What I Learnt Today

Animusic is music-driven animation. 

This is best illustrated by example. Thanks to Stefahn who showed me ‘Pipe Dreams’ today

Wayne Lytle is the producer of these amazingly detailed videos, each of which can take some months to create. He and partner Dave Crognale have developed software that enables the music to drive the animations – the ‘artists’ are created first, and then the music dictates what they play.

Animusic has released two DVD albums. You can watch low res versions of their 14 videos on YouTube.

Wayne and Dave also describe the creative process on the animusic youtube channel.

 

 

 

 

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The 6th and final night of the Byron Bay Bluefest featured Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly, Gurrumal and Elvis Costllo – as well as Bryon’s traditional Easter rain. Gumboots were again the fashion item de rigeur – 20000 people each day leaves a toll on the Tyagatah fields. Walking through the mud is half the fun.

As it is each year, the organization of the event is meticulous. Four tents host performers at any one time, so one needs to navigate the program carefully to ‘tick off’ those acts you are keen to say.

Today was ‘crunchy’ day, according to Oliver. (he thought ‘Cat Empire’ were the pick of the other days)  Certainly, there was plenty of grey hair on stage, and even more in the crowd. Tim Finn played Split Enz (a hectic “I See Red” closing the set). Leon Russell looked exactly like Santa Claus as he played Southern roots. Paul Kelly was accompanied by Vicka and Linda Bull – bonus. ere remains the consummate story teller. Gurrumal played guitar and piano and sung beautifully.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine selected the top 500 songs of all time. Bob Dylan has 13 entries, including number one (‘Like a Rolling Stone”) and number fourteen (“Blowin’ in the Wind”). This is the third most entires of any artist, (after the Beatles and the Stones).

In Toby Creswell’s book ‘1001 Songs’, Dylan has 26 entries – second most.

So it was very cool to have Bob Dylan close the festival.

We had a tip that the big screens wouldn’t be on. The main tent is easilly as big as a rugby field, so before the show we made our way down the right wing and camped in an attacking position well inside the 22m line, 

As is the local custom, The crowd was kept mellow by the sweet clouds of Nimbin’s finest wafting gently overhead

If Dylan’s voice was gravelly when he was 20, it is much more so now that he is almost 70! The comment was made that for someone who is famous for his lyrics, they are now impossible to understand. (Alex thought he sounded like Scooby Doo). He and his band took the ‘Blues’ in ‘Bluesfest’ seriously, and played high energy electro-rock blues with serious skill. Not an acoustic guitar in sight! The aforementioned ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ closed out the show, and we returned to get bogged in the car park.

Tickets are already on sale for next year!

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Dave, my friend the muso doctor, tells me that you can play any pop song ever written if you use the 1 5 6m 4 (I V vi IV) Chord Progression. 

Of course, I dont know what this means, so he demonstrated using Garage Band on the iPad in C major using the chords C G Am F.

You can see how frequently this chord progression is used by watching this video by Benny Davis, from the band Axis of Awesome. This was first performed at the 2006 Sydney University Arts Revue: ‘The Complete History of Everything That Ever Happened Ever. On Ice. On Fire.’

Now, go and write us a pop song.

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In Ancient Greece, all children were expected to have mastered two instruments by the age of 12.

Duncan Lorien is a music teacher who says that, like the Greeks on antiquity, we  can all learn to play music competently. My long suffering piano teacher Mrs Chalmers would no doubt beg to disagree.

What’s more, he can have us playing a Bach Concerto is just 3 days! (hands together and proper like).

The ‘Understanding Music Seminar‘ teaches a basic understanding of the intervals and relationships between notes, allowing participants to learn to play scales and chords without the usual relentless repetition.

A basic guide to his approach is available on his US website.

Mr Lorien was interviewed on Life Matters this week.

He has just completed a current seminar series in Australia, but if you missed out, his Australian website says that he will be visiting again in September, when he will run his 3 day workshop in Sydney and Byron Bay. That’s pretty handy.

(He also runs a singing workshop. I think that if I attended it would drive poor Mr Lorien to retirement)

Caution: I’m a bit of a sucker for these things. While at University, I attended an Eveyln Woods Reading Dynamics Course, which teaches speed reading, It went over a number of weeks. As it turns out, the secret to speed reading is to read really quickly.

If you’ve attended an Understanding Music Seminar, please let us know how you found it in the comments.

 

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