day 45

i hadn't plugged the up banjo in quite a while

the loop that's in the background was just intended to be a test so i could setup the mic and whatnot

then i clicked it to half speed
and then reverse
and there you have it
a little noodling on top and i call it a day

day 45.mp3">

day 40

today i recorded all banjo

about 30 or 40 minutes worth

i had narrowed it down to two 4 minute pieces

then i shaved it down to just the one

the more i listened the less i approved

this one works for me though
a little scattered at times
but i keep coming back around

  day 40 - lunar glass home.mp3">

day 38

another day where i only put one recording down
kept meaning to go back and try a few more
but then i fall asleep on the couch

this one is more of the banjo
a short little two minute piece
and then i added some ping pong delay to fancy it up a bit

day 38 - ping pong persistance.mp3">

day 36

this is the only recording i made on wednesday

one minute of some simple banjo


day 36-bare minimum.mp3">

day 25

this little laptop is both amazing and frustrating

i had to pull the plug

tried to salvage a bit

wasn't working out as planned
saved the music

now i start over from scratch

crossing my fingers that it stays healthy for longer than 3 weeks this time

it's 4:30 in the morning and i have been jacking with this computer all day and all night
playing a bit of music here and there
no recordings
i will spit one out real quick before bed

and i have 2 to add to the two previous posts
....
it's now 5:15
uploaded the wednesday.. day 23 track
and it's not quite right

keep on trying i will

but not tonight
or rather
this morning

.................

banjo
straight up

kindof a bippity boppity little number
strange things happen at 5:30 in the morning

day 25 - hoopla for sale.mp3">

day 16

well

i couldn't even make it a month without missing a day...
i am going to consider monday and tuesday the same day...
seemed like it anyway

instead of day 17

i am on 16

not going to stop just because time sped up and then slowed back down

today is a noodling banjo piece...

the last minute is worth sitting through the first four...

i swear

at least i think so anyway

day 16-runonsentencefragment.mp3">

day 15

another post that was started on the correct day and never finished
so i wipe it out and start anew

i did record on monday
just didn't upload

wasn't too pleased with the four recordings i did

took a break
thought i would attack it with a fresh perspective
but what happened was i passed out on the couch after watching the wire

how's that for fresh perspective

so i put three out of four
half hearted recordings
two banjo, one guitar

day 15_ squeaky chair banjo.mp3">
day 15_ banjo droppings.mp3">

the guitar track could have been the one to cherish had not the phone ran out of battery power mid recording

day 15_ left............mp3">

ahh well

there's always today to make it better

and tomorrow

and the next day

and the day after that.......

so i will add a bonus track

one for the more adventurous listeners indeed

i even have trouble with it

i was digging through some old, unlabled tapes

and found this

i know it's all me... one recording with one overdub

but i'm not sure how i'm accomplishing the percussive elements in the left side of the mix

the right side is me bowing a piece of steel framing wire that i have strung up between my walls


good luck

summer psychosis.mp3">

day 14

sometimes i feel like i am running low on ideas

and then realize that's not really possible

i try really hard to not repeat myself...
so this whole blog challenge has been exactly that

it's going to be weird from time to time
because, let's face it

i can be weird
i call it a survival skill


the sound i decided on tonight is more of the same type of thing as yesterday....   except... not really

bowed banjo
laden with effects

overdubbed with more banjo
just as laden
but with a twist

day 14-time travel cul de sac.mp3">

day 13

my days are consumed with thoughts of music and this blog

happy to be thinking about music...
but so much time is being spent on the computer

a little frustrating to say the least

on the plus side i just might have found a satisfactory file sharing host
... so far so good ...

and i have also just recieved, on loan from my friend frank, a music program that will help me to record the music into the computer

no more iphone recordings!

unless of course i am traveling

funny thing is, that little phone records suprisingly well

just can't edit it easily

.................................................................................


tonight i learned a little about ableton

recorded a short strange banjo piece straight to the computer
well...
through a microphone, into the fourtrack, and then into this little usb device.

then added some strange effects from the program
...
so many new possibilities!


day 13 in progress2.mp3">

day 12

so i am back dating this post because i just like the continuity of the days..
for anyone paying attention

even though it says friday the 30th
it's really saturday the 31st

i actually recorded these three tracks yesterday

the first in the evening
the other two at 5 in the morning

technology is not being friendly to me these days

hopefully today will be different



the first recording is not as much music as it is me diving into a specific sound
i am sure it will be a challenge to listen to for some folks

day 12-railroad moon.mp3">

the second is more melodic banjo
revisiting a phrase from a previous day part way through

day 12-countrytime revisit.mp3">

and the third is just a spontaneous banjo shuffle that i am for certain i will be doing some overdubbing on

possibly even for tonights recording

day 12_5am banjo.mp3">

day 8

so i went through a few different ideas today

my first was to layer onto one of the rough copies i did yesterday

then my roommate asked if i wanted to perform friday for his monster box art show

so i set out to practice and possibly record a live didgeridu/banjo set

but i am still congested from the sickness i got last weekend
and the didgeridu is ridiculously hard to play if you can't breathe through your nose

then i had to adapt to the re-appropriation of the space...

same said roommate had a friend come through so they could create a monsterbox for the show in the room i was in

way it goes
into the bedroom with the banjo and the phone

in the end it works out for the best

2 different tracks
2 different styles

this banjo i have is so finicky with its tuning and tone

i have put a bridge that used to be on a sitar in place of the stock bridge
it floats around a bit this way and that
so sometimes it has a clear banjo like tone
and others it is that rolling sitar tone

and then to top it off the tuning machines are waaaaay cheap
so they don't really hold the tuning like they should

that being said
when it's sour i can't get into anything at all

but when it's sweet.....
it seems to play itself

first one has more of the clear tone
second has the sitar feel

day 8_ prt 1_ countrytime banjo.mp3

day 8_ prt 2_ banjo raga.mp3

day 6

i am really getting into this whole idea of a pseudo-outside source motivating me to make music every day

i believe it is the definition of the word cathartic

plus it is helping me to work on ideas
and to slowly get more comfortable as soon as the little red blight is blinking

and perhaps

just perhaps
i might actually write a song someday

who knows

so today i fooled around with guitar...
scrapped that idea

warmed up the didgeridoo...
scrapped that as well

back to the banjo
live recording

no amp or effects

kinda peppy
with the beginning of an idea it seems

i have uploaded two today
one in a major happy key

the other a bit minor and what seems to be a little less happy
but still with pep

day 6_ peppy banjo prt 1.mp3

day 6_ peppy banjo prt 2.mp3

day 5

left the house at 1:30pm

sat around in the cold by a motorhome
while some of the biggest stars out of the philippines did their song and dance

got home at 1:30am
went right to work on this track

a different way of recording today
so far every day has been a live recording
today i got busy with the four track tape machine

got some warm up out of the way

then recorded the first layer

slowed the tape down
recorded some drum-ish type layer
sped tape back up
recorded another banjo part

then slowed it back down
played it through the stereo

then recorded it to the iphone

no music recording software on this laptop yet
so i do what i have to do

somebody out there will like it
perhaps

there are definitely some sloppy bits in there
but its so late
and i am generally pleased with it

so....

day five done and done

day 5_ banjo 4track.mp3

day 4

i have learned a valuable lesson

do not wait until the wee hours of the morning to attend to the task
less pressure this way
and i have my afternoon/evening brain
as opposed to the oh so tired, delirious brain

the weather in chicago as usual is playing tricks on everyone
70 and sunny yesterday
50 and rainy today

perfect sort of day to sit inside and work on a recording

i am certainly more pleased with the track i did today than the one i did at 5am
which technically isn't yesterday
but since i was still up from the day before it counts... to me at least

today we have a bowed banjo loop followed by some sporadic yet melodic banjo with a touch of delay

day 4_ drone loop and banjo noodles.mp3

day 3

third day

a little frustrating

when i warm up its perfect

as soon as i press record
the relaxed feeling i had goes away and before i know it the moment is gone
then i notice i'm trying too hard

so...
tonight i went through 15 takes
still not fully satisfied with the end result
but
i can't stay up till dawn

although it is only an hour or so away
but still

i have to know when to just accept something...
anything
and move on
hopefully it is better than i realize at this moment

besides there's always tomorrow



more banjo tonight
with the aid of a tabla in a box

these links can be played directly or downloaded

day 3_ banjo w_tabla in a box.mp3

day 2

so far i can tell this little challenge/project is going to test me in many ways.

versatility will be helpful.
as well as a fair amount of diligence.

and i can see that if i continue on as planned i can only expect some sort of positive result, whatever it may be.

so here we are onto day two, recording two.
some acoustic banjo plucking.

easy breezy on a balmy october night in chicago.

same track... uploaded 2 different ways

day 2_ banjo.mp3

day 2: balmy banjo by jimcoteiii

day 1

so here goes nothin...
or something i hope...
i could have just kept the idea a secret and never followed through.
like so many other times before.
but this time i opted to tell a few people.
to almost obligate myself in some way to actually stand behind the idea that i am (or claim to be) a musician.
i have just recently acquired this handy little laptop, and a fancy nancy iphone.
recording and uploading seems easy enough.
and i have been kind of keeping my music to myself for far too long.
so now we have this...
a hopeful goal of at least one recording session per day for an entire year.
why wait until some significant date at all...
the idea was today..
i start today.

after a bit of noodling and much deliberation, i decided to start minimal.
bowing an open chord on a banjo that is running through a looping pedal and an amp

day 1_ banjo_ bowed and looped.mp3