### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * There’s so much that’s beautiful about making music. But sometimes it ain’t easy. ## Beauty and the Beast There are mountains of reasons to play musical sounds. They start with the joy of connecting to other music makers. And then continue through those cascades to a sense of personal satisfaction (or at least catharsis). For me, another big part of why I make music is that I am compelled to do it. Something in me keeps calling to a particular part of my brain and soul that cannot stop. When I hear that call, the only thing that will keep me from going nutty is to play an instrument, write songs, and sing. ## What’s Driving? But not all of creating music is pushed along by that drive. I play music live and I also create music in a recording studio. Both of these call on me to bring out what I’ve learned over the years. But more than this, these call on me to be vulnerable. Making music is a potentially scary endeavor. I’ve written about this before, but this time, it’s pushed me too far again. I have now attempted to write a commissioned song 5 times. And I can’t get it to how I want it to sound. The real problem is that I’m afraid that the client won’t like the song. Or worse-yet (says my brain), that they won’t like me. ## The Essence of Making Music Obviously, I’m grown up enough and smart enough to know that I don’t control how other people think. Plus, my music and myself are not identical. As much as I feel close to the music I make, it is not all of me. It’s time to drop back into the joy of creating. Making music comes from my soul (but is not my soul itself). Let’s try that again: ~~Sometimes~~ Making Music ~~Ain’t~~ Easy. ### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

General sale begins Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.

### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * I’m working on more songs with the Hammond B3. That made me wonder how many of my previous songs feature it. ## B3 and Beyond History The B3 and its siblings — models, A, M, and the B-clone C3 — went far beyond church music. Add the rotating Leslie speaker and the magic really gets going. A wonderful sound, but the weight and footprint of a small yacht. Blues players were deeply inspired by it. Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff, and many others coaxed more magic from this instrument. They even found ways to tour playing B3 models that were local to the gig or by dragging the whole rig along with them. Rock keyboardists like Steve Nieve (Elvis Costello and The Attractions), Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Rick Wakeman (Yes and many other bands), Steve Winwood, and many others leaned on that blues background. They brought these sounds into rock anthems even after the Hammond company went into a 27-year hiatus. Later, the reborn Hammond company as well as Suzuki (with permission from Hammond) made XK organs all the way up to the present. These no longer use the mechanical process that drove the sound of the B3/C3. Instead, they use digital emulations that sound quite convincing. Nowadays, musicians also have a variety of virtual instruments on their computers (also granted the Hammond name and sound) with all the great sounds of the original. ## From Subtle to Shining I have quite a few songs that include the sounds of a Hammond B3. I’ll start with “Confession : Reflection”. Though not prominent, you can hear the organ as the glue in this track if you listen on headphones. Still not the solo instrument, a B3 holds another song together on “Borrowed Angels”. This harkens to the rock organists mentioned above. ## B3 Solos The Hammond gets to solo and hang out in “Draw Outward” which is more of a big band sound. Even more in the limelight, a Hammond B3 begins and ends “Wake Up Swinging”. ## An EP’s Worth of B3 Challenged by the company that made the B5 — a virtual instrument B3 — I wrote a 3-track EP based on this sound. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Hammond organ. Still to come? An album of B3 blues is on the way. Stay tuned right here. ### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * That’s right: This Day In Music History. Here are a few websites listing different events in music history. Enjoy your history lesson! > On This Day In Music https://calendar.songfacts.com/ https://on-this-day.com/history/music ### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * My wife is my favorite critic. Even so, I never thought I’d hear her say this. ## You Read That Right That’s correct: she would turn off this track if she heard it on Pandora. (That’s her favorite streaming radio.) Yeah, my spouse would not listen to this one. In her defense, I might do the same. It’s 11-minutes long; has lots of instrument and time changes; and is filled with uncomfortable emotions. It’s that discomfort that is probably the strongest factor. And yet, I know these feelings are real. After all, they are mine. (Please press play and then read on…) ## Off the Track This piece was intended to be my submission for a collaboration between four composers on an album. That project was about the “elements” and my chosen element was _earth_. As I pondered this subject, I veered off the path. Instead of thinking of earth as soil, I kept thinking of _the_ Earth. That led me to my sadness and anger about how we’ve treated our home planet. That’s why this track carries a sense of mourning and rage. Those are understandable given my _actual_ inspiration. However, that was not the _intended_ inspiration. After my spouse’s response, it became clear that I needed to revert to that intention. ## Earth As Inspiration So, I started to ponder gardening, earthing, awe walking, and other things that connect me with earth and earthiness. No more being off the track. Those are a very different kind of inspiration. And that led to one track of four in the album “Elements”. I hope you will be able to hear it soon. No worries for my spouse. She won’t hear “Injustice: Prologue to Earth” on commercial streaming radios. It will only be on Bandcamp, Mirlo, Subvert, and Bandwagon. Please choose one and listen. Better yet, download it. (It’s name-your-price on most of these.) Thanks for listening. ### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * You know. Snow is sometimes my muse. “First Snow” is no exception. ## Winter Snow Browse around this site and it won’t take you long to know how much snowy weather and winter inspire me. There’s no doubt in my mind that it has taught me almost as much as some of my mentors. Given the much warmer temperatures we’re experiencing where I live, I may not see too much snow this year. I’m honestly sad about that. I love when it snows. Global warming is not my friend. Snow is so inspiring – #snow #inspiration Click To Tweet ## Suite Sweetness While I fear that my snowshoes will get no use this season, RB and I did get one romp through the snow. It was the _first snowfall_ of winter here. And we enjoyed it to the fullest. First, we checked out the waterfall in our backyard. It was not brimming its banks the way it has been in recent rains, but it was stately and beautiful. Then, we headed into our favorite gorge and explored the beauty that always resides there, especially in the snowfall. I love snow, so global warming is not my friend Click To Tweet ## Inspired Improvisations Finally, we headed onto the Black Diamond (rails-to-trails) Trail and then home. Yes, this _first snow_ was no exception when it came to inspiration. Or adventure! When I returned to my studio, I improvised three pieces on the piano. I worked those into orchestral string arrangements. And I think they do work. Hope you do, too! ## Technology Kudos Just a quick shoutout to Fluffy Audio. It was your Venice Modern Strings that pulled me towards making these orchestral string arrangements. And this sound library along with Trio Broz for all of the “first chair” players forms the core of what you hear in the first three tracks on this suite (or EP as some want to call it). Thank you! Massive kudos to Fluffy Audio for the great orchestral strings #VIs #SampleLibraries Click To Tweet ### Please share! * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

from the album Congregation Of Rats

Listen now on your favorite streaming service. Powered by Songlink/Odesli, an on-demand, customizable smart link service to help you share songs, albums, podcasts and more.

YouTube video by djsylert

YouTube video by Peter Godwin

Stan Stewart - @muz4now

bed · ズーキッド｜Zookid · Song · 2026

YouTube video by JudasPriestVEVO

Chloe Slater. Manchester, UK.

The First Nations musician draws a line back to her heritage as a member of the Abenaki Nation.

a Steve Reich triple bill

Joaquín Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez: we explore the finest recordings of an iconic piece for guitar and orchestra

a cross-platform, terminal-based music player, audio engine, metadata indexer, and server in c++ - clangen/musikcube

from the album The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises