Thursday, April 25, 2024
Monday, February 14, 2022
The Importance of Musicianship
Sight reading music on an instrument is not the same as sight reading music for singing. With regards to the instrument, it is the skill of being able to hear a piece in your head and then play it correctly on the instrument. Sight Reading music is being able to vocally produce the correct pitch, intervals between notes and the quality of the note: meaning 1/4 note 1/8 note etcetera. Music dictation is your ability to identify the intervals between two pitches played. For example to identify whether two notes played reflect a fifth, sixth, second, third.. etcetera. Your ability to identify what you hear is a very useful skill. For example if can correctly identify pitch and quality of notes you can transcribe other peoples music for your own playing enjoyment. The attached song is one that my skills in musicianship has helped me to navigate.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Innocence
This song is another of my latest composition. It is called "Innocence." I chose this title for the song because it is non-controversial and is a metaphor in itself. The lyrics of the song are also underlying metaphors that speak to some of the problems in today's society. The song is similar to Bob Marley's "Redemption Songs" such as in the genre/ style and context in which it is written. Further, it is also similar to that song regarding how the lyrics through a number metaphors underscore oppression of 'some', in the human race. The lyrics can be adopted to the struggles of women today, especially, in how they are being denied control over their own bodies, as in Row v. Wade. The lyrics can also speak to our democracy, which I consider to be in dire straits today. Anyway, #Innocence It is available at Apple music, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and all other digital music platforms.
My Mama's Hand
This is the latest in a series of songs I have released in the last six months. its a tribute to my late mom and is called My Mama's Hand. Its metaphors speaks to the fact that we all have a number of attributes of our parents. The genre is Reggae and the style is more reflective of that of the late Bob Marley. My Mama's Hand is availsble on Apple, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon and all other digital music platforms
Take a Second Glance
Take a Second Glance is my latest release. The genre is Reggae and it is now available on all digital platforms
Monday, August 19, 2019
My Alexa Moment
If
you have read any of my other blogs you will note that I am, to put it
bluntly, not a fan of apps on my iPhone/iPad. The reason for this is
because I know that they simply want to spy on how I use my phone in
order to turn me the consumer into a customer. It’s called geo-targeting
through push notification.
With that said, I would like to share
how I handled some geo-targetings that were aimed at me. When I upgraded
my Verizon Network, they offered me a free echo-gen as a courtesy for
being a long-standing customer. Honestly, although I consider myself to
be knowledgeable about the latest technology. I didn't know what an echo
-gen was. The item in the picture actually looks like a speaker. I have
a very tiny Hp speaker, which I bought when I first bought my Hp
Laptop. I actually bought it to use with my mac mini . SO i was excited
that i was going to get a 'bigger speaker.' However, upon its arrival
after opening the box, I realized that it was the Alexa Voice Service.
In addition, on the day of Alexa’s arrival I received an email from
Amazon here is how it read:
“Download
the Alexa App
Once
you receive your new Echo, visit: www.amazon.com/AlexaApp to download
the latest version of the Alexa App. This will direct you through the
setup process. Once you've connected to Wi-Fi and associated Echo with your Amazon account, you're ready to start using Echo. Your Echo may receive a software update after you've completed setup.”
I
have highlighted in red "and associate Echo with your Amazon Account,"
because first of all I don't know what Amazon would have to do to get me to
sign up for their Prime Account. So it was a LOL moment for me at the
time. To begin with Alexa was a technology, which I found absolutely
"revolting." My first knowledge of it was when I saw it being talked
about on
one of the TV's talk shows. At the time I was appalled that anyone would
engage with such a technology. The reason is that I would be giving
my personal information (to whom I don't know) and having a robot
performing basic tasks that I should be performing to keep my mind and
physique exercised and healthy. As of now ‘Ms’ Alexa resides among the
books in my bookshelf.
Furthermore, at the completion
of the upgrade, Verizon text me a link to complete, (I know exactly why
they chose to text me and i was really trying to
keep them from filling up my mailbox with a lot of future promotions)
so I told the representative absolutely do not text me, but to email me
the link instead. So he emailed it to me. At the time he asked me if
that’s my preferred way of communicating with them, and I said yes.
About
a month later I got a text from them asking me to confirm my zip code.
Now I have been with Verizon for years so I am not a new customer. So
why would they want me to confirm my zip code? I’ll tell you why, once i
respond by text it would give them access to my phone so they could
start texting me promotions and telling me to download the app and all
that nonsense. In fact they did send me an email telling me to download
the app, which I ignored.
Apparently ignoring them
wasn’t enough. So for about six months straight, when I attempt to pay
my bill, I would see a big red sign asking me to confirm my phone
number. I ignored them for six months until they got tired and stop
asking me. So the most advertisement I get from them is at the time of
my bill pay, and when the annoying promotions show up, I simply look for
the no thanks field to whatever they put in front of my face, and
continue to my bill pay.
My other wireless phone
is with Verizon ( the one mentioned above was not) and they would love it if I would just pay them
straight from my phone. However, again my preferred way of paying is on
my computer. The reason is because on my computer I have a wide view. On my phone it’s an
eyestrain. Secondly, on my computer I have more of a paper trail and thirdly I will not encourage them to fill up my phone with promotions by engaging too much with them by text. next thing hy will be telling me to download the app. lol!
I own two Sony smart TVs. The TVs come with several apps: Prime Video;
Hulu; VUDU; Pandora; YouTube; Netflix, Kids; Berliner Philharmoniker;
and two apps that can organize pictures. About once a year Sony notifies
me on screen that they need to update my firmware. However, always
after the update they would ask me to choose enable which would allow
them to access details on how I use the TV., meaning the apps on it
etcetera. As usual I would pick disable.
After my recent firmware
update, I happen to go into an email, which I sort of abandoned simply
because of the amount of spam I used to receive. I had forgotten that I
use to have an unofficial account with them when I bought my Sony Video
Camera. In that email I saw several emails from Sony, all promotions,
except one. In this one Sony was asking me to take a customer
satisfaction survey. They said it would take 10-15 minutes, so I
expected to be there for some time. I was happy to take the survey,
because I longed to let them know how i feel about people collecting
data about anything I do with the technological equipments I own.
In contrast, I was recently at the bus stop where I noticed that the timetable for the buses’ arrival was replaced by a notice that said to download the My MTA app. I had already downloaded the app about a month before. But I wasn’t getting much from it. However, the notice explained how to use it. i find the app pretty useful, and so far I have not seen one ad. As I said earlier, I have had it on my phone for about a month. Now if they have the gall to start pushing ads I will delete the app. I think its a good app to have but ii can do without the agita.