The Working Series

Living in a Body

The Working Series

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The Working Series

Episode 51 -- Finding Inspiration on TikTok

Hal Walker

Feb 18, 2023

Hi. I’m Hal. Welcome to “Living in a Body.” Today’s episode is best consumed through the audio podcast. I encourage you to tap the play button above for the full effect of the episode. (11 min. listen) Thanks for being here! Hal

The Working Series

I love being in the flow of the creative process. When I'm flowing with creativity, I get some relief from the physical discomfort and the negative thinking that come along with chronic illness. Of all the things that have helped me survive the most challenging couple years of my life, creativity is at the top of the list. For the moments that I have the strength and the wellness to create, I'm so grateful.

One of the places that I regularly find inspiration is on TikTok. Since Jan 1, 2020, with only a few breaks, I've posted a short musical creation on that app almost every single day. Creating on Tiktok helps to remind me that in spite of the devastation of this illness, at the core, I’m still the musician that I’ve always been. Even when I'm only making music for two or three minutes in an afternoon to capture a 20 second video, those are a couple of the best minutes of my day. For that short amount of time, when I'm able to create some magic in the musical realm, I get a momentary smile in my heart and also on my face. For this attention starved divo, creating short videos on TikTok and Instagram somehow helps to validate my existence.

Of course, social media plays a complicated role in my life. On the one hand, it inspires me to create. On the other hand, it lures me into the trap of an unquenchable thirst for serotonin that gets doled out by the notifications on my phone. As if more likes, follows and comments would ever be enough to fill that God-sized hole in me, I continually check my notifications looking for more. I use social media as a way to numb momentarily the discomfort of living in this body. I'll leave that discussion for another day, though. Today, I want to talk about creativity.

In case you're not aware, TikTok is an amazing modern day audio/video phenomenon. When I use it wisely, it's proven to be an awesome source of creativity, connection and inspiration. Coming from a musician who specializes in talent shows, Tik Tok is the ultimate never-ending talent show. It's the creative platform that I'd been waiting for my whole life. TikTok has totally transformed my musical career. With the help of this app, I've put my music into the ears of young people around the world at a rate that I never before imagined possible. And I’m glad to say that after three years of scrolling, I'm still finding inspiration on my "for you" page.

In the last few weeks, I keep coming across videos of workers creating rhythms with their tools. Carpentry, masonry and blacksmithing tools are the unlikely source of musical syncopation and driving rhythm. On top of the rhythmical foundation that I'm finding in these videos, I've been adding my own musical twist. I've created a series of four short videos that I'll share with you now. I call it the "The Working Series."

The first is a railroad blues. The original video shows three railroad workers who are taking turns driving a railroad spike into the ground. One swing at a time they’re getting the work done in a very musical way. With the help of Ableton Live, Final Cut Pro and an assortment of Apple products, I performed some technical magic. On top of those driving sledgehammer rhythms, I added some sweet bluesy harmonica.

The harmonica playing that you'll hear is the kind of stuff I've been playing for almost 40 years. These are the same riffs I used to play when I wandered the streets of Chicago while avoiding my studies at Northwestern. These days, playing these riffs comes as naturally as speaking. In this video, you'll hear the sounds of my own personal language born out of a long history of carrying a harmonica in my side pocket.

@banakula Jamming with @TMRobinson91 #harmonica #blues

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I've come up with a great system for creating these collaborative “duet” videos. I won't share with you the 25 step process in this post, but I will emphasize how much I love a good system. Developed over months and years of trial and error, it's a multi-step process of uploading, quantizing, videoing, mixing, editing and mastering. Because of the system that I've developed, I can produce one of these videos in a very short amount of time with very little exertion of energy. For a creative like me living with ME/CFS, there's nothing like a good efficient system.

The next one is called "Hammering Harmonica." The original video pictures a very skilled carpenter who's driving nail after nail down the line of a large wooden structure. I took that metronomic rhythm and I added some Eastern European style harmonica playing in the key of G minor.

The first time that I ever played a minor keyed harmonica was in college. I was a student at Northwestern and I spent my entire junior year with a mad crush on a woman named Ellen who was a senior. I lived on the third floor and she lived on the second at 1901 Sherman Avenue in Evanston. For the whole year, I gave her the most amazingly passionate one-on-one harmonica lessons and we became the best of friends. But all the while, I yearned for her affection. She was unavailable. She had a cool, long haired, guitar playing boyfriend who drove a little red Honda Civic. It panged me to watch out the window as he would park there on Sherman Avenue and head into her apartment. At the end of the year, she graduated and moved into the Chicago. But before she left, she gifted me with a minor keyed harmonica. I've been playing these Lee Oskar minor harmonicas ever since. Thanks Ellen! In this video, you'll hear that Eastern European sound as I accompany the driving rhythms of a skilled carpenter.

@banakula Jamming with @Veysel Çelik #harmonica #halwalkermusic

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The next one is called "Jamming with a Stonemason." The original video pictures a stone mason who's hammering divits into a slab of stone to make a beautiful geometric design. For this one, I added the rhythmical playing of a metal tongue drum called a RAV drum. Interestingly, the RAV company sent me this drum free of charge because I'm an "influencer" on TikTok and Instagram. It was quite a nice gift to receive. Of course, once I fell in love with the drum that they sent, I bought two more of them with my own money. They got me hooked. I'm grateful for how easy it to make beautiful music with these drums. They're tuned in a way that makes it almost impossible to play a wrong sounding note. I enjoy putting them on the laps of the visitors that come to my house for some easy but satisfying music making.

@banakula Jamming with @tastystonecarvings #ravvast #halwalkermusic

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The last in the series is called "Forging Khaen Metal." The original video is a couple of blacksmiths forging some red hot metal into a pick axe. The rhythm they create is bright, sharp and driving. For this one, I'm playing an original melody on the khaen, a mouth organ from Laos and NE Thailand. The melody that I play is laid out so nicely on the instrument. With years of practices, this melody and these octaves come so naturally to my fingers. Enjoy.