Too Hot To Trot

Hey there, greetings from Jakarta! At least, that's how it feels here today. Living in the Pacific NW usually guarantees a pretty moderate climate. But last winter we had snow, ice and record low temps. Now we're getting the opposite for summer. It's getting close to 100 this week, and we Seattlites are ill prepared to meet that challenge. Air conditioning in homes is rare here, we usually just don't need it (just like snow plows!). Home swimming pools are also not the norm. Heck, it's cold and rainy here, right? Well, this week we're way up in the 90's, and it is quite a challenge. Makes me realize that I just would never really want to make my home at a latitude of anywhere below 35 degrees or so. Heat is problematic, because it's tough to escape it, without going deeply into debt. Cold, on the other hand, is much easier to beat. A big warm coat and sweater, a hot toddy, someone to cuddle with, and you're pretty much good to go. If you're outside, build a fire! Simplistic thinking, I know, but when was the last time a cold night made you just want to melt into a puddle? Cold is invigorating, heat is dilapidating. That's my final word on it. (BTW, I'm half Norwegian - that will explain this particular rant.)

Toto too?

Toto. Do you remember "Hold The Line"? Dumb lyric, but great music. Have you listened to them since "Africa" or "Rosanna"? If not, shame on you! This is the greatest single group of musicians playing pop/rock music ever. (Unless you want to throw the Funk Brothers into the mix, the guys who played on all the classic Motown tunes of the '60's and early '70's.) But I'm talking about pop/rock, not R&B/Soul. The musicality of these guys is rivaled by no other band. They were able to write songs that made it onto mainstream radio, while playing parts and solos that most musicians only dream of coming up with. Listen to "Pamela", "Stop Loving You", or "King Of The World". There is a level of commitment to what these guys played and sang that is unequaled by another band. Unless you include Steely Dan, and they weren't (aren't) really an actual band. And now Toto does not exist. Why? Because the pinhead ticket buyers in these United States of America would rather shell out hard earned cash to see no-talent folks like Taylor Swift and the Jonas Bros. Toto cannot sell enough tickets to make touring feasible, except in Europe and Southeast Asia. So one of the best groups of musicians to record and play music is now a memory. Buy a couple DVD's and see what you missed. Flawless playing, incredible writing, beautiful music my friends. Is this starting to sound like a tirade? I'm sorry, it is! I am just sick of seeing the music industry swirl down the toilet bowl. The best music and musicians ignored for whatever/whoever the record companies are choosing to ram down our collective throats this month. Great music not listened too, while Pro Tooled blasphemies flood the airwaves. Where are the great new bands? Musicians? Songs? Where is pop music going - to the grave? That's what it feels like. I'm sad. And I'm pissed.

As you can tell, I am not a habitual blogger. Hence my long absences from this page. But judging by the not-so-vast readership, I'm thinking this is not too big of a deal. So I will just write a short note on this post-Thanksgiving day morning. It is 11:19 a.m. on Black Friday. Which means there are some retail business employees that have now been standing on their feet at work for the last 7+ hours. And, there are shoppers who have been doing the same. I, on the other hand, got up just over 1 hour ago after having a lovely Thanksgiving Day with my family. Hot coffee and a bit of leftover corn bread w/ Marionberry jam and Marscapone cheese is the only thing on my plate (literally and figuratively) this morning. Since it is cold and rainy outside, I'm thinking I got the better end of the bargain. Maybe I didn't save up to 50% off of all the stuff I will buy in the next four weeks. Maybe I won't get to sit around and gloat for the next month saying, "Oh, I finished my shopping a long time ago." But really, I couldn't care less. If the holiday season can't be enjoyed throughout the next four weeks by doing a bit of shopping here and there, fighting a couple healthy mall crowds, and enjoying a quick coffee in a crowded Starbucks with 2 dozen other "late" Christmas shoppers, then what fun do we get? If it's just a race to see who can get done first, then let's do this. Thursday - Thanksgiving. Friday, Black Friday - everyone finishes there shopping. Saturday, Christmas Day. It's so easy! We'll just get it all over with right away. No more bothering with decorating trees, listening to Xmas music, getting together with friends and family. In fact, why even bother celebrating the birth of Christ? It didn't even happen in December! We'll just plow through it and move on. Yep, sounds like a fiscally responsible and time sensitive way to enjoy the holiday. Sorry, I have to say to all you 4 am Black Friday bargain hunters, enjoy your accomplishment of being 'done'. Instead, I will simply enjoy the whole Christmas season.

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

I am currently sitting in seat 26D, on the aisle of a 727 bound for Houston. I have had about 20 butts in my face since we left, not to mention armpits, giant stomachs, and other things I’d rather not discuss. I’m convinced that everyone on this flight has been drinking coffee non-stop since we left Seattle 3.5 hours ago. I’ve had people squeezing by me this entire flight, and I feel moved to write a bit about coach class etiquette. These are little mini-lessons that may seem like common sense to many of you, but apparently escapes the grasp of the masses.

1. For starters, when you are standing in line for the bathroom in the aisle, stand between two seat backs, not right next to the passengers sitting down. If you have to stand next a passenger, remain facing forward. This way you will eliminate sticking your butt or other body parts directly into the face the seated and helpless passenger. Finally, if you HAVE to stand sideways, DO NOT BEND OVER. Especially if you’ve been hitting McDonald’s pretty regularly this year.
2. On a related matter, if you are heading back to your seat and have to pass by a line of anxious passengers waiting to relieve themselves, use common words of courtesy like “Excuse me”, “Pardon Me”, “Sorry”, “Mind if I get by?”. Silently trying to squirm your way back up the aisle like a salmon heading for spawing grounds is just plain rude. Everyone knows it’s uncomfortably close, so you might as well make light of it and try to get everyone’s mind off of the butts stuck in their faces. (Remember to face forward!)
3. If people are sleeping in the seats you are standing next to, here’s a novel idea - how about keeping your big yapper shut and not going on and on about your cat’s furr ball medicine or the guy at your workplace who keeps staring at you. Here’s the key words for the day - NO ONE CARES! You’re disturbing people, and you’re making information public that is just adding to the general irritation of sitting in coach.
4. Seatbacks - pick a position, and hang with it. Constantly going back and forth is probably really pissing off the person behind you with a laptop or hot cup of coffee. Bouncing back and forth is a no-no too, for the same reasons.
5. Coughing/Sneezing/Bodily Functions - Do I really need to say this? COVER YOUR MOUTH WITH YOUR ARM! Germs are everywhere anyway, please don’t make matters worse by coughing or sneezing all around. And for heaven’s sake, as for passing gas... HOLD IT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE BATHROOM! Silent but deadly does nothing but make everyone more irritated, and you’re probably going to get blamed anyway, cheesemeister.

Just a little common sense, a dash of courtesy, and a few moments of projecting beyond your own precious needs in life will make each flight you are on just a wee bit more pleasant. Wouldn’t that be a nice thing, since we all spent hundreds of dollars to pee in a closet?

The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You

This is an article that I recently wrote for a worship music conference magazine. It makes some good points, if you're a musician. If you're not, sorry. ~Dg

Gloria Estefan once sang “the rhythm is gonna get you”. And if you aren’t prepared, that’s exactly what it will do! I’m talking about musical time: rhythm and tempos. In music, I believe it is paramount. You can have amazing vocal or instrumental technique. You can have chops from here to Kansas, and be able to sing or play hundreds of fast scales, licks and patterns. You can even have great tone and a keen understanding of melodic and harmonic structure. But if you are playing out of time, none of that will matter.

When I began playing sessions in my 20’s with really good studio drummers, I began to realize that although I had good technique from classical and jazz studies (as well as thousands of hours logged in club bands), my timing was not yet very well developed. One pivotal moment came at a session when the drummer pointed out in front of everyone that I was the reason why the track sounded off. I was angry, but I quickly realized he was right. I could have either been a whiner and gained nothing, or swallowed my pride and started working on it. From that point on (thankfully, I wasn’t fired from that session!), I only wanted this drummers’ kick, snare and hi hat (along with my piano and the click track) in my mix. I became so intimately acquainted with his impeccable time that over eight years of playing with him, we would unknowingly play a lot of the same rhythmic patterns together, which made for some cool moments. I am forever grateful for the time I worked with him, and today he is among my best friends!

I heard a story once of a young aspiring guitar player who attended a Pat Metheny (famous jazz guitarist) clinic at Berklee School of Music in Boston. He was anxious to learn all kinds of amazing new chords and solo ideas up close from a master. To this person’s disappointment, Pat talked almost exclusively for over an hour about how important developing good time is in music, and that without it, anything you can play (or sing) is meaningless.

I have to agree 110%. We’ve all heard the players who sit down at a rehearsal and start blowing all their favorite fast licks to let everyone know how good they are. Then once a real tune is counted off, they are making mistakes - dragging, rushing, and generally messing up the whole thing. Or the drummer who continually starts dragging the tempo when going to the ride cymbal, or rushing through a tom fill. Of course, most keyboard players (my main instrument) are notorious for learning to play their instrument in a vacuum, creating their own unique sense of timing. This happens so often because the piano is the most self contained instrument for playing the rhythm, bass, and harmonic roles simultaneously. Pianists often play so much that it leaves little room for anyone else to fit in, and if it’s out of time (which it so often is), the song is soon lying in ruins.

In my 30’s, I was the keyboard player in Ricky Skaggs band for about a year. One of the best things I remember about playing in the band was what awesome time the drummer and bass player had. Many of the country rhythms we played were downright simple on the surface, but that is exactly what made them so difficult to play correctly. Every note, every chord, every detail had to have a purpose and be played with impeccable time. At the shows, I sat next to the bass player and drummer, and each night the three of us would lock in as tightly as possible, wordlessly challenging each other to dig in and play tighter and cleaner than the night before.



Everything you play, on whatever instrument it is, must have a purpose, and it must be played in correct time. Of course, playing different musical styles require learning unique “feels” (timing nuances). And sometimes you may even play something more rubato (without a steady beat). But the quickest way I know to make a group of good individual musicians sound like a mediocre band is to hear one of the members play with poor time. Yes, in the world of contemporary worship music (the most popular of which draws its musical influences primarily from the worlds of rock, pop and folk music), the rhythm will get you if you don’t get it first. Before you spend another dime on strings, sticks or samples, acquire a good quality metronome device that does subdivisions. Roland and Tama both make products that work beautifully. Then, don’t practice again without it. When learning a new song, get the tempo from the recording (a unit with a tap tempo feature is very helpful for this) and practice songs with the correct tempos. If you’re running scales or patterns, playing songs, whatever, keep it going as much as possible. Try slowing down a faster song first if it is difficult, and then slowly build up speed, but the key is to keep the tempo consistent. You will then begin to develop your “internal clock”. In other words, your sense of time will develop internally, and you’ll rely less and less on a metronome. Your team/band will sound better, and your music will communicate to others much more effectively.

I Chronicles 25 tells us all about David’s musicians in his army. In verse 7 we are told, “Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord - they numbered 288.” I guarantee you that if 288 musicians were not trained and skilled in keeping good time, the cacophony would have been excruciating! It would be good for us all to keep that in mind when we are playing music with a group of maybe 4 or 5 at a time.

American Idol Ideology

Tonight is the penultimate night for the 6th (?) season of American Idol. Blake Lewis, from my hometown of Bothell, WA is one of the two finalists. My 2 oldest sons are good friends with Blake, having worked with him at the Outback Steakhouse. They say he has always been a genuinely great guy. Two of my nieces were on the front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the day Blake made his big return to Seattle. Being two of his super fans, they were at the parade at Westlake Mall 2 hours early, and were photographed just after Blake shook their hands on the front line. So, of course, we all really want Blake to win. Or do we? It seems like the best talents in the land have always been biggest losers early in their careers. Losing before winning always seems to give an entertainer more of an edge, more to live up to. Take a look some time at the list of famous singers and entertainers who were not first on Star Search, American Idol, or any other silly talent competition show. These programs are created for one reason only - to sell advertising time. The judging is subjective, the voting is suspect, but the fact that Ford SUV's, lite beer and Diet Coke continue to sell is undeniable.

So if Blake doesn't win, I'll probably be happier. Because he can avoid the obvious, and go down his own path. Those with the most attention at the beginning are not always the big winners in the end. For example, what has Kelly Clarkson done for us lately? I rest my case...

Intro: Hi there. I just finished my first blog a few minutes ago. And then I deleted it by accident. Which proves I am a newbie to blogging. (I thought it was very clever and well written, but, what do I know...) Anyway, it was all about how important correct spelling is to me. I'm not pleased that I deleted it, but I'll try to recapture some of the better stuff. Dg

I've never thought much of blogging. I've always thought it was a dumb waste of time. I've also never really been into journaling. It simply reminds me too much of homework, probably because it's on paper. I feel compelled to use good penmanship, to space and create margins well, and to use paragraphs correctly. Then only to turn it in to some teacher waiting to criticize me with a C-. Typing on a computer, I only feel the need to spell correctly. And spelling matters very much to me.

To my own discredit, I frequently become very judgemental of people who misspell words. Especially easy ones. Like words that should have been mastered in the fifth grade. I can't think of a good example right now, but I will most certainly receive some email tomorrow with one or two carelessly spelled words. And I will scowl and resist the urge to correct them with a red font and then hit 'reply to all'. I just find it distressing that more people don't care more about the English language. I believe it relates directly to reading, or the lack thereof. Or from reading nothing but garbage and watching TV news. But I am regularly disturbed by how many words are spelled incorrectly in print, on signs, and in general public view. In the city where I live, there is an apartment complex called "The Pines". But that's not what the sign says. It reads, "The Pine's". Technically, not misspelled. But the gross misuse of the apostrophe on a 10' high carved wooden sign prompts in me the desire to sneak over there at 2 am and spray paint across it "I paid thousand's for this sign - I am an idiot. Signed, the owner." (Note the apostrophe - pretty funny, eh?) Two things keep me from attempting that. One, the police station is directly across the street. Two, the owner probably wouldn't care about the mistake, nor do I think he/she would even get the sarcasm. Perfectly good commentary wasted, and I'm left sitting in a cell with some guy who tried to hold up a 7-11 in South Everett with a squirt gun.

Anyway, that's probably enough for now. I promise that my future posts will try to tackle more interesting subjects. Like music, government leadership, religion, food & wine, ferry boat rides across Elliott Bay, etc. (Probably mostly music though.) Perhaps my blogging will fall on deaf ears, if it is read at all. The truth is, I think my lovely, talented and inspiring wife is simply tired of listening to my incessant preaching about these things, so I want to give her a break. And, just maybe, it will make me a safer driver on the #!$%&*$%! Washington state freeways. Dg