April 13, 2013 post: So sorry for the recent lack of writing, hence my explanation!

Dear Readers-

So sorry for the stretch between postings of woodwind nature and lore!!!

I am busy writing my own original arrangements and practicing for a concert series this summer, whereon I will be soloing on the compositions of the 5 main composers of the Great American Songbook (1926 to 1966).  This will be with the Nassau Pops Orchestra, from June 18 to July 19.  Please try to attend if in this area.

Newly posted articles will appear in the next several weeks, I promise!!!

One on how "Excitation and Inhibition" plays such an important part in the regulation of our central nervous system, and how this affects our motor skills--- the fingers!!!!

The 2^nd will be Etude #14: 'Contemporary Arpeggios', since current works are so much focusing on 4^th and 6/9 chords.  

Traditional triads and 7^th chord practice no longer prepares for a facile technique in contemporary works. These etudes will familiarize you with these unusual structures.

Please check frequently for these exciting and informative posts.

Please, please give me comments and feedback; we all need encouragement.

Sincerely,

Errol Weiss Schlabach

Music: Temporal Art

Music is a temporal art, 

sculpting a block of time with a form.  

Errol Weiss Schlabach

North Korea was predicted by Peter Sellers!!!

North Korea Preview-Peter Sellers At His Best

As this ridiculous saber rattling goes on from North Korea, please run, procure, watch and savor the classic, “The Mouse That Roared”,

a 1959 film that seems to have been prophetic and clairvoyant in its plot.

Besides the relevancy of its content, it’s the actor, Peter Sellers at his brilliant best genius!

Please give me some feedback and comments on my metaphor mating.

Sincerely, Errol

April 5, 2013 NEW!!!!-North Korea Preview-Peter Sellers At His Best

North Korea Preview-Peter Sellers At His Best

As this ridiculous saber rattling goes on from North Korea, please run, procure, watch and savor the classic, “The Mouse That Roared”,

a 1959 film that seems to have been prophetic and clairvoyant in its plot.

Besides the relevancy of its content, it’s the actor, Peter Sellers at his brilliant best genius!

Please give me some feedback and comments on my metaphor mating.

Sincerely, Errol

Chromatic Scales; The Vitamin C of Your Music Vocabulary

Chromatic Scales:

Vitamin C of a Musical Vocabulary

ascorbic acid (əˈskôrbik)

noun

a vitamin found particularly in citrus fruits and green vegetables. It is essential in maintaining healthy connective tissue, and is also thought to act as an antioxidant. Severe deficiency causes scurvy. Also called vitamin C.

Vitamin ‘C’ maintains the connective tissue of human body cells.  In the same way, the chromatic scale connects chordal ideas, distant keys, and atonal episodes.

Examples of all the above can be found in almost any extended piece of music, written or improvised, classical or jazz.

Sadly, the chromatic scale is treated by most as a given; once learned, seldom practiced, instead of never practiced enough.

I give you here ways and means to acquire control of this overlooked treasure in the following exercises. 

An example of my thoughts on the chromatic scale:

To play a 2-octave scale from ‘x’ note to ‘y’ note, the groups of 4, or 3, or 5, or 6, etc. should be determined, counted, and marked.

This way the scale will be executed with precision, instead of beginning and hoping for the best.

I’ll offer methods to do this.

My information however, can have the effect of a prescription for Castor Oil:

I was once giving a lesson to a university student, a saxophone major, explaining my ideas on chromatic scale practice, having her play my etudes.  All of a sudden she burst into tears, slammed her book closed, and rushed from my office, crying: “I’m a junior in college; I don’t have to practice the chromatic scale anymore!”.

The more fluent you become in the control of the chromatic scale, the more valuable it’ll become; you will want to use it more and more, in writing music and in improvisation, not to mention increased ability acquired in reading music more precisely.

So, whether a beginner, playing your instrument as a hobby, or earning your living as a classical, commercial, or jazz musician, you need to always explore and practice the chromatic scale, ---- even if you’re a junior in college.

Exercises:

Begin practicing the scale for only one octave, ascending and descending, dividing it into triplet groups, groups of 4, and groups of 6.  Tiplets will begin each group with a note of a diminished 7^th chord, groups of 4 with notes of an augmented triad, and groups of 6 with the notes of a diminished 5^th interval.  Each musician can go on from here to find organizing ideas of his own.

More Exercises to follow; please check back soon.  Errol

I’m not inferring that while a jazz musician is playing his solo, he’s calculating this way, of course not;

I’m explaining how to work in the practice room, where you internalize these processes, so when performing, your intuitive subconscious will effortlessly add them from your deep creative pool.

 I hope you enjoy this information and the musical examples.  Please give me feedback and comments.

Sincerely, Errol Weiss Schlabach

New!!: PROCESSES On 'All The Things You Are': Ways To Use Your Musical Vocabulary

PROCESSES:

process ¹ |ˈpräˌses; ˈpräsəs; ˈprō-|

noun

 A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end:

(American Heritage Dictionary)

This information will take some time to internalize, but I guarantee that you will be using it for the rest of your life.  These techniques can be traced back to before Bach, before Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, to the first thoughtful playing of tonal music.

Musical processes are the methods through which we can present our total internalized vocabulary, all the scales, chords, licks, etc. which we have at our subconscious, intuitive command.

I hope to give you some examples of processes I have developed, from which you can go on and discover your own.

The early greats of jazz let melody be their guide.  Embellishing the melody is still the first level of improvising, and is called Filigree: Ornamenting the Melodic notes with upper and lower neighboring tones.

Example #1:

 A further example of this first level of improvising is to choose only notes of the given chord to embellish the melody, keeping the notes added to a minimum amount and rhythmically inactive.

For all these examples, I will use the beautiful Jerome Kern tune,

‘All The Things You Are’.

Example #2

The list of processes for non-melodic improvising, using both chordal and non-chordal tones is endless.  I explain a few of mine, from which you can get ideas to invent your own.  The main thing is to practice these processes on all applicable parts of your internalized vocabulary until using the processes themselves is internalized.  As long as the processes are at your complete and intuitive command, the number of processes need not be great.  It’s better to have 15 to 20 well learned, than 50, which are only partially learned and have to be consciously worked out.

The first such process I’ll mention is to play a continuous flow of eighth notes, using only notes of the given chords, and changing the chords with the harmonic rhythm.  We would describe this style as rhythmically active.

Example #3

 

The arpeggios can be simply played, or in any number of broken, varied forms; there are no rules.

Example #4

Next, develop the ability to identify the scale which applies to the given chord, play that scale, and change the scale with the harmonic rhythm.  As long as the key remains the same and the chords used are the basics of that key, the same scale can be applied for a very long time.  This is very true for modal playing.

Example #5

Now. try mixing both scales and arpeggios in one improvisation.

Example #6

Bebop scales are yet other processes to learn, practice, and internalize.  This requires learning what scale from which each chord is generated from, then adding a chromatic half between either the 5^th and 6^th steps (for major and minor 6 chords and major 7^th chords) or the 7^th and 8^th steps (for dominant 7^th, minor 7^th, and half-diminished 7^th chords).  Each chord has it’s own individual, unique scale; the added half step creates an 8 tone scale, making the same notes occur on the down and up beats, when the scale is played over 2 or 3 octaves --- a 7 tone scale reverses in each octave.  In other words, the chord tones will always occur on the accented downbeats.

Example #7

The Bebop scales are played over the changes in the same way as normal diatonic scales.

Example #8

Using the scale of the key you’re in, you can learn processes to make the triad off of every scale step a rich source of materials for improvisation.  This way of playing creates lines that play over the changes – go ‘outside’ (meaning regardless, or in spite of the chord).

Example #9

These same processes can then be used with 7^th chords off of every scale step.

Example #10 
(A process favored by of J. S. Bach)

Here are processes using the Octatonic, 

or diminished  scales.

Example #11

Processes with the Pentatonic Scales.
Example #12

I hope these techniques are helpful; I will be adding to this ‘Processes’ list from time to time.  Please check periodically.

Please comment and give me feedback.

Sincerely, Errol Weiss Schlabach