I wrote this piece around the time I moved from Seattle to Utah. I was in my early twenties. As I mentioned in another post, I enjoy using the jazz minor modes in funk music. This was my first composition to do so. The Bb augmented chord which makes up the third mode of the G jazz minor scale is emphasized in the main riff, as are the two modes built off of the E and F# -7b5 chords. The solos take place over the C and D dominant chords. There is a section that features a series of dominant 7ths in a II7-V7-I7 type progression. These chords briefly take the piece outside of G jazz minor.
I made this recording using my Eric Johnson Stratocaster. The amp is my Vox 15-watt. The chords and bass were prerecorded on my BOSS RC-2 loop station. Some of the leads were worked out previous to the recording, while others are improvised.
I wrote and recorded this piece back in 2006. It features a series of descending major seventh and suspended chords, followed by riffs and solos over major seventh chord progressions. After repeating this pattern twice, a solo over a dominant seventh chord enters. Finally, the original cycle is repeated. There is some beautiful improv here, and the descending chords make up one of the most unique progressions I've written. I'm not sure which of my influences to attribute it to. I used my Walden Natura DC550CE for the recording.
I wrote Spanish Dirge many years ago. I usually play it as an introduction to a longer flamenco piece, but I also like it as a stand alone number. The music definitely expresses a contemplative dance with death.
For this recording, I used my Walden Natura Acoustic. The pickup inside the guitar is loose, and you can hear it bouncing around when I use vibrato. I tried playing it to a metronome, but I had a hard time getting the fermatas right, and I preferred the freer interpretation.
I don't know when I wrote Funksylvania. It's a jam that I've tinkered with for many years. Explaining it will be more complicated than the blues and major mode pieces I've posted so far have been.
Some of my favorite scales for funk music are the modes of the jazz minor scale. The jazz minor scale is a synthetic scale, which means it is derived from the traditional major scale by altering one note by a half-step. This one alteration creates drastic differences in the character of the chords spelled out by the scale.
When the rules of creating tertian chords are applied to the traditional G major scale and its modes--G(do) A(re) B(mi) C(fa) D(sol) E(la) F#(ti) G(do)--most of the chords that result are very stable, commonly used, consonant chords: GMaj7, Amin7, Bmin7, CMaj7, D7, Emin7, F#-7b5.
When the rules of creating tertian chords are applied to the jazz minor scale and its modes--G A Bb C D E F# G--the chords that result are filled with commotion and dissonance: Gmin7b5, Amin7, Bbmaj7#5, C7, D7, Emin7b5, F#min7b5. The dissonant tritones in these chords, and the lack of any stable resolution of them, are perfect for colorful jazz-funk music.
Funksylvania can be divided into three repeating sections. The first section begins with a funky riff based on the E Locrian ♮2 mode of the jazz minor scale. The second section contains ascending power chords formed from the various flat, natural, and sharp fifths that appear in the jazz minor scale. After repeating these two sections a couple of times, Funksylvania shifts into a funky vamp that climbs from C7, to D7, to Emin7b5, to F#minb5. After the vamp climaxes, the whole piece returns to the first section. Tasty chords and riffs formed from the jazz minor modes are peppered over the top of all three sections. The form may be repeated as often as desired. An improvised solo begins the first time the funk vamp of section three is played. This section allows for improvised melodies based on the exotic Lydian Dominant, Mixolydian b6, Locrian ♮2, and Super Locrian modes. The solo continues over the repeating form until the soloist decides to be done. All of the jazz minor modes are given a chance to sing. If this all sounds a bit complicated to some of my non-musician readers, that's because it is. But don't worry--as a listening experience, Funksylvania offers easy, tasty, funky goodness with some unexpected but pleasant melodic and harmonic twists. I recorded this version with my Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster. I used a Vox AC15 amplifier. I prerecorded all guitar parts on my BOSS RC-2 Loop Station, except for the improvised solo beginning at 1:12, which is played over the top of the looped recording. The BOSS pedal also provided the prerecorded drums.
This piece is a simple 12-bar blues in E. The main 12-bar verse was written in one sitting a few weeks ago. The solo that I take the third time through the 12-bar form was written last night.
The whole song uses the E blues scale. I emphasize the Bb 'blue note' often. The hardest thing about the piece is the little vibrato placed on sustained notes in the melody. I usually got it in this recording, but I miss it a few times.
The main influence on this composition was probably Howlin' Wolf's "Spoonful." I used my Walden Natura DC550CE for this recording.
I wrote this piece many years ago. I think it was influenced by Black Sabbath's Embryo, but I didn't notice the influence until sometime after I composed it.
The piece is in C major and alternates between two pedal tones. First, I use A as a pedal tone. The C major scale is then heard in the Aeolian mode. Then, I switch to the E pedal tone. The C major scale is then hear in the Phrygian mode.
I recorded several versions. All of them had flaws. I'm quickly learning that recordings are merciless about small errors that would go unnoticed by most listeners at a live performance. I don't have the luxury of time to be picky. I chose the recording that captured the feeling I want for the piece, though it wasn't necessarily the best executed. I used my Walden Natura DC550CE for the recording.
Ever since he first appeared in early blues recordings by artists like Clara Smith, Charlie Patton, and Robert Johnson, Satan has been a character in blues and rock music. Baal's Brand is my take on the sold soul blues. The lyrics were born while contemplating my personal addictions. They were also influenced by descriptions of slavery in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
I bear Baal's brand deep in my chest
I bear Baal's brand deep in my chest
And he works me to the bone
He won't give me no rest
He keeps me tied down to that old ball and chain
He keeps me tied down to that old ball and chain
And when I don't mind him
Blood flows down like rain
They tell me that he owns my soul
They tell me that he owns my soul
And he tells me that
He will never let me go.
For this recording, I play slide in standard tuning on my Walden Natura. The key is G and the 12 bar blues form is followed throughout. The performance has some minor flaws, but I liked the feel of this take best, so I'm posting it. The pictures in the video come from Wikipedia pages about Baal and Satan.
I wrote this piece back in 2006. It's a typical twelve-bar blues in G, and the boogie riff is commonly played by guitarists, but I added some variations, especially during the solo, and a twist. Instead of climbing up to the usual flatted seventh, I went to a major seventh. This gives a very mellow, stable feel to each of the chords.
I recorded the piece in 2006 during two sessions in a small Utah studio. I laid down the rhythm part during the first session. I composed the melody and the solos the next day by improvising over the recorded rhythm track, and then I overdubbed them the next night. I used my Walden Natura DC550CE acoustic-electric guitar.
About 15 years ago, I started composing a cycle of instrumental guitar pieces about the life of Jesus. I never finished the whole cycle, but I did finish several of the pieces. This one was written while contemplating Mary's Magnificat prayer from Luke 1:46-55. This recording was made about 10 years ago in a friend's basement studio. I used a cheap Ibanez acoustic.
