My life is a mix of musical and technological backgrounds, having studied both computer science and music (with a focus on combining the two). I'm originally from the Boston area, am a composer and developing Chapman Stick player. The Stick is a unique instrument, developed by Emmett Chapman, that combines elements of guitar, piano and percussion. The strings are tapped onto the frets rather than plucked or strummed, enabling both hands to play different parts as on a keyboard. I use a mirrored 4ths tuning, with the bass strings going from E to F and the melody strings from B to C.
Above are some recordings I did at home:
One Cloud, Conscious Stream and Noodle Soup are solo Chapman Stick compositions.
Mighty Wren is a rock piece with multi-tracked Stick and MIDI triggered drums. All instrument effects processing was done with Guitar Rig, mixing/mastering with Wave Arts plug-ins.
Differential is a rock instrumental with "standard" instruments- Rickenbacker 4001v63 bass, Godin Exit 22 guitar, programmed/MIDI drums (no Stick). All of the instrument and effects processing was done on a computer.
Feel free to visit my website for more music, both originals and arrangements.
I also help develop audio plug-ins and virtual instruments for Wave Arts and Camel Audio.
thank you for the friendship! hope you're doing great! (I have to send an email!)
just to let you know, Colin and I have the tremendous honour to have Brian Bath's incredibly wonderful jazzy guitar lead on our new song "free from your love"!!
"DJ Monkey …soul-stirring, excitingly edgy music…just disturbing (read ‘mind-f**king’) enough to demand attention. There is a whole spice rack of auditory flavors here, served up like fractured poetry on a collection of intensely listenable Hallmark cards from Hell." Bill Margold, Cinema Seen, L.A. X..Press
hi Rob... sending your page some love! thanks for the friendship! so glad to meet you! we have a new rockin' tune up on our page "Rock-n-Roll Star" ....come check it out and let us know what ya think! you can follow us on TWITTER, if you tweet! :) www.twitter.com/justmegan_music. best wishes always, and please stay in touch! *big hug* luv.jm./megan
It's been a while since I stopped by to hear your music, dude I'm still digging the tunes! Great work with Mighty Wren, magical man... The drums really make it sickkk
Anyway! Keep it up, I hope you get to tour around the world someday and show off your wonderful music to the rest of the world live :))
Hello Rob! How are you? Hope everything is well! Here, all is good, just the normal teachers life ;-) so it is a little busy, haha. i am sending you many greetings from here and wish you well! Fatima
We had a great interview w/ 'Elliott Yamin' (RVA) of "American Idol' this month ... You can check out our entire interview at: www.richmondmusicforum.com
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow- You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand- How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep- while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
HI Rob, popped by to have a listen. You are sounding great as always. By the way, thanks for all your technical help :) That was truly bizarre, what a small world xoxooxo
Thanx for the love - we appreciate it! Please stop by our page and say hello. Communication is the key to unity. One world, one goal, one love! VIVA LA LOVELUTION!!!
really great songs you have. it was a pleasure watching you play recently. hopefully i can catch you perform in the near future as well. thanks for the add!
I made my first video slideshow and wanted to share it with you. The musician (Elizabeth Ann Middleton) is one I found through MySpace, and she generously let me use her music to set to my images. Visit her MySpace page here - http://www.myspace.com/pianorama - she's fantastic! :-)
Wild Butterflies of Florida from Rich Leighton on Vimeo.
Thanx a lot for the friendship! Keep up the good work! And let your soul be your pilot - today, tommorow, always! From Russia with love... MAX DMITRIEFF, singer & songwriter www.myspace.com/KatherinesFavorites