Christen Lein

I love the bass guitar! Too much.

I’m slowly getting better at it, with my tone especially. The callouses that one gets (or I am getting) from the bass are kinda intense. Thing is, I have to be careful not to practice the bass too much in this phase of learning because it uses the muscles in my hands and arms in a new way, and over-doing it can mess w/ my super-trained viola muscles.

Patience is in order, cuz I love wailing and plucking that thing — it’s so sexy!!!

And huge. Wait until you see me standing with it. Tiny girl with a big bass is coming your way!

I love my setup. Ah music, you mean the world to me…

Ladies and Gents, I want to introduce you to the new addition of sound for my music… my new Reggie Hamilton Bass Guitar!

I’m so giddy about this addition, and already started writing songs with it. I wanted a bass to add some very low frequencies and thunderous rumbles to my sound, as well as have a way to bring in more funk to the mix. For all of you music geeks out there, below is the description of all it can do. I’ve custom designed this bass to match the low tones and strings of the viola, too.

The Reggie Hamilton Standard Jazz Bass® guitar is designed to the virtuoso R&B bassist’s exacting specs, with gorgeous tone, great looks and unbelievable feel. Features include an American Series Precision Bass® pickup, custom Noiseless™ Jazz Bass bridge pickup, active/passive switch, 20-fret maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, ’70s stamped open-gear tuners and Hipshot® Bass Xtender drop-D tuner on the E string.

My music has been categorized as many different genres and I’ve heard again and again that until one sees me perform live, can they fully understand what it is I do. The genres that my music often falls under are classical, contemporary classical, electronica, acoustic ambient… and Discmakers felt entitled to call Vol. I: Battle Cry new age (I have no idea what that means and find it upsetting – my warning to musicians who want to print CDs with Discmakers).

I have never fully-vibed with any of these categories. And recently, a friend and fan of my music called me a bluesman, and it made my heart explode. He articulated the reasons so well that the relief that his compliment presented brought me to tears. I felt for the first time someone got it right.

Here’s what he said:

“Your music really feels like the Blues, Christen. And I should clarify – when most people think of the blues, they are usually only talking about the standard 12-bar blues form that we all know and love. But often when I think about the Blues, it’s in a much larger context, one that is more of a state of mind that extends past that simple definition. Not just Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, but also, Bartok is the Blues, Jobim is the blues, Flamenco is definitely the blues (big time), the Ode To Joy… (!!!) Hank Williams. Miles. Jimi. Stravinsky. That sweet Gypsy (Roma) viola stuff… mmmmm. There’s so much poetry, art, film, literature that absolutely mine that Blues thang (usually all of the good stuff… Van Gogh!!!, Coppola, Joyce, freakin’ Shakespeare!!! – all the Blues).

Intrinsic to all of these is this quality of trueness and authenticity – and that involves a bit of dipping into the well of melancholy and sadness that underlies all existence (not in a big bad awful sense, but more from a kind of Buddhist perspective). It’s not all doom and gloom, because somewhere in there is a strong feeling that beauty, wonder, and hope do exist (otherwise, what would be the point of all that singing it out loud in the first place?). That’s the benchmark that humanity is always longing for. And that’s why all the best stuff has that ability to coax a tear, or make the little hairs stand straight up (check out the lyrics to the Supremes’ “Stop In The Name Of Love”!). Your song “The Crux and The Shadow” did that to me today as I was driving around in the car – and that, Christen, is why you’re a Blues-man.”

The only amendment I would make to this heartfelt statement is that some might say I’m more of a Blues-woman.

Sometimes in life there are moments where we are quietly stirring and brewing on the inside. There are times to share, and times to marinate in one’s own vision so we can give birth to something true and authentic. I’ve been quiet lately because I’ve been deep in the cocoon. But the time to share is nearing.

I have so many absurd and beautiful stories to share with you music-lovers. Concerts in magnificent countries, new musical inspirations and musings, even an accidental hang-out session with Donald Rumsfeld (where we had a hot debate about what true Power is in the world)… phew. But I haven’t found (or made) the time to write about all of it!

I have so many ideas and songs brewing inside, so much music I want to record. And right now what I need to keep reminding myself, in the vein of Guns N’ Roses, to have a little Patience. Because all it its time, I’ll get the work out there.

I’m sorting out the plan and the means to do all of it. And to keep you updated on what I’m brewing next, here’s the scoop for this girl and her viola:

THE NEXT CD
I have 20+ new sketches, songs and melodies worked out, and time in the recording sessions will commence. (Stay tuned via my newsletter, Facebook or Twitter).

There will be a few songs that I will release as singles, before the full album is released.

Some songs will have added instruments like the harmonica… but I’m also thinking of adding some electric bass, and this really excites me. The bass will bring more low frequencies and funk to my sound.

Also I have a new effects processor that has been helping expand my musical voice, some of you have seen me with it at recent gigs… It has taken a while to get to know this gear, because it is quite the piece of equipment. But it allows me to manipulate the sound of the viola to a much more limitless degree. Slowly but surely I’m finding the sounds and technology that are allowing me to create the musical compositions I hear in my imagination.

I often don’t share what technology I’m using because what I’m trying to do is create a sound that has not yet existed in the land of music. Maybe being so secretive is not the way to go in this open source world, but for the moment, while I’m deep in the crux of creation and birthing new work, I want to keep quiet. I hope you understand.

And the more I learn about how I can expand the expectations and redefine the sound of the viola, the more technology I’m discovering that can expand the instrument’s capabilities. My current gear is exciting, but it still has some limitations so more expansion is in order. Clearly there is a long future between me and new technology.

I also am in process of some really exciting collaborations with other musicians that I’ll share with you in due time.

INSPIRATIONS
Each song I write, each collection of music (album) are based on concepts. There is context to all of it. I need to have a conceptual relationship with my songs, it helps me arrange and carve life into it.

My first album Vol. I: Battle Cry was about our relationship to our personal power. I currently have two bodies of work/collections of music simultaneously developing; how each will be released is the surprise. One collection of songs are perspectives on the relationship between Choice and Time. The other collection of music is a collaborative project that is structured around self-imposed limitations.

WORDS
I write music; but I also I write words. I haven’t written many blogs or stories recently, and it’s been heavy on my mind, because it’s a part of who I am. I’ve spent almost as many hours learning to be a writer as I have been trained in composing and performing music.

But it appears that the silent days are dissipating, because I have the urge to write. So I invite you to keep checking back for more content, for it is certainly en route.

2011 has been one of the most creative years of my life so far. Very soon the time to share will be upon us. And I’m so eager to experience this with you.

Feeling pensive and electrified by this performance by Saul Williams on Def Jam Poetry. His work here makes the value of art all the more clear. His discipline and research makes me want to learn history on a deeper level. And his insatiable confidence makes me lean in all the more.