Rob's Workshop

Last Friday I went to Rob's workshop and it couldn't have happened at a better time! I actually have started to rekindle my interest in photography, but that's besides the point. Rob's workshop was really relaxed and fun. We looked at some photographs and talked about the lighting and how it effects the photograph itself and the message it gets across, he showed us this through 2 different photographs by 2 different photographers, I forget their names, but they were awesome! Then he told us about the Secret book and how people write down their secrets on a postcard that has some sort of art on it and they send it in to be published in the book. Rob told us to each get a bit of paper and write out our secrets on it and then our partners had to photograph us thinking about the secret or photograph the secret coming "alive" through us and then we had to get a picture of ourselves as the person we present to other people (this reminded me of Jim and the idea of the mask everyone wears). After we got a few shots of our partners, we had to go outside and take a picture of ourselves and things which spoke about who we were as a person. I really got into the whole natures-leaving-us aspect of outside and got a pretty cool shot of some sort of writing in the pavement. Overall, I really dug Rob's workshop, I just wish we had more time to actually do the photo-shoot with our partners but I suppose with more limited time and limitations, the more likely it is you won't mess around and you can actually get a good shot.

Dave's Workshop #2

So this time around, things got more difficult. It's known that I'm not the best bassist, and I'm not saying it out of low self-esteem, but because I never got that far with lessons and I've never really played bass seriously. Dave was talking about techniques that are really simple for a lot of people, but for me, it's incrediabley difficult. I don't think I was really meant to be in his workshop to be quite honest, and it's not your fault. I don't think you knew my level of capabilities on the bass, but I'm no where near good enough (even with practice) to be good for another workshop with Dave. This is for more advanced musicians who know all their scales, capabilities, playing techniques, etc. I am not one of those people. I can play any standard rock song, those aren't hard, but Jazz is a whole other world that I'm not at all ready for. I need more practice on my own with bass before I can consider it. I don't want to hold the group back, so despite our talk yesterday, I think it's best I leave Dave's workshop. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to work with Robin, he's helping me with mixing songs, which is something I've wanted to pursue since I started running sound and I've been doing a lot of it this year. I'm sorry again and to Jack, Jesse, and Leah, you guys are great players, it was fun when I wasn't messing up!

Dave's Workshop #1

Thursday was the first day of the jazz workshop with Dave. During the workshop we talked about a very popular jazz standard called Giant Steps by John Coltrane. Leah, Jack, and Jesse played scales played up and down in half-step intervals. I couldn't join in on the scales because the furthest I've gotten in my lessons was the C scale and I believe the G, I'm not entirely sure. I was really nervous for the workshop because I heard that Dave doesn't put up with people that don't know their stuff, and I'm not the greatest bass player, but Dave was pretty easy on me and that really made me feel more comfortable. He assigned Jesse and I to practice some scales for the next workshop so I've been practicing my scales. Next workshop I believe we'll be playing Scrapple From The Apple by Charlie Parker and I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. I want to actually be able to play songs and not just take the root notes and just hold those out, my goal is to become a more disciplined bass player after this workshop and a more comfortable one too, I'm already on my way!

STAC Book Presentation

Today I talked about the book, Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow. I think my presentation went well, but it was pretty short. I feel I spoke too much about how the book effected me than the actual book itself. I gave a really broad interpretation of the book and didn't touch on anything specific. I think for my next report, I'll avoid comparing it to my life and how its helped me and find an equilibrium between me and the content in the book.

Recently...

Recently, I started a band with a few friends. It's probably the most fun I've had in a band in a long time. I haven't taken it too seriously and I'm playing drums again for the first time in a while for a band. I'm actually having fun. Music is fun again. But anyways, we decided that we'd lose the first song we wrote and write a better one in it's place. I wrote lyrics for it and again, another first in a long time. I haven't written seriously on my own in what feels like a year. I claimed to have a bad case of writer's block, but I think I was just scared to try it again. But as I was writing, I wasn't getting angry, I wasn't throwing out page after page. I just wrote. It all seemed to make sense to me. I thought I'd share the lyrics with you guys. It's not one of my best works, but, regardless, it's mine.

I know this place,
too many familiar back streets;
you and your intentions
pressed to streets.

Lets keep this between you and I,
once more, please.

Pick it up
pick it up
and kindly take your leave
kindly, you've been fine
I know you mean well.

Pick it up
pick it up
and kindly take my place,
you're doing just fine
I wish I meant well.


So those are the lyrics. Bit short, but I never wrote lyrics that were long anyways.

Why do I do?

Why do I do what I do? I wish it was simple, but there's nothing in art that's simple. Each thing I do is very similar. I write, I play music, I act, and I draw when I can. I started writing because I had to, not because I wanted to. I needed to get the phrases I'd get in my head out and the only way it'd work was with paper and a pen. I'd write my poems on anything I could find to relieve my head from the attacking stanzas. After a little while of writing, I began to play music. Music had always made me move. I don't mean dance, I'd keep tempo with my hands and feet and I'd be moving my head back and forth with the song playing. Hell, I'm even doing it now listening to a song. I got my first guitar in the 4th grade. A Fender Strat that was my dad's friend's and he didn't use it anymore. I got rid of it, but if I still had it, it'd be known as the catalyst for my interest in music in every aspect. I act because it's what I've been doing my whole life and I never realized. I was constantly doing odd things as a kid that I knew would either make people laugh or get annoyed. I can't stop acting...it's pretty much who I am, not who I'm not. All these things take quite a toll on me mentally and physically and drawing is how I relax from it all. But I suppose all the pain and fatigue that I get through my art is something I don't mind. I'd rather die doing something I'm disgustingly proud of and have scars and bruises to show for it then working at some office confined to a cubicle. My life is sacrificing my body and mind for my art. My art is product and subject to change of me. I am my art.

365...

I'll be showing you the evolution of my bass that I'm building. Before I can show you it, you should see my other basses and where the inspiration for the body came from. I've combined elements from my 4 basses to create the bass I'm building.



The red bass is my newest bass, and most prized bass. A red Spector bass with one passive EMG humbucker. This bass gives me the capability to play a nice warm song and, if I so desire, a bright funk slap and pop groove all with the turn of a knob. This bass pretty much says I can do anything you can throw at me, which ties to my optimistic outlook on things.

The middle, an epiphone knock off precision bass. I didn't really ever care for it to be honest. I just wanted another bass that I could throw flat wound strings on. These past couple of days, this has been my go-to bass when it comes to practicing. I'm trying to see what kind of tone as a bassist I prefer, and I'm leaning more towards to low warm tones of this bass. I suppose I can only define this bass as the beginning of a summer night, before it gets too dark and its still cool out.

The final bass in this picture is my second oldest bass in my possession. A 4 string Ibanez Gio with GHS Boomers on. If your a musician, you'd know that this bass is the brightest sounding of all my instruments. The GHS strings are really in your face and give off a slap sound even with a pluck of a pick or the pluck of my index finger. I only use this bass for fast music to capture the meaning of the given song. This bass has an attitude of it's own and is completely underestimated by me every time I play it.



This bass is my Squire 5-string and has undergone surgery. This bass is the reason I got into building. I did this bass whilst going through my folk phase. This bass has changed, but is still the bass I bought regardless of the look. This bass is sweat in the grain and I've got the arms to prove it. This bass taught me to take my time with things, and to wait for the end, it's always the best part.

It's with great pride that I unveil to you the bass I've been building. The picture doesn't capture the flaws as much as I'd like it to. Despite the way it looks now somewhat, it still has a ways to go before it's even CLOSE to being done.



Tober Bass #0709 From now until it's completion, I'll be putting up pictures everyday after I work on this bass. Enjoy the show.