I've never felt this close to being completely organized, watch out Jack White

It's about that time to start making something of quality

Every text message I get is a new, independent challenge or obstacle that I have to overcome in order to move on with my life (sometimes)

Glossary of Musical Instruments & Styles

• Antara - term used by the Quechua people of Peru for the Andean panpipes (of clay).
• Atabal - cylindrical double-headed bass drum of the Basque region; wider than tall.
• Atabaque - general term for a conical single-headed drum of Brazil; usually played in threes, each of different size.
• Aud - Egyptian lute (see ud).
• Baglama - long-necked turkish lute, about 1m, member of the saz family.
• Balafon - African xylophone: set of three: bass, mid range and high one for soloing.
• Balalaika - lute-type; triangle shape; national instrument of Russia.
• Bamboo xylophone - (Papua New Guinea) - pair of large bamboo xylophones erected on ladders, beaten with rubber flipflops (sandals) or thongs.
• Bandola - modern lute of Colombia; tear-drop shape, flat or concave back.
• Bandoneon - square-built button accordion; used in Argentinian tango.
• Bandura - type of psaltery found in the Ukraine; short neck, oval, flat body; held vertically.
• Bandurria - small 12 string mandolin type instrument with a very short wide neck, popular in Spain.
• Bata drums - set of double-headed drums.
• Bata (Afican) - set of three drums: the 'iyailu' or "mother drum", a talking drum; the 'emele abo' is the second drum, smaller and higher pitched; the 'omele' is the base of the set and consists of 3 or 4 small drums tied together, and plays steady grooves.
• Bayan - chromatic accordian of Russia and Belorussia, with button keyboard.
• Bawoo - Chinese wind instrument; bamboo tube with rectangular hole carved in side near closed end, with reed fastened across; finger and thumb holes.
• Biniou - Breton bagpipe with single drone, pitched an octave higher than usual.
• Bodhran - single-headed frame drum of Ireland; membrane, of animal skin, usually nailed to frame; hand-held using criss-cross system of cord, wire or sticks over open end.
• Bombarde - Breton shawm, usually pitched in Bb, sometimes C. Traditionally played as a duet with the Biniou.
• Bombo - large sheepskin drum.
• Bombo (2) - One of at least 45 Aboriginal words for didjeridu
• Bouzouki - Greek long necked lute; 3 or 4 double courses of metal strings.
• Caja - frame drum, sometimes with snare, of Spain and the New World.
• Cajon - Cuban box drum, made from a wooden box.
• Calabash - dried hollow shell of a gourd, used as a rattle.
• Campana - ball.
• Celtic folk harp - small instrument of 24 to 34 strings.
• Charango - ten string instrument, made from the shell of an armadillo; an Amerindian version of the imported European mandolin; found in an Andean region.
• Cheng - 1) half tube plucked zither of the Han chinese; 2) chinese gong.
• Choquella - predecessor of the kena, but bigger.
• Chordophone - class of instruments compreising strings stretched between fixed points, including: zithers, lute types (lute, violin, guitar, etc), harp types.
• Cittern - small wire-strung plucked instrument; played with a plectrum; popular from renaissance to baroque times, modern citterns are much bigger, and more like mandolins in shape.
• Clarsach - Scottish folk harp, 25 to 34 strings usually.
• Cobsa - short-necked lute of Romania; pear-shaped, 5-7-sectioned resonator.
• Cuatro - of the guitar family; found in South America and the West Indies.
• Cuica - Brazilian friction drum with a remarkable pitch range.
• Cura - smallest of the saz family, about 75cm.
• Cymbalom - box zither of Hungary, related to the English dulcimer.
• Daduk - Bulgarian fipple flute.
• Daire - round, single-headed drum of south-eastern Europe, Asia etc.
• Darabuka - one-sided goblet-shaped drum; Northern Africa, Middle East
• Derbacki - hand drum.
• Dholak - (or Dhol) double ended drum traditionally used in weddings across the Indian subcontinent.
• Didjeridu - traditionally used by aborigines of Northern Australia; an end-blown, straight, natural trumpet, without separate mouthpiece, made from termite hollowed eucalyptus branch, stripped of its outer bark, with beeswax at mouth end. Also made from bamboo. Yidaki and yidaki; Two of about 45 Aboriginal words for didjeridu. Didjeridu not an Aboriginal word
• Divan - largest member f the saz family, about 140cm.
• Dizi - transverse flute of the Han Chinese.
• Djembe - one-sided drum from west coast of Africa, usually carved from a single tree trunk.
• Dobro - guiatr with one or more metal resonator discs mounted inside body.
• Dohollah - the brass Tabla.
• Duduk - flute of Bulgaria; 20-100cm long; 6 finger holes.
• Duf - a Mazhar but without the cymbals.
• Dulcimer - name applied to certain musical instruments of the box zither type.
• Dumbeg - (or Dumbeck)hour glass-shaped drum similar to darabuka.
• Dumbra - lute of the Tartar people.
• Dundun - African; set of 4 drums, the 'iyailu' member is shaped like an hour glass and has a skin on each side, linked by tension strings (by pressing these, up to 2 octaves can be played); but only played one-sided.
• Dvoyanka - Bulgarian double fipple flute.
• Emele abo - see Bata
• Erhu - chinese 2 string fiddle.
• Fa'atete - Tahitian drum, covered in a tight, single membrane; distinct, high sound like a drum roll.
• Fender Rhodes - Jazz: electric piano.
• Fipple - a word meaning the sharp edge of the lip (of a flute or recorder).
• Flugelhorn - valved brass instrument resembling a large cornet
• Gadulka - Bulgarian type of fiddle played upright; usually rests on knee.
• Gangan - Nigiran drum, smaller than Dundun; palyed under the arm.
• Gasbah - rim-blown flute.
• Gayda - Bulgarian bagpipe; single reed; mouth blown.
• Ghatam - South Indian clay pot; classical percussion.
• Gilo stones - (Solomon Islands, Pacific) music is created by striking certain stones with bamboo sticks of varying lengths, prodrucing mellifluous xylpophonic sounds, like running water.
• Gousli - traditional Russian zither/harp with 16 metal strings.
• Guiro - scraper of the Caribbean; long, fretted gourd rubbed with stick.
• Guitar-Charango - based on the European guitar and mandolin, this intrument with 10 strings has a "sound body" made from the armour of the armadillo.
• Guitarron - large bass guitar of Chile and Mexico.
• Guoqin - 7-stringed Chinese zither.
• Gyterne - short-necked lute.
• Hammond - Jazz: electric organ, often times equipped with built in rotating Leslie speaker for tremolo effect.
• Hardanger fiddle - folk violin of western Norway; 8/9 strings; narrower, shorter-necked and more arched than the ordinary violin.
• Harmonium - small, portable, bellow-blown reed organ used in India; player usually sits on ground, one hand fingering keyboard, other pumping bellows. European and American Harmoniums have a pedestal, and foot pedals to pump the bellows. The player sits in a chair and uses both hands!
• Iyailu - see Bata drums.
• Jaleika - from Tver, Russia; wind instrument made from reed-tipped cow horn.
• Jarana - five course guitar of Mexico, smaller than the normal guitar.
• Jouhikko - bowed lyre of Finland.
• Kalimba - played with the thumbs; "thumb piano"; its sound is produced by the vibration of toungues of metal or wood; small in size.
• Kanoun - (also 'quanun') zither/psaltry of the Middle East.
• Kantele - known by other names including 'gousli'; Finnish folk instrument of the psaltery type.
• Kanun - 72 stringed harp of the Near East.
• Kaval - long, rim-blown flute from Bulgaria.
• Kawala - special type of egyptian bamboo flute (different from the nay); played in religious festivals.
• Kena - shepherd's pipe; shepherd's flute (pre-Colombian times) without mouthpiece, carved in a bamboo cane; originally carved from animal bone.
• Kobsa - plucked lute.
• Konghou - historical Chinese string instrument; harp.
• Koto - longest of the long zithers of East Asia; about 6 feet long; 13 silk strings; this narrow harp is laid horizontally, each string with its own movable bridge.
• Lali - (Beqa, the Pacific) two large slit log drums.
• Laud - a flat back lute from Spain, with 12 metal strings in 6 courses and pear shaped body.
• Lojki - wooden spoons, popular Russian percussion.
• Lute, class of instruments related to the violin and guitar; do not necessarily have to have a 'body'; plucked or bowed; many types.
• Marimbas - modern commercially manufactured, fully resonated orchestral xylophone.
• Mazhar - a very large tambourine.
• Melodeon - 1) button accordion, In England this term includes all button keyed accordions, in Ireland and Scotland it is more specific to the one row 10 keyed variety. 
  2)small reed organ with single keyboard;
• Metallophone - percussion instrument consisting of a row of tuned metal bars.
• Mizmar - Arabic wind instrument with single or double reed.
• Moxenos - family of three wooden flutes of variable size(large, medium and small) that are always played simutaneously.
• Nai - panpipes of Romania; concave row of 20 pipes of different lengths and diameters, glued together in order of size with lower ends resting on a slightly curved stick; lower ends stopped with cork, then filled with beeswax to determine tuning.
• Nay - Egyptian bamboo flute.
• Norwegian tusselfloyte - a Norwegian flute.
• Nyckelharpa - keyed fiddle used throughout Scandinavia and N. Germany.
• Ocarina - extremely popular vessel flute usually made of terracotta; all-in-one large, elongated egg-shaped with flattened tube in its side and finger holes.
• Omele - see Bata.
• Oud - Egyptian lute.
• Ovcharska svirka - Bulgarian shepherd's pipe, smaller version of the kaval.
• Pahu - Tahitian bass drum; double-headed membranophone; Western origin; can be of hollowed out coconut trunks, covered by either sharkskin or calfskin.
• Pahu Tupa'l Rima - Tahitian single membrane drum, not unlike a tall conga.
• Pandeiro - either frame drum or tambourine of Portugal, Brazil and Galicia (Spain).
• Paraguayan harp - 36 strings; built by the Guarani tribe of Indians from carefully selected local wood that must then be stored for at least 2 generations.
• Pate - (Cook Islands, the Pacific) slit log drums.
• Pencilina - A one of a kind electric ten stringed collision of the hammer dulcimer, slide guitar, koto and fretless bass with six pickups of varied types. It is struck with sticks, plucked and bowed.
• Pinquillo - very small wooden flute with mouthpiece.
• Pipa - 4-stringed guitar-like plucked instrument; pear-shaped box.
• Psaltery - box zither; raised wooden board or box with soundholes, with strings stretched parallel to the soundboard and attached at either side by wooden pegs or metal pins; usually plucked.
• Qanoun - Arabic dulcimer.
• Quanoon - Egyptian dulcimer.
• Quena - see Kena.
• Quenacho - large Quena.
• Quitaiplas - Venezualan homemade instrument made from bamboo; when hit against each other and against the floor produce the unique Qui-ti-plasound.
• Rebaba - depends whether 'rabab'-lute or 'rababa'-lyre [rebab; term for lutes, both bowed and plucked, and lyres] [rababa:bowl lyre with 5 or 6 strings, similar to the tanbura].
• Reque - medium-sized tambourine.
• Requinto - small guitar used in Spain, Colombia, Equador and Mexico.
• Rigg - (riqq) - see rik.
• Rik - small drum with jingles as in tambourine.
• Rojok - 'Vladimirskii Rojok': russian trumpet carved from a single piece of wood, usually apple wood.
• Ronador - panpipes of Ecuador; variety of forms; tubes are closed at the bottom; may be made of cane, vulture feathers or other material.
• Russian guitar - 7 strings; popularised at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Sanduri - Greek term for the zither; also applied to the cymbalon.
• Santoor - simple, stringed instrument, belonging to the category of zithers; struck with two hammers; similar to the cymbalon.
• Santour - same as santoor, santur, sanduri.
• Sarangi - foremost bowed instrument in North Indian classical music; of one piece of wood with a goat skin sound table; no frets.
• Saz - family of long-necked lutes played throughout Turkey; eg:baglama, cura, divan.
• Sekere - African calabash embroidered with beads to give shaker sound.
• Sepik flutes Kanengara - (Papua New Guinea) the longest flutes in the world.
• Shaksha - percussion instrument.
• Shakuhachi - Japanese bamboo flute with 4 finger holes and a thumb hole; great flexibility of tone and pitch through half holing and head movements.
• Shamisen - Japanese 3-string lute, like a long-necked, fretless banjo with parchment strtched across the front; plucked with a heavy ivory plectrum.
• Shawm - double reed wood instrument; the oboe is a modern example.
• Sitar - Indian Classical stringed instrument (also has Persian links?), modern type has 7 plucked strings and other sympathetic strings (not plucked); fretted with a gourd base; plectrum (misrab) can be used.
• Surbahar - cousin of the sitar but longer at 5 ft 5ins.
• Surdo - Brazilian snare drum.
• Tabla - NB Egyptian: single headed, hour glass-shaped drum, used by Hassam Ramzy.
• Tabla - (or tabla-bayan) - NB Indian: an asymmetrical pair of small, tuned hand played drums (of the kettle-drum type) of north and central India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; the tabla drum is of wood, the Bayan of metal.
• Tambora/tanbora - double-headed drum of Latin America; similar to bombo but wider shell.
• Tamborim - cylindrical drum of Brazil, 30 cm long; used in dramatic dances.
• Tambura - long-necked fretted lute from Bulgaria, especially seen in Pirin.
• Tambutica - plucked lute of Yugoslavia; wire strings; several soundholes.
• Tamburitza - main instrument of Slavonic music; an instrument of the Tanbur-lute family, which originally came from Asia.
• Tanbur - name applied to various long-necked lutes of the Middle East and Central Asia.
• Tanpura - long-necked ancient lute of India; four strings; provides the reference point for melodic improvisations by performers of the other instruments.
• Tapan - double-headed drum.
• Tarkas - wooden flute with mouthpiece.
• Tarogato - woodwind instrument with a reed, similar to an oboe; 30-40cm; dark, penetrating tone.
• Thavil - two-headed drum originating from Southern India; for festivals.
• Timbales - pair of metal-shelled, single-headed, cylindrical drums.
• Tiple - in Spain, Colombia, Puerto Rico, etc., a small type of guitar; 12 metal srings.
• To'ere - Tahitian slit log drum; hollowed out trunk of tou wood, struck with a wooden beater; the larger the instrument, the deeper the sound.
• Tonback - drum used in Iranian classical music; carved from wood, open at the lower end, covered with goat or calf-skin at the wider, upper end; played with the fingers of both hands.
• Tres - type of guitar with 3 single or double courses of strings.
• Trump - hand-sized instrument placed in front of the mouth; sound produced by blowing across a flexible ' toungue' set into a frame; many types. Also known as Jew's Harp or Jaw Harp
• Trombita - large horn, similar to the alpenhorn.
• Tulum - bagpipe of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
• Tzouras - Greek long-necked lute.
• Ud - (also spelt aud or oud) short necked, plucked lute of the Arab world, the direct ancestor of the European lute;principal instrument of the Arab world.
• Udu drum - clay pot with 2 holes, cupped alternatively; sound produced by compression and release of the air inside it.
• Uillean pipes - see union pipe; ('Uillean' is Gaelic for elbow)
• Ukulele - (or Ukelele) small guitar shaped instrument of Hawaiian origin, 4 nylon strings.
• Union pipe - type of bellows-blown bagpipe known in Ireland from 18th century.
• Vibraphone - of the bar percussion family; metal; similar in appearance to the xylophone.
• Vihuela - plucked chordophone of the viol family.
• Waterphone - Stainless steel and bronze monolithic, one-of-a-kind, acoustic, tonal-friction instruments that utilize water in the interior of their resonators to bend tones and create water echos. Played with mallets, by hand, and with a bow.
• Wuankara - Chinese bamboo pipe.
• Yang Qin - Chinese hammered dulcimer; came into China from Persia in the 17th century and now regarded as a Chinese national instrument.
• Zampona - panpipe; reed pipe, different length of reed bound together, know in Europe as a pan flute; neither mouth piece or finger holes.
• Zurna - another name for shawm; folk oboe of the Arab world. 

'Welcome back to blogger, Will Ragsdale' -the third person blog entry

I would use this blog to simply promote my own mixes and music, but that is hardly interesting, and I'm pretty sure people like to read my 'inner emotions'. My 'inner emotions' are clouded, due to chemical imbalances, but I am damn proud of my ability to function like a 'real person'. But I promised you a third person journal entry so

Will is currently in  classroom, surrounded by artists who are on the brink of graduation from a first class, private, year round, 24 hour sound engineering art college. Will knows that he is talented, but there is much competition, and nothing he does is 'representative of his talent', especially not his classwork. However, with his workflow he can get hundreds of things done in the time it takes someone else to do just one hundred things. 

Will has been involved in too much lafayette-dramatics, theatrics, etc. He would like to keep this delightfully vague, but rest assured that he is sick of the lack of free time and mental clarity that this situation (s) have caused. 

Will is excited today though, because his studio is getting new carpet! The studio setup has already taken a number of days, a week perhaps, and includes new features like 24 inputs, multiple rooms, cameras, subwoofers, and awesome MIDI capabilities. 

 

Will's body will ideally be detoxing all the shitty foods and other substances he's put into his body idiotically, (yet instant gratifying-ly), if all goes according to plan.

I want to write classic songs_ Perhaps disappearing up north for a few months to do nothing but practice a craft, emerging back into a functioning society with 'celebrity status' so he has power. Just kidding about that celebrity status and power thing. But the northern canada thing is still a thing. 

Every day of the past week has been one of those days that you just want to get through because you have responsibilities scheduled throughout the day

Friday Morning I had a recording session with the producer Jack Douglas at school. He produced most of the Aerosmith stuff, as well as working on Lennon's Imagine. He is that guy --->

Friday afternoon I picked up fliers from Gary in Oakland for Kaboom

Friday Night I worked at Blakes

Saturday's KFOG Kaboom marked my 4th year fliering it. I went with Sklyer Kilborn of the local band 'Bullets Can't Kill Danny.' We get together a lot and talk about songwriting, he is a good friend of mine. Even though it is a mundane, brainless task, there is also a technique to fliering people coming out of big events. 

Because I had done it a lot, and it was Skyler's first time, I pretended like we were in that movie 'Training Day' so I kept quoting the movie and making jokes about how it was 'training day' and how we were going to do shady things like kill people or sell drugs. 

Sunday morning I had a lab (8am-12pm)

Sunday evening I had a lecture from Dave Ernst; we talked about psychology and watched part of 'American Beauty'

Monday I had to write a 5 page research paper on the E.F.F.

Monday evening I had to present this information to my Business of Media class

Late Monday evening I had to finish my 'demo reel' on a DVD, burned at my apartment. It is difficult to burn a DVD

Tuesday morning I had a lecture where I had to bring in this DVD

Tuesday evening I had nothing

Wednesday morning I had a lab where I mixed a song by 'Paris King' called 'Box of Wooden Matches'. The mix is brilliant, but I have to figure out a way to post it up here and I'm lazy right now and don't want to do that.

Thursday is today. I woke up at 9am for a lecture from Dave Ernst; the final one. We finished American Beauty. Later, in the afternoon, I had a lab to finish up my 'demo reel' and my 'Paris King Mix'. 

Tommorrow morning I have a lecture/presentation at 9

I just re-read that all and it's not very interesting to read

This was fun

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

Pick Your Artist: Radiohead


Are you male or female: Yes I Am
Describe yourself: I am a Wicked Child
How do you feel about yourself: Bulletproof...I wish I was
Describe where you currently live: In Limbo
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Planet Telex (Palo Alto)
Your best friend is: My Iron Lung
Your favorite color is: Permanent Daylight
What's the weather like: Fog
If your life was a TV show what would it be called: How to Disappear Completely
What is life to you: Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
What is the best advice you have to give: There, There. True Love Waits. Anyone can play guitar.
If you could change your name, what would it be: Lucky
Your favorite food is: Bangers & Mash


===================================================

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

Pick Your Artist: Nirvana


Are you male or female: In Bloom
Describe yourself: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
How do you feel about yourself: Very Ape- I hate myself and want to die
Describe where you currently live: On A Plain
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Molly's Lips
Your best friend is: Lithium, Polly
Your favorite color is: Dumb
What's the weather like: Smells like teen spirit
If your life was a TV show what would it be called: Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
What is life to you: Heart-Shaped Box
What is the best advice you have to give: Come as you are
If you could change your name, what would it be: Mr Moustache or Floyd the Barber
Your favorite food is: Mexican Seafood w/ Pennyroyal tea

===================================================

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

Pick Your Artist: System of a Down


Are you male or female: Question!
Describe yourself: Old School Hollywood
How do you feel about yourself: Storaged
Describe where you currently live: Thetawaves
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Forest
Your best friend is: Science
Your favorite color is: InnverVision
What's the weather like: Toxicity
If your life was a TV show what would it be called: Ego Brain
What is life to you: Roulette
What is the best advice you have to give: Kill Rock 'N Roll
If you could change your name, what would it be: Chop Suey!
Your favorite food is: Sugar


===================================================


Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

Pick Your Artist: The Mars Volta



Are you male or female: Tourniquet Man
Describe yourself: A Plague upon your hissing
How do you feel about yourself: This Apparatus must be unearthed
Describe where you currently live: Televators
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Tira Me a las Aranas
Your best friend is: Eriatarka
Your favorite color is: Viscera Eyes
What's the weather like: Day of the Baphomets
If your life was a TV show what would it be called: Abrasions Mount the Timpani
What is life to you: Wax Simulacra
What is the best advice you have to give: Take the Veil, Cerpin Taxt
If you could change your name, what would it be: Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus
Your favorite food is: Son et Lumiere
----------------------------
----------------------------

Don't take that seriously

Especially the Nirvana one!

Do this too

Someone do 'Tom Waits' or 'Blink 182'

-Will

My amp keeps making this really wierd buzzing sound because I don't replace the tubes, and I had a good night last night

I should really get to those tubes so my recordings don't become ruined with the annoying, hi-frequency buzz of the lack of tubes in my guitar amp is causing.

I also had a damn fun night last night at Sarah's for her St Patrick's day party.

I guess you could've read all that in the title, but I like explaining myself.


(I hope Kevin is doing alright this morning...)

I am a whirlwind

I am a whirlwind

Every few minutes I feel different

Caffeine makes me feel euphoria for about ten minutes

I almost texted someone who would have been unintested and said 'Coffee makes me feel happy' or something

I think that the world is against me sometimes

Like right now, when I am supposed to be making sounds for the retro video game 'Space Invaders' but instead rented a Neil Young and a Death Cab DVD from our library, watched them in lab, then got caught red handed

I lost lab credit

When I watched that DVD, I felt like I was doing something wrong
with my life

Why am I not on the road?
Why haven't I written songs in a while?

Recently I have felt the need to 'be accepted' by people

I feel similar to the way I did freshman year of college, where there was a closely knit group of friends with similar interests, in a glass house, and I was just far enough on the outside, looking in, to feel alienated.

Sometimes I feel like I could write a book, because I would go about it in a naive way, and be amazed at a book's creative potential, the way I did when I recorded music the past few years.

Have I learned too much to be inspired?

Do I know what a real friend is?

Can I tell you secrets?

I saw a a chameleon for the first time in my life yesterday. He was a baby chameleon. The strange thing was, he only changed colors with mood, not with his surroundings. I found it interesting that he was even alive. My friend Alan was forced to feed him 20 crickets a day, and when I asked him where he got the crickets, he pulled out another box where he raised well over a thousand crickets. "Is that 1000 crickets?," I wondered out loud. "I have to raise them all myself, but if they get too big..It's really sad but I have to cut their legs off and feed them to the chameleon so the cricket won't jump around and escape."

The Chameleon was beautiful. It was a pale white-green, and his eyes screamed 'I am a living creature'. I felt less empathy for the crickets, who vastly outnumbered and outjumped the chameleon. There was a really good kung fu movie in the other room happening, so it was hard to think too hard about the life cycle exchange being manipulated under my hands. Crickets incubated to be eaten alive; aren't we all. The planet we live on is feeding off our lives. We are raised to be force fed to the planet from which we've taken so much from; a final act of revenge to a viral race, who as is turns out could actually be the saving grace from a celestial body striking and destroying the planet's delicate ecosystem. Sucked dry until the end; Nobody want's this; but it won't wait. The kung fu movie was really good. It was called 'Ip Man'. It recalls the story of a young chinese martial arts master (who in real life was actually the mentor or Bruce Lee), who rose to fame and fortune through his mastery. He took on all challengers. However when the second world war came, he was forced into hiding, and eventually to work at a coal mine. As it turned out, the Japanese general who was in change of the Chinese workers (amoung them Ip Man) was extremely into martial arts. So Chinese workers could fight Kung Fu against Japanese students, and win bags of rice to eat. Ip man had a friend who used to compete until he was fatally shot by a Japanese officer. The aformentioned general was angry for he was learning from Ip Man's friend, as was Ip man, who had to watch his friend die. Right after this, Ip man charges in and offers to fight ten students at once. Emotions ran high, punches were thrown, ten bags of rice were won. I looked at the chameleon. He was indifferent, and now a ligher shade of green. I think he was hungry or depressed.

A couple days off

Friday night - El Rincon Show w/ the Keenan Hemje Extravaganza

Saturday Morning - Lecture on 'Game Audio'

Saturday afternoon/night- Work at Blakes

Saturday night / Sunday morning - Still working at blakes / Time Change (It is now 4am)

Sunday morning (8am) - 'Game Audio' lab work

Sunday afternoon - First chance to sleep in days

Sunday afternoon pt. 2 - Work at Blakes ; Dizzy Balloon / The Jakes

Monday Morning - 'DVD' Authoring Lecture

Monday afternoon - Post Production for a Movie I'm working on

Monday night- 'DVD Authoring Lab'

Monday late night - More Post Production for a Movie I'm working on

Tuesday morning (early) - Meet with guy for Post Production for a movie I'm working on

Tuesday @ 12 - 'Game Audio Lecture'

Tuesday afternoon - See Sarah? 

I'm having fun

There are times

Last year I 'wrote a lot'. Mainly it was journals and lyrics, which now live next to my Logic Pro Cert books high up on my shelf. Only a few made it to songs and the information superhighway.

I felt like writing, so I am.

Little bits of conversation or advice stick with you, surfacing at inoppertune or just random moments. For example, there was one time when I was thinking about life, and how in movies stories can just wrap up and end and you never see what happens to the characters after. I'm sure they fight just as much; new problems come up. And after four or five sequels, the ideas just run dry. I was in fifth grade, and I hadn't ever been in love. I was in fifth grade, and I was sitting in my parent's living room. My mom had been printing something. I sat there and looked around and breathed one epic, deep breath. I told myself that in ten, fifteen, twenty years, I would always remember that as being significant, like it was the beginning or end to a chapter in my life. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be 10 years down the line. But here I am. And another one of those little phrases just popped into my head while typing on my Intel PC computer.

"When you're up, you're up, and when you're down, but when you're only halfway up, you're neither up nor down."

It's rare that I would actually consider myself 'up'. This should be changed. I should tattoo 'Don't Panic' on my left wrist. The other night I was laying awake, and I thought to myself in a very Charlie Bucket fashion

'I'm just lucky to be here'

This is the type of post I delete. I like reading depressing blogs because it seems like depressed people are very honest, witty, and specific. They use real names. They don't care. I like reading someone who isn't telling lies. I can't write like that. I apply this to music, sometimes. I get depressed sometimes too. Down is the new up.

I like stream-of-conscioussness writing. I like writing that doesn't make sense. I like reading things that are 'overproduced' the way a gunshot sound effect in a movie is really the sound of an actual cannon. 'I will never speak again.' '..And then there were none.' I don't like fiction, really, unless it catches my eye immediately. I like reading biographies of people I admire; Cobain, Morrison, Douglas Adams.

Currently, I'm reading 'No one belongs here more than you', courtesey of Sarah. Thank you Sarah!

Also, I'm seeing VIDEO GAMES LIVE on Saturday at the new Fox Theatre. Thanks to Gary and Another Planet Entertainment for the tickets. I wish APE ran more venues in the area.

Until I decide that my posts can no longer be personal and delete them, or until my world comes crumbling down, thanks for being here.

My links still don't work but I have a youtube channel

www.youtube.com/ragsdale5

really, they are just funny videos of my friends

The Melting Point project is finished!!

Recently the band Melting Point, who I've known through my live sound work (I've done sound for them a record six times!), asked me to record their new demo of Jewish Standards. 

We got together during the month of January and came out with a four song EP.

You can check it out HERE

I tracked, mixed, and mastered the album.

Also, contact MeltingPointBand@Hotmail.com if you want them to play at a 'bar mitzvah, wedding, or other simchot' 

Coming soon: A Will Ragsdale mix of 'Seattle Love Song' !

Thank you and goodnight. 

Video Friday

I'm ripping green plastic off, but if you're bored, check these out.

Todays theme: 'A Series of Existential thoughts and emotions, expressed through music and storytelling', OR 'Thinking too hard about things that I have no control over', OR 'A Series of predictable songs thats are stuck in my head, most likely hinting at the fact that I have much on my mind.'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9t2FFh6LA
'I walk through walls, I float down the Liffey'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGN0RWdJ9c
"I'm not like them, but I can pretend'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRwzAYGz5Ug
'And he takes, and he takes, and he takes..'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr0Nh4MmJn4
'No, I've never seen you like this'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkMGf2_NKvs
'You don't know how lovely you are'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLnrXNXO1FE
'Time's no matter'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvH127PFmcY&feature=related
'Two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt4HZ7AKp1s
'Are you going'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poXdW6g5WK0&feature=related
Are you writing from the heart?

2x Album

See HERE and HERE


Coming next;

• Making a pot of coffee
• Looking for better places to upload files then remembering 'YouShare'
• Recording Keenan's Demo
  
• Looking up Mitch Hedberg on YouTube to take a break
• Looking up how much apartments cost on craigslist in differnt parts of the country for fun
  

Will Ragsdale - Stranger, Things Have Happened

Will Ragsdale
Stranger, Things Have Happened (2008)



Click HERE to download album

1. Swiftly, Now
2. Autumn
3. Stranger, Things Have Happened
   
4. Underneath
5. Unfamiliar Ground
6. A Lively Symposium on Style
   
7. Branches
8. Rose Waters
9. Freezing Lakes
10. Don't look now, but there's nobody around
    
11. Theme from 'Stranger, Things Have Happened'
    
12. THYKYSR
13. Psuedocide
    

The Music Post

Hello,

I wanted to compile and archive all the music I've written, and make it available as downloadable content. The full albums are self-extracting zip files (You'll need an unzipper, like WinZip, which has a free trial version here. You can also download individual files as AAC or Mp3 (*You actually can't, yet. Working on it..)

All the music on this page I have written, or helped write. If you'd like to see my engineering work, click here. *Actual link coming soon..

Click on a bold album title to go to that album's page, where you can download individual tracks or the entire record. (If you download the entire album, you get a personal message from me, and all the album artwork!) *This isn't true, yet.

Will Ragsdale - Stranger, Things Have Happened (2007)

Engineered, Mixed, Mastered, Produced By Will Ragsdale

Will Ragsdale - Welcome to The Island (2006)
Engineered, Mixed, Mastered, Produced By Will Ragsdale

The Music of Will Ragsdale - Dancing With Aspirin (2005)*
Engineered, Mixed, Mastered, Produced and Written By Will Ragsdale
*2009 'Re-Release'ngineered, Mixed, Mastered, Produced and Written By Will Ragsdale

Dancing With Aspirin - Nomenclature
Engineered, Mixed, Mastered and Produced by Will Ragsdale
All songs written by Will Ragsdale, Nolan Kruegar, and Pierce Jagger

Dancing With Aspirin - The (Faultline) E.P
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Ryan John
Produced by Will Ragsdale and Ryan John

Send me feedback! Free music is better than no music, I always say.

I've never said that before.

_Will

Will Ragsdale - Welcome to the Island..(2006)

Will Ragsdale

Welcome to the Island...(2006)*




Click HERE to download entire album

1. Procession of the Locals
2. A Glowing Bramble
3. Surface Tension pt. 1
   
4. Surface Tension pt. 2
   
5. The Skeptic
6. Reginal Fairfield
7. Lonely Friend
8. Burmecia
9. Glass Boat
10. Mumblypeg
11. Credibilty
12. That Constant Painting in the Sky
13. Wanting to Be Part of Something Bigger
14. A Change in Wind Patterns (ENVY MIX)
15. Backwards Sunrise
16. This City Once Thrived

Sometimes I think I can be the next Moby

I meant that as a joke, but in all honesty I have had that thought before.

Moby is funny to me because he keeps his loops going for six to eight minutes sometimes, and one time collaborated with gwen stefani.

When I think to myself 'I could be the next Moby' but then hear 'Porcelain' or '
God moving over the face of the clouds' I then think that I was wrong to say that bit about Moby.

My next post is going to be epic! I'm currently 4 hours away from mastering one of my solo CD's from 2006, which I'm going to post up here for free. Then I'm going to master the other music I have lying around, including bands I've recorded, like 'Melting Point', or 'The Hang.' It's taking a lot longer than expected, partially because I keep having to fight the urge to 'remix' my old tunes, and add a tons of elements to each one. There are strict rules, you see. With the exception of MS mastering, I refuse to add any new tracks. (I only broke this rule once, when I added a drum machine.)

So you see things are moving foward. I feel like this month, things have been going my way. I hope they continue to move that way.

I talked to Lucky for the first time in ages today! He made me some music videos once, which I'm going to post here tommorrow, in the aforementioned 'epic post'. I miss that guy.

Finally, I need to thank Sarah for giving me six data cd's full of music I've never heard before. Thank you! (Esp. for Katy Perry;) And to everyone else: Don't pirate music. (Esp. you, Katy Perry;)

It's late in the morning

I am planning the next few months of my life
I have mixed feelings.

Does anyone know anything about Seattle, Canada, Alaska, or Portland?
I feel like these places would affect my life positively.
I've read Tao Lin's What I Can Tell You About Seattle Based on People I've Met Who Are From There, and thought it funny.

Should I stay here?
I don't think I'd leave for a while.
And the important things, I feel, aren't located in any particular 'place'.

Still, I've felt for a while that if I can get away, it would help me clear my mind and break my bad habits. But maybe thats 'the deal' with wishing you were some place else.

A brief overview of my week, giving or taking two, maybe three days:

• I am currently very into Edward Gorey,
• I am seeing a stand up comic at Cobb's on Wednesday
• On valentines day I am recording an album with my friend Keenan
• I feel 'fucked' finacially
• Tonight was the last night I had to go to school until 4 AM so hopefully tommorrow I will wake up a higher-quality person
• On Saturday night I worked 'Thrust', a Gay dance night at Blakes.
• Skyler and I recorded covers of Coldplay, Sufjan, the Killers, and Radiohead at School at four AM the other night. If only I had the couage to post them.
• I tried to say something funny on this 'bullet-list', and even got to the point where I thought the mere fact it was a bullet-list alone was funny, but then I realized it's too late at night, and all I want to do is curl up under my electric blankets fall nicely asleep until the alarm clock wakes me up from my dream where I was somewhere else for a while, so I'm going to do that. Goodnight.

'I feel I shall very soon succeed'

Today

I really want to write more posts, because reading the months after they happen is a wonderful feeling.

Today here is what I did (in list form)
-Woke up in Lafayette
-Drove to my school in Emeryville to do somepaper work to reserve a studio
-Saw Levine there, we chatted
-Went home and took a brief nap
-Met my roommate (Mike)'s friend whose parents own this venue (The Starry Plough)
-Went to the Starry Plough for some pizza, and to look at the sound system and possibly get a gig doing sound
-At this time I had to work at Blake's
-Saw this girl I used to know, Brooke, for about two seconds before she left
-Did Soundcheck
-Did a show
-One of the bands brought their own soundguy, Johnny Diamond, who I happen to know from school
-He happened to be 'the sound guy' at the Starry Plough, due to some INCREDIBLE coincidence that almost makes me want to believe in some sort of religion, because that is fucking bizarre.
-Hung out at Blakes with the bands all night, trying to 'network'
-Talked to Josh and Julie and Gary a lot
-Left Blakes, wrote a blog.

Me, outside the Venue. Some girl called me a 'cutie' tonight and I blushed.

Here are people dancing.

This man helped me out. 'Johnny Diamond.' I wish I had a better photo of the guy.. In fact, I feel I've wasted time putting this photo up, because it doesn't even show cool gear, and it is unflattering. But 'its whatever'.

I feel lost and I published some old posts

I've never before felt so strongly that I don't relate to other people

It sounds incredibly naive, but it seems like in the few recent weeks I've been surrounded with these people who can't communicate with me or 'understand' what I'm saying, which is dumb, because they ask tons and tons of stupid questions which they could easily wikipedia and figure out themselves like the rest of us, and then these people judge me and stop answering my calls and speak in 'condescending phrases and sentances' to me, because apparently there is some flaw in my logic all of the time, and on top of that I honestly feel like lots more people 'hate' me, or just think I'm 'annoying' or don't like listening to me talk, and I feel alienated and all I really want to do is never drink alcohol or smoke weed again because I think it's adding to my condition, heading downwards, and making the 'contributions' I make to society pathetic, like my lack of writing ability, but moreso a dampening of my creative drive, musicially speaking, where I can't make anything except theories of where I want to be, but am unable to make the sacrifices to do so

my only blogger friends are Lili and Teresa and Erin and Susana and Tao Lin and Ryan Manning counts too

I've never before felt this invisible

When you don't write for a while, you become out of practice

Current lifestyle choices and scheduling conflicts prevent me from writing

and now I can't form 'artisticly pleasing sentances' anymore..

There is a lot to write about

I played some shows, worked on some projects


I am going to finish a local band's EP soon! They are called 'Melting Point' and the CD is rocky-jew songs. Which is turning out very nicely; I will post the EP up here next week.

I decorated a christmas tree with my mom today

We set up garland that had lights built in, but they didn't connect at each end, so we got mad.

Our christmas tree was glowing brilliantly at first, but my mom wasn't satisfied, so she went out to buy more strings of lights to 'crank it up a notch'.

I really promise to start commenting on other people's blogs again and writing them back.