jelloman
Couch'd Tater...
Yeah, um...
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...no...
Edit: are you practicing in the Men's Room?
Mark's Music School Diary.
- Thread starter Mark Wein
- Start date
...no...
Edit: are you practicing in the Men's Room?
shoeless
Riffin'
All those flats in the scale and the first note is a natural. Somebody's f'n with ya.
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I haven't had much time to write this semester and I haven't had any cool events to share but here's how its been going:
My private guitar lessons are awesome. After last semester's focus on using resolving dominant sounds to move my lines along this semester is all about melodicism and motivic development. Instant change in my playing last week. Now I just need to work on it until the motivic ideas are an organic part of my improvisation.
I have three combo classes this semester. I was supposed to have improv with Bill Cunliffe but a scheduling conflict killed that and then he asked me to be in his Thursday night combo so I figured that was as good as the improv class this semester. Then the combo director was changed to bassist Luther Hughes so I thought I was hosed after I committed to yet another group but Luther has had some awesome material for me already. It also works well with my private lesson emphasis too. We are working out of this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their improvisation skills:
It's definitely all Jazz and there is no tab so be forewarned. It's a grown-ups method book
My guitar combo is doing more of the same in terms of jazz music harmonized for five parts. The reading is still pretty hard for me but I'm getting better.
Combo #3 is with trumpet instructor Kye Palmer, who is (among other things) an alumni of the Brian Setzer Orchestra and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno house band. I was in this group last semester and decided to stay since it was also a good experience for me.
For my large performance ensemble I am doing my second and final semester of Mens Chorus. We are performing a pretty varied program this semester with music from Africa and Estonia, more Latin mass material, and a Plain White T's song where I'll probably also be playing guitar too. And some other stuff but thats the high points. From the director of this group I have gotten a ton of great performance help..not only vocal but also in terms of minimizing tension in my body when I play any instrument.
Music History is a survey class - we started with the middle ages and will get to contemporary composers as more of an over view before starting the "real" history series of classes. We had a test on Middle Ages and Renaissance music last week and we are starting the Baroque period this week. This class takes the most academic effort...the tests are on the book, the lectures and the assigned listening. I'm really enjoying it but it's going to be tough.
Musicianship and Music theory are more of the same from last semester...sightsinging, audiation, dictation and whatnot for musicianship and music theory is more Diatonic harmony. We just started in on non chord tones and secondary dominant functions are next week. Still mostly review for me but it's amazing how much I've forgotten since I took this material 27 years ago
Jazz harmony is interesting although I'm not in love with how it is being taught. We have a sub for two weeks who is awesome though. Plus a big part of this class is how to play chord voicings and progressions on piano so I'm making up for skipping my final piano class this semester (also lost to scheduling problems).
The only class I really have a problem with is the required "Music Production" class. I have two semesters of having to be an usher or a stage hand for concerts and other productions at the school. Just the amount of time that I will lose to this over the next year is pissing me off. And it's not like I don't know how concerts are put together.
This will be a pretty challenging semester but I skipped general ed in an attempt to push my musical skills up a large level before I have to start worrying about junior and senior recitals.
My private guitar lessons are awesome. After last semester's focus on using resolving dominant sounds to move my lines along this semester is all about melodicism and motivic development. Instant change in my playing last week. Now I just need to work on it until the motivic ideas are an organic part of my improvisation.
I have three combo classes this semester. I was supposed to have improv with Bill Cunliffe but a scheduling conflict killed that and then he asked me to be in his Thursday night combo so I figured that was as good as the improv class this semester. Then the combo director was changed to bassist Luther Hughes so I thought I was hosed after I committed to yet another group but Luther has had some awesome material for me already. It also works well with my private lesson emphasis too. We are working out of this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their improvisation skills:
It's definitely all Jazz and there is no tab so be forewarned. It's a grown-ups method book
My guitar combo is doing more of the same in terms of jazz music harmonized for five parts. The reading is still pretty hard for me but I'm getting better.
Combo #3 is with trumpet instructor Kye Palmer, who is (among other things) an alumni of the Brian Setzer Orchestra and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno house band. I was in this group last semester and decided to stay since it was also a good experience for me.
For my large performance ensemble I am doing my second and final semester of Mens Chorus. We are performing a pretty varied program this semester with music from Africa and Estonia, more Latin mass material, and a Plain White T's song where I'll probably also be playing guitar too. And some other stuff but thats the high points. From the director of this group I have gotten a ton of great performance help..not only vocal but also in terms of minimizing tension in my body when I play any instrument.
Music History is a survey class - we started with the middle ages and will get to contemporary composers as more of an over view before starting the "real" history series of classes. We had a test on Middle Ages and Renaissance music last week and we are starting the Baroque period this week. This class takes the most academic effort...the tests are on the book, the lectures and the assigned listening. I'm really enjoying it but it's going to be tough.
Musicianship and Music theory are more of the same from last semester...sightsinging, audiation, dictation and whatnot for musicianship and music theory is more Diatonic harmony. We just started in on non chord tones and secondary dominant functions are next week. Still mostly review for me but it's amazing how much I've forgotten since I took this material 27 years ago
Jazz harmony is interesting although I'm not in love with how it is being taught. We have a sub for two weeks who is awesome though. Plus a big part of this class is how to play chord voicings and progressions on piano so I'm making up for skipping my final piano class this semester (also lost to scheduling problems).
The only class I really have a problem with is the required "Music Production" class. I have two semesters of having to be an usher or a stage hand for concerts and other productions at the school. Just the amount of time that I will lose to this over the next year is pissing me off. And it's not like I don't know how concerts are put together.
This will be a pretty challenging semester but I skipped general ed in an attempt to push my musical skills up a large level before I have to start worrying about junior and senior recitals.
ok....I got an A on the Music History test that I was so stressed about. Apparently people either did the work and got a decent grade (or like 2/3rds of the class) not prepare and fail. I'm still getting good grades but I'm having to work a lot harder. As part of my "music production" class it looks like I'm going to be contributing to the departments social media needs on the Jazz side. Hopefully I can get out of as much ushering as I can 
My Thursday night combo is kicking my ass because the instructor is running it as am improv class (which is what I want) but he expects you to do certain things at tempo even if you don't know or have practiced them. Its really good for me.
One funny side note is that he brought up the fact that besides a pretty good career playing with people like Horace Silver, Gene Harris, John Pisano and a ton of other people he was also featured in several episodes on Star Trek Deep Space nine http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Luther_Hughes as the bass player in Vic Foutains' band on the holodeck.
One funny side note is that he brought up the fact that besides a pretty good career playing with people like Horace Silver, Gene Harris, John Pisano and a ton of other people he was also featured in several episodes on Star Trek Deep Space nine http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Luther_Hughes as the bass player in Vic Foutains' band on the holodeck.
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I also spent some time with my advisor yesterday reworking my "path to graduation" and we knocked a semester off the original plan which is good. I have to skip the middle class in the Jazz improv sequence (which apparently I've already covered that material in my private lessons last semester) but I'll have to take a jazz piano class in its place which is actually fine with me since I'll actually learn useful skills in there. My Jazz harmony and analysis class is being subbed by a good piano Teacher so I'm spending class time this month learning to comp on piano as well. Good stuff.
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Busy busy busy. Just trying to keep my head above water at work, school and with work. This week was my first week in Mens Chorus where I didn't feel completely lost in my new role as a baritone. I went from singing lines that mostly started on roots to singing more inner harmonies and it's just starting to take. Plus the higher range is starting to get a little more normal for me.
Musicianship class has been harder for me but I'll slog through. Music theory (both my Diatonic and Jazz Harmony classes) are all about secondary dominants, secondary functions and similar constructs.
My combos are going well...I got another one of my original tunes played in one group. We have a concert in a few weeks....
And then there is the "Friends of Jazz" Mardi Gras event on Sunday. I was asked to play with a different combo (and play banjo) so that should be interesting. The big deal for me isn't playing banjo (I'll just tune it like the top 4 strings of a guitar this week and play voicings I know) but that its the first time I'm playing a "pickup" jazz small group gig for the rest of the night. All of the standards that I've been learning and committing to memory will finally get played. Lots of review going on this week but I'm remembering stuff better than I expected. I get one rehearsal this afternoon with the other group and then we play on Sunday.
Musicianship class has been harder for me but I'll slog through. Music theory (both my Diatonic and Jazz Harmony classes) are all about secondary dominants, secondary functions and similar constructs.
My combos are going well...I got another one of my original tunes played in one group. We have a concert in a few weeks....
And then there is the "Friends of Jazz" Mardi Gras event on Sunday. I was asked to play with a different combo (and play banjo) so that should be interesting. The big deal for me isn't playing banjo (I'll just tune it like the top 4 strings of a guitar this week and play voicings I know) but that its the first time I'm playing a "pickup" jazz small group gig for the rest of the night. All of the standards that I've been learning and committing to memory will finally get played. Lots of review going on this week but I'm remembering stuff better than I expected. I get one rehearsal this afternoon with the other group and then we play on Sunday.
Mardi Gras went well.
This week I'm trying to get ready for a major music history test. We have the "Collage" concert this weekend which takes most of my Friday and Saturday over so that I can perform for a total of about 5 minutes with the choir.
Next week there is a combo concert - one of my groups is playing an original bossa nova tune that I wrote. I'll try and make a recording of that. Each group plays to tunes so I'm playing Yardbird Suite and my bossa ("Sorry, not Sorry") in one group and Joyspring and an original from another student that is a middle eastern freakout in 5/4 for the other.
The word of the week is "Modal Interchange" btw.
This week I'm trying to get ready for a major music history test. We have the "Collage" concert this weekend which takes most of my Friday and Saturday over so that I can perform for a total of about 5 minutes with the choir.
Next week there is a combo concert - one of my groups is playing an original bossa nova tune that I wrote. I'll try and make a recording of that. Each group plays to tunes so I'm playing Yardbird Suite and my bossa ("Sorry, not Sorry") in one group and Joyspring and an original from another student that is a middle eastern freakout in 5/4 for the other.
The word of the week is "Modal Interchange" btw.
sonik
Motor City Madman
I don't think so. They phone version just looks like a small version of this I think. It's more to
Play with and not read from.
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Well, tonight is going to be a little strange here at school. One group I'm playing in I'm playing my archtop on "Yardbird Suite" by Charlie Parker and an original bossa nova that I wrote and the other group is doing this:
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gtrjunior
Wannabe
It will look good on your resumèI'm now the official Cowbellist for Mens Chorus.
gtrjunior
Wannabe
Well, tonight is going to be a little strange here at school. One group I'm playing in I'm playing my archtop on "Yardbird Suite" by Charlie Parker and an original bossa nova that I wrote and the other group is doing this:
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Dude...that was awesome!!
Thanks! I'm still working some stuff out before tonight. I'll tr and record.
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