This time of year feels like passing over a threshold. The veil between this world and the spirit world has passed the point of being too close for comfort if you believe in that sort of thing. The hope tends to get a little brighter when Thanksgiving and Christmas come around if, for no other reason, people get a day off. This is a wonderful time to recharge, not just with family, but with yourself and your maker. When the winter finally hits, there is the hope of reaching new horizons and the spring seems just in reach even though piles of snow might have you thinking otherwise. This is where optimism gets a workout. Optimists are tough: they not only never give up, they see their way out of the storm. Well......doesn't that describe you?
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Writing a song is something that's like catching
lightning in a bottle. It helps to have a little notebook and jot things down every day, but I'm someone who finds his best ideas doing something else or in transit. The subway rides afford me time to jot things down on the phone although the thumbs sometimes feel as if they might collapse. I find that musical ideas come when I'm not deliberately blocking out time to write and I'm working on getting a song down or warming up.
A good long walk when I have the time is always helpful and when the sun is out and the heat affords short sleeved shirts, there's no excuse. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to clear the debris that accumulates in the imagination. However, I find that at the moment when I seem indisposed, the lines start coming. They have been known to awaken me in the middle of the night from time to time. I don't get mad at them. They just need a little love when they need it.
One thing I like to do is exercise in the park near my home. It's right across the street and the grass is perfect. No, I don't roll around in the mud. I just do pushups on the ground and feel the earth move under my hands (feet, too).
Reading helps me to write as well. I may find an idea that speaks to me and I listen to what someone has to say with a different experience from mine. I don't write about that experience, but I draw from it in order to determine how I might write my tale or a tale that the imagination spins.
You may have noticed I don't blog often. I am rambling in this one and using "I" a lot. That's alright. It's time to hear from you. If that's a secret, I'll just have to imagine what it is. Maybe, it'll match, but I won't count on you to verify. (hee hee)
Reply
Well, it's coming. DECOSTER is having a CD release party for the new recording "Walking in the Sun". We're doing it at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street in Manhattan. Not only am I happy to be performing on the stage where many legends got their start, I'll be doing it in front of you guys. Invitations will start to pour out at the end of this month. Consider this the teaser to the event. You'll hear songs from the album and some new ones as well. This is the Star Wars of gigs.....it's that important...a launch of a summer tour, in fact. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there. Other gigs will lead up to this one, of course, because it never hurts to keep yourself out there as often as you can. See you soon!
Reply
It's not easy to know where to begin when you're doing something for the first time. I'm booking a tour to support the new CD and looking at the Northeast. Upstate New York and Pennsylvania are candidates. If you're a fan on the Reverbnation site and want to chime in about venues, I'm all ears and fingers with which to correspond with you.
Reply
In the process of planning a CD release party and a tour of the Northeast. Right now, it's being mapped out as most things in one's head and heart need to be. The urge is there and this blog is one manifestation of that. More later.
Reply
Finally completed the new CD. The copies are here and it looks great. I want to thank the following musicians and producers for helping me get it together:
Rich Kulsar, Stanley John Mitchell, Israel Diaz, and, of course, Fleza Doza, who contributed bass, guitar, keyboards, and his guidance and vision as producer of the CD. Please look up brooklynnativestudios.com if you are an aspiring musician who wants a dedicated producer/engineer to help you with your project.
I also want to thank Raquel Irizarry, my wife, for putting together the website (www.decostermusic.com), the photographs, videos, and many aspects of my career. Love you very much.
Look for a CD release party in Manhattan this spring. It is available at shows if you attend in the meantime.
Reply
What to say with just a window of time? Well....hi. How are you? New batteries for the Roland street amp and some new covers. I have a Loop pedal a friend loaned to me that I have yet to try. If you want to get me a Holiday present (I'll take it after Dec 25..not picky), I would love a loop pedal of my own. Meantime, best to you and your family. May the best memories to come this holiday season loop in your head for as long as you can stand it. A smile that never ends doesn't have to be the work of the Joker.
Reply
Sight-reading: sounds like this is something to do all the time. I get chords and scales from a jazz book by Doug Munroe. He gives many examples of scales, arpeggios, and solos. I don't do it enough.
Solos now have more of a voice than they did because of exposure and actual playing and reading of solos already done. People need building blocks for a style they can develop as musicians. These can come from listening to a variety of music, encountering examples of what has gone before, performing with others as a player in other styles. Help musicians on projects whom you would like to help you on projects. The discovery of musicians we enjoy working with is often organic. We may seek players, but it is our meeting with others like "Playing For Change" in which we can find people whom we can gel with on all levels when we perform and create together. This blog was not planned. It was done off the top of my head: I hope you find some of this helpful. Let me know what you think.
Reply
The song "Responsibility" has got its chords in order. I will review the lyrics. When I wrote it, it was in the vein of XTC, a band I loved at the time. As the years roll past, I want to review the lyrics and see if they speak to me in the same way. It's hard to finish a good song much less write one, but I'll just have faith in the process. I hope you find faith in yours. Have a great day.
Reply
After playing around with chords, jotting down ideas, and getting in shape for the next performance, I had a song in my head which was one of the first songs I wrote. It was called "Responsibility" and had alternate tunings. I lost the original lyrics sheet which had the tuning. I thought I tuned it to a D minor chord (D-A-D-A-D-F)? and attempted to recall the arrangement, recalling the melody on the top string. It was not, in fact, the tuning and when I went through what I thought was the arrangement, it sounded nothing like what I remembered. I returned the guitar back to standard tuning and played an arrangement which very closely approximated the original chords. I decided I could do a reboot of the song with regular tuning. However, I found that its original key was similar to a current song I do and put a capo on the third fret. I found the song sounded even more fresh. I hope I'm right in the long run. If all goes well, you'll hear it in the future. If not, at least you had an interesting blog to read.
Reply
DECOSTER / Blog
November and December
This time of year feels like passing over a threshold. The veil between this world and the spirit world has passed the point of being too close for comfort if you believe in that sort of thing. The hope tends to get a little brighter when Thanksgiving and Christmas come around if, for no other reason, people get a day off. This is a wonderful time to recharge, not just with family, but with yourself and your maker. When the winter finally hits, there is the hope of reaching new horizons and the spring seems just in reach even though piles of snow might have you thinking otherwise. This is where optimism gets a workout. Optimists are tough: they not only never give up, they see their way out of the storm. Well......doesn't that describe you?
Reply
writing from all angles
Writing a song is something that's like catching lightning in a bottle. It helps to have a little notebook and jot things down every day, but I'm someone who finds his best ideas doing something else or in transit. The subway rides afford me time to jot things down on the phone although the thumbs sometimes feel as if they might collapse. I find that musical ideas come when I'm not deliberately blocking out time to write and I'm working on getting a song down or warming up.
A good long walk when I have the time is always helpful and when the sun is out and the heat affords short sleeved shirts, there's no excuse. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to clear the debris that accumulates in the imagination. However, I find that at the moment when I seem indisposed, the lines start coming. They have been known to awaken me in the middle of the night from time to time. I don't get mad at them. They just need a little love when they need it.
One thing I like to do is exercise in the park near my home. It's right across the street and the grass is perfect. No, I don't roll around in the mud. I just do pushups on the ground and feel the earth move under my hands (feet, too).
Reading helps me to write as well. I may find an idea that speaks to me and I listen to what someone has to say with a different experience from mine. I don't write about that experience, but I draw from it in order to determine how I might write my tale or a tale that the imagination spins.
You may have noticed I don't blog often. I am rambling in this one and using "I" a lot. That's alright. It's time to hear from you. If that's a secret, I'll just have to imagine what it is. Maybe, it'll match, but I won't count on you to verify. (hee hee)
Reply
CD Release at Bitter End, Wed, April 20 at 8
Well, it's coming. DECOSTER is having a CD release party for the new recording "Walking in the Sun". We're doing it at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street in Manhattan. Not only am I happy to be performing on the stage where many legends got their start, I'll be doing it in front of you guys. Invitations will start to pour out at the end of this month. Consider this the teaser to the event. You'll hear songs from the album and some new ones as well. This is the Star Wars of gigs.....it's that important...a launch of a summer tour, in fact. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there. Other gigs will lead up to this one, of course, because it never hurts to keep yourself out there as often as you can. See you soon!
Reply
Booking a tour and looking at the fog
It's not easy to know where to begin when you're doing something for the first time. I'm booking a tour to support the new CD and looking at the Northeast. Upstate New York and Pennsylvania are candidates. If you're a fan on the Reverbnation site and want to chime in about venues, I'm all ears and fingers with which to correspond with you.
Reply
Upcoming CD release party and tour
In the process of planning a CD release party and a tour of the Northeast. Right now, it's being mapped out as most things in one's head and heart need to be. The urge is there and this blog is one manifestation of that. More later.
Reply
new CD is here
Finally completed the new CD. The copies are here and it looks great. I want to thank the following musicians and producers for helping me get it together: Rich Kulsar, Stanley John Mitchell, Israel Diaz, and, of course, Fleza Doza, who contributed bass, guitar, keyboards, and his guidance and vision as producer of the CD. Please look up brooklynnativestudios.com if you are an aspiring musician who wants a dedicated producer/engineer to help you with your project.
I also want to thank Raquel Irizarry, my wife, for putting together the website (www.decostermusic.com), the photographs, videos, and many aspects of my career. Love you very much.
Look for a CD release party in Manhattan this spring. It is available at shows if you attend in the meantime.
Reply
once a month blogging
What to say with just a window of time? Well....hi. How are you? New batteries for the Roland street amp and some new covers. I have a Loop pedal a friend loaned to me that I have yet to try. If you want to get me a Holiday present (I'll take it after Dec 25..not picky), I would love a loop pedal of my own. Meantime, best to you and your family. May the best memories to come this holiday season loop in your head for as long as you can stand it. A smile that never ends doesn't have to be the work of the Joker.
Reply
sightreading
Sight-reading: sounds like this is something to do all the time. I get chords and scales from a jazz book by Doug Munroe. He gives many examples of scales, arpeggios, and solos. I don't do it enough.
Solos now have more of a voice than they did because of exposure and actual playing and reading of solos already done. People need building blocks for a style they can develop as musicians. These can come from listening to a variety of music, encountering examples of what has gone before, performing with others as a player in other styles. Help musicians on projects whom you would like to help you on projects. The discovery of musicians we enjoy working with is often organic. We may seek players, but it is our meeting with others like "Playing For Change" in which we can find people whom we can gel with on all levels when we perform and create together. This blog was not planned. It was done off the top of my head: I hope you find some of this helpful. Let me know what you think.
Reply
revived song coming along
The song "Responsibility" has got its chords in order. I will review the lyrics. When I wrote it, it was in the vein of XTC, a band I loved at the time. As the years roll past, I want to review the lyrics and see if they speak to me in the same way. It's hard to finish a good song much less write one, but I'll just have faith in the process. I hope you find faith in yours. Have a great day.
Reply
Recovering a cherished song
After playing around with chords, jotting down ideas, and getting in shape for the next performance, I had a song in my head which was one of the first songs I wrote. It was called "Responsibility" and had alternate tunings. I lost the original lyrics sheet which had the tuning. I thought I tuned it to a D minor chord (D-A-D-A-D-F)? and attempted to recall the arrangement, recalling the melody on the top string. It was not, in fact, the tuning and when I went through what I thought was the arrangement, it sounded nothing like what I remembered. I returned the guitar back to standard tuning and played an arrangement which very closely approximated the original chords. I decided I could do a reboot of the song with regular tuning. However, I found that its original key was similar to a current song I do and put a capo on the third fret. I found the song sounded even more fresh. I hope I'm right in the long run. If all goes well, you'll hear it in the future. If not, at least you had an interesting blog to read.
Reply