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Obfuscation through Pedanticism

July 5, 2015 in Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory with 4 Comments

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Ever find yourself in a conversation with some people who suddenly switch to another language to talk to each other? While certainly a bit rude, there are a couple reasons why they might have done this: They may be more fluent in that language, perhaps needing to get to the point quickly, or were at a loss for words in English, but more likely, they didn’t want you to know what they were saying. This is the same reason parents “spell” words around their toddlers: “Do you think we could get some I.C.E. C.R.E.A.M after dinner?” Continue Reading…

Why Improvisation Matters

June 17, 2015 in General Music, Improvisation, Piano/Keyboard, Practice with 1 Comment

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If you don’t play jazz, blues, or some other type of music that involves spontaneous playing, you might wonder what purpose there is in learning to improvise. Sure, “jazzheads” can sit around listening to John Coltrane or some other historic figure, but how can this arcane skill be of any value to a contemporary musician? Listen to popular songs, film scores or even academic classical compositions, and you will hear very little improvised material. Even in the classic rock guitar-hero era, most solos were brief 8-bar affairs that could (and often were) pre-composed by the soloist. So what’s the point of putting in massive amounts of time for this “obsolete” skill? Why not just work it all out in advance?

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Symmetrical Scales – Geometry in Music

October 24, 2014 in Arranging, Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory, Piano/Keyboard with 0 Comments

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In the previous article, we examined seven-note scales, arguably the most “familiar” sounds in tonal music. Since 7 doesn’t divide evenly into 12, these scales can’t be symmetrical, meaning they don’t repeat an interval sequence. (except at the octave, of course) Today, we will examine scales that are formed using interval patterns, with numbers of tones other than 7.  Continue Reading…

How Many Scales Are There, Really?

October 17, 2014 in Arranging, Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory, Piano/Keyboard with 5 Comments

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One thing my students often ask about is “scales” and which ones to learn. In an effort to clarify this, here are some permutational ways to look at this question. Keep in mind, I’m not really talking about which ones are most useful, or how to practice and apply them. What we will do here is do a little surveying, to see what’s out there. First, let’s establish some boundaries:

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What About Jam Sessions?

October 14, 2013 in General Music, Improvisation, Piano/Keyboard with 10 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most common methods of networking for musicians is to go to jam sessions. These gatherings are often not what they appear, and often caution is advised…

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The 3 Forces in Art: Part I

March 10, 2013 in Arranging, Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory with 1 Comment

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

February 24, 2013 in Arranging, Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory with 2 Comments

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

November 23, 2012 in General Music, Improvisation, Practice with 2 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

September 23, 2012 in Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Piano/Keyboard, Practice with 6 Comments

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

August 31, 2012 in Arranging, Composition, General Music, Improvisation, Music Theory, Piano/Keyboard, Practice with 0 Comments


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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