Hobbiton photos at Lord of the Rings filming location in Matamata, New Zealand

I’ve been in New Zealand for a month now and have had the opportunity to visit a few of the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings movies. By far my favorite has been “Hobbiton” in Matamata, New Zealand. Hobbiton is about 3 hours outside of Auckland and is the location of the Hobbit “Shire” where Bilbo Baggins and Frodo lived. A beautiful landscape on a still-working farm complete with rolling green hills, sheep and over 40 hobbit holes carved into the hillsides. Part of the tour was drinking ale at the Green Dragon tavern and walking across the bridge that Gandalf went across to enter the Shire in the Lord of the Rings movies. All my friends also enjoyed this tour so I highly recommend it (and you can also get a tour that includes the Glow Worm caves in Waitomo)

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In music, what is a “pocket”?

In music, the term “pocket” is often used to describe a specific quality of rhythmic timing and feel in a performance, typically in the context of groove-based music such as jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. It refers to the tight, precise, and consistent rhythmic relationship between the different instruments or elements in a musical ensemble, creating a sense of cohesion and groove.

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What is the Circle of Fifths in music?

The circle of fifths (or Circle of 5ths) is a graphical representation of the relationships between the twelve pitches (or notes) in Western music that are separated by a perfect fifth interval. It is commonly used in music theory and composition as a tool for understanding and analyzing key signatures, chord progressions, and harmonic relationships.

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Mount Vernon, WA landscape photographs – May 2023

Recently I did some landscape photography in my hometown of Mount Vernon, WA. We have beautiful farms and agriculture in the Skagit Valley of Washington State (USA). I was fortunate to have as my guide one of the most-love landscape photographers in Skagit County, Gary Brown. He showed me many tips on composition, location and post processing.

If you love landscape photography check out Gary Brown’s Instagram page at: https://www.instagram.com/garylbrownphotography/

Camera: Sony A7 iv. Lenses: Sony GM 14mm, Sony GM 35mm, Tamron 70-180mm

Here are some of the photos I took in May 2023 of the Skagit County, WA farmlands around Mount Vernon, WA:

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How do you explain what Music is?

Music is a complex and multi-faceted art form that encompasses a wide range of sounds, rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and structures organized in meaningful ways. It is a form of human expression that transcends language and cultural barriers, communicating emotions, thoughts, and ideas through organized sound.

At its core, music is a combination of sounds arranged in time, creating patterns and relationships that evoke emotions, trigger memories, and stimulate the senses. It involves elements such as melody (a sequence of pitches or notes), rhythm (the arrangement of sounds in time), harmony (the combination of different pitches or chords), dynamics (the varying levels of volume and intensity), timbre (the unique quality or color of a sound), and form (the structure and organization of musical elements).

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Seattle, WA street photography Spring 2023

Seattle, WA USA street photography Spring 2023. I hadn’t been to downtown Seattle, WA during the day for a few years and I was surprised by the high amount of homelessness and drug use that I witnessed. I don’t normally photograph homeless people but I did include a few here to give a feel of what I saw as I walked the Seattle streets of King Station, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront.

Camera used was a Sony Ay iv and lenses included Sony GM 14mm, Sony GM 35mm and Tamron 70-180mm. Full gallery of Seattle street photographs below:

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How do I teach myself music production?

Students often ask me how they can learn music production. I always recommend a combination of formal classes with self-teaching, tutorials and experimentation. The path of learning music production is very fulfilling and the learning process never ends. So you can you teach yourself music production?

Here are some steps to help you get started:

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