Katri Vala ja Machine Men

Today I had the time to write two more Katri Vala's poems into music, sort of. Written music is not the final product - melodies, harmonies, rhythms and arranging of different instuments into one whole image on paper is not all. Sheet music is only an approximation of the final musical work of art. It can tell quite much but never all - actually notes on paper don't get even close... Mixing, how you phrase, good or bad musicianship, the equipment you record different instruments etc. can chance so much - and if there is improvisation involved...

Machine Men began today their European Tour.

Juha H.

Marshland. (Juha H.)

Muuta

Way too many other obligations... Not enough time for music. But luckily I had some time for the Internet and found this - Alan Holdsworth, one great guitar hero from my youth. He is a fantastic legato player and his sense of melody is quite a bit other-worldly - dim-chromatism in a weird way... As a great bonus there is Chad Wackerman playing the drums.

Juha H.

Yesterday's sunset at Sirkkalampi. Today I just kept on composing Katri Vala's poetry. Two more songs are done. (Juha H.)

Katri Vala

So it seems that I finally made the decision whose poetry I'll compose next. Today I already composed one poem. Katri Vala (1901-1944) was one of the great modernists of Finish writers. Now her poem Kotiinpaluu (=Homecoming) is scribled down on paper. It's a happy story of coming home and meeting again the eyes of ones lover. And I tried to write it as peacefully joyous music.

Juha H.

Mountain cranberries. (Juha H.)

Pohdintaa

All evening I've been wondering whose poetry I'll 'touch' and compose next? So I did read some Finnish poetry. And I found a couple of possible poets. I've always liked Katri Vala and actually a project I did a couple of years ago - with Maija P. - involved her poetry... Tuomas Anhava is the other one. When I was young I liked very much the japanese tanka-poems he had translated for us Finns to understand. And then at that ancient time I of course checked some of his poems, too. Time will tell...

Juha H.

Sound Forge 9

Today I got my copy of Sound Forge 9. Woah and wonderful!! I installed the software on my Main Computer in my studio and then checked it. And quite wonderful it is - as a whole. Now and finally I got a real good mastering tool for my music creating projects... Pro Tools is a wonder for recording and mixing music. But after bouncing a mixed file of music to Hard Disk I didn't know how to go on with Pro Tools - so I had to go on with some other ways... And now I' ve got Sound Forge 9 - finally and for real...

Sini and I had a campfire in our backyard. Unfortunately I burned my right-hand thumb and forefinger... How sad and miserable. It seems that for some days I cannot hold a plectra properly. So it is possibly not possible to play domra or guitar for some time. That's the way it goes.

Juha H.

Ja nyt?

What to do next? This is what I've been wondering and pondering for a couple of weeks ever since I finished my project of recording poems of Edith Sodergran. I think I'll begin to compose more songs for Sini to sing. But whose poems?

It's not yet time for beat-boxing-flute... or is it?

Juha H.

Today - Sini at sunset standing in the water. (Juha H.)

Yesterday's sunset. Today Sini and I have been married for 25 years. That's the way it goes. (Juha H.)

When I was young I thought that photographing flowers was quite abit stupid and meaningless. I didn't find the beauty within beauty... Now I see flowers as somewhat fashinating - and easy to photograph. They don't run away... (Juha H.)

Some flowers blossom - some wither away. Summer is coming to its end. (Juha H.)

What is this - a natural bonzai birch!? (Juha H.)

This is the place I was born some years ago... This summer the house was all teared down. How sad. (Juha H. - Photo: Sini)

Punk!

It's thirty years since Punk was born, they say. I was never into it. Revolting against some established pomposity was probably somewhat ok. But the Musical Stupidity through which it was so predominantly revealed was simply stupid. Utter unskilled musicianship was a tremendous letdown for me. Stupidity is stupidity even if you call it revolt... In the summer of 1977 I was already into Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, Modern Jazz and Classical music. How could I go backwards, intellectually, and try to be musically stupid? I just could not do it. Some of my friends were really into Punk. They liked the energy and revolt. They were not stupid. And the combination of it all - friends liking such musically meaningless noize, me thinking it soo stupid - was very puzzling for some time. I really tried to learn to like and understand Punk but to no avail. I even had some bands with my punk-loving-friends. My friends couldn't play any instruments - and of course we played gigs. They mostly turned into comedy acts. But fun we did have!

During the 1990-ies came Neo-Punk. And that was the time J-V began to learn to play guitar. He got intersted in Punk. And it was again puzzling for me. Neo-Punk-Rockers were lots of more musically talented than the original ones during the 1970-ies. But still no virtuosos. Some thinking and I got this evil plan and bought a CD-collection of Original Punk for J-V. When I gave it to him he was very delighted... After a couple of minutes of listening to those Original Punk Bands from the seventies he came to me and said: " They are so lousy players..." And that was that.

Juha H.

From my backyard. (Juha H.)

It's the Mushroom Season. They keep on poppin' up. (Juha H.)

Kuumaa

Hot day for me. When the temperature is too high - for me more than 25 Celcius degrees - it is not good to work with any energetic music. Flute and domra playing gets quite relaxed. Airconditioning needed. So nothing much today...

Here are a couple of nice guitar playing links - Stochelo Rosenberg and Focus.

Juha H.

While in the forest... (Juha H.)

After sunset - my backyard. Most of the day I've just been relaxing, sort of... Actually I've played flute and domra all day long... (Juha H.)

After a long week of working - campfire at my backyard. ( Juha H.)

Edith S

Now my musical project with the poetry of Edith Sodergran is done and over. I'm tired but happy and pleased.

What next?

Juha H.

Flowers from my backyard. (Juha H.)

Musaa ja Edith S.

I continued working with my project of Edith Sodergran's poetry. Sini sang her poem and my composition Vihamieliset tahdet (= Stars full of hate). It's a story of power and migth to destroy all else - to rule the world. Sini sang it quite superbly. Earlier today I mixed my song based on Sodergran's poem Pohjolan syksy (= Fall in the North)... Now the project is approximately 50 minutes long and I think it's enough.

Finnish Beoadcasting Company - YLE - has changed their music systems to Pro Tools. How nice.

Juha H.

Today Sini and I went to Toropainen's Hunting Cottage in the depths of the forest nearby... Above Toropainen banging with a hammer on his Bear-Scare-Gong. (Juha H.)

Blueberries. (Juha H.)

Lake Keitele, again. (Juha H.)

Summertime, Lake Keitele. (Juha H.)

Maija P ja Mike Stern

Maija P. visited. She recited a book of poetry and I recorded her doing it plus composed seven little melodies for flute to go with the poems... Now the whole is ready - poems, music, cover pics, linear notes and label on the CD. I sent Maija a txt.message and she visited again to get her First Copy. Then, about an hour ago, I could give her the Final Product. Nice! The whole turned out beautifully.

Now I'm listening and watching Mike Stern's DVD New Morning the Paris Concert. Wonderful music. I've liked Stern ever since he played with Miles Davis. And that was more than 25 years ago. The other musicians on the DVD are very delightful, too - Dennis Chambers, Bob Franceshini, Dave Weckl, Bob Berg and - especially - Richard Bona, an absolute jewel of a bass player. And he sings so beautifully, too. Bona is a multi-instrumentalist, not merely a bass player.

Juha H.

Photo of an explododing/imploding mushroom. Well, it's merely rotting away... (Juha H.)