Posts :: music (rss)

I taught myself piano, mandolin, bass, foot drums, whistle, brass, and other things. I play for contra dances with Kingfisher and the Free Raisins, and enjoy figuring out how to play many things simultaneously.

• Writing Out My Tunes
  August 17, 2025
• Sturdier and Lighter Pedalboard
  August 10, 2025
• Busking with Kids
  June 08, 2025
• House Party Dances
  May 31, 2025
• Somerville Porchfest 2025
  May 10, 2025
• Risers for Foot Percussion
  April 05, 2025
• Penny Whistle in E?
  March 12, 2025
• Dance Weekend Pay II
  February 28, 2025
• Kingfisher Tour February 2025
  February 26, 2025
• Incredibow
  January 06, 2025
• Playing with Otamatones
  January 02, 2025
• Approaches to Group Singing
  January 01, 2025
• Boston Solstice 2024 Retrospective
  December 29, 2024
• Secular Solstice Songbook Update
  November 17, 2024
• Boston Secular Solstice 2024: Call for Singers and Musicans
  November 15, 2024
• Contra Musician Gender II
  November 12, 2024
• Substituting Talkbox for Breath Controller
  October 27, 2024
• Making a Pedalboard
  October 24, 2024
• Moonlight
  October 15, 2024
• Thinking About a Pedalboard
  October 08, 2024
• Switching to a Yamaha P-121 Keyboard
  Octover 1, 2024
• Editing at the Take Level
  September 24, 2024
• Electric Mandola
  September 21, 2024
• Restructuring Pop Songs for Contra
  August 18, 2024
• Simultaneous Footbass and Footdrums II
  August 06, 2024
• Spark in the Dark Guest Spots
  July 13, 2024
• Kingfisher Summer Tour 2024
  June 25, 2024
• Embedded Whistle Synth
  May 14, 2024
• Somerville Porchfest Thoughts
  May 13, 2024
• Custom Audio Switch Box
  May 10, 2024
• Accidental Electronic Instrument
  May 05, 2024
• Playing Northboro with Lily and Rick
  April 27, 2024
• Breadboarding a Whistle Synth
  April 26, 2024
• Electronic Harp Mandolin Prototype
  April 23, 2024
• Contra Chord Simplification
  April 20, 2024
• Four Local Gigs
  April 15, 2024
• Interference Issues
  April 11, 2024
• Pluck Sensor Circuit
  April 01, 2024
• Mandolin Harp Sensor Placement
  March 24, 2024
• Prototyping Pluck Sensors
  March 22, 2024
• Ugo Conti's Whistle-Controlled Synthesizer
  March 01, 2024
• Tour Retrospective February 2024
  February 28, 2024
• Band Lessons?
  February 27, 2024
• Kingfisher Winter Tour 2024
  February 16, 2024
• Experimenting With Footboard Piezos
  February 10, 2024
• Live Sound: Big-O Improvements
  January 15, 2024
• Boston Solstice 2023 Retrospective
  January 01, 2024
• Rhythm Stage Setup Components
  December 31, 2023
• The Next Right Token
  December 22, 2023
• Brighter Than Today Versions
  December 20, 2023
• Chording "The Next Right Thing"
  December 19, 2023
• Yamaha P-Series Overview
  December 12, 2023
• Bands And Low-stakes Dances
  December 04, 2023
• Secular Solstice: Call for Singers and Musicans
  November 22, 2023
• Post-EAG Music Party
  November 17, 2023
• PortAudio M1 Latency
  October 04, 2023
• Ask for Feelings not Tunes
  September 17, 2023
• Cleaning a SoundCraft Mixer
  August 31, 2023
• Bad Imitation Instruments
  August 02, 2023
• Lightweight minimal speech recognition?
  July 12, 2023
• 3D Printed Talkbox Cap
  July 08, 2023
• MXR Talkbox Cap?
  July 04, 2023
• Running Sound for Yourself
  May 20, 2023
• Two Axes of Contra Bands
  May 19, 2023
• Violin Supports
  May 07, 2023
• Kingfisher Live CD Process
  May 05, 2023
• Simultaneous Footbass and Footdrums
  April 27, 2023
• Automating the Breath Pulse
  April 26, 2023
• Talkbox Bagpipe Drones
  April 02, 2023
• Kingfisher Album Kickstarter
  March 23, 2023
• Musicians and Mouths
  March 12, 2023
• Abusing Snap Circuits IC
  March 05, 2023
• Switching to Electric Mandolin
  March 04, 2023
• Live Kingfisher Album?
  March 01, 2023
• Simplified Level Up
  December 25, 2022
• Boston Solstice Songs
  December 23, 2022
• Boston Solstice 2022 Retrospective
  December 18, 2022
• Contra Chords
  November 18, 2022
• Catharsis in Bb
  November 11, 2022
• Chord Notation
  November 09, 2022
• Open Bands: Leading Rhythm
  October 26, 2022
• Vertical Flutes
  October 17, 2022
• Abbots Bromley Horn Dance History
  October 11, 2022
• Set List Approaches
  September 23, 2022
• Failed Adventures in Delay
  September 19, 2022
• Guitar Pedals on Fiddle
  September 06, 2022
• Fully Live Electronic Contra
  September 03, 2022
• Microphone on Electric Mandolin II
  June 06, 2022
• Microphone on Electric Mandolin
  May 09, 2022
• Chording Bass
  May 05, 2022
• What Is a Major Chord?
  April 24, 2022
• What Chords Do You Need?
  April 11, 2022
• Foot-Chording Chords
  April 07, 2022
• Rhythm Stage Setup v4
  March 11, 2022
• Balancing Audio in Software
  March 06, 2022
• Acoustic vs Electric Mandolin
  February 15, 2022
• Does Impedance Matter?
  February 14, 2022
• Playing With a Talk Box
  February 03, 2022
• Infant Talk boxes?
  January 30, 2022
• Porchfest 2021
  October 03, 2021
• Pi Sound Box
  July 19, 2021
• Whistle Synth Pi
  July 08, 2021
• Android Video with External Microphone
  May 08, 2021
• Making a Kingfisher Video
  March 13, 2021
• Introduction to Heel-Toe Drumming
  February 03, 2021
• Heel-and-toe drumming
  December 10, 2020
• Velocity-sensitive electronic drum pedals
  December 08, 2020
• DIY Beaterless Drum Pedals
  November 28, 2020
• Bass Whistle in the Browser
  April 19, 2020
• Rhythm Stage Setup v3
  April 05, 2020
• Building Toe Buttons
  April 01, 2020
• Approaches to Electronic Contra
  March 28, 2020
• Series Singing
  March 15, 2020
• What Noise Does a Tambourine Make?
  February 29, 2020
• Stretching the Beat
  February 27, 2020
• Playing with Arpeggiators
  February 21, 2020
• Assembling Sets for Contra
  February 18, 2020
• More Rhythm Options
  Jannuary 31, 2020
• Porting My Rhythm Setup
  January 25, 2020
• Fiddle Effects Tech
  January 17, 2020
• Toy Organ
  January 01, 2020
• BIDA Musician Booking
  December 31, 2019
• Gortha Ick
  December 25, 2019
• Dance Weekend Schedule Checklist
  December 02, 2019
• Vocal Range
  November 30, 2019
• Bass in Contra Dance
  November 25, 2019
• Band Coaching
  November 06, 2019
• Playing Dances With a Kid
  November 03, 2019
• Multi-belled Brass
  October 24, 2019
• Whistle-based Synthesis
  October 14, 2019
• Axis-49 to Jammer MIDI Mapper
  September 28, 2019
• Resetting Somebody Will v2
  September 26, 2019
• Resetting Somebody Will
  September 25, 2019
• Standing Offer: Contra Music Feedback
  July 09, 2019
• Where are the new instruments?
  July 05, 2019
• Real Time Bass Whistling
  July 02, 2019
• Bass Whistling
  June 29, 2019
• Footboard V3
  June 25, 2019
• Instrumental Vocals
  June 19, 2019
• Rhythm Stage Setup v2
  June 16, 2019
• Adjustible Booster
  June 15, 2019
• Less Simple Contra Dance Piano
  May 22, 2019
• Scattered Tour Thoughts
  May 20, 2019
• 2019 Tour
  May 07, 2019
• What is Phrasing in Contra Dance?
  April 16, 2019
• Acoustic Footboard
  December 12, 2018
• Right-hand mandolin or guitar
  November 11, 2018
• Blinky Lights
  October 21, 2018
• Figuring out sounds
  October 14, 2018
• Festival Stats 2018
  October 05, 2018
• What is Live?
  September 26, 2018
• Rhythm Stage Setup
  September 20, 2018
• Diatonic modes as progressive flattening
  September 10, 2018
• Dual Bagpipes
  September 07, 2018
• Two Jammer Ideas
  August 19, 2018
• Synth Brass
  July 17, 2018
• More fun with multitracking
  July 08, 2018
• Virtual Wind Instruments
  June 29, 2018
• Game Controller MIDI
  June 20, 2018
• Rearranging Axis-49 Keys
  June 06, 2018
• AXIS-49 Initial Thoughts
  May 21, 2018
• Footboard v2
  April 08, 2018
• Communicating about contra dance sound
  March 16, 2018
• Acoustic Leslie Instruments
  February 28, 2018
• More Expressive Footboard Thoughts
  February 25, 2018
• Chord Shape as Input
  February 23, 2018
• Contra Dance Weekend Musician Gender
  February 21, 2018
• More Musician Gender
  February 13, 2018
• Recording your own CD
  January 31, 2018
• Lofted Grand Piano
  January 23, 2018
• Forked Brass
  November 18, 2017
• Festival Stats 2017
  October 27, 2017
• Triple Play Recorder
  July 02, 2017
• Three String Guitar Chords
  June 05, 2017
• haMephorash
  May 14, 2017
• Festival Stats 2016
  November 05, 2016
• Hexagonal Keyboard Layout Survey
  October 09, 2016
• Tune Freedom
  September 18, 2016
• How Does Streaming Pay?
  July 07, 2016
• Handling CD Money
  June 19, 2016
• What's on our stage?
  June 13, 2016
• Remote Rounds
  June 11, 2016
• Tempo Meter
  January 04, 2016
• Sinner Man: Pandemic
  December 12, 2015
• Booking Intervals
  October 27, 2015
• Historical Weekend Stats
  October 26, 2015
• Festival Stats 2015
  October 24, 2015
• Learning Contra Guitar
  September 24, 2015
• Overtone Flute
  July 12, 2015
• Speed the Plow
  June 12, 2015
• Booking Arms Race
  April 27, 2015
• Distribution of Music
  February 15, 2015
• Trumpets Belong in C#
  October 24, 2014
• Low Trumpets
  October 22, 2014
• Footboard Bass
  October 15, 2014
• Leading An Open Band
  October 06, 2014
• Getting Back On
  September 26, 2014
• Trombone Parts
  September 24, 2014
• Fixing a DI Box
  September 07, 2014
• Is Gain Like A Balloon?
  August 11, 2014
• Simple Songs For Brass
  August 10, 2014
• Contra Dance Mandolin: Chords II
  August 09, 2014
• Reference Contra Dance Sound System
  July 23, 2014
• Whoops
  July 22, 2014
• Preparing for our CD
  July 01, 2014
• Free Raisins CD Release Tour
  June 27, 2014
• Matching Tunes To Dances
  May 01, 2014
• Written Music: Corriente
  April 30, 2014
• Contra Dance Instrumentation
  March 30, 2014
• Gendered Instruments?
  March 29, 2014
• Transcribing a Set
  March 04, 2014
• Dance Weekend and Festival Survey
  February 18, 2014
• Quiet Pennywhistle
  February 11, 2014
• Contra Dance Band Size
  January 26, 2014
• Compressing Dance Recordings With FLAC
  January 18, 2014
• Why I'm Not Worried About Piracy
  January 08, 2014
• Eb Blues
  January 02, 2014
• Getting Booked For Dances
  December 28, 2013
• How to play the footboard
  December 11, 2013
• Electronic Foot Percussion
  November 12, 2013
• Designing a MIDI Footboard
  October 15, 2013
• Keyboard Boost Switch
  October 05, 2013
• Repertoire Size
  September 18, 2013
• Obama Demands Free Raisins
  July 17, 2013
• Fun With Multitracking
  July 05, 2013
• Is Pandora Really Exploiting Artists?
  June 25, 2013
• The Economics of Producing Your Own CD
  May 09, 2013
• Does my new mandolin sound better?
  March 25, 2013
• New Mandolin
  March 23, 2013
• Music: Concerts and Dancing
  January 21, 2013
• Unlinking Stereo Channels III
  January 15, 2013
• Unlinking Stereo Channels II
  January 10, 2013
• Free Raisins CD: Live Summer 2012
  January 08, 2013
• Unlinking Stereo Channels
  December 31, 2012
• VSL1818 Web Remote
  December 21, 2012
• VSL Remote Protocol: Step 1
  December 16, 2012
• Audiobox vsl1818 Remote Control
  December 12, 2012
• AudioBox vsl1818 Recording Clicks
  November 27, 2012
• Wanted: narrow neck long scale length
  November 21, 2012
• Free Raisins Videos
  November 18, 2012
• Morris Jingles
  November 11, 2012
• Songs for the Free Raisins?
  November 07, 2012
• Mezzo-Soprano Clef for Violas
  November 04, 2012
• Audio Interface + Laptop = Mixer
  November 01, 2012
• Morris Cymbols
  October 22, 2012
• Some quick song recordings
  October 17, 2012
• Trumpet and Self-Evaluation
  September 29, 2012
• Record Your Playing
  September 17, 2012
• Medleys and tune changes
  September 01, 2012
• Artificial Recordings and Unrealistic Standards
  August 08, 2012
• Following Chords
  July 31, 2012
• Open Strings in Dance Music
  July 29, 2012
• Trumpet at Glen Echo
  July 28, 2012
• Fiddle Clip-on Microphone Placement
  July 15, 2012
• When bands play confusing music
  June 13, 2012
• Microphone Testing
  June 10, 2012
• Live Music and Technology
  June 04, 2012
• The Sound of a Keyboard vs Piano
  May 23, 2012
• Free Raisins Over Time
  May 19, 2012
• Ecuadorian Pipe and Tabor
  May 18, 2012
• Keyboard Sound For Gyms
  April 22, 2012
• Concert Pitch Trumpet Fingerings
  March 30, 2012
• Teach yourself any instrument
  March 29, 2012
• Old Loud Instruments
  March 21, 2012
• Wrap a harmonica in an accordion
  March 15, 2012
• Piano and Contra Dance
  March 06, 2012
• Traditional and Retro
  February 27, 2012
• Wrapping Bass: Implementation
  February 03, 2012
• Wrapping Bass
  February 02, 2012
• Android Sound Synthesis and Latency
  January 27, 2012
• Why does the BIDA open band work well?
  January 17, 2012
• Instrument Complexity and Automation
  December 29, 2011
• Old Family Songs
  December 24, 2011
• Who needs phrasing?
  December 19, 2011
• Beats-per-minute Meter
  December 16, 2011
• Playing for the dancers
  December 08, 2011
• Squares, Contras, Phrasing
  November 12, 2011
• Calling Chords
  October 19, 2011
• Mandolin Microphone Placement
  September 11, 2011
• Tune: Corriente Del Golfo
  August 22, 2011
• Playing the Cotuit Contra Dance with the Free Raisins
  August 14, 2011
• Yamaha P85 Keyboard Hack
  July 15, 2011
• Pennywhistle Mitten, Pennywhistle Commuting
  July 01, 2011
• Techno Contra and Phrasing
  June 28, 2011
• Dancing vs Performing Over Time
  June 23, 2011
• Taking Apart a Yamaha P85
  February 09, 2011
• Two Contras: Arisia and FART
  January 15, 2011
• Junket Square
  January 09, 2011
• MultitouchMidi Screenshot
  January 07, 2011
• App Ready For Download: MultitouchMidi
  January 06, 2011
• Trackpad Synth: Video
  January 02, 2011
• Trackpad Synthesizer: Command Line Options
  December 26, 2010
• Trackpad Synthesizer: Added Velocity
  December 23, 2010
• Trackpad Synthesizer: Now a MIDI Controller
  December 22, 2010
• Macbook Trackpad Synthesizer
  December 20, 2010
• Making A and G penny whistles
  November 25, 2010
• Making a Foot Percussion Board
  November 21, 2010
• Tune Appreciation
  November 20, 2010
• A Complete Tune Index of Contracast
  November 03, 2010
• Contracast: lots of free contra dance music
  October 30, 2010
• Strings for a Viola sized Octave Violin
  May 20, 2010
• MIT Contra Dance 5/4/2010
  May 05, 2010
• looper_sync now on github
  May 02, 2010
• Goodbye ChucK; hello straight C with JACK
  May 01, 2010
• More work on looper software
  April 26, 2010
• Work on looper pedal software
  April 20, 2010
• Making a looper pedal
  April 19, 2010
• More in 10/8
  March 15, 2010
• Seems 10/8 meter isn't what I was hoping for
  March 10, 2010
• MIT Contra 2010-02-23
  February 24, 2010
• Penny Whistles
  February 22, 2010
• Tune of the weekend: Gloucester Girl
  February 16, 2010
• Tunes: Brenda Stubbert's
  January 31, 2010
• Small Loud Conical Bore Double Reed Instruments
  January 27, 2010
• Tunes
  January 25, 2010
• The Minimum Requirements For Contra Dance Music and Musings on 10/8 Meter
  January 11, 2010
• Lillibullero rhythm
  December 29, 2009
• Sonic Foot
  September 17, 2009
• Why is 'C' one foot long?
  May 7, 2009
• In Medford, Dancing and Playing Music
  June 4, 2006
• PlayGUI on MPD
  January 22, 2006
• PlayGUI: a program that should use MPD
  January 19, 2006
• PlayGUI fixes
  November 12, 2005
• PlayMusic
  August 29, 2005
• Accordion
  February 5, 2005
• Lords of the Rhymes
  November 7, 2004