Byron Keith Taylor: News and Forum

Pick up a copy of my CD, Dreamwalk, and you can hear how I used the cello in tracks like "Caruosel" and "The Knight and the Queen". You can get it hear through the site for a special offer! Take care and I will give you the latest updates on my plans for the rest of this year in blogs to come! :) BKT

Now this is one opf my favorite instruments; it has a richness of tone unparalleled to any other string instrument. The cello's origin can be placed back to the days of the bass violin invented by Jam de Fer in 1556. It is actually the bass instrument in string quartets and marries extremely well with the instrument I will talk about in the next installment, the double bass. The Tuning for the cello is as follows: C G D A.As you may have noticed, they are tuned like the viola but is only an octave lower. I often l;ike the pairing of the cellos and basses because they are a great support for the upper strings and they give the overall orchestral palette much broader strokes in sound. I think of them as layinmg a foundation for the strings. By itself, the cello can be an extremely exxpressive instrument. One day, you will hear the title track of my first CD, Castle of Dreams where I wrote the score for a sollo cello playing against a solo acoustic guitar with my vocals on top. it remeeains to be one of the my very favorite tracks.I scored it mainly in the upper register because I wanted it to be a worldless counterpart to my lead vocal, almost like an independent Vocalise. sdo there you have it: a cello can add as support and as an independent voice, so it is quite a versatile instrument. If it were a chess piece, i would say that it would have the equivalent power of a knight which can move ina variety of directions. The next time you are in a library, check out these important cello compositions:
(A) Dvorak's Cello Concerto
(B) J.S. Bach's 6 Suites for Unaccompanied Cello
(C) Beatles "Eleanor Rigby", "Strawberry Fields Forever", and "I am the Walrus" The relly thick- sounding string instruments are the cellos.
(D) Elgar's Cello Concerto (the famed British cellist, the late great Jaqcueline Du Pre, recorded the definitive version.
Take care everybody! BKT
P.S. Oh, I forgot: Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" is also a perfect example of the cello's great espressive power as a solo voice unto itself.

I want to encourage any blogger, musician, student, whoever likes my website (and is not a solicitor) to feel free to post a comment or question to me. It is part of my forum and I enjoy reading what is sent to me very much!:) BKT

I am sure that I have mentioned it before but I will do so again: for those who choose to blatantly sign in my guestbook with porn advertisements, don't bother because they will be instantly deleted, trust me. If one is inclined to post porn ads here, please do it someplace else because you will find it to be a waste of time.Thank you. BKT

I wanted to remind you that my CD, Dreamwalk is available through this site so you are welcome to purchase a copy @ $8.99! If you buy two, the price is discounted! BKT:)

Truly, the viola is without question, in my book, the string section's most underrated instrument. It does not get the "press" that the violin or cello does and it isn't a standout instrument as much; it is surely not used as a solo instrument in Pop and if so, only rarely. So why the disrespect? Well, let me tell you that it is not deserved. I'll give you a little info on the instrument. It is a little larger than a violin, hence the deeper sound it gives out. The tuning for it is C G D A . Its 4th string is tuned in C like a cello but the tone, like the remaining three strings, is exactly an octave from the open strings of a cello. It is the middle voice of the string section of the orchestra; therefore, it is quite an important instrument for sure. When I was studying under Maestro Musgrave, one of the first things she taught me was how to write for the viola. It has its own Clef! It is called the C Clef. Iot took a while getting used to writing for it but I did especially after writing a few string quartets. Actually, I'll tell you a secret: remeber the classic Kansas song, "Dust in the Wind?" (That happens to be on my list of all-time greatest Pop songs, by the way) That was NOT a violin you heard playing the solo; it was, yes you guessed it right, a VIOLA! Think of the richness of its sound; then you can truly compare its timbre against a violin. Doesn't it sound a little deeper? The next time you hear that song, think about what I said here in my website. Alison Krauss also uses the viola alot in her latest album, "Love Runs Both Ways". Certainly, I enjoy writing for the instrument whenever I am scoring one of my songs and when I get to writing at the beginning of the staff, I always smile with delightful glee when I get to that C Clef. When I am scoring, I always try to give this beautiful instrument some dexterity but I don't go too crazy otherwise I wind up doing a no-no in oprchestration: crossing voices.That is when one instrument invades the territory and range of its neighbor instrument which winds up sounding like they are in competition instead of complementing each other. Brahms wrote some amazing music for vioal in his Sextets for strings and Mozart apparently loved the instrument because he wrote his Sinfonia Concertante showing that it was just as important as the violin;it is also featured in his Sring Quintets which are considered among his greatest works.So let's here it for the amazing VIOLA!:) BKT

Well, hello again! Sorry it took so long to write a new entry but life has indeed been a bit crazy for me lately. Anyway, I mentioned in Writing for Orchestra Pt. 1 that the maghic number in learning more about this massive musical organism is FOUR. Let's take a look at one of the four groups, the String Section, specifically the Violins. For a huge orchestra, there are usually about 16 violins and they are divided into the First and Second Violins. The Second violins usually have the lower notes while the First have the higher ones, although there are as always,in life, exceptions to the rule. If I want the violins to have an exceptionally rich sound with more than two lines going simultaneously, I would write the Italian word DIVISI; its meaning is self-explanatory. In my CD, Dreamwalk, this was the case when I was writing the short score for the title song. I really wanted a rich sound on that one! Have I succeeded? Well, its up to you, my public, to decide. Anyway, I am sure that many of you have heard about the most famous brand of Violins, the Stradivari, originating in the early 18th Century from the Italian master violin maker, Antonio Stradivari. What makes these instrument so priceless? Why do they sound so good? I want to share with you a recent discovery: Dutch scientists placed a few of these rare instruments under a CT scanner and discovered that the wood was uniformly dense with little variation in growth rings. In ther words, the trees that Maestro Stradivari used grew more sense especially in the summer than winter (he lived in what is known as the "Little Ice Age" which spanned from the 16th to 19th Century; it was merely a cooling period after another climate period "The Medieval Warm Period"). The Violin has FOUR strings and is tuned G D A E. Both the First and Second Violins have this system. Check out these legendary examples of the musical diversity of one of my favorite instruments in the world:
(A) Mozart's Violin Concertos 1-5
(B) Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major (he only wrote one)
(c) Brahms Violin Concerto in D major
(d) Dvorak's Violin Concerto in A major
(e) Prokofiev's Violin Concertos 1 & 2
(f) Tchakiovsky's Violin Concerto in D major
Ok, well I hope you listen to my recommendations and keep coming back for more entries! BKT

Hi folks! I promise I will get the second installment in this week about writing for orchestra. Just a quick reminder: you can pick up a copy of my CD, Dreamwalk, through this site or at other digital music distribution centers like Amazon.com, Apple iTunes, and Napster. Check it out!:) BKT

I decided to write this blog for not only musicians but for music lovers who have a slight curiosity for the inner workings of the symphony orchestra. I was taught by one of the best teachers in the world, Thea Musgrave, a world-renowned composer who studied under the greatest composition teacer of the 20th Century, Nadia Boulanger, and I am proud to say that. Now I am not in any shape or form trying to make myself out to be a master orchestrator like, say, the great Rimsky-Korsakov was, but I thought it would be fun to write down for my readers and fans my personal thoughts on the subject of orchestration. First, let me start by hopefully de-mystifying a few aspects of this rather huge musical organism: the magic word is FOUR. There are FOUR basic groups which make up any orchestra: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion. Guess what? There are FOUR sub-groups WITHIN those basic groups so let me talk about them for a minute. First, the Strings section(which happens to be my favorite): it consists of four instruments: Violins, violas, cellos, ad double basses. When I was growing up in high school, I was playing the double bass because, according to my thinking, it was the closest relative to a guitar in terms of string tuning! Anyway, according to Walter Piston's book "Orchestration (a classic treatise on the subject), a full-sized orchestra has 16 first violins, 14 second violins, 12 violas, 10 celli, and 8 double basses. You might say that this is certainly an orchestra in Wagnerian terms! So what are the differences between each of the stringed instruments? Well, come back for another entry in a few days and I will tell you!:) I hope you like what I wrote so far!:) BKT

Hi gang! I just want to tell about about a new promotion for my CD, Dreamwalk:
www.amiestreet.com Check out the site and find out about the $5 gift cards for downloading music! Ok, next time, the "Writing for Orchestra" blog is coming! BKT

I have mentioned befrore that if I had to name one musician who has influenced me the most in my life, it would definitely be Sir Paul. I mean, he is considered to be the most successful Singer-Songwriter of all time by the Guinness Book of records but that's not all: he's simply a great musician. I remember my brother buying a Beatle album a week for me since he saw my enthusiam for the band; I immediately liked Paul because of his pure vocal skills and that he was able to play so many different instruments.As I grew older, I began to appreciate his "Wings" period" and learning songs especially off his "wings at the Speed of Sound" and the live record "Wings over America". Besides my favorite Stevie Wonder album "Songs in the Key of Life" and James Taylor's "Greatest Hits" and "In the Pocket" albums, Sir Paul's, along with John Lennon's, repertoire were my musical bibles. He will always be my all-time favorite for many reasons including the fact that he gave me the idea of being a musician in the first place. Happy Birthday, Mr. McCartney! I hope to meet you one day. BKT

I will write a new mini-essay on composing for Orchestra, more about movies, new literature, new songs of course and more surprises so please don't be a stranger! Remember also that my CD, Dreamwalk will be available again by Wednesday here in the site, Apple iTunes (you can download there), and Amazon.com so pick one up!:) BKT

Hi gang! Once again, I am so thankful that I have this forum to share my thoughts about not only my music, but the things I love as well: art, film, poetry, and literature. I have always believed in the value of education which is why, in addition to puruing my music career, I am taking online courses towards a doctorate in order to not only learn as much as I can in the human experience, but to also become an even better person. I do enjoy the new Indy picture for many reasons including his love for education. The Exraterrestrial(s) in the film were/was actually (an) archeologist(s). (If you saw the film, you'll know why I parenthesized a lot of words:). Anyway, I liked when Indy said "Knowledge was their treasure". it made me think of how much I value knowledge. I never know enough in life and my brain is pretty much like a sponge. I take in whatever I can. When I was reading a book written by one of my favorite songwriters, Jimmy Webb, he mentioned the need to "read everything". I took his advice to heart, even though I am a voracious reader anyway. I am constantly thirsting for adventure, new experiences, new friends, new laughs, and of course new knowledge. However, I also understand the importance of consistency in life, as well. I value my friends and one day, I will value the woman I fall in love with one day. BKT

Hello folks! The weekend is finally here and there are a few things I want to talk about. First, I had to send companies like Amazon.com and CDBaby more copies of my CDs because I was informed that they sold out!!! My Cd, Dreamwalk, will be available again via the Internet by Tuesday or Wednesday, so if you haven't picked up a copy yet, please do so:)! I would highly appreciate it! Second, I am planning a major publicity campaign with some business people regardimg my music so keep coming here for updates! Third, I chose the title of this new blog because I heard a wonderful broadcast on public radio today concerning an article written by NY Daily News music columnist, Jim Farber. I have read his column and reviews for years and it was a pleasure to finally hear him speak. Mr. Farber adddressed the issue of race and music in the program, Soundcheck, a favorite of mine that I listen to religiously while I am at my day job. So here I am, with headphones on, listening to the mediator, John Schaefer, talking to Mr. Farber and Living Colour frontman, Vernon Reid talk about how we are not living in the days of MTV-based visibility anymore. The Internet rules now and bands don't HAVE to be seen. I was thinking about the great band, Living Colour's video featuring their song, "Cult of Personality". They were not really shown in the video for fear of lessening their "marketability". I can see their record company's execs scratching their heads wondering "How can we sell a Black rock band?" Let me finally speak about this subject with as much candor and fervor that I can muster! People must realize that Rock music was created by Black artists in the first place! Why are eyebrows raised when a Black band plays Rock? Artists like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and of course, the architect himself, Little Richard, were the true progenitors of Rock. It used to be called "Race music" back then until a swivel-hipped boy from Memphis with long sideburns brought it to a new audience and I think you know who I am talking about. I have nothing against Elvis: he was one of the all-time greats but we have to also give credit where credit is due. Jerry Lee Lewis snuck behind African-American churches to take notes on how to play the music. So how about MODERN Rock as we know it? Well, in my opinion, Jimi Hendrix blazed the trail for Modern Rock because NO ONE played like him before! Even Clapton could not deny his genius. Now I am in no way placing myself in the company of these musical giants but I cannot get over how many times I have been confronted about people's ridiculous music stereotyping. "Oh, so you are a musician? what do you play? Jazz? R &B?" I smile and usually respond "Music". If I were a different color, I am sure I would simply be asked "What kind of music do you play?" Do you see my point? When I sit down to write a song, I don't say to myself, "I am going to write a Black song now" I sit down and keep in my mind"I am going to write the best song I can". Period. I guess that when I heard the broadcast today, it sparked a need to address this topic at last on my site. It amazes me that there are still people out there who are surprised that I don't necessarily do what is expected of me. "This is where the fun begins", as Anakin Skywalker said in Episode III. I like surprising people. As an artist, I strive to be the best that I can without the predilection of pidgeonholing myself to sterotypical thinking. It is exciting to see that times may indeed be changing, after all. Groups like Gnarls Barkley are fighting musical stereotypes; the musical "Passing Strange", a tale about growing up as a Black Rock musician, is nominated for a Tony ; we have a Black Democratic nominee for the highest position in America; all I have left to say is that "Let's keep it up!" BKT
P.S. I am sure that I will have more to say about this topic in future blogs.

Today, I was listening to Emylou Harris on public radio and it was such a treat (I am a public radio junkie!). It reminded me of the rich traditions of music that are homespun from our very shores. Of course, Jazz is one of them and country along with folk is another. Anyone who has heard my music can automatically hear the influence of country/folk. Sure, I am what is widely considered to be an Adult Contemporary artist but I have many influences and this is at the core along with my Classical and Pop training. when I was learning guitar, my teacher never taught me how to fingerpick. I learned by listening to James Taylor records! I guess that is how my mind works: I was DETERMINED to fingerpick so I went at it for a little while till I got it down pat.I think that JT is one of the most underrated guitarists EVER. His style of fingerpicking is nothing short of brilliance; just listen to tracks like "Mexico", "Fire and Rain" and "Something in the way she moves" and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! With regards to my music, check out "With all of My Heart" and "Carousel" to hear the country influence. Another artist I thoroughly enjoy on the folk side is Mr. Gordon Lightfoot. I also really love Shawn Colvin. he has a way of conveying a story in a song unlike any other and you can believe in what he is singing, that's for sure! "I will Walk with you", a song available here via my MUSIC page, is another example. If you haven't already, please pick up a copy of my CD, Dreamwalk, available here through my site. I recommend for those who want to buy the 99 cent downloads or the complete CD to put on your ipod, go to Apple iTunes. It is also available on Amazon.com.Take care! BKT

Hello! I am currently working on getting more exposure via magazines and other press so keep coming back for updates! This year is half over so there will be a few mpore surprises coming your way! BKT

Well, we have our first ever Presidential candidate who happens to be an African-American for the first time ever! I must say that this is a very exciting time! I started to think that I would not see it in my lifetime but I am glad that I was wrong. Regardless of his race, I feel that Mr. Obama has people talking about POLITICS again and that can't be a bad thing at all. Also, today is my brother Lonnie's birthday and I want to wish him many more! He is the guy that introduced me to music in the first place so I guess you could say that he is ALSO responsible for this website:). Happy Birthday Bro'! Also, more songs are on the way; I am currently finishing up some music for new stuff! All in all, I would say that June the 4th was a terrific day! BKT

First, there are a few spoilers in this blog about the movie so be warned for those who have not seen the movie yet:).As I mentioned before in the last blog, there were a few naysayers about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I personally LOVED this movie for various reasons and it easily is my recommendation for the BKT Book and Movie Club. Here are a few things worth considering:(1) How was Indy able to survive a nuclear blast inside a refrigerator? It had a lead casing; a very cool way to survive! LOL I talked to my roomate about thios, who is older than I am, and he said that during his time, kids were warned NOT to crawl in refrigerators because they had a lead lining. Even an officer in the briefing room made a slight joke to Indy referring to this common warning during the 50's. I always joke to my friends that if he could survive Nazis and a Thugee cult, he could survive ANYTHING!:)
(2) The movie was set in 1957 when the Cold War was at record heights; McCarthyism was the talk of the day and America foolishly accused many Americans of being Communists even to the point of discriminating against the intellectuals of the day. For example, the famous African-American singer, orator, and actor Paul Robeson was on the McCarthy list. Naturally, Indiana Jones, an academic, was held in suspicion of the American government by certain narrow-minded bureacrats. For those who don't know, McCarthyism, was coined after Senator Joseph McCarthy, a fervent anti-Communist.
(3) The carefully-preserved extra-terrestrial that Indy helped the Soviets discover in the warehouse crashed ten years before in, of course, Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell Incident of 1947 involved a supposed UFO crash that the American government "covered up". Actually, remnants of the crash were recovered NEAR Roswell.
(4) Indy's son, Mutt, in my estimation, is probably a play on words again by Mr. Lucas since Indiana was his dog's name; hence, the American slang for a dog is usually a "mutt".
(5) Franscisco de Orellano, mentioned in the film, was a Conquistador who was famous in real life for exploring the expanse of the Amazon River. Indy's friend, Prof. Oxley, hid the Crystal Skull among his remains so that the Soviets would not get it. He joined the army of another famous Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, in 1533. Indy mentioned that De Orellano disappeared but actually, he died in a second expedition to the Amazon.
(6) The tradition in Indy flicks is to have a scene with some kind of disgusting pests or highly dangerous animals with abundance: snakes, bugs, and rats. This time ants take over and this species actually exists. They are called siafu and they have been known, like in the movie, to consume human flesh. Uggh! LOL
(7) The Nazca Lines in the desert are actual geoglyphs or drawings that cannot be erased by weather made by the Nazca culture in the area which is now in Northern Peru and Indy wars right: they had built an impressive series of aqueducts which are still around even past 1957 when this adventure "took place":). The Nazcas are known for their wonderful artistry with not only those drawings in the desert which depict various walks of life, but also pottery which exhibited their spiritual beliefs about beings that copntrolled certain ways of life, These superbeings were in usual combinations of human and animal life.
(8) Indy also mentioned that during the war years, he served for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) which is the early version of the CIA or Central Intelligence Agency. He was a Colonel.
So if you have not seen the movie yet, treat yourself. If you already have, bear in mind what I have written here and hopefully, you will enjoy the movie even more so like I did after doing this research. For the next blog, back to music!:) BKT

I just saw the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and let me just say that it was TERRIFIC! I certainly liked it better than THE TEMPLE OF DOOM adventure. Once again, Mr. Lucas has proved my point that he is indeed, the Homer, the Tolkien, of our times. He was able to combine Mayan culture, a folk legend, and even the Roswell controversy all in one neat, exciting package! Don't listen to some of the naysayers, the man in the fedora hat is BACK! I'll give an indepth analysis of Crystal skulls and Mayan culture along with the Roswell site in my next blog! In the meantime, I am writing new material as well as exploring that new opportunity I was hinting about; I can't say much now but I will let you know!BKT

I want to take this chance and say how much I support the men and women who put their lives on the line for us everyday. I DON'T support this war but I DO support THEM. Happy Memorial Day!BKT