matthew wengerd|bassist

Monday guys -

Don’t forget we’ve moved to Tuesdays for the next two weeks.

As it draws to a close, this has got to be one of the baddest arrangements of Sumnmertime I’ve ever heard:

Life at the CJC has been quite hectic.

Meetings with the library staff, learning to preserve our commissions and scores.
Securing books for the Jazz Surge - Miles Ahead and Newport Jazz Festival Suite.
Finding out and old friend is the Executive Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.
Trying and failing to secure a hotel sponsor.
Setting up a database with Filemaker and teaching myself how to work with it (can anyone help me with scripts?).

I’m trying to keep up with school. I’ll be working a research project on Bassist/Composers. Off the top of my head, I’m interested in Mingus, John Patitucci, John Clayton, and Dave Holland. Any other suggestions? We won’t actually be doing the research for the class, just the theoretical framework business. I plan to folow through next year (spring/summer ‘07) and get published, God willing.

Other than that, just trying to practice as much as possible. Transcriptions are a pretty difficult bag for me. Just trying to keep my head above.

Concerts coming up soon. Jazz II (the Deuce) and USF Symphony Orchestra. Stay tuned.

Monday night, the USF School of Music will present the faculty jazz combo and Jazz I with Leisl Whitaker and Pat Harbison (trumpets). This event will be at USF Theater I and is open to the public. Admission is minimal ($12, I think - $7 for students) and it is well worth it. The very first time I stepped foot onto USF’s campus was for a Monday Night Jazz with Rufus Reid. That changed my life and I don’t think I’d be a Double Bass player had I not seen Reid that night. (More later)

Come out and see the University if you can.

This is an open list of tunes I am working up in combo and should know cold. There are other tunes I already know that I might add later. I just want to keep up with expectations.

Oleo [rhythm changes]
There Is No Greater Love
Autumn Leaves
Straight, No Chaser [blues]
Body and Soul
Lester Leaps In (rhythm changes)

Updated to include Brandon and make the tentative Ralph/TJ change.

***Ralph - Your lesson time will switch with Myca for 8.14.06. It will do so every Thursday you play chapel***

Tuesday night, I drove straight from USF to Loch Haven Park in Orlando to meet Rumano Solano and pick up my bass. Some ribs have been doubled for strength and all of the cracks repaired. I have some work to accomplish to get the sound where I want it, but I am very pleased with the results. Even though I get frustrated when my bass is gone, Rumano’s a great guy and I really appreciate how much he cares about younger cats like me who are trying to get better.

mine’s the one in the middle

Rumano with a bass he just completed

Rumano, Mike Hill and I

The pinky exercise is magic for electric bass players. It can be used myriad ways, focusing on sound, left hand, right hand, and many combinations otherwise.

1 2 3 4__1 4 3 4__2 4 3 4__3 4 3 4

Start this pattern at the 12th fret on your highest string. Play it at a slow tempo (QUARTER notes @ 60 bpm or so) and PLAY WITH A METRONOME!!!

Play this pattern and then shift down one half step. Play it again and shift down another half step. Continue this all the way to the first fret and then move to the next highest string. DO the same pattern, shifting up from the 1st to 12th frets. Do this down the G, up the D, down the A, up the E. Use your low B and high C if you have it.

I start students focusing on “quieting” the left hand. Don’t move more than you have to and keep all fingers down unless required otherwise. We’ll move on from there!

It’s been a taxing first week of Graduate School. I passed the Theory and History placement exams. Ohter than that, it’s been quite discouraging. After four push-backs, my bass is now scheduled to come Tuesday night; after another round of classes without it. Not only do I feel under-prepared for auditions/school/ensembles, I haven’t been playing on an instrument that is comfortable. Compound that with my complaining about a poor instrument (excuses, excuses), and I feel like I don’t quite belong.

I really just want to start lessons and work hard. I’ve felt stagnant already - no lessons yet, my instrument in MD. I’m counting on the Klotz to bring me out of my funk.

It’s quite an exciting program for the Orchestra this year (I made 2nd chair/4). The fifth symphonies of Thaichovsky, Beethoven, Rorem, and Mahler, Copland’s Appalachain Spring, Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks, and much more are quite exciting.

It’ll come.

Lesson Times are up! Check them now and meet me at that time at the Spence practice rooms.

Additionally, check the Lesson Resources page for items you will need. They are mandatory for music majors (of any kind) and strongly suggested for non-majors.