Commreman
Faith, Family, Fitness, and Frets
Thanks for that. It is everything that Jeff has been saying here, and advocating for a long time. Now we all should get to work!
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Jeff Berlin Discussing Music Ed Part II
- Thread starter Mark Wilson
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Thanks for that. It is everything that Jeff has been saying here, and advocating for a long time. Now we all should get to work!
Actually this is a great idea. Jazz is still the best academic music to work on. A walking line takes much more musicality to play than a rock or funk line because rock and funk are often based on repetition. If you transcribe a walking line from the above mentioned guys, you can get several choruses of different interpretations of the same chords. Fantastic idea for a beginner to try out.
It is true that South Africa is pretty far, but a one-time journey could save you months of musical questions afterward. We are in the age of airplanes.
Some other guys have said that they live too far, (in your case, this might be true! You are nearly 30 hours from Clearwater, Florida). But when other guys say the same thing, I reject this point of view. In the old days, Mike Stern and I would sometimes trek through waist deep snow to get to Charlie Banacos' to take my lessons during the winter. That excuse about distance for some is silly. If one really wish to learn, then a world war might not be able to distract one from their goal.
Jazz pianists (if they know their subject) could be amongst the greatest music teachers that you may ever have. Charlie Banacos was a pianist and he was the greatest music teacher almost of all time.
All very true. It's just a case of getting my butt into gear and making the necessary plans financially. From what i've observed in some of the discussion here, even making the trip for the one week intensive would be well worth the long term benefits. Thanks again for your input, I earn my living by supporting performers and entertainers but my focus always has been being a musician first and your forthright, non-compromising attitude towards what you're passionate is motivational.
Oh, yes! There's some good advice here. It is a good tape, not too deep, lesson-wize, but a nice beginning. Certainly it explains a little bit about Players School principles.
Financial issues are certainly an issue to deal with. Make your decision to come here when you feel up to it and I can show you a few things about how to learn how to play. The biggest complaint that most players have is that they don't know what to practice or how to practice. I can show you both things in a week. It's simple!
So would you say that my transcribing of So What's line is a good idea for me, as a beginner?
I know what you said about the two bar melody lines (and I think I'm going to have that covered because I'll be taking a jazz improv course at my school this coming semester) but I'd just like to clarify whether I should have to check over everything I'm writing down or not (i.e. should I simply be able to write the lines down off the top of my head or should it be a challenge?).
As I have gone through several choruses, I have noticed that he's repeating ideas and going a lot more "out there" with his line (though that may simply be a function of the modal nature of Kind of Blue). I plan on going through and writing down possible implied chords after I'm done.
So, to rephrase the Q's, is transcribing a walking line a good idea for a beginner, and should it be a challenge to write what is heard when transcribing?
I get the feeling I may be running before walking.
Well, you've got my brain ticking now. I will review my situation and set the necessary goals, even if i have to wait till next year to get there.
Writing down what you hear is top notch work, but if you aren't up for the task, then it is a torture. You won't inprove yourself in music by torturing yourself to learn it. Aim a little low, but make sure that the music that you are aiming for is top notch educational stuff. A great teacher can help you with this.
We have a One Week Intensive from March 22-26 of this year. If you can't make this one, the next one will be in June and then in September. Maybe we will see you in one of them.
Anybody else interested in some bass upgrading, please email Vicky at [email protected] and she can give you the particulars.
Travel from South Africa to Florida for a bass lesson (or two)..is redicilous. At least from an environmental point of wiew.
Well, if i'm gonna get on a plane(which will be in the air regardless of whether or not i make a trip) and flying across the globe, then self-improvement is as good a reason as I need.
It seems to me that greater sacrifices have been made in the pursuit of art....He is not saying he will do it weekly.
IMPORTANT!!!!!!
PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER ANYBODY WHO CLEARLY ISN'T HERE FOR MUSIC!!!
It is so easy to spot anybody who offers comments that clearly aren't here to offer anything positive. We have now begun on a new thread and I want to keep this thread pure and musically motivated. But, this cannot happen unless those of you who come here can read the intention of those who offer silly comments clearly not intending to be benefitial to anybody. NEVER COMMENT TO ANYBODY WHO ISN'T HERE TO HELP OR TO ADD SOMETHING OF BENEFIT! Just never respond! I've done this with a couple of guys. But some guys will never leave because they either need validation, or they need it from you guys. Who are those guys? The guys who, in part tell you what is happening rather than asking what is happening. As soon as I see their names, I never read their comments and I never answer anything they say. They have identified themselves and their intentions to me.
Let the person who is hosting this thread do his job. If some guys get rude or clearly unhelpful, then the thread host can block them if he wishes to in the name of decent musical discussion and peaceful exchange.
Please do the same thing. Block them by ignoring them. Never answer their comments if you read between the lines and see their true intentions. They are not here to help.
Thanks.
Jeff
The idea of staying on a musical topic is easy.... you discuss music. Since this post of mine is not a music related one, in response to a non-music related one, it is off topic already It is presentation and manner of this additional information, its opinions away from music that will disrupt. Keep the thread clean?...keep it on music and musical things, remember everyone has opinions, but music is pretty much fact.
If we want more musical things we need to encourage musical thinking, not confrontation.
Its an open forum not a closed class, so have respect for those that drop in with opinions or points of relevence. Rather than ignore them or block them, listen to what they say and decide for yourself if it is relevent information.
Jeff,
I just wanted to ask you a little bit about practicing chord tones. I understand the concept of this but I am wondering if the way I am practicing them is correct. If I am not mistaken, an inversion is simply playing the chord tones but starting from a tone other than the root. So, if I take an Amaj7 chord for example. Would this be a correct way of playing it through inversions up the neck? (I am using tab for "geographic" purposes)
-----------------------------------------------13--
-------6----6-7--6-7-11-------11-14----11-14-----
---4-7--4-7----7--------11-12-------12------------
-5-------------------------------------------------
I just wanted to ask you a little bit about practicing chord tones. I understand the concept of this but I am wondering if the way I am practicing them is correct. If I am not mistaken, an inversion is simply playing the chord tones but starting from a tone other than the root. So, if I take an Amaj7 chord for example. Would this be a correct way of playing it through inversions up the neck? (I am using tab for "geographic" purposes)
-----------------------------------------------13--
-------6----6-7--6-7-11-------11-14----11-14-----
---4-7--4-7----7--------11-12-------12------------
-5-------------------------------------------------
Given my contractual obligations, it looks like i'll have to wait till next year. I have just received my copy of Chord Studies in the mail so that will keep me occupied for now along with some Aebersold and other trombone material which i have obtained from a trombonist friend of mine(so i get the benefit of bass clef). I will mail Vicky in the meantime to consult her about pricing, etc. Thank you.
Unfortunately I don't read tab. I don't know how to read the rhythms or the layout except that a number represents a fret.
To answer in the leanest way, I would say that chord tones and their inversions up and down the neck in 12 keys are a great exercise to pursue. Inversions are musical lines that begin on different notes in the line. Because there are at least 10 or so chord-types, you should have a lot of work to do for a while, all of it musical and meaningful.
Please excuse my use of tab but it was the only way I could represent things "geographically" as I said. There was really no rythm I just played the notes as seen from left to right. I played through the 1-3-5-7 tones and then played through them again starting from the 3-5-7-1, 5-7-1-3, etc.
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