Which person do you think about the most? Living or dead.

Well, yourself. Of course.

How about, after yourself, which person do you think about the most?

Family & friends, loved ones. This is just as obvious.

Let me rephrase once more: Which person do you think about the most, which is not yourself, family member or friend?

I think my answer is Santiago Cañizares, a football goalkeeper who played for Valencia and Spanish National Team in the 90’s and 00’s.

Before you start to thinking I’m a crazy person, let me give you an explanation:

Cañizares was a terrific goalie and won many club titles. In the national team however, he was unfortunate enough to have his career sandwiched between goaltending giants Zubizarreta and Casillas. In 2002 Cañizares got his big break. He was the first choice keeper for the upcoming World Cup.

Just weeks before the competition, disaster struck! Cañizares severed his tendon in a freak accident, involving broken glass from an aftershave bottle. The result: Goodbye World Cup & hello surgery.

(I read years ago that he dropped the bottle and tried to stall it with his foot, but couldn’t find any information about this)

So, ever since the early summer of 2002, everytime I grab that aftershave bottle to disinfect my face after shaving, I think of Cañizares, and act very carefully. And I do shave quite a bit, so that’s a lot of thinking of a particular retired football goalie!

It’s a pity that Cañizares never played for any team called UNITED. That would’ve been a nifty segue for todays tune.

Three amigos – Three friends
Three Days Grace – Three Dog Night
Three kingdoms – Three kingdoms
Three-toed sloth – Three-toed earless skink
Three of a kind – Three of a perfect pair
Three little pigs – THREE LITTLE POETS
Three-point field goal – Three-point lightning
Three crowns – Three lions
Three Rivers x1234

Now here’s a song title that has been sitting on my hard drive for a while: I SAW HER SPAWNING THERE. To my amazement, göögling the phrase gave no results. So, I call first on this one.

For those who absolutely despise lazy wordplay in a (supposedly) humoristic context: I’m sorry. I shall refrain myself from making such dumb remarks.

Now, concerning the tune in question, it sorta kinda asks the question: Should you go clubbing, if your ball and chain lets you, or do you get maced to the face?

Also, happy birthday L.!

Now here’s a mother of all inside jokes:

“MI-tilanne. Ei voi vetää.”

Me amused.

Explaning the whole story would take ages, so here’s the short version:

Four seconds in of BODA FANTASMA you’ll hear a chord that – when you really focus on it – sounds pretty nasty. It has tonic on the lead and major seveth chord under it, thus creating that dreaded b9 interval.

I think I got away with that. The following chord releases the tension nicely. Plus, I like messing with these kind of dangerous chords. You know, trying to make them sound more accessable.

Harmonic minor 9th-chord! There’s one I’ve been wanting to use. (That chord is used beautifully in “The Moon Struck One” by The Band)

That’s enough music nerdism. Now click the red text and enter the ghost wedding.

Hey! I made a vebulature of UHO. It goes like this:

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nVnnnnnnnVnnnVnnnnnVnnnVnnnnnVnnnVnnnnn

Ok, I’ll stop now.

“Those chords, you have heard ‘em be – fo – oo – re”

Yeah, that really should’ve been the song title, instead of “Spot On”.

SPOT ON, mate!

Aaaand then we laughed.

Here’s yet another tune that originated in guitar lessons, you know, me playing with my pupils: INFINITE MARCH. (The lessons subject was guitar fingerstyle patterns)

I’d already made a worksheet containing the lower guitar part, and we spiced the pattern up by adding another guitar part, going higher & creating a simple polyrhythmic weave. I made up the upper harmony part on the fly, and the wholesome sounded so good, that it sort of got stuck in my head.

The rest of the tune I sketched that evening, while riding a train back home.

The tune is also a very rare specimen of music that turned out to be exactly as I first imagined it. Emphasis on the word “exactly”. Usually when I start constructing a tune, I have a at least something of a plan, which I end up altering at some point.

But sometimes you’re just so dang right that it hurts.

No it doesn’t.

I dunno everything about jazz, but I know something.

Here are some of the things I know about jazz:

– Jazz is best served smoked.
– “Ba-dee-be-deedla-boo” by The Parker Brothers is the all time best selling jazz album, it’s sales exceeding hundred copies!
– The term “walking bass” may mean up to six different things.
– Jazz attained perfection in 1924, 1939, 1959, 1961 and 1970. It’s scientific fact.
– Whenever you see Giant Steps, run, and don’t look back!
– The sharp notes are very much frowned upon among jazz musicians.
– Jazz is not devil’s music, anymore. Nowdays he’s much more into Dark Wave.

Now that you’ve gained greater understanding of jazz, listen YEZZ.

“Ok, so… What was I supposed to do?… Music! That’s it… Let’s make some music!

(Opens up a music producing software, takes a sip of water)

New project… blank, yes… here we go.

(Sounds of sighing, mouse clicking, temple scratching)

Hmm, what’s this synth here, I think I’ve barely used it at all… Hah, great appearance, synth! Ok, sound, sound, sound… what kind of a sound… no… no… no… no… Yes!”

And seven minutes later the tune in question was done. All I had to do was to carve it out of marble… Or maybe cut it out of foam.

SLYBOY SHANKGIRL… I think I was thinking of the Robert Rodriguez movie with a silly title, which I’ve never seen and never will.

There’s a lot going on in PRESSURE. Percussions, woodwinds falling from the sky, stringy stuff and so on, the overall atmosphere being pretty exciting & mystical.

To my surprise – now that I listened the piece for the first time after producing it – there’s only two (2) chords! Also, the chords – played by piano – are in plain sight all the time. The more active elements of the composition just sort of make the chords dimmer.

So, what we’ve got here, is a good example of taking something very small, simple & pretty dumb, and making something – hopefully fun & clever – out of it.

Good job, me!

This post contained 7 –‘s!