Two monochords play a duet, using segments of the string that are divisible by eleven.

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Two monochords play a duet: one plays segments of the string that are divisible by six, the other segments that are divisible by seven. All ends harmoniously on 84.

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Seven pitches are used: 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, and 470 Hz. I retuned a chord zither, but a digital keyboard would also work. Here’s the first page:

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I’ll be presenting my concert/talk on “Music From Elsewhere: the music of spirits, fairies, aliens, and other questionable beings” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on February 20. It’s in conjunction with the show “Supernatural America: The Paranormal in American Art,” curated by Robert Cozzolino, which runs from February 19 to May 15. The program […]

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One of my musical preoccupations in July was a set of eleven duets for tenor recorder and viola (or other suitable instruments). Each is 33 measures long; here’s the first one.

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This little number was an occasional part of “Doug and Mike’s Adult Entertainment,” the puppet show I did for years with Michael Smith. Here I had to sing, operate a toilet puppet with my right hand, and play a small organ with my left hand.

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In this gripping tale, our hapless narrator tries to reconcile the competing demands of the cerebral and physical. Here’s the first part; the whole thing is slated for the next issue of the Black Scat Review. THE MORNING WALK It was a beautiful spring morning, so I decided to take a walk. The decision was […]

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We have here a song about urban life. When confronted with something unpleasant, simply close your eyes and make a wish. I don’t know if it works, but you might as well. It can be found on That Regrettable Weekend and in The Doug Skinner Songbook.

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Here’s another entry in my continuing search for new poetic constraints. Monosyllabic haiku contain three one-syllable words, with 5, 7, and 5 letters. And here are seven examples: moose springs forth tweak twelfth shelf cheap schlock sells bears scratch backs white wraiths whirl swill thrills swine frail scrolls crack

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I’m currently collecting my cartoons of imaginary musical instruments, which appeared in the PDF magazine Le Scat Noir, into a book. I also drew some new ones. Here are a few.  

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