Tag: independent musician

Open Mic Adventures CLVI: “March of the Goliath Beetles”

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I have a lot of great bass guitarists in my Music Ensemble classes, and I have always wanted to experiment with an electric bass ensemble—a small chamber group consisting entirely of electric basses.  I think it can be done (and probably has been done, if I took three seconds to Google it).

The challenge with basses is that those low tones can get awfully muddy, so composing for multiples of the instrument requires exploring the full breadth of the fret board.

Today’s piece, which I deem to be incomplete (although it does have a satisfying conclusion), is one such attempt at blending three basses into one.  I have yet to try this piece with my three High School Music Ensemble bassists, but I have worked individual parts with them with me playing one of the other parts.  I’m excited to see how and if the three will blend in Reality as well as they do in digital form.

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October 2025 Bandcamp Friday!

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Pickup my newest releases, Säx and Electrock III: Euroclydon, and Triple Deluxe!  Spooky Season IV is coming soon, too!

Want to play the sax?  Read my ultimate guide to getting started for under $350.

Wanna be utterly perplexed while laughing uproariously?  Grab a copy of my first book, The One-Minute Mysteries of Inspector Gerard: The Ultimate Flatfoot (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link, so I’ll receive a portion of any purchase made through that link, at no additional cost to you—plus I’ll get the book royalties).

Today is Bandcamp Friday, when Bandcamp doesn’t take it’s usual 15% cut of proceeds from sales.  It’s a great time to purchase tunes from yours portly.

My latest EP, Säx, released last month, as did two full-length albums, Electrock III: Euroclydon and Triple Deluxe.

My full discography typically goes for $87.64.  Considering it’s twenty-nine (29) releases, some of which are not available on streaming platforms, that’s pretty good—and just $3.02 per release!

Thanks for your support!  And if you haven’t already, check out my YouTube series 31 Days of Halloween.

Happy Friday!

—TPP

Open Mic Adventures CXLIX: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I was not sure how to process the tragedy.  I sat down at piano and decided to play some hymns.

As I flipped through my Cokesbury Worship Hymnal, I came upon “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” and decided to play it.  The horrible assassination had already awoken thousands to Christ, and social media was abuzz with posts noting that individuals and/or their family members had a.) planned to attend to church on Sunday; b.) had purchased or planned to purchase and read Bibles; and c.) accepted Christ.  It was clear that a powerful national revival was breaking out.

It was also a powerful reminder of how Christ Uses even the most wicked events to His Good.  There is power in Jesus’ Name!

As such, I decided to add my voice to the outpouring of prayers for peace and salvation, and shared this brief piano performance of the piece.

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