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The 3 Forces in Art: Part I

I should say, “The three forces that, when in balance, make what I think of as art,” but it is a title, that’s a bit cumbersome. In this series, we will explore these forces, and how we can utilize them to create work that “works.”

It does seem odd that many things come in threes: the three spatial dimensions we experience in our universe, the three legs needed to make something stable, the strength of a triangle, and even the three skills needed for practice. So it is with art and its subset, music.

Force One: Exploration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Origami: How “Folding” Makes Melody

Most elements of art exist somewhere in a continuum between order and chaos. Both of these extremes lead to a feeling of meaninglessness in the work. A completely predictable pattern seems mindless and automatic, and complete randomness seems incomprehensible and without information. Continue Reading…

The Tyranny of the Click Track

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like many musicians, over the decades I have worked very hard on my “time” and accuracy, seeking to play “perfect” time. There are legends of virtuoso studio drummers listening to a metronome, leaving, walking around the block, and returning without losing a beat. What is perfect time? Is it better?

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Music Production Story Time

In The Not-So-Distant Future (la la la)

(In this play, Randy will be crustily portraying the role of Grandpa)

Kids: “Grandpa, tell us again about the days before Auto-Tune!”

Grandpa: “Well, I know it’s hard to imagine, but there were these people called singers who could stand in front of an audience or a microphone and perform a song from beginning to end! ”

Kids: “But didn’t they use a computer to fix wrong notes?”

Grandpa:  “No, they actually sang the whole song correctly!”

Kids: “But that’s not possible!”

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Triads Over Bass Part II: Add 11


In our last lesson, We discussed the use of major triads superimposed various intervals above a bass note. Adding tones to these triads can make these voicings even richer. One of many ways to enhance these triads is to add the 11th or perfect 4th to the triads. Not to be confused with sus4 chords, where the 4th replaces the 3rd, these chords keep the 3rd and add the 11th, creating a four-note shape.

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The Myth of Difficulty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When confronting a task, it is common for people to describe it as “difficult,” or “hard.” While superficially valid, these labels do little to move us toward completion. In fact, they may lead us in the wrong direction. Let’s re-examine our concept of “difficulty.”

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Keyboard Harmony: Triads over Bass I


In a previous video, we discussed learning the various major triads by playing them through the cycles of 4ths and 5ths. In this lesson, we will learn some ways to use these triads to build more complex chords.

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What To Do When You Mess Up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all have had gigs where things didn’t go so well. If you are new to the field, these may be agonizing and discouraging, and even if you are a veteran, they are still pretty bad. Let’s talk about how to handle this humiliation and learn from it, since nobody is immune…

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Three Keys to Improvisation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of music. Depending on the style, there will be various guidelines and boundaries that define what will work, but in all these situations, there are three skills that need to be in balance. All of these can be improved using organized practice methods, as we discussed in this post.

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Keyboard Harmony: Triads in Cycles


Cycle of 4ths

Here is a lesson on practicing major triads through the cycle of 4ths. The pattern of chords ascending by perfect 4ths (two whole-steps and one half-step) is fundamental to tonal harmony, and is sometimes called “strong root motion.” Practicing these patterns helps us learn to find these chords in all 12 keys, and in an order they often appear.

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