A trip to New Orleans with Mrs. E was lots of fun and very inspiring!

According to our tour guide, if you have New Orleans in mind as a final resting place, he suggests as a first step, moving here and learning to play an instrument. The musician’s tomb in Cemetery #1 would be your last port of call.  I especially like the symbolism of the blue note in the center of the cross on top. The blue note is pretty darn important!

During some down time on our last day in N’awlens I put this down- “New Orleans Weekend”. Sounds like it has a sort of French influence to me. Or maybe that’s the fried oyster po’boy I hear… This sheet music you can get here

This (and all my other music too, come to think about it) was written with musescore which is a FREE! notation software and pretty easy to get a handle on. If you like music and you want to look under the hood a little I highly recommend it.

“If you want to work consistently, you have to be a team player.” – Russell Malone

You’re never smarter for NOT knowing something

This was created on an Akai MPK mini (keyboard) and Logic Pro on the iMac.

The MPK mini is quite a useful addition to your studio equipment, especially if you don’t play keys! Using a piece of equipment like this makes digital music composition fairly easy to do. If you’re interested in making your own digital music and you want some help, just reach out!

“Music heard so deeply, that it is not heard at all, but you are the music while the music lasts.” – TS Eliot

Doom_Scrollin’

You ever lie in bed looking at bad news on your phones? Me too.

Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time watching short-form content or watching large quantities of user-generated content or news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. The concept was coined around 2018, and became more widespread in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) observed that the pandemic was accompanied by widespread misleading information, conspiracy theories, and false reports, which it referred to as an “infodemic”.

Surveys and studies suggest doomscrolling is predominant among youth. More specifically, research indicates that doomscrolling tends to be more common among males, individuals in younger age groups and those who actively follow political events. It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that doomscrolling can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health. Numerous reasons for doomscrolling have been cited, including negativity bias, fear of missing out, increased anxiety, and attempts at gaining control over uncertainty.

“The good teacher….knows that the best learning environment is always student-centered, never teacher-centered.” -Yvone Enoch and James Lyke

cenote_afternoon

This song came out of a vacation trip to Mexico with Deb and this is a version of the A part.

We spent a lovely afternoon at a cenote in the jungle, kind of off the beaten path. I think we may have been the only Americans there that day, but the place was full of families just enjoying the beautiful natural scenery. A wonderful day.

Cenotes are natural, crystal-clear sinkholes formed by collapsed limestone bedrock, primarily located in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Derived from the Mayan word tz’onot (“sacred well”), they were once sacred to the Maya. With over 6,000 in Mexico, top examples include Ik Kil, Dos Ojos, and Azul, offering popular swimming and diving spots.

“Do not try to satisfy your vanity by teaching a great many things. Awaken people’s curiosity. It is enough to open minds; do not overload them. Put there just a spark. If there is some good inflammable stuff, it will catch fire.” – Anatole France