How to Count on One Hand

I find it useful sometimes to use the Indian Classical method of counting beats.  Touch your thumb to index finger for beat one, middle for two, ring for here and pinky for four.  If beat five is needed, open your hand.  Somehow, the tactile nature of touching fingers together is nice, and compared to the Western way of opening each finger, it seems easier you get used to it.

Three Views of a Mountain.

Photos from The State Library of Victoria

I love that he has the orchestra sing.  And the ensemble, Far Cry, sounds awesome.  Bravo, Kip Jones.  Kip, by the way, is a Minnesota violinist, who plays around the country with the acclaimed Ethel String Quartet.

My All-Time Favorite Books About Making Art

Photo by Adinda Navartierre.

What I Talk About When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami

A masterful writer whose novels are an absolute favorite of mine talks about his obsessive pursuit of running marathons and admits to learning almost everything he knows about writing from it.

The Chairs Are Where the People Go by Micha Glauberman with Shiela Heti

Neighborhood associations…the rules and subtle dynamics of charades…whether improvising is best experienced by improviser….the art of spam filtering...and other observations fill this art-themed conversation between Micha and artist Shiela Heti.

Encyclopedia of Everyday Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal

This book is genius in format and in content and reading it feels comforting-- a slice of life and a piece of art.

The Listening Book by W.A. Mathieu

Like a "paper uncle" this book might be a presence in your through the years, watching you grow bigger ears and and a heart more resonant to the ordinary sounds of everyday music. 

   Photo by Anna Hanks

Technique is the Weather

Image source: Arallyn

The word technique has dangerous implications, I think.  It sounds like an unchanging thing that you can sort of install somehow, like a piece of software.  While certain things in music making do become automatic over time, the reality is that technique is how you do things.  It varies to some degree every day, and it varies depending on the demands of the music that you play.

Is it possible that technique is less like a set of robot skills and more like the weather?  Here is a front coming in influenced by your recent playing, there is the another one representing new musical ideas.  Solar energy is your focus, wind energy is discipline, and the landscape is ergonomics...does technique describe the daily weather in your personal music land?  Does it describe a dynamic system like that?

I always joke to my students to "blame it on the weather" when they have a bad playing day, or bad practice week...now, perhaps they can blow those words back in my face.

Columbus Day Storm, Portland Oregan 1962 

How to Get Yourself to Do Something

 


Here is a topic that I have thought a lot about and to which I will probably return to in future posts.  It seems to me that getting yourself to do something-- anything-- on a regular basis has a lot to do with habits and patterns, big and small.  With music playing here are some things I've found to be helpful for me and for students.

-Find triggers that motivate you.  Listening to music whether familiar or new, gets me ramped up to play, and reminds me what it's about.  

-Remove barriers.  The simplest is leaving the instrument out of the case, so you can just pick it up and play, unplanned.  

-Make room in your life.  Everyone is busy.  We need to make space for something new, to take root and grow, so to speak.  

-Be patient with yourself.  It is a process to install a new habit and really make something part of your life over time.  

-Track what to do.  Whether you log the hours or the songs or the scales, this feedback is invaluable.  And, it actually can be kind of fun.  

-And, above all, remember to enjoy making music...in all its spectacular novelty, so to speak...

Images from The State Library of Victoria collection.

This is Your Mind on Improvisation

For a long time, I have been encouraging students to improvise.  In doing so, I find myself trying to describe how improvisation feels, and what kind of things need to happen in your mind.  It is an interesting pursuit.  Not everyone feels drawn to it either...but then it is something you have to learn to do.  To be off-the-cuff actually requires knowledge, experience, and preparation.  In any case, here are some of my main points about the process. 

You have to not think, while at the same time being awake and aware.  This requires not being self-conscious.  When you are engaged in this process, you ask your brain to concentrate fully and accept what is happening-- to work with what you've got.

It works best if you don't judge while creating.  It is near impossible to judge your own performance accurately while playing, anyway.  When you do start evaluating and or worrying how things might measure up, it is best to steer yourself back to the sound at hand.  

Thinking of what to play can be a challenge, especially for beginners, but since it is all about playing a note and then another, that's about all you can do.  As you play, further ideas will usually suggest themselves.  Anyway, some boredom balances out excitement, and repetition makes possible the element of surprise.  

By far, the best feeling is when your attention is totally wrapped up in the sounds and in the process.  There are many terms for this-- getting in the game, the flow, the zone.  As all these terms imply, this is a state that you must learn to evoke in yourself.  This takes time, and it isn't always possible to get your notes whizzing and your mind at ease in every improvising situation.  The important thing is that you act, going note by note, with intention and, I daresay, with passion.  

St. Paddy's Day

They say everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's day, and I can say I am more than a quarter Irish myself, maybe a third, mostly on my Mom's side.  The side whose name I have as a middle name-- the Gilligans-- came to America in my great grandparents' generation and I seem to remember that one of them stole the money for the boat fare, tricked his family after they traded in their harvest or their horse. In any case, we should all take note that in Ireland Paddy is a nickname for Patrick, Patty for Patricia, and the Shamrock is three-leafed for the trinity, and that we have therefore bastardized another holiday in our American way.  

Music history-wise, it is interesting to think about the way Irish music bled into American fiddle in a major way.  I like to imagine the evolution process of these things, how slowly an Irish lilt could become American drawl and swagger, adding syncopation, and something raw and angular, as it headed west.

Anger/Walsh/Gordy Highlights

I liked Joe Walsh's version of Mole in the Ground, a traditional song on which he has expanded.  As he joked last night, he didn't think it was sad enough before. I couldn't get it the song to embed in this post, but here is a link where you can play the song, or purchase a download.

Interestingly, my two highlights are vocals.  This other one by Karl Doty, came out of songwriting frustration he said.  How often is it true that we don't get something good until we break away from our notions of what we thought were going to write.

You will hear a rock-influenced solo by Darol (playing on octave violin) as well as Grant playing a bit out. (If you're not familiar, that playing out generally means using notes beyond the 8 normal ones in the key.)  They then start playing Bill Monroe's "Old Dangerfield," which I recently learned was named for a town in Texas.



Students: in the string band format, the instruments ring so sweetly together, the sound is generally high-end rich (though this is balanced by the use of octave fiddle) and this type of group, with or without banjo, tends to be a very distinctive sound.

Anger/Walsh/Gordy

I thought you might like to know that a fiddler who has been quite influential on me is coming to town.  Darol Anger played in the Turtle Island String Quartet (and before that David Grisman Quintet) before branching off into his own territory, which is generally somewhere "between the cracks" of art and folk music.  Darol has said that you can let people know what you feel through improvising, that you can remind them who they are and where they come from through folk music, that jazz and fiddle share a tendency toward lots of running notes, that you can recognize a fiddler by the way they end their bowstrokes, and that a huge part of learning your instrument is just about "logging hours."  Darol also helped develop the rhythmic chop technique, as well as teaching to the next generation at workshops, which is where I learned it.  Joining Darol is mandolin player Joe Walsh, who is originally from Duluth-- a nice guy who I also know a bit.  This music comes out of Bluegrass for sure, with ringing acoustic instruments and virtuosic speed, although I like the above track for its relative simplicity.

The show is next Friday, March 14 at the Cedar Cultural Center.

Show details and tickets

John Cage says...

John Cage said, among other things, that a composer music take responsibility for getting their work performed.  For a few more days, you can see Cage scores on display in the lobby of the MN Center for the Book Arts.  These scores are beautiful, and it is interesting to see what they look like.  I liked seeing Cage's handwritten direction in ink, and the scores seemed so visually pleasing in and of themselves.

Speaking of composers getting their work performed, I can tell you about playing Carleton Macy's quartet at Macalester this weekend, for his final "swan song" at the college, before retiring.  It was a challenging piece full interrelationships throughout the material.  In it is found quotes of both Rennaissance melody and "Someday My Prince Will Come."  The titles were from the Book of Lamentations, hence the title "Lamentations" and overall the mood was often anxious.  Perhaps I can see about getting permission to add a few audio clips to this post.  I wish Carleton well, as he moves back to "paradise" as he calls his hometown of Carmel, CA.

Roundup of Tones

I do think that music can help us with the late-winter blues.  Here are some pieces of music for you:

I found this video of Isaac Stern playing the Bach Chaconne.  The piece is long, and intense-- and as I type that, I have to add-- like this winter.  This video is perfect for curling up somewhere warm, and watching his effortless technique.  Stern was a non-shoulder rest guy, though he did use a sponge underneath, I believe.

A couple of reasons why this is a pinnacle in the violin repertoire:

It sounds full and complete (especially the chords) often bringing to mind a full organ sound.  As an organist and also violinist, Bach's mind certainly was never far from the keyboard.

The very long structure is 3 parts-- minor, major, then minor again.  Three was a big number with Bach, suggesting the trinity, apparently.  The piece is from a larger collection of 3 sonatas and 3 partitas for solo violin.

Finally, it is a theme and variations, and uses a variety of techniques to perfection, running the gamut from chords and double stops to running notes and complicated string crossings.  It is "over the top" in some ways, but I think something about it pushes through the technical display into an emotional sphere.




My student Tom, a longtime Irish player, directed my attention to this Irish fiddler, who plays beautifully, on a hardanger and conventional fiddles.  Like Stern, this is a good example of economy of motion in the bow arm, though in a different style (specifically, you'll see shorter strokes most of the time).  And, he has a nice ancient quality of tone with his alternate-tuning in the 2nd video (it is a collection of 5 pieces).  The 3rd video features some hypnotic and innovative looping.  I would like to meet this guy.

Yo-Yo Ma says...

...that music requires both rational and empathetic thinking.  He says that neuroscience shows that you can't to both at the same time, but both are needed.  And, he makes a good argument that both sides are important in the world-- that we should remember the importance of arts is partly because they do teach us to use both modes.

Click here to read the Huffington Post article.  It is short and to the point, and it gave me goosebumps.  Thanks, Yo-Yo!

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Seeing this song played live was one of those really nice moments that come around.  The song shows nicely the perfect pairing of raw, strange vocals and raw, strange instruments.

Below is the original recording, which I think captures the vocals better.  And, the musical saw parts are in harmony.

The sound of each key on the violin

Each key of the 12 keys sounds different on the violin. Advanced players may be able to identify notes and keys by ear, because each one comes out of the violin differently, with its own a unique tone.

Here are my personal impressions of each:

C MAJOR

Neither exceedingly bright nor dark, the lack of sharps and flats can be associated with simplicity and stability, but can also seem neutral or even somewhat blank. The sound on the violin is not as resonant as on the viola or cello (with their open C strings available to ring) however, there is some nice repertoire to be found here.

G MAJOR

Among the strongest-ringing keys on the violin, it pairs well with its relative minor, E minor, which also rings nicely. You have an excellent GDBG 4-note-chord that is relatively easy to play, and you have more than 2 full octaves within easy reach.

D MAJOR

Perhaps the most resonant key on violin, with strong-sounding I, IV and V chords, this is a favorite key of many. It is perhaps no coincidence that the first octave is an easy range for many people to sing.

A MAJOR

A major is a ringing key, and is one of the brightest on the violin. You have strong double stop and open string drone options for the I, IV and V chords, and also a can slip easily into Mixolydian mode, by using the G natural.

E MAJOR

Centered on the open E string, this is a bright key, but is less common as a fiddle tune key. I think Vivaldi's Spring is a good example of the brilliant character that E major can have. There are also some good possibilities for intricate string crossing patterns and effects that make use of the open E in various ways.

B MAJOR

This is a key area that a vocalist might want to go. This depends on the tune and the vocalist, but you may find it common in a Bluegrass style. More advance double stops may be required for a full sound, but overall it can be bright and the flat 3 is an intuitive choice, when blues notes are appropriate.

F# MAJOR

F# is either under-appreciated or avoided with good reason. It is rare for vocalists, who seem to opt for F or G, and rare for instrumentalists as well, as it is difficult to think in terms of all the sharps. The sound on the fiddle is more covered than resonant, but the A natural and E natural blues notes can be worked in easily.

C# MAJOR

I really prefer to think of the Db major scale, when I can. I think this is partly because it is easier to think of the 3rd as an F natural than an E sharp. Whichever note you think of, the scale contains no open strings and is a bit dark, but not overly so, in my opinion. In comparison, A flat might seem a little darker and F# seems may strike you as just a bit brighter.

F MAJOR

There is a semi-dark quality here, and for me there is a blues/jazz association, since it is a good key for horns and other Bb-tuned instruments. The relative minor, D minor, is very strong and is associated in Classical music with demonic themes and moods.

B FLAT

B flat is definitely winds and brass territory, but has a nice sound on the violin, with the resonant 3rd of D and 7th of A. On the fiddle side, some Scottish tunes in Bb are out there, but otherwise the fiddle world tends to favor the relative minor of G, which can be dramatic and even grave.

E FLAT

Pleasant on the violin, while being somewhat covered, E flat makes me think of trumpets. In Classical especially, the relative minor of C minor is very "dangerous" sounding and moody key, maybe because of its contrast to C major. Comparing C major and minor also shows clearly the three notes that become flat when changing from major to (natural) minor, namely the 3, 6 and 7.

A FLAT

One of the most mellow keys for strings, with the G natural as the only open string note, this is a difficult key. A flat is uncommon in the string repertoire, but has some qualities that are worth exploring.

D FLAT

Containing no open strings, all notes are fingered in this key, which creates an interesting, sweet sound. This is a pretty uncommon key, as are its immediate neighbors on the circle of 5ths, as neither vocalists or instrumentalists tend to want to hang out in this area. D flat, however, can be easier to conceptualize than C#, since it contains 5 flats as opposed to 7 sharps.

G FLAT

I do not think in the key of G flat very often, favoring to think of F# when I can. It is easier for most violinists to think of 6 sharps instead of 6 flats, since sharps are generally more of a home territory than flats. Sometimes you may need to think of the Gb chord, as it is the IV chord when playing in the key of D flat.

C FLAT

I pretty much do not think in C flat, as it is the same as B major. I think it is rare that anyone would need to think of it as C flat.

Pete Seeger - This Land is Your Land

There are many things I could say about why Peter Seeger is awesome.  But, instead I just ask, "Doesn't this performance just make you feel something?"

Although many of us think of the song as a patriotic song we used to sing in grade school, it is probably worth noting that "This Land is Your Land," was written by Woody Guthrie to make fun of overly patriotic songs.    

25 scales per day (for the New Year)

I have not generally had very specific recommendations for practice, but now I do have one-- 25 scales per day.  This helps you be sure to spend a few focused minutes on scales.  Without something specific in mind like counting up 25, almost anyone will easily drift into practicing other things soon enough.  So far, my students tell me that doing their 25 scales helps them internalize scales faster.  They tell me that doing scales allows them to think of technique more easily and that this mode of practice is very useful as a counterbalance to practicing repertoire.