My Music, My Brain

 This blog is about my music. It is often hard to put it in a genre as there are so many nowadays. If you are familiar with artists like 2 Steps From Hell, Audiomachine, Really Slow Motion, and the like, you may relate some of my music in that category. It has been called 'Epic' music by some and Post Classical by others. Nonetheless my compositions from this genre are inspired by the same principles. It is a wide, aggressive, percussion heavy sound. It is mostly intended as cinematic or soundtrack type music, which is mainly heard in Film and Video Games. Many of these artists do not have a stage presence beyond symphony performances. I tend to call this genre Power Symphonic, and as an alternative to 'Epic' I may decide to call it Ultra Classical. Might as well create my own genre for my own types of music 😀. I also compose in ambient and orchestral varieties to convey emotions as described in my blog 'The One Candle'.

In my tracks, Burning Horizon, Conquerors, Bitter Frost, Brink of War, No Mercy, I created what I feel are cinematic pieces more than typical radio music. In this type of genre the sound is intended to be a bit more loud and obnoxious, as you generally hear them during some huge fantasy battle scene, and it conveys the emotion of strength and honor, as well as the clashing of sword and shield. There is also more depth and reverb as it signifies a wider spectrum of sound with the equivalent of being a 'larger than life' musical presence in these scenes.

Tracks like My Angel, A World Without You, Forever One, Crimson Rose, As I Fly Away, Tokyo Rain, The One Candle, Lullaby Moon, and others were created through emotion of love, gratitude, inspiration, and hope, as well as a smattering of solitude, longing, dreaming, and again, hope. Without the inspiration of my One Candle, nearly all of this musical work would not exist today. Many of these tracks were inspired by one single person, and the emotion that it summoned that one day about 4 years ago. I do not start with a music theory or proper sequencing of notes. I can't write sheet music, and can barely read music. I don't know chord structures by name or definition. I never studied music. It has always been natural in my own ways.

 All of my music is composed using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). In my case it is Cubase 7. I have a full Terabyte of VST libraries at my disposal, and a PC that can handle the workload. I sample all of it through my Bose stereo speakers. I understand not everyone has a great set of speakers, so I don't master anything through Studio Monitor quality speakers. One can master perfectly through studio monitors, but when you listen to the same thing through earbuds, the sound is altogether different. It is nearly impossible to create a master for every listening apparatus.

 In composing on my DAW, I use the sequencer as I'm not very capable of using a keyboard sampler. I'm a bit clumsy so I sequence to maintain the correct note timing and such. Every work is a blank slate and I have to click in the piano roll to create each and every note. Everything is digitally created and piped through various VSTs (Virtual Instruments). I have to go through the composition and correct note velocity and duration, volume, envelope, and instrument characteristic EQ one by one. I do all of this as the required number of tracks in the song would need. So loading the program, creating the workspace, importing all of the instruments, the particular type of instrument (violins have many many different types of sound/play characteristics), setting song tempo, aftertouch, velocity, mic location, and so on.

Many of my works are hybrid as I mix synths with orchestral to get an emotional setting as well as capturing the particular emotion of the song. It takes hours of clicking in piano rolls, so it is beneficial to maintain the emotive state while working on it. As an example, when I composed My Angel, I maintained an emotion of sadness, love, desire, and longing, for several days while I tried to hold that sense of how the song would emotionally impact the listener. It's more of an emotional journey than a slow melodic ambient track. I didn't create a set chord structure or 'progression'. I didn't tell myself I needed 2 sharps, a flat, and a 7 note 64th beat Arpeggiation in Dm# after the 6th note in the 2nd bar of the 3rd stanza. None of that ever occurred to me. I really have no need for a 'note wheel'. I scribe what I felt, and how it would sometimes linger in spots, and how it would portray to the listener, the state of a pure and uplifting emotional landscape. It was an expression of how someone in their darkest moment, had been saved by a living Angel, who came in and lifted them forever away from of that place.

In the track Brink of War, I tried to imagine 2 adversaries across the fields from each other, on the Brink of conflict. I tried to capture the moments before the charge, and then as they sprung into action and then the great clash happens on the battlefield. While there is little singing in my music, I do use a Chorus VST for impact in some of my tracks. In No Mercy I placed a full chorus singing 'Mercy, No Mercy' to add anticipation to the sound. In the end I included a male choir to sing 'Vi Cie Pacem, Parabellum'. It is Latin, which always has a good compliment to orchestral pieces. In this track I wanted a head pounding percussion to help raise the adrenaline level of the piece.

I have 70 tracks on YouTube, which you can find here:

My Youtube Page

While YouTube usually compresses files for space, it does lower the sound quality. In trying to present a higher quality of them songs, I have re-mastered many of them for better sound quality and are now available on Bandcamp, and Spotify. You may also find my music on iTunes, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, Deezer, TikTok, Tidal, and other platforms. Genres I have posted vary from light ambient, to classical, to Ultra Classical, to EDM, to metal, to hybrid mixes of all of them.

I'll close this one for the night, and will add to this blog frequently, just as I do with my other blogs. Until then, have a good day, and a better tomorrow!

6/2/21: In my latest track Heaven on Earth, I felt the need to create something using only strings and piano. More of an easy listening track. It is a brief emotional journey about a daydream of being happy and content with the one I'd like to be with. The feeling that everything is right in the world and the bliss that grows in the heart when everything feels complete and destined to be. Like I said, it was just a daydream. In the movie Deadpool 2 at the end, when he dies and is united with his true love, he asks 'Is this heaven?'. She says as she looks deeply into his eyes, 'It is now". That's kind of what I was aiming for.

8/1/21: My brain hasn't been in much of a creative mood as of late. Last weekend started a 5 day epic of some kind of food poisoning. It may have been something that we had in the freezer that had been recalled without our knowledge. I'm over that, but my brain is still a bit dimmed from it, and is slowly coming back online. I have a few active projects going now, but I'm taking my time with them, as my mood is not quite up to par yet, but it will be. That's just how I operate. When my mind sees something, it's inevitable that it gets done.

10/5/21: In my newest track Confiding in my Shadow, I started it out as another ambient symphonic piece while I was thinking of my crush. It is about 1 minute 25 seconds. I had decided that part was finished, and decided to add on to it, as a new idea just hit me and I just stayed in the same track. In the middle of the song there is a solo female chorus. They are saying SoReDaKe, which loosely translated to Japanese means 'That's all' or 'it is what it is'. It doesn't quite fit the theme of the track but I chose to leave it in. I then finished it off with a few bars from the beginning tribute to my crush. You may not notice but there are also 13 Bells in the track, with 1 for luck. It was dedicated to my favorite band on their 13th Anniversary. Shortly after the release of this track, I remixed it into a groove track by augmenting the percussion in it. I decided to remove the ambient introduction for time constraints, just in case someone were to use it as a backing track for their lyrics or raps.

11/7/21: As you have noticed, most of my music has a certain message to it. It is the sole reason I created it. This is why it is difficult to do collaborations with others. They have a completely different view of it, whether it be the rhythm or the melody, and would lean in to their own preferences, looking for changes that would interrupt the flow of the song. If there are additions I will require to complete the composition, I will probably just outsource it and pay the cost as it would be easier to maintain a good mental health through my creative process by adding to my vision instead of trading it off. I don't have the motivation to do 'beats' or smash loops for profit. That is not my forte. When I feel that a certain melody connects with the emotion I am feeling, I go with it. I do it for the creative process, and not as a beacon for remixes. I have been told I am too set in my ways. That may be true. I am 60. But my vision for what I make is my own, and I can honestly say I earn every note that I make in satisfaction and appreciation. I'm not competing in a popularity contest, or 'radio play' status. In most TV shows, movies, and video games, it is the music that sets the mood, and that is what I create. Most of my music has no lyrics, and it is still quite playable, and enjoyable. I don't feel the need to add extra lines because the songwriter has too many words. Or stretch the chorus, or reset EQs and overcompress everything. For those that enjoy what I make, I truly thank you, and I'm overjoyed that people like to listen to my creations. If you're looking to butcher my work, I must kindly decline. My genre is quite unique and I like it the way it is 😊

My Diet

  If you have been reading my blogs, you have noticed that I wrote about losing weight. At one time I was nearly 200 pounds. I didn't care what I ate and used the feeling of fullness as a comfort. I decided it was time to start taking it back off. I didn't rely on any weight loss pills for a very long time. I did a one-time purchase of a weight loss supplement recently, and it lasted for 1 month, which is all I wanted to kick start my metabolism. I have not purchased any more. Instead, I decided to modify my own dietary practices. I made changes in my diet and psychology of eating. The first change I made was to discard the Pavlov Programming for food. I stopped the practice of eating just because someone rang the 'dinner bell'. My thinking now is to only eat when I'm hungry. I have a very strong willpower, so it is a matter of self discipline. I eat twice a day, sometimes 3 (which is a very light snack). The practice behind eating now is that I only eat what I NEED and not what I WANT.

 Big difference there. I WANT a whole pizza, but do I NEED it? No. Does it even make sense to eat an entire pizza? I will have 2 or 3 slices, and that will do it. Always remember if you eat slower, you will 'fill up' faster, as the hormone trigger in your stomach kicks in when it senses food. While many will need to practice this, I have evolved beyond it. Being prior military, and electrical/mechanical/construction worker, you get very little time to eat, so you just inhale it and get back to work. I can swallow 2 slices of pizza, and tell myself I'm done with the meal.

 I usually skip breakfast as I have coffee instead. Lunch rolls around between 11 and noon, and I will eat whenever and wherever we decide. If we go to a fast food place, I get just a sandwich and a coffee. I rarely eat fries, and never do desert. Part of this philosophy is that I tend to disregard carbohydrates and starches. So in my way of eating, I have little to no bread, fries, and bakery products. Breads as well as pastas have a large amount of carbs, so no pasta, and very little bread. I've seen people eat a large bowl of pasta salad with salad dressing in it, and claim they are eating 'well', without realizing how all those carbs will metabolize into sugars, then into fat. You may have noticed how you get 'the drops' after a big pasta, bag of popcorn, or sugary meal. Carbs are different than calories. So a majority of what I eat is very low on carbs, starches, and sugars. My diet is mainly proteins, fats, and as little cholesterol as possible. When dinner time comes around, I have a sandwich (only 1 slice of bread) with a few spoons full of peanut butter along with either blueberries or a banana. Along with the peanut butter soft taco, I have a side of strawberries and maybe a small handful of chips for the sodium.

 Again, the goal of this type of diet is to only take in proportion to the amount of energy (calories) you burn. A sedentary lifestyle calls for a limited amount of intake, although one does need at least 1000 calories per day to function. If one burns 2000 calories per day, then appropriate intake is the key. Eating 3000 calories while only burning 2000 leaves a 1000 calorie surplus, which adds up over time. At one time I was burning well over 6000 calories a day, so I could eat a 30 oz steak and not think about it. My metabolism was like a rocket. These days it's slower, so I mind my intake and metabolic rates to insure I am losing weight and not gaining it. I normally fast from about 5pm until lunch the next day. I do drink coffee, but no food. Only if I feel shaky or week will I have a snack in the evening, but that is rare. So I fast from 15 - 19 hours per day. Most of what I've eaten has already metabolized into my system, so it doesn't get to convert into fat while I sleep.

 I don't have a programmed dietary schedule. I follow a few simple rules, that's all.

> Eat what you need, not what you want.

> I tend to eat for function, rather than for taste.

> Avoid foods high in carbohydrates, sugars, and starches if you're less active.

> Don't eat within a few hours of bedtime.

> Don't drink processed juices or sodas (carbs and sugars are way too high). Even 'diet' drinks are high in carbs and the artificial sweetener is VERY misleading.

> Avoid processed foods when you can. Read the ingredients carefully. If you cannot pronounce it, more than likely it isn't healthy. Also keep an eye on the amount of sodium in it. Even a 'healthy' condensed soup can have unusually high amounts of sodium.

> Even if you don't exercise often, try to stay active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

I'm down to 155 lbs now. I forgot to mention that 😁

 

5/12/21: I figured I'd add what supplements I take, as it is part of my intake.

1000mg of Panax Genseng with Saw Palmetto per day, 300mg Testosterone 3 times a week, 1300mg Turmeric with Bioperene and Curcumin every other day, a high potency Multivitamin containing about 40 vitamins/minerals and aminos every day, a Neurogenic compound for my brain every day, 1000 mg Garlic oil twice a week, and 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar every other day. This is what I take, but please research your needs before starting your regimen.

As for my main exercise I do abdominal crunches to trim up my core. Although I have stopped for now due to a serious medical condition, I was doing 200 crunches per evening. 60 crunches on each side, and 60 sit up crunches and 20 back crunches. I try to use all of my leg muscles when using the stairs. I work my arms with a 15 lb and a 30 lb weight along with isometric chest workouts.

5/19/21: After my surgery and recovery, I plan to begin training in Thai Chi and possibly Qui Gong.

7/3/21: The surgery has been cancelled. They can't find it, and have no interest in looking for it, so it will just float around like a dishrag. So, I have started my gym routines as well as my home workout schedule. My diet is still about the same. I just try to avoid eating junk food, and eating only when I'm hungry.

7/12/21: Also, as a rule of thumb, I try to keep my carb intake below 20 grams per day, as well as my fat intake at 25 grams. My sugar intake is usually well below 7 or 8 grams a day, and I do not have sugar drops. I avoid anything with MSG or excess sodium. 500 mg a day is more than enough if you aren't constantly dehydrated. During the warmer months it is best to make sure you are keeping hydrated, as well as taking in electrolytes and potassium. I'm down below 155 pounds now. As I have started a gym routine, I will end up exchanging muscle for fat, so the weight may not change much from now on. Just a few more pounds off my abdomen, and I'll be happy. At one point I wore size 36 jeans, and at one point, size 34 which I could not fully zip up. Presently I am down to size 32, the size I was wearing in my late 20's. I could not wear a size medium shirt, but now I fit and fill it out nicely. Always take pride in your accomplishments, when you notice changes in yourself, others will too :)

10/5/21: I'm now thinking my optimum weight is 150. With my dietary regimen and my gym routine, much of the fat I had (which wasn't much at all) is now turning into muscle. So while I'm still toning up, I am still watchful of my intake. I still Fast from 14-20 hours each day. If I really apply myself, I may be able to go to 145, but I only have about 5 pounds left to drop. After that I will maintain it with mindful and well thought out portions.