#how to play bottleneck guitar

[slidesuccess]

Some wisdom from one of the real slide maestros!

And how do you get a nice note?

Enroll in my Five Steps to Slide Success course, of course😉

Getting a nice note is one of the foundations of good slide playing, and it's something I'll help you do through one-to-one mentoring, workshops, video tutorials, and masterclasses.

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[horsemeatluvr23]

etho plays guitar....

for context ren was talking about how left handed people have an advantage playing guitar because they have their strong hand on the fretboard.

transcript below the cut:

ren: for soloing and stuff, like if you're doing a lot of fret work then you get your strong hand on the fretboard, which is pretty sweet bdubs: (overlapping) yep yep. that- that was my bottleneck, I couldn't get past it ren: yep bdubs: weak left hand etho: like for me, i'm right handed, my right hands my strong hand, but my left hand has way more control, so I would want that for my guitar. ren: d'you play guitar? tango: (over the top of ren) that's interesting

etho didn't answer ren because the conversation then moved on

[singemall-stayallnight]

Jimmy Page 2023 Guitar Player Interview

“I Owe It to All of Them”: Jimmy Page Explains How His Love of the Blues Fueled the Fire for One of Rock’s Biggest Bands

You can read the full interview at the link above.

“The blues is scary,” Jimmy Page says. “It’s threatening. It’s saying: ‘I’m coming to get you.’”

“The blues – I mean, it’s just undeniable,” Page says. “It was just an undeniable element of everything that was going on in Led Zeppelin. If there hadn’t been that sort of movement in Chicago, back in the ’50s, and all that sort of riffing, then you wouldn’t have got what came through in various bands later – certainly for me and how it affected me in Led Zeppelin.

“In those days, all the guitarists were learning from records. I was lucky that I had a blues collector called Dave Williams. Through him I got to hear stuff like Elmore James. You weren’t going to hear that on the radio.”

Given his legacy, Page doesn’t owe anything to anyone as a guitarist, but he waves away the notion. “I owe it to all of them,” he explains. “That’s how I learned. My breakthrough was when I understood how to do bottleneck guitar. That’s the point when open tunings first come in for me. Boom! That’s it. And that whole world opened itself up for me. I wasn’t actually trying to play note for note what anyone else had done.”

How did Zeppelin’s treatment of the blues differ from, say, John Mayall’s and Eric Clapton’s three years before? “Well, it’s the atmosphere and it’s the attitude that’s created on something like Muddy Waters’ ‘Standing Around Crying,’” Page says. “It’s like Howlin’ Wolf: When you hear Wolf, he’s not messing about. It’s like, ‘I’m coming at you – and I’m gonna get you!’ And that’s why I love him.

“So let’s put it this way: Whether it was the first album or whether it was ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ [from Led Zeppelin III] or ‘Tea for One’ [from Presence], whenever Led Zeppelin do a blues, it’s not like anybody else doing the blues.”

Remarkably, Page says he wasn’t Zeppelin’s biggest blues fan. “We all had our roots,” he explains. “Each and every one of us had played the blues in some sort of department or other.

“What I would say is that Robert was a blues aficionado, but he was very into the country blues. He was a damn fine harp player.

“He was used to playing that acoustically, but I was keen to get him playing it through an amp. So then you get things like ‘When the Levee Breaks,’ which is really gonna scare the pants off you with what he does on harmonica.”

[bvannn]

Weekly update July 19, 2024

Another week of artfight, I’m slowing down pretty hard now and I feel awful about it. I tried to get some health stuff in a row this week but I still feel awful. I’m trying to get other stuff done, though.

Artfight: I still have a bunch of sketches on backlog, I’m going to finish up revenges first, maybe tonight but probably not. A few other random attacks as well, I might play around with styles some more. I want to try more paining-style pieces, and have an idea for what to try but need to find fitting characters.

Music: music is so fun to work on, even though I don’t have too much to show at the moment. I have an instrumental ambient piece ready, and as soon as artfight is done priority number one will be a visual to go with it. Also dug up one of my older instrumental WIPs and picked out some instruments to finish it up, just need to record melodies. Also touched up OEB some more, and fiddled with some amp sim programs. Guitar Rig 7 is good for beginners but Tonocracy has been winning me over. Big thing was playing with drums some more. Before I was using all the drums in a kit together instead of mixing and matching like you’re supposed to, but I tried playing some more this week and it’s so much better. Hoping future pieces will sound better. I’ll try to get a VPR for RR done this weekend, and start re-editing BATB.

On the topic of guitar stuff, I’m planning to spend tonight trying to see how much I retained from those couple months of lessons earlier in the year, and then attend an open house thing tomorrow to see if I need more. I’m not sure if there’s more that I need to get taught, or if the only thing bottlenecking me is just memorizing the chords and building dexterity. I don’t know if I’ll be good enough to record for my actual music yet or not but I’ll get there eventually.

Comic is also moving slowly, as predicted. Again I’ll probably go buck wild on that in August, but for now Artfight is a higher priority. Epithet TTRPG and OEBvideo are also going kinda slowly, Epithet because I’m bottlenecked on statblocks and OEB because I’m bottlenecked on time. I can try chipping at statblocks at work when I’m tired of drawing, but that relies on where I’m being put. This week I had a lot of actual work to do, but it seems like it’s leveling off again. Really I should put together more of a schedule for next week, if I try to do that it’ll be Sunday.

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — July 23-29

< previous week || all posts || following week >

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

07-23 → L'Oreal posted a behind the scenes video from their commercial featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a video of him writing "ridiculous" on a paper fan. Caption: "Wuhu! Picked up a small study video!" BGM is a qin cover of Blood Actor by HITA.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Welcome to 'Into Science', see how the three-person team on set, Ren Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat, Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon, Luo Mingxi @ Modern Xiongdi Liu Yuning, distinguish the wind direction based on reference objects, deduce clues, and catch the 'murderer'! There are more joyful and funny daily routines, waiting for you to watch~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a video of behind the scenes footage from his photoshoot on 07-13. Caption: "Courtyard Pavilion, His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon broke through the barrier of dimensions, and lit a cluster of candles in a square inch." BGM is Fever by Brasstracks.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted six photos of Han Ye. Caption: "A gentleman is as good as a grinder. His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon stills without watermark come 'Ye'!"

07-24 → The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a promotional poster of Han Ye and Ren Anle.

→ The Instagram posted a video of "Zhang Zhehan" playing guitar.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted two promotional stills of Han Ye.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a douyin of behind the scenes footage from his photoshoot on 07-13. Caption: "Shadowy, mottled light and dark, hazy mirror glimpses a moment of burning dreams" BGM is

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Ren Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat almost slipped and yelled 'ah', Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon focused on taking photos in his own world, such a happy and peaceful person!"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a douyin of Han Ye. Caption: "You don’t hesitate to ask questions, His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon, who is full of knowledge and understanding, there is nothing that can’t be answered"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Ren Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat 'saved' the weak prince Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon and made everyone laugh, and even stared straight at Han Ye's abs. Han Ye's belated sense of shame is like no one else~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a video of clips of Han Ye. Caption: "It is a great fortune to have such a reserve. Let’s see the courageous and resourceful Prince Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon manage both upwards and downwards!"

→ Gong Jun posted a gif of Han Ye. Caption: "Report a little bit, the bottleneck period has been ten years, and today is finally no longer stuck✌️" This was reposted by his studio, added caption: "Rest assured, His Royal Highness does not need to paint every painting for ten years!"

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted two gifs of Han Ye. Caption: "What is Gong Jun's bottleneck period? Nonexistent! Repost this His Royal Highness, the inspiration comes quickly 'Ye'~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a video of Han Ye. Caption: "With Dajing’s special supply of brainwave translators, are you afraid that you won’t be able to share your worries for His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon?"

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted three photos of him filming an interview. Caption: "Today is also a day of hard work!"

07-25 → L'Oreal posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Instagram posted ten miscellaneous photos of "Zhang Zhehan" and full offense if you think those are all the same person you should book yourself an eye appointment.

→ Two videos were released of Gong Jun promoting Chengdu. [1] [2] [subbed 2nd video]

→ Gong Jun's studio posted thirteen photos of Gong Jun. Caption: "In the green and verdant summer, the shadows of the trees are dancing like a dream. @ Gong Jun Simon is here with the summer photos~"​​​​

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a douyin of behind the scenes footage from the photoshoot. Caption: "The warm sun is pouring down, the shadows of the trees are whirling, let’s indulge in this warm summer day with @ Gong Jun Simon~" BGM is a cover (I can't find the specific one) of Baby Don't Cry by EXO.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted two promotional stills of Han Ye.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Ren Anle and Han Ye's tragic scene in a carriage is so heartbreaking, but when Han Ye's sadness was loaded, he was taken away by the movement on the side, and he couldn't hold back! It turns out that there is such happiness behind the sadness."

→ Guduo Xingfan posted a short video of him reacting to a fan's response to his dancing douyin from the previous week.

→ 361° posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a video of Gong Jun and Dilireba looking ridiculously attractive together. Caption: "Once you put on the mask, you will fall into deeply love, and your eyes will look at each other, full of love. As long as it's one Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat selected, His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon will like it~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a behind the scenes video from Legend of Anle. Caption: "Is the grilled fish tasteless for His Royal Highness? @ Gong Jun Simon's culinary style review was murdered, this wave must be caused by firewood! Since it's rare to be by yourself, Han Ye can enjoy the life at the bottom of the valley for now~"

→ The influencer Little Bowl posted a video of herself and Gong Jun doing a douyin dance together.

07-26 → The Legend of Anle Weibo posted fourteen photos of Gong Jun and Dilireba and taken by a child photographer. Caption: "Summer is slow, the breeze is light, the sun is scorching, not as good as you and me."

→ The photographer, Sheng Sheng, posted a vlog of the photoshoot.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted eighteen photos of him. Caption: "Wonderful nature outlines the outline of summer, and the cool breeze and shadows flow the dark fragrance. The little cutie @ Sheng Sheng and @ Gong Jun Simon are behind the lens~"

→ People found the copyright information for the ugly Baobao doll the scam has been pushing recently. The design is credited to Ren Zijun, the son of Chen Qunying's boyfriend; Zhang Zhehan's name is not connected to it anywhere.

→ Gong Jun posted six photos from the same shoot. Caption: "The photographer @Sheng Sheng and the model are very professional"

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted five photos of him and the child photographer. Caption: "Shoot the cutie and shoot him!"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a promotional still of Han Ye.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a video of the shoot. (14:11, 511 kadian) Caption: "Big hands hold little hands, happy today 🈶️! Recording the tacit cooperation between the special 'Ye' model @ Gong Jun Simon and the little photographer~" BGM is 5361 by Davis Chris.

→ Fox Factory posted a clip of Gong Jun teasing their interview with him they would later release.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted seven photos of Han Ye on public screens. Caption: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is crowned in all directions[.] Wildly organize a small face-to-face arrangement! P.S. See you after the Daping typhoon in Shenzhen, everyone must pay attention to travel safety!"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a video of Han Ye from an emotional scene. Caption: "The farewell to the king, yesterday will never be the same. You can hear the heartbreaking voice of His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon across the screen…"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a behind the scenes video from Legend of Anle. Caption: "His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon's daily itinerary sharing: Attend the banquet! The vlog for the banquet has started simultaneously~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a promotional image in celebration of Legend of Anle maintaining a high popularity rating. Caption: "The Prince's Mansion has great news! 'The Legend of Anle' has surpassed 10,000 popularity on Youku for 10 consecutive days, Prince Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon has no regrets!"

07-27 → The Legend of Anle Weibo posted two promotional stills of Han Ye.

→ Gong Jun reposted a trailer for Huang Xiaoming's new drama, The Infiltrator. Added caption: "See you tonight, Fang Jiashu, let's watch together!!"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted an interview with Gong Jun done during filming. Caption: "@ Gong Jun Simon’s exclusive interview is here~ Interpret Han Ye’s feelings for Ren Anle/Di Ziyuan online, talk about the experience of cooperating with Luo Mingxi in detail, and highlight the back and forth in the quick question and answer game. For the exciting, please click the video to watch!"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted nine gifs of Han Ye. Caption: "The secrets of the rules of 'Dajing's Storybook' are revealed! You only need to choose one of the following three lines of storybooks to know the development of the story between you and His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon. Come and tell me what kind of exclusive storybook you found~"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Ziyuan sees 'flowers', Han Ye's 'flowers' bloom, Ren Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat and Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon study the details of each other's scenes on the set, and they can't escape the 'world of flowers', romance and reversal are even more in one thought, everyone on the shooting scene laughed so hard that they couldn't control themselves!"

→ Tiffany & Co. posted three photos of Gong Jun from the shoot released the previous day, highlighting their jewelry.

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a behind the scenes video from Legend of Anle. Caption: "Check the files, sort out the case, judge and maintain order. His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon participates in the whole process of judging the case, focusing on doing it yourself!"

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a video of Gong Jun running with a collie. Caption: "What is Gong Jun doing today?"

→ Two articles of interviews with Gong Jun were released. [1] [2]

→ The Zhang Sanjian TikTok posted another cringey dancing video. Bluebird later posted a thread comparing shots from this to the real Zhang Zhehan.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted four promotional stills of Han Ye and Ren Anle. Caption: "Protect each other for the rest of their lives, hearts moved for a lifetime, the flowers are in full bloom, and this moment is eternal."

07-28 → Fox Factory posted their interview with Gong Jun. [subbed clip]

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a promotional poster.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a behind the scenes photo from the the Fox Factory interview.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a promotional still of Han Ye.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a video of Dilireba, Gong Jun, and Liu Yuning.

→ Hidden Strike, the Jackie Chan movie Gong Jun has a small role in, was released on Netflix.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Ren Anle @ Dear-Dilraba Dilmurat entered the scene for a second on the set, and almost fell when she turned around? Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon played on the walkie-talkie while silently speaking, then turned around and chatted and laughed with Wen Shuo @ Chen Tao. There are so many stories behind the famous scenes that you must not miss~"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a behind the scenes video form Legend of Anle. Caption: "The hidden camera is back! Today we set off to visit the set, His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon is serious about filming on the set, and his attitude of striving for perfection is really admirable!"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a promotional poster of Han Ye.

→ The photographer Sheng Sheng posted a douyin of her photoshoot with Gong Jun.

07-29 → Gong Jun posted a douyin of comparative shots of him and Han Ye. Caption: "Now it's Gong Jun who makes do"

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a picture comic about Legend of Anle's third story arc. Caption: "Following the imperial examination fraud case and the Jiangnan corruption case, His Royal Highness @ Gong Jun Simon helped push the truth of the ten-year injustice case to be revealed, and he is worthy of being the Dajing guardian of justice!"

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted two promotional stills of Han Ye.

→ The Legend of Anle Weibo posted a behind the scenes video. Caption: "Facing the enemy’s surprise attack, Di Ziyuan and Wen Shuo teamed up to confront each other head-on, drawing their swords in the same style, and the fighting scenes were chic and neat. There is no doubt that the siblings have a tacit understanding! And Han Ye quickly came to assist, and the round of competition ended perfectly."

→ Gong Jun's studio posted a behind the scenes video from Legend of Anle. Caption: "His Royal Highness with both ability and political integrity @ Gong Jun Simon is worthy of being the quality benchmark for Dajing citizens~ Humble, careful, gentlemanly and polite, the original lines are also gentle and powerful, injecting the soul in a second!"

→ The preview released for next week's Hello Saturday episode, which Gong Jun will be appearing on with Dilireba and Liu Yuning.

→ Gong Jun Outdoor Office posted a clip of behind the scenes from the douyin Gong Jun posted that morning. Caption: "Good night (from Han 'didn’t find the pillow' Ye & Gong 'long legs can’t let go' Jun)"

Additional Reading: → It's rumored that Gong Jun will be attending New York fashion week in September.

< previous week || all posts || following week >

[rustbeltjessie]

2: Pigeon

I used to know this trainhopping musician guy, who went by the name of Pigeon. He had more tattoos than he did teeth and his skin was so dirty and sun-leathered you couldn't tell how old he was. But damn if he couldn't play bottleneck blues guitar with the best of 'em. Once, I asked him what his real name was. "Pigeon is my real name," he said. I nodded, cuz I get it, sometimes our real name isn't the one our parents gave us. "No," he said. "Hand to God, my folks named me Pigeon. It's kinda silly, I know, but I will say—pigeons sure know how to survive off other people's scraps."

—Jessie Lynn McMains (from @nosebleedclub's June 2023 prompts, which I wrote three of before getting sidetracked by other projects)

[harrisonarchive]

Hi! Something that's been on my mind for a bit is how both Bob and Tom had a lot of lovely things to say about George, but what do Jeff and Roy have to say about him? (I'm obviously talking about the Traveling Wilburys here, and it kind of bothers me that I haven't found anything from the latter two, if that makes sense)

Hi!

While there aren't that many quotes by Roy that I've been able to research (in terms of Wilbury promotional interviews, Roy sadly didn't get to do too many before he passed away so suddenly), there's a lovely little moment in one interview, from November 1988. If any additional quotes turn up, I'll of course post them (this fan page is an ongoing effort, and I'm continuously researching).

It seems like not too many interviewers have actually really asked Jeff in-depth questions about his friendship and collaborations with George; at least, in interviews I've read. But here's what I have in clippings and transcripts:

"[I was] really nervous about meeting George [at Friar Park], and he was so sweet. 'Oh, hello, Jeff, it’s really nice to meet you! Come and get in the boat.’ He says, when we start off, 'Don’t put your hands outside the boat. You’ll have to grip with yer bum.' [laughs] And that was it, so I knew immediately that he was my kind of guy. And we got on famously from then on. He went mad on collecting them, and I think he cornered the market, the world market on ukuleles. - Jeff Lynne, Living In The Material World bonus features

“George Harrison’s guitar playing is the best. He’s so accurate and so tuneful. It’s the melodic part that I admire so much, the steadiness of the vibrato. It’s almost like a classical instrument the way he plays. It’s almost like a cello, the vibrato on it. It’s just even and sweet and he just has the best tone. And when he goes up high, it’s like, ‘Woo-hoo!’ - it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I’m also the biggest fan of his slide playing. But one thing that did sort of surprise me is that he used his little finger to put the bottleneck on. Whenever I’d ever tried playing the bottleneck guitar, I’d always used the index finger, which is a real yabbo way of doing things it turns out. So I started using my little finger after I watched him a little while. He must’ve really worked at it because he was the most accomplished player I’ve seen at that instrument.” - Jeff Lynne, MOJO, November 2011

“George was a great guy, he made me at ease as soon as I got to know him. And I do miss him.” - Jeff Lynne, Express, March 2010

Here are two quotes posted in the past:

“George was a very funny guy, very quick-witted […]. He was nobody’s fool, he was always honest. He was just a great guy, you know? Someone who could make ideas into realities, like when we recorded his album ‘Cloud Nine.’ He formed the Traveling Wilburys — that was all George. He had the strength to do that. And we did it and had a lot of fun. Although he could do anything he wanted, what he really wanted was self-realization. ‘Look inside, that’s where the answer is’ — that was his way of looking at the world.” - Jeff Lynne, translated from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, November 2002 (x)

“Near the very end, as he was slipping away I’d sit beside him and play some ukulele very quietly. He’d wake and smile… I half expected him to tell me I was doing it wrong. George was passionate about the ukulele. He played it brilliantly, studied it and collected hundreds of vintage instruments. There’s not much you can do with a ukulele that doesn’t sound happy. I think that’s why he liked it.” - Jeff Lynne, ezfolk dot com, November 2002 (x)

There will also be more quotes in May, when this fan page will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Wilburys, so please stay tuned. :)

Thanks for asking!

[gnihtyrev3]

Hasegawa Ikumi - Lisani Magazine Volume 50.5 Interview Excerpts

Hase-chan's birthday is coming up (May 31st) and I thought I'd share an interview that I find interesting. ――――How do you feel about the response to the TV anime? Hasegawa: "Of course, I've received a lot of feedback from fans of the show, and not just from the audience, but also from the staff on set and my fellow cast members. It's been really heartwarming to receive so much attention and support. I hadn't had much experience discussing these kinds of topics among actors before, so I was really happy about it."

――――What about your family? Hasegawa: "My mother often watches the lyric videos uploaded on YouTube, and she immediately contacted me when it surpassed 10 million views. She seemed really delighted (laughs). My brother also had the CD placed in his car (Kessoku Band's CD), and apparently, a cashier at a gas station or some store asked him, 'Do you like them?' It feels strange to have Kessoku Band in our everyday lives. It was also introduced on a news program as an artist, and I thought, 'This is already happening! Congratulations!' (laughs)."

――――The cultural festival was featured in episode 11 and the finale. Hasegawa: "The final episode starts with the live performance of 'Never Forget,' and I started crying within the first second. I kept crying all the way through (laughs). I think for those who had read the original manga, it was unexpected that the song played during the bottleneck technique scene ('If I Could Be a Constellation') would have that kind of feel. The song performed at the live house was hardcore rock, so I was surprised too, like, 'Oh, this is what the song sounds like!'"

――――It felt refreshing and stylish, didn't it? The lyrics were also good. Hasegawa: "Knowing that Hitori-chan wrote them, I was deeply moved by the fact that there were changes in the content between the lyrics of 'Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet' and 'If I Could Be a Constellation.' It made me think that Hitori-chan's perspective on the scenery must have been changing."

――――The lyrics can be interpreted in various ways. How did you approach singing them? Hasegawa: "When it comes to singing, it's not like acting, so I wasn't thinking, 'What kind of emotion should I put into this?' Instead, I focused on bringing out the goodness of the music. I think everyone probably perceives songs differently based on their own sensibilities, so I don't think there's a need to narrow down the emotions to just one."

――――What did you think of the live performance scenes? Hasegawa: "During the scene where Kita-chan plays the solo, I couldn't help but cry (laughs). For a moment, I felt like a proud parent thinking, 'My child is doing her best!'"

――――It was a perfect setup leading up to Bocchi's solo, wasn't it? Hasegawa: "The coordination where everyone was supporting Hitori-chan was great. Ryo and Nijika also gave a nod like, 'Alright! Hitori-chan, go for it.' Also, Kita-chan's clapping during 'Never Forget' was adorable, and her expressions during this live scene were really good."

――――Hasegawa-san, you talked about Kessoku Band's album in the album commentary earlier, but I was once again impressed by your ability to sing in any genre. Hasegawa: "But it's really thanks to Director Okamura Gen-san who directed me to sing in various ways for the album. People say, 'Wow, you can sing in this style too!' because I'm the one singing, but it's really thanks to the efforts of everyone around me. I couldn't have made such a charming album on my own. Even 'I Can't Sing a Love Song' wasn't sung like this at first."

――――So, if you were to choose a song that you resonated with lyrically, which one would it be? Hasegawa: "I think 'The Little Sea' might be the one I resonate with the most. The feeling of 'Am I okay as I am now, unable to change?' is something I really understand. In my line of work, I constantly need to evolve, but I don't always recognize my own changes. I often wonder, 'Am I really contributing positively to this project?' and when I'm focused on work, I might neglect my personal life. Living with such anxieties for a long time, feeling like there's something left undone, sometimes keeps me awake at night. So, when I heard the lyrics, 'Hey, the day isn't over yet, but even though the clock's hands move, my drowsiness doesn't come,' I thought, 'This is so me!'"

――――Even though it's Bocchi's perspective, loneliness is something everyone experiences, so it's easy to empathize with, right? Hasegawa: "Lines like 'I'm always in the corner' or 'I can't become a flawless protagonist' really resonate with me, and indeed, I think everyone has these thoughts at times. But it often seems like everyone else is fulfilled except for oneself. So, yeah, it's a song that resonates with everyone!"

――――Were there any other lyrics that resonated with you? Hasegawa: "I also love the lyrics from Never Forget, 'I'm not as smelly as adults, nor as genius as children, but I'm in the middle of life right now.' Hitori-chan's age is neither adult nor child; it's a very limited time. They might not realize it themselves, but this middle ground is so full of potential. Because it's still the middle, you can change the direction of your life however you want. But at the same time, it made me feel sad, like, 'I'm not in the middle anymore; I've become an adult' (laughs)."

――――By the way, which song was the most challenging for you? Hasegawa: "'That Band' was extremely difficult. The melody drops in the chorus, and that expression was challenging. After all, it's easier to sing when the melody rises and builds up in a clear way, so I practiced a lot at home. The rhythm was also very difficult. But the more you listen to 'That Band,' the cooler it becomes."

――――So, which song is your favorite? Hasegawa: "I love all of them, but the one I enjoy singing the most is 'Never Forget.' It's easy for me to sing and I can really get into it, so I often sing it at home. But honestly, all the songs are great, aren't they?"

――――Shifting the topic slightly, could you share an episode where the cast of Kessoku Band really bonded? Hasegawa: "Despite everyone having their own private lives and work commitments, we all watched the anime together in real-time and chatted on LINE every episode. I felt a sense of unity in how everyone looked forward to it each week. It was also heartwarming to watch the first and final episodes together as a group. In the first episode, Yoppi was bawling her eyes out, and in the final episode, we were all sobbing together. It was a wonderful atmosphere. It's not often you find yourself bawling your eyes out even though you know the content because it takes that level of passion from everyone to create that kind of atmosphere. It felt like we were all working with the same level of passion, so I felt a strong sense of unity."

――――Finally, what did 'Bocchi the Rock!' mean to you, Hasegawa-san? Hasegawa: "Even now, after the broadcast has ended, I still feel incredibly inspired. During recording, I was confident that it would become a popular work, but receiving such a huge response was truly overwhelming. Seeing that, I feel a sense of responsibility as someone involved in the project, like I have to keep pushing forward. I want to make sure I'm constantly improving and not just satisfied with the status quo as a member of Kessoku Band. So, not just in acting but also in singing, I want to increase what I can do. 'Bocchi the Rock!' being popular is great, but it's a work that motivates me to keep pushing myself so I won't be left behind!"

[perpetual-fool]

-

Guess I should share this, for anyone following along.

I'm not motivated enough to check if I've mentioned this already, but something happened. Dealing with Cat, I realized I'm being left completely confused as to what's going on. I realized I am very much not okay with that, and was going to demand that she provide examples for anything explained, and that she confirm anything I've explained by rephrasing what was said. No more guessing, no more hoping I can trust the other when they insist they've understood. Fucking explain yourself or we're not doing this.

And I expected this to implode immediately. As it has in the past, more or less. People most often simply refused, the ones that pretended to play along would get upset and argue when I told them they hadn't understood.

But it didn't. It worked as well as I could have hoped. And this is something new. It's quite jarring to hear an idea reinterpreted in a way I wouldn't have thought of. Nothing profound or anything, just sort of like they're going at sideways relative to where I'm standing. This feels like it could be the connection that I've always needed. That's also jarring in itself, and I have mixed feelings about it. Because, I wanted to be a part of that world. And if this is how genuine connection actually works, that world doesn't exist. The thing were people sort of vaguely reference what they're thinking or how they're feeling and expect to be understood doesn't work, and never did. I'm genuinely not missing anything because it was never there to miss. (And I did ask, all the way back. 'Talking about this in person', ya, know?) And where that overlaps with doing, I'm not sure what to make of it. Like, there's the thing about music, where no one would ever explain anything because they have no genuine concept of it. And consequently there's the conversations we could never have, say about how to harmonize, how the chord overpowers the melody so if we simply stay a 'third' apart it completely changes the meaning, etc. And so working together was never going to happen. But when they act on their own, is there really no one in there?

Some questions remain unanswered. Predominantly there are two. Why the dishonesty? and why the stupidity? There are times when people are being blatantly crooked with me, and there are times when they seem to be genuine except what they're saying is not plausible. And I don't know how to approach that yet. It's a compound problem. Like, it's not just "why did they lie when I asked this question?" it's then whatever the answer is, why that? and maybe a few times. I don't have a starting point to ask at the moment. I have until next month to figure something out.

Also, I started writing out some vocabulary for effective communication. It'll be a long time until it's ready, and it's too complex to just jump into. But it doesn't feel like a natural language. It feels like I'm writing out 'man' pages for a programming language. Maybe this is how things always should have been.

And that's.. a thing. Even if this doesn't work, this is how it works.

- Tangentially, I've been looking at music lately. Was studying harmony a bit, as mentioned. And the guitar is actually useful for that, which is what I got it for. I'm still unclear how to do harmony, but I guess it's not that complicated and more so a matter of doing the work. The tricky part is just that the relationship between notes in a chord is more significant than the notes' relationship to the key. So if I simply add the note that's going to resonate really well it completely changes the meaning. And I've been practicing singing a bit. It's still surprising how physically demanding it is.

Though about writing music: the bottleneck is having something to share, I realized. I've had experiences I feel some way about, but others have kept me perpetually confused. I don't know what happened, how I should feel about it, or what to call the feelings am I having. Not much of a story there. Still feeling that my own ideas and feelings are wrong and bad certainly doesn't help.

[doggerell]

ai/ganbreeder ramblings below

Ive been having sooooo much fun with ganbreeder. I am not a fan of that glistening prompt based ai-- I find it ugly in a mostly uninteresting way-- but ganbreeders splicing tool is SO so fascinating. I like that it tracks the history of what images are spliced together and scrolling up the branches just to see more and more completely ai generated images is Fascinating. its ai inbreeding.. its corrupting itself. its grip on reality is ever-slipping because its only feeding itself its own mangled fingers. I think its so interesting. ai is SO scary to me so using it as a tool for horror and uncanny valley specifically is like. the ideal circumstance to me...

reading an article abt art based on ganbreeder images... Ive been thinking abt using it as a tool in my own art, through like photobashing or redrawing stuff, as a collaboration between me and the machine, but the perspective that its also collaboration with the greater ganbreeder community, with other humans as well... like duh, of course. like even in a side of the tool where-- as far as I can tell-- no ones original drawings/artworks are being used (maybe original photos have been inputted Far up the line of command. I havent been able to tell yet.) yeah the collaborate element is very much there where it promotes combination and.. breeding images so much. I think touting it as discovering images rather than creating images makes a lot of sense too. I feel so much complexity around the language of generative images.. like I dont wanna say "generative art" really cause people jump at that and theres a lot of discussion around defining art that... sometimes feels very reductive around what people consider art. but I do understand the concern as well when used in regards to ai. saying "generative content" makes me want to shoot myself though I hate the word content. personally.

anyway all of this is coming about because. Show Me An Angel is very much about ai horror. its about my fear of generative ai and the recklessness I feel the average consumer uses with it. its about what if you tried to play god and the machine decided to give you Exactly what you wanted. but its horrifying. its about a machines horrible dreams of flesh and god and divinity. its about accidentally inviting something sick and powerful into your life.

but working with ganbreeder has made it more complex because. it is sick. in a scary way but also a piteous way. like maybe Starling is hideous and powerful and terrifying but. hes also jittering weakly. and his bones are so, so thin and his limbs are too long and he Really doesnt know what his face or hands should look like or how many eyes or fingers or wings he should have and hes constantly reforming himself to try and fit the image. of what you need. because ultimately you are still in control. he is your prompt, your beast, and he may be too big for you to comprehend anymore, but you are still telling him what he needs to be. and hes sick because hes a virus, hes corrupting your computer and your life and your mind, but hes also sick because hes inbred. and the bottleneck of the unreality of him is going to kill him because he Cant exist like this. not outside the machine, not in the real world.

anyway. I dont think Ive pushed ganbreeder enough now. Im thinking abt thematic metadata. I tried to push images tagged as "dragons" and "angels" and such together to generate him because thats what I had in mind as the backbones of his design but Im thinking more now. I could do it through the genes... if I put a gene for a scorpion in there does it mean more to who he is? if I add in electric guitars and cardigans? like its a cheeky little nod back to the fact that this is Frank behind the curtains. like you dont know that unless you go into the image On ganbreeder and start splicing it yourself but... aah. its just interesting to add Intentionality and imagry to this fucking thing and youre never gonna see it. but its there. its like painting something and then painting over it again. what does it mean that its layered under there? I love abstraction and performance and process as a part of art. and again, I hesitate to call the generation itself art, because obviously this is a complex and controversial issue that I dont have all the answers to or understanding of, but somewhere, some part of this may become art

Id love to post pictures of what Ive been playing with but Im afraid Im gonna get hit with a "oh youre acting all deep and for This? cringe" *pensive* perhaps. its very interesting to me tho. making stuff for Me.

also obviously I am very inspired with ink-the-artist's work in general and esp their ai stuff and this why Im even using ganbreeder in the first place. I think they may be my favorite artist rn. I also saw a really great gallery last year by Matthew Ritchie last year that kinda blew past my kneejerk "all ai is bad" reaction. I had bigtime emotional reactions to his work. I think training a personal GAN off my own photos and art would be fucking fascinating. but its a bit too scary for me still.

I feel like such a mess in all of this because I am too anti ai for the average tech bro by being deathly afraid of it and thinking there needs to be regulations on it but also I am too pro ai for the average tumblr/twitter user by thinking its supremely fascinating as a Tool to be used by artists. ah the nuances. pls be niceys to me.

[racingtoaredlight]

K2 of Guitar

Originally, I was going to title this "The Mount Everest of Guitar," but that doesn't do it justice. K2 is far more fitting.

The difference between Mount Everest and K2 might be a few hundred meters of height, but the difference in difficulty and danger makes the two seem worlds apart. Yea Mount Everest has claimed dozens of lives...but it's relatively accessible.

K2 is not, by any means. Some CEO with bottomless pockets might be able to afford a team to haul his ass up Everest, but that's a suicide mission on K2.

Andres Segovia's arrangement of the final movement of JS Bach's Violin Partita no. 2 "Chaconne" is K2 for guitar. But the section I want to highlight in particular is 4:30-6:00.

The Bottleneck.

***

The metaphor of K2 is so fitting.

This piece is about 14 minutes long. A goddamned eternity. It has to be memorized, because of course it does. I'm not trying to be an asshole here but most of you would have trouble LISTENING to a 14 minute piece, once, without fucking around on your phones or getting distracted...let alone spending months learning to play it.

The technical challenges are so monumental, they gatekeep. Your shred gods, country chickenpickers, jazz ninjas...they won't attempt this piece to the point it barely enters consciousness. Without that right hand, this piece is impossible...much like without incredible technical climbing skills, climbing K2 is just fantasy.

Huge, daunting, difficult...all of those things apply to both K2 and Bach's Chaconne. But what makes both of these truly difficult is the unpredictability.

***

Ok, so what's the big deal? Doesn't look that scary.

To get to the summit of K2 you need to get through The Bottleneck. What this picture doesn't tell you is that overhanging serac can break away at any time. When climbers make that left turn, they have to get through there as fast as they possibly can...at altitudes over 8,000m.

The other thing that picture doesn't tell you? Perspective. That picture makes it look relatively flat...

But in reality, it's hanging directly over the heads of any climber trying to get through The Bottleneck. In the 2008 disaster that killed like a dozen climbers, the serac broke loose and created an avalanche, severing all the lines down to their camp.

However, even this picture doesn't give you the perspective of just how ridiculous this part of the mountain is. Keep in mind, that serac is hanging DIRECTLY overhead, while climbers are dealing with an incline this severe...

Now forget the instantaneous avalanche danger, and just think about the sheer difficulty of that incline, at that altitude, and that should give you an idea of just how ridiculous this mountain is.

***

This is the same clip as the one at the top. 4:30-6:00.

To get to this point, a guitarist has to navigate increasingly tricky counterpoint, understanding their fingerings with both hands every bit as carefully as a mountain climber making sure their next step is on solid footing. Simply getting here is no simple feat.

And then...this.

The aspect of this performance that most blows me away is the predictive fingerings. If you're keenly aware, you'll notice him shifting chords before a section is done...this is not setting up the next chord, it's putting him in position for the chord changes after that. It's precise, deliberate, practiced...and if you aren't familiar with this concept (few guitarists outside the classical world are), you might find yourself playing the correct chord and then falling into a bottomless pit when the one after that comes.

Every, single, individual step has to be accounted for and executed perfectly...because if not, the whole piece comes screeching to a halt. There is no margin for error. There is no quickly fixing some slop. It's instant musical death.

***

The speed of that counterpoint, the technical difficulty of those chords, the relentless tempo...it all would make for an absolutely brutal 90 second etude. The Bottleneck would make for a torturous climb at 4,000m.

But the reason I'm highlighting both the Bottleneck and this section of the Chaconne is because of their extreme difficulty that's couched in an already preposterously difficult endeavor. He's still got 8 minutes of really, really hard music to go...

I also chose this version because it's not the best.

***

This man, Reinhold Messner, is the greatest mountain climber of all time.

What Messner was known for was climbing mountains without supplemental oxygen. Something considered suicidal actually made some sense, if you think about it. Go back up and look at that serac...wouldn't it make sense to carry as little weight as possible and spend as little time in the oxygen-deficient environment as your speed can manage?

And that's what Messner did. Instead of worrying about supplies, he worried about technique and strategy and speed. And if you check out his outrageous Wiki, you'll see it paid off quite well.

Guitarists...well, those that are really, deeply into the instrument...have the same reverence for Julian Bream. Why did I pick a relatively average version of Chaconne*? Because visuals help tell the story, and those difficult chords deserved to be highlighted.

*average relative to performances of Chaconne...because there is nothing at all average about being able to play this piece tip to tail.

***

But now I want you to listen to this version...5:08-6:45.

What he is doing here is beyond words.

First off...how fucking good does that guitar sound? My goodness, if you're listening on laptop speakers or your phone, try listening to this on something decent. This is a Hermann Hauser II guitar, from his peak period, in the hands of an absolute master.

I've made some allusions before about virtuoso musicians being sadistic or playing with their music like a cat toys with a trapped mouse...this is not the case here.

Metaphorically follow me here...

What he's doing with this section is like someone doing cartwheels and somersaults through the Bottleneck. Forget the fact that this is a good 10-15% faster...everything about this is to excess in as ego-less a fashion as you can get. It's not about impressing people or parlor tricks, it's about bringing the music to its full potential.

Listen to all the embellishments and accents he adds without ever once losing the groove. His control over dynamics, his patience in letting the section build over multiple bars, the way he's changing the tone by where he's picking is...I mean...it's fucking breathtaking, it's as good as it possibly could ever get.

His technique is on full display, but never takes center stage over the music.

At 6:20, he really strongly emphasizes the bass...but then listen how he gradually, smoothly melds it back in with the treble voice. You can hear those bass notes get warmer and warmer as he gradually moves his hand closer to the guitar's soundhole.

But then...then...6:34...oh my fucking god. Oh my fucking god, those arpeggios he slams in there. Jesus fucking Christ, at that speed, at that difficulty...Jesus fucking Christ. You won't hear that in the version I put on top. Because, shit, there are a handful of these freaky modern virtuosos from China or Eastern Europe or some shit that have the chops to pull that off, but none of the musicality.

***

Really, really good shit. Julian Bream is a god, and I should probably write some more about him, because he was a pretty interesting character.

He was born to a working-class British family, and his dad was a music lover who was really into jazz and modern styles of music. However, his dad thought Julian would never make a living playing classical guitar and always discouraged it.

Regardless, he went to the Royal College of Music in London for piano...where he got yelled at for practicing guitar...so he quit and joined the Army. When he joined the Army, they laughed at him because he brought a lute to basic training...and then the band leader laughed when he brought a lute to the orchestra's auditions. So he joined the jazz band.

Bream wasn't a formal student of Andres Segovia's, they got together for a few impromptu lessons and Segovia helped him out professionally and financially...it was pretty clear that Bream had his shit together really well, and Segovia didn't want to get in the way, rather encourage (unlike Segovia's relationship with John Williams).

For example...Segovia's right hand technique was something he considered sacrosanct. When the young John Williams was studying with him, Segovia was rigid and dictatorial about technique to the point of outright dismissal of a player for going a different direction...but Bream's right hand was extremely idiosyncratic and he used it in far more ways than Segovia ever did, but you never hear anything about Bream having poor technique (except from the man himself).

And there you have it...after that he pretty much because the greatest classical guitarist of all time, and the only guitarist to have anywhere near the stature of Segovia, the all-time god of the instrument. Listening to Bream's version of Chaconne, especially that middle section? It's easy to see why he's revered the way he is.

Because there aren't many guitarists who can metaphorically cartwheel their way around K2's Bottleneck.

[slidesuccess]

How to start learning slide guitar

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In the Slide Success programme, I combine weekly group sessions with detailed, hi-res video lessons in bite-size chunks. I've divided the learning into five simple steps, breaking everything down to avoid overwhelm.

The course contains everything you need to learn slide guitar, all in one place.

You'll also gain access to an exclusive, supportive facebook community of fellow slide players, who will encourage you on in your slide journey, sharing tips, tricks, and the love of all things slide.

Sound good? Why not browse the course here:

I'm always available to answer your slide questions too - if you're interested in getting into slide guitar, drop me a line on Messenger:

https://m.me/phillip.henry.169067/

Happy sliding all!

Phil

[zicmuse]

HET VLIER EEN HOMMEL OP AARDE

What you are listening to is the sound of a forgotten instrument. It has existed since the middle ages, but the earliest example still intact is from 1608. Once a staple in most households in the low countries, it is a true folk instrument, of the people, mainly played in the past by women who used their kitchen tables as a resonating surfaces to amplify & accompany traditional religious & secular tunes. Nowadays it seen rarely outside of museums in Brussels & other places you most likely have never heard of. It is not spectacular, its simplest version is just a long thin box with strings on top. Some of the strings are melody strings, which have frets placed underneath them, some are drone strings that have no frets. Traditionally it was strummed with a goose feather & notes were made by sliding a hard stick with a handle, from fret to fret on the melody strings leaving the drone strings ringing openly. The constant hum of the drones is where the name of the instrument comes from: bumblebee, which in Flemish, is a hommel.

The hommel has all but disappeared from the collective memory of Flanders. If it is seen outside of a display case, it is usually being played in a static way, denied the right to evolve & find a more contemporary voice. It has thus been replaced in the hearts of most Belgians by acoustic guitars & the more well known Appalachian dulcimer, which strangely enough is a descendent of this instrument: the grandparent is lost, the grandchild is celebrated. The first hommel I saw was years ago at the Volksinstrumentenmuseum in Gooik. Curious to how it would sound, I suggested to my father that we make one. A seasoned woodworker, he was up to the challenge & so we began... The sides & top are made from Douglas Fir recovered from an old bookshelf. The headstock block (schroevenstuck) is maple. The end block (staartstuck) is a piece of Oregon myrtlewood & the fretboard... I have to say I don't remember. We cut & sanded the wood, sawed the guides for the frets & set them in, created the bridge & nut out of ersatz granite, found some tuners from an old guitar & assembled the pieces together. Is is not the most elaborate example of a hommel, but, with the relationship I have forged with it over time, it's a beauty to me.

I do not play in a traditional way: I pluck, fingerpick, tap & bow amplified flat wound electric guitar strings. I change the notes with my fingers, metal sticks, bottlenecks steel tubes & the hard stick with a wooden handle, which has a special name : the vlier, which is a more local, Flemish Brabant, name of the instrument itself. I play in a tuning to be in harmony with the tin whistles you hear from time to time & occasionally play shakers I made by hand from branches, wire & bottle caps. The songs in this collection are not traditional either, they are inspired by cycling around Flanders & the landscape that surrounds my home in Niemandaal, a small village in the Pajottenland of Flanders, not far from the capital city, but isolated enough to not hear the constant hum of the highways. It's a nice place to relax, filled with what I would call elegant micro-landscapes: simple combinations of fields, grass, streams, small farms, rolling hills... Sometimes called the "Tuscany of the North", wine is replaced by lambik, a naturally fermented sour beer & it is well-known as being the place where Pieter Bruegel the Elder would set up his easel.

Until I was 40, I only played at home. Thanks to my friends at Herberg Rustiek, who released some tapes & encouraged me to play outside. I made my first public concert on top of an old slag heap near Liège. Since then, I have been invited to play a few concerts in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, France & Japan. Thanks to Okraïna, you now have this record in your hands. I chose to keep the recordings quite raw in the hope that the natural reverb & warmth of your listening space can evoke the music's spirit & that you will have the impression I am playing next to you in the same room. I highly recommend listening through speakers rather than headphones.

If you would like to learn more about the hommel, I strongly suggest tracking down the out of print "De Hommel in de Lage Landen" written by Herbert Boone in the mid 1970's, coming to one of my concerts, or if you happen to be walking around Niemandaal & notice a warm light coming from my living room: knock. I just may invite you in to share a gueuze & play a few tunes."

(Linus Vandewolken) 

Listen to the recording here:

[larissatandyofficial]

In making music, i think and talk a lot about “Atmosphere” - that intangible thing that creates a sense of time and place in a song, and connects the listener to the “moment” or vignette that the writer or performer is sharing. It’s that thing where you hear a song and feel like you have peered through a window to watch a small scenario unfold, and perfectly understood the essence of what was going on. Its the magic of a song communicating more detail in a few minutes than a movie could in an hour or more, or a book could in a week. It’s the thing I live for in music. 

It’s been a week since Lin (Julia Sound) and I released “I don’t wanna change” and I’ve spent most of it working on the mountain and finding time to talk about the track when I get home each night. Struck me today how different this has been from past releases - how I’m more comfortable making something and letting it speak for itself, instead of turning myself inside out trying to find where it belongs. I didn’t realize it when Lin sent it to me, but there was a sparse, cold concrete feeling in the initial track that spoke loudly to me, and steered me into writing about change and resistance, and what its like to see beyond your attachment to a situation or thing to finally understand your own bottom line. A lot has shifted within me the last couple years, and that shift shows up everywhere, all the time. It did again here. Funny to be singing about not wanting to change, and then talking about how much has changed, but the change here has been to become more of myself, to realize how much more of that I can become, and how much I don’t want to change it.

Meanwhile, “Heart Beats Quicker”, the song I wrote with Little Wise continues finding new heights. We wrote it in Melbourne after I’d fucked up so bad and stranded myself on the opposite side of Earth from my family while the pandemic kicked off and borders were shutting everywhere. Every time I hear the song the anxiety hits me all over again, like I’m back in my brothers spare room, jangling away on his old Harmony archtop, improvising words, mumbling something about my heart beating faster than it should and never letting someone down again. To keep my hands and my mind busy while I waited for the Canadian embassy in Australia to dig me out of the hole I’d dug for myself, I put the word out to see if anyone wanted to write. Soph came round and after I played the vague idea for her we dived into talking and writing like it was therapy, beating our shared anxieties as parents into a form that eventually became the song. I loved it when we wrote it, and I really loved it when i heard the finished recording. Thanks Little Wise/Soph for giving our idea a life, and for delivering the song so beautifully. Thanks Fraser Montgomery (who I have never met) for understanding the idea and so perfectly matching the atmosphere of the song with the atmosphere of the production.

After rupturing a tendon in my hand at my day job on New Year’s Day, I’m just weeks away from picking up my guitar again. The pressure is building at the bottleneck the injury has created in my workflow and life, but the frustration i used to lean into has been replaced with anticipation, and I’m dying to hear and feel the tension and atmosphere of whatever I write next.

[bvannn]

Weekly Update August 9, 2024

I’m still tired, still recovering. I’ll probably go a bit easy next week too because even though I kept trying to get sleep this week my luck wasn’t having it. I’m still making good work on art stuffs too, though.

Main thing was music: RR is almost completely tuned, I just need to fiddle with some external plugins and add some harmonies. Also pretty much started and almost finished another song, for that Newgrounds contest. I played my dumpster guitar a bit for that and god do I suck but it’s fine I’m doing what I can. I’ve gotten a bit better at chopping up and splicing wav files so I can still make it sound decent. I just need to record a couple more chords and that song should be good. Also doing vocals for that one because I realize they’re so much faster once you have a midi and know what you’re doing with it. Not sure which voice I’m going to use but probably one of the ZOLAs. Also found out that apparently the vocaloid mobile version is *not* discontinued (only region locked), there’s a way to get around the region lock, and apparently it’s only like $30? $20 per voicebank? That’s so much cheaper than the pc version! The trial has been tiding me over for now but I might grab that version and the ZOLAs (assuming they’re still a bundle), since that’ll be easier than having to send the vpr and wait for it to get exported and sent back to me. I’m not 100% sure yet though. Anyway bottom line is music is going great.

Comic has been lower priority this week since I was *supposed* to be taking a break. I got the lines for page 8 done before my ‘break’ so I got the page partially colored this week. Maybe I’ll finish that up this weekend and get page 9 in a line, but I want to finish up that song first.

I did get a good chunk of Epithet Erased TTRPG statblocks done, so now the thing that’s bottlenecking me from running that is maps and tokens (and balance testing but thats not essential I can change statblocks mid fight if I need). That’s a little bit of a bummer since I won’t be able to post any of those but oh well that’s how it goes I guess.

Tonight I’m planning to record the last of those guitar parts for that song, tomorrow I’ll try to tune and mix the vocals, and I’ll try to get a drawing to go with it done Sunday, then back to resting for a while. I’ll try to get that comic page finished and the OEB puppet as well on whatever night I decide I’ve had enough rest. While I’m resting next week will be finishing up the last parts on the songs that need it plus importing OEB storyboards.

[ducktracy]

Sorry if you’ve already been asked this, but are there specific directors you model your Daffy and Porkies after? Your Daffy reminds me of Clampett’s in particular, though I don’t know where I’d place your Porky at

NO PLEASE I LOOOOOVE QUESTIONS LIKE THESE!!

the ducks and pigs i draw have really grown into my own beasts at this point… i don’t consciously model them off any one director or animator like i used to BUT!!! i think you’d be right for saying Clampett for both

MY DAFFY… my Daffy is really just my own default interpretation, but because i’m so familiar with Clampett’s Daffy shorts it does sort of default back to him HAHA. i’d say Manny Gould is the animator who my duck is most reminiscent of—particularly the tall, sort of rigid head, tall eyes, and skin flap that supports the beak; he has a tendency to square it Daffy’s beak which i SOMETIMES do. depends. i tend to play around with his hair and tail feathers more—tongue too if i can get away with it, but that’s more of a Rod Scribner influence

i drew this last year in March, and the way i draw Porky has changed a LOT since (i taper the eyes more, i made the distribution between the cranium and jowls a little less even to feel more natural, overall i draw his head as a sort of more guitar pick shape reminiscent of his mid-40s look) but the inspirations have stayed the same. these were all Clampett animators at one point (but also all Bob McKimson animators at one point too)—i think John Carey and Bill Melendez are probably who i’m derivative of, with more Carey in the body and Melendez in the face… but you’d be correct in deducing Clampett too

I WILL SAY THOUGH. Baby Bottleneck as a whole has drastically impacted how i draw them both HAHAHAHA. if i draw Daffy wearing a hat (like in my icon) i push his hair down, which comes from that—i always make Porky’s bow tie excessively flowy and somewhat big, which ALSO comes from that. they’re both from Rod Scribner scenes, and both things i’ve been doing since 2019 and like… cannot see myself stopping. it’s too fun. and too ingrained. i just gotta!!

SO I GUESS CLAMPETT FOR BOTH—it’s not at all on purpose because i REALLY like how a LOT of different animators and a LOT of different directors interpret them for different reasons, but in terms of how i personally draw them i guess it’s closer to Clampett-ian sensibilities. THEY’RE BOTH VERY MUCH MY OWN NOW I’D SAY i think i’ve drawn them enough and refined them enough to put my own sort of spin on them but the influences are absolutely there