Fingerpicking the Blues

Finger-
picking is a popular style of the blues guitar player, as well as Country and other styles.

Wikipedia states:

"Fingerpicking (also called thumb picking, alternating bass, or pattern picking) is a term that is used to describe both a playing style and a genre of music. It falls under the "fingerstyle" heading because it is plucked by the fingers, but it is generally used to play a specific type of folk, country-jazz and/or blues music. In this technique, the thumb maintains a steady rhythm, usually playing "alternating bass" patterns on the lower three strings, while the index, or index and middle fingers pick out melody and fill-in notes on the high strings.

The style originated in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as southern African American blues guitarists tried to imitate the popular ragtime piano music of the day, with the guitarist's thumb functioning as the pianist's left hand, and the other fingers functioning as the right hand. The first recorded examples were by players such as Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie and Mississippi John Hurt. Some early blues players such as Blind Willie Johnson and Tampa Red added slide guitar techniques. Fingerpicking was soon taken up by country and Western artists such as Sam McGee, Ike Everly (father of The Everly Brothers), Merle Travis and "Thumbs" Carllile. Later Chet Atkins further developed the style."

I remember my Dad fingerpicking Hawaiian Steel Guitar when I was just a kid. He and his brother, my Uncle, used to play together. They even had cut a record back then. My Dad on Steel Guitar and my Uncle on his hollow body f-hole style jazz guitar. I rarely heard them play together. My Dad was really into rhythm and percussion more than the guitar.

He had many percussion vinyl LP's that he used to play the Bongo drums along with. I guess that impressed rhythm on me at a young age, and today I am a stylized rhythm guitar player. I rarely fingerpick and I don't use the thumb or finger picks that my Dad used. I have probably only one style of fingerpicking and it is very simple in execution.

Today's photograph that I manipulated with a close crop and Painter 8 Van Gogh style is credited to Clarita. Thank you for the great photograph to work with.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: B.B. King and U2 - When Love Comes to Town
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Using Photographs for Inspiration

There are many tools for inspiring thoughts for creative writing, photographs being one of them. Old photos, family photos, scenes, landscapes, brilliant cloud filled blue skies photos, and on.

My wife found a number of older photographs I had taken quite some time ago and I found today's image from among them. As I worked on it for presentation in PhotoPaint and Paint.NET, I looked at it with fresh eyes. And to my delight a poem came to mind.

Autumn Again
© 2009 Kirk Mathew Gatzka

It was autumn again
the leaves had started to fall
there was an empty wire basket
and a pulley for it all.

The rust was sure and fast
the colors ran together
the pulley frozen in the past
the basket runneth over.

Tree bark curls away
it's an Indian summer day
minds reflection mirrors the way
Tree bark curls away

I have a couple of songs about autumn already. It is one of my favorite times of the year. Bringing memories of the end of summer and return to school, old friends and new. The anticipation of a different teacher or teachers and subjects. The walks to school through the rustling leaves and acorns.

I may build on this little poem and make a song out of it, but I may need some more time to reflect on autumn times. It's a beginning.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Autumn Day
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Inspiration Where Does It Come From?

Inspiration just where does it come from? To define it is easier to do than to use/do it.

noun: arousing to a particular emotion or action

noun: a product of your creative thinking and work

noun: a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem

noun: arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity

states the Poetry.com rhyming dictionary.

I like the "arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity." That is what I strive for each time I endeavor to write a new song. I have the pieces divided into parts like: Lyrics, Chord Progression, Verses, Chorus, Bridge, Melody, Rhythm, Rhyme, Lead, Tempo and so forth. Each one needs it's own inspiration to make it all work together, the "arousal of the Mind."

When I do a Google search on the word "Inspiration" I got some interesting results. But nothing I could use to provide a better example of how it works, or where it comes from.

Upon consideration I come up with words like: Imagination, creativity, mindfulness, experience, fantasy, real and unreal, landscape, portrait, internal and external dialogue, and love, hate, opposites, similarities, likes, dislikes, etc.

Because of the mythological connections of the Muse or muses I don't see any help there either. None of that is based upon reality, that's why it comes under the ideas of myth.

Where does it come from? Well my best answer is it comes from "within us," all our life experience and more. We, those of us who create things, art or music or writings, all have moments of inspiration, when our minds and emotions blend into an act of creativity. Something "unusual" happens. Our "intuition" kicks in and we make something up out of ourselves.

You may or may not agree with me but that is reason for commenting here if you are so moved, I invite your thoughts.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Brandi Carlile - Throw It All Away
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Classic Guitars Montage | Inspiration | gatzkART

Loss of thoughts can hamper us from writing, so we search for inspiration from any source. I recently read a blog about where and when 30 different writers find they get their best song ideas. Many of them said, like I myself, the time when you are getting ready to sleep ideas come.

There is something about that netherworld just before sleep or upon awakening that can be a treasure trove of ideas. Many said they kept pencil and paper handy at the bedside for that reason. Those thoughts are fleeting and come quietly and quickly. The need to capture them right then is almost imperative.

While working on "Reputation" one night I had some ideas right before sleep. I got my pad of paper and pen and wrote down the ideas. It helped me finish the song. I even took my guitar and played quietly through the chord progression as I fit the lyrics to them and the melody. I was able to use keywords I had mulled upon for a day or two they finally came together for me.

I recently sent a good friend, who is a great musician and songwriter, all my repertoire of mp3's. I hope to get some feedback from him on my body of work. He has received the package so it is a matter of time before he gets a chance to listen to what I sent. I look forward to his impressions as I really respect him and his talent.

He is a very accurate guy. He uses Renoise to program his work. I found it a cumbersome program but as he does programming it fit his personality just right.

I am a loose musician to his accuracy. I record my songs all the way through with all their imperfections in execution. He records with near perfection, a piece at a time. Our styles really differ. But the goal is the same - good music that others can enjoy.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Reputation
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Strawberries | Digital Art | gatzkART

Memories are a wonderful thing. Especially when they are selective. Photographs can do that for you, allow a good memory to last a long time. I remember the day we took the short trip out to this garden market near Milford, Michigan. It was a warm sunny day. We viewed the geese and peacocks there, and of course took photographs of the surrounds. I captured this photograph with my expensive FujiFilm APS Endeavor 4000SL camera in Panorama mode. It's hard to find film for this camera now. I have seen it on eBay.

I scanned it into PhotoPaint at 300dpi and resized it for the internet. I really like the Panoramic mode of this camera and miss it as a function. I love my digital camera and wish it had that as a function or mode. Photostitching is not all it's cracked up to be. (Though I do have a pretty nice photostitched image of the wife's back garden. It still shows some of the duplicated areas if you look closely. Maybe it's the program I used?)

I did very little digital work on this image. The size of and amount of the strawberries speak for themselves and needed little in the digital darkroom to adjust that. Holding the real print in hand, gently, and enjoying the memory is something that digital really doesn't have. Of course, one can print out the digital into a print and use that as a memory keeper, but the life of a digital image is less tangible.

Easier to share, but it has a less tangible effect without the tactile feel of holding the print and examining it.

But back to Strawberries, our lovely friend gave us a bowl full just lastnight, and they are almost gone already. A deeper red color than the ones posted here, they were a combination of tart and sweetness that was delicious. Eaten along with some vanilla ice cream, it was a great treat.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Reputation
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Classic Boatback Automobile

Though you can't see the "boatback" rearend of this vehicle it is a Classic. This photograph was taken years ago with my Pentax K1000 35mm camera, at Howell, Michigan. They had a hot air balloon fest complete with car show and eats and live music.

I scanned in this photograph at 300dpi and opened it in PhotoPaint. I increased the saturation by about 7, sharpened it and Blur> Tune Blur> directional blur> softened it a bit. I filtered it with KPT's Collection Pyramid Paint. Added the "blue" sky with a gradient fill. Now it has a soft painterly look to it.

I like the background of this as it shows other classic cars in the show and people enjoying it all.

My song about "Reputation" is building slowly. I am using words like legacy and integrity and reap. Interesting challenge this one. I am working on it more than some subjects as a good reputation is an important thing, it means a lot. "What is their Reputation like?," is a common question about business, individuals, manufacturers and so on. The song is more about one's personal reputation than business.

I plug along, steadily.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Black Crows - Seeing Things For The First Time
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Old Wooden Face

Ever meet some one who was wooden faced? My Father n law had Parkinson's and his facial expressions were very frozen by the illness. It was sad to see happen to him.

On a lighter side is today's image. It began as a photograph taken with my Pentax K1000 35mm film camera. I have a couple of exposures of this "sculpture". This close up is so humorous I can't help but smile while looking at it.

I played around with the 300dpi scan of the photograph to add depth and color so that the face would really stand out. I sharpened it a couple of times. Deepened it with PhotoPaint's Tone Curve> darkening it a bit. Applied Harry's Plugin's Artistic> Atmospherizer> to add color and more depth.

The original photographs were taken on a walk in Fowlerville, Michigan, near my Mother's apartment when she lived there. It was being at the right place at the right time. It evidently began it's life as a stump of a tree that had been cut down, it was right on the property line so i could get very close to it. The "sculptor" did a magnificent job of creation. I love the expression and the hat!

If you do a search on images "stump sculpture" you can find many amazing wood sculptures of differing origins. It is an interesting pastime.

I have been thinking about my song on "Reputation" and have a few ideas to flesh out the lyrics but have yet to put anything down on paper and rhyme the ideas. There is the idea that at the day of one's death you have made your reputation, whether good or bad, and at a time of mourning another's death, it is a good time to reflect upon how you are doing thus far with building one.

Serious stuff. Not sure it will make it into the song but this has been what I am considering about how an individual will build a reputation. Some ideas nontheless.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Beth Orton - Stolen Car
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Guitar Mashup Collage - Picasa 3

Guitars are amazingly diverse. From the Classic nylon stringed to the exotic electric steel stringed they fascinate and entertain.

Wikipedia states:

"Guitars are recognized as one of the primary instruments in flamenco, jazz, blues, country, mariachi, rock music, and many forms of pop. They can also be a solo classical instrument. Guitars may be played acoustically, where the tone is produced by vibration of the strings and modulated by the hollow body, or they may rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Such electric guitars were introduced in the 1930s and continue to have a profound influence on popular culture.

Traditionally guitars have usually been constructed of combinations of various woods and strung with animal gut, or more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers. There are many brands of guitars, but some commonly known brands are PRS, Gibson, Dean, Gretsch, Ibanez, Martin, Jackson, Schecter, and Fender."

Profoundly influential is an understatement. They are now ubiquitous, that is they are everywhere. I am listening to some African influenced world music right now and there in the mix is the guitar. World renowned the guitar is used to make various styles of music but always remains recognizable as it's sound and in it's use.

I can remember wanting one from a very young age to my getting one from my Uncle to see if I would learn to play it, then when I proved my interest I was rewarded with my first Acoustic guitar. I began to play in earnest and from my roots in the 60's and forward I wrote songs. Some of them were really poorly constructed songs others went on to impress my Dad, who was hard to impress.

I recall learning Jim Croce's "Working at the Carwash Blues" (a job I had done as a teenager) and my Dad was really impressed. Also a quiet song I played one night at our campsite about a man who lived all alone, in a very small home, surprised him that I wrote it myself. It was pleasant to make an impression on my Dad. One does want to have their parent's approval and he was always skeptical about my approach to the guitar and songwrting.

Today's image is a Picasa 3 collage of guitars. I used Paint.NET's Artistic> Ink Sketch> filter on it and resized, framed it in PhotoPaint. I have guitars on the brain today.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Amanda Marshall - Dark Horse
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Vector Play

Busy day today so I will have a short post. I have shared a Vector image I made using CorelTRACE of a bit mapped image. I opened the CMX file in CorelDRAW and played with the edges of this image of a young woman posing in front of a fence and an old farm implement.

I have lost track of the origin of this photograph as I had looked for a few portraits and I had Notepad open to track them. I must have not saved the text file with the credit! I give thanks to the photographer for this, and would be happy to give credit to them if anyone recognizes the basic image.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Avril Lavigne - Complicated
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Guitar Collage with Kaleidoscope Segments

Up last night practicing some of my newer songs. It always amazes me that they are my own songs and I need to "remember" how they go! Some times I get the rhythm wrong on the chords and have to fiddle around with the chorus or bridge to remind myself how to play the verses, or the other way around.

It really shows the importance of practice, even when looking on the page with the lyrics and chords right in front of you, you can make mistakes in the execution of the song.

So I was having a good time playing them and working my mind and coordination on the melodies and chords and rhythms. Practice is good!

I took an image I have worked on before and added some changes to it. I used PhotoPaint with the Plugin Site's Harry's Filters to create the colors of the black and white image I started with. Saved that file and reopened in Painter 8 and used the layers function to add Kaleidoscopic pieces to the image. The collage now has new interest put into it. I used the effect at 100 pixels and 200 pixels for the layers then dropped all to form the one layer with all the pieces mirrored I wanted.

I got an idea for a theme title for a song from Lyric Ideas again. This time it was "Reputation", I am not completely satisfied with the lyrics. Too simple of an idea that being true to oneself as a good person will result in a good reputation even when others try to smear it.

Kept the chord sequence simple and used major chords with a bit of minor thrown in.

But I was writing, even if it is not as successful of a song I am keeping the effort going. I can revamp the song at anytime if I come up with additional ideas for a better basis to keeping a good reputation.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Reputation
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Digitally Painted 12-String Guitar

Started the day about mid morning. Slept funny with odd dreams. Lately even my song writing efforts have been in my dreams, I must be processing something. I hope that the processing works into the process of actual songwriting.

I must say I am frustrated with being online with dial up connection, it is so slow and tries ones patience. I miss so much like simple podcasts, or videos, and even flash productions. They are just incredibly slow to load and or stream.

But I like having access to the Internet. It affords me opportunities I would not otherwise have. Like my blog for example. I would not have a showcase for my digital visual art or music discussions.

Today's example of that is a close up of my 12-String Guitar. I used Painter 8 to create the painted feel of the piece with the watercolor brushes. Prior to painting I ran the photograph through PhotoPaint and used the Effects> Art Strokes> Crayon filter on it. This gave it a hand worked appearance that I really liked. I added some spotlighting with KPT's Collection LensFlare filter. It brightens up the image and helps lead the eye around it.

I recently added some Google Alerts to my email. I now receive notification of Digital Art and Music Blog postings to the web. I find this useful to keep up on what is going on in these fields. It really is easy to do and fulfilling to my appetite for keeping current.

If I find really helpful postings I can Tweet them to my friends who have similar interests. I am also following some of the main music industry Tweets, like RollingStone, Epiphone, etc. Also some interesting folks who Tweet helpful songwriting information.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton - Ride The River
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Guitar Letter R Bottles - Still Life - "Time Will Tell" lyrics

Jennifer13 at WetCanvas Took the original photograph for today's image. A still life of a 6-String guitar some bottles and a large letter R.

Again I found this in the Reference Image Library of WetCanvas, searching on "guitars".

I used Paint.NET to make a Pencil Sketch of the photograph. Then using PhotoPaint I adjusted the saturation and the tone curve as the image was very light. I mirrored the image. I added KPT's Collection Pyramid Paint filter and over laid the pencil sketch as an object. Applied the property Multiply to the object for transparency. Then merged the object. I added a small black frame to the piece for showing the larger image on the white background when you click on it.

I have been using a program called TwitBin for Twittering. It takes up some realestate on the page but show all my friends comments, the Public's, and Mashable's comments with a click of the button. As I haven't tried other programs like TwitterFox or others I have no comparisons to make. But I like TwitBin thus far. It allows me to track tweets and tweet my new posts to this blog.

Google Analytics showed me last night I had reached 1,010 pagviews on my blog since March 16th, 2009. And BlogCounter shows over 900+ hits on the main page. I am very pleased with having a readship of any size and want to thank all of you who continue to visti here and read my posts!

I took an older idea from Lyric Ideas website challenge called "Time Will Tell" and attempted to write a song based on that. I tuned to Drop D, capoed up to the third fret and played some basic chord structures in a progression. I can't name the chords because I use differing chords than the usual tuning, I am limited in my musical knowledge. I used a backbeat from Dooley's Drums free drum loops as well.

Hear are some of the lyrics, I did not use all of what I wrote:

Time Will Tell

Time will tell
I wish you well
no hard feelings here

the Intimate times
like nursery rhymes
can grow up too my dear

We had our days full of love
We had our times of hate
Often times we reached above
The times we could not relate

Sad to say that times can end
parting from one another
is never easy but we bend
rather than stay smothered

Time will tell
I wish you well
no hard feelings here

the Intimate times
like nursery rhymes
can grow up too my dear

painful as it can be
breaking up can see true
You weren't meant for me
I wasn't meant for you

Time will tell
I wish you well
no hard feelings here

the Intimate times
like nursery rhymes
can grow up too my dear

Of course I consider these to be © 2009 by Kirk Mathew Gatzka, all rights reserved.

I do enjoy the challenge from Lyric Ideas, So far I've written three songs from their challenges. I realize that others are doing the same and claim their own versions, too. If you get stuck they can be a real help for a beginning idea to a song. I would like to thank them for the help!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Time Will Tell
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Guitar-like Cuatro & Bougainvillia

Cuatro & Bougain-
villia is from a photo-
graph by Tony Jazz of WetCanvas. Once again I got the photograph from the Reference Image Library searching on "guitar".

The Cuatro is not a guitar but is related to them. Wikipedia states:

"The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments. Very little is known about the exact origin of the Cuatro. However, most experts believe that the Cuatro has existed on the island in one form or another for about 400 years. The Spanish instrument that it is most closely related to is the vihuela poblana (also known as the Medieval/Renaissance guitar), which had 4 courses, 2 strings each for 8 strings in total as well as the Spanish Medieval/Renaissance 4 course citola and the Spanish Laúd, particularly in the Canary Islands. The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B, E, A, D and G, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons."

I have never played one but find them fascinating and would like to.

Bougainvillia is an interesting plant, the white flowers actually being bracketed by colorful paper thin leaf-like material. Wikipedia has more information as well on this flowering vine.

I opened the photograph in Paint.NET and used the Effects> Artistic> Pencil Sketch> filter and saved that image. I then brought the photograph into PhotoPaint and used KPT's Collection Pyramid Paint filter on it giving it a painted feel. I added the Pencil Sketch as an object over the image and used the object property Multiply on it to make it tranparent and give lines to the piece. I did this a couple of times to get a full contrast of light and dark. I upped the saturation by about 15 in PhotoPaint as well.

I applied OptikVerves Photography filter to it using Film #2 1600 ISO/ASA to get the grain for the final image. I also used the warm filter there too.

Last night I finished the song "Got Your Clouds In My Sky" a little bit Country, a little bit Folk. I used a nice chord progression: C G C D7 G for the chorus. For the verses I used: C Em three times finishing with C D7 G. A bridge was added as well: Em C four times. I added a bit of lead using Gearbox's Nashville guitar model. Of course, I recorded it using the Toneport.

My favorite critic, my wife, says I should try and sell my songs. Bless her heart!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Got Your Clouds In My Sky
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6-String Guitar - Waterfall

Listening to Tom Petty's Greatest Hits right now. I'm enjoying it! He is a great songwriter, and a good performer, plus his band, great fun!

I have returned to the guitar motif for my image of today. I garnered this photograph from "Tony Jazz" at WetCanvas' reference image library. Many thanks to them for providing a great source of images.

I opened this in PhotoPaint and upped the saturation by 9. Using the Image> Adjust> Tone Curve> I deepened the colors. I applied the Thredgeholder plugin from Little Ink Pot to create the lines. Copied that to the clipboard and pasted it into the image as an object and using the object properties Multiply I made it transparent so the colored image shows through. Then I merged the object to the background.

Just listening to music right now. May practice later on. I have been working on a lyric, the idea taken from Lyric Ideas site, GOT YOUR CLOUDS IN MY SKY. A simple lyric thus far, but no music, chords, melody as of yet. I really like the challenges that they post as they do give you a starting point as a title or a phrase that you can grow a song from.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
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In Love and Just Married

Weddings another rite of passage for many. We attended this one last night. It was a very nice wedding ceremony and reception. The wedding talk was good and the vows went without a hitch. The food at the reception was good, and the cake rich. It was an honor to be there.

I opened this photograph in Paint.NET and used the Effects> Artistic> Ink Sketch> filter on it, upping the coloring and decreasing the ink saturation. I did not want the image to be too dark.

The couple was dancing their first dance together when this was taken. For those who are fashion conscious the colors were Teal and Black for the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

I am going to share all of my music with a close friend who is a really great guy and musician songwriter. We have collaborated in the past on about three songs, mostly for the fun of it. One of the songs I recorded with a small microphone and no Toneport, just through the PC's on board sound card. "Reasons to Hold On" (© Rial / Gatzka) is a nice tune and we recorded it with two male vocals, myself and my son, and one female vocal, my wife, accompanied by my 12-string guitar.

We played this recording and sang / lip-synced to it at my daughter's wedding as a surprise for her and her new husband. My daughter cried, but it is not a sad song, she just was overcome by emotion. That was another nice wedding.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - GDEmAmD
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Classic Mustang - Recording

"Mustang Sally" was a hit song many years ago as I am sure some of you remember. This blue Mustang is another painting done in ArtRage, the detail on the engine was tedious to get it right, but worth the work.

I hope you are enjoying the Custom Cars motif I have been displaying. The paintings were great to work on and produce with the aid of digital painting programs like ArtRage.

I have a few guitar images I have garnered from the Reference Library on WetCanvas that I will be experimenting with soon. I do love a good guitar piece and like creating them.

As I was practicing yesterday on the guitar, I found a couple of Beatles tunes that I have had for some time, from the old OLGA website. Chords and words together.

I decided to record two of them as covers, "If You've Got Trouble" and "I'm Looking Through You." They both turned out pretty good but I like the second one I mentioned the best.

I had to capo up to the third fret to sing it. Without the capo it was way to high a vocal for me to sing, even though I have a fairly high singing voice, my range is OK. I don't know if I would be considered a tenor, never had anyone tell me if I am. I don't know the names of all the vocal ranges well and where I appear on the chart.

You can always have a good time with a Beatles song. They wrote some great tunes.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Adam Ant - Wonderful
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The Old Diner - Custom Cars

Diners were popular hang outs for Hot Rodders back in the day, as well as drive up burgers joints. Here is a composite image that started as a photograph of a old diner/gas station near Grand Ledge, Michigan. I took the photograph many years ago with my Pentax K1000 35mm film camera.

I added the darkened sky, the three custom cars in the parking lot, the Diner and EAT signs. All of the work was done in PhotoPaint.

The Corvette is my wife's favorite kind of custom/stock car. I like the Evening feel of this image, a night at the Diner. I did not use ArtRage for this image as I wanted a clean view of the Diner and the cars parked outside, but it is a part of my series of 12 Custom Cars/vehicles.

Nothing to report on the music side of the creative effort today. I have to do some practice later today. Got to keep up with the songs I have already written, need to stay in practice.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Indigo Girls - I Don't Wanna Talk About It
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Muscle Car and Neil Young

Muscle cars were/are gas guzzlers but they sure are distinctive cars. Many people really like these automobiles and love the classic lines. I did this in ArtRage as I have the others I have been showing recently. Also done in 2007 as a series of 12 images.

I watched an American Masters show on Neil Young last night on PBS. It was very well done. Mr. Young has always been true to his music even when others were what he called "collateral damage", at times. The link above is for broadband users to watch some of his performances.

The show covered his career very thoroughly and had great footage of his performances. I have a copy of CSNY's Music Made Easy for Guitar (basically the DejaVu album) and have covered "Helpless" and other songs from the book. I have included them in my recordings for my family and friends.

I had my wife listen to my newest song effort and she likes it as an instrumental. She felt it was smooth and catchy as it stands now. So I may not add any lyrics to it. The lead I play on it is simple and basic. For those interested in chord progressions I used the following:

G D Em Am D for the main verses
C G, C G, C G, Am-D Am-D Am-D for the chorus
Am7 Em7 D7 for the bridge.

With a basic strumming through the song, I did a quick change on the Am-D in the chorus. If you copy it you will find it a pleasant progression to work through. Enjoy!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Neil Young - Falling Off The Face Of The Earth
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Classic Roadster - Songwriting

Continuing with the Custom Cars motif I have shared another Classic Car a Roadster. This was also painted in ArtRage the oil painting emulation program. Based upon a photograph taken by my son Keir M Gatzka.

I did try to sell these images as greeting cards when we had the Omniartz website (name now in other hands). I garnered some interest in the images. People identify with recognizable things like cars. And many like custom cars.

I recorded my new chord progression with the Toneport UX1 and Gearbox. I used two guitar models for the rhythm. One with quite a bit of treble for a tangy sound and one with a bass tone called Archtop Jazz guitar.

I added some simple lead (a Jimi Hendrix fuzz model) playing to it and it sounds very nice. I still have to work out the melody and lyrics. May take some time as it is not coming easy - some songs you really have to work at. I may need to go to the lyrics site for some ideas if nothing gels soon. A little help with a theme or title or chorus would be a great help.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Inxs - Mediate
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Classic Station Wagon and GM Reminder

Custom Car images painted in 2007 using ArtRage is my current motif. I have a few to share so I am using them to do so.

Like previously I have taken this from a photograph at the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise. It takes place every August, with all the custom cars you would want to see and photograph. I like the little GM reminder in the image, the Big 3 are having a troubled time right now, as we all know.

Thousands of custom cars cruise Woodward Ave and show off. They even allow some to burn rubber, but that is kept to a minimum, I guess it is possible that a car would lose control and hurt someone.

Music wise, I am practicing an new chord progression. This was taken from a list of possible progressions from the Internet and I am combining two sets of them with an additional bridge set I made up. I am working on the tempo and rhythm of this progression and it is encouraging thus far. I think it is sounding fairly good. The melody is coming slowly as I practice the chords.

I don't have any lyrics in mind yet. I was also working on a poem about my Dad and Father n law and the similarities in their lives as well as the differences but it is not lending itself to a lyric. No rhyming, just statements about them.

One was a father of five
One was a father of six

Both married for life
They each had only one wife. (here is an unintentional rhyme!)

One was an electrician in trade
One was an asbestos worker in trade.
Both worked in construction.

And things such as this. If I could make up some more rhyming verses it might make for a nice "tale" song. But thus far it doesn't fit the chord progression at all. Maybe in the future I may use it for a song. I find telling a tale a difficult project for a song. Especially with a long poem to work from - too many details for a song.

So I need some inspiration for a lyric for this chord progression. (As an aside I like the spell checker in blogger a lot! Helps me often as I type away reversing letters and just not getting the words right!) Well write on my readers!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
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Classic Red Chevy

ArtRage was a free painting program that imitates oil painting really well on the computer. Now they have placed a small fee for it on their site. It is only $25.00 and for what you get it is a great price.

I have the free version and did this painting of a Classic Red Chevy. I did it in 2007 as the signature shows. It is a challenging program but it really emulates oils wonderfully.

I thought I would stick with a car motif for a few posts, as I have quite a few images of custom cars I have done. I always augment my use of other paint programs with PhotoPaint, as in the case of the windows, chrome, flames for this image. As well as resampling for presentation here.

I had a family gathering to attend yesterday, a graduation party. There were many in attendance, a good group.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Garth Brooks - The River
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Changing It Up - Hot Rod

Given the large collection of custom car photo-
graphs we have from various years of the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise I am using a Hot Rod Photograph today.

This photograph was taken by my son who usually attends the Dream Cruise with his Uncle every year. With the trouble the Big 3 are having this year some of the sponsors have pulled out, but I am certain that they will have a Dream Cruise on Woodward Ave this year despite of it.

I used Paint.NET for the ink like lines and PhotoPaint for the adjusting of size and framing this photograph. The colors are deep and unique. I added the blue sky color to this image using the wand mask and the fill tool with a radial gradient.

Yesterday I practiced my guitar and singing on some of my songs and typed up two songs that needed formatting for my notebook of originals. I also took the Just A Chill Out Song and tried some chords with it - I am still working on it, tempo, chords, melody all need work.

I started with an upbeat tempo but being a Chill Out song I don't know if that is appropriate. Maybe a chilled out tempo would work better, I am undecided. Songwriting, always a challenge, always interesting, rarely boring!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: George Harrison, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan - My Back Pages
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DaVinci and Dover Clip Art Montage

I have a lot of different images by DaVinci and some Dover Clip Art and I played around with them today to create this montage image for today's post. It doesn't have a music theme as many of my images do. But it is striking in it's own way.

I used PhotoPaint and browsed for images to use in Picasa 3. I was striving for a balanced piece with the DaVinci drawn face and binary code, alphabetic characters, along with some floral images.

I may have some time today for practicing guitar and playing with lyrics and chord progression. I may try to put "Just a Chill Out Song" to music. Depends on how long I have quiet here. The neighbor just finished mowing and weed-whacking his lawn. Man was it noisy! But it really needed it it was way too long.

I think I am pretty much out of my slump, now. Which is way cool. I really hate a long dry spell creatively. I have had much encouragement from others to ride it out and look ahead to better times. Always appreciated!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: George Strait - Ocean Front Property
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Just a Chill Out Song - Riverscape with Guitar

Lyric Ideas for Songwriters is a website I ran across doing a Google Search. They have published song ideas that you can use free of charge. Their challenge this week was JUST A CHILL OUT SONG, so I tried my hand at using it for a beginning point.

Here is the resulting poem/lyric:

JUST A CHILL OUT SONG

Laid back
Frayed slack
Nothing's coming back
Just a chill out song

No worries
No hurries
Nothing's a fury
Just a chill out song

Some times you need to relax
Those times when you have to bend
Those times when something lacks
Wind blowing storm coming to an end

World trying to take you out
People raising great havoc
They're not sure what it's about
You're resting in your backyard hammock

Laid back
Frayed slack
Nothing's coming back
Just a chill out song

No worries
No hurries
Nothing's a fury
Just a chill out song

It's just a chill out song
Taking it easy is not wrong
Stress is a buster a killer too
Chilling out is the thing to do

Later on you be back at work
Taking on a load of woe
Right now you are doing bodywork
Mind resting building slow

It's just a chill out song
Taking it easy is not wrong
Stress is a buster a killer too
Chilling out is the thing to do.

It was really enjoyable to do some writing trying to break out of a slump. I may take this as a lyric and add chords and a melody for practice and a mental workout. I think I am coming out of the slump.

The image for today's post is from a photograph taken in Alaska and an close up image of my 12-string guitar superimposed upon it. I used Paint.NET for the line work on the photograph and after saving that file opened it in PhotoPaint. I used OptikVerves filter on it to give it more grain as film#1 at 1600 ISO/ASA. Using another photograph close up of my 12-string I resampled it to fit the riverscape image. I made it a pencil sketch in Paint.NET and copied it to the clipboard and placed it as an object on the riverscape image. Using the object property Multiply I superimposed it on the image and merged them together.

So slump time is decreasing as creativity refocuses itself. Boy am I glad!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: G-N-R - Patience
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Poem About Writer's Block - Guitars Collage

I am struggling with a slump for writing new songs so I did an exercise in writing about being blocked. Here is the result:

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

Blockade
Roadblock
Writer’s cramped

Purification of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

The question begs when
Where have my thoughts been
It always starts with begun
And all I have to do is sung:
“All I have to do”

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

The question begs when
Where have my thoughts been
It always starts with begun
And all I have to do is sung:
“All I have to do”

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything bought
Or sold – Or sold – Or sold

I did re-record "When the Stars Go Blue" cover after Tim Mcgraw's version. And my wonderful wife likes it so I am guessing I did pretty good on it. I did play and sing on two tracks to add a fullness to the recording using an R&B Vocal model. It gave it some reverb and sounds nice. A differing version of the song, of course.

I have something else to work on today so no guitar work or songwriting efforts for now.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
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Abstract Guitar Collage

Sometimes it is enjoyable to look at things through different viewpoints. This Collage was done in PhotoPaint quite a while ago. I did a lot of cutting and pasting, very intuitively. I don't recall all the steps I took but I do like the end result. A rather mysterious look into the guitar as motif.

I did practice and sing yesterday. But while I was recording a particular song with some high notes my voice cracked, just before the end of the track. As I record my songs live I will have to correct that by re-recording the whole song. But the tempo was better and closer to the original song I am doing the cover of. So I need to be careful of those high notes.

I still feel like I am in a slump as far as songwriting goes. I haven't had any new ideas or poetry or lyrics, nary a chord progression to be found. I am waiting to snap out of it. And I know that it will happen soon, it is just a matter of time and patience.

Any one who knows of some exercises to get out of a slump can shoot me some pointers, I would appreciated it. Maybe a trip to the library or a book store would help. I have been contemplating that as one way. Libraries are filled with ideas, and book stores also carry music books for the encumbered.

I will be out of this soon I can feel it!

12-String Guitar at Rest

My 12-string guitar has been at rest for a few days. I am in a slump, which happens at various times for all of us I would surmise.

I have been listening to music though. Some Guess Who from the late 60's and some George Strait, Country. Differing music can help you to come up with good ideas for songwriting.

Lastnight we also listened to some comedy: "There's Your Sign" and Cosby's "Chicken Heart" and some others of Cosby's. Very good humor and great timing.

Needed a pick me up so the laughter was welcome. Nothing like a good larf.

I used a few filters on this photograph as well as cropping. Opened Picasa 3 to browse using the search function for "guitar" and found this photograph. used the Open With PhotoPaint. Cropped it and saved to the clipboard, closed the photograph and opened from the clipboard. I used the Thredgeholder filter to get some lines and shading. Then I used the undo to bring the image back to the original crop. I used the Effect> Art Strokes> Crayon> filter on the image. Pasted the line image as an object into the piece and used the Object Property> Multiply to make it transparent. Dropped the object to background.

Hope to play some guitar this afternoon. Actually need to to break the slump I'm in.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Guess Who - No Time (Rare Long Version)
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