I did a little recording this morning.  And just to let you know how easily distracted I am, I was actually working on an orchestral score, when I decided to take a break and try something different.  The result will never be mistaken for “orchestral.” (Not if I have anything to say about it.)

I own an old Rhodes Stage 73 piano that I am in the process of restoring.  Here’s a pic. Idn’t she cute?

I’ve already repaired the mechanics of it and I am in the process of replacing the old Tolex on the outside.  More on that another time.  (And, yes, I meant to say “idn’t;” that’s how I role…OK, that was a typo.)

So, this morning I was playing the Rhodes and decided to run it through my equally old Fender Twin Reverb Amp.  I also added some distortion to give it kind of an early 70s, Faces sound.  Yes, that was Rod Stewart’s band before he became the (ahem) performer he is today.

It’s a short piece (1:21) but it’s long on attitude.  Wait, no, the attitude is pretty short too now that I look at it in the right lighting.

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I’m taking a break from the white-hot panic one associates with impending parenthood to post the most mellow li’l piece of music I’ve written this weekend.  ”Written” might be over-selling it. As you may or may not know, I occasionally just sit down at the piano, hit record and start playing. Every once in awhile, I like the way it turns out and I post it here.  Other times, I don’t like it, and I kinda freak out like this guy.

Luckily, there is no such freaking out associated with my current Piano In The Corner dealie.  It runs 2:05m.  Enjoy!

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Every so often, I am hired to write a piece of music that requires, shall we say, “extra cheese.”  In this case, I was hired to write some “game show” music for a local radio show.  Well, since my history of rotting my childhood brain with the help of television is a matter of public record, I was very willing to take on the challenge.

The first thing I knew is that the piece needed bongos…FRANTIC bongos.  They wound up a little buried in the mix, but they are there, believe you me!  I also knew it needed trumpet hits and a tuba, mainly because every musician will tell you that “Tuba = Funny.”  (Also, the square root of trumpets is piano…wait, that can’t be right.)  The melody is carried by vibes and a very poor quality digital piano patch. Remember, whenever something sounds bad, it’s “deliberately cheesy!” Or something.

After I got it sounding like a 70s Game Show, I needed to give it a name.  I decided to call the piece “Wink Woolery,” after famous game show hosts and plastic hair aficionados Wink Martindale and Chuck Woolery.  It’s a short piece, only 57 seconds, but it’s supposed to be.  It is also written to be loopable, in case you don’t ever want it to stop.

But at some point, please, for the love of God, make it stop.  Enjoy!

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