This page is probably my hugest (even with one song so far). Here I want to write down lyrics to well- known pop songs in Pitman shorthand. You can "see the rhyme" at the end of lines (and even some internal rhymes) by looking for matching strokes or vowel marks. Lyrics are written in New Era Pitman (taught until 1970), with all vowel marks shown except in official short forms. Underlined groups of words are written with a joined outline on the Pitman side.
I also present links below to other musical sites for your interest.
For my first effort, I'm going to construct the lyrics to the recent hit by U2, "Beautiful Day". These tuneful pop superstars have, since the 1980's, relentlessly "kept it clean" and have promoted positive social messages. Every line of the song ends in fourth and fifth chords, creating an unfinished, expectant feeling. The "bridge" (second chords), with its "see this, see that" imagery, is reminiscent of the one in "King of Pain" by The Police.
The lyrics published in the album are not quite what is sung, so I've corrected them here.
Other Musical Links of Interest:
I like Launch.Com, the free service that lets you construct your own Internet radio station tailored to your preferred genres. You can set a rating for your favourite artists, albums, even right down to each individual song, and get a random music playlist based on your preferences! You can not call up a preferred song on the spot, though; that would violate broadcast laws. However you can get a large library of music videos on demand. They had some slight legal wrangles in the middle of 2001 (what with all this Napster hype), and personal stations were taken off the air for a while, but now they seem to be back.
My own station features new wave and electropop from the glorious 1980s, plus some other filler I haven't filtered out yet. It's working very well; most songs that pop up in the mix are my hand-picked 80's songs. It was recognized as DJ Station of the Week for July 7, 2000. Play the music at your choice of connection speeds. Caution: I did not actually rate the video list as much as the music list, so you will get a random selection of all their music videos.
I'm officially a music composer myself. I have a Web-page where I present my compositions as both MIDI and MP3 files, specializing in spoofs of music by Gary Numan. Check it out atOnly a Downstat: Pierre's Cosmic Music
For sites about the glorious 1980's (I can't help myself from calling it that), check out
With current computers, a Web-browser with media plug-ins that accept "streaming" broadcasts as opposed to downloading audio files, and an Internet service, live radio from all over the world is fantastically automatic. Take advantage of it! Things work especially well if you have a broadband Internet service; you can get FM-quality stereo sound assuming the source station is that quality. I've done similar things with TV channels; the Internet is probably going to be the death of shortwave radio and cable TV too! No more shortwave? How are the extraterrestrials going to find us, then? :-)
(songs)
Play a MIDI of "Beautiful Day"
Click on arrow above. Don't forget to turn it off when you're tired of it (button with square).
Play clips or the full Internet video version of "Beautiful Day"!! From the official (corporate) U2 site. I can't point to them directly, they are in frames. Just click on the album ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND (2000) on their timeline and look for the song title.
Be patient, large sections are loading....
Click on this banner to order "I Love Pitman Shorthand" merchandise:
I like Launch.Com, the free service that lets you construct your own Internet radio station tailored to your preferred genres. You can set a rating for your favourite artists, albums, even right down to each individual song, and get a random music playlist based on your preferences! You can not call up a preferred song on the spot, though; that would violate broadcast laws. However you can get a large library of music videos on demand. They had some slight legal wrangles in the middle of 2001 (what with all this Napster hype), and personal stations were taken off the air for a while, but now they seem to be back.
