I’ve made rapid progress on the next album project… three tracks done. One recorded yesterday morning; when it was done I decided a previously recorded snippet could stand on its own as a short whole track, and a recorded the third today.
The theme, title, and name of first track is “Suspension” — as in, both suspended chords, and sound suspended by frozen buffers, long or infinite reverb, spectral capture, etc.
Suspended chords have no third, replacing them with a second (sus2) or a perfect fourth (sus4), which are inversions of each other — so they’re neither major nor minor. They are described as sounding “open” and have an interesting combination of consonance and tension, and can do some fun things with distortion. They’re not super weird or unfamiliar — appearing a lot in modal jazz and some pop songs, though they typically resolve to something else while I’m using them as ongoing drones and arpeggios.
I’m not treating these as strict rules, though, but as jumping-off points, ideas for inspiration. As usual with my modular stuff, I’m tuning some bits by ear so they fit or clash in a way that pleases me, without regard to the theory.
The plumber came on Thursday, but the toilet we’d bought ran late. He quickly determined that the leak was really our shower valve, and he installed shutoff valves to stop the immediate problem. Fixing the shower — replacing the old 3-knob mess — requires a second guy, about 3-4 hours, cutting tile etc. and will be scheduled after the new toilet actually arrives.
To access the supply pipes for the shower, he knocked out a section of drywall that had gotten wet, grungy and moldy. It revealed more mold on the opposite drywall panel, so I figured I better get that out too. (This is the section of wall that I’ve often banged my head on, which seemed to create a psuedo-doorframe… I’d be happy to see that whole section removed but I need to consult a carpenter I think.) Knocking it out and cleaning up the mess afterward was some hot sweaty work in a protective mask, goggles, big hat etc. so I definitely wanted a shower…
…unfortunately, the knob for the upstairs shower — which is small, cramped and dark so it has gone unused for years — is completely stuck. So until phase 2 of the repair job, it’s either the sink, or going over to my parents’ to use their shower.
The Rick Rubin book was pretty good, but I think after reading Art & Fear and The War of Art it doesn’t hold quite as many surprising revelations. But I wound up highlighting a lot of quotes. Here are a few favorites:
Not all projects take time, but they do take a lifetime. In calligraphy, the work is created in one movement of the brush. All the intention is in that single concentrated movement. The line is a reflection of the energy transfer from the artist’s being, including the entire history of their experiences, thoughts, and apprehensions, into the hand. The creative energy exists in the journey to the making, not in the act of constructing.
Whether it took months or minutes does not matter. Quality isn’t based on the amount of time invested. So long as what emerges is pleasing to us, the work has fulfilled its purpose.
The story of spontaneity can be misleading. We don’t see all the practice and preparation that goes into priming an artist for the spontaneous event to come through. Every work contains a lifetime of experience.
(A similar thought is expressed in those other books, and elsewhere. When an expert makes something look easy, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, it means they have a lot of practice.)
Part of the beauty of creation is that we can surprise ourselves, and make something greater than we’re capable of understanding.
That is so true, I surprise myself all the time!
When the work has five mistakes, it’s not yet completed. When it has eight mistakes, it might be.
In the creative process, it’s often more difficult to accomplish a goal by aiming at it.
Take art seriously without going about it in a serious way.
We have stories about ourselves, and those are not who we are. We have stories about the work, and those are not what the work is.
There are a lot of these Zen-like quotes scattered throughout the text.
I’m currently reading Gareth Brown’s The Book of Doors, which I picked up in Maine. To be honest I feel like it’s not entirely my kind of story, but I’m still enjoying it and will finish. One thing that bugs me is the magical books that various groups are seeking (either for nefarious purposes, profit (but I repeat myself) or to prevent those nefarious purposes), are given credit for some historical wonders and events which happened before the invention of the codex. Aside from the anachronism, it smacks a little of racist “it must be aliens” pyramidiots. But why I’m concerned with that but can suspend my disbelief about the magic part — which also includes some time travel — I don’t know. 🙂
I picked up What The Car? in the Steam Summer Sale. It’s super wacky and endearing. You control a car with legs… or too many wheels, giraffes for wheels, a jetpack, covered in bouncy springs, a monowheel, a Roomba, a surfboard, and other bizarre variations in something that is usually racing- and/or stunt-driving-adjacent but sometimes is a puzzle or sports mini-game instead. It’s got as much goofy charm as Katamari Damacy.
Unfortunately it also sets off my motion sickness. It was pretty minor until this afternoon when it hit me really hard, like Half-Life 2 airboat level sick, feeling bad for at least a couple of hours.
Before I start in on it again I’ll have to see if there are FOV settings or anything else which might help. I’m not inclined to play it at all anymore today though.