Thursday 15 November 2007

It's amazing how much time can be taken up by the simple tasks of putting up some shelves and installing and configuring computers. The business of preparing workspace means that very little work actually gets done. So sorry to everyone whose emails and phone calls I've been neglecting: I'll catch up eventually.

In the unearthing of piles of stuff around my study I found a little clip-on piezo-electric pickup that I bought a couple of years ago to try out on melodica (all it picked up was keyclicks). I stuck it on the headstock of my newly-rewired electric guitar and it made a pretty good attempt at picking up the sound from the 'dead' half of the strings. It sounded even better on ukelele. So tonight in a spare half hour I recorded some stereo two-handed tapping nonsense on both instruments. I quite like listening to it but I don't suppose anyone else will: the fascination is in the changing sonic relationship between the two lengths of the same string.

Amongst the study reconfigurations, I've got rid of my landline and fax machine, so more apologies to anyone who now tries to call me on the number I had for the last 20 years. Mobile only now. We have a home phone here of course, but the number is a closely guarded secret from anyone in the music business.