Tree Of Keys Admin, Shelf Plans, Rehearsals

A lighter day. Completed some essential Tree Of Keys admin, filing the album, updating the lyric and iTunes booklets, creating artwork and the listing for my websites, and adding the album details to the Cornutopia Music Catalogue. Then burning an archive CD, and registering the album for release on December 12th. There is more to do on the admin side, perhaps half a day, but I also need to update and upload the music videos. I've not created any Spotify Canvases for this. This is possible too, but it can be a slippery slope that leads to making full videos for the whole album, with little return but the satisfaction of my neatness obsession.

I've (mentally) solved the shelf problem. I'll add a central support to both units. The larger (box) shelves are so tightly designed that there is barely room for a 6mm vertical, but I think there is. I'll cut a spine from 12mm and 6mm wood for each unit, and cut slots into it to slot between the shelves. After trying today's final cabined, this should work fine. Even a heavy box barely sags the 6mm shelves. The box shelves need to take more weight though, so I'll add extra supports to the back too. I could do the same with the CD cabinet but I don't think it's needed.

I also stained Deb's shelves brown, and the back of the doors, but the results there were somewhat patchy. I used dilute Golden Fluid Acrylic Raw Umber. I'm very used to using dilute black, which is a superb stain, but the brown is a little more difficult. I should have used yet more water (more than 1:1) and yet more coats. It is adequate considering this is for the dark inside of the doors, but the imperfection still bothers me.

I also managed three full rehearsals of Thursdays performance. I must do this every day until then to master it. I need to decide on an outfit... this might be the first outing of my gold glitter jacket, suitably Elton John for this special occasion! I perhaps need a gold hat-band for my bowler.

Onwards to glory we fly!

Tree Of Keys Finalised, Shelf Work

A tiring if not exhausting day. Started by finalising the Tree Of Keys remaster, breaking apart the tracks, deleting most of the former album and preparing for the release. There is much more to do.

From 10:30 the rest of the day was filled with woodwork, I needed to take advantage of today's dry weather. Things went according to plan, but I'm worried that the plans were flawed. First, here are Deb's shelves.

You can see the little 'tabs' on the edges of the shelves. These enter the slots, but leave the rest of the shelves out, as seen. These will be in the recess of the alcove, this 'frame' fits over the front. This went to plan and seems to be on track.

When making the bigger shelves however, I became aware just how long and shallow they are. 1 metre is a big stretch for 6mm MDF, and I'm worried that the shelves will sag alarmingly. I simply didn't consider this. It's possible that tension will hold the shelves in place like a suspension bridge. Here's the assembled CD shelves:

The shelves are slotted into 6x6mm grooves. The whole thing was incredibly difficult to clamp and took a lot of time and frustration. Ideally, I'd need about 3 sash-clamps capable of over a metre stretch, but perhaps these band clamps are the most efficient way. It was not easy to get everything to hold in place when only glue is stopping it all collapsing. The other shelf unit is larger, and so will be more difficult. After today's experience, I plan on fitting the shelves first, band-clamping horizontally, as the slots make those easier.

There are many ways to address potential shelf sag, apart from making a whole new set of shelves with 12mm MDF. I could support each one above or below, at the back perhaps to emulate a back-board. I could add a central support (or other verticals), or brackets fitted to wall; though all of these will impinge upon the area usable for objects. The first option could at least be made to look pretty. I could cheat further and fix the middle of the shelves to the wall with a hidden dowel or bolt. This has appeal for its elegance and invisibility. When these first set of shelves are set I can test them to see what is required.

Tree Of Keys, Compose Yourself Rehearsals

Worked solidly today on the Tree Of Keys remaster. Listened to the album last night and made a few notes about changes, mostly about the sheet music, yet today found myself adjusting almost every track, sometimes much more radically than expected. I think the results are much better, but I'll have to wait to listen in a future day, with clear ears. These days are a lot of work, and sometimes feel like achieving very little. Tiny steps, crafting an album destined to be unpopular, yet as valuable and important as any too. Art isn't about popularity. The best art will never be popular, and most popular art is frequently poor; mediocre the very word for average has come to mean something of poor quality.

I conducted a video interview in the morning for Galleria Balmain, but a technical problem meant that it wasn't recorded. Still, this was a useful rehearsal.

This evening, practice for the three songs I'll perform at the 'Compose Yourself' event. I've at least decided on the three, but finding each one more difficult. I'll be playing 'More' with new instrumentation, I'll play the guitar lead parts, but on synthesizer. I've found yet more errors in the sheet music for two of the songs.

The days feel like a struggle. I feel I'm not making enough new things, not making progress towards any new and brilliant goal, but I must at least finish and master what I am involved with. Most artists are trapped by their passions of the time, irrespective of common sense or rational belief; yet, it is this quality which can lead to new things. The very first rule of creative success is to do what others do not.

Onwards and upwards we crawl. Hand over knotted hand. Fist over bloodied fist.

Scores Complete, Three Events Coming Up

A full day yesterday, starting with the regular sing-along of Good Vibrations in Congleton Library, then some charity shop donations and browsing, at which I found a Forrest Dick Band CD (yes!) and another old oak picture frame, which I couldn't resist.

Today, completed the scores for Tree Of Keys. I now need to proof the album and make any audio adjustments, then break apart the tracks, finalise the artwork, and lots of music admin and background filing. This will take at least another day, once the audio is finalised.

News on three events!

1. We've now confirmed two events for the Electric Sprout charity album. We (that is myself, Deborah, and several if not all of the Electric Sprout artists!) will be at the RSPCA Stapeley Grange Christmas Fair on Sunday December 7th from 12pm to 5pm. We'll be promoting and trying to sell the album. We will remind everyone that all proceeds will go to the RSPCA centre, like, I presume, all of the money spent on that day anyway; but here we will hypothecate Electric Sprout album sales so we can present a big cheque at the end of the project. By that date the album will be out an on sale worldwide on Bandcamp; this is the main way of raising funds for this important animal hospital, one of only four in the country.

2. Also, we'll have a performance of the album too in Crewe Library on Tuesday December 9th from 2pm to 4pm. There will be a poetry open mic too, as the event will coincide with the weekly writer's group meeting. Again, this is principally a fundraiser for the project (and thus RSPCA). The last event in 2023 was very busy and we raised about £100, so let's see if we can do the same again.

3. Thirdly, preparations are well underway for another charity concert. The 'Compose Yourself' event will be in the Electric Picture House next Thursday, 23rd October. Doors 7pm, music starts at 7:30 with all comers (including all band members) paying £15 cash on the door. 9 local musician song-writers will perform, including myself, each of us playing 3 original songs. All proceeds here will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières UK.

Tree Of Keys Scores Day 2

Transcribed 'The Darker Matilda' today, plus 'Underground' and 'Paradise Lost', which are little more than spoken word with various sounds effects, so a template for those is useful. It was interesting to discover the obvious that this sheet music makes these strange pieces performable.

After that, Deb and I went to Stapeley Grange for a meeting about the Christmas Tails project, then bought the wood for the three shelf units I'm working on. The cutting option at B & Q is brilliant. It would be great if they had laser cutters, CNC machines, 3D printers, and other similar tools to allow fabrication to order. This could be a new type of shop, a retail manufactory.

Tree Of Keys Scores

A sleepless night of auto-immune twitches and itches leads into an arduous, arduous day of notating Tree Of Keys. Scores now complete for: Let's Take A Walk In The Desert, Murmuration, Anxious Sparrow (some shortcuts taken here), The Death Of Tuesday, Dream Of The Tao, Haiku.

The complex piano tunes are nightmarish to notate. Although based on the MIDI sequence of my playing, I'm often tidying things to remove bunches of notes and make the score at least readable. Considering I improvised it with ease in one take, it would take a virtuoso to play it from the score. It's a bit like creating an ink blot, then describing exactly how to reproduce it.

In a rare move, I've included the strings, brass, and bass parts for the fundamentally piano tunes of 'Murmuration' and 'The Dark Cliffs'. These are, I hope, the most difficult to score, so to make headway on both in one day is a victory in itself.

Tomorrow I must pause to visit the Stapeley Wildlife Centre for a meeting about the Christmas project, then to get the wood for my shelves. Wednesday is our regular trip to Congleton Library for Good Vibrations; so these tiresome scores will be on hold until Thursday.

Tree Of Keys 2025 Draft v100

Charged into the day. Recorded new vocals for 'I, Spider' and 'The Darker Matilda', then did the final balancing and volume balancing for the album. The new Tree Of Keys will be about 25% louder than the old.

The next step is the sheet music, which isn't really necessary, and may be completely useless as well as tons of work; yet, I really want and aim for all of my published music to be notated too. Perhaps nobody will care about this music (except myself!) and perhaps it will never be performed, but one can say this about so much music from the past 500 years, and yet, lots of lost or forgotten music is performed all of the time, perhaps to the surprise of the decomposing composer (if he/she were alive enough to be surprised). The minimum requirement is some sheet music.

Unfortunately, this album is very difficult to transcribe because of its nature of relaxed timing. The pitches are chromatic at least, so that's something. I tried to put together the 'Anxious Sparrow' tune today, but it was frustratingly complex despite taking a few minutes to actually play/improvise live. I have, at least, transcribed the piano parts for 'Dream of the Tao', fairly accurately, but again, and even for this simpler track, it was very difficult and took hours.

After that, I'll probably create Spotify Canvases and full videos for each track too. Those will take less time than this sheet music.

Onwards.

Tree Of Keys Remaster Continues

Slow slow day of work on Tree Of Keys. Went through 'I, Spider' to transcribe the melody of the vocals. So many vocal lines on this album were improvised, but it's useful to have the complete notation for the sheet music if not to re-sing. Worked on the melody to 'The Darker Matilda'. Bought some more supplies for my shelf projects.

Onwards.