musician on music

So this experiment lost a lot of steam, most especially after the gigantic misunderstanding/drama that heralded its kickoff, but also somewhat in conjunction with the fact that I have been really, really busy this year. I've been neglecting my personal journal as well, but am nearing ready to combine the two, which should make both a bit more consistent. There is a lot to write about, and I have a bit more time now, so it should be done sometime soon - and the whole merge will have a new name. I don't like "musicianonmusic" at all.

Winner:

David Lang "The Little Match Girl Passion" (audio available there)

Finalists:

Stephen Hartke "Meanwhile" (full score available here, video sample available here)
Roberto Sierra "Concerto for Viola" (four audio samples here)

I'm fortunate enough to have met the three composers, as well as performing/premiering their music. After listening to these pieces and looking over the samples, I think each is quite good in its own way. The Lang is really lovely. At one point I heard the chord progression used in Radiohead's "Idioteque."

I recently returned from some more community music teaching in La Grande, OR. Among plenty of things that I learned from the experience is that the face of musical ensembles in this country, regardless of genre, would change drastically if contrabassoons were made available to any child that was interested in playing them. When introduced to all the instruments of the woodwind family (and in many cases the orchestra) simultaneously, the contrabassoon routinely generates a HUGE amount of interest. It's too bad that "budget" contrabassoons still start at around $5k. If only there were such a thing as an electric contrabassoon made on such a scale that it were as cheap as, say, an electric bass...

I doubt I'm in the majority on this, but I think the world would be a better place.

Part of the reason I haven't written much in this blog is that it's more or less an extension of a personal blog. However, I'm realizing that the two are more intertwined than I first thought. I'm toying with the idea of integrating the two. This is mostly because my personal blog has become a bit less "personal." What I really mean is that my life is a lot less incriminating now than it used to be, and that I feel that retribution for past "offenses" including underage drinking, drug use, mental health problems, etc. may be so unlikely that I don't mind opening my past life up to some kind of scrutiny. I'm less ashamed now than ever about any of it, which is why I am probably more accepting of the idea that I will open myself up to greater vulnerability.

Making innocuous comments here resulted in about the same scale of personal attack that I'd ever received in the past several years while being open in my personal blog about such aforementioned offenses. So this suggests that at this point in my life, it really makes no difference. Further, the separation of music and personal life isn't really necessary. There are maybe a couple last frontiers that could be problematic, and those of you who know me well enough know exactly what I'm talking about. But more and more I get the feeling that it's cowardly to attempt to conceal them. I'm ashamed that I worry that not concealing these things will negatively effect my life and career. And while I think there is plenty of just cause for this fear, if I don't face it head on, I do no favors for any in the future who find themselves in the same place - or really for myself either.

This is not to suggest that there aren't things that I refrain from mentioning because they are pointless, or violate the privacy of others - and I certainly hold that in high regard on a format such as this. But that to be the person that I aspire to be runs counter to the desire to conceal anything about myself which might be disagreeable to anyone else. So you can expect that when the logistics are worked out, my longtime personal journal and this journal will merge. The personal journal will be no less personal (it has naturally become slightly less personal over the years as I become more assured in my identity and as my life has begun to sort itself out.) But I think that it will be easier for me to write about music and other not-entirely-personal issues when I am not constantly trying to remove my life and experience from the equation.

This technology is going to revolutionize the recording studio.

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=6281

It took a while for it to load for me, but to come from the reel-to-reel tape edits that were possible a few decades ago to this in such a short span of time is unbelievable. I have more to write about this, but not enough time. For the time being, we can just stand in awe for a little while.

Obviously I haven't written lately. I was taking a break to do some thinking about the future of this blogging experiment after further developments in earlier drama. I don't have much more to say about it at this point, perhaps that will change, and perhaps it won't. I don't know. But at any rate, there is much more musically that I wish to write about, so that will be something on my mind.

Today's entry is about interpretation, and some other stuff, using our "Inside the Score" performance today of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony as a starting point.

Go here and click on "game."

Unfortunately, it's a little limited, but there are still tons of possibilities and most likely no two people will write an identical composition.

Thanks to Gabe for bringing this to my attention!

I haven't done it very often, but I did it last night - playing while sick. Although I did this many times while playing jazz piano and the results weren't great, it still sounded like a piano, and I wasn't held to account for intonation. But I have some kind of upper respiratory virus and I'm trying to play bassoon in a professional symphony orchestra. It is much more difficult.

Still sick and playing horribly at work, but put up a friend who came to visit for the recent auditions. We talked about songwriting and some of our favorite changes. Here are two variations on a nice core progression (in their original keys) and where you might know them from. If you have a piano or guitar or something nearby, you can try to build these and see if anything registers...there is plenty of embellishment (as the difference between the two examples illustrates) that could be done over the basic idea.

FMaj7 | E7(b9) |
Am9 (Abm9) | Gm9 Bb/C |
FMaj7 | E7(b9) |
Am9 | Am7 (Am7/G) :||

- and -

F#m9(11) (Fm9) | Em9 A7(13) |
DMaj9(#11) | G#m7 C#7(#9-b9) |
F#m9(11) | DMaj7 C#7(#9-b9) |
F#m9 | G#^ø7 C#7(#9) :||

Unfortunately, illness has kept me from doing anything, despite that the last couple days were my first off in a while. I've meant to write about the American Idol auditions thus far (a couple people can really sing! the presence of instruments!), about Eartha Kitt's house-rocking performance with the orchestra (she can do some amazing shit for an 81-year old!), and dancing my ass off at a recent 80's night (despite many claims to the opposite, not a bad time for music!) Oh well.

Hope this finds you well, and stay healthy!