The White Stratocaster

Tendonitis is a pain!

2012-03-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

The end of this years February recording project has ended in much the same way as last years, with the unwelcome return of my left hand/wrist/forearm tendonitis.

The combination of lots of guitar playing on differently set up guitars and repetitive pc keyboard and mixer actions, is proving too much for my overworked tendons to cope with.

On closer examination of how I actually use my left hand, I've realized I have a hand position which can cause me problems when I play a guitars with heavier string gauges - i.e my bass, hard-tail electric or my acoustics.

Before I even began playing guitar, I sustained injuries to the ring fingers on both hands playing basketball. This resulted in the first joint being partially fused so that I can't bend my ring finger as far as my other digits. Consequently, I have to adjust my fretting technique in ways that compensate for this lack of flexibility. That adjustment puts quite a lot of extra stress on my wrist. Normally this doesn't lead to a bout of tendonitis, but the annual RPM Project, with all it's extra wrist and finger based stresses does seem to be very effective at setting it off.

That'll teach me to be a one man musician/producer/recording engineer! If I could just focus on playing my instruments and leave the recording/techy side to somebody else, that would be my cure for tendonitis.

Attempting a music video...

2012-03-08T10:03:00.001-08:00

Tried to do an animated music video, but the software I used was not up to my imagination. So this is track 4 from 'Unbound', my RPM 2012 project.

Another RPM in the bag...

2012-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

So I have now completed my fourth 'album', under the enforced discipline of producing 35 minutes or 10 tracks of original music during the month of February.
Once again, I listen back to the new material I've brought into existence, and wonder... where did that come from!?

It had its usual up and down bits and I've ended up with tendonitis again, but all things considered, I'm pleased with the outcome. As is my usual practice, I will not be tidying up the finished tracks.

If you want to hear an eclectic collection of music from around the planet, just head on here to the RPM Challenge site.
You can find my effort here on Alonetone.

Guitar warmup jam - RPM 2012 Mac McIntyre

2012-02-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

Warming up before I get into the nitty gritty of recording guitar parts.

Mac McIntyre RPM 2012 - vidblog #01

2012-02-11T04:12:00.000-08:00

RPM 2012 underway. Somehow, I don't think I'll be doing many posts as I've got too much recording/songwriting to do. ;)

Mac McIntyre 1984

2012-02-03T06:20:00.001-08:00

Mac McIntyre 1984, a photo by Mac McIntyre on Flickr.

Now those were primitive days, when digital meant something to do with fingers. :D

Keep it loose...

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

Preparing my brain-finger interface for recording in February.

Lately things don't seem the same

2012-01-15T04:27:00.001-08:00

Lately things don't seem the same, a photo by Mac McIntyre on Flickr.

RPM 2012 is nearly upon me and I'm technically ready, but mentally... nope :)

Waiting for my Mojo

2011-11-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

Well the picture says it all really.

Waiting for my Mojo, a photo by Mac McIntyre on Flickr.

DIY Guitar Isolation Cab

2011-11-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

As guitarists well know, tube/valve amps sound all the sweeter for a bit of volume - let's make that a lot of volume. However, we also know that this volume isn't much appreciated by neighbours and the like.

So I finally decided to build my own guitar isolation cab. The only condition being that I would not spend a penny on building it. All materials came from junk I already had kicking about the homestead.

I'm not going to give one of those step by step, how I did it, tutorial type thingies. I'm just going to show the final box.

Unlike the graphic I scrawled on the front of the cab, there is just a single 65w 12" speaker, which is mounted approx halfway in the cab facing left. Access is through the white panel on the top-left, where I position my microphone. I used loads of dense foam to pack out the speaker side of the cab and a mix of acoustic and insulation foam for the walls of the microphone side of the box. The base has a set of 8 dense foam blocks acting as isolation from the floor. This was in preference to some heavy duty castors, which I found to be a contributory factor in creating an annoying resonance.

Without going into too much detail about the fine tuning I had to do i.e cutting out a resonant frequency which shook the cab and consequently the whole room, it works like a dream! I can crank my faithful Sound City mk4 custom to 2/3 full volume and still be able to talk to other people in the room at normal levels. WooHoo!

So there you go - no spending a fortune on a factory built superduper hyper technological solution. My shabby, DIY monstrosity does the job at a fraction of the cost.

The panels all came from an old desk I had cluttering up the shed.

Smoking Jam - Mac McIntyre

2011-10-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

So little musical output from my aging brain - so more jam it is!

'Farewell to Pzychotropia' Jam Video

2011-06-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just tinkering around with sound tracks and video.

Strat - Strat - Not a Strat

2011-06-06T07:25:00.001-07:00

Strat - Strat - Not a Strat, a photo by Mac McIntyre on Flickr.

More guitar contests...sigh!

2011-05-30T03:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more vids I've entered for competitions...I must be a glutton for punishment, but my tendonitis is 99% gone. Hoorah!

Guitar contests...what are they good for?

2011-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

I've had a long bout of tendonitis in my left hand over the last few weeks, which is clearing at long last, so I've gone guitar playing crazy to catch up.
I stumbled across various guitar 'contests' and they're just the focus I need at the moment to eventually get back to some 'proper' playing.
I don't expect to get anywhere with any of them as they seem to be almost exclusively populated by technique oriented guitarists showing off their legato, arpeggio, pick sweeping, string tapping and god knows what else guitar based nonsense.

Farewell Alter Ego

2011-03-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

So I decided, after much predictable procrastination, to reduce my web presence as Pzychotropic. MySpace account is now gone, never to return. It's a shambles now anyway and I can't see it having any useful purpose.
My ReverbNation page is now a thing of the past and my musicians page is also gone from Facebook...tho that might be resurrected quite soon under my real name.

I will still keep the faith with my Alonetone pages, as this is easily the best musician based site that I've had the pleasure to use in the past few years.

I'll still be doing to odd jamming video for YouTube as well, maybe even try and produce something more creative in the near future.

Now back to creating some music...

Farewell Pzychotropia : RPM Challenge 2011

2011-02-28T03:48:00.000-08:00

So another project in the can. I haven't kept up a blog on this particular project as I was totally absorbed in the whole creative process. Find it here at Alonetone

RPM 2011 Underway!

2011-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

So here I go again...using the enforced discipline of creating an album in 28 days for The RPM Challenge 2011.

Still Jamming...with Wahhhhh!

2010-12-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

Let's hear some waka waka wah wah!

Still Jamming...

2010-12-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

Still guitaring away and preparing for the 2011 RPM Challenge.

Smiley and Guitarist

2010-09-29T08:56:00.001-07:00

Yet another long passage of time with no postings of any description. I had to start with something, so here is a bit of photoshop mangling to fill up a space.

I'll, hopefully, get back to the music creating at another point in time.

Smiley and Guitarist
Originally uploaded by Pzychotropic

A video for 'Imagination'

2010-03-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

I made a video for one of the tracks of my RPm project, consisting of timelapse clips made during the endless sessions.

RPM Challenge 2010 completed!

2010-03-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

After 28 days of ignoring the 'real' world and immersing myself in the task of creating an album of original material, I can honestly say I'm creatively washed out and everything I've done sounds like a rubbery, flubbly and flat droning.

Not only do I need to recover my listening powers for my own material, but I feel obliged to listen to a significant proportion of the works produced by other RPM'ers. That could take a couple of months!

Anyway, it's done - it has it's technical shortcomings (so what!), but I'm pleased :) The album is called 'Imagination' and you can find it here.

RPM 2010 - Week 3

2010-02-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

I wont spend too much time on this, but basically 90 percent of week 3 of the my RPM Challenge is a complete write off. Why can't colds/sore throats come at a convenient time.
Anyway, whingeing aside, I got underway with recording again on day 20. At this stage I dont know whether I've got the will to finish, but I'm still trying. :)

Staring at the monitor waiting for my cue!

One more status report to go and I hope it's good news!

RPM 2010 - Halfway Point

2010-02-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

So I've reached halfway and I've nearly got half the required tracks. Unfortunately, I've just aquired a nice cold/man flu, which is giving me a sore throat (no vocals) and making me feel ultra tired (no late sessions).
Well what can I expect in February, after a long and miserable winter, here in the UK.

I'm getting some great feedback from fellow RPM'ers, mostly from those on Alonetone - thanks folks! It is keeping my creative fires burning and helping me resist the how crap I feel at the moment.

I expect the panic will start to set in by the end of week three - until then. :)

End of week one - RPM Challenge 2010

2010-02-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

I remember from last year, that progress in the first week is a bit slow. I've got the basis of two tracks in the recorder, with number three on the way. Trying to refamiliarise myself with my, ever growing, mountain of technology takes up most of the time, when I should be writng lyrics or riffing it with my guitars.

Then there's taking time out to listen to the progress of the two thousand or so individuals or bands involved in the RPM Challenge. Talk about a wide range of musical taste and ability and not a record company in sight. :)

I'm also trying to put together a time lapse video to accompany one of my finished tracks, showing the goings on as I struggle to achieve an album in 28 days.

Next post at the end of week two - the halfway point.

T minus 7 hrs...

2010-01-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

All set and ready to go with February's recording project. The finger is poised to press that record button, when magically, despite all the practise, your musical ability mysteriously disappears and your left jabbing the undo button over and over.

Poised...

RPM 2010 - here I come ready or not!

First post of 2010

2010-01-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

So here I am, yet another of the thousands of spare room musicians that have been spawned by the liberating existence of the interwebnet, preparing for my first project of 2010.

That project is my participation in the RPM Challenge 2010 , my second foray into the strange world of musicians attempting to write, record and put to CD either 35 minutes of music or ten distinct and original tracks in the energy sapping month of February.