Beard

Nobody outside my immediate family and the people I’ve come into contact with over the past 6 weeks know that I have been growing a beard. Now that the layoff is a 3-day-weekend removed, it’s time to get serious about the job hunt. That means, the beard has to go. But, since most people haven’t seen me with a beard, here are some pictures.

I was rehearsing the melody to the piece I’m getting ready to record and was actually playing when my daughter Audrey snapped the pictures. I’m not smiling mainly because I’m concentrating on where to put my fingers. I have a capo on the 10th fret for two reasons. First, I want to use the low strings for the melody to capture a fatter sound. Second, most of my sheet music, and especially my fake books, are written for Bb instruments. I’m making the guitar into a Bb instrument with the capo two half-steps below the octave.

From another angle. For those interested, not only do I transpose the instrument via capo, I also have the low E string drop D.

Here, I’m rehearsing the bass part of the song, which I’m going to do on keyboard with a somewhat techno but more Vangelis-inspired riff. That’s why I’m standing down by the left end of the keyboard. The highest note I’m using is below middle C.

The keyboard is set to tone 308, which is “slow saw lead,” and transposed down two half-steps to convert the keyboard to a Bb instrument, as well. I’m only about half done with the keyboard arrangement, but it’s tricky because it’s all staccato eight notes at quarter = 144, combined with a low F# (concert E) drone. It should help get the “cosmic” sound I’m looking for.

Anyway, after 6 weeks the beard still looks scraggly and I probably would need another 6 weeks for it to fill in completely. So, goodbye beard.