John Mazur's Original Songs
Slide Songs
I made an Album of my songs that have some sort of slide guitar in the music. I created this album to take to the Brisbane Steel Festival 2016.
Some are instrumentals, some are songs.
Instruments are:
Song Name
| Description |
|---|
| Tim's Song | I had thought that was to be my last instrument and wanted something special.
All Tri-cones that I have ever seen have an enormous amount of metal on the front. I didn't want that, I just to see the wood on the top of the guitar. You can't buy something like this off the shelf. Tim took a year and delived a wonderful instrument. |
| Boxes | How to catergorise things. A characteristics of any living thing when they find another life form is to evaluate it. Is it big or small?. Coloured or not?. How many legs? How many eyes? Am I being threatened? I call the process 'boxing'. It allows for opinions to be quickly arrived at based on past experiences and can be a life saver. However, the process has many failures as it works by generalising a couple of attributes and then assigning the boxes attributes to the person. By that I mean, you may spot a motorcycle rider covered in tats heading your way. The first box that fits would be bikie and try and get out of their way. Most likely the bikie is no source of danger to you, it's your boxing that causes the fear. 21/03/2015 |
| So We Both Lose | Those boxes again. Was sitting outside a restaurant chatting with members of a motorcycle club, when I was issued with an ultimatum by the president: Join or move on! Sorry, I just don't join groups, nothing specific to you, but I'll move on thanks. 04/05/2015 |
| Reflective | Take a step back. An instrumental that caught me in a reflective state of mind. As with most instrumentals, don't take the title literally, cast it away and create your own title based on how the music effects you. 16/5/2015 |
| Going Down | Seems to be the way. An instrumental whose structure just 'came to me'. Make of it what you will. |
| Taller | I heard this word somewhere recently. Found myself in a bit of a feisty mood and composed some music to suit my mood. I guess the question is: Taller than what? Something to muse on. |
| Blow Those Blues Away | Enough, I'm stepping forward. |
| Been So Long | It has, very long. When you are 'under a cloud' it's very difficult to get out from under it. You can be there for a very long time. When something catches your attention that reminds you of a pleasurable experience from some time ago, you naturally sit up a bit and take some notice. You fear that whatever it is will just pass you by. That's not always the case. Serendipity can catch you off guard. |
| Golden Years | The final yeras. |
| Zillmere | Great times at the Brisbane Steel Club. Song about the Brisbane Steel Festival that is held at the Geebung-Zillmere R.S.L. A wonderful event even if you don't play. |
| That's Fine | Everything's just find An instrumental. The words, the story are up to you. |
| In An Instant | Life can change in an instant. The world can change in the blink of an eye. make the most of the moment. |
| Who Am I | In sense, who am I to challenge your beliefs. A question to me in the sense who am I to challenge your beliefs? I certainly won't try and change your beliefs. |
| I've Got The Flu | Sure have. Haven't had the flu for a few years, but this year I did. Worthy of a song. |
| Nashville | On my third trip to the U.S.A. I attended an annual get together of reso players in Nashville, Tennessee called ResoSummit, held by Dobro whiz Rob Ickes. This was going to be my last attempt at trying to find other players that think and play like I do. While the event was very good and met up with a lot of players I didn't find what I was searching for. The music was just fantastic as was the skill of the instructors and some of the attendees.
I just stood out from the crowd as they say. I'm not a particular fan of Bluegrass music so that didn't help. Just can't stand all those rolls. With my right hand, I play with a plectrum, not the 'standard' thumbpick, in fact I was the only player there that that used that technique. The person that inspired me to play, Jerry Douglas, just does it for me. Love his approach to music as well as his fluid style. I was most fortunate to see him perform three times, once as a guest lecturer at ResoSummit and twice with his new band The Earls of Leicester. On the last day, as I was sitting out in the park land of Scarritt-Bennett campus, watching the squirrels run about and this song came to me. In terms of my search, I was disappointed and have accepted that I will not find what I wanted, but, I will persevere with the music that I can hear in my head. |
| Blue Sky Boulders | Out of the blue, whammy! I have this philosophy that states that boulders just fall out of a clear blue sky and my task is to avoid them. |
| Edge | As we get older we lose our edge. One of the problems with growing old is that there will always be someone that will compare your current work with your previous work. Nothing wrong with that, it's good to get an outside opinion. Recently a friend of mine offered the insight that I had 'lost my edge' musically. Too true. When I was younger and starting my musical career I used to play with a real passion and really churned out those notes. Gradually, through time and life experiences you find there is another way to express yourself. Playing loud Rock music is just plain dangerous to your hearing, not doubt about it. Trauma in your life can really slow you down. I seem to remember a saying that your remember the pain long after the passion has gone. Seems to be the case. Given that, I have lost my edge as I'm no longer quite so aggressive and have taken the quieter path. |
| Tired of Waiting | Time to try another approach. An instrumental with a sort of happy upbeat rhythm. One of my patented happy dirges. Again make of it what you will. Since I found playing in a real band at pub volumes and quieter really caused havoc with my hearing, I had to take some action if I wanted to continue playing in the public arena. I did get tired of waiting for something to happen in the local area, so I looked afar and found some gems. |
| Path Through The Forest | Nothing like a walk through the forest to clear your mind. The idea for this song goes back quite some time. On my first trip to the U.S.A., I made a point of going to Devil's Tower/Bear Lodge in Wyoming. I made time to take the walking trail around the plug. Just took my time and took in the sights, scents and sounds. Wonderfully refreshing. |
| Monday | Moonday. A song that just came to me on a Monday, hence the title. |
| Tuesday | Mars Day. A song that just came to me on a Tuesday, hence the title. |
| Frozen Shoulder Waltz | Yes, and it hurts! Some years ago I had a frozen left shoulder and that lasted for some time before a rather slow recovery. I now have a frozen right shoulder and this is causing me quite a bit of difficulty with playing any instrument. Just have to move very slowly to minimise the pain. |
| Just The Way It Is | Acceptance. Through experience I have learnt that some things are just the way they are and you have to accept them or go crazy. It doesn't mean that you have to accept them, just be wary of them and look for alternatives. |
| Same As The Last Song | I prefer my music fresh and original. My ongoing lament about the state of the music business. As a business, new music needs to be created rather than replay the past. It's only as good as you make it. |
Harmony techniques.
Although it's not discussed, most solo vocals that you hear in pop music are double sung to fatten them up.
I have started to use the same technique, but not on solo vocals, but harmony vocals. Sometimes I even triple sing them and then pan them out over the soundstage for a sort of 'wall of sound'.
Rather sweet.