Since writing my post about the Caribbean Ring Tone Mystery, I continue to produce custom ringtones from time to time. Like making new 3D graphics for Creative Minds’ Music (pictured above), making new ringtones is therapeutic for me. Making a new ringtone is usually a small project that can provide me with a creative outlet without a significant investment of time. Some of these ringtones exclusively use my smallest and least expensive instrument, my Alesis Ion synthesizer (pictured). I created custom sound-programs using the Ion to produce these small ringtones.
My goal for the first ringtones was to make ones that would not be offensive during a work-meeting — or, heaven forbid, during a funeral. I’ve heard it happen. From this I noted a couple of underlying requirements for ringtones: 1) Ringtone volume – Be sensitive to the location that the ringtone will be heard. A ringtone intended for use in a work environment needs to be more subtle (perhaps, softer) that a ringtone intended for a mobile-phone that you wish to hear from a distant room. I have encountered ringtones that have been too loud or too soft. 2) Ringtone length – Apple does not allow ringtones longer than 20 seconds. A too-long length is the reason CMM Ringtone #5 is absent from the group of ringtones below.
Alesis Ion Synthesizer
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #1
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #2
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #3
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #4
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #6
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #7
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #8
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #X
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #XII
CreativeMindsMusic Ringtone #XIII
Feel free to use any these ringtones for your personal use. I request that you obtain permission from me for commercial utilization. Inquire if you are interested in commissioning reasonably-priced, custom ringtones made to and for your specific requirements.
“I’m going to play a tune that I composed for my brother: Johnny, who passed away a year ago. And, it was kind of an inevitable thing that we would write something for him. And, I tried to choose whether it would be a big, happy thing—because he was a big, happy guy; but, he was also an emotional nightmare. The part of me that is very Scottish, (and) that I’m at my very happiest when I’m miserable, it won—and he got a slow “Aire.” So this is a tune called “Johnny’s Tune.”
Fiddle with Johnny’s Tune Music (Illustration by S. Owen, Jr.)
From the instant that Phil and Aly began to play, I was entranced. Aly Bain’s exquisite, traditional Scottish fiddle-playing resonated with persistent emotion; and, that was accompanied by Phil Cunningham’s accordion in a way that could only have been achieved by the song’s composer. I was emotionally moved by their performance. And, I was was not surprised that Mr. Keillor’s comment to their performance was: “That was lovely… that was perfect.” I agreed with Mr. Keillor and knew then that I wished to record “Johnny’s Tune.”
After that broadcast I learned that Phil and Johnny Cunningham had played together for many years during their respective careers. Many recordings exist as record of the collaborations of Phil and Johnny Cunningham.
To record the fiddle in this piece I used “Synful Orchestra.” The fiddle track is panned slightly left of center. The accompaniment used three (3) tracks (melody, chordal, and bass) of (Yamaha MU100R) synthesizer-accordion. I believed that three (3) accordion tracks were necessary for me to attempt to recreate Phil Cunningham’s solo accordion performance. The accordion tracks are all panned slightly to the right of center.
In October, 2010, I updated this post to include an original animation I made using the (free) 3D modeling and animation program, Blender. The on-stage music manuscript pages were produced from the Digital Performer QuickScribe window. The 2D violin and bow are the same original art used in on this page (left). This was the first animation project that I have done using Blender. (Editor’s note: I used the Mac-only, “Kinemac” program for previous animations (Adagio for Strings) and iMovie for others (Billy Mayerl and Oscar Peterson).)
“Phil and Aly” artistically inflected the tempo of their performance with variations (rubato) that were wonderfully expressive. My initial (imitative) recording attempts were unsatisfying in comparison because my rendition seemed too slow and lacked vitality. After much debate (largely with myself) I added a supporting piano part (using Synthogy Ivory ) that is intended to help provide rhythmic drive. The piano track is panned more to the left than the fiddle.
My goal has been to share (with you) the beauty of this wonderful song. I have attempted to remain faithful to the spirit of the Phil and Aly performance that I first heard on Prairie Home Companion. I (for some time) believed that the name of this song was “Johnny’s Song” — until, I listened repeatedly to the broadcast recording; and, I finally realized that the name was actually: “Johnny’s Tune.”
I hope that you enjoy my recording of “Johnny’s Tune.” As always, I welcome and appreciate your comments.
Slightly more than ten years ago, while I lived in St. Louis, I composed a number of short musical sketches that eventually became my first CD: “Girl Songs and Other Sketches.” One of the songs on that CD was a perky little tune that I named as a pun: “Carryin’ a Bean (Caribbean)”.
Imagine my surprise in December 2007 when from somewhere several offices from mine, I heard the (quite familiar to me) introductory “Da, da, dum, dum, Da, dum, dum, Da” of “Carryin’ a Bean (Caribbean)!” I hurried to discover the origin of the sound and found that it emanated from the (ringing) cell-phone of our organization’s administrative-assistant. By the time I arrived, she was engaged in the conversation that rang her phone. I signaled to her that I wished to talk to her when she finished her conversation. I was very anxious and walked back-and-forth from my office several times before she finished her conversion. When she finished I was able to ask her about her phone’s ring-tone and I exclaimed: “You won’t believe this, but I am the composer of the song that is your phone’s ring-tone!”
She told me that the ring-tone had been pre-installed on her phone. I tried but was never able to find any record that Verizon distributed my song: “Carryin’ a Bean (Caribbean)” as a ring-tone. This whole episode is still a mystery to me… How did my song get onto her phone? If you have an idea how, please contact me. 🙂
Recent Comments