February Album Writing Month - FAWM.ORG

Elaine DiMasi (@elainedimasi)

progress: 14

winner!
joined: January 23 2008
location: New York, USA
website: cdbaby.com/artist/ElaineDiMasi
influences: Amateur musicians on YouTube. They pick up their guitar, look you in the eye, play their heart out for you, then casually lean forward and turn off the camera. They do all that for you? They don't even know you! They rock!!

Bio

Hi all! My first FAWM was 2008, I guess that makes me a veteran leap-FAWMer. Really do like it here.

Last summer I did an interesting musical thing, I designed and fabricated a 44-pipe, midi-controlled titanium metal Calliope at an industrial arts school. We managed to get it playing for one public event, and we got pretty far incorporating a bank of 5 propane-driven Pyrophone pipes. It's my most recent upload to youtube, find it if you're curious!

This year promises to be interesting as well. I'm studying Counterpoint, you may find me posting homeworks for that, or setting some 16th century courtly love poem to music.

I have a new midi woodwind controller, which I've just barely played with.

Coolest of all, I'm participating in the Collaborative Audio Production Experience challenge hosted by the Womb Forums. My blurb about that is now here - http://fawm.org/songs/26968/

Back to FAWM. Getting to 14 is always a challenge. No matter what musical experience we have, it's hard to silence that inner critic - especially since we post the song and accept respectful criticism! But that's what FAWM's about - we silence that thing, and we see what comes out, and help each other. So! See you in the jukebox!

2012 Songs

1	I Have Healing Powers In My Hands	27 comments // 3 months ago
2	I Am An Aardvark	18 comments // 3 months ago
3	Counterpoint Homework 4	10 comments // 3 months ago
4	Diving Bell	14 comments // 3 months ago
5	Counterpoint Homework 5	5 comments // 3 months ago
6	Am I On My Knees (with songsville)	8 comments // 3 months ago
7	Bad Boy	7 comments // 3 months ago
8	CAPE 10 is Protest CAPE!	2 comments // 3 months ago
9	You're Not Welcome In Atlantis	5 comments // 2 months ago
10	Simple Machine (with dustymason)	10 comments // 2 months ago
11	When the Beggar Bought the Farm	4 comments // 2 months ago
12	The Whole Truth (with swampjaw)	7 comments // 2 months ago
13	Eleventh Hour (with kimotcj)	7 comments // 2 months ago
14	Ok Angels	4 comments // 2 months ago

Soundboard

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musicsongwriter 2 months ago

Hello Elaine. Thank you so much for leaving your beautiful comment on my collaboration with Katie and Val on Charades. So happy you like it.
I love your vocals and your songs are awesome!
timfatchen 2 months ago

cont...

FLying Hunt. thought about it. COuld easily do (Absynth 5, just buy it!!!) but the aliens are not so alien. No BEMs unless you count the machairodonts and the hoe-tuskers (Pliocene).

Opening of the SKy, yes Doomhammers and others.Sweeping chords. end-of-the-world choirs. Big thumps. Later Perhaps Videogames...already have an album ready to roll on RPGNow, just not finished the artwork, website WWW.DARKLINGHARP.COM!

Behind the door...HOW did you know???? (ref preceding re website)

Zoo hats. I'll think about this. We're happy with it as it stands, but it's my fault it extended (I needed balanced segments)
timfatchen 2 months ago

Thanks for the generous and perceptive comments Elaine (seriously), so perceptive they deserve a reply rather than a wave!

Only Bastards. I had a heap of difficulty after taking this one on but I'd taken it on, right? I agree with you, but I'll leave it.

Incidental. No mudding up? Standard Taxi and other trick: ensure that the whole panoply of pads is carefully panned right across the sonic stage, each in its own space. And make sure that similar pads are panned either left or right so they don't fight. Leave dead centre empty for the soloists. So my set up might look liek this: #1 20%L #2 40%L #3 20%R #4 40%R #5 60%R #6 60L assuming odd numebrs have some commonality with other odd nos, and so on. And a subset, piano: take a MONO piano track, boucne it to split mono panned extreme L and R. Stick vocals in centre. Ear will seem to hear piano and vocal nicely centred BUT vocal stands out clearly, not muddied by piano. (finally, leave reverb fiddling till last. But you knew that too!)
timfatchen 2 months ago

Perceptive Elaine! Just seen (some) of your comments that I want to reply to but I'm supposed to be vacuuming the ground floor having just cleaned up my Feb shambles. So it'll be a while, and I'm away tomorrow for three days. Please prod me if I forget? It's important, and there's even a bit of useful anti-mud tech that might help you too!
kimotcj 2 months ago

"Woot! You can't fail FAWM!"

Hehe.
beepboop 2 months ago

PS "Service Temporarily Unavailable"
beepboop 2 months ago

maybe someone could arrange a February with a week or two more in it...
timfatchen 3 months ago

"Bach's Prerogative" tr. do not try this when in an exam trying to harmonise something "in the style of JS Bach"!
toms 3 months ago

You are a hero for listening to "Ostinato" all the way through.
kevinemmrich 3 months ago

Ah yes, downloading the PDF worked like a champ. thanks.
toms 3 months ago

Thank you for the listen and the kind comment!
timfatchen 3 months ago

No Bach, it will just underline how long the journey is and turn you suicidal...and I should have added, FAWM is a great place to put homework up for checking BEFORE you hand it in. "Please sir the fawm.dog ate my homework"...
kenficara 3 months ago

Hi Elaine -- thanks as always for your really thoughtful comments. I really appreciate the way you listen to my stuff. How are you using the woodwind controller, and how does it feel compared to playing an acoustic instrument?
captainvulpine 3 months ago

and just WHAT is so amusing about the necessity of pop filters?!
valeriecox 3 months ago

Hi Elaine. Yep, My Shower seems to make people grin. That's kinda the reaction I had too.
captainvulpine 3 months ago

You designed and fabricated a 44-pipe, midi-controlled titanium metal Calliope?! That's the most fantastic thing I've ready in months!
lvgd09 3 months ago

Elaine, thank you for the heads up on my streaming audio not working. Apparently filefreak is not working outside of my computer. I signed up for soundcloud until I can get streaming audio service that does work. Thank you
candle 3 months ago

Thanks for the greetings Elaine! I think as Artists we'll take inspiration from any source - even each other!

Happy FAWMing this year.

See You In The Shadows…
jamkar 3 months ago

Wow what a Renaissance Woman! Can't wait to hear your tracks Elaine. I may be asking for some informed opinion from time to time.
mikedebenham 3 months ago

Thanks, Elaine! Always a pleasure to see you here.

Keen to hear what emerges from the calliope/midiwind/counterpoint-ing brew you've got bubbling.
thedustcollector 3 months ago

Oooooo. Bassy. Nice indeed .

Now. I have a question. Do you like Renaissance polyphonic sacred music? I'm talking Byrd, Palestrina, Taverner.

... are you possibly interested in doing some this FAWM?
fendertele71 3 months ago

Great meeting you the other night.
simonwaldram 3 months ago

Hoping you have a wicked cool FAWM this year
candle 3 months ago

Happy FAWMing this year!

See You In The Shadows…
thedustcollector 3 months ago

You're welcome! It's good to have such a discussion going, actually- it's fun how it's just taken off!

Good to see you too! Keep us updated as to how your Collaborative Audio Production Experience is going- it sounds like so much fun. I want to hear this vox crush of yours .
chasingandromeda 3 months ago

Good new age music does that too, but I agree I don't usually like it, it's like, "nobody here but us whales!"

*snort*
dickclark 3 months ago

Kid...you're the best. Happy New FAWM
corinnecurcio 3 months ago

Elaine!!! Elaine!!!! (Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate)
duaneclancy 3 months ago

Thanks Elaine for the info ... I bought an MP3 player a few years ago and never did figure how to load music onto it. I bought a printer almost a year ago ... it's still in the box. I taught myself how to play guitar though and I tab out what I hear with the "Power Tab" program ... one note at a time. I guess I really need to get out of the stone age ... but it's so cool to bash a pretty thing in the head and drag her back to my lair
wille 3 months ago

Hey there!
ianuarius 3 months ago

Hello there! Just tryin' to break the ice with some new peoples here.
That's a lot of intriguing info you've written. I'm really intersted in hearing what you'll come up with this year.
echogene 3 months ago

thanks for the welcome! Glad to be a part of FAWM, looking forward to hearing your tunes!
dennisjernberg 3 months ago

The antics have indeed begun, but I'm antsy for the full madness to begin. Till then, I'll have to take out my frustration on my instruments...
charliecheney 3 months ago

http://HolidayMusicMotel.com

I'm going there Feb 7-14 for the "Love On Holiday" songwriter festival.
I go there in June for the Steel Bridge Songfest.
I go there in October for The Dark Songs festival.
It is awesome.
cts 3 months ago

Elaine, Elaine, Elaine...so good to hear from ya, I had to say your name thrice. FAWM 12, here we come!
nicksypniewski 3 months ago

Hey Elaine, thanks. Looking forward to hearing multiple harmonies and reading pertinent critique from you once again.
johncrossman 3 months ago

When Elaine DiMasi makes her noise, I like to tune in with my ears.
mikeskliar 3 months ago

welcome back! looking forward to hearing your new music!
debs 4 months ago

It's a daisy! Hello, dahling
autoclamp 4 months ago

You've removed the wool from my eyes; I'm a geezer, aren't I? We both are, aren't we? Oh man, when did this happen? Bring me my Geritol! Turn on the "Matlock" program on the TV!
nancyrost 4 months ago
dustymason 4 months ago

Heya, rocker!