Ok, What should I do?

[Chip McDonald]

I'm probably clinically depressed.

 

I've put up a web page that is a sampling of what I've wasted my time on this year, different projects. None of which have come to any fruition.

 

I'm not looking for a critique of audio quality (it's all bad) or composition (there really isn't any), but "what direction should I go in?". On the page there's improv fusion bits, acoustic new age, blues rock, a couple vocal tunes, Floydish stuff, other things... just a teeny bit of stuff I wasted time on this year. I've got about 20 gigs of stuff from this year alone. Stuff not meant for human consumption, but...

 

The fusion stuff was fun - but requires a bass player that isn't present in my town anymore. It's also a dead end, isn't it? The vocal tunes - the singer isn't available really, it doesn't really fit an established genre. The "rock instrumental" - just a bunch of sketchy melodies, nothing over the top which I suppose defeats the purpose? The Floyd/Radiohead sounding thing - what's the point?

 

I'm stuck. I don't know if I should go all out into a fusion project, or a "stunt guitar" project (ala this joke at www.mp3.com/jedimusic), try to get a bluesy vocal thing going (impossible to get a singer around here), a pop band (singers), a "General Instrumental" project, or..

 

I don't know. I just want to play music. It seems I keep getting derailed for ridiculous reasons. Doing a spontaneous improv thing next thursday featuring an upright bassist that incorporates a trunk full of toys as pitched instruments and a great technical drummer - but for what end? Another acoustic gig after that; I try to do something different but I'm starting to think that's the absolute wrong thing to do. Trying to do something different that is.

 

Everything on this page wasn't meant to be heard by other humans, and it's mostly all 1 take placemarks or spontaneous live playing. What seems the most valid direction? It's all just "music" to me, but I suppose I should whittle down to a certain narrow "direction"?

 

www.mp3.com/mindbuffer

[Tedster]

You need to do what makes you happy. I don't think you'd be happy in a vocal based pop band. Experimental prog/fusion is where you seem to fit. Which is a good thing, because it's a category in which you can do anything from pop to country to jazz to blues to shred to whatever. Think Dixie Dregs or something similar.

 

But...Chip, my man...you need to MOVE. You need to get the fuck out of Augusta. No apologies. Get out! GO! Some other town where something interesting is going on. You need to find some fresh blood. You said it yourself...your scene is stale. So far it sounds like you've found some pretty high caliber musicians to play with...but they're gonna be stuck in the same thing. You need to have a fresh perspective. If you're really serious about playing music, get the hell out of town. Go to the west coast. Or Chicago. Or Austin. Or the Northeast. Or Miami.

[D. Gauss]

i agree with ted except for the moving part. to me, the best bands always end up coming from some out of the way town because they aren't exposed to constant, dreaded "hipness" like ny or la. (don't forget, i grew up in georgia) hell, wasn't james brown from Augusta?

 

but, ya gotta play what YOU want to play. the stage is set for something new, so why shouldn't it be you? find the guy you have nothing in common with musically except for the need to play, and jam with that person. who knows, maybe a rush/pink floyd music vibe is ready to meld with a southern rapper? or a sloppy punk rock poet is able to add words and make a coltrane changes workout palatble to the great unwashed? it could happen, and in some small town right now, the next BIG thing is happening.... rock on!

 

-d. gauss

[Tedster]

Yeah, D, but it might not be Augusta. The point is, when a scene is stale, it's time to move. I know...I went through it...stuck in a town because all my best music buds were there. I was too stupid to realize that the scene was stale, and in some (most) cases, nothing will revive it.

 

Time to move on. Might not be to New York or El Lay. Just somewhere else. Play the map game. Blindfold yourself and plant yourself on a town. If it automatically yields a "Yucchhh" (Watervliet, Iowa) pick another place. Look for a college campus nearby. A lot of new arrivals bringing various and sundry talents...and a more Bohemian crowd. The larger the campus, the more arrivals.

[The Bear Jew]

Hey Chip...

What do you want to do? I mean, what's your goal? There are lots of opportunities out there for musicians with drive and a good work ethic, so it really all depends on you.

You're only limited by the amount of work you put into it. Feeling bad about yourself never did anything for anyone. Stop being depressed and get your ass in gear. I'm not saying that to break your balls, I'm saying it to motivate you. I am nowhere NEAR as musically talented as you are, but I play a LOT, and it's essentially because I get out there and break my ass.

So make like a sneaker and JUST DO IT.

[strat0124]

Thats a shame man. But yeah, some styles never go over well in certain areas. As the rest have said, don't give up, and don't give in. Atlanta ain't far away, and I'd bet that jazz has a wider audience there. Plus the job opportunities are greater there. Hell Lee might put you up! Ha Ha!!!! If I remember correctly didn't Dixie Dregs come outa Georgia???? So theres your guide......advert and audition some players...eventually you'll find the players you need. We found a new bassist in a half a day, and he turned out to be killer. Hang in there....and good luck.

[phaeton]

Chip,

Hey man i took a listen to some of your stuff. I wouldn't be as pessimistic about it as you are. One take or 100 takes, there is some solid stuff there. You can hear talent, competence and artistic ability. Honestly, i've heard tracks from some bands and guys that to me just plain don't `have it.' Surely your tastes and abilities can find you a niche somewhere, be it in your hometown, across the internet or somewhere else. To use general terms, you sound as though you are "good enough" to be able to find a place in any music, whether it is wholly yours or wholly someone else's. This is something i wish i had.

If i had the ability to turn my 4-track tapes into mp3s to share with you guys, you'll be able to hear a whole lot of `dead end' stuff as you put it. I've got hours and hours of material that doesn't fit in any genre, stuff that will stand on its own but is completely incompatible with other instruments, stuff that nobody else understands, stuff that even ~I~ don't understand, stuff that's sloppy as all hell, stuff that just plain sucks, and occaisionally, a few good bits.

The point being, is don't change what you do to try to fit into someone else's idea of `good' or `cool'. Yeah, we'd all love to make tons of cash or be successful in the music industry. If someone offered me a million dollars to write a song in a genre i completely despise, i'd have a hard time turning it down. But i'd still do *my* thing on my time.

Also, don't paint yourself into a corner. I did this with Thrashmetal about 10 years ago- and i started losing interest in music altogether. Surf and jazz saved my ass.

Versatility is not only a virtue, but that's what music is all about.

Having a hard time staying focused in new directions? Try this: Pull out an old tape or set of tracks. Get something that you've not done or heard in YEARS, instead of weeks or months. Especially helpful if you find a tape and don't remember what is on it. Listen to it, a couple of times if necesary. Something you did then, you might hear in a totally different light (umm.. hear, light?). Then play with it. Make a copy of the old track and mess with it. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear it is the direction you need to go. And since it is your stuff on top of your stuff, the direction you go is always yours.

 

And one final note: Hopefully your mention of clinical depression is just a `colloquial phrase'. If you might actually be suffering from depression, (and musicianship personality types tend to be pre-disposed to it) my advice is to get help. Seriously. It's not something to trifle around with. Depression is serious. There is NO shame in getting help overcoming something that will ruin your entire life. This is the voice of experience.

 

[ 12-04-2001: Message edited by: phaeton ]

[Big Al]

It really is simple. PASSION!

You need to play the thing you are passionate about.

It is all about passion. If not be a sideman and work for someone with passion and vision.

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by Tedster:

But...Chip, my man...you need to MOVE. You need to get the fuck out of Augusta. No apologies. Get out! GO! Some other town where something interesting is going on. You need

 

I'm working on that. I want to be in Atlanta by 2003, hopefully. I know I should just up and take off, but I think that would be counter productive.

 

Thanks

[Tedster]

Then again...if you really wanna be bold, how about Toronto? Vancouver? London?

[trick fall]

This is kind of off topic, but I thought it might be a good time to let you know that I still enjoy North Carolina Creepy Stick. I'll check out some of the other stuff you posted.

[gtrmac]

I've found it easier to focus on a unified concept when working with others like in a band situation. It was easiest to do this when I worked with a singer and I could write for him as if it was an instrument. Granted I had some pretty good singers to work with in N.Y.C. Now that I'm working alone I found my music was again venturing into several musical styles and i recently decided to write for a specific project which is to put together a CD of instrumental pieces for guitar. I decided on a genre which was influenced by the current work of Jeff Beck which I think is very interesting and I have a working title for the project (which I won't reveal yet). Out of the twenty or so pieces I have done in the last year or so only two or possibly three lend themselves to this project so I have a lot of work to do. Fortunately a music publisher is interested in using some of the rejects for a background music library so I'm hoping I can get something out of the outtakes. Maybe by next year it will be done. I guess the point is that working alone makes it necessary to consciously focus on an objective to get something done. Maybe you have the better part of several projects already with the material you have.

 

By the way, maybe because of my proxy connection to the internet I can't seem to listen to your music. I can usually only listen to stuff if it is downloadable. Sorry, I would love to hear it.

 

[ 12-04-2001: Message edited by: gtrmac@hotmail.com ]

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by CMDN:

What do you want to do? I mean, what's your goal?

 

To more than just survive playing music. Which is what I'm doing right now theoretically, but I want more. This sounds cheesy and idealistic - but I want to hear my music realized "properly".

 

It's like I can get almost there, I'm presented with the tools, but there's always some obstacle that screws it up. I can't get anyone committed to anything because I'm not doing something obviously "genre specific".

 

What is the style of the two vocal tunes? Blues rock? Rock? 60's retro? If some band came to town doing stuff like that with the right look, all sorts of musicians I know would dig it and it would be cool. But if it doesn't sound specifically like something they've heard recently style wise - no one wants to bother doing it. A vision thing I suppose? *I* know and understand the parameters I'm operating under; but then getting someone else to see that and agree to it is another.

[Skip_dup1]

Originally posted by Chip McDonald:

 

It's like I can get almost there, I'm presented with the tools, but there's always some obstacle that screws it up. I can't get anyone committed to anything because I'm not doing something obviously "genre specific".

 

That is part of the problem of being in a smaller town. I know, I slogged away in Poughkeepsie, NY for several years-the only difference being that I knew I had to get out or perish. A bigger town is full of musical crosscurrents-people into all kinds of stuff. It may allow you to put together the Chip McDonald Band. Then it`s your ball game-all you need to worry about is reaching an audience.

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by popmusic:

1) What's your long-term goal as a musician? The two polar opposites I see are... Are you looking to earn a living from being a musician, or are you looking to be creatively satisfied?

 

I won't make it that cut and dried. I don't want to be creatively satisfied at the expense of being a pauper. I don't *need* to do that, because I'm wide open when it comes to liking different styles of music. So, I want to earn a living as a musician - but I don't think that means I have to go play country covers somewhere to make ends meet.

 

Hmm. My big thing right now is getting a project going I can believe in and stand behind, make a demo that I can proudly promote like everyone else does. Nothing comes of it, fine, I've got a decent recording.

 

Or are you looking for something in between? And if it's something in between, which side are you more interested in leaning towards?

 

Creative obviously. But not creative in a vacuum.

 

2) What style of music really connects with you? I don't mean what style of music are you the most comfortable playing or which style you're the most technically adept at playing... What I mean is, when you're listening to other folks' albums or seeing other folks in concert, what kind of music do you listen to and go... "My God, that music is

 

I'm moved by all kinds of music. I'm a total music slut: I like it all. There isn't one *kind* that moves me. Nika's thread about "shedding a tear" has a list of that kind of thing I think - I'm not sure what I listed that day, but it's all over the place.

 

3) What kind of music do you get really excited about working on? In other words, what kind of music do you not mind spending hours upon hours listening to while writing or recording? (Hopefully, this kind of music coincides with

 

The *style* doesn't matter. If I think there's something "good" to it, I get off on that.

 

I write/record music for hours on end every week. Knowing it's probably not going to see the light of day. But because I want to hear it in that fashion. Now, I *like* that process, but at the same time I'm smart enough to realize I should be able to parley that into something more.

 

#2. ) I can think of styles of music that I really enjoy listening to, but couldn't bring myself to record because I wouldn't find it interesting enough over the long haul.

 

My problem is that I find *everything* interesting. I'm suffering from creative option anxiety. I could be involved in something "simple" and it be way more interesting than something "complex" - if it's *beautifully* simple.

 

then why not do a Mr. Bungle all-over-the-map genre-bending thing? Just throw it all together in a big stew,

 

Mr. Bungle is great stuff, very entertaining - but not a good musical statement, to me. I'm into hybrid possibilities that sound *integrated*, not just smushed together or "bookended". If I had the resources of Mr. Bungle - Mike Patton as a singer for instance - I wouldn't do that, I'd want to do something much more straight and probably pop.

 

(BTW, I listened to all of the songs on your page... My favorite was "9:35 At Borders" -- really nice Ralph Towner-like playing on that one.)

 

Thanks! Towner, there's a reference I haven't seen in awhile....

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by strat0124:

!!!! If I remember correctly didn't Dixie Dregs come outa Georgia???? So theres your guide......

 

Ironically - they came out of the town I presently reside in, Augusta Georgia.

 

I plan on Atlanta at some point.

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by phaeton:

it.' Surely your tastes and abilities can find you a niche somewhere,

 

That's my connundrum I'm afraid... where's the niche?

 

 

To use general terms, you sound as though you are "good enough" to be able to find a place in any music, whether it is wholly yours or wholly someone else's. This is something i wish i had.

 

That's been my downfall. Musicians want to be around people that they can get a grip on suppose. A jazz fusion musician doesn't want to hear that you've been listening to the new Stone Temple Pilots cd, a pop musician doesn't see any point in liking Allan Holdsworth, blues guys don't want to find out you don't play a strat, on and on. It's all "music" to me, it's not like I'm going to mindlessly cram something into something else that's not appropriate. Pop guys don't want to know you can play "fast", jazz guys don't want to know you're into Lenny Kravitz, etc.

 

I need open minded people that happen to have a lot of ability. That seems to be a mutually exclusive concept where I'm at I suppose.

 

The point being, is don't change what you do to try to fit into someone else's idea of `good' or `cool'. Yeah, we'd

 

I never have. Which I fear has been my downfall. I've operated under the principle everyone around me understands what I'm about, and I guess they don't.

 

If someone offered me a million dollars to write a song in a genre i completely despise, i'd have a hard time turning it down. But i'd still do *my* thing on my time.

 

See, there isn't a genre I completely despise. I generally hate country music; but I like what k.d. lang does, some Dwight Yoakum actually. The way I look at it you can't lose being paid to write a song, it's going to be fun, the challenge will always be interesting. *To me*, at least.

 

 

Also, don't paint yourself into a corner. I did this

 

Well, I'm thinking I maybe need to?

 

Having a hard time staying focused in new directions?

 

No - just a hard time trying to keep people I play with stay focused on a new direction...

 

 

And one final note: Hopefully your mention of clinical depression is just a `colloquial phrase'. If you might actually be suffering from depression, (and musicianship

 

No, I'm pretty depressed in a general sense, but I've been worse.

 

Thanks for your compliments...

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by Big Al:

It really is simple. PASSION!

You need to play the thing you are passionate about.

It is all about passion. If not be a sideman and work for someone with passion and vision.

 

Lack of passion and vision definitely isn't the problem. Unless too much is a problem.

[DC]

Hello Chip. I'll agree that you should go easier on yourself. The way I see it is unless you can find a bonified partner (which sometimes opens a whole other can of worms) you've got only yourself to depend on. With this in mind I think if I were you (situation/abilities) I'd concentrate on writing some instrumental pieces which could work with just bass and drums. A strong theme/melody guitar line and then improvise off of it, I'm thinking 'Europa' or 'Cliffs of Dover' type pieces which blend drama with strong chops and memorial melodies too. You could sequence or play the bass & drums for recording and come up with a couple of disks' worth of material even before you find your ultimate bass and drum people.

 

At any rate, this would give you a focus and goal and the Steve Morse style players will always have a small but very dedicated audience. The key is writing tunes that people can hum or whistle and then blister away but always come back to that theme.

[dansouth]

Two words: internet collaboration. You have access to a lot of really great musicians on these boards - along with a few slackers like me. Why don't you leverage that talent pool and give up on local yocals who don't share your vision and your commitment?

 

Every music project needs a leader, even if it's collaborative. Someone - that means *YOU* - needs to have veto power on all decision. If sounds as though you're not getting agreement on that from the homeboys. Time to move on to greener studios with more mature and committed sidemen.

[Trash Monkey]

Originally posted by popmusic:

You don't need to always throw a dart trying to hit the bullseye. Sometimes you can find interesting things if you see where the dart lands then draw a bullseye around it later.

 

Just my 0.000002.

 

Chip, Pop really does have a good point here. You have extreme talent as is evident in your recordings. Man, there are people that would die to be able to put out songs like yours, I feel your pain though because I know what it's like to live in this state and find yourself constantly looking for musicians you click with. Let your heart guide you.

 

How's the sleeping going? Do you think it could be affecting you in your quest for making music? I would think the medical school has clinics for sleep disorders. Bottom line, you can't beat yourself up over this. I know this is gonna sound corny but make lemonade out of the lemons.

 

Consider a trip down to Macon, I'd love for you to come hang for a weekend or longer if you need to straighten out your head. There are some good acts around here you may enjoy and if I'm not booked I work on my material.

 

If the mood hits you, just look me up in the online yellow pages-studio name=my screen name. I really do hope things get better.

[dansouth]

Originally posted by DC:

I'd concentrate on writing some instrumental pieces which could work with just bass and drums. A strong theme/melody guitar line and then improvise off of it, I'm thinking 'Europa' or 'Cliffs of Dover' type pieces which blend drama with strong chops and memorial melodies too. You could sequence or play the bass & drums for recording and come up with a couple of disks' worth of material even before you find your ultimate bass and drum people.

 

Good advice! Try to create a demo of the tune, but force yourself to demo the WHOLE tune, intro, ending, the whole works. When you give the tape to a drummer, bassist, etc. they'll have a clearer idea of what you want. And let's face it, a lot of "demos" end up on records.

 

I would add that you should try not to work on too many projects at once. Focus on one or two and give them your all.

[-]

Chip, if you haven't seen it, now might be a good time to track down a video or DVD of Sunday In The Park With George . It's a Steven Sondheim musical about an artist who isn't able to focus, and how he discovers that focus. There's lots of good advice in the dialogue and lyrics of that show to anyone who pursues any kind of artistic endeavor... Highly recommended if you're in a musically adventurous mood (in other words, it's no crowd-pleasing Andrew Lloyd Weber schlockfest! ).

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by gtrmac@hotmail.com:

i recently decided to write for a specific project which is to put together a CD of instrumental pieces for guitar.

 

I suppose that's probably what I should be doing. There's other directions I'd like to pursue (as evident on the web page), but that would make the most sense I suppose.

 

I decided on a genre which was influenced by the current work of Jeff Beck which I think is very interesting and I

 

Man. I was working on some things using jungle/electronica beats at one point, and then Beck's "Who Else?" came out - once again, I'm late to the punch, so I erased everything. I still want to do that, but I'm terminally afraid of the "Oh, you're just ripping off (whoever)".

 

Fortunately a music publisher is interested in using some of the rejects for a background music library so I'm hoping I

 

How does that work?

 

something done. Maybe you have the better part of several projects already with the material you have.

 

I've got enough material for a number of projects, but my problem is deciding what makes the most sense to pursue at the moment.

 

By the way, maybe because of my proxy connection to the internet I can't seem to listen to your music. I can usually only listen to stuff if it is downloadable. Sorry, I would love to hear it.

 

Ack..

[Chip McDonald]

Originally posted by Trash Monkey:

How's the sleeping going?

 

Ok, check this out.

Late Saturday evening I started coughing.

By sunday night I'm coughing basically every 3 minutes. A dry hack. Feel slightly feverish.

 

I contact a friend who is a pharmacist and get him to hook me up with some Avelox. I get that on tuesday night. At this point I'm coughing every minute and feel feverish on and off.

 

I take the Avelox that night, along with these huge cough tablets I was prescribed when I was sick like this 2 months ago. I didn't take them then because I didn't feel I needed them - but monday night was pretty bad, hacking constantly.

 

The tablets contained gueafenisen (sp) and expectorant, but also a huge amount of dextroamorphan.

 

The dextroamorphan made me have panic attacks big time. Which are AWFUL.

 

That was tuesday night. Wednesday morning I had dozed off finally arond 6 - woke at 7. Sat up, and immediately started wheezing: I would inhale, nothing would happen except this sick wheezing sound. Like being punched in the stomach, except it lasted almost a minute.

 

*I literally thought I was going to die*. I knew I had sucked stomach acid into my lungs. I thought it wasn't going away; I thought I was going to choke to death.

 

That passes, I'm scared to death, look in the mirror and my eyes look like I've been through explosive decompression... Scared me enough that I went to a doctor immediately...

 

So now I'm taking Clariten (which is wonderful), but also Zantac for acid reflux, more Avelox, and albuterol with an inhaler.

 

The problem is - if I lay down on my side I can feel acid coming up my esophagus. I start coughing. So I have to lay on my back on this pillow wedge to it won't come up my throat. The Zantac doesn't appear to be doing a whole lot, but while I still feel feverish my body seems to be kicking the bronchitis (even though my lungs when I cough make a curious gargling sound).

 

I'm now terrified to sleep. I don't want to wake up and choke. To top that off I'm also scared to eat anything for fear it will make it happen again.

 

So, ironically my sleeping is now reduced to laying on this wedge pillow for a few hours and pretending I'm comfortable. It's horrible. I've missed 3 days of work now (which I have to pay for), I feel like crap and now I'm even further away from getting anything done.

 

Great.

 

Do you think it could be affecting you in your quest for making music? I would think the medical school has clinics for sleep disorders.

 

Right now I just don't want to choke to death.

 

Bottom line, you can't beat yourself up over this. I know this is gonna sound corny but make lemonade out of the lemons.

 

I know, everyone says I'm too critical, but... "!"

 

Consider a trip down to Macon, I'd love for you to come hang for a weekend or longer if you need to straighten out your head. There are some good acts around here you may enjoy and if I'm not booked I work on my material.

 

A friend (plays bass in a curious klezmer-jam band called "The Red Heffers"?) suggested I come down, I haven't been there since I was a kid. I may do that sometime...

 

Thanks

[Hippie]

Chip,

You gotta stop being 'reactionary' with the acid reflux, just take the Pepcid in the morning and at night, every day.

I used to have the same fear of sleeping; Jeez, I used to wake up in the middle of the night with what felt like the diaphram in my throat was freaking inside out, I couldn't swallow or breath, I couldn't do shit but panic & wait for it to pass.

But if you have to 'put the fire out' in an instant, mix one teaspoon of baking soda with about 4 ounces of water and slosh that stuff down, it tastes like shit but it works great in a pinch. The baking soda will neutralize radioactive nuclear waste, the stuff really works.

-and don't take life too seriously, just chill, aiiiight.

 

Matt

[surfjunkie]

Chip:

 

it seems like you've recieved some good opinions about musical direction so far. i'll second (it's probably up to tenth) the "do what makes you happy" thought.

 

here's my opinion:

 

you posted threads in the past about console gaming. one in particular that i was really impressed by was about physical modeling of F1 engines in racing games . you came at it from four directions at once: musician, (game) programmer, gamer, and racing fan.

 

i'm not necessarily suggesting that you drop music and try to get a job with EA, my point is the same as many of the other posts here: it's all about PASSION. that past post was passionate, plus the technical details were very specific.

 

great combination.

 

good luck.

[KHAN]

Chip, I've been watching this thread develop. Trying to come up with some good suggestions. But I really haven't come up with anything other than : Cut yourself some slack.

 

I hope you feel better soon

[Gator Wing]

Chip,

 

Hope you are feeling better. Prilosec is much, much better for acid reflux, and with very little side effects. Also, Nexium, but only if you feel that the acid reflux has caused damage to the esophagus.

 

On another note, you are living proof that geniuses are crazy. You are the most conflicted person I know.

 

I was hoping to be as good as you, but then I would be a guitar genius and would become crazy. So I am skipping practicing, getting a fake book, and staying sane!!

 

All kidding aside, you are so talented! If I had your talent I would be very satisfied to be playing in a band doing the 60's thing. I could do that if I had half your talent.

 

So I hope you figure out what you want and become happy.

[gtrmac]

Chip, I met the publisher of the music library through my day gig. He owns a nice studio where I have done some electronics work. I played him some demos on day and he expressed interest in buying material for the library to publish. I suggest you consider joining an agency service like Taxi. I've heard that people have had success selling material through this service.

 

Publishing music for use as background scores could be very good for people like us who like to jump from genre to genre. This publisher here has expressed interest in any style of music that I can produce. Ambient electronica is very popular for drama type shows for instance and advertising uses almost anything from Hard Rock to Jazz.

 

I don't worry about being accused of ripping off Jeff Beck by the way. For one thing I've been ripping him off for the last 30 years and in spite of my best efforts to emulate him or anyone else my own stuff still sounds like me more than a copy of him.

If you feel like contacting me at my email address I would be willing to arrange having the publisher here listen to some of your stuff at some point. Maybe he would be interested in buying music from you. The deal is a royalty only contract by the way and it is based on sales of the library CD's. There is no airplay or usage fees here in Japan like the U.S. His company is arranging distribution in America for the future though and then there will be an airplay royalty also. Let me know if you are interested.

 

Hang in there.