The physical CD is available on CD Baby. Digital downloads are also available on CD Baby plus iTunes, Amazon.com, and other music retailers!  Go to my Download Music page for more info.

This is a six track EP….. If you are too young or perhaps forgetful like me to know the difference between an EP and a LP, you can go here for a quick tutorial.  Anyway, it is a nice mix of folk and bluesy rock, this album provides a collection of original music celebrating love, life and God’s care for us all.  The tunes on this album include a variety of styles and instruments from acoustic based folk, blues, & country to electric centric pop-rock.

It’s got six songs, it’s available in physical CD format and MP3 through CD Baby and MP3’s are also available from many digital distribution outlets including iTunes and Amazon.com.  There’s no DRM restrictions and it’s Creative Commons licensed.

I will be also be making the full audio multi-track source available in the near future and will let you know when it is available.

Incidentally….

Please steal this CD:

I’d appreciate it if you’d copy Lost In Your Arms Of Love and share with your friends. High quality MP3s can also be downloaded if you’d like to send them around.

Thank you….

This album’s taken a long, long, long time. Thanks to everyone who’s given me feedback and encouragement

Hi Friends,

I was just notified that my bluesy gospel song “Saving Grace” off my NEW album Lost In Your Arms of Love is now released and available on Amazon.com as well as iTunes!!!

Can you do me a favor and go spend 99 cents to download this song? That’s cheaper than a cup of coffee or a soda.

You can be a part of getting the momentum going!  Here is the link to the song on Amazon.com!

Saving Grace is track number 5 on my upcoming CD due out in 2 weeks through CD Baby. This six track EP is a nice mix of folk and bluesy rock, this album provides a collection of original music celebrating love, life and God’s care for us all.

THANK YOU!

Check this out, on Amazon I just a few lines below the Steve Miller Band and on iTunes I am right down the page from Bob Dylan.  How’s that for company?

Amazon

iTunes

You can also buy through iTunes by clicking here.

Here’s something to bring a smile in this crazy world!!!!!!

ENJOY….

My crainiotomy surgery was one month ago yesterday – wow.  So I thought I would give you a little update, including anyone out there who might be diagnosed with SCDS and considering surgery.

My last post-op update is here.  The post I wrote explaining the surgery is here.

As you know I was in surgery Thursday May 20th all day from 8:30 am until 6:00 pm….Then I was in ICU for a day and a half and finally got discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, May 25th.

At the risk of being redundant, but for the benefit of anyone on the Internet reading this who might also have SCDS and had or will have the surgery, here is a bullet list summary of my post-surgical experience:

• As far as I can tell everything is healing nicely and the SCDS plugging and resurfacing was a success and is staying in place as intended.  I have noticed since the surgery that I no longer have persistent sinus drainage which we now believe was a slow CSF leak, which is now patched.  This is a big plus as well as a reduction of my risk of contracting something serious such as meningitis.  Until the healing process is complete and I am done with balance therapy I won’t be able to know how much the prior dizziness and blackouts have improved, but theoretically they should now be better.
• I have been unable to hear in my left ear Day 1 post op to present.  At first this ear was 100% dead.  As of today it is still mostly nonfunctional, but every now and then I hear what sounds like bubbles popping and I am pretty sure I can hear the telephone dial tone very, very faintly.  I also hear constant hiss or tinnitus in that ear.  So, we are hoping and praying that there is still a little bit of life left in there which will slowly come back or at least be available to additional medical intervention.
• The spinal headaches are GONE.  I had these from Day 1 post op to Day 5 post op.
• I was VERY dizzy Day 1 post op for about 2 weeks.  The dizziness has gotten better steadily, but I still get dizzy pretty easily and it is easy to lose my balance.  This is a retraining period that my brain is going through to deal with the loss of the superior semicircular canal.  I started balance/vestibular therapy this past week and now have “homework” to do every day.
• My vision has improved back to normal.  Initially I was unable to see or focus on things steadily, especially things more than 5 feet away.
• Part of my balance therapy is to walk every day.  I am now able to walk 2-3 miles.  This sure beats the first few days when I found I needed a walker which scared the heck out of me!  I still get really dizzy pretty easily when I walk so I have to be very careful when I do this in addition since I am only hearing out of one ear it is easy to get surprised by vehicles approaching me from behind.
• I got all of the 35 staples removed two weeks ago and my hair is starting to grow back….it’s about 1/2 inch long now and I am almost a hippie.  I still have what looks like a bullet hole scar on my forehead from where they screwed on the head frame contraption during surgery to make sure my head and body did not move lest the accidentally cut the wrong thing.  This was a good idea.
• I am still not allowed to drive and I don’t know when that restriction will be lifted.  Driving is dependent on how I do in the balance therapy and how my eyes and mind are able to respond to movement and my ability to read during movement.
• I am still limited to not lifting anything over 10 pounds, but I hope that gets rescinded soon as there is a lot of work piling up around here that will need to get done.  In the mean time I keep trying to ignore it and focus on other things that I can do.

If you have SCDS and have any questions feel free to contact me and I am happy to talk to you.

-Chris

How’s that for an mouthful?  Today’s song release is track number 6 on my upcoming CD, Lost in Your Arms of Love.  This is  a remix of Wild Man From Tennessee.  This is a quick little ditty, a little country-ish tune I wrote about a guy who was a big influence on my life, Grandaddy Lee Hill.  I included a repost of my original notes about this song below.

In my list of songwriting things to do, I have wanted to write about the influential people in my life – especially in my growing up years. I have already completed my song dedicated to mom song, Always There. So, when I began this song, there were several very colorful characters from my past that immediately came to mind. And one of the most interesting and colorful of all these people was beyond a doubt, “Granddaddy”, Lee M. Hill. Founder of Hill’s Meat Market in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If you are from Fort Wayne, then you will know that it is actually known as “Waynedale”. Waynedale is within the Fort Wayne city limits as the residents voted in 1957 to allow themselves to be annexed by the city.

The Hill’s Market history as I remember hearing it was that Lee was originally from Paris – Paris, Tennessee that is. Times were hard everywhere during the Great Depression, but especially so in small towns like Paris. As I remember it, for a period of time Lee worked as a truck driver and I suppose his travels brought him as far north as Fort Wayne…this was probably thought of as a considerable distance in that day and age. I don’t know all of the details or reasons behind it, but at some point Lee settled in Fort Wayne and opened his own grocery store, “Hill’s Market”, on Lower Huntington Road in Waynedale and even lived in the back room for a while. Perhaps this was simply to try to establish a better life and earn a better living than he could in Tennessee. All I know is that Waynedale gained a bit of southern hospitality thanks to the Hills. I also have to confess that I fudged on Lee’s age…in the song I said he was 95, but you will notice his obituary says “91″….95 fit my rhyme scheme!

In my family’s world, some things happened, or actually didn’t happen in my parents reproductive years, such that the time span separating me from my brothers was so great that either one of them was old enough to be my father. Needless to say, I first saw the light of day rather late in my parents’ lives and both my maternal and paternal grandfathers had died young…5 or 6 years before my birth. So, I never had a grandpa that I got to know and learn from as a kid. That’s okay…it’s just the way it was. But this is where granddaddy Hill came into the picture, and he probably didn’t even know it at the time. (but, maybe he did)

So, Lee was the closest thing I had to a grandfather and in fact, he never hesitated to offer advice either, even when I wasn’t asking. I first got to know Lee when I was around 9 or 10. I was best friends with Lee’s grandson, Rick Hill, who lived across the street from me in the “Indian Village” subdivision. Before I ever even met Lee, he was already a folk legend in my mind as Rick talked about the exploits of “granddaddy” constantly and I knew Lee must have been a big influence on Rick too. I would eventually get a job at Hill’s Market, but before I did, I was already coming under the influence of granddaddy.

Lee would come by Rick’s house from time to time usually in the course of working…either going to the store, coming back or driving off somewhere in quest of some great deal on a load of produce. On one trip, at a tender 12 years old, I got to tag along on a trip through Parrot’s meat packing/slaughter house and boy, did I get an eyeful. I still can remember seeing the entire slaughter and butchering process for the cattle and hogs going through. It was one bloody place let me tell you. On another memorable excursion, granddaddy again stopped by Rick’s house to see if he wanted to go on a drive in the truck to pick up a load of lettuce, and Rick wanted me to come along. So, my mom gladly gave her permission. What none of us, except Lee, knew was that we were actually going on a trip to the other end of the state! By the time we got back home 6 hours later, my mom was a bit beside her self, but very relieved to see that we were okay. Can you believe there were no cell phones back then?!

Eventually, I got a regular job at Hill’s market and ended up working with Lee quite a bit. Whether he knew it or not, I was learning a lot from him, besides being able to say “yonder” and “hnnnuh, boy”. Lee always encouraged me to work smart, to work hard, to “use both hands”, and it impressed me a lot when I saw him put extra free groceries in a struggling customer’s bag after they had paid. Lee was known by a variety of affectionate names: Granddaddy, Dad, “wild man”, the Duke….but I just called him Lee. So, here’s to you Lee, The Wild Man From Tennessee. Thanks for the memories.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The link to the store is right here, and there is also a permanent link on my web site navigation banner. Here are a few of the things you will find there:

Saving Grace T-Shirts

Irish RockerWoman T-Shirts

Ringtones

Saving Grace Ringtone

Are you a Musician? I use ReverbNation widgets and you should too! Click below:

Hi Friends,

This is my next song in my Lost In Your Arms of Love podcast series.

This week’s song release is a little Gospel blues/rock song I wrote. I am not sure if that is an actual music genre, but it sounds about right to me.

Anyway, here is me and my Kilika Jam Band playing Saving Grace. Let us always give the glory to God.  The following passage from John’s Gospel spoke to me in writing this song.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

Gospel of John 3:14-21 (New International Version)

I prereleased a ringtone version of this song on Myxer.com and the download results so far have been AMAZING and this song has outpaced my other releases by a huge margin. If you want a ringtone version for your cell phone, be sure to visit Myxer.com. So I hope you enjoy this equally well.

And last but not least, if you like the song, you can also buy the shirt (just like the image above) from my store on ReverbNation.

Thanks for listening,

Chris

**Peace**

I thought this was really funny that my Fender Custom Shop calendar page for May 20th (the day of my craniotomy surgery) would include this!  Compare this to my bass clef incision photo and draw your own conclusions.   I’ve started just telling people when they stare at my head that I got bit by a tiger. They go, “OMG!” LOL!!!  

BTW, now I have GOT to buy this guitar!

Years ago a friend of mine named Alice suffered a stroke that left her with the ability to say only two words: “one, two.” Or she may have been saying “want to.” In the months ahead she developed a skill for packing more meaning into that phrase than most of us can manage in several paragraphs. “ONE two!,” she would fairly shout at her husband, expressing displeasure (something she did with regularity before the stroke.) “OnetwoONEtwo?” she would ask, in a “Do you really like it?” voice. Still, it was tough on friends and family, and had to have been more than frustrating for her.

Eventually Alice and her husband moved into an assisted living facility. Though she was a woman of limited education and resources, she was able to resume a minimal degree of activity within that community. I saw her about once a week there, for a period of months.

At Christmas time, a group of us went caroling in Alice’s building. Midway through one old, familiar song, as we stood facing an assembled group of residents, someone noticed that Alice was singing merrily along, word for word. There was a lot of nudging and head-nodding, and by the end of the last verse not a dry eye. As we left, Alice smiled and said, “One two, one two.”

via Alzheimer’s: old music, new songs | Senior Home Care Information.

This is just a note to let you know that I am still alive and survived my surgery!!

I was in surgery last Thursday May 20th all day from 8:30 am until 6:00 pm….Then I was in ICU for a day and a half and finally got discharged from the hospital on Tuesday of this week.  I hope to be able to be released from doctor’s care in early July.

Unfortunately during surgery they found more “dehiscences” (medical term for a hole in your head…..) besides the one they had already visualized through the superior canal bone via the CT scan.  The other dehiscences were in my mastoid bone…..they could not see these particular dehiscenses from the CT scans.  Basically I had perforations through my skull base and I was leaking cerebral fluid out of my head into my inner ear and sinuses.  Very appetizing, I know! LOL.  Among other things, this could have caused me to get meningitis if not corrected, but they tell me they got them all patched.  I also ended up with a cerebral spinal fluid leak and an air pocket that caused me the hugest headache I have ever had and took several days to get under control.  A lumbar “blood patch” did the trick, thank God, otherwise I would have been staying the night again at Hotel Swedish.  Home is good.  :-)

So, right now I exercising my faith in my surgeons and God as I currently cannot hear in my left ear at all except for sporadic very weird, “zinging” and “buzzing” sounds.  I could swear every now and then I can hear some kind of radio transmissions in my left ear as well!  I am serious! They tell my my they monitored my hearing during the entire procedure and that my sensorineural hearing is just fine and that right now the reason I cannot hear is because my mastoid bones and inner ear are full of fluid that should dissipate over time and they expect me to fully recover my hearing and have normal balance again once I am all healed in 4-6 weeks.  I also came away with one heck of a scar!  I told the surgeon I liked to play the bass and wondered if he could fashion a bass clef shaped scar!! He must of thought I was serious because  I think he came pretty close!! LOL! It’s very bad.  Here are some lovely pics for you at the bottom of this post.  :-)

At the risk of being redundant, but for the benefit of anyone on the Internet reading this who might also have SCDS and had or will have the surgery, here is a bullet list summary of my post-surgical experience:

• Unable to hear in my left ear Day 1 post op to present
• Spinal headache Day 1 post op to Day 5 post op
• Very dizzy Day 1 post op to present (this will be a longer term healing and adjustment process according to doc.  Position changes still cause me a lot of dizziness, especially driving in circles!)
• Unable to see or focus on things steadily, especially things more than 5 feet away  Day 1 post op to present  (this has improved slowly each day.)
• Nauseous  Day 1 post op to Day 3 post op.  (I’m glad that stopped!  The hospital actually had some really good tasting food.)
• Able to get out of bed and walk with a walker by day 3 post op
• Able to walk around hospital without a walker and use handrails by day 5 post op
• Able to walk out to mailbox and back with my wife’s assistance by day 7 post op.   Now we will be gradually increasing my distance each day.
• I have a post-op follow up appointment to have my 35 staples will be removed next Tuesday.

Pam and I would once again like to thank everyone who has stopped by the hospital, our house, called, and emailed and brought us food and other things.  Old fashioned thank you cards will be going out to you in the snail mail.  Thanks to all my family and friends for your love and generosity.

-Chris

Chris’ Craniotomy Pics

This is to let you know that I will be off-line for a little while. On Thursday, May 20th I will be having a brain surgery. I do not have cancer, but this is still a major operation, I will be in the hospital the better part of a week and recuperating for 3 to 6 weeks. They will be repairing a “superior canal dehiscence”….basically they discovered that I have a hole in my skull base allowing my brain to be exposed to my inner ear which has been causing me dizziness issues and hearing loss.

Over the past 5 to 10 years I began to experience hearing loss in my left ear. I first noticed this when I realized I was not hearing my clock radio in the morning and it was more than willfulness to play hooky. This condition caused me a lot of frustration as a musician as I began to have trouble not only hearing external sounds but it was becoming hard to hear my own pitches internally. I could not figure out what was wrong at first. I kept thinking, “What is the matter with me that I can’t find these pitches when I want to!?” On top of that I began having other strange symptoms like if I heard a loud sound or sang very loud myself my left ear would “reverberate” or kind of jangle and echo, but not my right ear. Loud sounds would also make my left ear ache very badly and radiate out around the side of my face. Besides these hearing issues I had other odd things that would go on….for example if I called someone on the telephone, as the phone rang in my left ear my eyes would vibrate and whatever I was looking at would shake in synch with the telephone ring! But this shaking only happened with the phone on my left ear and not my right. I was never sure why that happened, I thought it was kind of strange, and I wondered if everyone was like that.  LOL!  To top it off, I often ended up feeling dizzy and losing my balance and if I squatted down to look at something or work on something for a minute or two when I stood up I would get very dizzy and at times felt like I was going to pass out. I did not know what was wrong or why an otherwise very healthy guy would have such weird and annoying things going on.

But the most annoying thing was the hearing loss. Since music means the world to me, I was determined to find a way to restore my hearing. So I began getting hearing tests to try to discover what exactly was causing the hearing loss. The hearing tests showed that my mid and high frequency hearing was very good for my age, but I had a 35-40dB low frequency loss on only my left ear. This is called a “conductive hearing” loss because the middle ear bones which conduct the sound waves to the inner ear were not working correctly, so they thought. There are surgical repair techniques available to fix the problem and restore the conduction path, but when this was first discovered in me my ENT told me that it was too early to consider surgery for me and that they would need to observe me for a few years and retest to determine if the condition had stablized or was continuing to worsen. In the mean time, they suggested that I try a hearing aid and see how I liked it.

I tried the hearing aid beginning in 2007. At first it was very embarrassing for me to wear in public. Call me vain!  But once I got used to it, it was a mixed blessing. It did increase my hearing ability, but its ability to discriminate sounds was limited and especially in public, loud environments it was very hard for me to separate a person speaking directly to me from all of the background noise. So, I was on again, off again with the hearing aid for a while.

Finally, early this year I decided to try to seriously pursue the surgical repair technique. I went back to see my ENT again. He retested me again. We agreed I finally was a candidate for a stapedectomy procedure. But…..he said my test results were not exactly textbook….something was not quite right….so he decided to refer me to the absolute best otolaryngologist in Seattle. Well, to make a long story a little less long, he determined that my conductive hearing mechanism (middle ear) as well as my inner ear is just fine (that was the good news) but a specialized CT scan of my head discovered I have a hole between my inner cranial space and my inner ear allowing my brain to bump up against the vestibular canals of the cochlea acting as effectively as a “mute” (musicians should get this concept) as well as screwing up my vestibular system.

So anyhow, to correct this they will be performing a “middle fossa craniotomy” procedure to go in and patch the hole. (My dad used to ask me if I had holes in my head…) Essential, they will go in through my skull, move my brain over out of the way and repave the bottom of my skull. (technical terms) But they claim they have had 100% success on the folks that have had this surgery and no adverse events. The medical term for my condition is “left-sided superior canal dehiscence”.

Here are a few cartoon pictures to give you a general idea of what they are going to do to me!

The last picture shows a neuroma on the vestibular nerve, which I do not have…the neuroma, not the nerve…I am missing a piece of bone over the superior semicircular canal.

I will be having the craniotomy surgery on May 20th and will get to enjoy hospital food for most of that week. We have prayed about this and turned it over to the Lord. May he guide the surgeons’ hands. I have two top notch surgeons who will operate on me: A neurosurgeon and an otolaryngologist.

I hope I get a room with a view. I plan to be healed up and back to a normal routine within about a month after surgery. Life is too short, there is simply no time to waste!

More information than you ever wanted to know on superior canal dehiscence can be found at the web site of Dr. Timothy Hain (http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/unilat/scd.htm). For the Über curious amoung you, a video of the surgery can be found here: http://www.otosurgery.org/sscd_surgery.htm

Thanks for your prayers and good wishes.

-Chris

Now I need to work on working in some “island sounds” into my future music!  This of course will be play, not work.

Mahalo nui loa and aloha

-Kilika

With the help of iPhoto slideshow creation and some public domain photos and a few of my own taking at last year’s Blue Angels visit to Seattle’s Seafair, I created yet another music slideshow production for my song Lost In Your Arms of Love.  If you like it enough I might consider including this on the upcoming album if it’s not too difficult for me to figure out.  You can either watch via YouTube or download the video via the link below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lost In Your Arms of Love Slideshow (71 mb – MOV format (QuickTime))

“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” ~Zen proverb

How much of your day is spent doing administrative tasks, and not creating or doing other important work?

How much time do you spend responding to emails and IMs and social networks, making payments, doing paperwork, filing, sitting in meetings, driving, doing errands, and so on? How much of that could be cleared up for more important work?

Imagine this for a moment: you have no administrative tasks, only the core work that you love doing. Your day has been cleared for creating, building, doing high-impact projects. Isn’t it lovely?

via Frictionless Work: How to Clear Your Life of Non-Essential Tasks | Zen Habits.

In this article there are a number of good suggestions.  There is the obvious one that I need to work on — reduction of email which I am going to start working on today!  But a personal life time consumer that I have struggled with all of my adult life is the amount of time I seem to spend on personal finances:  Updating and balancing my checking account and paying bills.  Next to email reduction, finding a way to reduce the amount of time I devote to the bookkeeping and mail opening tasks would free up a lot of time to devote to better things.  If you have struggled with this and found breakthroughs I would love to hear about it!  Please write.

Following up on Saturday’s post, just in time for Holy Week, here is the music video to go along with Do You Believe?  Enjoy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is a link where you can download the video:

Do You Believe? (Video) (42 mb – M4V format (iTunes))

Feel free to download and share this.

Just click right here.

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This is my fourth song that I have posted so far in my “Lost In Your Arms of Love” podcast series.  This week’s song release is timed rather well I think with the coming of Holy Week and Easter.  The lyrics that I wrote speak to a dialog I have heard Jesus having with me for my entire life.  The imagery touches on some prominent things from Jesus’ preaching and from his passion.

• Do you ever have doubts about your faith and belief in God?
• Have you ever found your faith to be like some of the seeds in Jesus’ parable either never germinating or getting choked off by the cares and pressures of this world?

I know I have.  But I have also always heard the Lord calling me back to Him and asking me and encouraging me to believe.  I think often of the parable Jesus told of the sower and wonder which one I am, which one I want to be:

^“1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear.”  Matthew 13:1-9

Thus, thinking of these kinds of things I wrote this song.  Here is the song:  Do You Believe?

This song is actually a reinvention of the song that I published under my Musing Mana Song Project, Do You Really Believe?  This version has been overhauled significantly:

• Revised lyrics
• New jazz organ intro
• New lead guitar parts
• Added a guitar solo and drum solo
• Re-recorded all vocals
• Re-recorded all rhythm tracks.

In addition, I have a music video of the song too and I will post that via a separate blog posting.   So, don’t touch that dial!  By the way, if you enjoyed my music and what I do and you would like to help, please leave positive reviews on my web site, on iTunes, ReverbNation, FaceBook and/or MySpace.

Thanks for listening!

PS Don’t forget:  God loves YOU and he wants the very best for you.

Did you ever screw up your life and not realize at the time that you were screwed up?

Did you ever realize that at one time you were screwing up your life and while oblivious to the fact that you were totally screwing things up, someone was in your life loving you and standing by you and willing to take you back?

That is what this song is about.  Sometimes that forgiveness and love comes from a strong person in your life, sometimes it comes from yourself and it always comes from God who loves you unconditionally.

This is the third official song release in my Podcast series for my new album, “Lost In Your Arms of Love” and this song will be the title track and believe it or not is called, “Lost In Your Arms of Love.”

But, whoa….I looked at the calendar since my last post in this series and it looks like I got distracted by life again from my release schedule.  Part of the distraction is that we became doggie daddy and mommy again.  Here is Kaleigh and Dylan. Dylan came from the Shetland Sheepdog rescue when he found himself suddenly in need of a new loving home.  Kaleigh is always wondering where her next meal is coming from.

Anyway, the good news is I have gotten a lot of studio work done and I now have a few songs re-done and ready to post.  So, for this week I decided to grab out of my finished music bucket Lost In Your Arms of Love.  This tune did not require too much work in order to re-release it for this CD as my original recording was pretty solid.  I did pull this song over off my PC onto the Mac and remixed it using Logic Pro and readjusted the mix levels.  Since there is no direct export-import from Sonar to Logic, redoing this song was really quite a bit of work.  Anway, a few lessons with Michael Powers on mixing really opened my eyes to how bad my old mixes were!

Now, here is a better mix of the song.

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The full article published on Yahoo News, titled, “Research finds brain link for words, music ability”, can be found here:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100220/ap_on_sc/us_sci_words_and_music

I have a unique sense of humor or perspective I suppose…..for some reason when I hear the word “ringtone” I think of “toe rings”….but as you can see, I don’t have any.

At long last, I set to work to figure out how to do it.  Along this journey, I discovered the nice folks at Myxer (www.myxer.com) had put a system in place to let me do exactly what I was after.  So I went through their process and created some ringtones with some of my tunes and put them on Myxer’s site.  Well, I ran to the window and threw open the sash, and what to my wondering eyes should appear in less than a month, with no advertising at all and without even yet being included in Myxer’s official catalog, I have had over 100 downloads of my ringtones.  That is pretty amazing to think that there are over 100 people walking around with one of my songs playing now whenever their phone rings.  What a great country!  The only glitch is that if you have a Verizon phone (like me!) Verizon will not allow you to download these ringtones from Myxer.  They in their corporate wisdom are thinking you will go and buy a ringtone from them instead.  LOL.  Well, in a future post I will give some details on a Verizon workaround for all of you suckers like me who were left out in the cold.

In case you missed it, here is how you can get my ringtones:

• From your mobile phone, Text CHRISHARTZOG to 69937 (MYXER) to get my content directly from your phone…Or,
• You can also visit my site from your phone, simply go to: http://m.myxer.com/CHRISHARTZOG…Or,
• Via your PC on the web, go to : http://www.myxer.com/CHRISHARTZOG/…Or,
• Or if you want, use the widget below to browse through all ringtones.

And for the day when this post is buried in my archives, I created a permanent Ringtone page where you can check back for new content.

More from Chris Hartzog at Myxer

If that weren’t enough, I an continuing to work on my second CD, “Lost In Your Arms of Love” and I am about 50% complete.  I don’t know what it’s called when you do this, but I took a prior song, “Do You Really Believe” and modified the title and rewrote some of the lyrics and changed some of the instrumentation and I am rerecording the entire thing.  I guess it’s like a derivative work, but since it’s my own song I don’t know if that term is correct.  Maybe some copyright attorney out there will tell me the answer some day.  For this version I had to sharpen up my keyboard skills a little bit and move the papers off of it.  At any rate, here is a sample of a few bars of the new “Do You Believe“.

• The Official Carol Kaye Web Site – One of the greatest bass players of all time! Carol was the number 1 on call bassist with over 10,000 sessions. There are tons of songs we have all listened to with Carol playing the bass line. Carol is a great educator too and goes out of her way to help aspiring musicians.
• Welcome to Weather Underground : Weather Underground – This is one of the most fun weather site's I have found. No frills, no nonsense….it just gives me the weather info that I want.
• Apple – What can I say about this site and company? I love Apple and their products (that's coming from somebody who lives in Microsoft's back yard). Of course Microsoft changed the computing world working with an incredibly weak architecture and that's great…but Apple's stuff is just slick, easy to use and appeals to the artist in me. My next goal is to save for a new MacBook Pro. The new iMac is quite cool, but I would rather have the laptop portability.

I’m sure all dads of daughters have a special bond with their child, but it is even more special when you have a special child on the autism spectrum.  There are so many things I am sure that she thinks and wants to tell me but can’t because the autism and her body get in the way and there are so many things I feel that I wish I knew she understood, but when words get in the way we just look in each others eyes and I know we both know that we have communicated the unspeakable.  In the end the lack of perfect speaking and hearing abilities doesn’t really matter because the love that binds us is a real, living force and it goes much deeper that speech ever could.  It is God who brought us together and that’s all that matters.

And likewise, it is hard for me to begin to describe to you what a unique, spiritual, blessing filled, faith inspiring, special journey it has been ever since the day she was born.

Here is the song:  Michelle, When I Hear Your Name

Every time I go to set up my guitar I have to go look up the details because my memory does not retain these kinds of details for some reason. I have gone through my owners manuals and other guitar books and compiled the following tutorial that is generic enough to cover most guitars. I hope this is helpful for you. Having the correct setup on your guitar is key to improving its playability, tone and your enjoyment. These instructions should apply to most guitars, however some adjustments might be required to suit your personal preferences and your guitar might be slightly different than the examples given in this document.

This installment of how to setup your electric guitar goes over basic action and pickup adjustments to help you get the playability that suits your style.

Action Adjustment

Action (height of the strings from the frets) is a subjective adjustment depending on a player’s technique, style of music and individual preferences.  Some players need lower action; others need higher action to avoid string buzzing on the frets.  So here is the basic action adjustment procedure:

1. Check tuning.
2. Measure distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret using a 6″ (150 mm) ruler.
3. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the values listed in the table below, “Typical Action Specifications”.
4. Re-tune the guitar.
5. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved.
6. Repeat the above steps if necessary.

Well, that is the end of my three part series on the basics of how to setup your electric guitar.  I hope this helped you even a little bit to improve how your guitar plays and ultimately increase your enjoyment of this wonderful instrument and friend we call “guitar”.

Peace,

Chris

I am starting a new podcast series today called, “Lost In Your Arms Of Love”.    You can grab the RSS for this and put it in your feedreader.  Eventually, once Apple does whatever it is that they do with newly submitted feeds, it should show up in the podcasts section of iTunes.  My sales blurb for this podcast series is:

Free Creative Commons Music: “Lost In Your Arms Of Love”, is a music project in which Chris Hartzog is producing studio versions of the “The Musing Mana Song Project” songs and releasing them for free as a Podcast. Afterward, Chris will offer all of these songs on CD format at his online store and from iTunes and other digital distributors.

Recording has some very tedious aspects to it….the songwriting and playing part is “fun”, but the editing and mixing and editing and mixing over and over again is hard work.

I guess I should feel good…it only took me about 8 takes to get the vocals right for Wild Man From Tenessee (coming in a future podcast) but I think I heard Elvis took something like 28 takes for one of his songs….does anybody know which one?  Hound Dog?  Oh well, it doesn’t matter.

And without further adieu, here is the first song release under this project….no, sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not yet, “Lost In Your Arms Of Love” mainly because I am releasing these songs in the track order I plan to put them on the disk….for no special reason other than I am kind of anal retentive and it seemed like the thing to do….creative life is a challenge for a right brain engineer by day and left brain musician at night…but I make do.  Oops, that was a bit of dieu….(doo?).  OK, here you go, the 2010 edition of Irish Rockerwoman.

• Washington Blues Society – If you love blues like I do, you’ll have to check out this site, especially if you are from Seattle or anywhere in Washington. There’s a band directory, a club guide, info on blues shows on the radio, and all the blues news you can use.
• Mel Bay’s Guitar Sessions® Webzine | Free Online Guitar Magazine | November 2009 – Check it out. How many of you have been assigned the Mel Bay guitar method book by your guitar teacher? I discovered Mel Bay is on line (who isn’t?) with this free newsletter available. I’ll have to check it out…if you’re like me you need all the help available.

So….here is a little Christmas gift from me to my web site readers and visitors.  Since it is Christmas, I made sure I included my one Christmas recording, the traditional Austrian melody, “Still, Still, Still”.

Thanks to the marvels of modern technology one can create their own ringtone and download it to their cell phone all in a matter of minutes and completely free.  Except of course your wireless charges if that applies.

Here is what you need to do:

• From your mobile phone, Text CHRISHARTZOG to 69937 (MYXER) to get my content directly from your phone.
• You can also visit my site from your phone, simply go to: http://m.myxer.com/CHRISHARTZOG
• Via your PC on the web, go to : http://www.myxer.com/CHRISHARTZOG/
• Or if you want,  use the widget below to browse through all ringtones.

And for the day when this post is buried in my archives, I created a permanent Ringtone page where you can check back for new content.

More from Chris Hartzog at Myxer

Have a very blessed and merry Christmas!

Chris Hartzog

• Chris Hartzog on MySpace Music – Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads – It appears so far in my "Favorite Links" blog series I have failed to tag MySpace. But since I own this little square of MySpace land I guess I should go ahead and tag it. MySpace is a StrangeSpace especially from an HTML perspective, and I don't hang out here very often, but it is one of those "obligations" it seems if you are into music. So here it is. http://www.myspace.com/kilikamusic

• 500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error

This is the second of a three part series on how to set up your electric guitar. Part one is located here.

Every time I go to set up my guitar I have to go look up the details because my memory does not retain these kinds of details for some reason.   I have gone through my owners manuals and other guitar books and compiled the following tutorial that is generic enough to cover most guitars.  I hope this is helpful for you.

Having the correct setup on your guitar is key to improving its playability, tone and your enjoyment.  These instructions should apply to most guitars, however some adjustments might be required to suit your personal preferences and your guitar might be slightly different than the examples given in this document.

This installment of how to setup your electric guitar goes over basic intonation adjustments to help you make sure you are in tune all up and down the neck.  If your intonation is not set correctly you will find that even though you have tuned the instrument so that the open strings are at the correct pitch, you will find that the higher you play in pitches along a given string the notes will either be flat or sharp from what they should be at a given fret location.  There is a certain amount of compromise inherent in the tuning of an even tempered instrument, but proper intonation adjustment can make it a lot less noticeable.

Basic Intonation Adjustment:

1. Using a tape measure, measure the distance from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret wire.
2. Multiply that measurement by two (2) for the scale length of the guitar.
3. Adjust the bridge saddle of the 1st string to the scale length you calculated in step # 2.  This is done by measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the bridge saddle.
4. Adjust the distance of the 2nd saddle back from the 1st saddle, by the diameter of the 2nd string as a measurement (For Example: If the 2nd string is .011″ (0.3 mm) you would move the 2nd string back .011″ (0.3 mm) from the 1st saddle).
5. Repeat this procedure with the remaining strings.

Truss-Rod Adjustment

1. Tune the guitar.
2. Install a capo at the 1st fret.
3. Push down the 6th string at the last fret.
4. Check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret using a feeler gauge. – Refer to the Table below for the recommended gaps
5. Look down the edge of the fingerboard from behind the headstock, looking toward the body.
6. If neck is too concave (action too high), turn the truss rod nut clockwise to remove excess relief.   (The truss rod nut can be found either on the headstock or neck/body joint.)
7. If the neck is too convex (strings too close to the fingerboard), turn the truss rod nut counter-clockwise to allow the string tension to pull more relief into the neck.
8. Check your tuning, then check the string gap with the feeler gauge and adjust again as needed.

Caution: Because of the amount of string tension placed on the neck, it is best to loosen the strings prior to making any actual adjustment.  After the adjustment is made retune the strings to pitch and check the gap a second time with the feeler gauge.

Note: Minor modifications of the specifications may also be made to allow for your individual style (i.e., how hard you pick or fret the guitar).  These are minimum specifications, meant to guide you, and are not unwavering rules, since each player’s subjective requirements may differ somewhat.

Note: If find a lot of resistance when adjusting the truss rod, if your instrument needs constant adjustment, if adjusting the truss rod has no effect on the neck, or if you are not comfortable making this type of adjustment yourself, take your instrument to a professional guitar technician.

Typical Relief Specifications

• iBreatheMusic.com – Professional Music Theory and Lessons for Guitar & Other Instruments – A great site loaded with everything you ever wanted to know about making and playing music.
• House of Blues online | HouseOfBlues.com – It’s the House of Blues. Great music. Great food. What else needs to be said?
• Guitar lessons for blues, rock, jazz, acoustic, fingerstyle and slide guitar – Truefire.com is a cool site that is very supportive of independent artists and offers a variety of original music, art, and instructional items. If you search for me you will find some of my guitar, bass and ukulele educational items as well as a few of my tunes.

• The Emily Post Institute offers etiquette advice and manners advice – One thing I have noticed in recent years is the apparent coarsening of our culture. Whatever happened to manners and etiquette? Barney really was right when he sang:

  We're talking 'bout please and thank you,
  They're called the magic words.
  If you want nice things to happen,
  They're the words that should be heard!

• IP Mag – Meet Our Staff – This is a site and a magazine that I wish could have continued on forever to go on inspiring and challenging me. Incredible People Magazine was founded by my friend, the late Mark Reiman. Mark was the embodiment of this magazine's motto "Hope, Courage, Determination, Compassion" as he fought valiantly in his struggle with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Mark was always a beacon of positivity to me and I will always miss his smile. Pray for us Mark!
• Parent Training Complements Medication for Treating Behavioral Problems in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders, November 20, 2009 News Release – National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Leave it to our government to tell parents of autistic children what they already know: Sometimes we need some extra help in figuring out how to manage our child's behavior and guess what else? Drugs are not the only answer. I wonder how much this study cost?
• Kristine Carlson and Richard Carlson’s "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff" site – This is yet another of my motivational sites. Today's post is especially timely for me as Kris discusses how does one prepare for an unexpected loss? Kris Carlson certainly knows about this type of loss as she lost her husband, Richard Carlson, author of the "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" series of books, in the prime of his life. We have been dealing with a similar unexpected loss, albeit on a smaller scale, with the loss of two of our beloved dogs, a Collie and a Sheltie in the span of only six weeks time.
• Inspirational Prayer Requests | OurPrayer.Org – This site is a great resource for recharging your spiritual battery and I need to go here often! I have been a life long admirer of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and I bet you will enjoy him too. The daily power thoughts are especially good. Here is one from today:

  Give Strength to Others.

  Get a deep spiritual experience so that you have something to give people that will help them be stronger and meet life more effectively. Give strength to people and they will give affection to you.

Having the correct setup on your guitar is key to improving its playability, tone and your enjoyment.  These instructions should apply to most guitars, however some adjustments might be required to suit your personal preferences and your guitar might be slightly different than the examples given in this document.

TOOLS REQUIRED:

• Capo
• Feeler gauge set (.002 – .025”) (0.05 – 1 mm)
• Ruler with at least 1/32” (1mm) increments
• Tape measure with at least 1/32” (1mm) increments
• Allen wrenches
• Philips head screwdriver
• Electronic tuner
• Wire cutters
• Peg winder

Changing Strings:

It is common advice to change your strings regularly.  Old strings will make your tone sound lifeless and they could have difficulty staying in tune.  Run your finger underneath the strings and feel for flat spots, roughness, dirt or other build up and replace the strings if any of these items are detected.  Choice of strings is definitely an individual matter.  I am still experimenting with different strings.  As of today, I am using Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings.

To protect your instrument from the high string tension on the neck, it is best to change one string at a time if possible.

Restringing Procedure –

1. Insert the new 6th string through the bridge and bring it about 1 ½” (38 mm) past the tuning post and cut it using the wire cutters.
2. Insert the string through the eyelet in the tuning key, and allow 1/16″ (1.6 mm) of the string to protrude through the eyelet,
3. Wind the string in a downward pattern (do not allow overlap of the strings).
4. Repeat this procedure with the remaining strings.
5. Once you have changed the strings and retuned, stretch each string lightly by putting your finger under it and tug away from the fret board lightly.

About String Lubrication

Lubricating all of the contact points of a string is critical to ensure tuning stability, and in reducing string breakage. String breakage often occurs from moisture that has collected on the bridge saddle contact point. This can come from the moisture and acidity that transfers from your hands or can come directly from the humidity in the air.

Another factor is metal-to-metal friction and fatigue. The differences in the metal components, over a period of time, react to each other and help breakdown the integrity of the strings. The stronger metal will always attack a softer metal. Finally, you will also find that different string brands will break at different points of tension, due to the metal make-up and string manufacturing techniques. The preferred way to help prevent string breakage is to lubricate the string/saddle contact point with a light machine oil (such as 3-in-1 oil, it includes anti-rust and anti-corrosive properties) each time you do a string change. The oil acts as an insulator against the moisture, and reduces the friction and metal fatigue.  The string tree(s) should also be lubricated with a small amount of petroleum jelly.

It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter, so I decided to blow the cobwebs off things over here and crank this out.

It is now the first week of December and even though winter solstice has not yet arrived on the calendar, it is definitely “feeling” like winter outside.  I even read that there has been snow in parts of Mexico this week.  So, that makes staying inside and getting indoor things done even more attractive.  I hope you are all doing OK and enjoying this time to prepare to celebrate Christmas and the dawn of a new year.  This year has been a busy year in many ways and I have a lot to be thankful for.

First CD – The Musing Mana Song Project

I reached a new milestone recently.  I have produced my first ever CD!  All of my work on the Musing Mana Song Project has been compiled onto CD format and is now available to order directly from my web site.  If you were following my MMSP blog postings over time you know these songs are from my very first songwriting and recording project, “The Musing Mana Songwriting Project” that was published on the Internet on this web site, between March 2008 and September 2009. In this project I produced a new song as often as possible and released it for free as a Podcast.  These songs are available here in their raw form, exactly as they were podcasted including some with my “Hey, this is Chris from Chris Hartzog.com……” introduction.

It’s got fourteen songs, you can either purchase the whole CD, buy one song at a time or buy the whole group as a zip file. There’s no DRM and it’s Creative Commons licensed. CD purchases get a real CD signed personally by me mailed directly to you.   Learn more by clicking here.  http://www.chris-hartzog.com/new-cd-the-musing-mana-song-project/

Link to My Store

Is right here: http://www.chris-hartzog.com/buymusic/download/

Future Stuff

I am working on a studio version CD of my songs which will feature songs that have been re-recorded, remixed and remastered.  Stay tuned for more updates.  This is coming along soon.

Woodinville Concert Band

I play electric bass in the City of Woodinville’s community band, The Woodinville Concert Band.  We are essentially a wind symphony with string basses.  We play a wide variety of music including Broadway show tunes, classical, marches and contemporary band literature.  Some concert videos are available here:  http://www.chris-hartzog.com/woodinville-concert-band-videos/

Popular Posts

Here are links to a couple of the most popular posts on my web site:

Beatles Stats – Who is the tallest Beatle? http://www.chris-hartzog.com/media_and_fun-stuff/beatles-stats/

10 Tips or More on How to Write a Demo Cover Letter http://www.chris-hartzog.com/10-tips-or-more-on-how-to-write-a-demo-cover-letter/

Are You A “Caregiver”?

If you are, here is an article with some resources for caregivers:  http://www.chris-hartzog.com/resources-for-caregivers/

Know Someone With Autism?

Here is a link to some information and resources for autism:  http://www.chris-hartzog.com/my-causes/

Forward to a Friend

If you forward this newsletter to a friend, they can subscribe to my newsletter to be eligible for discounts on CDs and opportunities to win free CDs. Click here to sign up.

Have a great Christmas holiday season!

Chris Hartzog

www.chris-hartzog.com
www.myspace.com/kilikamusic
www.facebook.com/ChrisHartzog

““Great sound and style Chris!! Very unique and crisp sound!””  Cathey J. Johnson, Massillon, OH

““I like your music. The voice sounds great!””  Blue Copper, Phoenix, Arizona

““Your music is divine. I enjoyed listening to it.””  Maxine Balliet, West Hazleton, Pennsylvania

ReverbNation Twitter MySpace Facebook Artist Website

TuneWidget Retail Links Grab Box Video Gallery Music Player Music Player (Blog Sized) Mini Music Player Micro Music Player Show Schedule Shows Map Show Schedule (Blog Sized) Press

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

[Signed]
A. Lincoln

I reached a new milestone recently.  I have produced my first ever CD!  All of my work on the Musing Mana Song Project has been compiled onto CD format and is now available to order directly from my web site.    Instant Downloads!  Take It!   Share It!    Remix It!

Dedication:

As I have talked about in my blog postings from time to time on my web site, my music and work I put into it is especially dedicated to the most vulnerable and often the least remembered in our world:  Those living with disabilities, especially autism, and to our seniors in nursing homes.  And certainly just as importantly, the caregivers who love and support all of these special people.

As I mentioned, these songs are from my very first songwriting and recording project, “The Musing Mana Songwriting Project” that was published on the Internet on this web site, between March 2008 and September 2009. In this project I produced a new song as often as possible and released it for free as a Podcast.  These songs are available here in their raw form, exactly as they were podcasted including some with my “Hey, this is Chris from Chris Hartzog.com……” introduction.

It’s got fourteen songs, you can either purchase the whole CD, buy one song at a time or buy the whole group as a zip file. There’s no DRM and it’s Creative Commons licensed. CD purchases get a real CD signed personally by me mailed directly to you.

Even though it would be really nice, cool and thoughtful of you to actually buy from me, I am equally thrilled if you take the free download and take it upon yourselves to share my music with your friends. You can remix it, use it in your videos, play it on your podcasts, heck, go ahead and include it in software and games and it give it a life of its own.

Oh, I should mention that if you choose to purchase you can rest assured that your purchase is safe and secure since it is handled through PayPal the worlds largest online payment processing company.  You can also use most major credit cards.  Just go to my Download Music page.  It’s that easy. If that doesn’t work for you, you can mail me a check or money order.

Thanks,

Chris

This page and web site is a place for anyone interested in bringing music into a care-giving environment. Care-giving environments can be such places such as a nursing home, a convalescent center, a group home, a hospital or to individuals living in the community.  This is dedicated to all those people with either physical, neurological, or developmental disabilities and for all those that are all too often forgotten and hidden away by our self-absorbed culture.

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
And have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
Your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16

I have answered God’s call to stand up for the rights of these our brothers and sisters and most importantly come to them simply as a brother with his guitar and his voice. A little music can brighten one’s day, lift spirits, revive memories, and reduce depression and feel less lonely. All this is possible with no prescription and no side effects.

If you would like me to play at your nursing home or for your group, please contact me. Click here to Email Me

• Home Project Studio: Part 1 & 2 Echoes – Insight for Independent Artists – DiscMakers is a great company with a ton of helpful resources for musicians. I wish I had had this article handy when I was attempting to initially construct my studio.
• The Official Ringo Starr Site – So what the heck happened with Ringo? No news updates since January? He had his crazy, well reported meltdowns and rants at fans and old ladies, got slammed by Piers Morgan for being a jerk and now I have seen not hide nor hair of him. (which is understandable I suppose) But I thought he loved music and his fans enough that he would try to so some damage control and repent for his nuttiness. But, maybe he has earned so much money from us, his fans, that he simply doesn’t care anymore. Or, maybe he really is sick. Maybe it’s the “Paul is dead” thing playing out again, but only with Ringo now. Who knows?
• Breaking the Viscious Cycle – SCD and Elaine Gottschall – I listed this site in my earlier blog post about the colitis blues. But I am relinking to this site, because I owe Elaine Gottschall a huge debt…she has probably saved my life. Crohn’s/colitis is a dreadful, downward spiraling disease. Because of the specific carbohydrate diet I am finally healing, overcoming this disease and feeling better than I have felt in 2 years. God bless Elaine.

Here are some useful sources of information that you might want to check out.

Music For Caregivers

Did you know that music is a great stress reliever?  It is also a wonderful way to connect with both the elderly and the young.  Beyond that it is plain old fun and enjoyment that can be worked into many aspects of your day.

• American Music Therapy Association – Fact Sheet on Alzheimer’s and music therapy.
• American Music Therapy Association – Fact Sheet on autism and music therapy.

Music is a power and a language that crosses all borders and generations.

Great Music for Stress Relief

• Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Various studies have shown that if you listen to classical music while eating will cause you to eat less, enjoy your food more, digest more easily and attain other health benefits. I have always loved Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.  It is one of my very favorites to enjoy over dinner.
• The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe Many of the world’s great composers are on this album including, Pachelbel, Mozart and Beethoven. This album is perfect for the practice of mental imagery or meditation and can also soothe you to sleep.
• Michael Powers A great Seattle area jazz and blues guitarist, Michael Powers, is constantly coming out with new and better music.  One of my favorites is 20 Songs for 20 Years.
• Abbey Road (Remastered) Who can compare with The Beatles?  So much has been said about the Beatles, that I doubt I can add anything new.  I can only say that one of my favorite albums is Abbey Road.
• Duets: An American Classic Tony Bennett just never stops. As an eighty year old, his voice is incredible. This CD is loaded with top performers including Paul McCartney, Sting, James Taylor and Barbara Streisand. Be sure to buy this album! It will make you smile.
• Musicians Who Support Autism Awareness Here is a list originally provide by “Autism Connections” MySpace site.

Music Library

Create your own personal stress relief music collection and sort it into categories.  Here are a some category ideas to get you started:

• For your work out
• For housework and chores
• For dinner
• For driving
• For meditation and prayer

Preventing and Dealing with Burnout

• The Caregiver Manual – Comprehensive resource for caregivers, including articles on how to decrease stress, find support, and balance your time. (Strength for Caring)
• Family Caregiving 101 – Offers advice, information, and support for caregivers. Includes a directory of resources, including financial advisers, support groups, and elder care organizations. (National Family Caregivers Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving)
• Recognizing and Coping With Caregiver Burnout – This page, linked to a page on “Getting help to prevent burnout,” is on a terrific, comprehensive Canadian site about caregiving. (Peel Public Health)
• Preventing Caregiver Burnout – Part of a handbook and resource guide for caregivers in Florida. Examines the signs of caregiver burnout and how to handle it. Includes tips for caregivers who are themselves challenged by age or infirmity. (Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas)
• Information Library – 100 fact sheets and publications on numerous caregiving issues. (Family Caregiver Alliance)
• Tips for Caregivers – Provides information to help caregivers prevent burn-out and relieve the stresses of caregiving. (National Family Alliance)
• Tips for Family Caregivers – Ten important tips for caregivers. (National Family Caregivers Association)
• Online Guide to Caregiving – A comprehensive collection of articles and tools to assist caregivers. (AARP Magazine)
• Advice for Caregivers / Terminal Illnesses – Contains articles that present advice for caregivers faced with terminal illness patients. (Terminal Illness)

Locate a Caregiver

Family Caregiver Alliance’s Family Care Navigator, provides a state-by-state resource intended to help you locate services for family caregivers and resources for older or disabled adults.