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.
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. Southeastern Students: Download this file, shade in the cells where you have class or work, and save the file as firstname_lastname.xls. That’s your first and last name. Then email me the file. Tomorrow is the first day of classes, Autumn 2006, at the University of South Florida. Unfortunately, I do not have any classes tomorrow, only auditions. So, I need to get a bit more practicing in before they come and prepare myself for the worst. I passed my theory placement exam, a minor miracle (Who am I kidding? There was nothing minor about it), and am waiting for the results of the history exam. God bless the child, right? I really cannot afford to pay for the undergrad review course, so I really want to have passed. Southeastern students, keep checking back for information on classes. Several people have yet to sign up and several others are signed up for the wrong class. Fix this!!! See you soon, guys.  This excellent film explores the world of percussionist Evelyn Glennie. What will be impressed upon most viewers is the fact that Glennie is deaf. What impresses me the most is how sensitively she hears. I had the pleasure of meeting Glennie several years ago while working for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. She was probably the most demanding, particular soloist we had, very sensitive to the acoustics of the hall and timbre of the instruments we provided her. Glennie has developed an amazing sensitivity to the way sound resonates in her hands, torso, face, allowing her to percieve music with the same precision as a “hearing” musician. I have not met many people as inspiring as Glennie and this evocative film does a superb job of presenting her as a thoughtful, sensitive (there’s that word again) musician and, more importantly, human being. I recommend all students of music and The Arts view this movie.  I’ve been infatuated with the work of Frank Gehry ever since the groundbreaking of the Peter B. Lewis building on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. I was quite excited to see a three-night run of this film at the Polk Theatre this past weekend and eagerly anticipated viewing the film.
A hard-hitting, in-depth documentary, this is not. Sketches of Frank Gehry is a collection of Gehry’s coffee talk with director Sydney Pollack, a friend and admirer if Gehry and his work. Ultimately, what made this film for me was the moment when Gehry confided that he could easily have been a pilot, if not for a few chance events and encouragers in his youth. It is striking, how fragile our futures are and Pollack reminds us of the uncertainties in our own lives. If you are at all interested in the work of one of the most discussed architects in modern history (not to deny the greatness or relevance of F.L.Wright, I.M. Pei, et al), take a moment to enjoy this film. And do yourself the favor of visiting a Gehry building or two. Being the gear snob I am, I tend to play only the best gear I can afford (and often find amazing deals on), leaving me often in the dark concerning the typical music store fare. So, I decided to take a moment to peruse the holdings at my local Guitar Center and, after being impressed by some new dogs and confirming my feelings about some others, have decided to post my recommendations for affordable combos: 1. For fear of a libel suit, I will not mention this brand by name, but there is a certain music product manufacturer who is widely known to copy more prominent (or at least reputable) brands’ designs and use them as their own. This company provides extremely affordable gear and I have been tempted to buy some of it in the past. If you do not care about a company’s integrity and still choose to patronize this brand, please do not buy their amplification! This brand’s heads and cabs are poorly constructed, do not sound good, and do not last. They are affordable up front, but will cost you many times over in the long run. Stay away! 2. I was really impressed by Fender’s Rumble 100/210(two 10-inch speakers), which can be had at Musician’s Friend for $349.99. This budget 100 watt amp has an aux in, effects loop, headphone out, and line out and sounds amazing for the price. I was even impressed with the 115 (one 15-inch speaker)version of this amp. I know that the other Fender bass amps (i.e. the Bassman, et. al.) are excellent products as well, but the Rumble 210 is my pick for excellent value! 3. What really blew me away was the Line 6 LowDown 150 (150 watts in a 1×12 tilt-back), which can be had at Sweetwater for $399.99. This amp combines some of the most useful features of Line 6′s products into a compact combo. It has 5 amp models, 5 editable effects (Synth, Compressor, Envelope Filter, Octaver, and Chorus), a line out, and the capability of being controlled by the Line 6 footpedals. Though it may be more amp than most students need, it is probably the most bang for your buck at this level and even higher. I want one! 4. I can never say enough good about Gallien-Krueger. If you’ll be playing any double bass through your amp, I would go with GK over any of the previous mentions. They are extremely clean and versatile. While you pretty much can’t go wrong with a GK (IMHO), my recommendation is the Microbass combos. They’re a bit heavy, but they are very durable workhorse amps (no cloth to tear, no wood cabinets) and can be plenty loud for most situations. ***Please, if you are playing rock in large venues and cannot afford the Ampeg stack your band expects you to have (I believe these are extremely overrated and limiting), don’t go looking at the super budget 4x10s. Ask your venue for stage and house support and get a better sounding amp/cab or combo; with a good soundman, 100 watts can do you well. If you absolutely must have more support than a combo like these, but can’t afford that (ahem) holy grail, buy used so you can upgrade at little or no loss! |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2024 Matthew Wengerd's Weblog - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
