April 15th Blues?

Well here in the States its tax time and the due date is quickly approaching. So to help you Odd Timers out there deal with this impending date, here is a wicked groove in 15 for ya by Scarlet Hollow...

15-4 groove - Bytors Revenge

So when that thought of the impending 15th creeps in your mind, just think of this impending 15/4 instead, its that easy.

Well I have to say that I am really diggin' this band, they make me journey and count what more could you ask for?

Check them out at:

MySpace.com/ScarletHollow

On a counting journey,
-BetZe13
OddTimeObsessed.com Tune in

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Happy 14th

To celebrate this lovely day, and my recent Geddy siting....

Here's one for you in 14....

Driven by Rush off of Test for Echo 1996

Intro & Verses 14/8 123, 123, 12, 123, 123
Chorus 6/8
Interlude 12/8
Ending Chorus – Vocals in 6/8 and instruments in 4/4 for the most part

The original video is not on YouTube anymore, but you get the jist.



Lovin' the 14 riff,
-B

OddTimeObsessed.com

Happy Easter in 5/8

Whether you celebrate this day with bunnies and chocolate, reverence, church, solace, dinner and ham, or not at all, its all good. But I suggest, lets celebrate this day with 5! 5/8 that is mixed in with 6/8 brought to you by Wild Turkey off of Battle Hymn. Enjoy their 70s sound and great hippy Easter lyrics.

Easter Psalm

Sunday morning wake up
There's a feeling of joy in my heart
Still I seek nothing
for my happiness being alone

Bells ring out from a hilltop
Good vibrations surrounding
God Bless you and keep you
May you find your answers today

Big flowers, stone towers, steeples sublime,
statues maintain placid grace
newspapers, photographs trampled and torn
possessions soon taking place

The storm and breeze blow in mourning
the simple soul takes his fill
The preacher man makes his blessings
let your heart be free and open

On salvation day, sins to repay,
still on their way
Smilin' faces some grittin'
Children playing some crying alone
A stranger close to your heart
calls your name

Look for yourself one must wonder
Seeing only what lives in a dream
You will surrender when you feel
like you have something to give

Isn't that nice? Now I want to go write some hippy lyrics, but after I eat a bunch of chocolate bunny ears.

Oddly,
-BetZe
OddTimeObsessed.com

Odd Time Music Library

Okay, so I thought that I liked to count, but John, the founder of

OddTimeMusic.com

ranks in the Obsessed category too! He has compiled a library of Odd Time Music. Yep, that's right, with registered accounts capabilities so you can comment, many sponsors and about 800 or so songs from about 200 artists mostly in the rock category and some pop & jazz. Well I have to say he has certainly opened my eyes to some artists and some songs I thought were just in 4. He is quite diligent. So have a look and there is much that you can learn from this Odd Time Music Library. More about this to come.

Counting,
BetZe
OddTimeObsessed.com

Common Time Day

Well well, if it isn't this day... 4/4 is really not my nemesis... 4 is okay, its just the fact that it gets all the attention - I think its time for other numbers to have their time in musical limelight. The fact that we as a collective are in a 4/4 mesmerization is a mystery to me. Yes its got a safe and familiar back beat that's hard to lose, but we've made it that way via repetitive consensus. I can understand that its uncomfortable for people to think and feel in unfamiliar ways so they stick to what they know. But, when the majority of people and even some musicians don't even know what I am talking about when it comes to 'odd time', that's what really befuddles me. Are we really that hypnotized? Do we just drone on to the same beat without question? Unfortunately, for the majority of us, I think, yes. So, common or uncommon, outside or trapped by your box, by the bar line or no bar lines (I can't think of anymore cliches at the moment) its your choice. But as for me I am going to make sure that I do some thing odd on this day so that I don't feel so common. But I do that everyday... so maybe I will just be uncommonly common. Maybe..

Uncommonly,
-BetZe

OddTimeObsessed.com

Banjo in 7

Check out Cathy Moore playing a Betsy Likens tune - but she rewrote in 7/8 (complete with crickets in the background). How cool is that? Totally...


Andy, a wicked cool odd timer listener, enthusiast, turned me on to Cathy's blog, she has all sorts of instruction on how to play in odd time and she is an amazing player. This made my day, or week, or even month. Its not everyday that you find someone rewriting tunes in odd time. She is like Don Ellis but with the banjo. Check her out and I will be playing more of her stuff soon.

BanjoMeetsWorld.wordpress.com

Keepin' it ODD,
-BetZe

OddTimeObsessed.com

Seseme Street in 7/4

It counts to 12 but its in 7/4 & 4/4!! Does learning to count get better than this?



I love to count,
-B

OddTimeObsessed.com

Danish Pop in 7

Here’s something new for you,
(well it was new for me)
Perler fra Svin
(what? – Danish for Pearls from Swine)

I’m a sucker for any odd meter, so when the genre of Danish Pop was introduced, I immediately thought oh no sticky sweet (I prefer darkness). But when I had a listen to these fellows, I really enjoyed it. They have a great authenticity and originality about them, even though I don’t really know what they are saying. But, Jakob Johansen (gotta love that name), guitarist, song-writer whose project this kindly clued me in on the lyrical meanings.

Vaegelsind – 7/4 is about being fickle, unbalanced, wanting everything and not being able to choose.

Morgen med Sara – 7/4, 4/4 “Morning with Sara” about an ex-girly and longing for something you don’t know what it is or someone you don’t know who is or where to find.

I think that Jakob has reached his ambition of “making music that is rhythmically ambitious and lyrically profound while remaining easily accessible, melodic and catchy”. He lives in Denmark, studying journalism and has been writing pop tunes for the past 7 years. And as he told me that he discovered what a time signature was 5 years ago and since then has become more and more obsessed with odd meters. Now that’s my kind of musician. I look forward to his future odd creations (13/8 hint hint).

Have a listen – and of course they will be streaming on the Odd Time Obsessed broadcast.

BandBase.dk/PerlerfraSvin

(The site is in Danish, so just click the play button)

Holder sig Aparte,
-BetZe

OddTimeObsessed.com

Samples - Finally

So in order to procrastinate my taxes just a little longer, I found the perfect distraction, something I've been meaning to do for a long time: POST MUSIC SAMPLES - Whats a site about music with out samples? Lame? Well I don't want it to be that so... even with the broadcast stream, you want to hear what a song sounds like now not sometime in the future when you are going to forget about it. I am going to try to add as many as I can without going over the transfer rate limits on this server. The song sample links are in different colors (no way) mind you, you have to be a bit patient for it to download.

On playlist page there are a few now, with many more to come.
Odd Time Obsessed - Playlists

Also, on my RPM effort blog entry I put short samples - come-on.. you gotta hear the one in 17...
OTO Blog - Finish Line

Keepin' it ODD,
-BetZe

OddTimeObsessed.com