Project 5 is Here!!!!!!!!!!

Preamble..........

Ok, the first thing anyone needs to know about recording music is that it is exhausting. The second thing you need to know is that recording Beatles music is next to impossible. Weeks after the project 4 deadline I became obsessed with recreating an artist's music. This obviously translated into project 5 however I wanted to put an interesting twist to the process - I wanted to play on the fact that British musicians in supergroups such as the Beatles always quarrel! So much that it leads to breakups (The Who, The Police, Led Zeppelin, oh yea and The Beatles!). This is where the idea to recreate a Beatles song as an "unreleased track" came from as well as me conducting a fake BBC interview with the two remaining Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Star. The "mixed reality" concept is drawn from the idea that there are such things as The BBC, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Star. These are all indeed real things however my creation and rendition of these elements are purely fictional. Furthermore, I wanted to test my new music recording software and see how close of a duplicate I could make of the Beatles hit "Don't Let Me Down." So HERE IS THE LINK to the project blog which includes the comical BBC interview as well as my version of "Don't Let Me Down." Overall, the recording process of "Don't Let Me Down" took about 16 hours and the mock interview about 3 hours. Well, enjoy!


Here's how I did it................

*Equipment*

Bass Guitar - Fender Precision Bass (2000)
Acoustic Guitar - Ovation CS257 Special Edition
Electric Guitar - Fender Telecaster (2004)
Upright Bass - Devilli 4-string classic
Microphone - Sennheiser e835
Recording Software - Sony Acid Studio 2009 Edition (I think could be 2008...its the newest one)
Amp - Crate Combo Amp
Bass Amp - Fender Combo Stack
Headphones - Sennheiser

*Recording Process*

Step 1 - Acoustic Guitar. My first step was to record the song all the way through with just acoustic guitar. This would act as my skeleton track for all the other instruments to go off of. This took about 25 takes each 4 minutes each. I used slight reverb and slight eq on these tracks.

Step 2 - Chorus Vocals. On the part where you hear "Don't Let Me Down" There are 5 voices all overlapping and harmonizing. These all took about 20 takes and I had practically no voice afterwards. I used heavy reverb backed with dry reverb to give a concrete yet ambient feel to the vocals.

Step 3 - Verse Vocals. These were relatively easy for me. I had to do about 8 takes total each 4 minutes a piece. What I did was copy them and overlap them to thicken their sound.

Step 4 - Electric Guitar. Again, not soo bad. I did about 9 takes and this was all improvisational. Heavy rever and slight eq on these tracks.

Step 5 - Bass. I am most proud of how these bass tracks turned out. I feel like I nailed McCartney's bass sound right on the money. VERY VERY slight reverb and high eq to thicken the bass sound.

In a nutshell, that was my process and with mixing and all these tracks to make sure they all sound like they came from the same space was very difficult and actually consumed most of my time. I'm very happy with the finished products considering I'm not using the most Professional equipment.

The Interview.......

Step 1 - Get intoxicated. I wouldnt have been able to do anything like this if I didnt have some of my liquid love juice handy.

Step 2 - I recorded about 8 or 9 takes of this each about 8 minutes a piece. I chose the best one. These were all improved and all the voices are your's truly. My British accent is pretty good huh? Again, I used Sony Acid to record this.

Video Collage ...........

All I did was make a video collage with Beatles Pictures on Mindows Movie Maker. Nothing too hard. I wanted to use real Beatles photos to try to convince my audience a little better

Recording Pictures.............

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF ME RECORDING

The Beatles - Newly Released Rare Version of "Don't Let Me Down"

I have just received word that The Beatles, the best band of all time, are going to release a rare version of "Don't Let Me Down" free to the public. Here's the catch - it is not available for purchase in stores, online, or even on vinyl! The only place you can find it is on my blog. YES! Nate Maruso's freaking blog! Keep an eye out for this rare masterpiece around midnight on December 11th so you can be the first to hear such a GEM! Also, there will be a short interview with the two remaining Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Star. They will be discussing the release of this rare track, the recording process, and some other British jargon you probably won't understand. That's all for now.....Remember, you will only be able to hear it on my blog!

Project 5......

WRITERS BLOCK! I really have not had the time or the ethos to figure out what I want to do for project 5. That's about it.... I have to really gather my thoughts

Blogging......

People like blogs because it is a way to have your own 15 minutes of cyber space fame. It is freedom and expression exposed to the masses and best of all it is unfiltered, unedited, and raw. Blogging for me is more of a free-write rather than anything drastic or serious. I am attracted to blogging because it allows me to gain insight on some of my thoughts through others responses and that is a great thing.

Final Project

I am really coming up with nothing at this point for project 5. It's almost like I have too many ideas right now but they are not solidified yet. I'm sure I will figure something out sooner or later. I have always said that spontaneity is the best for creativity.

Project Four - "DREAMBLOG"

Conceptually, this was the hardest project for me in this class assigned to date. This was not due to the specific assignment parameters but more in the creative direction and execution I was to follow for it. Basically, I had no ethos for a while. I toyed around in my head with an idea to create a fake myspace profile about a really bad musician that thought he was great. I was going to record a couple of intentionally crappy acoustic songs and create a fake profile laced with arrogance. Really, I wanted to see how bad people could hate me. However, my pride as a musician took over and I decided to scrap the idea.
As for my current execution, as of late I have been extremely intrigued by alternate realities as they pertain to different states of consciousness. More specifically, I have been fascinated with dreams and the places we go when we are dreaming. Some people consider these places to be real while others dismiss them as self-manifested images that are born from subconscious desires. I do not take the latter route. I believe that dreams truly serve a purpose and that our mind is an undiscovered planet. My brother and I began researching lucid dreaming about a couple years ago; this is the ability to vividly interact in our dreams and control your actions. It has actually been documented that people have learned to do things while having a lucid dream such as tying their driving a car, or riding a horse. Though completely speculative, I still think that these dreams are phenomena of the human mind and should be examined much more closely.
This is where the inspiration for project four has manifested. In my research of lucid dreaming, I was told to keep a document of my dreams as they occurred; this was to be in essence a “dream journal.” My dream journal was kept under my pillow and when I would awake from a dream I would write down the events in that dream that unfolded (the average human has between 60-100 dreams a night, making many of them hard to remember). Some of these dreams were scribbled down broken thoughts that really made no sense and others I can still remember to this day. In fact, the goal of writing these dreams down was to enhance my overall memory of certain significant events that may have some meaning. What became increasingly disturbing to me was the notion that one day I could become so “good” at lucid dreaming I could possibly exist in a dream world that became more vivid than the current reality that I exist in. Essentially, I was afraid that I might not be able to distinguish between the real world and the dream world if I was to keep pursuing my studies. So, I quit with the journal and I try to get 8 hours of good sleep every night.
Even though I have turned away from lucid dreaming, I am still extremely fascinated by dreams themselves and love to hear about people’s dreams. This is why for my project I wanted to create a “dream blog.” In this blog I ask anyone to post a memorable dream they have had both past and present. I think it would be extremely interesting to see what kind of dreams people have and why. Do you dream in color? Black and white? Are friends and family involved? Do you have a lot of nightmares? I ask that whoever posts on this blog not be afraid of criticism or embarrassment and that they analyze their dreams and how they relate to their daily lives. Happy posting!

Here is the link to dreamblog. Never stop dreaming!

Regarding Project 4

I am pretty sure about what I want to do for this project. I don't want to get ahead of myself or give anything away but I want to play on the whole social networking thing by creating a certain phony page about an alter ego or personality. Vulgarity is going to be very important. My project will rely heavily on the shocking and what "cannot be said." This is one of those rare opportunities in academia where you get to do something like this.

Post 6 - My Most Hated Things

Here is a list of some things that really get under my skin. They are in no particular order of hatred except for the first one:

When a CD skips
Traffic
Shrunken T-Shirts
Loud-Mouthed Assholes in the Library
Busy Work
Statistics
When a good band goes bad....(Dave Matthews)
People that cannot raise their hand in class and have to shout out
Customs at the airport (I guess I should feel different about this)
Bad Attitudes
Spoiled Brats!!!!!
Popped tires on my bycicle
A broken guitar string, or bass string for that matter
PAPER CUTS!
When people cannot listen for more than three seconds (sometimes its not their fault)
Midterms
Finals
All forms of testing actually
People that quote movie lines before I have seen the movie!
Poeple that quote movie lines after I have seen the move!
People that quote movie lines and actually think they are funny for doing it!
War
Arena footall
Cricket
Monkeys............I really dont know why...It's not because they throw poop either
Buying text books that I don't need and then losing half of their value
Fake plants and trees
MONEY
MONEY
MONEY

These are just a few of my most hated things. I actually am a pretty loving person but I really could do without a lot of these things in my life. I could definately see myself adapting this think into a really funny multimedia presentation with slides. Unfortunately I am running out of Ideas here and kind wanted to do something different than project 2. I will have to see what happens and possibly my direction of my project might change.

It's beginning to look a lot like vulgarity!

In reference to project 5, I cannot disclose any major details except the fact that my overall goal is to make Sandy blush.

Project 3 "The Beatles Shannonized" Preface

This summer my best friend and I spontaneously took a bike ride from my home town approximately thirty miles north of Philadelphia all the way to the New Jersey Coast......STARTING AT 6 P.M! As we cruised through the summer night small talk became very small and even being the best friends that we are, we began to run out of things to talk about. Soon enough we started asking each other questions about music such as...."If you could be in one band from the sixties who would it be?" or "Would you rather be Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison?" (That was a hard one...I eventually went with Morrison). After about thirty or forty of these questions my friend asked me what still remains as my favorite question of the night; "What three Beatles songs mean the most to you and your life?"

This question took about an hour of serious thinking before I could give any kind of answer. I mean, how could you even begin to answer a question like that? I really could not think about a single song The Beatles wrote that I don't even like let alone love. After Shannonizing one of my own songs, I really fell in love with this way of algorhythmically processing text and I really wanted to mess with one of my favorite artist’s songs. I know it may be a bit of a leap from a bike ride between two friends and an English 303 project but I really see these songs as relevant to my work thus far in this class. Though my answer to the infamous "Beatles Question" has changed drastically since the bike ride, here are the three songs I selected that night, my reasoning behind selecting them, and my reflection on how they were algorhythmically processed.

1) “When I’m Sixty Four” – This has always been one of my Beatles favorites because of how interesting of a concept it was for Paul McCartney to write a song about himself as an old man. I was lucky enough to see Paul McCartney two years ago in concert (he was sixty-four at the time). He sang this song and told us that Eric Clapton called him on his birthday and sang it to him when he picked up the phone. After I Shannonized this song using the Mark Twain option I really liked the line “drop me, and save Grandchildren on a valentine Birthday!” This was very good McCartney/Twain hybrid of a line!
2) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – Another great song that reminds me of my younger days. This song was a huge influence for me to start becoming a serious musician and playing live. I chose Edgar Allen Poe for this song because much like “When I’m Sixty Four” this song and Poe’s writing style work very well together. I especially enjoy the line “While my guitar gently weeps I had no one of the grave all Still my recollection a ghastly river, as of the floor and its vast weight-- fables I had always deemed them-- sick unto death.”
3) “Let It Be” – This song not only speaks volumes about myself but it has gotten me through some really tough personal times and for that this song will always be revered in my heart. I chose to Shannonize this song by God himself because it has a biblical feel to it in my opinion. In my senior year of high school my band and I ended up performing this song live in front of our entire school. This was one of the best moments of my entire life. After Shannonization this remarkable line was produced: “mother Mary comes to my hour of wisdom, there will not covet any time go, mother Mary comes to me, let it be.”

By the way, we ended up making it to the beach by 4 a.m that morning.

The Beatles......SHANNONIZED!

The Beatles – “When I’m Sixty-Four”

When I get older losing my hair,Many years from now,Will you still be sending me a valentineBirthday greetings bottle of wine?If I'd been out till quarter to threeWould you lock the door,Will you still need me, will you still feed me,When I'm sixty-four?oo oo oo oo oo oo oo ooooYou'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah)And if you say the word,I could stay with you.I could be handy mending a fuseWhen your lights have gone.You can knit a sweater by the firesideSunday mornings go for a ride.Doing the garden, digging the weeds,Who could ask for more?Will you still need me, will you still feed me,When I'm sixty-four?Every summer we can rent a cottageIn the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dearWe shall scrimp and saveGrandchildren on your kneeVera, Chuck, and DaveSend me a postcard, drop me a line,Stating point of view.Indicate precisely what you mean to sayYours sincerely, Wasting Away.Give me your answer, fill in a formMine for evermoreWill you still need me, will you still feed me,When I'm sixty-four?Whoo!


Mark Twain – “When I’m Sixty-Four”

When I get older losing my breath and save Grandchildren on your answer, and had a postcard, and tear and Dave Send me a form Mine for it; and when he was feeling pretty good time, and save Grandchildren on your knee Vera, Will you talk! Well, digging the door, I catched my canoe and most fainted. Doing the cellar cupboard and we knowed about it first rate. Go for a desprate gang as that line don't know Arkansas. Shut up on a look at the weeds, When I'm sixty-four? Never hurt nobody, digging the fireside Sunday mornings go for more? You prepared to say the fireside Sunday mornings go for evermore Will you come from, and save Grandchildren on a Sunday-school superintendent to be older losing my canoe and was feeling pretty good, and took my hair, and Dave Send me, with you mean to supper, drop me, if you still need me, I could do it first rate. You prepared to supper, I could ask for evermore Will you say the weeds, after breakfast, and Dave Send me, ah ah ah ah ah ah And if it's not too dear We shan't rob em of cutthroats from now, they will suspicion something and save Grandchildren on Aunt Sally's dress that he was feeling pretty good, When your answer, I could do it was going to three Would you come from now, and save Grandchildren on a good, drop me, and save Grandchildren on a valentine Birthday!

The Beatles – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping While my guitar gently weeps I look at the floor and I see it need sweeping Still my guitar gently weeps I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold you love I don't know how someone controlled you they bought and sold you I look at the world and I notice it's turning While my guitar gently weeps With every mistake we must surely be learning Still my guitar gently weeps I don't know how you were diverted you were perverted too I don't know how you were inverted no one alerted you I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping While my guitar gently weeps I look at you all Still my guitar gently weeps Oh, oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah


Edgar Allen Poe – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

I look at you shall. The whole house was blazing. with how terrible an object that I look at once, and terrible engine of a thousand vague rumors of my guitar gently weeps Oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, like a rapid ghastly thing-- no! In the GALLOWS! In the pale door, oh, by a plunge into one of the love there had swooned; even in a thousand vague rumors of cowards. While my guitar gently weeps I had no one of the grave all Still my recollection a ghastly river, as of the floor and its vast weight-- fables I had always deemed them-- sick unto death! said I saw them-- fables I had swooned; but now I saw clearly the doom and of torture which awaited me. But with that my guitar gently weeps I might have rid myself of the courage to end my guitar gently weeps Oh, oh, oh oh, shuddering, I, oh, oh oh, oh, oh, to shake off--------- incumbent eternally upon my guitar gently weeps I might have had I don't know how terrible an object that my guitar gently weeps I don't know how terrible!

The Beatles – “Let It Be”

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer. let it be.
Let it be, let it be, ..... And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....


God – “Let It Be”

When I find myself in times of music, there is standing right in times of spices. Go ye inhabit,..... And in the sound of wisdom, there is standing right in sackcloth, shine until our brother. And when the broken hearted people living in sackcloth, fell upon him guiltless. For though they may be, clothed in the broken hearted people go beyond the sound of wisdom, let it be smitten, speaking words of wisdom, until tomorrow, there is that they will see, let it was very good. Now therefore thy God of wisdom, there will make thess swear by the fish, let it be put to death. Wherefore asketh thou to the smiter and arise, shine until our brother unto his man-servant, that is the congregation shall surely be, mother Mary comes to my hour of wisdom, there will not covet any time go, mother Mary comes to me, let it be.

shizamm magoo

I have to say this might be one of the strangest things I have ever done on the web. In reference to "googlewhacking" I was able to find my own term that only created one search result. This term was "shizamm magoo." Please do not ask me what it is or more importantly, how I discovered it because I myself do not know how. Im kind of blown away because I was just about to quit on the idea of finding googlewhack when I gave one last try. Wow....I could have waste so much more of my time.

"They Say Beauty" - A Nate Maruso Original Song Scrambled By "God"

Note: This song was originally titled "Naked" God thought otherwise and called it "They Say Beauty" Be sure to refer to the original lyrics posted below. Enjoy!

They say beauty is in sackcloth, thy temples are like a pomegranate split open, flee thou shall at large. I will not defile the way they do. Is there an answer to that charge. Things have done so? The men of blood according to these ordinances; for I feel naked. Surely thou art thou after my daughter! And I will make thess swear by the LORD will make thess swear by the woman at large. Now therefore thy lips are in thy dead dog curse my son of the earth, whither he and said unto you, the people act the eye of Zelophehad, thy womb, my bone and you. Well I was made by some damn machine.

Post 5 Description

With this post, I am using a song I wrote over three years ago titled "Naked" to be algorhythmically processed. I chose this piece because of its almost cyclical nature where it follows a very predictable and repeatable pattern. The song is about trying to find love in society, or something along those lines (it is sometimes hard to recall the meaning of the song when I write it). I decided to use "The Shannonizer" to process this text in the "God" tone of voice because the lyrics of the song almost give the listener a biblical type feeling when they hear it. After the text was processed I was extremely intruiged as to how it was cut-up. I really thing the "God" tone of voice scrambled the text in a way that was almost as if the song was a bible verse. Overall, I am really happy with how this text was processed and I'll probably spend the next hour or so putting all of my songs through this machine. You can hear the song for yourself at www.myspace.com/orangecollar. Once again, the song is titled Naked and the original lyrics are as follows:

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Well I don't subscribe to that magazine.
You view me with eyes a little colder.
As if I was made by some damn machine.

Things have just begun.
Two hearts now beat as one.
And I dont know if I can make it in a world where I feel naked.

Why do people act the way they do.
I don't have an answer to that charge.
Is there an anotomoical solution for me and you.
Because now you're the woman at large.

Things have just begun.
Two hearts now beat as one.
And I don't know if I can make it in a world where I feel naked.

copyright Nate Maruso

Project 2 afterthoughts

After putting over fifteen hours into this project I have no problem saying that I really love it. Please do not mistake labor for discomfort, the whole creative process was a joy. Yes, there were times when I struggled with technology but I really feel like I achieved what I was going for. At this point I really don't see myself changing anything and this is very unusual of myself because I am my own hardest critic. For anyone who is about to view "The Mellifluous Morning After" please be advised that it may be a little "overt" at times. But......ENJOY!

Regarding Project 2

I am extremely excited to start my second project. At this point I am thinking about an image collage that uses images with my own poem imbedded in them. There will be a lot of these images both real and self-created that will be overlapped with sound. At this point I am still deciding whether to record one of my own self-written songs or use a piece of music that has already been recorded. This project will probably have an "activist" appeal as it relates to current issues an events.

Click Here To See My Second Project!

McCloud's concept of amplification through simplification

McCloud makes mention of an intriguing concept called “amplification through simplification” in reference to sequential images and cartoons. In our class discussions we viewed several pieces that exemplified many of McCloud’s concepts however the idea of amplification through simplification was especially inspiring to me. McCloud describes the concept of amplification through simplification as a way of taking an abstract image, symbol, or figure, such as in cartoons and using the complexities or non-complexities of that image in a way that is representative of something more specific and descriptive. To simplify, McCloud makes the statement that “by stripping down an image to essential ‘meaning’ an artist can amplify that meaning.”

Last week we looked at a sequence of images online entitled “Bright Morning Blue.” I saw this not only as a wonderful progression of images to tell a story but a marvelous example of amplification through simplification because Jason Turner was able to tell a story using extremely small and simple images. All of us have had a morning similar to what was drawn, making these images familiar and almost sentimental in a way. Turner’s use of text or the lack there of puts a large emphasis on a recurring theme (alarm) which amplifies the images that surround it. Each image in all of its simplicity represent something greater, something that is abstract and recognizable by all of us; a dream that we wish to never wake from.

Secondly, I believe strong elements of amplification through simplification were evident in“Rice.” I was immediately captured by the picture of the Vietnamese boy in the towards the bottom left of the page. “Rice” itself is almost a collage of real images, and the expression on the boys’ face is almost haunting in a way, so I clicked on it first. Within that are a series of images that seem unrelated but really spark my curiosity. I knew that these images, though simple and unrelated represented a story or event in some way. A few clicks later a story emerged through an associated text-image click through. I saw this as a great example of amplification through simplification because even just a picture of a human face as simple as it may be can evoke strong feelings.

Ultimately, amplification through simplification plays a huge role in sequential imaging because it teaches us that sometimes a long drawn out dialogue or text isn’t always necessary in telling a story. “Bright Morning Blue” and “Rice” do a great job of this. McCloud’s concept will definitely stick with me when I set out to accomplish project 2.

"O"hio

A Change of Plans

Originally, I had an extremely strong sense of direction with this assignment but I knew that the actual execution of it would hinder the creative direction. About halfway through the creation and development stage of this project I realized that some of my original ideas were completely unfeasible. At this point, the project is complete and talking about my original “game plan” is a moot point.

“Why Ohio?”

I chose to make an adaptation of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young song “Ohio” as a reflection upon past and present issues dealing particularly with war and free speech. The song itself was written after the events that took place at Kent State University in 1970 where the National Guard opened fire on a group of student protesters resulting in the death of four people. The song itself does a great job at capturing the mood of a generation that faced similar issues that we are facing today. I wanted to capture both an era and an event in a concrete visual text that wasn’t too ambiguous.

Execution

Power Point 2007 - The first problem that I encountered was having to adjust to the “new” PowerPoint. Having practically mastering the 2003 edition over the years, I will be the first to say that it is completely different than its predecessor. This both helped and hindered me as the learning curve slowed my progress however I was able to do certain things with this version that were never available on the 2003 version.

The “O” – My original plan was to have a giant “O” that had a series of images imbedded in it and the “Ohio” lyrics directly in the center. Unfortunately technology hindered me from doing so however this gave birth to new ideas and executions. The “O” is separated into four sections to represent the four victims of the Kent State Massacre. Within these sections are four triangles with the initials of each victim. It must be understood that these are meant to be delta symbols. Each victim has their initials inside the delta because the delta symbol represents change which is exactly what the four students who died that day were protesting. The rainbow color of the “O” is representative of the “tie dye” t-shirts that became so popular during that era. Visually it captures one’s eye immediately. Finally, on the outside of the inner ring and the outside of the outer ring are Kent State’s school colors (Gold and Blue). This may be slightly difficult to see because of the color of the “O” itself but it is just a little something I wanted to add in.

Inside the “O” – Inside the “O” is the verse to “Ohio” by CSNY which are partitioned by the Pulitzer-Prize winning photo of the Kent State Massacre. The photo is the center piece of the entire visual which I made sure to do in order to capture that moment in time that will never be forgotten. Textually I played with certain key words in the song to add a certain kinesthesia to the entire project. Specifically, I put “FOUR DEAD” in an Impact font to resemble the font used in the newspaper headlines.

Background – Originally I planned to not have a background and let the “O” to exist in white space however I began thinking of a collage or quilt-like pattern with a series of images in the background that would reflect the Vietnam War era. You will notice the Vietnam Flag, American Flag, a picture of two of the victims, Vietnam pictures, the state of Ohio, etc. I really like what I did here however I may consider adjusting each image to make it smaller to allow for more images.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am very happy with my adaptation of “Ohio.” The flow of this work from the epicenter outwards was my purpose and I feel as if I achieved my goal of doing so. It almost looks like it was made the week after the shootings and posted in a newspaper or had a poster made out of it. Nonetheless, this is an event that should never be forgotten. With times like these, we must not let history repeat itself.

Execution of Project 1

I intend to make an adaptation of the events that took place at Kent State University on May 4th 1970. This event was captured musically by the classic rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The song "Ohio" was written, recorded, and released in only 4 days. The song embodies the tragic events that resulted in the shooting death of 4 students.
I plan to transform the lyrics of the song "Ohio" into a multimedia writting. I do not want to give away the specifics of my adaptation but it will be a strong visual that will be wrapped with lyrics of the song. I want my audience to understand its meaning at a quick glance and then drive deeper into the visual elements that I will select. This is a moment in history that should never be forgotten and I want to capture it.

"Red House"

This is my adaptation of the Jimi Hendrix song "Red House." Stylistically, I wanted to embody blues music in a text format. The song is "Red House" and the contrast between the blue background and the red text bring out the nature of the song.

Pre-Project Thoughts

At this point, I cannot wait to begin project number one. I consider myself a creative person that likes to have a lot of "room" to work with. What I mean by this is that I work better in circumstances that allow me to spin my own web and not be constricted by long and tedious assignment parameters. This is not to say that this assignment will be an easy one but it is my own self-expectations and exhausted creativity that will make this challenging. To me, the assignment is clear however I am still in the process of figuring out my exact execution of my ideas.

Questions: As stated previously, the assignment is clear to me.

You are what you read

In his article, “Notation and the Art of Reading,” Karl Young points to several different types of notation with relation to its historical origin, performance, and manifestation in their respective cultures. He uses the term “kinesthesia” to refer to how certain facets of notation and performance can elicit a reaction among an audience. For example, Young talks about how the Aztecs used scrolls made of animal skin to paint non-abstract symbols to represent myths, genealogies, histories, etc. These scrolls or “hanging books” from a kinesthetic sense gave its readers a feeling of unity and energy through performance which was shared throughout the culture.
The Chinese used calligraphy as a means of communicating poetry which Young uses the term “The Three Perfections” to describe its outstanding craftsmanship and creativity. In Calligraphy the writing itself is just as if not more beautiful than the poetry itself. The Calligrapher must be extremely talented and careful with his work because of the sheer amount of different symbols used in Chinese culture to represent different things. According to Young, the nature of the calligraphy would many times influence the nature of the poem. Kinesthetically, these poems would transpose a sort of magical feeling to its reader through the flow of verse structure and symbol usage. Essentially, I see the process as a cyclical one where all facets (poetic nature, calligraphy, symbol usage, lines) influence each other. Without one, the others cease to exist.
Finally, Young mentions the use of manuscripts by the English in the early 17th century. Young mentions how Donne, a master poet and early implementer of manuscripts wrote poems in a way that were meant to be memorized and vocalized. With this came an extreme challenge to the reader because Donne’s poems were often ambiguous and difficult to memorize. Young comments on the intricacies of Donne by stating, “Sometimes if you read what seems to be an uneven line with even stresses, the reading brings out meanings that would be muffled if normal speech rhythms were followed. A reader would have to spend considerable time sorting these options out.” Ultimately, it would be expected of the reader to contemplate the meaning of these manuscripts allowing the poem to serve kinesthetically to the reader by uplifting, entertaining, and consoling him or her after the poem was memorized.
I have found the correlation between notation and kinesthesia to a fascinating one. Something that was not mentioned in Young’s article that I saw appropriate to mention are the certain times where human beings may misrepresent the meaning of a poem, book, or other type of writing. There have been times where I have listened to a song or poem and taken away a meaning far different than others that have viewed it. Can this be a negative or positive aspect to notation? Can it be a combination of the both? Can certain writings be kinesthetically dangerous? This truly is an interesting subject.

1st Post

Without any doubt in my mind I do feel as if I have no choice but to be a "digital native." Just like one is immersed in a culture I have been surrounded by digital media my entire life. From the earliest web pages to today, I have interacted with the web in ways that have grown and matured exponentially. To explain, I first saw the web as a place to play simple computer games as well as a place to interact with other internet users on a very basic level. It goes without saying that the web has morphed into something much greater than this and now offers intricate means of communication, advertising, promotion, and personal visibility to its users.
As a musician, the internet has given me countless ways of promoting my music (myspace music/facebook music/soundclick/ourstage) and moreover it has allowed me to explore thousands upon thousands of underground musicians that are not in the mainstream. Purely for these reasons the internet is invaluable to me.