Newsletter Vol. 3 # 43 – May 02, 2007
Greetings,
Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #43 of Guitar Noise News!
In This Issue:
- News and Announcements
- Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow
- Email of the Moment
- Hot Off The Press (Releases)
- Event Horizon
- Random Thoughts
News And Announcements
Someone recently sent me an email thanking the volunteer staff here at Guitar Noise for all the work we do and for the quality of the lessons and all sorts of wonderful things. The email closed with a question concerning how one goes about making a contribution to Guitar Noise.
Of late, Paul and I have been suggesting that folks wanting to make contributions to the Guitar Noise website instead make a contribution to any of many charities. Last year in particular, with all the natural disasters still fresh in our minds, we tried to steer people to the Red Cross or other places. We even went and highlighted a number of music-oriented charities as well. Still, many wrote asking about contributing directly to Guitar Noise…
It seems that if you want to contribute to Guitar Noise that you get something in return. So Paul has spent some time this spring revamping the “Guitar Noise Store,” stocking it with new shirts and designs.
So if you’d like some cool Guitar Noise apparel, or if you’d simply like to help out the website, visit the Guitar Noise Store.
Meanwhile…
Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow
Modeling a Melody, part 2
We’re going to continue doing what we call “modeling a melody” in this issue. And that just means figuring out some interesting things our favorite melodies do so *we* can do them, to craft our own melodies. We can use this information in improvisation and in composition.
We explored the idea of SAMES and DIFFERENTS last time. Why are those in capital letters? Isn’t there enough shouting in the world without me shouting at you? The reason for the capitals is to stress the idea. SAMES are things that get repeated in a melody, and you can figure out what DIFFERENTS are based on that.
But melodies in solos, in songs old and new and from every country, use lots of SAMES. They repeat notes. And it’s not because the composer is lazy. It’s because we listeners like lots of SAMEs. Just like we usually don’t prefer waking up in a different house every morning, but want to keep to the SAME home day after day. Same goes for jobs and so many other areas of life.
And the same is true of great art. And movies. Why are there so many super hero movies made? Because we want to see the SAME basic ideas of miraculous powers and happy endings over and over, despite there being different characters involved.
Back to melodies. Just where do we search for SAMES in melodies? Here’s a key observation that will hold true for much of the music you here: many parts of music are organized in units of four and two. Four quarter notes to a measure, for example. If you can get some standard notation of one of your favorite melodies, mark off every four bars to start with. If the notation is busted up with one staff having three bars and the next having five, rewrite or cut and paste so you’re looking at rows of four bars each. Then, even if you can’t read the notation, you can still effectively compare the notes, because standard notation is actually pretty intuitive and visual.
As you look from bar 1 to bar 4, then bar 2 and bar 5, ask yourself “what notes are the same here?” Or, what entire groups of notes are the same? Maybe notes are not duplicated exactly, but the overall *shape* of the line is copied.
We’ll explore melodies more next time. Have fun seeing the SAMES in your favorite melodies. And thanks for reading.
Darrin Koltow
Copyright © 2007 Darrin Koltow
Email Of The Moment
As I mentioned last time, one thing I never tire of is hearing how people are taking their music to others. Some folks are very keen on sharing their music and the Internet is a great way to do this, as evidenced by this email:
Hello.
My name is Nobumasa Takada. I live in Japan and play guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, ukulele and like twenties and thirties style music. I am a member of Sweet Hollywaiians, a Hawaiian-swing-calypso band. Last year we went to Los Angels and played with Janet Klein and Tom Marion (Cheap Suit Serenaders). Here is live video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo0w-Khmlbk
and our promotion video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy-9PlBUhV8
For more information, you can check us out at http://keepswinging.blogspot.com/2007/04/sweet-hollywaiians.html
Thank you!
Hot Off The Press (Releases)
I also recently got some great news of late from Bill Harrison of playjazznow.com, which I’d like to share with you all:
PlayJazzNow.com Releases Innovative Play-Along Tracks For Jazz Drummers And Percussionists
CHICAGO, IL (March 20, 2007) – PlayJazzNow.com, a Web site featuring downloadable play-along tracks for instrumentalists and vocalists, has announced the addition of play-along tracks for jazz drummers and percussionists. Since its inception last June, PlayJazzNow.Com has offered downloadable play-along tracks for jazz musicians who want to hone their improvisation skills by working out with a live trio. Now it aims to reach out specifically to drummers and percussionists who want to master the rhythmic, stylistic, and formal elements of jazz.
PlayJazzNow.com has created sets of tracks geared to beginning, intermediate and advanced percussionists Drummers can now play along with the rhythm team of piano and bass without the clutter of a pre-existing drum track. Students of jazz can practice a wide range of rhythmic styles, including swing, jazz waltz, bossa, samba, 6/8, 5/4 and ballad. Each style is available in a variety of tempos, which employ standard forms such as 12-bar blues, 32-bar AABA form, plus the less common 16- and 24-bar forms.
Chicago bassist and teacher Bill Harrison, the driving force behind PlayJazzNow.com, says, “This is the next innovation I’ve been promising visitors to the Web site. I believe these tracks are just what aspiring jazz drummers need to help them get to the next level. I haven’t seen or heard tracks of this kind offered anywhere else.”
Until the last decade or so, young jazz players could learn a lot ‘on the job’ and at jam sessions, but Harrison notes that now there are a lot more players – and a lot fewer sessions. He feels that budding jazz musicians need a way to practice regularly with a real rhythm section at home.
PlayJazzNow.com addresses this need. The Web site offers jazz play-alongs that are different from the CD/book sets of play-along tunes sold elsewhere. PlayJazzNow.com tracks consist of chord progressions – turnarounds and forms that occur in all types of standards and jazz compositions. Harrison states, “Our play-alongs are available for immediate download. They come in all 12 keys and you can find the precise tracks you need for your level and your instrument.”
With the addition of tracks created specifically for drummers and percussionists, PlayJazzNow.com now has tracks that all instrumentalists can use to improve their skills as soloists and accompanists.
“Using these play-along tracks really helps and inspires my students,” says Harrison. ” If they work for me, I know they’ll work for other teachers, students and professional players who are looking for a new and fun way to build their jazz chops.”
Bill Harrison is an accomplished jazz bassist who has performed with many jazz masters including; Clark Terry, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Kenny Burrell, Bunky Green and Joe Daley. He has been a faculty member of Chicago State University and the American Conservatory of Music, and has taught at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Clark Terry’s Great Plains Jazz Camp and the Saskatchewan Summer School for the Arts. Harrison currently plays jazz, commercial and theatre gigs in Chicago and maintains two teaching studios.
Event Horizon
It’s always great to hear from Millard, so I’ll let his email open up the “Event Horizon” section. And please take note of the very cool offer to Guitar Noise members:
Hi, David.
Hope the thaw in the great Northeast is underway and spring is rushing towards you with all of its typical splendor. Grew up in the Del-Mar-Va area and still remember, with much fondness, the purple crocus flowers poking their blossoms up, even through winter’s final attempts to remind us it was still in charge.
Minnesota 13 will be playing The Gig Hollywood on Sunday, May 6 at 8:30PM. It’s a very cool club (http://www.liveatthegig.com/) on Melrose with a lot of neat history, nice room, decent drinks, and a great stage. Like many LA clubs, they live for the draw (and hang us if it doesn’t materialize), so if even just a few GN folks could drop in, it would really help. And they won’t be disappointed because our guitarist, Frank Occhipinti, is the real deal and really delivers on stage.
As an extra incentive, I’ll have free CDs for anyone who comes up after the show and identifies himself or herself as a GN member.
Thanks again for supporting the millions of guitar players out here in cyberspace.
Millard
I also received a note from Tom McLaughlin of the Chicago area, letting me know his band, Wildeye, will be playing Friday May 18 at a local VFW Hall in Tinley Park, Illinois. The address is 17147 Oak Park Avenue and Wildeye will be playing from 8:30 until 12:30. You can find out more about this great rock band at the website.
And Kathy Reichert will be once again be performing with CJ and Fairly Unbalanced (with the big F U ) on Monday May 7th at 7pm at the Gallery Cabaret, located at 2020 N Oakley in Chicago. That’s near Armitage and Western, in case you didn’t know.
Later that week, she’ll be taking here act to Chicago’s north suburbs, playing at the Borders Bookstore in Highland Park on Saturday, May 12th, 9pm. This is as part of the “Late Nite Highland Park project.” Borders is at 595 Central Ave in Highland Park, Illinois. The number is 847-433-9130.
Speaking of the weekend of Friday, May 18, rumor has it that Dennis Corbin has gotten his band back together and they’ll be playing that Saturday night, May 19. Check in our next newsletter for details.
And to make that weekend complete, you will find some members of the Riverside Jam Touring Group playing at the “Run For Reading Marathon” bright and early the next morning, Sunday May 20. Now that’s dedication! More details on these brave folks next time out.
Random Thoughts
We are a little short on articles this time out owing to a combination of computer problems, teaching schedules and traveling that just made putting things up online a little more hectic than usual. But we’ll be getting up a bunch of them in the next two weeks, including the latest lesson from Doug Sparling as well as a lesson on “Layla” by none other than GN forum member “Taso.” I think you’ll find them well worth the wait.
Until we chat again, play well. Play often. Stay safe.
And, as always,
Peace