A lot can happen in a year, and I have now turned the tables on Fred (my son). He has a scant five days to master a song based on 7x3 polyrhythms and an unconventional chord structure.
 With a little help from my wife Dizzy I have now reached the point where I am comfortable playing solo gigs. Previously I have preferred group playing, as I consider that responding attentively to other musicians is my chief strength, but now I am ready to continue promoting new music without having to rely on response to external stimuli.
 A lot can happen in a year (repeat) and by this time next year We plan to move to Greece, learn a new language, start a new business and start from scratch finding new musical outlets. May the force be with us!

Yesterday my sons bass player quit the band, and I agreed to fill his place for the gig tonight. Apart from a song by the body rockers ( a hit single ) I have not heard the songs before, they are mostly by Nirvana. I Hate playing cover versions, have never played the bass in public and don't like the music much, but strangely I have found the challenge to be fun. Usually the challenges I set myself are hard and long term, and involve exploring new territory, often they are open ended challenges which lead to new and further explorations, such is the nature of my "normal" musical world. Yet what a refreshing change to be on the spot over 48 hours, and then be able to finish and move on. Hopefully the teenaged lads will find a replacement soon, and ditch the "old man".

A steady beat can be divided into smaller beats. In music the beat is divided into 2,4,8,16 etc. Occasionally they will divide a beat into 3 or 6. I had to work quite hard to learn Quintuplets ( dividing the beat into 5 ). Because I have been posting a daily polyrhythm on my pod I have been practicing polyrhythms every day for 306 days. The other day I tried playing a "septuplet" (dividing the beat into 7), and found it easy. Infact I can also divide musical space into 9 and 10. This entry is not to publicise my Pod, but to point out that working towards a sincere goal can often yield additional unforseen benefits. I have never recieved musical training, yet now possess more varied skills than most musicians.

I was startled by an apparition and fled the cave

Deep in the cave I found the treasure chamber

The way in was surprisingly easy

It was only accessable at the lowest tide for 80 years

Here is the cave where I found the 13 treasures of Britain, which inspired my first CD

Curses! he is immune, I should never have made "Merlin" his middle name. I Hereby renounce evil for ever.

And really unflattering ones at that?