet smooth. I'm planning to start practicing some traditional Christmas songs soon, then I'll try doing some effects to spice it up, and see how it goes.
New Age Blues Sax - Tenor sax, Audacity echo-effect, pin-can percussion, C-harmonica, low-octave tenor sax overlay. This tune has a haunting yet smooth effect, like walking on a misty night in the fall.
Play on, and thank you for listening.
Dan
PS - poetry to go with the track:
Night Of The Pumpkin Mystic...
Walking the Hollowed Hills on a thin-misted night,
Stars glitter in and out of view,
Shadowed trees reach dark limbs,
Leaves rustle underfoot,
Dried grasses rustle the soft breeze,
Chills tingle spine,
Steps beat time,
Entranced,
Treading to the Underworld,
The place of pumpkins and candle smoke,
Where a faded flower dwells,
Seeking whispers and secrets,
Seeking the roots of time.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 09/24/2011
Side note:
Kind of interesting how I did this track - I used a program called Audacity, which is free online. The program has numerous effects, and can record numerous multiple instrument tracks. There are actually two tenor saxophone tracks, a c-harmonica track, and a "pin-can" percussion track. (Meaning that the percussion is literally an empty paint can full of colored plastic stick-pins.) I went through and cleared noise and adjusted volume level on each track, then added echo to the high-octave sax track. The result, as you can hear, comes out kind of "spacey" and yet smooth. I'm planning to start practicing some traditional Christmas songs soon, then I'll try doing some effects to spice it up, and see how it goes.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Is There A 'Noise Ordinance' That Prohibits Musical Instrument Practice On DuPage County Forest Preserve Property?
I asked because I was practicing at Hidden Lake at 10am this morning, and the Forest Preserve Police ordered me to stop, saying he thought he would be called with a complaint.
I've been practicing there in the mornings because I live in a condo building. I'm trying to be considerate of my neighbors, and there's nowhere else I know of to go.
Since I'm probably not the only person with this issue, I'm going to ask the county Forest Preserve board for policy clarification on this. I may also ask if they can specify a preserve location for this purpose.
I would love to hear from anyone with knowledge on this subject.
Regards,
Dan Stafford
York 112 Precinct Committeeman
York Township,
DuPage County, Illinois
I've been practicing there in the mornings because I live in a condo building. I'm trying to be considerate of my neighbors, and there's nowhere else I know of to go.
Since I'm probably not the only person with this issue, I'm going to ask the county Forest Preserve board for policy clarification on this. I may also ask if they can specify a preserve location for this purpose.
I would love to hear from anyone with knowledge on this subject.
Regards,
Dan Stafford
York 112 Precinct Committeeman
York Township,
DuPage County, Illinois
Saturday, September 17, 2011
66 Sax: Pics of Bello
 |
| Bello - Serial Number |
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| Bello fully-assembled and out of the case. |
 |
| Bello - "Bundy" engraving on the bell. Click on any of these pictures to view them full-sized. |
66 Sax: Autumn Night - New Age Blues Sax
http://www.archive.org/download/AutumnNight/Autumn_Night.mp3
(C-harmonica, tenor saxophone, hand percussion) Simple, basic, sultry, soulful. Picture yourself on a clear Autumn night by a fire, watching the stars, hearing the sounds of nature all around you. Just you, and the wide-open, cool and crisp Universe.
Love that sax,
Dan
(C-harmonica, tenor saxophone, hand percussion) Simple, basic, sultry, soulful. Picture yourself on a clear Autumn night by a fire, watching the stars, hearing the sounds of nature all around you. Just you, and the wide-open, cool and crisp Universe.
Love that sax,
Dan
Thursday, September 1, 2011
66 Sax: Chicago WNUA 87.7 FM Smooth Jazz...love it!
You can check out their stream here: http://www.smoothjazznow.com/radio/chicago_wnua.htm
A fresh breath of brass and reed...
Dan
A fresh breath of brass and reed...
Dan
66 Sax: I Was Out In The Park Wailin' On Bello...
...for about 40 minutes this morning.
Beautiful. Cloudless day and lush green park with a walking path 'round the pond.
The notes seemed to float out pretty sweet. You just can't miss a chance like that.
Play on,
Dan
Beautiful. Cloudless day and lush green park with a walking path 'round the pond.
The notes seemed to float out pretty sweet. You just can't miss a chance like that.
Play on,
Dan
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saxophone Season Is Fast Approaching...
Due to the fact that I live in a condominium, I'm pretty much relegated to playing outdoors. Being in the Chicago area, that means in the late Spring, Summer, and early Autumn. The brass gets too cold for extended playing in the cold season here.
We're in the 50's Fahrenheit here this week. Once we're solidly in the 60's, I'll start bringing Bello with me and playing at the park or in the parking ramp again for the season. I'm really looking forward to it this year!
Rock on,
Dan
We're in the 50's Fahrenheit here this week. Once we're solidly in the 60's, I'll start bringing Bello with me and playing at the park or in the parking ramp again for the season. I'm really looking forward to it this year!
Rock on,
Dan
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
I Met An Alto Player...
...named Tom over at the Danada Borders. He was practising outside by the store; it sounded great, so I walked over & said hi. We were exchanging tecniques and background stories, it was a lot of fun.
Tom, if you stop by the blog, welcome. It might be fun to practise together sometime.
Dan
Tom, if you stop by the blog, welcome. It might be fun to practise together sometime.
Dan
Friday, August 6, 2010
About "Blues Cruise By The Dashboard Lights" Sax Track...
This track is strictly the un-accompanied instrument, and I think it's one of the prettiest I've done yet. The only embellishment is a bit of echo effect. ( 0.3 second delay with 0.25 second decay) The track was created using Audacity 1.3 Beta. I also kept a copy that is echo-free. I did use the Audacity noise-removal tool to clean the hiss out of the track. The photo is actually the dashboard gauges of my 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup truck at night. I've always loved the soft blue glow of the dashboard in this vehicle, it's one of my favorite things about it.
Thank you for listening!
Dan
Thank you for listening!
Dan
Blues Cruise By The Dashboard Lights...
Blues Cruise By The Dashboard Lights...
Tenor Sax solo for poem (3-minutes, 19-seconds MP3)
I'm rolling down the highway in my mind,
Even at zero,
Put the Satellite on channel seventy-four,
BB's Bluesville station,
Let that harp wail,
The night is graced by Aurora Borealis,
Twinkling stars and old memories.
The guitar leads me down memory lane,
An old friend or two I'd not mind a minute with,
A gal I wish I could catch up with just to see,
How did life turn out, Tree?
I hear the saxophone down low under it all,
At the root of the world,
Maybe low C,
And I get lost in time as street lights roll by.
The windows are down and summer glorious,
I turn up the volume as I roll into the city,
Blues City,
Chicago,
Big Windy,
All the better to push my reed.
So long Sister Blue,
The stars are winking,
It'll all be alright,
I'm cruisin' the Blues tonight.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 08/06/2010
Tenor Sax solo for poem (3-minutes, 19-seconds MP3)
I'm rolling down the highway in my mind,
Even at zero,
Put the Satellite on channel seventy-four,
BB's Bluesville station,
Let that harp wail,
The night is graced by Aurora Borealis,
Twinkling stars and old memories.
The guitar leads me down memory lane,
An old friend or two I'd not mind a minute with,
A gal I wish I could catch up with just to see,
How did life turn out, Tree?
I hear the saxophone down low under it all,
At the root of the world,
Maybe low C,
And I get lost in time as street lights roll by.
The windows are down and summer glorious,
I turn up the volume as I roll into the city,
Blues City,
Chicago,
Big Windy,
All the better to push my reed.
So long Sister Blue,
The stars are winking,
It'll all be alright,
I'm cruisin' the Blues tonight.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 08/06/2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Blue Earth Blues Sax
Blue Earth...
This is a spoken-word-to-music creation of mine in celebration of Earth, Love, spirit, and Human potential. It has an other-worldly sound quality to it, but I've gotten a good bit better with the sax, and it's pretty smooth here. I'd suggest reading the lyrics, then closing your eyes to listen. It's a bit meditational, too. I call the genre "New Age Blues."
The below file is the MP3 audio version. I performed the saxophone, harmonica, percussion, and vocals, and wrote the lyrics. The song was mixed and edited using Audacity 1.3 Beta. (Free download at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)
http://www.archive.org/download/BlueEarthBluesSax/Blue_Earth.mp3
Written lyrics are below:
Blue Earth...
The Heart of the world,
Can be heard in the rush,
Of ocean waves,
In the rustling spirit,
Of wind in the tree leaves and grass.
The heart of the world can be seen,
In the softness of your lover's eyes,
In the flight of a bird,
Across lightly-clouded skies,
Past the snow of a mountain peak.
The heart of the world can be felt,
In the beat of your lover's heart,
Where you lay your head,
In the smile of your child's discovery,
Of the colors of butterflies,
Atop waving dandelion heads.
This gift - our lives Mother,
This joy and dance and race,
We hold her in the palms of our hands,
Tenderly or rough our touch,
The choice is no longer ignorant.
The heart of the world beats,
In every step we take,
Every act we make,
The slightest thing we do,
Like ants that could fell a tree.
The heart of the world is our crossroad,
Every one of us walks into a future,
Something we endlessly paint,
Brushes coarse and fine,
We're the foundation to the next layer.
When the spirit of love,
Matches and mates with the sense,
Of common sense survival,
Then the future is won,
Conflict dissolves,
We have what we need.
We have this world,
We have each other,
We have each creature,
Sustaining both,
We love it all,
And it all loves us,
In its timeless fashion.
Our heart is with the world,
And the world is then with us,
Opening the Universe's heart,
All the potential we could ever need,
As far as any eye we create,
Could ever lovingly see.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 07/31/2010
This is a spoken-word-to-music creation of mine in celebration of Earth, Love, spirit, and Human potential. It has an other-worldly sound quality to it, but I've gotten a good bit better with the sax, and it's pretty smooth here. I'd suggest reading the lyrics, then closing your eyes to listen. It's a bit meditational, too. I call the genre "New Age Blues."
The below file is the MP3 audio version. I performed the saxophone, harmonica, percussion, and vocals, and wrote the lyrics. The song was mixed and edited using Audacity 1.3 Beta. (Free download at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)
http://www.archive.org/download/BlueEarthBluesSax/Blue_Earth.mp3
Written lyrics are below:
Blue Earth...
The Heart of the world,
Can be heard in the rush,
Of ocean waves,
In the rustling spirit,
Of wind in the tree leaves and grass.
The heart of the world can be seen,
In the softness of your lover's eyes,
In the flight of a bird,
Across lightly-clouded skies,
Past the snow of a mountain peak.
The heart of the world can be felt,
In the beat of your lover's heart,
Where you lay your head,
In the smile of your child's discovery,
Of the colors of butterflies,
Atop waving dandelion heads.
This gift - our lives Mother,
This joy and dance and race,
We hold her in the palms of our hands,
Tenderly or rough our touch,
The choice is no longer ignorant.
The heart of the world beats,
In every step we take,
Every act we make,
The slightest thing we do,
Like ants that could fell a tree.
The heart of the world is our crossroad,
Every one of us walks into a future,
Something we endlessly paint,
Brushes coarse and fine,
We're the foundation to the next layer.
When the spirit of love,
Matches and mates with the sense,
Of common sense survival,
Then the future is won,
Conflict dissolves,
We have what we need.
We have this world,
We have each other,
We have each creature,
Sustaining both,
We love it all,
And it all loves us,
In its timeless fashion.
Our heart is with the world,
And the world is then with us,
Opening the Universe's heart,
All the potential we could ever need,
As far as any eye we create,
Could ever lovingly see.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 07/31/2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A Note On Learning Musical Instruments...
This is a brief excerpt of a conversation on this subject that can be found here:
http://mysticmuse.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Chat&thread=1267&page=1
Well, the sax is a lovely beast. If you're playing an instrument, it gives you a personal knowledge of the way it takes time and repetition to gain mastery.
With the saxophone, it's difficult to play if the ambient air temperature gets too cold, because it's metal and the instrument gets cold, stiffening your fingers up. This is vastly important, because there is no volume control on a saxophone. That means you can't do repetitive practice indoors if other people are around - such as condo and apartment buildings - without bugging your neighbors. I tend to practice outside a lot, at parks and such.
All these facts make it very difficult to get in practice time during the winter. I go weeks sometimes in the cold months without being able to play, so that first day it goes above 60 degrees F, it is a treasure.
Playing the sax also requires fine control of the reed. How much pressure you put on it. When to let your tongue touch it. You can bend or stop notes and shift octaves higher or lower by the way you control the reed. You can also get a raspy vibrato effect by rattling your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind the reed, like when rolling your R's in speaking Spanish.
Of course, fingering the keys is just as critical. How abrupt you are moving from key to key, how fast you raise and lower the keys, all of it matters.
Once you learn to blend the mastery of the reed with the mastery of the keys, you can finally make the instrument your second voice - and then seriously consider being able to play music in proper time. Then comes expanding your range by practicing endless varieties of transitions and timing from note to note to note.
It's a growth-by-inches process and both daunting and wonderful.
I've also started learning guitar for times when I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with the sax. It also gives me another option in winter. I have a really nice Fender Stratocaster that's got a red body, white pick guard, and rosewood neck. It plays beautifully. Coincidentally, it requires blending two skills to play as well. The left and right hands must be doing two very, very different tasks that must be perfectly blended together to create the finished work. Being electric, you can also modify the sound in many, many ways.
Finally, I've learned that no matter the instrument, finesse is every bit as important as strength - and you can only gain the finesse through practice after you first build up the strength.
The key is to put in time daily. Even 15-20 minutes a day will help.
http://mysticmuse.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Chat&thread=1267&page=1
Well, the sax is a lovely beast. If you're playing an instrument, it gives you a personal knowledge of the way it takes time and repetition to gain mastery.
With the saxophone, it's difficult to play if the ambient air temperature gets too cold, because it's metal and the instrument gets cold, stiffening your fingers up. This is vastly important, because there is no volume control on a saxophone. That means you can't do repetitive practice indoors if other people are around - such as condo and apartment buildings - without bugging your neighbors. I tend to practice outside a lot, at parks and such.
All these facts make it very difficult to get in practice time during the winter. I go weeks sometimes in the cold months without being able to play, so that first day it goes above 60 degrees F, it is a treasure.
Playing the sax also requires fine control of the reed. How much pressure you put on it. When to let your tongue touch it. You can bend or stop notes and shift octaves higher or lower by the way you control the reed. You can also get a raspy vibrato effect by rattling your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind the reed, like when rolling your R's in speaking Spanish.
Of course, fingering the keys is just as critical. How abrupt you are moving from key to key, how fast you raise and lower the keys, all of it matters.
Once you learn to blend the mastery of the reed with the mastery of the keys, you can finally make the instrument your second voice - and then seriously consider being able to play music in proper time. Then comes expanding your range by practicing endless varieties of transitions and timing from note to note to note.
It's a growth-by-inches process and both daunting and wonderful.
I've also started learning guitar for times when I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with the sax. It also gives me another option in winter. I have a really nice Fender Stratocaster that's got a red body, white pick guard, and rosewood neck. It plays beautifully. Coincidentally, it requires blending two skills to play as well. The left and right hands must be doing two very, very different tasks that must be perfectly blended together to create the finished work. Being electric, you can also modify the sound in many, many ways.
Finally, I've learned that no matter the instrument, finesse is every bit as important as strength - and you can only gain the finesse through practice after you first build up the strength.
The key is to put in time daily. Even 15-20 minutes a day will help.
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