What are you practicing today?
- Thread starter Ed
- Start date
Ditto. However my guys/gals aren't as talented as Merlin's folks.
I'm still lookin' for someone to arrange a sax quartet TTBariBass version of Inspektor Gadget for my samely-named fledgling sax quartet.
TODAY or should I say this evening: TENOR: long tones, C Major, G Major and D Major scales (I may actually get them up to 16th notes at quarter=120 yet), and then almost an hour with the Aebersolds: SATIN DOLL, SOLITUDE from the Ellington, FREDDY FREELOADER and SO WHAT from the Miles, and QUIET NIGHTS OF QUIET STARS from Jazz Bossa Novas.
Nice ... I shall work on some sax quartet stuff then 
)
What I was working on yesterday was a fully arranged blues chart that i wrote for my high school jazz band yesterday. I'm sitting in as a special guest, so they are going to play it at their gigs Fri and Sat at the Fest).
Now onto today... I'm TRYING to write a simple but not lame bass line for my chart. The rhythm section is a mystery to me.
)What I was working on yesterday was a fully arranged blues chart that i wrote for my high school jazz band yesterday. I'm sitting in as a special guest, so they are going to play it at their gigs Fri and Sat at the Fest
).Now onto today... I'm TRYING to write a simple but not lame bass line for my chart. The rhythm section is a mystery to me.
pulled out a customers alto - Vito - early one with the wraparound keyguard from Bb to C.
and played some jazz standards.
nice instrument. I really like the old Vitos for the tonal quality and thta dark honey gold lacquer.
keywork is a little clunky but a nice sounding horn. should be better after i fix it
and played some jazz standards.
nice instrument. I really like the old Vitos for the tonal quality and thta dark honey gold lacquer.
keywork is a little clunky but a nice sounding horn. should be better after i fix it
Full rebuild or pad and adjustment job?pulled out a customers alto - Vito - early one with the wraparound keyguard from Bb to C.
and played some jazz standards.
nice instrument. I really like the old Vitos for the tonal quality and thta dark honey gold lacquer.
keywork is a little clunky but a nice sounding horn. should be better after i fix it
Practicing this week--
Flute: scales and intonation exercises
Oboe: scales, intonation, Schumann Romances, Britten Metamorphoses, and oboe d'amore parts for a double reed quartet performance at the IDRS convention
Clarinet: scales and intonation
Bassoon: scales, intonation, and more IDRS convention stuff
Saxophone: scales, intonation, Feld Elegie (soprano), Ibert Concertino (revisiting)
Recorder: Telemann Suite
Whew. Oh, yeah, and studying for comprehensive exams. Funny how the closer those get, the more motivation I suddenly have for everything else.
Flute: scales and intonation exercises
Oboe: scales, intonation, Schumann Romances, Britten Metamorphoses, and oboe d'amore parts for a double reed quartet performance at the IDRS convention
Clarinet: scales and intonation
Bassoon: scales, intonation, and more IDRS convention stuff
Saxophone: scales, intonation, Feld Elegie (soprano), Ibert Concertino (revisiting)
Recorder: Telemann Suite
Whew. Oh, yeah, and studying for comprehensive exams. Funny how the closer those get, the more motivation I suddenly have for everything else.
I spent time this morning on flute and picc, using the Trevor Wye Tone and Technique books and the Piccolo Practice Book.
Tomorrow's gonna be alto time. I've got a lobby gig at the Festival Theatre right after the Cabaret matinee at the Avon. And it's with the music director of the festival!
Tomorrow's gonna be alto time. I've got a lobby gig at the Festival Theatre right after the Cabaret matinee at the Avon. And it's with the music director of the festival!
I've been practicing my flute for about a half hour a day before I pick up my alto. Back in the day I doubled flute when I had to, but I haven't played any flute in the last ten years or so. So I'm trying to build some chops by picking out whatever tune that is in my head while I'm unpacking the horn. So I guess that's like a form of ear training. Then I read a random tune out of a fake book, and take one chorus of improvision on it's chord changes. On a scale of 1 to 10 for flute playing skill, I'm about a 3. So a chorus of chord changes is quite the challenge, and really serves to help strenghten my chops. Then I do a page out of an old exercise book whose name escapes me at the moment, but it's like a good beginner flute book. So by this time I can hear Theobold Boehm spinning around in his grave, so it's time to pack up the flute and move to the alto.
I practice tunes their chord structure on alto. If I have a gig coming up that require certain tunes that I eithier don't know, or that I have to brush up on, then I'll shed those tunes. I get the sheet music from the bandleader, or if I'm leading, I have to find the music or take it off a recording. Once I have the music, my job is to research the sheet to make sure that all of the melody notes and all chord changes are correct. Tunes out of fake books always have at least one wrong note, or one wrong chord change in them. So if I don't get the sheet music from the actual composer, or their representitive, I check each note and chord change by listening to the composer's recording of the piece. Once I determine that my information is correct, I play the tune usually twenty times a day, ten times melody, ten times chord structure. Depending on the tune, I can memorise a tune in about a week. If the tune is more involved, it takes longer. I can never learn a tune too well, so I'm never completly finished learning a tune.
Right now, today, I'm brushing up on some familiar but busy tunes, Along Came Betty, Pensitiva, and Con Alma. I know all of these, have played them on gigs, but I enjoy playing through them, it's good practice. The melodies aren't easy, and the chord changes can be pretty tricky.
I practice tunes their chord structure on alto. If I have a gig coming up that require certain tunes that I eithier don't know, or that I have to brush up on, then I'll shed those tunes. I get the sheet music from the bandleader, or if I'm leading, I have to find the music or take it off a recording. Once I have the music, my job is to research the sheet to make sure that all of the melody notes and all chord changes are correct. Tunes out of fake books always have at least one wrong note, or one wrong chord change in them. So if I don't get the sheet music from the actual composer, or their representitive, I check each note and chord change by listening to the composer's recording of the piece. Once I determine that my information is correct, I play the tune usually twenty times a day, ten times melody, ten times chord structure. Depending on the tune, I can memorise a tune in about a week. If the tune is more involved, it takes longer. I can never learn a tune too well, so I'm never completly finished learning a tune.
Right now, today, I'm brushing up on some familiar but busy tunes, Along Came Betty, Pensitiva, and Con Alma. I know all of these, have played them on gigs, but I enjoy playing through them, it's good practice. The melodies aren't easy, and the chord changes can be pretty tricky.
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Bass sax solo feature piece for Concert Band. I'm gonna try to stand instead of sit, gonna mic the piece, add some jazz licks to the written word, and have some fun with the cadenza.
The concert is on 6 Dec at the Seattle Center House. (Be there or be square.) Guess who bought the music for the band?
The concert is on 6 Dec at the Seattle Center House. (Be there or be square.) Guess who bought the music for the band?