Mark's Music School Diary.

Mark Wein said:
Hanging in there. I'm doing OK in all of my classes for the most part but the hardest thing is finding actual time to practice guitar. I have probably 25-30 pieces of music ranging from simple jazz standards to highly arranged ensemble pieces to learn so far this semester and I am supposed to be also working on my personal skills every day.
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Yeah, I'm having a tough time finding practice time. Between my music research class (which I have to read a couple lengthy, wordy articles each work and write response papers, in addition to a semester-long research paper) and composition lessons, I'm playing in 5 ensembles. Most of the jazz stuff is easy and tunes I've played a lot, but I still want to play them better than I did going in. I'm having a hard time finding practice time at the end of the day to keep improving on my guitar goals and keep my orchestra material happening on my bass. If I spend a day or two away from some of that orchestra rep, my playing goes to shit for the next rehearsal...
 
Poparad said:
Yeah, I'm having a tough time finding practice time. Between my music research class (which I have to read a couple lengthy, wordy articles each work and write response papers, in addition to a semester-long research paper) and composition lessons, I'm playing in 5 ensembles. Most of the jazz stuff is easy and tunes I've played a lot, but I still want to play them better than I did going in. I'm having a hard time finding practice time at the end of the day to keep improving on my guitar goals and keep my orchestra material happening on my bass. If I spend a day or two away from some of that orchestra rep, my playing goes to shit for the next rehearsal...
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Thats the thing. If I feel like I'm good with something I focus on something else for a few days and when I come back to the first thing it sounds like shit. I need an extra 5 hours in the day.

I'm also having to pass through both the freshman and sophomore requirements in one year this year so I'm doubling up on material on each jury.
 
All I know is that I spent four years of my life in college studying Psych and the next 30 years in construction building houses and teaching myself guitar which only resulted in me being a very well adjusted construction guy and a half ass guitar player. I should have majored in music.
 
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This week was a little stressful. I had a lot of homework, a paper to write, al out 3 hours of movies to watch for my American character class, a two day piano performance test and some other stuff. With all of that I had a live streaming clinic on Wednesday to teach up in LA, I had to split school early Thursday to get a sick son from school, a gig on Friday night and the LA amp show today. I actually got A's on all of the testing this week.

In music theory we are working on figured bass and harmonizing major and minor scales. Nothing too new for me but I haven't thought about figured bass in over two decades so there is a lot of review.


My big concern is not getting enough real practice time in on guitar. I'm doing better on that this week but it's by doing nights like tonight where I wait from everyone to go to bed and then practice and extra hour or so. The list above is what I need to have prepared for my jury at the end of the semester. I'm about 80% on everything right now except that I need to pick out a transcription to learn. I'm thinking some Joe Pass this time around.


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Now I really feel like a college student. I just spent 4 hours doing an online mid term for my American Character class. It is 12:43am and I still need to practice music for my Guitar combo and scales for piano class. Guess I'll get up early and crank that out.
 
frunobulax said:
You went out binge-drinking and woke up with Sharpie all over you?
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If only.

The stayed up all night working and then woke up with my back seized up. Still got up at 5am to practice before getting the kids ready. Now I'm in the parking lot at school dreading the 1/2 mile walk to the music building. I have an hour to practice, a two hour ensemble rehearsal, and hour piano class before coming home to teach for a few hours. I got called for a gig tonight but a 4 hour rock gig after today with a bad back didn't sound like a good idea no matter what the money.


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Mark Wein said:
Yesterday was interesting. I had a good private lesson but when I got there he was teaching a kid that was vaguely familiar. Turns out he was one of my students about 8 years ago at Premier.

The weather was nice yesterday so I practiced outside as much as I could. I'm suprised at how much I use my iPad now but its become indispensable. I'll probably start putting my combo charts into Fourscore and using the bluetooth page turner. A couple of the other student have the ridiculously large iPad Pro and just being able to read charts that large is a huge thing. Unfortunately I need to replace my phone first. :(

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Apropos of nothing: that is one gorgeous fucking guitar.
 
ok. This week was a long one. I had tests in music theory and musicianship. I aced the aural dictation portion of the musicianship class which is a first for me so I was stoked about that. Still trying to get the Guitar Ensemble charts together. My improv class is easy for a while since we are now getting into playing blues. Even in a jazz context I could probably teach this section of the class. Mens Chorus festival is next week. Thursday afternoon I was informed that my Tuesday-Thursday combo had a gig at the Pint House in Fullerton Wednesday night. Luckily I was able to move some students around. I played OK but I wasn't really happy with my performance overall. Brought the Epiphone and my DV Jazz amp and sounded terrible. Spent the rest of the week playing solid bodies and getting a jazz tone that made me happier.

Not sure I shared this but this is what they expect in my first jury:


1st Semester Jury



Scales and chords:


· Major
· Major and Minor Pentatonic
· Blues
· Chromatic Scales.
· Natural, Harmonic, Melodic minor (including Jazz Melodic minor)
· Whole Tone scales.
· Dorian & Mixolydian Modes of Major.
· Major, Minor Triads. Major, Dominant and Minor Seventh chords.
· All scales learned to date in 3rds and 4ths.
· Diatonic triads from scales


1st Semester

Now’s the Time
Cousin Mary
Mack the Knife
Doxy
Autumn Leaves
So What/Impressions
Take the “A” Train


2nd Semester

In a Mellotone
I Got Rhythm
Beautiful Love
All Of Me
Summertime
Mr. P.C.
My Funny Valentine


Transcription or etude.


The theory stuff is really easy. I don't have to know ALL of the songs but I've learned about 10 of them and they will ask me to play with the instructors. Here is my backing track practice routine:




I'm part of the way through the Joe Pass "Have You Met Miss Jones?" transcription this week. I want to have two full choruses prepared to play. I have a couple of months before juries but I want to kill it and things will get pretty busy around that time.

The big push for me musically is about "line shaping" or just playing my single note lines more musically. There is a pretty big world for me to explore right there....

For general ed in my "American Character" class we are starting a section on slavery. I'm reading this book at the moment:

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Even though the class is not a music class much of the beginning of the book is about how the slaves who converted to Christianity adopted sacred music and used it a something of a vehicle to keep something of their cultures alive in the new world. The descriptions and analysis of early slave prayer meetings and services really give you a preview of the improvisational and communal elements that will definitely shape Jazz and Blues music. I've read and studied a bit of music history here in America but this is really cool.
 
Mark Wein said:
I'm part of the way through the Joe Pass "Have You Met Miss Jones?" transcription this week. I want to have two full choruses prepared to play.
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That's a great solo! (Assuming it's the NHOP duo album, "Chops.") My favorite line in the one where's he's playing quarter notes, playing the same note but alternating 3rd string/4th string, starting on a C, and moving down one note per measure.
 
Poparad said:
That's a great solo! (Assuming it's the NHOP duo album, "Chops.") My favorite line in the one where's he's playing quarter notes, playing the same note but alternating 3rd string/4th string, starting on a C, and moving down one note per measure.
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Actually I'm doing the version from "Virtuoso" just because I don't really play anything like that. I'm trying to find things I'm weak at to focus on. "Chops" is a killer record though.


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Looks like you’re having a great time. My husband needs to make partner so we can hire a nanny to watch the kids and I can go to music school.
 
jp_nyc said:
Looks like you’re having a great time. My husband needs to make partner so we can hire a nanny to watch the kids and I can go to music school.
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I am but it's fairly stressful. The big lesson learned this week (and one that my private instructor has been trying to drill into my head) is that even though I play at a pretty high level for where I'm at I can't expect to nail everything and b able to do everything every week. From my own teaching I should know this but I felt like I should be doing more and better. I probably would be but for the lack of time to spend on every subject every day. I never feel like there is enough practice time.


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Mark Wein said:
ok. This week was a long one. I had tests in music theory and musicianship. I aced the aural dictation portion of the musicianship class which is a first for me so I was stoked about that. Still trying to get the Guitar Ensemble charts together. My improv class is easy for a while since we are now getting into playing blues. Even in a jazz context I could probably teach this section of the class. Mens Chorus festival is next week. Thursday afternoon I was informed that my Tuesday-Thursday combo had a gig at the Pint House in Fullerton Wednesday night. Luckily I was able to move some students around. I played OK but I wasn't really happy with my performance overall. Brought the Epiphone and my DV Jazz amp and sounded terrible. Spent the rest of the week playing solid bodies and getting a jazz tone that made me happier.

Not sure I shared this but this is what they expect in my first jury:


1st Semester Jury



Scales and chords:


· Major
· Major and Minor Pentatonic
· Blues
· Chromatic Scales.
· Natural, Harmonic, Melodic minor (including Jazz Melodic minor)
· Whole Tone scales.
· Dorian & Mixolydian Modes of Major.
· Major, Minor Triads. Major, Dominant and Minor Seventh chords.
· All scales learned to date in 3rds and 4ths.
· Diatonic triads from scales


1st Semester

Now’s the Time
Cousin Mary
Mack the Knife
Doxy
Autumn Leaves
So What/Impressions
Take the “A” Train


2nd Semester

In a Mellotone
I Got Rhythm
Beautiful Love
All Of Me
Summertime
Mr. P.C.
My Funny Valentine


Transcription or etude.


The theory stuff is really easy. I don't have to know ALL of the songs but I've learned about 10 of them and they will ask me to play with the instructors. Here is my backing track practice routine:




I'm part of the way through the Joe Pass "Have You Met Miss Jones?" transcription this week. I want to have two full choruses prepared to play. I have a couple of months before juries but I want to kill it and things will get pretty busy around that time.

The big push for me musically is about "line shaping" or just playing my single note lines more musically. There is a pretty big world for me to explore right there....

For general ed in my "American Character" class we are starting a section on slavery. I'm reading this book at the moment:

12630116.jpg


Even though the class is not a music class much of the beginning of the book is about how the slaves who converted to Christianity adopted sacred music and used it a something of a vehicle to keep something of their cultures alive in the new world. The descriptions and analysis of early slave prayer meetings and services really give you a preview of the improvisational and communal elements that will definitely shape Jazz and Blues music. I've read and studied a bit of music history here in America but this is really cool.
Click to expand...


Levine's work is getting a bit dated now, from an academic's perspective - and thus, I'd advise you to read critically, since that's probably what your prof is looking for - but he's interesting and entertaining.

Especially his Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America, which is totally essential.
 
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