I had a big ol’ Random Thursday post ready to go, but at the last second I decided you were probably tired of that meaningless, Content Free™ junk, so I pulled the trigger on a project that’s been rattling around in my head for a while, ever since I ran across this website. It’s called… Continue reading Black Rings of Distraction
Category: Music
The Beatless
I made a couple of jesting comments on Facebook and Twitter about this article describing the first documented case of something called beat deafness, wherein a man named Mathieu “can’t feel music’s beat or move in time with it.” But it’s a bigger problem than those researchers probably realize. I’m sure that complete beat deafness is… Continue reading The Beatless
Ballroom Dance featuring “The Cutouts”
Alert readers (and I know that includes all of you, because you don’t let me get away with anything) will recall that our dance last Saturday night featured something different, something that to my knowledge had never been tried in the 20 year history of the Ballroom Dance Society: prerecorded music in place of a… Continue reading Ballroom Dance featuring “The Cutouts”
Seeking Silence
I solved a tricky little problem today and want to document it in case anyone else encounters it. But first, some background. Our ballroom dance club is trying something different at our March dance. Up to now, we’ve always had live music, and that tradition will continue. But, for a variety of reasons, we’re going… Continue reading Seeking Silence
Santana in Las Vegas
I made my first visit to Las Vegas last week, and I don’t plan on returning anytime soon. The exception would be if someone offers us tickets to see another performance by Santana at the Hard Rock Hotel, which was the high point of our trip. The show is called Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through… Continue reading Santana in Las Vegas
Random Thursday
Scattershooting while making frantic preparations to defend the Gazette against the inevitable attack by WikiLeaks sympathizers who are targeting high profile websites. While most people probably look for novels to read during summer vacations, the year-end holiday season is also a good excuse to look for some light reading, especially when curled up by a… Continue reading Random Thursday
Getting i on Music
I saw this on Facebook earlier today but didn’t take the time to watch it until my pal Jeff emailed a link to me. It’s definitely worth 7 minutes of your time. See, this is what happens when geeks are allowed into worship bands. The next thing you know, we’ll have rappers doing the preaching.… Continue reading Getting i on Music
Quantifying Melodic Similarities
I read a science fiction short story many years ago where the plot involved someone composing the last possible piece of music. Every combination of musical notes had been created. I don’t recall the author (it sounds like something Bradbury or Lieber or Ellison would come up with), or even the rest of the plot… Continue reading Quantifying Melodic Similarities
Say, that song sounds vaguely familiar…
I made this observation on Facebook yesterday, but I’m obsessive-compulsive enough to feel a need to expand it here. My Facebook comment got zero responses and so I don’t expect that this post will garner much discussion, but I’m doing it anyway, out of principle. Toby Keith has a relatively new song that’s getting some… Continue reading Say, that song sounds vaguely familiar…
Using Actors In Place of the Real Thing
Did you catch Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance at the Country Music Awards a couple of weeks ago (watch it on YouTube)? Paltrow is, of course, an Oscar-winning actress, and with more than forty movies under her belt, is probably intimidated by nothing. But it had to give her pause, appearing before many of the most talented,… Continue reading Using Actors In Place of the Real Thing