Donald Merand

🎵 Output before Input #85 - 2022.04.07 I awoke with a little minor-ninth embellishment in my head and built this groove from that.

🎵 Output before Input #84 - 2022.04.05 A bit of mischief today.

🎵 Output before Input #83 - 2022.04.04 Just a little comfortable pocket. Sometimes it’s nice to be in a comfortable pocket.

🎵 Output before Input #82 - 2022.04.03 Believe it or not, I was meditating on the pelvic floor and this riff was inspired by that.

🎵 Output before Input #81 - 2022.04.02 The major chords of a triumphant soul.

🎵 Output before Input #80 - 2022.04.01 I woke up with this melody in my head, which means I almost certainly stole it from somewhere. I turned it into something rambling and comfortable, probably because moving on is in my head today.

🎵 Output before Input #79 - 2022.03.31 Today I’m thinking about being a kid, sneaking around in the early morning, trying to be clandestine but occasionally failing in our enthusiasm.

🎵 Output before Input #78 - 2022.03.30 I’m thinking about my dad this morning, who introduced me to Frank Zappa. Growing up, he always encouraged my weirder guitar tendencies and took the stewardship of my musical taste seriously. When I think of Frank Zappa, I think of ironic doo-wop, I think of whole tone abrasive guitar solos, and I think of crazy riffs in crazy meter. Some of that comes...

🎵 Output before Input #77 - 2022.03.29 Me cruising along, doing my thing and then I threw my back out. I think I could have seen it coming if I knew where to look, but of course we never can see the thing in our blind spot.

🎵 Output before Input #76 - 2022.03.29 A chord study.

🎵 Output before Input #75 - 2022.03.28 At least once a week I have a meditation/stretching “improv” practice. This sketch feels a bit like those improvisations - just following what shows up and seeing where it takes you.

🎵 Output before Input #74 - 2022.03.27 Perhaps a touch frantic, but I do like it.

🎵 Output before Input #73 - 2022.03.26 Weirdly I got to this riff by playing “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac. I think it might play better on bass guitar, but I like it in this context too, even with the rough playing.

🎵 Output before Input #72 - 2022.03.26 I seem to be really into these consistent quarter-note strum patterns lately - maybe as a result of wanting to fill the sonic space with a single take on a single instrument. And of course, any excuse to throw a major 7 or a minor 2 into a riff.

🎵 Output before Input #71 - 2022.03.26 All chords resolve to each other if you really mean it.

🎵 Output before Input #70 - 2022.03.24 I can’t escape the 90’s pop music with which I grew up. I accept that.

🎵 Output before Input #69 - 2022.03.23 Kind of an Album Leaf or Papa M vibe to this one.

🎵 Output before Input #68 - 2022.03.22 Jumping from one branch and hoping the next one will support my weight.

🎵 Output before Input #67 - 2022.03.21 This short, nomadic interlude was all that came by the window this morning.

🎵 Output before Input #66 - 2022.03.20 The tone is really beautiful in moments here - with a little development it could be really menacing.

🎵 Output before Input #65 - 2022.03.19 Listening back to this, I think I stole part of a phrase from R.E.M. (and probably others). The overall thing sounds about like I feel this morning - like there’s some ability for ease to exist, but I missed it by going the hard way.

🎵 Output before Input #64 - 2022.03.17 This riff reminds me of Pinback.

🎵 Output before Input #63 - 2022.03.16 I almost have an aversion to playing full-on barre chord shapes in traditional harmonic structures; this is me confronting that.

🎵 Output before Input #62 - 2022.03.14 This might sound weird or obvious, but it’s been an interesting challenge making something that’s improvised actually sound like things were planned along with any kind of consistent tempo. I can already see it having the effect of tightening up my guitar playing and composition in general - things are less rambly than they were when I was just p...

🎵 Output before Input #61 - 2022.03.13 Sort of a chord inversion study.