Good morning, Nostr 🌅 Still on viola today in preparation before my recording gig tomorrow. This morning I was listening to Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2, one of my favorite orchestral works. In the opening, “Lever du Jour” (“Daybreak”), Ravel paints the sunrise so beautifully, with everything slowly waking up, light spreading. I couldn’t resist improvising a viola line over it, just for fun. Hope you enjoy this little morning sunrise duet with Ravel 😊 #musicstr

Good afternoon, Nostr 🎻 I hope you’re all doing well. Today I thought I’d get back to my fiddly roots here on Nostr. I’ve been hearing this tune pop up in a few corners of the internet lately: St. Anne’s Reel. It’s a really popular one with French-Canadian origins, but I’ve also heard people like American mandolinist Chris Thile play it. It’s just been stuck in my head the past few days, so I decided to finally learn it. Here I’m reading it from the sheet music (the fast way to learn!) and adding some of my own ornamentations while trying to keep the rhythm steady. There are a few little stumbles, but I just try to get right back on track. It’s such a great tune. Hope you enjoy St. Anne’s Reel! #musicstr

Good morning, Nostr ☀️ I hope you’re having a great morning so far. I think I’m on a bit of a Bach kick lately! Today I was thinking about another one of his most famous pieces… the Air in G, which is actually the second movement (an “Air”) from his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major. You’ve probably heard it before… at weddings, in churches… it’s everywhere, and for good reason. It’s one of the most serene, reverent, and heartfelt pieces of music I know. There’s something so deeply human about it, like Bach somehow captured pure love and beauty in sound. Here I’m just playing the first phrase, which then repeats. In the repeat, I add a few little ornaments on the melody, which was a common practice at the time. I hope you enjoy this little bit of Bach’s Air, and that it brings some joy and peace into your morning. 🎻 #musicstr

Good morning, Nostr ☀️ I hope you’re doing well. Today I’m sharing a short phrase from one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I know, the Piano Trio in A minor by Maurice Ravel, written in 1914 (111 years old!) This is from the third movement, the Passacaille (Passacaglia), which is a form built on a repeating bass line that comes back again and again, with the music slowly evolving above it. Here I’m playing the first moment where the violin enters, after the piano and cello have already begun. It’s such a beautiful, solemn, and deeply reverent passage, and one of my favorites in all of chamber music. If you haven’t heard the whole piece before, I highly recommend giving it a listen, just search “Ravel Piano Trio A minor” on YouTube. The Beaux Arts Trio recording is a classic. Hope you enjoy this little phrase from one of my favorite works of chamber music. 🎻 #musicstr

Good afternoon, Nostr 🌞 Coming at you a little later today… had a busy morning, but I managed to record a little viola improvisation that I’m excited to share. I realized it’s been a while since I’ve featured the viola here, so it felt good to pick it up again. It’s really starting to feel like fall here! The trees out my back window are just blazing with fall colors, and that cozy autumn feeling found its way into this improv. It’s built around a simple chord progression that I kept cycling through. It’s of kind of a happy, boppy, slightly fiddly vibe, in the tenor voice of my viola! Hope you’re all having a great day and that you can bop along to this little fall tune with me 🍁🎻 #musicstr

Good morning, Nostr 🎻🎹 I hope you’re having a great day. Today I’m sharing a little improvisation where I’m playing both violin and piano. You’ve seen me do this before… I’ll play something on the piano with my left hand, then jump back and forth to the violin. But near the end of this one, I got inspired to try playing both instruments at the same time! That means my left hand is playing the piano, while my right hand bows open strings on the violin. So no left-hand notes on the violin, just resonance and rhythm. This one feels full of a kind of pomp and nobility, upright energy and passion. I love thinking of music as a way to express different characters or emotional colors, and that’s a big part of how I compose too. It’s amazing how sound can take on such precise shades of mood and meaning… often I don’t even know where it comes from. Anyway, here’s what came out today. Hope you enjoy! #musicstr

Good morning, Nostr 🌞 Hope you’re having a great day wherever you are! Today I’m playing something a little fiddly. Sometimes I like to try to improvise a tune, rather than improvise totally freely. It’s a fun exercise… to try to come up with a melody that feels memorable, something to repeat, something that could become a real tune. It’s really more like composing in real time. I’m thinking about melody, shape, structure, variation, and groove, all in the moment. I really liked the melody that came out at the beginning here and tried to circle back to it at the end (not sure I totally nailed it, but that’s part of the fun!). I also really like the groove in this one. I think it has definite potential to grow into a real tune someday. 🎻✨ Hope you enjoy, and have a wonderful day! #musicstr

🎻 8 Weeks on Nostr! Hard to believe another 4 weeks have gone by… now we’re at 8! In that time, I’ve shared over 50 daily tunes, improvisations, and musical moments… from spontaneous solos to orchestral releases (link in bio!). 💜 The support from this community continues to amaze me. I really feel that in the daily interactions and the periodic “viral” moments when there’s a frenzy of engagement. Every comment, repost, zap ⚡️, and kind word encourages me to keep going. You’ve made Nostr feel like a real home for me and for musicians and artists in general! A huge thank you to everyone who’s been along for the ride — whether you’ve been here since the beginning or just joined recently. Special shoutouts again to some of you who have been my biggest supporters! @DireMunchkin, @Evelin, @Grace and Truth, @Stacking Functions, @corndalorian, @Paul Allen, @jmb421, @FL Justin, @Melody, @MAKE SONGS LONGER, @𝚁𝚢𝚊𝚗 🏴‍☠️🎶, @OpenMike — and many more new friends who’ve jumped in over the last few weeks! Keeping the Coltrane train going… here’s a joyful little improv to his rendition of the Sound of Music tune “My Favourite Things”… because Nostr is quickly becoming one of mine!! Here’s to the next 8 weeks of music, connection, and experimentation! 🚀🎶 #musicstr #grownostr

Good morning, Nostr 🌞 Thanks so much again for all the engagement yesterday!! I really appreciated those of you who re-shared my “4 weeks on Nostr” celebration post from a few weeks back. Just a handful of reposts from folks like @MAKE SONGS LONGER, @walker, @corndalorian, and a few others got the word out in such a big way… I think I gained around 50 followers yesterday, which is kind of wild. 🙏⚡️ For today’s video, I woke up thinking about Miles Davis. I’ve always loved his album Kind of Blue… that modal jazz feel… and especially the tune So What. I’ve even had my students transcribe Miles’s solo from that tune before. So I thought, why not try something fun… here’s me “duetting” with Miles himself, improvising over and around his solo from So What. How cool is it to trade phrases with Miles Davis? 😄🎺🎻 Hope you enjoy, and hope you’re having a great day! #musicstr

Good morning, Nostr ☀️ I took a much-needed day off yesterday to take in some nature and lots of sleep, but I’m back this Monday morning. Today I’ve been diving into the music of French composer Olivier Messiaen, especially his approach to rhythm. If you’ve never heard it before, his music is fascinating, both beautiful and strange. Here’s a little violin improv inspired by Messiaen, especially his ametrical flow of rhythm. It’s a different kind of sound, angular and unpredictable. Hope you enjoy this exploration, and if you’re curious about Messiaen’s music, feel free to let me know, I’d be happy to chat more about it. 🎻✨

Good evening, Nostr 🎶 Here’s me sneaking in a quick moment before going on stage earlier. Concert started 4 minutes after recording this! I found a little back room behind the kitchen to play this improv. You might hear French horns, oboes, basses, cellos, and violins all warming up around me… it’s a bit cacophonous, but that’s the fun of festival life. This is the last day, and my 4th concert in a row! I head back home tomorrow to resume my regular life. It’s been crazy but really fun too! 💜 #musicallife #musicstr

GM Nostr ☀️🎻 Today I find myself in the basement of a church in a town I’m not normally in… playing a borrowed viola! I couldn’t bring both my violin and viola on the plane, so I’m grateful to have this lovely instrument for the week. It’s much smaller than my own, which is quite large (violas vary a lot in size), so it feels like a whole new experience under the fingers. But it really is a beautiful instrument, with a beautiful sound. Here I’m reading the viola part from a recent quintet (2024) written by a good friend of mine, one of the pieces I’ll be performing this week. If you look closely at my eyes, you can see I’m reading sheet music just off-screen… so this is not an improv, but a written piece of music! You can imagine the 4 other parts the other instruments play 🎵🎶 Hope you enjoy this little glimpse into my musical world, and that you have a lovely day 🌿✨ #musicstr

Good afternoon, Nostr 🌞 Back on the road again today, heading up to the festival in just a few minutes. Wrapping up my morning practice session and feeling good! It’s a gorgeous sunny day and I can’t tell you what a difference it makes that my violin is freshly adjusted, new strings, new bow hair … everything’s just ringing beautifully. Here’s a little improv that came out kind of happy and green and reverent. Grateful for the day! I realized I was playing in the Mixolydian mode without even planning it… it’s got that happy, green, and reverent sound. Just followed where the sound wanted to go. I’m feeling good and I hope you are too! Enjoy 🎻✨ #musicstr

Good evening, Nostr 🌙 Coming at you a little late today again. It’s been a busy one! Errands in town, got that fresh haircut, a stop at the luthier violin shop to get the violin checked out and adjusted, and even a new rehair on my bow (yes, they actually still use real horsehair 🐎🎻). Now I’m back to practicing ahead of a full festival week of music. Here’s a whirlwind improv… intense, driving, like I’m running, I’m going places, I’m urgent, and giving it everything I’ve got. ⚡️ It’s fun to start these high energy improvisations… I’m just making it up as I go so it’s a challenge to just stay on track without face planting! 😆 Been enjoying doing this on Nostr!! 💜 Hope you’re all having a great Sunday ✨ #musicstr

GM Nostr 🌞🎻 Yesterday I rocked out to Eric Clapton, and @liminal 🦠 commented that I should play over this song by Intervals. I wasn’t familiar with this music at all, but gave it a listen and wow… it is super beautiful. Is this prog-rock or math rock? I don’t know but it has gorgeous guitar playing, shifting time signatures, and a lot of energy. I started with a straight transcription of the opening guitar melody (first 30 seconds). There’s a tricky little mixed-meter lick in there that I’m almost locking into… needs more practice. After that… I couldn’t resist ripping a solo over the next minute. @liminal 🦠 , you were right, it was SUPER fun to play over. I think I locked into the energy of the track 🎶⚡️🎶⚡️ Huge thanks to @liminal 🦠 for the suggestion. This was fun!! #musicstr #transcription #music

GM Nostr ☀️ The sun is shining, it’s a new day, I’m in my studio and feeling the intensity of my mission. Focused, energized, and ready to put in the work. I hope you’re all feeling that too! Let’s create, add value to the world, and make our dreams come true. Onwards, friends! 🫡🫡💜⚡️ Here’s a short improv on piano and violin that encapsulates that focused intensity and energy for the day 🎻👇 #proofofwork #musicstr #plebchain

GM Nostr ✨💜 This video is in response to @Henrik Ek's “guess the song challenge” challenge! Here is my submission below… insanely obvious… but still fun! Also I definitely effed it up at the end and let it degenerate/evaporate into some quintessential Matthias improv 😅 So what song am I playin’?? Comment below. Lastly, I nominate @Delta Kid to drop a song for the challenge. Have a beautiful day!☀️ #musicstr

🎻 4 weeks on Nostr! Hard to believe it’s been 4 weeks already! Along the way I’ve shared 28 daily tunes, improvisations, and even an orchestral release (link in bio!). I’m blown away by how supportive and engaged this community is. I’ve noticed many of you are consistently commenting, reposting, liking, and zapping my stuff⚡️ 💜 So a huge thank you and shout out to you! Apologies if I’ve missed anyone: @DireMunchkin, @Evelin, @Grace and Truth, @Stacking Functions, @Trazyn, @jmb421, @FL Justin, @Melody, @PDJ, @MAKE SONGS LONGER, @𝚁𝚢𝚊𝚗 🏴‍☠️🎶, @OpenMike Today also marks another milestone: I now have my own NIP-05 identifier through @Tunestr → matthiasmcintire@tunestr.io ⚡️ Feels great to plant my flag in this new space as an artist… and to join the likes of @Ainsley Costello and @Joe Martin on Tunestr! It also hit me… am I the first Bitcoin violinist/violist/composer?? I could be the first in the world, or at least on Nostr, earning directly in Bitcoin for my music! I’ve looked around and so far I haven’t seen another… and that’s pretty crazy!! 😮🚀🎶 So, thanks again to everyone who’s followed, zapped, reposted, and commented so far. You’ve made me feel that my work is valued here… I’m very excited to keep going! Here’s a little happy improv to celebrate. Consider it my 🎂 one-month birthday tune! Here’s to the next 4 weeks! 🌱🎻 #musicstr #grownostr #bitcoinviolinist #bitcoinviolist #bitcoincomposer

GM Nostr 🌞 I ended up getting one submission for the #ImprovGame from @Bitcoin In Orphanages! Their word was “Whispers.” So I made another little improv video-art piece featuring: ✨ hazy piano chords ✨ whispery violin ✨ a touch of audio fx ✨ blurred / overlayed visuals Does it capture the feeling of Whispers? 👀 #musicstr #videoart

⚡️🎻 Wednesday = Improv Game Day! This week I’m kicking things off with a 15-second teaser improv. It’s a little burst of mystery, fire, and silliness… to set the stage for your creative ideas! Here’s how the game works: 1️⃣ Comment a word or theme 🌱 2️⃣ Drop a zap 💜⚡️ 3️⃣ Tomorrow I’ll improvise a tune inspired by the word from the highest-zapper! Last week @AZhodl won with the word “Liars” and a 10k zap 😮 Can it be topped?!?⚡️⚡️⚡️ ✨ New twist: if your word doesn’t win, it goes to the “Encore List”. If anyone reposts tomorrow’s winning improv and comments “Encore!” — I’ll pick one word from the list to do an Encore improv immediately or next day. So… what’s your word for tomorrow’s big improv?? 👀 #musicstr #improvgameday