Dan Schmidt
@dfan.bsky.social
Co-creator of Ultima Underworld, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, et al. Lead singer & songwriter of Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer-Incentives. These days I mostly play the piano and Go.
17 years is how long I stayed at Harmonix! I’m glad I moved on eventually and I bet you’ll be too.
November 15, 2025 at 12:57 PM
17 years is how long I stayed at Harmonix! I’m glad I moved on eventually and I bet you’ll be too.
It totally depends on the pulse of the surrounding measures, but in the absence of any context, #1.
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 PM
It totally depends on the pulse of the surrounding measures, but in the absence of any context, #1.
I can't believe there hasn't been a single mention of Drums and Wires.
November 1, 2025 at 9:56 PM
I can't believe there hasn't been a single mention of Drums and Wires.
Did you guys know there's another "Tapeworm of Love"?? Of all the titles to be a duplicate. I swear I had no idea when I wrote mine. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHrF...
Tapeworm Of Love
YouTube video by Brute Force - Topic
www.youtube.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Did you guys know there's another "Tapeworm of Love"?? Of all the titles to be a duplicate. I swear I had no idea when I wrote mine. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHrF...
If we did I've suppressed the memory.
October 29, 2025 at 3:44 PM
If we did I've suppressed the memory.
Looking forward to the Schulhoff selection, there are some bangers!
October 29, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Looking forward to the Schulhoff selection, there are some bangers!
but of course if Clara was actually playing the Db in front of Robert, that’s hard to argue with. Anyway, there’s probably a dissertation on this note somewhere, I’d love to read it!
October 29, 2025 at 1:52 AM
but of course if Clara was actually playing the Db in front of Robert, that’s hard to argue with. Anyway, there’s probably a dissertation on this note somewhere, I’d love to read it!
Yes, totally! I ran out of space to add that. In the meantime, I was wondering about the Henle note that the autograph Db was explicit. One reason for an unnecessary flat there could be that it’s a courtesy accidental, but another could be that it’s a typoed (or misinterpreted) natural…
October 29, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Yes, totally! I ran out of space to add that. In the meantime, I was wondering about the Henle note that the autograph Db was explicit. One reason for an unnecessary flat there could be that it’s a courtesy accidental, but another could be that it’s a typoed (or misinterpreted) natural…
More info: I spot-checked around 10 recordings on YouTube, many by world-class pianists, and every one of them played D natural (even when the score video had the Db version!).
October 29, 2025 at 1:12 AM
More info: I spot-checked around 10 recordings on YouTube, many by world-class pianists, and every one of them played D natural (even when the score video had the Db version!).
Henle notes are at www.henle.de/en/Papillons... (click Comments). Looks like all their sources are pre-Clara (she was 13 when it was first published). Explicit Db in autograph, D natural in first edition. Her edition appears to be 50 years later (but maybe IMSLP is missing something intermediate)!
Papillons op. 2 | HN105 | HN 105
www.henle.de
October 29, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Henle notes are at www.henle.de/en/Papillons... (click Comments). Looks like all their sources are pre-Clara (she was 13 when it was first published). Explicit Db in autograph, D natural in first edition. Her edition appears to be 50 years later (but maybe IMSLP is missing something intermediate)!
The first one that comes to mind is The Fiery Furnaces, BLUEBERRY BOAT.
October 28, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The first one that comes to mind is The Fiery Furnaces, BLUEBERRY BOAT.
The musical form is bananas too!
October 23, 2025 at 2:34 AM
The musical form is bananas too!
I love a lot of these albums and never noticed they shared a producer! New Patricia Brennan coming in a couple of days will further extend the list.
October 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I love a lot of these albums and never noticed they shared a producer! New Patricia Brennan coming in a couple of days will further extend the list.
I had to nope out of a Haydn symphony cycle (don’t remember which one) because they weren’t taking repeats. It’s like chopping off your second arm because you already have one perfectly good one.
October 22, 2025 at 2:54 AM
I had to nope out of a Haydn symphony cycle (don’t remember which one) because they weren’t taking repeats. It’s like chopping off your second arm because you already have one perfectly good one.
This is probably basically what cfront would have produced from my code.
October 20, 2025 at 1:40 AM
This is probably basically what cfront would have produced from my code.
Crash course, apologies if you didn't want it!
Augmented sixths are IV6s that all resolve outward to scale degree 5 (Ab-C-F# -> G-G in C major)
The fourth pitch goes up as you go north (It. C / Fr. D / Ger. Eb in that example)
Neapolitans are different: ii6s that have been twice flatted (F-Ab-Db)
Augmented sixths are IV6s that all resolve outward to scale degree 5 (Ab-C-F# -> G-G in C major)
The fourth pitch goes up as you go north (It. C / Fr. D / Ger. Eb in that example)
Neapolitans are different: ii6s that have been twice flatted (F-Ab-Db)
October 16, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Crash course, apologies if you didn't want it!
Augmented sixths are IV6s that all resolve outward to scale degree 5 (Ab-C-F# -> G-G in C major)
The fourth pitch goes up as you go north (It. C / Fr. D / Ger. Eb in that example)
Neapolitans are different: ii6s that have been twice flatted (F-Ab-Db)
Augmented sixths are IV6s that all resolve outward to scale degree 5 (Ab-C-F# -> G-G in C major)
The fourth pitch goes up as you go north (It. C / Fr. D / Ger. Eb in that example)
Neapolitans are different: ii6s that have been twice flatted (F-Ab-Db)
Each home run by Gorman Thomas could be the last
October 14, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Each home run by Gorman Thomas could be the last
"People who have different brains from me are just faking it" reliably gets my goat. (Often it takes the form of "anyone who claims to like this musician/author is just pretending for cred")
September 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
"People who have different brains from me are just faking it" reliably gets my goat. (Often it takes the form of "anyone who claims to like this musician/author is just pretending for cred")
"Wrong number scam". You tell them they have the wrong number, they keep chatting with you because you seem nice, eventually they deploy the actual scam.
September 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"Wrong number scam". You tell them they have the wrong number, they keep chatting with you because you seem nice, eventually they deploy the actual scam.
Caught the first set in Cambridge last night and it was super! (I'm also really digging Ye Olde 2.)
September 19, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Caught the first set in Cambridge last night and it was super! (I'm also really digging Ye Olde 2.)