Frequently Asked Questions

How are the recordings produced?

All NAFTracks recordings are produced by Manifest Spirit Records. They incorporate musical contributions from many artists, all of whom are credited in the liner notes and on the Artists Page.

Can I get a CD containing specific tracks from different recordings?

Yes. Compilation CDs are ideal for doing performances with a specific program. They are composed with your mix of specific tracks. Contact clint@goss.com for details.

Can I use NAFTracks background tracks in live performances?

Yes. Purchase of a physical CD grants you a license to use any of the tracks on that CD in live performances, as long as credit is provided. Credit may be provided verbally (during the performance) and/or in written form (eg. in a program). The credit should be:

“recorded music courtesy of NAFTracks.com. Song [name of song] by [author(s)] ”

Can I produce my own recordings using NAFTracks background tracks?

You may record yourself playing with any NAFTracks recordings, for your own private use.

Before you reproduce that music (by any method, including CD-R duplication, CD replication, packaging for digital download or digital streaming, etc) for any sale or monetary gain, you must contact me. We typically allow such use on most (but not all) tracks, for a fee.

The typical fee for a track is the same rate as for mechanical licenses. As of January 1, 2006 the statutory mechanical rate is 9.1 cents per song-pressing for songs 5 minutes or less, and a sliding-scale formula for longer songs.

Do you have any suggestions on how to improvise?

There are some basic techniques and approaches, but most of all, know that you will find your own approach and style of improvising. I might suggest some techniques, almost as if someone might approach a meditation:

• Find a safe place to play, without fear of being "observed" or feeling silly. And find a time to set aside where you won't be disturbed or feel you need to take care of something.
  
  
• Put on a backing track and just listen. Maybe with closed eyes. Deep listening is the core of all our music making. The wood and the fingers are secondary - the ears come first. If you've got a CD player that can loop a single track, that would be great. If not, just keep playing the one track.
  
  
• Allow your body to move with the groove of the backing track. Rhythm in our music comes from the body, not the counting mind. Let various parts of your body feel the rhythm, and maybe even dance it.
  
  
• Now breath to the rhythm as well. Find the cadence that works with the piece.
  
  
• Then pick up your flute and just breathe into it. Find a note that works - maybe not the bottom (all holes closed) note which can be challenging to play sometimes. But maybe an easier higher note. Just hold the long tone steady until your natural breath ends. Then breathe and play another long tone, maybe on a different note.
  
  
• From there, make sure your listening is still engaged, and travel in whatever direction your heart pulls you. It's not about playing something particular or playing something that others will like or being anything in particular. It is about being present and open to the sound that calls you.

On tracks that have chord changes, how do you correctly follow with a melody?

Many tracks stay within the same chord structure, so you can play any notes on the Native Flute scale.

For songs that do have chord changes, I've tried to keep chord changes in a predictible 1-4-5 setup like the standard 12-bar blues. If you're not familiar with the 12-bar blues structure, here's a quick synopsis:

The 12 bars is broken into one chord for each bar.

The "one" chord works best with these notes: , , and .

The four with: , , and

The five: and

Here's the cycle structure of bars - I've put the chord changes in BOLD CAPS:

| ONE | one | one | one | FOUR | four | ONE | one | FIVE | FOUR | ONE | one | (and repeat)

You will find this structure in a lot of music, and tends to be a very common approach to melody creation (i.e. "hanging out on the one" then "hanging out on the four").

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