Another few more sales dropped, I believe from Amazon.
While I haven't been able to do radical stuff like repay my student loans or anything, I think one thing that is happening is making me encouraged: people are stumbling onto this stuff, enjoying it, and buying it. This happens about once a month or so.
So the hope of this providing some real supplemental income is alive!
Fortunately, things are finally beginning to clear up a bit in the non-music life I lead, so new music can begin to occur.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Daniel Tidwell Rocks Out, Update
Long time no write! Well, I've been pretty busy in my life outside of music; but I still hold out hope that more music will be done sometime before the end of the year.
I've had a few more sales drop in but nothing spectacular. But hey, Pitch to Pixel is in the black, so that's good!
I wanted to give a shoutout to Daniel Tidwell and his amazing "vs. Video Games" album.
I stumbled upon some of his work in iTunes recently and was really impressed. It isn't chip: he is taking the opposite approach, taking older stuff and putting modern instrumentation behind it. It sounds really great: guitar heavy, but without the over indulgent soloing that you'd usually expect. Of course, I say that as someone who would actually engage in the indulgent soloing (I'm a jazz guy... it's what we do!).
So definitely check him out.
And yes, I am also writing this to blow the dust off and get back to something like regular updating.
I've had a few more sales drop in but nothing spectacular. But hey, Pitch to Pixel is in the black, so that's good!
I wanted to give a shoutout to Daniel Tidwell and his amazing "vs. Video Games" album.
I stumbled upon some of his work in iTunes recently and was really impressed. It isn't chip: he is taking the opposite approach, taking older stuff and putting modern instrumentation behind it. It sounds really great: guitar heavy, but without the over indulgent soloing that you'd usually expect. Of course, I say that as someone who would actually engage in the indulgent soloing (I'm a jazz guy... it's what we do!).
So definitely check him out.
And yes, I am also writing this to blow the dust off and get back to something like regular updating.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Zing! Another Sale!
Ok, more encouragement as Pitch to Pixel finally, at long last, enters the BLACK after one more sale (an iTunes album purchase). Thank you whoever it was, who bought the album last month or so!
The thing about sales is that it says, "make more music." It works like this:
1. I slowly, eventually get into the black, averaging just about 1-2 sales per month.
= "I'll eventually get around to making more music. Probably before the end of 2010, maybe."
2. I see about $25 per month of sales (about 3 or 4 albums or so per month)
= "Hmm, I need to actually plug my keyboard in and start writing a song, like, very soon."
3. I get about $75 worth of sales in a month (about ten albums)
= "I drop everything, this is my top priority, making more music for all these nice wonderful people"
4. > $100 in sales in a month
= "GO GO GO MAKE MUSIC DON'T THINK MAKE MUSIC NOW NOW NOW GOOOOOO!!!!"
So, um, yeah, that's how it works. :-)
The thing about sales is that it says, "make more music." It works like this:
1. I slowly, eventually get into the black, averaging just about 1-2 sales per month.
= "I'll eventually get around to making more music. Probably before the end of 2010, maybe."
2. I see about $25 per month of sales (about 3 or 4 albums or so per month)
= "Hmm, I need to actually plug my keyboard in and start writing a song, like, very soon."
3. I get about $75 worth of sales in a month (about ten albums)
= "I drop everything, this is my top priority, making more music for all these nice wonderful people"
4. > $100 in sales in a month
= "GO GO GO MAKE MUSIC DON'T THINK MAKE MUSIC NOW NOW NOW GOOOOOO!!!!"
So, um, yeah, that's how it works. :-)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sale! Sale! w00t w00t
Someone from the Land of Pork Scratchings bought my album today, from Amazon's UK site. Thanks mate!
The nice thing is, after that sale, the next dollar that I make from this *will actually be profit*. w00t! Return on investment for the win!
Unfortunately the time isn't quite right for me to dive headlong back into musical work (but I don't want 2010 to leave us without something more from me, so stay tuned), but these kind of impulse sales, that is, sales from people who are interested in the genre and just kind of "found" my stuff, are encouraging. This was always a long term project, and it gives me hope that I can build a fanbase over time.
Now buy that Paragon album, so I can pay my bandmates!
The nice thing is, after that sale, the next dollar that I make from this *will actually be profit*. w00t! Return on investment for the win!
Unfortunately the time isn't quite right for me to dive headlong back into musical work (but I don't want 2010 to leave us without something more from me, so stay tuned), but these kind of impulse sales, that is, sales from people who are interested in the genre and just kind of "found" my stuff, are encouraging. This was always a long term project, and it gives me hope that I can build a fanbase over time.
Now buy that Paragon album, so I can pay my bandmates!
Friday, June 18, 2010
The easiest way in the world to help me make music
Ways to help me keep making music (and it does help; the reason I have held off on my planned Metal Gear Peace Walker theme music YouTube promo is because I haven't made enough money to warrant my full attention):
Buying my stuff outright, preferably through CDBaby but iTunes is fine too.
The paypal donate button, especially if you want more YouTube efforts.
But there is another way.
If you find my music on a streaming service, like Napster or Rhapsody, and stream it at no cost to you, I get a penny or so. I know this because suddenly this week I've earned about 15 cents from people streaming the music.And if you go to Napster, you can stream 5 full length songs without even singing up! SO STREAM MY SONGS ;-)
Buying my stuff outright, preferably through CDBaby but iTunes is fine too.
The paypal donate button, especially if you want more YouTube efforts.
But there is another way.
If you find my music on a streaming service, like Napster or Rhapsody, and stream it at no cost to you, I get a penny or so. I know this because suddenly this week I've earned about 15 cents from people streaming the music.And if you go to Napster, you can stream 5 full length songs without even singing up! SO STREAM MY SONGS ;-)
Best of E3
This week is E3, one of the biggest shows in the video game industry. This is a music site with a healthy side of video game fandom, so of course I want to give my take on the event.
Nintendo was, in fanboy terms, "The Winner," as they unloaded a fantastic crop of games. The 3DS system looks amazing. I'm sure I'll be a day one buyer.
What I'm looking forward to the most:
3DS
Zelda: The Skyward Sword
Kid Icarus (the 3DS game!)
Metroid: The Other M
I own and enjoy the other systems, but so far there really hasn't been a ton that has knocked my socks off so far.
Nintendo was, in fanboy terms, "The Winner," as they unloaded a fantastic crop of games. The 3DS system looks amazing. I'm sure I'll be a day one buyer.
What I'm looking forward to the most:
3DS
Zelda: The Skyward Sword
Kid Icarus (the 3DS game!)
Metroid: The Other M
I own and enjoy the other systems, but so far there really hasn't been a ton that has knocked my socks off so far.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Best of Chip 6/17
I'm not a big punk rock guy, but I do like the Ramones, and I like chiptune covers of things.
Napster and You
Pitch to Pixel is now available on Napster! Search "Pitch to Pixel" in your Napster client and I should be in there (What Is Paragon and Zeitgeber are already in there. Its possible that Patience could be there by now too).
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Xenoblade Preview at Waxing Erratic
Xenoblade is a fantastic looking RPG for the Nintendo Wii, made (I think) by the same folks who did the Xenosaga series on the PS2. ECM over at Waxing Erratic has a preview based on an imported copy. Us non-importers will have to wait to play this one!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Song or score? A tale of two approaches
When I was growing up, video game music was mostly made up of simple songs. For instance, you'd go into a town in Final Fantasy, and you'd here the "town song." Getting in a fight brings up the "battle music." Distinct songs that play in certain situations.
Occasionally a game would come along with a different musical approach. The original NES Metroid is one that sticks in my mind. Metroid didn't use a tuneful approach. It used something more like a musical score, with undertones, small musical swells that didn't serve to give the listener a melody that would play in a person's head. It instead serves to give atmosphere and feeling.
I prefer the "tune" approach in games, but Metroid got it right. I think many games today, however, use too much "underscore" and not enough *song*. What say you?
Occasionally a game would come along with a different musical approach. The original NES Metroid is one that sticks in my mind. Metroid didn't use a tuneful approach. It used something more like a musical score, with undertones, small musical swells that didn't serve to give the listener a melody that would play in a person's head. It instead serves to give atmosphere and feeling.
I prefer the "tune" approach in games, but Metroid got it right. I think many games today, however, use too much "underscore" and not enough *song*. What say you?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Best of Chip 6/8 A first time...
Here is a second Best of Chip, since I've slacked off on posts for the last couple of days. There's been a whole lot of "first chiptune" posts on YouTube. Here is one of the better ones.
Seeing the little 8-bit screen used for the video reminds me that I would like to at some point actually make proper videos of some sort, to add some visual entertainment to the music.
Seeing the little 8-bit screen used for the video reminds me that I would like to at some point actually make proper videos of some sort, to add some visual entertainment to the music.
Best of Chip 6/8 More sleepless music!
More stuff from Jakeamon94, this time sent to me directly. Nice progression of beats, and of course as a product of a 3am "jam" it does have the same "audio diary" effect that his last piece has.
YouTube Chipsters, here is the deal: you subscribe to my channel, send me tips, and I'll do my best to hit you up here! Hopefully I can build a little community here. And of course if you appreciate all of that by all means hit the tip jar or buy something from me :-)
YouTube Chipsters, here is the deal: you subscribe to my channel, send me tips, and I'll do my best to hit you up here! Hopefully I can build a little community here. And of course if you appreciate all of that by all means hit the tip jar or buy something from me :-)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Another Promo Cover... FROM THE 80s!!!
I decided to go in another direction for my next YouTube promo. I just wish someone could do a sweet animated 8 Bit version of the original video...
Best of Chip 6/5
Sometimes I pick a best of chip because the song is terrific (actually, all of my Best of Chips have to be good songs in some form or another). Sometimes because it is a cover of a game I like, or because I like the instrumentation.
What makes this one from Jakeamon94 today's Best of Chip is his amusing intro text. Apparently he didn't think sleeping was a good idea on particular night, so he make some chip music. He thinks it is pretty bad, and while maybe reflecting a certain "stream of consciousness," it doesn't sound bad to me at all.
What makes this one from Jakeamon94 today's Best of Chip is his amusing intro text. Apparently he didn't think sleeping was a good idea on particular night, so he make some chip music. He thinks it is pretty bad, and while maybe reflecting a certain "stream of consciousness," it doesn't sound bad to me at all.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
waiting on apple
Busy day today, so here's a short post to update you on things (I assume you care, that is one of the underlying assumptions I make when I write posts here).
June is a potentially big month. It is the first month in which I can receive any payout from apple iTunes. There is a two month lag in between a purchase and when that is reported to CDBaby. So if you bought something in April, you'd get the sale in June. As 99.99999% of the known universe buys music this way, this is obviously a big deal.
I know at least one person who bought the album (pitch to pixel) on iTunes in April. So logic dictates that I should be getting that lovin' from apple any day now!
June is a potentially big month. It is the first month in which I can receive any payout from apple iTunes. There is a two month lag in between a purchase and when that is reported to CDBaby. So if you bought something in April, you'd get the sale in June. As 99.99999% of the known universe buys music this way, this is obviously a big deal.
I know at least one person who bought the album (pitch to pixel) on iTunes in April. So logic dictates that I should be getting that lovin' from apple any day now!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
more fun stuff
I've posted about this before, I think. There are midi guitars out there that can do this as well, but props for being inventive!
Best of Chip 6/1
Today we have a pretty cool Beatles arrangement from someone uploading their very first chiptune! Hopefully this will get the arranger a lot of views.
Some authentic NES chiptunes to chew on
So right on the heels of my discussion of my methods versus others, one of my YouTube subscribers, CrashNicker, sent me link to a NSF (NES Sound File), I assume for inclusion in my running "Best of Chip" feature. Since it is a file, not a YouTube clip, I can't show it to you here, so here are download links for it:
NSF File Link
Link to various NSF file players
NSF File Link
Link to various NSF file players
Monday, May 31, 2010
YouTube promos on Gonintendo
Big thanks to RMC from Gonintendo for once again giving me a hand. After getting that big swing in views on the Monster Hunter Battle Music, it was a little odd to see the other two tracks not quite get that traction, so I'm glad to get the assist!
So far it seems that my YouTube efforts have produced about 1800 views or so. Not amazing, but hopefully some of those people went on iTunes, since I see no action from CDBaby just yet (sniff, sniff!). C'mon people!
One thing of note to comment on, the idea of using Famitracker versus using soundchip emulators (the latter of which has been my method). Someone on the Gonintendo post said my stuff wasn't "real 8-Bit." I responded in the post, but I thought I should rap about that here awhile too.
Its a valid criticism. If you want the most authentic NES style music possible, you get yourself a real NES and manipulate the real, actual chip. Of course many people use a Gameboy, as this is easily to mess with for obvious reasons.
My goals aren't quite in line with that, though. I want to make great music, period, and my circumstances and aesthetic preferences make 8 and 16 bit sounds part of my musical palette. It isn't a purist thing, in other words. I definitely want my music to invoke nostalgia, so a certain amount of authenticity is required. But my goals to not require perfect authenticity, especially when it involves restrictions that either hamper my ability to compose the music or hamper the actual sound, from a professional sound engineering standpoint.
So that is where I'm coming from. Obviously I have no problem calling my stuff "8-bit," and I guess I don't have a problem with people being persnickety about that claim. But for most people, close emulation with some concession for modern production techniques is probably good enough!
So far it seems that my YouTube efforts have produced about 1800 views or so. Not amazing, but hopefully some of those people went on iTunes, since I see no action from CDBaby just yet (sniff, sniff!). C'mon people!
One thing of note to comment on, the idea of using Famitracker versus using soundchip emulators (the latter of which has been my method). Someone on the Gonintendo post said my stuff wasn't "real 8-Bit." I responded in the post, but I thought I should rap about that here awhile too.
Its a valid criticism. If you want the most authentic NES style music possible, you get yourself a real NES and manipulate the real, actual chip. Of course many people use a Gameboy, as this is easily to mess with for obvious reasons.
My goals aren't quite in line with that, though. I want to make great music, period, and my circumstances and aesthetic preferences make 8 and 16 bit sounds part of my musical palette. It isn't a purist thing, in other words. I definitely want my music to invoke nostalgia, so a certain amount of authenticity is required. But my goals to not require perfect authenticity, especially when it involves restrictions that either hamper my ability to compose the music or hamper the actual sound, from a professional sound engineering standpoint.
So that is where I'm coming from. Obviously I have no problem calling my stuff "8-bit," and I guess I don't have a problem with people being persnickety about that claim. But for most people, close emulation with some concession for modern production techniques is probably good enough!
Memorial Day Note
This blog is a light hearted one, about music and video games. But I did want to note that today we honor fallen heroes that have served our country. Thank you to our veterans and God bless you!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Music
I really want another one of those 1200 views in a couple of days type of youtube posts, so I went after Mario Galaxy 2 this time. People seem to like the Puzzle Plank Galaxy theme music. It seems to be made with an early jazz bent, which is fine by me!
And sorry ECM, no Genesis emulation here. It seemed wrong on many levels to use Genesis sound emulators for Mario music :-)
And sorry ECM, no Genesis emulation here. It seemed wrong on many levels to use Genesis sound emulators for Mario music :-)
Looking forward....
Here is a little list of games I'm anticipating for this summer and beyond:
1. Metroid: The Other M
I'm an optimist. So when Nintendo tapped the Team Ninja guys to do Metroid, of course I assume this means they'll successfully marry the vibe of all the other Metroid games (lonely deep space exploration) with the kind of high powered aesthetics that powered the recent Ninja Gaiden titles.
While Metroid Prime 3 was an awesome game, I think Nintendo was right to move in another direction. The 3D Metroid thing had run its course, at least commercially.
2. The Wii Zelda Sequel that may happen this year
I say "may" because these things have a nasty way of being delayed again and again and again. Of course these delays are partly why 3D Zelda is all kinds of awesome.
I personally rank Twilight Princess as one of the greatest action adventure games of all time. I think people's beefs with it are based more on the usual things people hate about Nintendo these days (no true voice acting, iterating instead of re-inventing) than about the quality of the actual game.
In any case, one thing I'm not a huge fan of is the Wind Waker oriented DS titles. I liked Wind Waker well enough on Gamecube, but I was sort of done with it. Plus the DS games are too puzzle heavy for my taste; Zelda is of course about puzzling, but with just the right amount of combat mixed in. Its a delicate balance, and I thought the Phantom Hourglass got tedious. Plus I hate the whole stylus sword swing thing.
3. Alpha Protocol
I really like RPGs, but like many I've grown tired of the whole swords n' sorcery/sci-fi thing. So I relish any RPG that is made with a different premise. Plus I love, love, love espionage stories (well, I guess I prefer non-fiction spy accounts as opposed to fiction novels, but anyway...).
Games I want to play that are already out:
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (SHOULD have arrived in the mail yesterday, but didn't. Grrr...)
3D Dot Game Heroes
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
1. Metroid: The Other M
I'm an optimist. So when Nintendo tapped the Team Ninja guys to do Metroid, of course I assume this means they'll successfully marry the vibe of all the other Metroid games (lonely deep space exploration) with the kind of high powered aesthetics that powered the recent Ninja Gaiden titles.
While Metroid Prime 3 was an awesome game, I think Nintendo was right to move in another direction. The 3D Metroid thing had run its course, at least commercially.
2. The Wii Zelda Sequel that may happen this year
I say "may" because these things have a nasty way of being delayed again and again and again. Of course these delays are partly why 3D Zelda is all kinds of awesome.
I personally rank Twilight Princess as one of the greatest action adventure games of all time. I think people's beefs with it are based more on the usual things people hate about Nintendo these days (no true voice acting, iterating instead of re-inventing) than about the quality of the actual game.
In any case, one thing I'm not a huge fan of is the Wind Waker oriented DS titles. I liked Wind Waker well enough on Gamecube, but I was sort of done with it. Plus the DS games are too puzzle heavy for my taste; Zelda is of course about puzzling, but with just the right amount of combat mixed in. Its a delicate balance, and I thought the Phantom Hourglass got tedious. Plus I hate the whole stylus sword swing thing.
3. Alpha Protocol
I really like RPGs, but like many I've grown tired of the whole swords n' sorcery/sci-fi thing. So I relish any RPG that is made with a different premise. Plus I love, love, love espionage stories (well, I guess I prefer non-fiction spy accounts as opposed to fiction novels, but anyway...).
Games I want to play that are already out:
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (SHOULD have arrived in the mail yesterday, but didn't. Grrr...)
3D Dot Game Heroes
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Survival Horror and Tank Controls
Biased Reviews has started up again, so I thought I'd link to an interesting article on Alone in the Dark's current expansion for the PS3.
Many people complain about "tank" like controls in this genre. Personally I'm in the camp that the slower characters are probably more akin to how people really move anyway (character movement speeds in games are usually way faster than real life, so we're conditioned to that, making survival horror movement look slow), plus as Jason X says, it creates tension. I'm not sure I'd want that taken away.
Many people complain about "tank" like controls in this genre. Personally I'm in the camp that the slower characters are probably more akin to how people really move anyway (character movement speeds in games are usually way faster than real life, so we're conditioned to that, making survival horror movement look slow), plus as Jason X says, it creates tension. I'm not sure I'd want that taken away.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monster Hunter Tri Moga Village Theme
My latest promotional effort is up on YouTube! I'm happier with this one than my first attempt, as I think I've coaxed better sounds from the Sega soundchip emulators I'm currently using.
My goal is to get at least ten of these videos up, though not necessarily all of Monster Hunter Tri. As always please subscribe to my channel if you want the latest youtube updates! And it makes me look good! :-)
My goal is to get at least ten of these videos up, though not necessarily all of Monster Hunter Tri. As always please subscribe to my channel if you want the latest youtube updates! And it makes me look good! :-)
Best game of 2010 so far
For my money, the best game I've played so far this year is Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii. I am in love, people, with everything about this game, even the dreaded and much hated lack of a lock-on feature (I have, in my view, valid reasons for why the lack of this is justified but I don't want to turn this into a game design wonkfest, I do that in other places!).
The reason why I like it so much are, briefly:
-Removing the idea of "leveling" from an otherwise action RPG paradigm puts and entirely different and fresh emphasis on other stuff.
-The world feels real. Herbivores, carnivores, and other flora and fauna mill about the world in the places that they should. Pack animals react in cool ways (the big herbivore guys will run away if a terrifying monster appears, even if it is only attacking you).
-The online is terrific (yes, for the Wii!). It is a kind of MMO light that I really enjoy.
The reason why I like it so much are, briefly:
-Removing the idea of "leveling" from an otherwise action RPG paradigm puts and entirely different and fresh emphasis on other stuff.
-The world feels real. Herbivores, carnivores, and other flora and fauna mill about the world in the places that they should. Pack animals react in cool ways (the big herbivore guys will run away if a terrifying monster appears, even if it is only attacking you).
-The online is terrific (yes, for the Wii!). It is a kind of MMO light that I really enjoy.
Best of Chip 5/28
Fellow best of chipper Srjl sent this track to me for a Best of Chip nod. There is a reason why the Gameboy is one of the most prolific devices for chiptune composing: it sounds awesome (well, ok, it is also super portable and easy to use for live shows, that certainly helps).
In this video we can actually see the "tracker" software doing its thing. The piece really picks up at 1:47, after a long, epic intro!
In this video we can actually see the "tracker" software doing its thing. The piece really picks up at 1:47, after a long, epic intro!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Best of Chip 5/25
We continue to search out YouTube for the very best chip music I can find there. This is a tune by Francis Hall, who describes it as "cheesey" in his description. Nope, I think I prefer "sentimental!"
This is the kind of chip music I prefer, I think; songlike, with good clear melodic structures and super warm 8 bit sounds (that I sorely miss, since I'm still writing with Genesis sound emulators at the moment).
I'd say this track is probably one of the finer YouTube chiptunes I've come across in awhile. Very nice!
This is the kind of chip music I prefer, I think; songlike, with good clear melodic structures and super warm 8 bit sounds (that I sorely miss, since I'm still writing with Genesis sound emulators at the moment).
I'd say this track is probably one of the finer YouTube chiptunes I've come across in awhile. Very nice!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Paragon Album picks up CDBaby review
It is really dang hard getting your fans to review your album on CDBaby and iTunes. So I really appreciate it when someone takes the time to do so. Was very happy to find a "K.Taylor" who left a glowing review of "Patience" on the CDBaby site. Thanks K.Taylor!
What I'm up to...
After the success of the first Monster Hunter tribute on YouTube, which got over 1100 views in a matter of days (as opposed to my original stuff, which hasn't even gotten that yet in a month), it seems obvious to me that I need to be pumping out these "promo covers" on a regular basis. I'm currently working on the Moga Village music from Monster Hunter Tri, and should have that done by Wednesday. Ironically, doing the covers is a bit more work, because I have to transcribe another composition, which is harder than just letting original music flow from your brain (at least for me anyway). But its good ear exercise.
Best of Chip 5/24
Here is one from the "dance/house/techno" set. This is for obvious reasons the most represented style in the world of chiptunes it seems, but when its done well (with solid melodic hooks and a good mixture of beats and intensity levels) it works very well, as in this example. Super warm sounds too!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
A Monster Hunter Tribute
I've been playing a whole lot of Monster Hunter Tri, so I thought this little tribute, an excuse to mess around with Sega Genesis emulation, would be appropriate.
It isn't as in-depth as the kinds of things I would put on an album. And the YouTube compression has destroyed the mix, so its kinda muddy. But I think I did find some nice sounds that evoke the character of the Genesis, and actually it even sounds a little like SNES sound as well.
It isn't as in-depth as the kinds of things I would put on an album. And the YouTube compression has destroyed the mix, so its kinda muddy. But I think I did find some nice sounds that evoke the character of the Genesis, and actually it even sounds a little like SNES sound as well.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Best of Chip 5/18
I posted a Mario Galaxy chiptune earlier, and I think this might be the same track. Hearing the warm tones he gets makes me want to use what he is using! I'm currently working with Genesis emulators at the moment, and while there are cool sounds to be had there, I miss the warmth of the NES soundchip.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hey ECM, I'm right here!
ECM rightly admonishes me for a posting hiatus. My how a week goes by in the world of blogging.
Some updates:
I've found ways to simulate the Genesis as well as other consoles, which is another way to say, yeah, I'm preparing more music!
Also, I've been getting a steady increase in YouTube subscribers, which is awesome. Gotta get some stuff up there for you guys soon. Of course, none of you YouTubers have bought anything yet, as far as I can tell (unless its iTunes, which I don't see for awhile... so forgive me if you went that route).
On the Paragon jazz rock front, well, we've sold a couple. Enough to our drummer Sean to excitedly think he could buy a happy meal (he was up in my grill, you see, demanding his take of the proceeds). But then he realized that it was a bit short of the children's fast food feast, so he decided to hold off calling the bill collector on me.
Some updates:
I've found ways to simulate the Genesis as well as other consoles, which is another way to say, yeah, I'm preparing more music!
Also, I've been getting a steady increase in YouTube subscribers, which is awesome. Gotta get some stuff up there for you guys soon. Of course, none of you YouTubers have bought anything yet, as far as I can tell (unless its iTunes, which I don't see for awhile... so forgive me if you went that route).
On the Paragon jazz rock front, well, we've sold a couple. Enough to our drummer Sean to excitedly think he could buy a happy meal (he was up in my grill, you see, demanding his take of the proceeds). But then he realized that it was a bit short of the children's fast food feast, so he decided to hold off calling the bill collector on me.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
8 Bit Weapon Puts Out Free Tron Album
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
What I'm playing
Much to the consternation of my buddy ECM, I'm currently playing Heavy Rain. Really digging it so far, and the score is just about perfect. I just set up (or, rather, updated) my gamasutra account, which I believe involves a blog; in the next week or so I plan on writing some wonkish game design type articles on interactive dramas. It should appear both at the gamasutra blog and my portfolio site (where I've done similar analysis articles on things like The Conduit and Batman: Arkham Asylum).
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
If I did live shows, I'd use this.
Via Pathway to Unknown Worlds
Well this looks pretty amazing. Its kinda like one of those Hori fightsticks with a guitar neck attached.
Well this looks pretty amazing. Its kinda like one of those Hori fightsticks with a guitar neck attached.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Patience Song Profile: Paradise
Paradise is another one of my tunes, and occasionally, being a Christian, I'll title something that alludes to that. Paradise of course refers to, well, heaven aka "Paradise." Speaking of heaven (or at least a slice of heaven!), let's talk about Ben Wolkins on trumpet. All of us agree that having Ben on this album made this an even more awesome experience than if we had done it ourselves. Ben's trumpet playing took every song to a new level. Every time I think to myself, "this is my favorite Ben Wolkins moment on this album," I'll listen again and find something I like even more. Not to totally embarrass poor Ben, but I've even used snippets of his solos to illustrate proper improvising to some of my guitar students!
He takes the solo after the bass solo. I wrote a little interlude bit between each soloist, which was designed to help propel the soloist into a flurry of notes. Ben certainly takes off, that's for darn sure! His opening blast knocks my butt to the floor every time I hear it!
He takes the solo after the bass solo. I wrote a little interlude bit between each soloist, which was designed to help propel the soloist into a flurry of notes. Ben certainly takes off, that's for darn sure! His opening blast knocks my butt to the floor every time I hear it!
Some sales...
Got some more sales today, which is very encouraging. Two Pitch to Pixels and one Zeitgeber (in iTunes, which means that the sale happened about a month or two ago).
It seems like everytime I start to get a little bummed out, a get a nice little boost to remind me that its worth the time and effort!
Of course, I know that folks like the Arch Nerd want more material! And ECM wants some Genesis tunes! But I really can't do that until I at least make back what I put in on Pitch to Pixel. I'm getting closer. I stand at $35 in sales so far, with at least one or more iTunes sales "in theque queue*" (I know a good friend who bought it there, but the sale won't show up for awhile).
So I am probably 1-3 album sales away from hitting that magic $55 number. Once I hit that number, I can dive into more stuff with full force! So if you know anyone that might like this kind of music, hit them the heck up!
The Zeitgeber sale is awesome, by the way, since that works out to pure, lovely profit, since that project is long since paid for.
Also: I'm sitting at just one sale for the new Paragon album so far, so I'm really hoping that more people get wind of it and give it a listen. It is some of the best music I've ever done with "real instruments." Perhaps it would tug on your heartstrings to know that the money for "Patience" gets split four different ways (to the original members of the band)? So I have to wait a lot longer to recoup my $55 investment.... :-)
* ECM pointed out my spelling error. I'm now blushing, just like I do when I see some of his "Friday Nice" posts...
It seems like everytime I start to get a little bummed out, a get a nice little boost to remind me that its worth the time and effort!
Of course, I know that folks like the Arch Nerd want more material! And ECM wants some Genesis tunes! But I really can't do that until I at least make back what I put in on Pitch to Pixel. I'm getting closer. I stand at $35 in sales so far, with at least one or more iTunes sales "in the
So I am probably 1-3 album sales away from hitting that magic $55 number. Once I hit that number, I can dive into more stuff with full force! So if you know anyone that might like this kind of music, hit them the heck up!
The Zeitgeber sale is awesome, by the way, since that works out to pure, lovely profit, since that project is long since paid for.
Also: I'm sitting at just one sale for the new Paragon album so far, so I'm really hoping that more people get wind of it and give it a listen. It is some of the best music I've ever done with "real instruments." Perhaps it would tug on your heartstrings to know that the money for "Patience" gets split four different ways (to the original members of the band)? So I have to wait a lot longer to recoup my $55 investment.... :-)
* ECM pointed out my spelling error. I'm now blushing, just like I do when I see some of his "Friday Nice" posts...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Best of Video Game Blogs
Ok, now that I've started regular features here, I need to do another "Best of Video Game Blogging."
Waxing Erratic has a post after my own heart: A guy who is taking game music from the "better" sound hardware and remixing it on older VGM game hardware.
The Goober pontificates about women and photoshop. He's hopping mad, and he ain't takin' it anymore!
Arcade Heroes raps about an awesome new arcade in Yokohama Japan. Nice to see that, even while the arcade scene in Japan has diminished in recent years, that it is still 1000000000000000000% better than ours.
Gonintendo has a report regarding everyone's favorite 90's platformer starring a worm.
If you want to be a featured site on Pitch to Pixel...... write about my music, buy it, and beg other people to! :-)
The Goober pontificates about women and photoshop. He's hopping mad, and he ain't takin' it anymore!
Arcade Heroes raps about an awesome new arcade in Yokohama Japan. Nice to see that, even while the arcade scene in Japan has diminished in recent years, that it is still 1000000000000000000% better than ours.
Gonintendo has a report regarding everyone's favorite 90's platformer starring a worm.
If you want to be a featured site on Pitch to Pixel...... write about my music, buy it, and beg other people to! :-)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Best of chip 4/30
One difference I have with many chiptune composers out there (that I suspect comes from my musical training and background) is that I tend to write things based on classical song structures; i.e. my tunes usually have a melody, followed by a counter melody, and maybe a bridge and chorus (something like ABA or ABBA for your classical music nerds out there). These same forms are very common throughout pop music as well (verse - chorus - verse).
Most chiptune peeps write things that are much more akin to typical electronic dance music; they focus on texture and melody more than harmony, so your typical original chiptune tends to be modal (uses one underlying harmony), with a repeating melody. In this, the average chiptune enthusiast is also quite different than the composers who inspired them from the video game world, which is why chiptunes like mine are sometimes referred to as "VGM" ("video game music"). To me, calling something "VGM" is a shorthand way of saying, "your stuff sounds like a song."
This isn't a value judgment on the modal, textural stuff. In fact, I'm going to use an example of this style of composing for today's best of chip. Listen for the really neat break beat thing at about 25 seconds in:
Most chiptune peeps write things that are much more akin to typical electronic dance music; they focus on texture and melody more than harmony, so your typical original chiptune tends to be modal (uses one underlying harmony), with a repeating melody. In this, the average chiptune enthusiast is also quite different than the composers who inspired them from the video game world, which is why chiptunes like mine are sometimes referred to as "VGM" ("video game music"). To me, calling something "VGM" is a shorthand way of saying, "your stuff sounds like a song."
This isn't a value judgment on the modal, textural stuff. In fact, I'm going to use an example of this style of composing for today's best of chip. Listen for the really neat break beat thing at about 25 seconds in:
Modulate your Gameboy
From Mute City DMG's, here is a little mod for a Gameboy that acts as a pitch shifter (like on a keyboard). What it is actually doing is controlling the CPU speed, which alters the pitch as a consequence. It also affects tempo, since after all the CPU speed is what is actually being controlled. Pretty nifty mod for those that perform chiptunes live.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Patience Song Profile: Patience
Here we go with the song profiles for a new album! Now, I didn't write all the songs here, so I may not always have the most insight, but I'll try my best! The first song on the new (old) Paragon album, Patience, was written by me.
My motivation for this one was to basically punish the bass player by making him play a very "guitaristic" riff over and over again! Jason should thank me for the exercise though; he has a great warmup for life, thanks to that riff! As a song, though, it is really about a kind of hard rock latin vibe that I had in my head, as well as the duality of a high pitched melody on saxophone against the low, low riff.
My motivation for this one was to basically punish the bass player by making him play a very "guitaristic" riff over and over again! Jason should thank me for the exercise though; he has a great warmup for life, thanks to that riff! As a song, though, it is really about a kind of hard rock latin vibe that I had in my head, as well as the duality of a high pitched melody on saxophone against the low, low riff.
Best of Chip 4/29
This is from a Japanese artist, I think, called K-On? Not entirely sure, but I dig it.
Super Mario Kart Music Redone by the OneUps
Hat tip ECM.
Looks like Super Mario Kart is getting a treatment by the OneUps, a band that over the years has made a name for itself by making arrangements of video game music for live instruments. Kind of like the Pitch to Pixel approach in reverse, if you will.
Looks like Super Mario Kart is getting a treatment by the OneUps, a band that over the years has made a name for itself by making arrangements of video game music for live instruments. Kind of like the Pitch to Pixel approach in reverse, if you will.
New album out! Paragon - Patience
Finally, it's out! Patience is an album I recorded with my jazz rock band, Paragon, back in 2004. It sat in the can even though it was our best work, so I always felt bad about not releasing it. Thank you digital distribution, for making the process of releasing an album worldwide so darn easy.
Paragon was all about the hard rock/metal end of the jazz rock spectrum, influenced heavily by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and 1970's era Jeff Beck. These hard rock influences were held in check by the influences of the other primary composer in the group, saxophonist Matt Baumann. Those influences were wide ranging, from ECM jazz (no, not that ECM) to singer songwriters like the late Warren Zevon and Tom Waits.
What we wanted to do with Patience was come out and, to be blunt, kick some ass. The bookends to the album, Patience and The Gunslinger certainly do that! But in retrospect, it is alot of the quieter moments I find myself coming back to, especially the haunting "In A Lonely Place." We usually enjoyed putting in one "exploratory" number (which we did in our first album). For this one, we choose "A Short Expedition, No. 1," a tune that I had written way back in the beginning of Paragon's existence (as evidenced by the fact that its sequel, "A Short Expedition No. 2," is on our first album!).
My favorite guitar solo on this album is the one I did at the beginning of bassist Jason Gahler's tune, "Before One." It is some of my most crisp playing that I've ever recorded. But of course there is Ben Wolkins... freaking trumpeter extraordinaire, who lays down ATOMIC BOMB type solos. I'll always remember looking at the other guys in the band after he recorded that stuff; we were like, holy crap, this guy is a MONSTER player. He is also about the nicest guy you'd ever find.
Anyway, I could go on about this album for awhile, which I intend to, so I'd better save that for more posts later!
Paragon was all about the hard rock/metal end of the jazz rock spectrum, influenced heavily by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and 1970's era Jeff Beck. These hard rock influences were held in check by the influences of the other primary composer in the group, saxophonist Matt Baumann. Those influences were wide ranging, from ECM jazz (no, not that ECM) to singer songwriters like the late Warren Zevon and Tom Waits.
What we wanted to do with Patience was come out and, to be blunt, kick some ass. The bookends to the album, Patience and The Gunslinger certainly do that! But in retrospect, it is alot of the quieter moments I find myself coming back to, especially the haunting "In A Lonely Place." We usually enjoyed putting in one "exploratory" number (which we did in our first album). For this one, we choose "A Short Expedition, No. 1," a tune that I had written way back in the beginning of Paragon's existence (as evidenced by the fact that its sequel, "A Short Expedition No. 2," is on our first album!).
My favorite guitar solo on this album is the one I did at the beginning of bassist Jason Gahler's tune, "Before One." It is some of my most crisp playing that I've ever recorded. But of course there is Ben Wolkins... freaking trumpeter extraordinaire, who lays down ATOMIC BOMB type solos. I'll always remember looking at the other guys in the band after he recorded that stuff; we were like, holy crap, this guy is a MONSTER player. He is also about the nicest guy you'd ever find.
Anyway, I could go on about this album for awhile, which I intend to, so I'd better save that for more posts later!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Best of chip 4/28/10
I need to have features like this guy does, so people will think this blog is sweet, and therefore buy my stuff. So here's one I think I can maintain. I cruise around YouTube looking for cool chiptune stuff to comment on, so I'd like to take a moment to feature some interesting music and artists out there:
Dolorean Transit Chips it up with a piece from the FREAKING AWESOME Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack:
Dolorean Transit Chips it up with a piece from the FREAKING AWESOME Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack:
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pitch to Pixel featured in Gonintendo
You know, I've tried getting coverage in numerous "mainstream" gaming sites and blogs (and yes, in these times there are such things as "mainstream" blogs). Most don't really do anything, and I don't blame them. While my "industry level designer makes music" is perhaps slightly more interesting than "just some random guy does music," it isn't really "big timey industry news" to report on Pitch to Pixel.
So I'm always delighted when a well established, popular blog covers my stuff, which happened early Monday morning when Gonintendo.com's rawmeatcowboy posted a nice writeup on the album.
Of course, bigger isn't always better and I've benefited from having relatively new blogs cover my stuff as well.
So I'm always delighted when a well established, popular blog covers my stuff, which happened early Monday morning when Gonintendo.com's rawmeatcowboy posted a nice writeup on the album.
Of course, bigger isn't always better and I've benefited from having relatively new blogs cover my stuff as well.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profiles: Queretaro and Mystique
I'm going to cut the song profiles a little short and put the last two tunes in one post. I actually have a new album coming out this week! Yep, that's right, more music! That's just a few weeks after I got done the last album! I'm awesome, right?
Well, no, it is really because it is an unreleased album from 2004. But its really awesome. More on that later.
Anyway, back to Pitch to Pixel. Queretaro is, of course, about the city of the same name in Mexico. I have a bit of history there. My wife spent time there as a college student and we went there together on our "babymoon," a few months before my daughter Helena was born. The song is actually more South American than Mexican, but that's ok, because I was inspired to write it from watching a bunch of kids doing "Capoeira," a martial art from South America.
Mystique is two things really: a homage to a great Jeff Beck track from his "guitar shop" album, called "Behind the Veil," and a song form called the "minor blues," which I like to go back to every now and then.
Well, no, it is really because it is an unreleased album from 2004. But its really awesome. More on that later.
Anyway, back to Pitch to Pixel. Queretaro is, of course, about the city of the same name in Mexico. I have a bit of history there. My wife spent time there as a college student and we went there together on our "babymoon," a few months before my daughter Helena was born. The song is actually more South American than Mexican, but that's ok, because I was inspired to write it from watching a bunch of kids doing "Capoeira," a martial art from South America.
Mystique is two things really: a homage to a great Jeff Beck track from his "guitar shop" album, called "Behind the Veil," and a song form called the "minor blues," which I like to go back to every now and then.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Run
Every song so far described from this album has had a pretty clear purpose or vision. That's pretty fortunate, since I gave myself barely over a month to complete this project. You see, in order for this to be a profitable venture, speed is key. I can't labor over the album for a year, because I want to get other stuff out to market (provided that I at least break even, which I still haven't done yet, hint hint HINT).
I think "Run" is maybe the only song that resulted purely out of the "speed" approach, so I guess "Run" is an appropriate title. I had no idea what to write when I sat down to compose. I just needed to write something. The latin groove that this song uses is kind of accidental. The melody comes from a technique that I use with my jazz guitar students; use a simple motif, over and over.
So, seeing is that I didn't have an artistic "purpose" here other than to make a song, how do I feel about it? I feel fine. Its a good song. Sometimes as a musician (or even as a level designer) you have to get beyond inspiration and just get down to work. If everyone only made art when they were inspired, then we'd have a hard time getting anything done.
Not sure exactly what to post as my "song profile YouTube" clip, so here is some cool chipmusic that isn't from me:
I think "Run" is maybe the only song that resulted purely out of the "speed" approach, so I guess "Run" is an appropriate title. I had no idea what to write when I sat down to compose. I just needed to write something. The latin groove that this song uses is kind of accidental. The melody comes from a technique that I use with my jazz guitar students; use a simple motif, over and over.
So, seeing is that I didn't have an artistic "purpose" here other than to make a song, how do I feel about it? I feel fine. Its a good song. Sometimes as a musician (or even as a level designer) you have to get beyond inspiration and just get down to work. If everyone only made art when they were inspired, then we'd have a hard time getting anything done.
Not sure exactly what to post as my "song profile YouTube" clip, so here is some cool chipmusic that isn't from me:
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Mega Man Fan Movie
Some cool effects for a fan made film, and they found a dead ringer for Dr. Wily.
I kinda wish they had found a way to make the scenes look less like 2010, although to be fair, the original Mega Man story *does* say "20xx," so it could be present day.
And the music is an orchestral version of Wily's castle music from Mega Man 2!
I kinda wish they had found a way to make the scenes look less like 2010, although to be fair, the original Mega Man story *does* say "20xx," so it could be present day.
And the music is an orchestral version of Wily's castle music from Mega Man 2!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Wooster At Night
Ah, the undergraduate days. My graduate school days (I did half a degree at Wayne State in jazz studies, then I made my big career change and got my masters degree at Southern Methodist University in Interactive Technology) were more career oriented. I was older, and a bit more focused. While I was a good student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio (where I did my bachelor's), I was certainly more connected to the night life, if only because playing gigs as a professional musician demanded it.
So, I would often see Wooster Street at night, when the drunks were shuffling back to their dorms/apartments/rented houses. The slow sections of this tune is a musical representation of the drunk's slow walk. The fast sections... well, those are in there because, well, they sound cool. No artsy reason! Guilty as charged!
However, I should note that the tune borrows heavily from a jazz composition called "Fables of Faubus," by Charles Mingus, shown here (this is a pretty cool rendition by a modern jazz group):
Fables doesn't have the fast double time, but the transition from "two beat" to 4/4 swing makes it feel that way. And while my little tune is about dumb drunks, I should point out that Fables of Faubus is a serious composition about segregation and racism (written during a time when it was very near and present danger in this country).
So, I would often see Wooster Street at night, when the drunks were shuffling back to their dorms/apartments/rented houses. The slow sections of this tune is a musical representation of the drunk's slow walk. The fast sections... well, those are in there because, well, they sound cool. No artsy reason! Guilty as charged!
However, I should note that the tune borrows heavily from a jazz composition called "Fables of Faubus," by Charles Mingus, shown here (this is a pretty cool rendition by a modern jazz group):
Fables doesn't have the fast double time, but the transition from "two beat" to 4/4 swing makes it feel that way. And while my little tune is about dumb drunks, I should point out that Fables of Faubus is a serious composition about segregation and racism (written during a time when it was very near and present danger in this country).
#1.... but how?
Of course, I haven't recorded a sale since last week (my last recorded sale was from my Mom. Thanks Mom!). So I'm wondering how is it that my tracks keep climbing the charts?
Obviously one answer could be that perhaps there is a "timeout" on how long the sales count. In other words, if the sales for the other songs on the chart are older, maybe they "drop off the board," hence rising the chart position without any actual sales. Obviously I'd prefer it if I got real sales, of course (even breaking even, which I haven't done yet, would most certainly inspire more albums in the near future). But I'm still very happy with this, as the CDBaby style page is where I get most of my web hits, outside of "direct reference" (which is how my web traffic report classifies it when you click a link in an email or directly enter it into your browser).
I actually emailed CDBaby today to ask about how they calculate their charts to get to the bottom of this. Its possible that they have sales they haven't reported to me yet, or their partners via their digital distribution program (iTunes, Napster, Verizon VCast, among many many others) have sales too. Now, I know I don't get paid from those services for awhile after purchase (for iTunes its supposed to be a couple of months of turnaround), but I don't mind that; I get a big cut out of those sales, so while "all things being equal" I would prefer you go to the CDBaby page and order there, I don't mind at all if people buy tracks from iTunes or other places.
Maybe CDBaby factors in *all* sales, even ones not on their site, which is possible since music submitted to CDBaby is digitally encoded (I think those are called "ISRC" codes or something), so they do show up in music industry sales charts. So something sold on iTunes would register as a sale on those charts, probably instantly, way before iTunes pays out the actual money from those sales.And, happily, I do know of folks who bought the album on iTunes (huge thanks to you folks... especially one who is a "great catch.").
In any event, I'm very grateful for the success the songs have had on the charts so far. Please do continue to support my efforts! I'd love to be able to make more Pitch to Pixel for you guys!
Update: Just heard back from the folks at CDBaby. They said that the chart is determined by a combination of sales and how many times the song is listened to. What isn't perfectly clear is by "listened to" they mean the sample you get when you go to the artist page. I'm thinking that's what it is (how can it be anything else?). Of course, that means lots of people are sampling the song, which is good... but more of you need to BUY IT!!! :-)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Street Struggle
Let's get something straight: I often think of my life as divided into video game "eras." For example, early elementary school was the "Zelda" period. Pubescence was the "Street Fighter II" era. The late teens was the "Final Fantasy VII" era (aka the "emo" period, heh). My college years were the "Halo I and II" era, while my graduate school years were the "Knights of the Old Republic" era.
It is the pubescent era that inspired "Street Struggle," most notably Street Fighter II's awesome, rockin' introductory music. I wanted something with power and fire, and of course I had the challenge of emulating power chord guitar with the emulated NES sound chip!
It is the pubescent era that inspired "Street Struggle," most notably Street Fighter II's awesome, rockin' introductory music. I wanted something with power and fire, and of course I had the challenge of emulating power chord guitar with the emulated NES sound chip!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Over The There
Last song profile, I talked about basing a song of off some silly thing I say to my wife. Well, this song is a silly thing my daughter says. Obviously "Over The There" is non-sense, but when a toddler says things like that it is, well, super cute. Basically, whenever she wants to tell me where something is, she says, "Dada, Over The There!"
The song itself is a bit of "bebop" jazz. Bebop refers to a style of jazz that came after the swing era, beginning roughly in the early 1940s. It included players such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, and of course Charlie Parker, the most important musician of that era. Bebop is full of frenetic melodies and rapid fire ideas. Since my daughter is super high energy and "in your face," it seemed like a good choice for her :-)
The tune also resembles a Dizzy Gillespie composition called "Groovin' High," which in itself is based on an earlier American song called "Whispering."
The song itself is a bit of "bebop" jazz. Bebop refers to a style of jazz that came after the swing era, beginning roughly in the early 1940s. It included players such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, and of course Charlie Parker, the most important musician of that era. Bebop is full of frenetic melodies and rapid fire ideas. Since my daughter is super high energy and "in your face," it seemed like a good choice for her :-)
The tune also resembles a Dizzy Gillespie composition called "Groovin' High," which in itself is based on an earlier American song called "Whispering."
Friday, April 16, 2010
Album Review: Jeff Beck's Emotion and Commotion
Something you should know about me is that I'm a Jeff Beck super mega fanatic. He is my favorite guitarist in any genre, bar none, and there are lots of guitarists I absolutely adore. Grant Green, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis Django Rheinhardt, John Fogerty are all guitarists that I've admired and greatly enjoyed. I suppose if I was alive when I could have seen these fine players up close in personal, maybe they'd have the top honor (John Fogerty is alive, I just haven't seen him in person).
I'll never forget seeing Beck play in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1999 while he was supporting his "Who Else!" tour. The thing about Jeff Beck is that while many other guitarists have surpassed him in technique (the ability to play lots and lots of notes efficiently), nobody has approached the electric guitar like Jeff Beck has. He uses technique utterly alien to everybody else. He manipulates the basic electronics of the guitar; volume knob, tone nob, whammy bar, tools available to almost everyone on the electric guitar, to create a vocabulary of sounds that makes it seem is though he is using effects. He is not. That is the man, his guitar, and an amp cranked up. That's it.
Nobody else on the instrument has his articulation and phrasing. And while he has lots of rip snortin' tunes in his repertoire (he was always good at playing gonzo guitar), it was on ballads and soulful melodies which the guitarist always shined the most, since this displayed his talent in a way other material could not. After all, it was "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" from his album Blow by Blow that caused me to all in love with his playing. It was full of power and teenage angst; it was a guitar representation of how I felt at the time.
So it makes great sense that he would make a classical album someday, with lush string orchestras and arias. It is this direction that the guitarist heads in "Emotion and Commotion," and I think Beck fans should welcome this development.
The album marks the ending of a very fruitful phase of Beck's career, the "electronica" phase. Starting with 1999's "Who Else!" and ending with "Jeff" in 2003, Beck attempted to broaden his audience by combining his jazz rock blues guitar with Prodigy/Chemical Brothers style beats and sounds. It was wildly successful from an artistic standpoint (Who Else! is one of his finest albums), but by the time Jeff was released in 2003, it was clear that this era should be put to bed. The formula was maybe wearing a little thin, and I don't think he was expanding his audience with this direction.
It took him seven years and a couple of awesome live records to get to his next studio album, but here we are. It opens up with "Corpus Christi Carol," which really is representative of the whole record, with a lush orchestral arrangement that supports but does not dominate Beck's lyrical guitar (the arranger for the strings did a great job). This melts into "Hammerhead," which is a rock n' roll instrumental that hearkens back to Beck's late 80's powerhouse, "Guitar Shop." "Never Alone" showcases the major influence that Indian music has on Beck, while "Somewhere over the Rainbow" is going to be a Jeff Beck concert classic if it hasn't already. Here the amazing vocabulary is on full display: artificial harmonics bent with the whammy bar, volume knob manipulation, clever rhythmic play, and powerhouse scorching. Check out the sweet live performance I've included in this post, and you'll see what I mean. Awesome.
While Beck has made his name as an instrumental performer, he has in recent years included more vocals in his music, usually with he aid of a comely female singer. Here he features Joss Stone on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' old standard "I Put A Spell On You." She is soulful and powerful, and Beck employs his musical taste in perfectly answering her vocal stylings. Imelda May is the other featured gal, and I adore her voice. It is silky and smooth, and full of seductive power. This is on full display on "Lilac Wine."
But it's Beck's guitar that we want, and we get it once again with a gorgeous ballad, this time the aria "Nessun Dorma." "Serenity" is a space rock ballad, recalling tunes like "Angel Footsteps." Finally we have a blues, something Beck always has on his albums regardless of the record's pretense. This time its "Poor Boy."
Jeff Beck is a treasure and a powerful artist. One of the reasons I am a Christian and theist is that music (as well as any and all art) is so utterly powerful that it makes me think that material is not all that there is. What a man like Jeff Beck does, scientifically, is produce soundwaves. Maybe it's mathematically pleasing to us in some way, and yes, our brains appreciate and determine patterns and that plays a role in understanding music. But why does someone move you, to your very core? It isn't just pattern recognition. It is, simply put, God's image in us, His Creation. Great artists are great because, whether they know it or not, they reflect a tiny fraction of God's creativity. And Jeff Beck's creativity lives in his guitar playing.
I'll never forget seeing Beck play in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1999 while he was supporting his "Who Else!" tour. The thing about Jeff Beck is that while many other guitarists have surpassed him in technique (the ability to play lots and lots of notes efficiently), nobody has approached the electric guitar like Jeff Beck has. He uses technique utterly alien to everybody else. He manipulates the basic electronics of the guitar; volume knob, tone nob, whammy bar, tools available to almost everyone on the electric guitar, to create a vocabulary of sounds that makes it seem is though he is using effects. He is not. That is the man, his guitar, and an amp cranked up. That's it.
Nobody else on the instrument has his articulation and phrasing. And while he has lots of rip snortin' tunes in his repertoire (he was always good at playing gonzo guitar), it was on ballads and soulful melodies which the guitarist always shined the most, since this displayed his talent in a way other material could not. After all, it was "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" from his album Blow by Blow that caused me to all in love with his playing. It was full of power and teenage angst; it was a guitar representation of how I felt at the time.
So it makes great sense that he would make a classical album someday, with lush string orchestras and arias. It is this direction that the guitarist heads in "Emotion and Commotion," and I think Beck fans should welcome this development.
The album marks the ending of a very fruitful phase of Beck's career, the "electronica" phase. Starting with 1999's "Who Else!" and ending with "Jeff" in 2003, Beck attempted to broaden his audience by combining his jazz rock blues guitar with Prodigy/Chemical Brothers style beats and sounds. It was wildly successful from an artistic standpoint (Who Else! is one of his finest albums), but by the time Jeff was released in 2003, it was clear that this era should be put to bed. The formula was maybe wearing a little thin, and I don't think he was expanding his audience with this direction.
It took him seven years and a couple of awesome live records to get to his next studio album, but here we are. It opens up with "Corpus Christi Carol," which really is representative of the whole record, with a lush orchestral arrangement that supports but does not dominate Beck's lyrical guitar (the arranger for the strings did a great job). This melts into "Hammerhead," which is a rock n' roll instrumental that hearkens back to Beck's late 80's powerhouse, "Guitar Shop." "Never Alone" showcases the major influence that Indian music has on Beck, while "Somewhere over the Rainbow" is going to be a Jeff Beck concert classic if it hasn't already. Here the amazing vocabulary is on full display: artificial harmonics bent with the whammy bar, volume knob manipulation, clever rhythmic play, and powerhouse scorching. Check out the sweet live performance I've included in this post, and you'll see what I mean. Awesome.
While Beck has made his name as an instrumental performer, he has in recent years included more vocals in his music, usually with he aid of a comely female singer. Here he features Joss Stone on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' old standard "I Put A Spell On You." She is soulful and powerful, and Beck employs his musical taste in perfectly answering her vocal stylings. Imelda May is the other featured gal, and I adore her voice. It is silky and smooth, and full of seductive power. This is on full display on "Lilac Wine."
But it's Beck's guitar that we want, and we get it once again with a gorgeous ballad, this time the aria "Nessun Dorma." "Serenity" is a space rock ballad, recalling tunes like "Angel Footsteps." Finally we have a blues, something Beck always has on his albums regardless of the record's pretense. This time its "Poor Boy."
Jeff Beck is a treasure and a powerful artist. One of the reasons I am a Christian and theist is that music (as well as any and all art) is so utterly powerful that it makes me think that material is not all that there is. What a man like Jeff Beck does, scientifically, is produce soundwaves. Maybe it's mathematically pleasing to us in some way, and yes, our brains appreciate and determine patterns and that plays a role in understanding music. But why does someone move you, to your very core? It isn't just pattern recognition. It is, simply put, God's image in us, His Creation. Great artists are great because, whether they know it or not, they reflect a tiny fraction of God's creativity. And Jeff Beck's creativity lives in his guitar playing.
Pitch to Pixel Featured in Scatterbrain Goober's Album Spotlight
Another review of Pitch to Pixel went live today, and this one is from the Scatterbrain Goober blog, aka "The Arch Nerd."
I guess this is a good time to reflect on reviews in general. In my career as a game industry pro, I've only had one game that I've been involved in get reviews, Vicious Cycle Software's Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond (I'm not in the credits, it was almost done when I started there last June, but I did do a little bit of work on it). Even though I wasn't personally involved with a lot of the major things, every criticism stung, and every praise made me smile. I'll admit: I'm not one of those guys that makes a big pretense of "having perspective" when it comes to people's evaluation of my work. No, that does *not* mean I take criticism badly and don't want it. In fact, I welcome it in every field I'm involved in. But I don't pretend that I'm not human either. If someone says something I do isn't any good, yeah, that isn't going to feel great, even if I smile, say thank you for your thoughts, and take you seriously and in good faith (which I will).
Which leads me to some of the reviews I got in my musical career, with my jazz/fusion outfits. I'm not sure if this is out there anywhere so I won't bother to find it, but the first real album I ever put out, "What Is Paragon?," was absolutely destroyed by a jazz critic. In retrospect, I don't blame him, the linear notes were pompous and waaaay over the top (I should know, I wrote them. Heh). The playing was good but we were all kids just starting out in music college, and I was inexperienced as a record producer. I didn't exactly know who to get the best out of my friends and colleagues, and we hastily recorded it all in a few days.
Surely my solo album, also in the jazz rock realm, titled "Zeitgeber," would be better. I had more experience then. I had even cut a real, nationally televised commercial for marathon oil (I played a smokin', kinda "Southern Rockish" lead for a commercial about some free travel map you'd get if you went to a gas station or something). I had graduated with my music degree, and my musical buddies had as well. We were all pretty polished musicians and it showed. But, it was still really artsy and odd in places (although I think if you listen to Pitch to Pixel, you'll find the fabric that connects it to the jazz stuff). The only review it got was a smart-alecky fellow who hated the guitar solos (this is the CDBaby review).
So I guess you can say I've gotten used to negative reviews, even though most have been more or less positive across my disciplines. So when I started to read the review from the Arch Nerd, I kept waiting for the "but..." the moment were he describes something he didn't like. All of my life, I have been conditioned to expect "the compliment sandwich," when someone says something nice, something constructive, and then something nice to make you feel good.
But in this review, it was all positive, and very deeply touching to me personally. My wife told me when I told her about it, "yeah we want to make money on this, but its really great that you made somebody happy with this." Yeah, it is really great.
My music isn't perfect, and this album isn't either. There are lots of stuff I would want to redo or improve (I had a self-imposed deadline of early April when I started this is late January). But I believe strongly in the idea of gestalt, or, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." When you got gestalt goin' on, it covers up the flaws. Now, I cannot possibly know if Pitch to Pixel, or anything I'll ever do, musically or video game wise, will have that effect for you. But its really great to know some of my work had a little bit of that for somebody!
I guess this is a good time to reflect on reviews in general. In my career as a game industry pro, I've only had one game that I've been involved in get reviews, Vicious Cycle Software's Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond (I'm not in the credits, it was almost done when I started there last June, but I did do a little bit of work on it). Even though I wasn't personally involved with a lot of the major things, every criticism stung, and every praise made me smile. I'll admit: I'm not one of those guys that makes a big pretense of "having perspective" when it comes to people's evaluation of my work. No, that does *not* mean I take criticism badly and don't want it. In fact, I welcome it in every field I'm involved in. But I don't pretend that I'm not human either. If someone says something I do isn't any good, yeah, that isn't going to feel great, even if I smile, say thank you for your thoughts, and take you seriously and in good faith (which I will).
Which leads me to some of the reviews I got in my musical career, with my jazz/fusion outfits. I'm not sure if this is out there anywhere so I won't bother to find it, but the first real album I ever put out, "What Is Paragon?," was absolutely destroyed by a jazz critic. In retrospect, I don't blame him, the linear notes were pompous and waaaay over the top (I should know, I wrote them. Heh). The playing was good but we were all kids just starting out in music college, and I was inexperienced as a record producer. I didn't exactly know who to get the best out of my friends and colleagues, and we hastily recorded it all in a few days.
Surely my solo album, also in the jazz rock realm, titled "Zeitgeber," would be better. I had more experience then. I had even cut a real, nationally televised commercial for marathon oil (I played a smokin', kinda "Southern Rockish" lead for a commercial about some free travel map you'd get if you went to a gas station or something). I had graduated with my music degree, and my musical buddies had as well. We were all pretty polished musicians and it showed. But, it was still really artsy and odd in places (although I think if you listen to Pitch to Pixel, you'll find the fabric that connects it to the jazz stuff). The only review it got was a smart-alecky fellow who hated the guitar solos (this is the CDBaby review).
So I guess you can say I've gotten used to negative reviews, even though most have been more or less positive across my disciplines. So when I started to read the review from the Arch Nerd, I kept waiting for the "but..." the moment were he describes something he didn't like. All of my life, I have been conditioned to expect "the compliment sandwich," when someone says something nice, something constructive, and then something nice to make you feel good.
But in this review, it was all positive, and very deeply touching to me personally. My wife told me when I told her about it, "yeah we want to make money on this, but its really great that you made somebody happy with this." Yeah, it is really great.
My music isn't perfect, and this album isn't either. There are lots of stuff I would want to redo or improve (I had a self-imposed deadline of early April when I started this is late January). But I believe strongly in the idea of gestalt, or, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." When you got gestalt goin' on, it covers up the flaws. Now, I cannot possibly know if Pitch to Pixel, or anything I'll ever do, musically or video game wise, will have that effect for you. But its really great to know some of my work had a little bit of that for somebody!
Rising up the charts (but was it last weekend's sales?)
Some good news to report. I now have singles at the #10, #9, and #5 positions on CDBaby's chiptune chart. Is it from last weekend's sales, or is it, I hope hope hope, from new sales? Of course, if you haven't bought yet, you know what to do (it's only $9.99!!!).
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sales report... I need more of em'
Well, Pitch to Pixel is almost two weeks old. How am I doing?
There are signs. I've gotten at least *one* non-family member to buy the thing. This is good. But I need to do a lot better! Surely, some of you folks are on the fence, intending to buy, but you haven't. Well now is a good time to do it!
In all seriousness, this takes tremendous effort and I'm committed to that effort. Everyday I write blogs, websites, and podcasts looking for supporters. Some do, many just ignore me! But I will continue to seek out the audience that I know exists for this music.
There are signs. I've gotten at least *one* non-family member to buy the thing. This is good. But I need to do a lot better! Surely, some of you folks are on the fence, intending to buy, but you haven't. Well now is a good time to do it!
In all seriousness, this takes tremendous effort and I'm committed to that effort. Everyday I write blogs, websites, and podcasts looking for supporters. Some do, many just ignore me! But I will continue to seek out the audience that I know exists for this music.
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Did You Know I Love You?
Hmm, this seems like a strange title for chiptune, kinda. Well, there is good reason for that. This wasn't a chiptune originally. It was actually a medium/slow tempo jazz tune I composed as a Christmas gift for my wife. The title of the song refers to something I say to her alot (one of those cheesey things a husband says to a wife, I guess).
I think it translates just fine to the NES though, and I'm actually pleased with how the emulated NES "noise" channel sounds just like snare drum being played with brushes. This works great for jazz tunes.
Instead of the usual "here is an interesting YouTube video that is related to the song on some way," you are actually getting a real, live performance of this song in its original form: with *myself* on guitar, my good friend Jason Gahler on bass (he also plays bass on "What Is Paragon?" and "Zeitgeber") and Al Ashby on tenor sax. The pictures are from my honeymoon in 2006.
Did You Know I Love You? from Robert Howard on Vimeo.
I think it translates just fine to the NES though, and I'm actually pleased with how the emulated NES "noise" channel sounds just like snare drum being played with brushes. This works great for jazz tunes.
Instead of the usual "here is an interesting YouTube video that is related to the song on some way," you are actually getting a real, live performance of this song in its original form: with *myself* on guitar, my good friend Jason Gahler on bass (he also plays bass on "What Is Paragon?" and "Zeitgeber") and Al Ashby on tenor sax. The pictures are from my honeymoon in 2006.
Did You Know I Love You? from Robert Howard on Vimeo.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Pocket Change
Before we go into Pocket Change, one of my personal favorites on the album, let's review the most popular songs so far, not just in pure sales, but also in "attaboys."
The winner is a tie, between "Warrior," still on CDBaby's chiptune charts at #8, and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," the hymn. Additionally, "Jumpin' Around" has gotten some kudos as well.
Between those songs, you have classical music, the Lutheran Chorale, and early jazz represented here. So that begs the question... what is MY favorite genre of music? Well, I'd say jazz, both straight ahead acoustic style jazz (really, to get specific for the muso nerds out there, I'm a hard bop guy) and fusion. And "Pocket Change" probably nails that side of me better than any of the other tracks.
Pocket Change is a fusion tune, named because it has a deep, groovin' pocket (yeah yeah, it's computerized and all that, but I still think the pocket is tight!) and it has some rather drastic *chord changes*, more simply put, it has weird chords. It also features a "bass" solo, done in the style of Jaco Pastorius. Jaco was a legendary electric bassist in the 70s and 80s with bands such as Weather Report.
Finally, this seems like a good time to bring up the style of music I do other than chiptunes: Jazz. You'll note to the left that I have a few of my jazz rock albums for sale on CDBaby. My solo album, Zeitgeber, is now available for a paltry $5 for the whole darn full length album. It represents me at the height of my powers as a guitar player, and has some great moments on it. Some clown also gave it a mediocre review on CDBaby, so maybe one of you guys can chime in and help me out by writing a better one?
The winner is a tie, between "Warrior," still on CDBaby's chiptune charts at #8, and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," the hymn. Additionally, "Jumpin' Around" has gotten some kudos as well.
Between those songs, you have classical music, the Lutheran Chorale, and early jazz represented here. So that begs the question... what is MY favorite genre of music? Well, I'd say jazz, both straight ahead acoustic style jazz (really, to get specific for the muso nerds out there, I'm a hard bop guy) and fusion. And "Pocket Change" probably nails that side of me better than any of the other tracks.
Pocket Change is a fusion tune, named because it has a deep, groovin' pocket (yeah yeah, it's computerized and all that, but I still think the pocket is tight!) and it has some rather drastic *chord changes*, more simply put, it has weird chords. It also features a "bass" solo, done in the style of Jaco Pastorius. Jaco was a legendary electric bassist in the 70s and 80s with bands such as Weather Report.
Finally, this seems like a good time to bring up the style of music I do other than chiptunes: Jazz. You'll note to the left that I have a few of my jazz rock albums for sale on CDBaby. My solo album, Zeitgeber, is now available for a paltry $5 for the whole darn full length album. It represents me at the height of my powers as a guitar player, and has some great moments on it. Some clown also gave it a mediocre review on CDBaby, so maybe one of you guys can chime in and help me out by writing a better one?
Pitch to Pixel featured in Arcade Heroes and Waxing Erratic
One of the big challenges of doing a project like this is promotion. When you do something as an indie, you have to really hit the pavement hard (well, the virtual pavement of the internet at least) to get the word out. Especially since the very nature of this project excludes a pretty well worn business model: selling CDs at shows. I won't be doing shows anytime soon, except for maybe recording myself performing "live" for YouTube purposes (I currently don't have the right kind of equipment to facilitate that, but we'll see what happens in the future).
So I really, really, really (no, I mean REALLY) appreciate it when blogs and websites actually decide my stuff is worthy of their attention. In my experience, going back to my earlier days in music when I was in a jazz rock band called Paragon (whose debut album is still available, link to the left, and who may or may not have another album coming out soon... hint hint!), I've found that most places basically ignore you. And why not? There are countless people out there doing music. Why should you get special attention?
So the peeps that actually promote your music tend to be the people who connect with it on some level (i.e. they actually think its good).
Anyway, two websites have recently featured my stuff, and even though I've obscured the original intent of this post (to link to them and thank them) with my pseudo-philosophical ramblings, here they are:
Waxing Erratic has been an early and ardent supporter of Pitch to Pixel, and featured me in a post here.
Arcade Heroes, a really nifty site dedicated to coin-op gaming, features me here.
I'll have both listed in a new blogroll to the left for further reference. Thank you guys!
So I really, really, really (no, I mean REALLY) appreciate it when blogs and websites actually decide my stuff is worthy of their attention. In my experience, going back to my earlier days in music when I was in a jazz rock band called Paragon (whose debut album is still available, link to the left, and who may or may not have another album coming out soon... hint hint!), I've found that most places basically ignore you. And why not? There are countless people out there doing music. Why should you get special attention?
So the peeps that actually promote your music tend to be the people who connect with it on some level (i.e. they actually think its good).
Anyway, two websites have recently featured my stuff, and even though I've obscured the original intent of this post (to link to them and thank them) with my pseudo-philosophical ramblings, here they are:
Waxing Erratic has been an early and ardent supporter of Pitch to Pixel, and featured me in a post here.
Arcade Heroes, a really nifty site dedicated to coin-op gaming, features me here.
I'll have both listed in a new blogroll to the left for further reference. Thank you guys!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Jumpin' Around
Koji Kondo is, of course, one of the greatest video game composers of all time, and for my money, a great composer period. Along with Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy among other things), he really defined the sound of Japanese video game music (while The Fatman, of Wing Commander fame, Tommy Tallarico and others defined the Western approach).
What is always so terrific about Koji Kondo's music is his emphasis of early jazz in his work. Of course we see that in Super Mario Brothers, heavily influenced by early jazz and ragtime. So that was the spirit that Jumpin' Around was composed in. It is meant to be a tune that could neatly fit into a mid-1980s NES platformer.
What is always so terrific about Koji Kondo's music is his emphasis of early jazz in his work. Of course we see that in Super Mario Brothers, heavily influenced by early jazz and ragtime. So that was the spirit that Jumpin' Around was composed in. It is meant to be a tune that could neatly fit into a mid-1980s NES platformer.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Village
Ballads are hard for me to conceive sometimes, which is odd because some of my better compositions are ballads. Why is that? It is mainly because ballads require (at least for me) a little more inspiration than a rockin' tune.
Yet it is a little easier in Chipland, because we have such a wonderfully large palette to pick from: RPG town/village music. Yep, I've always really liked the nice little ditties that play in oldschool RPGs when you walk into towns to buy your silver swords, your iron gauntlet, and phoenix downs!
Village is created in this mold, but I do employ (musical geekout approaching!) the lydian mode to create something that is a little more exotic.
Anyway, here is a young lady playing a nice version of the Final Fantasy town music on an Ocarina! Enjoy:
Yet it is a little easier in Chipland, because we have such a wonderfully large palette to pick from: RPG town/village music. Yep, I've always really liked the nice little ditties that play in oldschool RPGs when you walk into towns to buy your silver swords, your iron gauntlet, and phoenix downs!
Village is created in this mold, but I do employ (musical geekout approaching!) the lydian mode to create something that is a little more exotic.
Anyway, here is a young lady playing a nice version of the Final Fantasy town music on an Ocarina! Enjoy:
Warrior From Pitch To PIxel #7 on CDBaby's Chiptune charts!!!!!!
Well, this is a real blessing. Happy dance time!
Thanks to everyone who has went out and bought this! And of course, you can help keep it up there by paying a measly .99 cents :-)
Thanks to everyone who has went out and bought this! And of course, you can help keep it up there by paying a measly .99 cents :-)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: 8 Bit Hero
Some songs, like the one I previously wrote about, Warrior, are based on one pretty distinct idea. 8 Bit Hero is a hodgepodge of several ideas, the most prominent being 1980s action flick cheese rock (think Rocky IV) and "epic" style game soundtracks such as Koji Kondo's classic Legend of Zelda score.
My background as a jazz musician is reflected in this track as well. I harmonize the melody in a Sammy Nestico, Count Basie style shout chorus, and I include background "horn" harmonizations during the lead solo near the end of the track.
I must confess, of all the tracks on the album, the melody to this one tends to stick in my head the most.
My background as a jazz musician is reflected in this track as well. I harmonize the melody in a Sammy Nestico, Count Basie style shout chorus, and I include background "horn" harmonizations during the lead solo near the end of the track.
I must confess, of all the tracks on the album, the melody to this one tends to stick in my head the most.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Pitch to Pixel Song Profile: Warrior
Now that I've run out of freebies, my next plan is to give you all some insight on all the other songs on the album. I'll write one of these per day until I run out!
Track number two is called "Warrior," which is a reference to the NES game "Dragon Warrior." Like many, I received the game as a freebie from Nintendo Power magazine. They seemed very keen on promoting JRPGs at a time when they were unheard of, especially on game consoles. The NES would get the occasional odd port of something like Ultima, but it was really Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy that would begin a long tradition of gaming that continues to this day.
I have always been pleasantly haunted by the beautiful, contrapuntal classicism of Dragon Warrior's music, and this track is an attempt to imitate this. Here's some of that wonderful Dragon Warrior music:
Track number two is called "Warrior," which is a reference to the NES game "Dragon Warrior." Like many, I received the game as a freebie from Nintendo Power magazine. They seemed very keen on promoting JRPGs at a time when they were unheard of, especially on game consoles. The NES would get the occasional odd port of something like Ultima, but it was really Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy that would begin a long tradition of gaming that continues to this day.
I have always been pleasantly haunted by the beautiful, contrapuntal classicism of Dragon Warrior's music, and this track is an attempt to imitate this. Here's some of that wonderful Dragon Warrior music:
Thursday, April 8, 2010
My favorite games.... part I
I told you this was going to be a video game blog, in fact, my goal is for this to be primarily a video game blog, that also happens to be the marketing vehicle for my music. So let's start with some of my favorite games, with some mini-reviews of them.
Valkyria Chronicles:
Awesome turn based strategy game for the PS3. It has a terrific art style, and each mission is a tactical tour de force; in fact, some of the challenges will require some pretty deft planning to execute. The storyline is OK, but the character development is above average. I also really appreciate how other characters bond with other characters, and give the attribute bonuses.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
I'm usually not interested in stealth games (with the exception of the Metal Gear series), but here stealth has been redone to be a different, more predatory thing than usual. It works great and really puts you in the role of the Dark Knight.
Valkyria Chronicles:
Awesome turn based strategy game for the PS3. It has a terrific art style, and each mission is a tactical tour de force; in fact, some of the challenges will require some pretty deft planning to execute. The storyline is OK, but the character development is above average. I also really appreciate how other characters bond with other characters, and give the attribute bonuses.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
I'm usually not interested in stealth games (with the exception of the Metal Gear series), but here stealth has been redone to be a different, more predatory thing than usual. It works great and really puts you in the role of the Dark Knight.
Eternal Father, Strong to Save posted on YouTube
Alrighty, got another (actually the last!) of the "freebies" from my chiptune album. "Eternal Father, Strong To Save" is probably most well known for being the hymn that the United States Navy uses. Actually, some lyrical treatments of the hymn include verses for all the armed services.
In any case, its a beautiful, gorgeous hymn, and what I like most about this is that the NES emulation actually sounds a lot like an organ when you add reverb to it.
In any case, its a beautiful, gorgeous hymn, and what I like most about this is that the NES emulation actually sounds a lot like an organ when you add reverb to it.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Best of Video Game Blogs
I really want this to be a great place to go to read about video games generally, so part of that effort is going to go to aggregate posts from bloggers I like. Here's today's best of:
ECM talks about the upcoming PS3 firmware. Say buh-bye to your Linux.
Scatterbrain Goober reviews a JRPG that I haven't heard of
Joystiq raps about a JRPG that you can finish in ten minutes
I personally like the idea of condensing a game to its essential elements. That's why I'm digging on Torchlight right now, I can jump right in and get going.
ECM talks about the upcoming PS3 firmware. Say buh-bye to your Linux.
Scatterbrain Goober reviews a JRPG that I haven't heard of
Joystiq raps about a JRPG that you can finish in ten minutes
I personally like the idea of condensing a game to its essential elements. That's why I'm digging on Torchlight right now, I can jump right in and get going.
New YouTube Sample: Johnny One Note
Here is another preview cut from "Pitch to Pixel," Johnny One Note.
Johnny One Note is inspired by Thelonious Monk, the great jazz composer and pianist. I had a conversation with a coworker in the design department at Vicious Cycle about Monk, and how this particular coworker couldn't really stand him. Well, don't worry, this track doesn't really posit the most challenging aspects of Monk's music. It is influenced much more by his playful side (I personally think all of this music is terrific, though!).
The title refers to the fact that for much of the melody, a one note motif is heard. This is most obvious in the bridge, where the melody hammers on one note, while the harmony underneath changes.
One nice thing about music with a jazz influence is that it works very well for video games. In fact, many Japanese video games have a big time jazz influence, from the ragtime of Koji Kondo's Mario Bros. music to the jazz rock fusion styling of something like Streets of Rage.
Enjoy!
Johnny One Note is inspired by Thelonious Monk, the great jazz composer and pianist. I had a conversation with a coworker in the design department at Vicious Cycle about Monk, and how this particular coworker couldn't really stand him. Well, don't worry, this track doesn't really posit the most challenging aspects of Monk's music. It is influenced much more by his playful side (I personally think all of this music is terrific, though!).
The title refers to the fact that for much of the melody, a one note motif is heard. This is most obvious in the bridge, where the melody hammers on one note, while the harmony underneath changes.
One nice thing about music with a jazz influence is that it works very well for video games. In fact, many Japanese video games have a big time jazz influence, from the ragtime of Koji Kondo's Mario Bros. music to the jazz rock fusion styling of something like Streets of Rage.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It is finally here!!!
Pitch To Pixel Volume 1: A Collection of 8 Bit Video Game Inspired Music is finally out today on CDBaby!
This is, of course, what this blog is about (well, that and my other music).
To celebrate, here is the full version of "Shooter," a track from my album, as provided by my youtube account. I'll have a few more of these to show you in the coming days! Hopefully they will inspire you to buy the album or buy some tracks!
This is, of course, what this blog is about (well, that and my other music).
To celebrate, here is the full version of "Shooter," a track from my album, as provided by my youtube account. I'll have a few more of these to show you in the coming days! Hopefully they will inspire you to buy the album or buy some tracks!
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