Truman Music

Twitter

jthart — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:20:23 +0000

I just set up a TrumanMusic Twitter account to coordinate between Jamendo, Facebook, and other sites for music postings. The Twitter account may become more important depending upon how the new Jamendo interface develops, especially if the communications features of the old Jamendo are not reinstated.

Take a look @TrumanMusic on Twitter, Truman

Sci-Fi

jthart — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:19:40 +0000

I’ve been working on a new electronic album which I hope will be ready for release on Jamendo in April. The album is a soundtrack for a sci-fiction film, The Beings. This week I came across a link to free text, audio, and video resources for classic science fiction.

Take a look-Open Culture.

Truman

Truman Music on Bandcamp

jthart — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:15:36 +0000

I just opened up my Truman Music on Bandcamp account so that listeners who want to download CD quality wav or aiff or other uncompressed files can find them. Listeners who need only compressed mp3 files can download free mp3s from Jamendo. So far I’ve only added the single “Melody for You” and the albums Ambient Clouds and Blue Daffodils at Bandcamp but I’ll put up more singles and albums if there is an interest from listeners in the higher quality files. I may also eventually post some music at Bandcamp that is not available from Jamendo. Both Bandcamp and Jamendo have their pluses and minuses, both provide free listening to site visitors. Jamendo has a valuable social networking function and a world-wide number of listeners and contributors and is available in seven languages. Bandcamp does offer downloaders a wider range of file formats and a digital store for musicians.

Truman

New Single–”Melody for You”

jthart — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:38:17 +0000

Here’s the album description for my new single:

“This song is a musical Valentine; I recommend listening to it with a glass of red wine and some fine chocolates. The music was composed and recorded on a Yamaha PSR-S910 keyboard using the Acoustica Pianissimo Solo Grand voice; mixing was done with the Acoustica Mixcraft software and NCH Wavepad mixer software. The cover photo is from a digital photo of a pastel painting by R. Hart titled ‘More Rose.’” I worked a lot on the mixing to try to get the best wave file that would convert to an mp3 file. I’m still not sure about everything I need to do to optimize the mixing for a lossy format. Truman

New Album “Ambient Clouds”

jthart — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:58:47 +0000

Here’s the album description for my latest album:

Cloud watching is a wonderful activity in the Pacific Northwest–especially in places where the updrafts from the ocean or the waterways encounter the winds from the mountains. In such dynamic locales the formation and re-formation of cloud shapes and the movement of cloud masses is endless–with visible changes from minute to minute. Cloud watching is a recreational activity similar to bird watching with enthusiasts who carry similar equipment: binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and cameras. (If you’d like to see pictures of some of the cloud formations visit this web site <http://www.cloudman.com/gallery1_1.html> or consult John Day, The Book of Clouds.)

These musical pieces take listeners in imagination up into the vapors to travel with and through the clouds. Some of my musical inspiration for these pieces comes from the album Dive by Tycho (Scott Hansen); for me his electronic atmospheres evoke many scenes of nature. In this album I also enjoyed exploring many sound capabilities of the Native Instruments’ Maschine Mikro. Two versions of the piece “Contrails” are included in the album, placed at the beginning and end so it’s easy to compare them. I suggest that if you find a piece that you enjoy that you try listening to it in a loop; that’s a good way to hear subtle variations that can emerge in the music.

Truman

Video with Truman Music Accompaniment

jthart — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:55:07 +0000

I’m re-posting this item so that it will be available to viewers and listeners.

One of the pleasures of Jamendo for a musician is having listeners and getting reviews and comments. It’s even better when listeners make use of the music for their own art (with poems, photos, screenplays, and videos). Here’s a link <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFcSHBxfHdc> to drdiana’s video “A 2 Minute Taste of Thailand” which uses a composition “Exploring Sunset” from my first album Crossing the Sound <http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/67770>. I very much like the way she artfully blends the images with the sounds.

Truman

Pete Seeger: the Power of Song

jthart — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:51:59 +0000

I viewed the wonderful 2007 dvd documentary about Pete Seeger this afternoon. In many ways it was a walk down memory lane because much of my early musical education was from Pete Seeger’s books and records or inspired by Pete Seeger. I first started playing the five-string banjo after attending a Pete Seeger performance and used Seeger’s instructional record to teach myself how to play. Later I used many of his other records and a number of his books about folk music and guitar. (I gave up the banjo for the guitar after a few years because my large fingers could fit better on the guitar fretboard than between the banjo frets.) I still have several of those old records and music books–a favorite is the 1961 book American Favorite Ballads (Tunes and Songs as Sung by Pete Seeger). I think it might be fun to go back through some of my old music books, including those by Pete Seeger, and put together an album of cover songs. We’ll see.

Truman

Good Response

jthart — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:47:26 +0000

I was very pleased with the response to my “Blue Daffodils” album; the album received five positive reviews quickly and had over a thousand listens within a month.

As a followup, I’m close now to finishing a new-age album of keyboard pieces to be titled “Tea Time Keyboards” that will celebrate the Northwestern tradition of tea and scones. I’m also working on a new soundtrack album that will be for an imaginary sci-fi film called “The Beings.” For the latter album I may need to acquire some new software and hardware that will let me do more synthesizer explorations–we’ll see. It’s always fun to have several musical directions to explore at the same time. I enjoy the challenges but, of course, sometimes feel flummoxed when I get off into unfamiliar musical terrains.

Truman

“Blue Daffodils”–New Album

jthart — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:28:29 +0000

I just uploaded nine pieces for my new album for the new season. I hope that the album is released for listeners within a few days. I’m eager to know how listeners will respond to some of the songs. Here is the description of the album:

“The yellow daffodils of spring are long gone but now we have the blue daffodils of imagination to provide energies and color throughout the colder months. These jazz/blues pieces were composed and recorded in the spring and summer then re-edited in early autumn; they cover a range of styles and instrumentation with an emphasis on keyboard lounge music. I hope some of the songs emerge as new favorites. (The album cover is from a digital photo of the pastel painting called “Blue Daffodils” by R. Hart–thanks for the inspiration.)”

Truman

Composing and Recording–Some Slow Progress

jthart — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:18:37 +0000

I’m composing and recording for several new albums in several different styles, but progress is always a bit slower in the summer because I’m much more involved in outdoor activities. I have about five songs ready for a new jazz/blues album tentatively titled “Blue Daffodils.” Perhaps I’ll be able to get together five or six more songs for the album before the end of September. I’m also trying to learn how to use several new software packages including Antares and Melodyne software for better vocal recordings. I keep delaying putting out more vocal songs because my skills in using vocal recording, mixing, and editing software are too limited to get the sound that I want; probably won’t be ready to release vocal albums until this fall or winter. It’s fun to learn, but I do wish that I could learn the skills that I need faster–I’ll see. Truman