Rauhaisa varjo

Finally I had some more time for music. Earlier this evening I recorded most tracks for my composition Rauhaisa Varjo (=Peaceful Shadow). Tomorrow I'll add at least one more woodwind instrument. But hard it was to lay percussion tracks with precision. I'm not a drummer so I had to do some more takes than just a few. Luckily Roland Handsonic is SO EASY to record. And what a wonderful instrument it is.

Machine Men played today a gig at the Bloodstock Festival, England. Immediately after their performance J-V sent a txt-message: " Gig is over. We played well!" Nice.

Juha H.

Viikko kohta loppuaan

My whole week has been filled with so many other obligations than music or any other form of art. Even though every day I've had a few hours off for my real passions that has not been enough. Today I could do some mixing, too... Hopefully during the weekend things get better.

Juha H.

Morning in the little harbour of Suolahti, Finland. (Juha H.) 

Lake Keitele - after sunset. (Juha H.) 

Sieni. (Juha H.) 

The poster I did today. Actually it's an old one. I just changed the date and place of performance plus some minor fixes. (Juha H.) 

Puuhastelua

Lots of varied activities. Recorded Sini's singing for one of my composition. Mixed another composition I had recorded yesterday. Played flute for some hours. Maija P. visited and she checked that the poster I had done for Kukkiva maa-project's next performance is ok and acceptable. Lots of e-mail messaging. Lots of fixing photos - and sending them... And a long trek with Sini and my camera... And I'm not even tired.

So the above is my way of having a peaceful sunday.

Juha H.

Tiitinen. The last pic I ever took of this ski jump tower. A couple of days ago it got teared down. (Juha H.) 

Above a mixture of what I did today - a composition I created, recorded and mixed.... and a fine bonfire. (Juha H.) 

Ihminen leikkii

I bought me Roland Handsonic10 - electronic hand-percussion instrument. All evening I've played with it. I've tried to get acquinted with it. And of course I did some recordings, too... Handsonic is a very nice toy. Well, well I believe that it's not merely a toy and I can create some serious Music with it.

Juha H.

Kaukaa

Today I composed a song called Kaukaa (= Far away). I wrote the lyrics, too. And I recorded the whole - some fourteen tracks running for four minutes. Actually only Sini's singing is missing - and then mixing... But that's for another day.

What's the purpose of writing Music - or creating any other object of artistic endeavor? Is it to make one's life more worthy to live? Is it merely for fun and entertainment? Is it some sort of a way of seeking the truth - a different truth when compared to scientific achievements? Is Art in essence something that science can't really grasp with its not-so-sophisticated or not-enough-sophisticated methods and equipment?

Well, well. Art - and thus Music - is different from Science - and Religion. Can it be as follows?

Science tries to find facts and truths - structures within our Universe... Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it fails - and after a failure it tries to correct itself. It slowly circles around the answers - seeing the truth from different angles and maybe sometime getting closer...

Art - actually mostly artists - try to create something never before seen, heard or felt and there can be something truthful involved...Is art always so that it can be experienced only on a personal level - so that artistic truth is always happening within?

Religion(s) claim to have found the truth and answers to quite everything. But have they really found something? Believers try to convert other people to accept - or even to submit to the views of their chosen religion. Different religions claim the truth being seen or hidden within widely varied thoughts and things... Are there some Universal Truths?

Three great achievements of mankind. And not so thorough analysis. Just some thoughts.

Juha H.

While in the forest. (Juha H.) 

Suo. (Juha H.) 

Improvisages

Improvisages had a rehearsal and a gig. Everything went fine and smoothly. We played mostly our own compositions, for example the ones called Peaceful Locrette and Dokumenttimusaa. The former is my and the latter Jori's composition. All in all music was good. Of course there was some improvising involved.

Juha H.

Paavi

Last tuesday Pope Benedict XVI had a speech, a lecture in Germany. Thursday evening I did read the whole text. Somehow some muslims have got VERY aroused because of it. Well, at first I thought that should muslims get upset because of it... Then I thought they shouldn't but I already knew they would. Why? There were a couple of sentences QUOTED from some place, some time else - from the 14th century. But for the most Pope asked the use of Reason. He actually praised the use of it in sciences and in its achievements. And so it should be within religions?? And all the media, all the world have released the couple of sentences - mostly out of the contents. Please, muslims argue with words and reason - not with violence. Why get so upset? Most of Pope's lecture was pretty Philosophical - though he did simplify many things. How else it's possible with one lecture and within one hour or so? But to point out - Reason and dialogue is the way to go - NOT rampant violence. How did muslims react?

Anyways - how many muslims or people in the West, christians or non-religious people - ever did read the whole speech? I bet NOT so many. Oh muslims be reasonable and act accordingly of your great religion, please.

Ordinarily I don't want to get into any politics - or into any religious things... I'm NOT a religious person in NO way.

Juha H.

The house I was born. Now it's being teared down. How sad but true. (Juha H.) 

Latu?? (=Skiing Trail??) (Juha H.) 

On the Beach. (Juha H.) 

Improvisages

Improvisages had a rehearsal. We, Jori and I, played music of John Coltrane, Erik Satie and Louis Armstrong. But for the most we played our own compositions. It seems that these are the ingredients of our next gig.

Earlier today Jori sent me an e-mail message with a link which leads to the Web pages of YLE (= Finnish Broadcasting Company). There is a nice video interview of Frank Zappa.

Juha H.

Machinen pojat

Machine Men, actually only J-V and Jarno visited in my studio. They recorded some synths for their forthcoming CD Shadow Gallery which should be out early next year. J-V did the playing and recording. He's quite proficient with Pro Tools. Jarno was present as the composer of the songs.

I searched music for Improvisages and found quite many suitable compositions of our own. I think we might play some Erik Satie, too...

Juha H.

While trekking today - colours of marsh. (Juha H.) 

Miles Davis

Late last night and today I've been listening to Miles Davis, his wonderous double-CD Bitches Brew. It's been a very long time I really listened to it before - actually some decades!... Free Jazz with Rock rhythms and Modal harmonies. I liked it a lot years ago. Now I understand how Miles and his band did it. Basically it's quite simple - you have to be able to play your instrument really well. After the basics you have to be able just to let go, to improvise with NO restrictions within you or your personality... Simply put - you have to be able to let go and go with the Flow ( as some people say today...). Not so many people are able to do this - improvisers are a tiny little minority... Mighty Music created Miles Davis with his band during the final years of the 1960ies. Today this made me very happy and pleased.

Juha H.

Nice Cloud. (Juha H.) 

Rauhaisaa

Recorded my composition Rauhaisaa iltapaivaa 4. (=Peaceful Afternoon 4.). New version of Pro Tools worked just fine. Lots synths - wx5s and keyboards - plus Stratocaster... On the whole the piece of music is - surprise, surprise - peaceful. Tomorrow I'll hopefully get into mixing and experimenting with the new features of Pro Tools.

Juha H.

Pro Tools

Updated my Pro Tools to 7.1. Just had the time to check that everything was fine - and found some nice new features. I'm looking eagerly forward to working with the software.

Soccer match Finland - Portugal ended just a few moments ago 1 - 1.

Juha H.

Machine Men

Just a moment ago I had a chance to listen to most of the material of Machine Men's next CD - rough mixes of eight songs with the exception of some singing, some guitars and synths. Later the band'll record a couple of more pieces of music. But already at this quite early stage the material sounds VERY good. I'm delighted. Heavy Metal with some nice surprises...

Finally today I got some 50 copies of Kukkiva Maa (=Blossoming Fields) poetry-and-music CDs. The whole is a story of a woman jailed because she loves beauty, goodness and other humane stuff... Maija Piitulainen recites poems of Edith Sodergran and Katri Vala. And I created the music...

Juha H.

Sataa

It's been raining all evening. This is good news. There was almost no rain for the whole Summer. Some little rivers that have never before dried up did so this time.

All evening I jammed with synths... And before that I played flute.

Jori is in Bulgaria having a vacation.

Juha H.

After sunset at the Lake Keitele, Finland. (Juha H.) 

Lauantaita

It's been a nice day. Weather is a bit cool and I feel fine. Autumn draws near. I like September.

Earlier today I needed to find a MIDI-cable. I knew that there is one in a not so clean closet - so I cleaned the place and found what I was searching for - the MIDI-cable. Then I connected my Yamaha keyboard to Korg N1 SynthModule and began fooling around with my fingers. N1 is quite an old synth but it still got some very good sounds - and I found one of them. Some playing and I a nice little, actually pretty childish melody was born. I wrote it down on paper. Then I loaded Pro Tools and recorded couple of keyboard tracks. The actual melody I played with soprano recorder. And then I added some counter melody with Yamaha WX5. And of course there is a lots of improvising involved... So all this means: cleaning can be a creative process, at least it can be very helpful... Thus Etelan reipas mies yojunassa (= Vigorous Man from the South in a Night Train) was born.

Machine Men are having a break with their recording sessions. Eight pieces of music they've done thus far. Later in Autumn they'll record some more and mix the whole. Up to now everything's gone well.

Sini is soon coming back from Helsinki and the day gets even better.

Juha H.

Hoikkaset

Ensemble Hoikkaset had a gig. This time we played our music on Keitele SteamShip at the Lake Keitele. Some Finish Folk, some Old Time Schlager music and some Swing Jazz... Everything was pretty ok - though it was a bit hard to play in tune on a windy lake. And the temperature varied considerably from moment to moment. But that's how it is playing LIVE music outdoors. Anyways it was fun.

Juha H.