Music

Of all the the things that the lockdown has changed, the one that frustrates me the most is not being able to play in the same space as other people. This doesn't mean my musical life has ground to a halt though.

The guitar/oud duo I have with my friend Russ is still working on arrangements, with files being sent backwards and forwards so we can try out new ideas. We had some very positive feedback when we integrated our tunes into concert with the trio last year. The oud is my main acoustic instrument so it's good to have an output for it.

My pal John from San Antonio and I have been working on a collection of new songs, on and off, for a long time. Time zones don't seem to cause us any trouble and I've even asked him to contribute to the next Spingere album. His guitar parts are a highlight of that, and I can't wait to get the whole album finished so you can hear what he's done.

My main band is the one that rehearses and plays the most, so that's what I'm missing. I feel much more settled on six string bass these days and get to play its full range, being able to add chords as well as bass lines. The biggest frustration of all was that, on our last rehearsal before everything shut down, we added a new member with Steve on saxophone. We all loved what he did with the songs but at least there's time to sort out the arrangements now.

And finally, there's all the random music making that happens when you have a house full of instruments. Even on a (pre-coronavirus) walk we found a piano that had been left out as a sort of art instillation. I recorded some of its broken sounds and have been playing around with it to see if that will lead to anything.

The lockdown tunes that are appearing over some evenings will make there way to an ever -groing album on Bandcamp called The New Normal. This was a title I've had floating around for a while, but this seemed like the right time to use it.

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