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It's Monday in England. So let's start this weeks pages.
I'm starting with review.
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04-08-2012 11:53 PM
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Oh man! Looks like we got three patterns in all twelve keys in the speed studies. Is he wanting us to memorize them all in the first position??? Are you all planning on writing them out? I really struggle with transposing big time. This one is really going to be a challenge for me I can already tell.
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Originally Posted by Will Glen
Speaking of defeat, what does everyone make of the endurance etude? I find my mental stamina tested far more that the physical. I need to work on using minimum pressure on that pinkie - that's a strong finger, but I really don't need to sweat that note.
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Originally Posted by Will Glen
I think you only do the keys that have already been introduced. C, G, F, Am, Em. Down the road you can add other scales that you know.
This is something you can include in your daily practice as a warm-up, you could do it for years. You could also add other patterns too.
I also think, the patterns are what should be practiced. For instance mm. 1-3 and mm. 5-7 of Pattern 1. Mm. 1-3 and mm. 5-7 of Pattern 2. And, m.1 and m.3 of Pattern 3.
Those are the patterns that you'll actually hear sometimes in peoples solos/improv. You can take those patterns all the way up and down any scale you know.
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Originally Posted by Will Glen
As far as the other keys, it doesn't seem like it will be too hard; I boil it down to just memorizing the pattern and then remembering what key you're in. Probably easier said than done. I don't plan on writing them out.
Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
FEP, I must have been typing when you were posting. Glad we have one cool head in the crowd.Last edited by oldhead; 04-09-2012 at 04:42 PM. Reason: add
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Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
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Question on Endurance Etude:
s5, m1, do you stroke the first c and e and then let them ring through when you stroke the g and c or do you strum the c, e and g as a chord? Also, last two measures. Not quite sure how the tie/slur marks are to be played.This came up in another piece and I wasn't sure and played it as single notes, letting the first to ring through. Would like to settle this as I'm sure we're going to see it over and over. Thanks.
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Originally Posted by oldhead
or do you strum the c, e and g as a chord?
Also, last two measures. Not quite sure how the tie/slur marks are to be played.This came up in another piece and I wasn't sure and played it as single notes, letting the first to ring through. Would like to settle this as I'm sure we're going to see it over and over. Thanks.
I've just realised something important, will write in a separate post.
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I just had a lightbulb moment, and realised something that is the cause of confusion, on this group and elsewhere, regarding the notation of rhythm. If I can express myself well, this may help. If not, then please accept my apologies.
Music is complex and the method that has been devised to write it down has limitations. Writing notation for guitar is in its infancy, and not everything that the writer wants to say can always be written accurately, or at least if you write it accurately, it can be very confusing.
When someone is writing music, say a tune, what they care about is what note is played and when (in the bar) it should be played, e.g. beat 1, beat 2 and, etc. But we don't really have a way of specifying 'here's beat 2'. We could say, beat 1 will be written in blue, beat 2 in pink, etc, but they didn't have colours when they invented the system.
What we have instead is a system which specifies how long a note should last. And we learn, when we learn to read music, this is a one-beat note, this is a two beat note. So what you have to do when reading, is if you see a one beat note followed by the note G, then you realise that G is to come on beat two. The writer has to indicate to you by this slightly indirect means, when the note is to be played.
Take music written for harpsichord, say a Bach fugue. Bach knew full well that every harpsichord note lasts the same amount of time, lets say a second. The player has no control over how long it lasts. The pick plucks the string and physics takes over. So why did her bother writing a whole note tied to another whole note, when he knew the instrument was not capable of sounding the note that long?
Actually, he didn't care about that note - he just wanted the player to know when to play the next note. Correct placement of the next note was all that mattered.
So for Bach normally each voice has the correct number of beats in a bar, but often as a musician, reading more complex music, you come across something that doesn't seem to add up. And normally when you look at it more carefully you realise the composer or editor has laid notes in the bar in such a way you can work out when to start each note - but exactly how long each note is to be held for, you just work that out for yourself.
Leavitt does this all the time, and it's throwing people here. Lets take page 40, Duet, where he specifies that notes under a slur should be allowed to ring. The first note D is correctly notated as a 3 beat note. The second note B is notated as a quaver. But surely, if it is to be kept ringing, it should really be a crotchet (1/4) until the next B? Same goes for the next G. Why are they notated as quavers? Because that is the way that is kindest on the eye to do it, and to indicate that they come on 1, 1+, 2, 2+, etc.
Fast forward to endurance etude system 5 bar 1. Those ties don't add up mathmatically. The initial low C should be a crotchet as well as a quaver, but really, it's clear enough to make out when the notes should be started, and the ties indicate that the C and E should finish at the same time the G finishes.
A summary for anyone who has made it this far, or who has skipped to the end: when reading rhythms, think less about how long each note is notated to last. You had to learn that stuff about one beat and two beat notes, just to get you going. Think more about how the writer is indicating to you when to start each note in the bar.
I do hope this is helpful.
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TLT, Thanks so much for that exhaustive explanation and taking the time to do it. And I thought I was only going to learn the notes on the fretboard when I started this group! Now back to Endurance.
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Page 46, Chromatic Scale, Speed Study as Written (not up to speed)
Page 46, Chromatic Scale and Speed Studies (as written, not up to speed).mp3 - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage
Page 47 Dm Scales, Rhythm Accompaniment
Page 47, Dm Scales and Rhythm Accompaniment.mp3 - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage
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Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
I view things like this as situational. When we're playing for ourselves, we should make the music personal and interpret as we hear it, as we do with the group. It makes it fun and rewarding.
At the opposite end of the spectrum. If we we're recording something like a movie soundtrack, the composer might insist the piece be played exactly as written with no room for interpretation.
IMO, both situations are appropriate.
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You're welcome oldhead, glad it was helpful.
Originally Posted by Marty W
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Fep, that's good work, and thanks for sharing it with us. It is certainly a good way to practice all scales, however easier said than done.
I find it really hard without the notes spelled out in front of me. But I do work on it...
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Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
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Thanks Fep. I'm going to print it off and work on as well as add it to my folder for reference. Appreciate the demonstration as well.
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Originally Posted by oldhead
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Originally Posted by oldheadOriginally Posted by ten left thumbsOriginally Posted by Will Glen
Oldhead, the last part I made up on the spot. It was played within the constraints of Bbmaj for a while and then Ebm (dorian mostly) for a while. And I was trying to include sequences.
I'm thinking about this and I think I came up with a good way to practice scales. First, practice scales using patterns. Second just jam away over a chord progression trying to incorporate those patterns (like I did with the fun with patterns).
What would happen if you spent some time every day doing those two steps?
In that second step you'll be practicing a tune and patterns at the same time, multi-tasking. I'd like to practice my technique, patterns, drills, new concepts while playing my repertoire as much as possible.
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Guys and dolls -- I've become SO frustrated with trying simply to record and upload some overdubbed .mp3s, I'm about to commit a felony.
So: rather than get left totally behind, I'd like to post the Duet in F (that's where Frank asked me to start) in two separate files, part 1, part 2, and be done with it, so I can catch up.
If this is okay, I'm assuming I should upload the files to that week's thread (duh).
In case anyone's interested, here's what's happened:
- Bought M-Audio interface from eBay, had no phantom power for recording acoustic guitar.
- Bought new M-Audio interface - but its driver knocks out Vista's sound driver, and 5-year-old PC won't push hardware OR software, anyway.
- Bought ZOOM H2 fancy-ass recorder (after losing Sony hand-held) - but took me days to realize fancy-ass ZOOM is f.ed up. Sending back.
- Mic jack and sound card in computer never worked right - cuts out - tried that first. Bought 4 microphones. No dice.
- Bought Roland Cube XL40 - it lets you overdub loops. No way to store or export loops, however, so f.ed again. (Good amp, tho!)
- Got ancient boom box, planned to record to cassettes, then convert cassette recordings to .mp3s. Discovered that ancient boom box doesn't record anymore. : )
- Dug out 1998 PII Toshiba laptop. 300MHz, beast. Mic works, sound recorder works! Will use this till something better comes along.
My page 35 stuff is coming soon - in bits and pieces, but hey-ho.
You're all sounding great, btw!
kj
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Hi Kojo, Sorry to hear your troubles. I have a zoom h2 and it's wonderful and I've never had a problem with it, except once when the batteries ran out. Hope you get sorted.
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Originally Posted by ten left thumbs
kj
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Wow that's really rough Kojo.
Here's my Endurance Etude, I missed a few notes but I can't redo it. My pinky hurts.
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That is incredibly impressive, and also musical! Well done Frank!
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Well done Fep. I'm behind for the week and have had some issues to deal with on a personal side. Hope to be back at full force starting Monday.
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Originally Posted by fep
Julian Lage Trio - Sat 27th April - Marciac,...
Today, 03:57 PM in The Players