I miss ya'll every day my friends
You're only pictures on my wall
And the summers are just not the same
Only waiting for the fall

I thank you all for being here
If only for a while
And even on my darkest day
I won't forget to smile

Take me home 
Where the one's I loved are there and I'm no longer alone
Take me high
To a place where I belong in the sky

Take Me Home

Photo by: Stablecog.com
(AI Generated)

Suleiman the Magnificent was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. He was a conqueror, artist, poet, and lawgiver. 

This piece wanders back and forth between 4/4 and 6/8 a few times.

Suleiman The Magnificent

same shit, different year.........another one of my favs from the great man.....cheers for having a listen


The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
 William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
 With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
 At a Baltimore hotel society gath’rin’
 And t   he cops were called in and his weapon took from him
 As they rode him in custody down to the station
 And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
 But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
 Take the rag away from your face
 Now ain’t the time for your tears
 
 William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years
 Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
 With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
 And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
 Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
 And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling
 In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking
 But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face 
 Now ain’t the time for your tears
 
 Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen
 She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
 Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
 And never sat once at the head of the table
 And didn’t even talk to the people at the table
 Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
 And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level
 Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
 That sailed through the air and came down through the room
 Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
 And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
 But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
 Take the rag away from your face
 Now ain’t the time for your tears
 
 In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
 To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level
 And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded
 And that even the nobles get properly handled
 Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em
 And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom
 Stared at the person who killed for no reason
 Who just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’
 And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
 And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
 William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
 Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
 Bury the rag deep in your face
 For now’s the time for your tears

The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll

Cast of characters:
Jonathan Beckenstein — @jonathan_beckenstein — acoustic guitar, composition
Cgmaness – @user-419254289-15129531 – Chris – bass, vocals, and lyrics
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion, and vocal harmonies
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Roland FP-10 piano and Collings mandolin
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T slide guitar, production, mix, and mastering
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – harmonica, edited fiddle samples, and jaw harp
This song began when Jonathan wrote it on his acoustic guitar several months ago with the intention of developing it into a larger song. When Josh approached him about doing a collaboration, Jonathan thought this one would fit the bill. I should say at this point how much we all admire Jonathan and enjoy his music. On the unlikely chance you aren't already familiar with his music, I suggest you go hop on his page and check it out. 
  All that to explain the level of excitement that ran through Eclectic Collective when Josh shared the project with the group. Chris was first to jump on it, coming up with his intricate bass line even before Ken added his moving drums, although they went back and forth a couple of times to create the rhythm section. Josh jumped on right after that part was complete, adding his mandolin and piano to the mix. Steven was next up, adding his howling slide throughout. Last, but certainly not least, Mark came up with the driving harmonica and twangy jaw harp, and the raspy fiddle, adding them all to complete the instruments. 
  At this point, we had a pretty good instrumental song on our hands. However, Chris decided to give it the extra kick by adding the vocals, the lyrics for which he wrote himself. Our multitalented drummer, Ken, added the vocal harmonies shortly after, too.
  Now that it was in the bag, we needed some production for it. So, we turned to Stephen, who mixed and mastered it in his alwasy expert fashion. 
  This song is a real treat for everyone in the band, as I mentioned earlie. We are all very grateful to Jonathan for sharing this song with us, and had a wonderful time helping bring it to life. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by cgmaness:

 Come on now let's break a leg,
We've got it made in the shade.
One more day, go out and play.
I guarantee we've got it made.
Oh, we've got it made.
Happy to be with my friends today.
Fill up your drink whatever it may take.
I guarantee we've got it made.
~Gibberish~
Don't need a reason,
Or wait for the seasons to change.
That's what I claim.
Go out on this limb with me,
And realize, we've got it made.
We got it made in the shade.
Can't you see we got it made?
Oh, we've got it made.
Happy to be with my friends today.
Fill up your drink whatever it may take.
Can you believe that we've got it made?
Come on now let's shake a leg.
We've got it made in the shade.
Don't need a reason,
Or wait for the seasons to change.
That's what I claim.
Go out on this limb with me,
And realize, we've got it made

We Got It Made- Jonathan Beckenstein/ Eclectic Collective

Music written in response to the sudden loss of a beloved pet. Sorely missed but always loved and remembered well.

Words - Before me, before it rained
We were together in time and now rightly pained.
Nothing I can do to change it
Nothing's gonna make it go away
Here in my heart you have a home to always stay.

Before me, the tides keep on changing
Before me, I'll keep rearranging again and again.

Time and time again we wake up then fall asleep
When will the sun come out and bring us all up from the deep.

B4ME

Music: Little Man & Janne Hennie
Lyrics & Vocals: Janne Hennie
Instruments & Mix: Little Man

Lyrics:

I was so sure I had it all
And didn't need anything else to smile
But it was only an illusion of my joy
Dependence on others
Living like a toy..

Chorus:
I need to take control of my life
Find out what makes me smile and gives me pleasure
I can't let others decide my time
Create the joy in my own life..

It was so easy to lean on the others
And forget my own responsibility
For my own happiness and smile
I had to stop for a while
And think

What do I need? 
What makes me smile?
What gives me pleasure, and joy in my life..?
Can I do it all by myself?
Will I be able to do it well?

Chorus:
I need to take control of my life
Find out what makes me smile and gives me pleasure
I can't let others decide my time
Create the joy in my own life..

Can I do it all by myself?
Find the joy in my own life....

The Joy In My Own Life

My Method of Composing and Producing

I'm sharing my method of composing and producing music recordings in case other composer-producers like me might find ideas worth exploring in their own work. I use this method for Classical, Avant-Pop or Neo-Folk Instrumental genres, not for Ambient and Soundscape pieces. Non-composers might find this explanation interesting, but having a bit of music theory background will definitely help. I consider myself a humble learner when it comes to music theory. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to British musician and educator Gareth Green, whose Music Matters online courses and free YouTube lessons have taught me so much over the past few years. Thanks to his instruction, I’ve moved from struggling to compose music by trial and error to something more enjoyable and productive. The knowledge I've gained has taken my work in new and expanding directions. As the saying goes, “Theory is not a cage — it’s a map. It doesn’t make the journey for you, but it keeps you from getting lost.” 

When I start a new piece, I begin by choosing a key, and picking a scale drawn from one of these sources:
 
1) Western Tonal / Functional Harmony - major or minor chords I II III IV V VI VII
2) Modal Harmony - Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.
3) Slonimsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" 
4) Messiaen’s "Seven Modes of Limited Transposition" 

For many pieces, I also decide on a progression, one as a simple as I IV V, or something more elaborate.  

Next I create a "scales and progressions" piano track in my DAW (digital audio workstation software) and enter the chords I to VII in my chosen key. These harmonized scales serve as a basis for writing multipart harmonies and finding pivot chords for key modulations. 

At the start, I know what instruments I want to use, making adjustments along the way. I tend to write chord parts first, then melodies created through a mix of improvisation and direct input in the DAW. Sometimes I start with a melody.

I develop melodies and variations of a phrase by some combination of: a) passing it from one instrument to another, transposing it by an interval that sounds pleasing, b) reversing it, c) inverting it around the tonic (first) note of the scale. These are well-known methods. 

After completing a section, I choose another scale and maybe a new key and repeat the process until I have a draft of the entire piece. Then I export a recording and listen to it “offline”, take notes of errors and new ideas, and incorporate them back into the piece. Often this “compose / listen / compose” cycle is repeated many times. These iterative cycles include adding new ideas, polishing transitions between sections, changing the arrangement, and incorporating expressive details like accents, and articulations (staccato, sustain, portato etc.). I’m often working several different pieces at once. 

Last is mixing and mastering: balancing the loudness between instruments and adjusting elements like reverb, compression, and equalization. I tend to mix as I compose, even though many producers frown on that approach. I find mixing as I go helps me envision the completed piece and make adjustments to the choice of instruments; it self-inspires me when the piece is starting to sound good.  At the end I do a final mix, but as the saying goes, “A mix is never finished — it’s surrendered.”

In the end, this method gives me a basis for exploration and creativity and helps me stay focused. The goal is always to make a piece of music that feels expressive, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.

Suite for Woodwinds and Percussion No. 2

I decided to take another stab at this song and play my guitars.
Guitars: (3 tracks): Taylor 114ce strumming and Fender Squire (strumming and picking) 
Keys: Logic Pro Session Piano  with sounds from Native instruments
Drums (two tracks): EZ Drummer 3 and PG Music (panned left and right)
Copyright 2025 Joe Stroffolino
***
Sea monkey’s are just brine shrimp
Easier to take care of than a pet chimp
You just buy a kit and that’s pretty much it
Much less work than a cat a dog or a pony
But those pictures that they put on the box are definitely phony
Sometimes it feels like we’re just a bunch of sea monkeys in a jar
Living on this great big rock orbiting a star
We pray to God for assistance but what if he’s just a little boy
And this world that we live on is just his latest toy
What if we’re living in some kid’s jar and the sun is a lightbulb
It’s not really a star
What if every time the human race takes it on the chin
There’s some kid looking down staring with a silly grin
Eight billion humans on the planet earth and we’re all trying to get by
I wonder if those sea monkeys knew the truth would they still even try
Did he sprinkle some eggs in the water and wait for the fun to begin
Did he watch he watch us fight our wars and root for the good guys to win
When the black death raged in the thirteenth century and good people started to die and he saw all that pain and and suffering did it ever make him cry
Eight billion humans on the planet earth and we’re all trying to get by
I wonder if those sea monkeys knew the truth would they still even try
Eight billion humans on the planet earth and we’re all trying to get by
I wonder if those sea monkeys knew the truth would they still even try
Sea monkey’s are just brine shrimp
Easier to take care of than a pet chimp
You just buy a kit and that’s pretty much it
You just buy a kit and that’s pretty much it

Sea Monkeys In A Jar

good morning, honey

do you still need me

looking for a sign

A collaborative project with CaZBO and K-HERRING 1 celebrating it's second anniversary in 2025. Thanks for listening! Please leave a comment if you'd like. Love to listen to most genres and comment on other artists pages as well.

B4ME

Ghost of The Enemy