Nath Core Theme - 101BPM - Development

Having barely survived last week, I have implemented the changes that Charlotte and I agreed upon when I was in North Carolina. I relaid my studio to make better use of the space and to encourage me to play more - which is a ridiculous thing to struggle with as a musician - and it seems to have worked. I found this theme when riffing off the Marseillaise on Charlotte's old Kimball and I think it has potential.

The tempo is horribly slow and will probably be closer to 114 than the current 101 but then - who knows where it will end up

This is off the Grand Piano sample through Reason and I'm gonna sit and listen for the string melody. Sure the right hand figure is a little repetitive (i.e. it doesn't change at all for 3 minutes!) but the piece does have that calming fade to the background effect that I like in music2work2.

More coming soon...

Julian Treasure: Shh! Sound health in 8 steps

Another fantastic TED presentation from Julian Treasure on the power of sound (you can see his first one here). He makes some great points here but I particularly warmed to his statement that "Musician's have bigger brains!" - who knew?

Review: Sora - Celtic / World Music with an Angel Voice

We're on a Celtic kick at the moment - not least 'cos of the free website giveaway that a musician / band or artist can win over at Kilted Chaos - but specifically because this week we've been listening to the music of Sora.

Sora is a Canadian Celtic / World singer songwriter who's new album Heartwood has just been released; you can hear it streaming on MySpace by clicking on the image below.

Immediate reference points are Enya & Loreena McKinnitt but Sora is all about the voice - and what a voice; it reminds me of the double edged broadsword that William Wallace wields in Braveheart - which could sound pretty scary but she has the control to harness its power & deliver some of the simplest and cleanest melodies I've heard in a long while. My mum would absolutely love this.

Sora's music can be found on a number of web sites, but her MySpace page is probably the easiest - there are 10 tracks available for streaming from Heartwood and they're all worth getting to know. Quick note on her production and the musicianship of her band - they're great! You can buy Heartwood from CDbaby

One of the things that I think Sora does well is the use of her video blogs - she has an infectious personality and is clearly passionate about what she does - you can see them on her website and her facebook page. Her website looks as though it could use a hand as getting around is a little difficult - she should definitely enter this competition.

Sora's official web site is www.soramusic.ca.
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