Dead Beat

Beat Them Up

     You might ask me, "why are you using so many puns today?", and I would answer "because I can". More importantly, these puns have some meaning. The rhythm section in many new songs these days are simply dead. We need to knock some sense into some artists, and never stop asking "why don't you do something different..?"...

     It boils down to this: today's pop and some rock have very dry beats. simple osculations between snare and kicker, while the hihat dolefully taps on oh-so literally. Where are the triplets? The sophisticated syncopation? For examples. I turn your attention to metal. Yes, metal: the genre which gets perhaps the most hate (dubstep..?). Say what you will about metal, but this genre has, to me, perhaps the most musicality of any genre. Often times in a minor key, they sound more intricet. Metallic songs also tend to have extremely complex vocals, bass lines, guitar riffs, and yes, drum beats. Listen to Korn, or Five Finger Death Punch, or Tool. Any metal, for the most part, is going to display the kind of drum usage I would like to see in more of today's "hot" music.

     Let me just say, I don't want the exact same stuff we see in metal in our popular music. I just mean that pop artists should focus less on what others are doing, and more on what has the potential to set their music apart. Take some hints from metal and add some interesting segways. We call it playing music for a reason. You have to play around. 

     This post might as well be an information-less rant on my part, but let's all just remember that the drum kit is an INSTRUMENT! Yes, kits are instruments, not just something to tap while your vocalist makes money. 

Korn recording in studio. Notice the drum

set is displayed like a king. Yeah.

Take the Show on the Road

Pick-up

     As another Sounds-Around-Town comes up, I can't help think of ways in which I can take myself, another saxophonist, and a drummer to where we need to go efficiently. I had a lot of silly and serious ideas, but I'd like to share with all of you my absolute favorite.

     This idea is simple, and I doubt I'll be writing much: if someone in your small ensemble has a pickup truck, drive it to the lot you intend to perform at, and set up the drummer in the back of the truck. Lay down the appropriate carpets in the bed to make sure the drum kit doesn't slide, or fall, or so on. The other members can stand anywhere on the ground, really. In my case, probably one saxophonist in front of the drummer (behind the truck, facing away from the truck), in front of each brake light. In this way, you have the ability to move around without having to pack up and re-set up your drum kit, so long as everything is tied down, or secured somehow. I fully intend to try this, at which point I'll let everyone know how it worked!

Featuring: Opus USA

Some Original Information

     I've got some interesting information for all you saxophone fans out there about a little known brand called Opus USA: the brand is actually an off-brand of the Yanagisawa saxophones!

     Opus sells saxophones very inexpensively, though a pretty good quality. In fact, the saxophones have a great response in the key work, and are generally of sound intonation. They provide options for several finishes and colors, which is also rather nice. The brand is really something, especially for anyone looking for a cheap saxophone to buy (I got a curved soprano from Opus for $240 and a black/gold alto for about the same).

     This is all well and good, but none of it is particularly surprising  It was when I was jamming with a friend, however, that I saw something interesting: my Opus USA alto and soprano saxophones looked identical to my friend's pro Yanagisawa alto. The key work, the pearls and the guard designs were all the same on either saxophone. This information was interesting to me, as it would seem that an American company has started off branding an Asian company, quite the opposite to popular debate. This scenario would seem to put a wrench in many bloggers' ideas on off-brand saxophones, that Asian off-brands are the rout of all evil. 

     No, instead this information led me to believe that off-brand saxophones are without borders and, in fact, are necessary for creating a diverse saxophone market. Here's a big bit of my point: big brands like Selmer and Yamaha should stick to advanced and pro level horns, leaving student pieces to brands such as Opus. Why? Simple. For the same price as a YAS-23 (Yamaha student alto sax), you can get a "pro", good looking, fully functional alto sax from Opus that, quite frankly, plays better than the Yamaha.

     This might be shocking to a lot of people, but it's my opinion on the matter, and I strongly maintain that it's a good idea. There's no disputing the big-name brands' skills at designing and building the greatest pro horns, but when it comes to student saxophones, you have to think inexpensive- the most band for your buck. Can a low-budget music program at a high school afford ten saxophones from Store X? 

     Opus USA makes saxophones that don't look student (they aren't brass colored horns with silver key work). They make good looking saxophones at a low price. They modeled the saxophones after Yanagisawas, which is smart- Yanagisawa is no slouch. 

Black and Gold Opus Alto

All Work; No Play

New Challenges

     It has been a long time since I've last written for the Road. It started with the U.S East Coast power outages after Sandy, and continued through me getting a third job. This is, in fact, exactly what I'd like to talk about today.
     I've already discussed the challenges of being a college student and a musician on a campus where you are majoring in something other than music. It's hard to juggle practice time and recreational music time with studies.
     However, a new challenge for me, as I touched upon earlier, is the balance of work and play. In my case, I have postponed my academia in order to work hard to establish some form of fiscal security. I work for a private group in the maintenance department, I have a private landscaping account, and I work for Service Master; three jobs that demand quite a bit of my time. The money is pretty darn great, but I've been finding, more and more lately, that I haven't the time to play my saxophones, or even my ocarina or anything else. I try to get out to do so, but it's hard with the work, and any other private matters that are important, such as family time and time with my partner.
     Ask anyone with even the slightest amount of responsibility: time management is that bit of being an adult that causes adults to tell children "don't wish your days away".
     Ironically, I've been working extra hard in order to afford things like new saxophones and other music gear. However, that said, I think that all this work with very little play will inevitably pay off. Someday soon I'll have a new saxophone which can actually keep up with me, and a new car that can take me to prospective future gigs and open mics.
     At any rate, this is simply a new challenge along my own road as a musician, and I need to travel on it in order to overcome the difficulties. It may be a new challenge, but in a way, this is nothing new. I've been faced with challenges since the moment I touched my first saxophone. This is but another issue I will find settlement in.
     And indeed, if you find yourself in this same 'all work and no play' predicament, I'll tell you now, just keep diligent and you'll figure out what it is you need to do to have everything you want. Budget your time properly and new opportunities will open up before you.

Why Dubstep is Music

Addressing the Naysayers

     I've been playing the saxophone for over a decade. I'm, in fact, classically trained, with a current focus on jam-band style jazz playing. My point is that I am very much a musician, with a fair amount of natural talent and an extremely good ear.

     So you can take it seriously from me when I tell you that dubstep is a form of music. Some of you will read this and say "well, of course it is", but others will say "it is definitely NOT music". Both of these are opinions, and are fair to hold. However, it is when an opinion is so outrageously magnified and externalized that things get 'hairy'. I just mean that it is one thing to have an opinion, and it is a far different thing to force that opinion on others. It is for this reason that I will give you some of my opinions and some musical facts in the paragraphs to follow.

     First off, I'll briefly talk about what kinds of music I listen to. You could guess correctly that I listen to jazz. That's a given. I often tell musicians that it is important towards improvement that a musician listen to other musicians in the similar field/genre. Besides jazz, I listen to classic rock and modern rock: it's what I grew up on. What surprises most people is that I listen to, and very much enjoy, metal, some electronica, and dubstep. I personally don't like most pop music out today, but that's my opinion. Now here's why I like dubstep and some of the other unconventional genre:

     To me, these styles represent a culture. And it's not just me- dubstep actually originated recently in England in the lower-class youth currently struggling in that area of the world. The country isn't doing very well, with a double recession and a divide between the youth and the adults of the people. This is a common story in more countries other than just England.

     Like any new form of music, the culture and the music itself are scrutinized by the pre-established norms. Look at jazz in 1910-1920's Harlem, New York. Whites actually turned against the music violently  because the style was created by Black culture. Now, however, jazz is a greatly popular form of music in the entire world.

     Dubstep isn't generally well received. While people aren't generally killing each other over it, the music is being belittled as "not at all music", simply because it isn't in accordance to the norm. In fact, the genre is supposed to challenge societal norms. It's a style that is widely used by Occupy movements around the world as well as youth protests in an attempt to break from the conventional.

     I could go on about social justice and the meaning of life all day, but instead I want to now tell you, musically, why dubstep is music and why I enjoy it. Dubstep is like hip-hop and hip-hop culture. By this I mean that it is heavily centered on rhythm and beats. Generally, dubstep is like an ensemble of mostly, if not only, rhythm instruments, electric instruments, that collaborate to form, let's say, a really high tech drum circle. But that's not all, like how jazz has instrumental solos, dubstep has a sort of "bass-drop" solo. The wobble bass effect so synonymous with dubstep is used as a focal bridge. 

     With that sad attempt to describe dubstep (for which I'll likely get lots of hate mail), I'll tell you why I like it. Simply, the scope of frequencies and rhythms sounds really good. My sensitive musician's ear picks up on all of those detailed lines of wobble and dirty bass effects, as well as the sub harmonies and melodies. It's not only a form of music, but a complex form of music. 

     Dubstep isn't for everyone, and I definitely get that. Nobody has to like a form of music, but they do have to let others enjoy what they will. It isn't anyone's place to tell another person how to listen to music, or what music to listen to. 

     By this time, you may still completely disagree with me, which is fine. I'll include at least one link to a dubstep song I like, take it or leave it, but I'd like to encourage you to keep an open mind. The only thing, through all of this that I insist, in fact I am telling you, is that dubstep is music. To pose my own counter argument  consider this: the amount of musical work that goes into forming a dubstep single as opposed to the work that goes into a standard pop single, with auto tuning taking out most of that work, is it fair to single out one genre over another? 

     Ultimately, listen to whatever you want: that's the beauty of music- freedom. Enjoy it all. 

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites- by Skrillex

This song is pretty intense. A pretty good example of raw dubstep.

This official track-video has over 114 million views.

An Ocarina of Time

A New Sound

     I just received the ocarina I ordered last week. I got a 'replica' of the ocarina featured in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and I have to say- I'm quite satisfied! 

     I've played recorders and penny whistles, which are fun and very similar to the concept behind the ocarina. The big difference between, say, penny whistles and ocarinas is that the whistles are straight in shape, with linear hole styling, while ocarinas are wide and have multiple holes of different sizes on the top and bottom of the instrument. On top of this, the ocarina has a large chamber, giving the sound it produces a deeper warmth than a penny whistle or recorder.

     I got a cheap version, relatively anyhow, and wasn't expecting too much from it. However, I'm quite pleased with the performance of the piece. It plays very well and sounds much like the one in the video game from where it is themed. 

     In fact, I've been learning many of the songs made popular by The Ocarina of Time. It not only makes for a good basis for learning the instrument, but is also very fun to do.

     Ten years of saxophone experience has made wind instruments such as the ocarina very easy for me to learn, but the instrument is relatively easy for anybody to learn. I'd say that it's harder than a recorder, but only due to the variances in hole patterns. Such wind instruments which are easy enough to learn are always a joy to do so. They offer new sounds and recording potential. Ultimately, though, they're just a lot of fun to learn.

     I recommend learning to play an ocarina wholeheartedly. Mine is a twelve hole model, but they make nine  hole or fewer, and many more. Pick one up simply by looking around on the internet, or a music shop near you.

It's Cold!

Taking Indoor Practice for Granted

     I'm in a rather unique situation, where I can give you some advice that might come in handy. I like to think I'm a pretty good musician, particularly with the alto saxophone. I wasn't always. It took me a long time and a lot of practicing to get as competent as I am now. I practiced at school a lot, but I also practiced a fair amount at home. 

     Recently, I've downsized, into a sort of apartment where, for obvious reasons, I can't practice my saxophone. Not that my sound and the music I make is bad or anything, it's just loud and I practice a lot. 

     So, if I can't play in my residence, what can I do? Well, the answer lay outside my walls- it was time to play outside! This was a good idea, at the time, and perhaps the only thing I could do. In fact it is the only thing I can do, even on campus at my college, there are no practice rooms, so it's outside for me. When I first decided to practice this way, it was late summer, and there was nothing wrong with this plan. I have a couple nice secluded parking lots, the lower field of the high school I live right next to, and similar locations nearby. However, now that it's winter, it's a bit harder.

     I obviously don't go out while it's snowing. While my favorite location is in a covered dugout, I still won't risk getting my saxophone pads wet, as I can't afford to replace them at this time. Rain is, of course, also out of the question, but if there are clear skies, even if it's bitter cold, I'm out there practicing, and the only reason I have been surviving it is for one big reason: gloves.

     I got lucky. On my recent vacation to farm country in Pennsylvania  I got a cheap pair of leather gloves that fit nicely. When I got back and started practicing again, I found that I could wear them while I played- they were warm, yet not overly chunky as to get in the way of my key work. In fact, I've gotten quite adept at playing with my gloves on.

     As for the rest of me, while a coat and warm clothes help, a few minutes of playing the saxophone warms you up. All the vibrations and sound coming from the horn warms both horn and player up nicely. 

     All of these things fell together, and I've found that I can practice outside in most any weather (if I wanted  to, I could bring an umbrella and make it to the dugout in rain or snow). So even though I cannot play in my place, I can still practice most anytime I need or want to.

     In fact, I'd say it's a good way to practice my 'outdoor voice' for any future live jam venues in my town or elsewhere. You never know what you'll learn, in dire situations.

Understanding Your Sound

Strive for Unique

     Part of the challenge of playing saxophone, or any wind for that matter (though my experience lies nearly exclusively within saxophone work), includes that of not being able to hear yourself. You may read this and think, "well, I can hear myself, as I make sound when I play", but that's not exactly what I'm talking about.

     I'm talking about timbre, or the quality, or color, of tone with which you play. Think of a very young student with a saxophone, and the sound that they make as they produce their first notes. Does this sound differ from that of a seasoned  veteran of the saxophone, like those of the professional realm? Of course it does, as this is a pretty harsh example. More subtly, a player who is quite good in, perhaps, a high school ensemble might have a good sound, but the sound will probably be fairly standard- by this, I mean that the individual plays sax well, but does not have a unique sound. Then, there are people like Kenny G and Eric Marienthal. The two pros are incredible players, and yet their timbre is so very different. They sound so different from each other. Is one better than the other? Maybe not. Nonetheless, their sounds are different.

     How can you account for these differences? How can you get a unique sound? And how can you hear yourself play?

     These are all very good questions, which I hear often. Unfortunately, they're some of the hardest to answer. First off, difference in tone, often subtle, can arise from most anything. I was told from a relatively young age that I had a unique sound (which is the best compliment a saxophonist can receive), which I tend to credit my classical training for. I worked desperately hard for most of my musical life to achieve perfect pitch while playing concert and classical music. To do this, I endured years of subtle embouchure changes which amounted, in the end, to a great timbre. The specifics of classical training made an odd and unique transition to the improvisational jam blues I tend to play now. This is my reason, or at least part of the reason, why my sound is so unique. The reasons, from person to person, vary.

     Real quick, I want to tell you a bit about what it means to have a unique sound. As a saxophonist, you might reach a truly great sound quality. This is a great thing, and is common among most adept players. You'll hear recordings or buskers, people playing that 'buzzy' sax sound. We all know it- it's classic sax. However, to have a unique sound is to have a great quality that differs slightly from everybody else. I've known, personally, a few skilled individuals with this gift. I can tell each one of them apart purely based on hearing them play one note. This is having a unique sound.

     But how can you get a unique timbre? I can't really say. By that I mean, who am I to say? It's a lot of things, again. There's natural talent, hard work, listening to other musicians- really everything that goes to being a good musician. Inevitably, I have to say that experimentation, with your sound, is very important to this end.

     The last point, how can you hear your own sound, is another toughy. Any saxophonist, or most musicians for that matter, will tell you: it's hard to hear yourself truthfully. You might easily be able identify another player's sound, but you won't easily be able to hear your own specific quality. This makes understanding certain aspects of your own growth as a musician extremely difficult and irritating. One instructor of mine suggested playing facing/against a wall, so that my sound bounces right back at me, and I hear my tone a bit more true towards how it really sounds. This works for a lot of things, like practicing vibrato, but to hear your sound quality, and to hear your unique quality, if you have it, is very difficult. The only sure-fire way is to record yourself, but you'd need some pretty expensive recording gear for that. 

     In the end, it really doesn't matter how you hear yourself. I mean, sure, it matters that you can hear and control your sound, but what matters most is the response to your sound of those you play to or for. If you get lots of positive feedback, then keep on doing what you're doing- it clearly works for you!

The Darkest of Fridays

Deals for You 

(in the U.S Market)

     You need gear. More over, you need your gear cheap. If you're in the market now for musical gear, well, you're in luck: November is the month of savings. Today is Black Friday and a lot of people will be hitting the stores early for impressive deals, mostly on electronic items. You might choose to be included in this, which is fine, but I'd advise against it if you're going for musical equipment. Unless you have a great music store near to where you live which is offering Black Friday sales, you won't really find what you're looking for. Instead, Cyber Monday is your best bet. And here's why...

     Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday, just after Thanksgiving in America. Cyber Monday is pretty much what it sounds like: Black Friday, only internet sales and on a Monday. This works well for buying music gear because there are some really great music websites that sell well below the MSRP, and, as they're online, more often than not, offer Cyber Monday deals. 

     With Cyber Monday, it's important to note that you'll rarely find exactly what you're searching for at a specific site. Instead, I'll recommend you search general websites such as amazon.com or even cybermonday.com. These sites are collectives of many individuals and companies alike offering Cyber Monday discounts. 

     CyberMonday.com in particular offers an interesting service. If you look up a specific good you're searching for, they give you websites which are offering sales on that item, or similar items. 

     This is really all I have to write on this, as anything further should be discovered for yourself. I highly recommend checking this out before and during Cyber Monday, especially if you're in the market for new gear. 

     Happy hunting!

Plugged In

Online Jam Sessions

(OJS)

     Ever since I saw a piece of an ad for an online jam session, I've been looking around for further information. The concept that one such as myself might plug in a mic and jam with strangers in other countries intrigues me greatly. In my 'research' into this subject, I found one website which has been building a reputation among music enthusiasts and amateurs alike. The site is called Online Jam Sessions, and it has been working independently towards uniting musicians worldwide.

     If you visit their site, you can read up on their mission statement and FAQ's. With these, and some browsing, you'll start to piece together, as I did, what it is OJS is all about. OJS (short for Online Jam Sessions) offers ways to spread recordings through the internet, and to play live with other musicians worldwide, with potentially any instrument(s). They suggest that you can use any mic to do this, but I would suggest getting a better mic (see my post on music tech) so that, if you have any issues, you can be pretty sure your sound quality isn't one of them. I'm sure it takes a fair amount of fiddling and tweeking to get your audio settings as well as your internet settings optimally set for live streaming, but it al makes good practice for later recordings.

     However, what gives me the greatest hope is a small experiment I tried somewhat recently where I played music over Skype, on my phone no less, for a friend and fellow musician in Tunisia. Even though I was playing into a small phone mic and was connected across an ocean, the sound quality was fine (not great, but pretty good, considering). Given these aspects, if I were to have a Yeti Blue and a good internet connection, and probably a set of over-ear monitors, OJS could provide a pretty good platform for me, and any of you interested, to jam with others worldwide.

     But don't take my word for it: if you're interested, click the link above, or below, and check out their page. They offer a free membership, with a few paid membership options with further features.



Online Jam Sessions

(onlinejamsessions.com)

Live Jams

When Your Jam Really

Comes Alive

     I realised recently that I've mentioned 'live jams' a lot lately, both in my blog and to people in conversation, and in both cases I recalled afterwords that some people might not know exactly what live jams are. You might know what a jam is, or a jam session, in the realm of music. Simply, it is an informal get-together where musicians play (usually improvised jazz).

     Jam sessions are what I do most of the time. In fact, I like to do them often, and I usually like to play in minor blues keys. Every time I'm playing in these jam sessions, I'm always trying to play new riffs and licks, and change my styling slightly, as these sessions are usually good places to learn. I jam sometimes just with one other saxophonist, or sometimes I jam with a whole bunch of musicians. The other day I had a drummer, two other saxophonists, a bassist, and myself all collaborating in an informal session. Generally the rule is, or so I say, that you can do just about anything in a jam session if it's only you and a drummer (which I say to people besides drummers, obviously). By this I mean that, as a saxophonist, I can play in any key, in any mode, and as crazy as I want, because there isn't anyone else to intonate with or to play to, other than the rhythm laid out by the drummer.

I'm sorry, I had to...

     Jam sessions are good places to learn, as I said, but more simply, they're loads of fun. If you're really feeling the music, you might find yourself doing some wild lines. For these reasons and more, I'm sure, I really enjoy holding jam sessions as often as I do. On the other hand though, I do them so often that I find I may not have a knowledge of many other pre-established songs (for covers), or opportunity for composition of my own. Therefore, when I'm faced with a potential gig, be it paid or not, I find it easiest to say that I'll perform a live jam, which generally is pretty exciting, as there aren't a terrible many who still do this (most common are blues guitarists and other blues artists).

     Now for the meaning of it all: a live jam is a jam session done- wait for it... ... ...live! Yes, a live jam is a rather informal improvisation group that plays for an audience. It may sound pretty unorganized, but trust me- the musicians know what they're doing. Even if they make a comparatively big 'mistake', nobody in the audience would even know, and if they did, any jazz musician would call such a 'mistake' part of their line. I've done this sort of thing, formally and not, dozens of time. In many ways, it's more fun than a normal jam session, because- after all -music is meant to be shared.

     So do be on the look out for live jams, either at festivals or on the internet: they're a lot of fun to watch as well as participate in, and if you ever have the opportunity to participate in one, take it! Live jams will make you a much better musician.



Shuffle

A Need for New Rhythm

     What little I've been able to play of music lately has been out in the cold with my very competent musician brother. Between the two of us, we play soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. It's surprisingly difficult to play something with drive and a solid rhythm with just two saxophones and no drummer or even pianist. We practice so much though, so we've grown the ability to carry on some really funky jams and beats without a drummer. While we are very good with a drummer, we can play to some good degree without. 

     Lately, the two of us have been reading each other's 'moves' so well, that people passing by tend to think that we're playing arranged pieces, while, in truth, we're just improving our way through a rough jam/practice. The rhythms we have been doing have started to all blend, unfortunately. We seem to be stuck in a rather interesting one, in fact. We do a lot of tenor/soprano and alto/alto jams, and most every time, we have played to a sort of shuffle beat. By this I mean that we do a lot of double tonguing, grace and ghost notes, and other articulation techniques to keep this sort of shuffle. It makes for a really funky jam, and is always fun, but we run into the common problem of not venturing to other different sounding riffs, lines, and melodies. Knowing us, we probably wont change much in these particular sessions, as it's mostly our form of nonchalant practice, but given that we may have a live-jam show opportunity coming up, we may want to learn five to ten different styles for such an occasion. 

     I suppose, as I'm learning through this, there's a lesson as well for you to take from this: simply put, don't do the same things every time you play. The real challenge is to try and do something new every time you play (as, of course, a really good form of practice). I do this a lot. Even when I do live-jams, I try and challenge myself, because if I do, and I get really into the playing, I get very good, and so will you if you try this. The thing I need to do now is to try to do rhythms other than a straight shuffle.

Notice:

A Bad Situation

     I wanted to get a quick word in, through this post, to be sure that everyone who is keeping with Musician's Road knows that I haven't forgotten about the blog; I've been unable to write posts for nearly two weeks due to hurricane Sandy and some early winter storms that have been knocking out power all over the east coast of the United States. I do have power now, but I have been working a lot to help clear many of the downed trees in the area, leaving me with little time to play music, let alone blog about it. 

     I wanted to assure everybody that I do intend to continue writing, probably starting this coming Monday, and that, given the situation, it may be time to bring in a guest writer next week. Please, be patient as I get my  page back up and running.

I would also like to thank the Red Cross and all other organizations  groups, and individuals helping in these devastated areas. I would like, as well, to give my best wishes to all affected by these storms. I hope that this disaster won't silence all the wonderful musicians, both young and old, in the east here in the United States. 

Stay safe, everyone, and I'll see you next time!

Rainy Days: They're a-Comin'

Saxophones Don't Rely on Electricity

     As I write this post, hurricane Sandy is chewing up the east cost, from the south up towards the tri-state area. This one's going to be bad here in New Jersey, as we never really get full hurricanes this far inland- generally, we get the dregs of the tropical storms. With Sandy, however, the eye of the storm will be passing slowly over the state. I imagine, knowing this state's horrible infrastructure, that power will be out- widespread -for over a week, and that life will get pretty dull. This is why I'm deciding to get out and play music every second I have the chance.

    I have the chance now. Well, in a few minutes. The wind is pretty crazy out there, but there's no rain as of yet, so my saxophone will be fine. I often play outdoors, in a dugout of the high school to which I live next door. The acoustics are decent, and it's safe from the elements. Playing there today, as Sandy crawls up the coast, I'll be able to see just how affected the saxophone's sound is by heavy wind. 

     Ultimately, there is no lesson here, not for this post. The Queen Mother of all rainy days is coming, so I'm writing casually about some thoughts before all power is lost and I become one of many living in the stone age. In fact, the only thing I can say to you all (especially you younger musicians reading) is that you should not go out in a hurricane to play music or do anything, as it's dangerous.

     The next two days will be miserable. Trees will fall, windows will break, and power will be out for some time. I can only look forward to the day after the storm, after the rain has finished falling, when the skies are crisp and I consider one spectacular fact: saxophones don't rely on electricity.

A Blog About Music

Musician's Blog

     I've received a lot of comments recently which, for a brand new blog, is pretty nice. Many of them included questions particularly about blogging itself. A lot of people seem to want my thoughts on blogging about music, or just setting up a blog in general, so I thought it would be a good idea to simply blog about it.

     I'll be frank: going into this I knew literally nothing about blogs. In fact, I was pretty unsure what exactly constituted a blog. Somewhat ironically, I ended up doing some research through other people's blogs in order to answer some of my questions: what is a blog? What makes a blog function? What are the good and the bad of blogging? What's right? What's wrong?

     After finding out what not to do, I figured out what I wanted out of blogging. There were two big aspects to this for me: I wanted to explore this type of media/literature as I see myself as an amateur writer as well as a musician, and then there's the fact that I wanted, in some small way other than tutoring, to spread ideas, facts, and passions about music. I never wanted money, fame, or anything along those lines. In fact, I didn't really want anything. I was looking to write casually about something I love in the off chance that at least one person might find it helpful. Also, I needed something free, as this is my first time blogging. With all of these things, Blogger really helped me out.

     A lot of those questions I mentioned earlier asked me about platforms, namely which I thought were good and which I thought were bad. Well, as I said before, up to about a couple months ago, I knew nothing about this sort of thing. Now, however, I can say that Blogger, the site I currently use (thus the ".blogspot.com" part of my site address), is extremely good- it's user friendly, free, and very insightful. I got some good ideas just from the easy-to-use layout templates. The website also gives me a lot of ways to customize my page as I go, which is good. There is, also, an option to have my own domain (no longer having ".blogspot" in my URL). This I would need to pay for, and while it isn't much, it's still something I won't do unless I ever find I need to.

     I hear a lot about WordPress as well, which I gather to be a popular blogging site like Blogger is. The only thing I know about WordPress is that there is a .com and a .org version of the service. The .com is apparently the free and more popular version. As to it's quality, I really cannot say.

     Blogging about music is harder than you might think. I find that I must speak as generally about subjects as I can (though I usually fail at this, especially as I show my bias towards sax players) and must avoid my own preferences to certain types of music. I see a lot of blogs where people fail to do these things and end up falling into a blog where they discuss only their own hate. Hate blogs, as I call them, are, in my opinion, massive failures- especially when they're about music. If you have a hate blog about music, it isn't fair to those people who like the music that you're publicly hating. There needs to be more respect of other people's preferences, even if they aren't your own.

     To that extent, I'm usually pretty good. I like a lot of different kinds of music, and those which I do not like, I keep my negative opinions to myself. Inevitably, though, liking a wide variety of music, and playing an equal amount of it, really helps with writing about it. Even when I'm super busy, which is more and more often these days, I still enjoy writing about music, even if what I have to write about isn't quite as thought provoking as some of my other posts.

     Finally, I have a couple points I'd like to make, in which case I hope many of you who have read my previous posts or were some of the ones to comment on I've Got You Covered are reading this. If you want to ask me a question, I've always said that you may in the comments below, or on the Facebook or even Twitter pages given (on web version only, I believe. I can't fix this problem, sorry), or even my email, which I provide occasionally (again, web version, sorry, sorry). To this extent, the comments you leave are generally anonymous, which is, of course, perfectly fine. However, this means  you probably don't get a notification if I respond to your questions (which I always do). That's why I urge you to email me with anything important you need or click "web version" at the bottom of the mobile version page for links to my contacts. If you provide any information for contact in your comment, make sure it's valid, as I've had some emails provided which were incorrect addresses.

     Anyhow, these are my thoughts on blogging and options for anyone interested. I'll continue Musician's Road for quite a while: I'm really just getting started. At this point, I have 1,171 page views. I'm very excited to have that many, as it far exceeds any of my previous expectations. Thank you all, and I'll be keeping in touch!

My email is shackspencer@gmail.com, for those of you who need it.

My line is always open for questions or comments.

Losing Your Roots

Lack of Concert

     Today, I'm pretty much going to complain at you a bit. Well, there will be a bit of a lesson of course, but regardless, I have something I want to feel sorry about myself for- publicly. It has to do with my origins as a musician and my greatest musical love: concert genre music. 

     Classical and other concert pieces have always been my absolute favorite thing in the world to learn and play, and I've always excelled at them. Throughout high school, I grew on such pieces, performing for four years with an enthusiastic excellence. Such are my roots, excluding junior high.

     After high school, there is college, but as I've explained before, I'm not in school for music. Therefor, my only way of playing my favorite music was through the newly founded community band, run by my beloved high school instructors, two very talented individuals. 

     Last year was the first year of this band, and we played some exciting concert pieces. I played along side some high school attendees, some eighty year olds, and some teachers from the school. The group was new and full of different people, but we all played together wonderfully. It was fun and exciting.

     Unfortunately, this year, the band has been cancelled for reasons which are beyond me. This is a sad thing, as the band, had it continued, could have grown quite large, enabling us to perform some truly intense pieces.

     It is sad, too, because now I have no concert type venue in which to play. Most frightening, is the fact that I have no concert type venue from which to learn. I pride myself, musically, primarily on my sweet tone and near perfect pitch- that which I have achieved through talent, but mostly years of hard work. 

     I suppose, I can only hope that new venues come up for me, as I wish very much to be able to play along side some talented musicians once again.

     I'd like to say that all of you out there should stick with the parts of music that you love most. While it is, of course, great for you to experience other aspects of music, keeping near your roots is also very important. If you ever lose sight of why you fell in love with music in the first place, you may end up lost, or even giving up music- which is a mistake. 

     While I'm very saddened by my current situation, I'm still alright as I look optimistically towards new opportunities. I know that I'll one day join a new and impressive band of musicians. It's just a matter of time.

Beat Down

Percussion

     Today I'd like to talk a little bit about something that includes somewhat of a misconception: that anyone can play drums (by "drums", I mean a kit). This isn't true- well, maybe not to a degree.

     Anyone can do a really simple beat with about ten minutes of practice- maybe not well, but they can. Given this, there are few who can play complex beats to moving music. When it comes to already active musicians, this doesn't change: there aren't many who can play a drum kit, mostly because they have never tried.

     But why haven't they...?

     There really is no reason for this. I mean, sure, you can say you don't have a kit available to you- I'll accept that, but I think you should really look around to see if there is one which you can use, because percussion is a good skill to have, as any type of musician.

     I'm a woodwind player; I play the saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor), and I'm quite good (if I do say so myself...which I do). Despite this, I'm truly horrible at percussion- I don't know why, but I can't get my hands and feet to do separate things reliably. With this, I did what any normal person would do: I gave up.

     But not for long.

     Eventually (recently), I really put in some practice at the local high school band room (as there's a kit there). I actually got a lot better through this practice: I can do some basic rock, swing, blues and bossa beats. I put in this effort, even though I'm a saxophonist, for some very good, yet simple, reasons.

     I put forth that every musician should learn at least some basic drumming. It builds up the sense of rhythm and gives you some insight into keeping time. Also, being able to have that experience under your belt allows you to understand the beat to which you're playing along- identifying greatly with the music. Understanding all parts of the music you play is very important.

    Now, of course, and as an aside, I'm talking about drum kits, so I'm talking about jazz, pop, rock, or any of the like. A concert setting (concert band, symphony etc.) won't really have a kit in the way that I mean.

    So with this short message, take with you my advice: pick up a pair of sticks and learn some rhythms- it'll truly further your playing ability and style.

Musician's Road: Thank You

Here's to Over a Thousand Page Views!

     Just over two months with this blog, posting (overall) twice a week, I've reached- as I write now -1,067 page views. As I may have written before, I don't do this for money. Instead I do it for this- the fun of it and all the support- as well as the sharing of ideas. I never dreamed I'd get so many views by now. Honestly, I imagined I'd only get a couple per each post via Facebook references or such.

     Actually, that was (mostly) the case, up until I've Got You Covered was posted. For some reason, you readers out there really seemed to like it, as it now has over half of my total views on that one post alone!

     Anyhow, I just wanted to use today's post to say thank you, so I won't write too much. I'll simply leave you with this: I plan to write, every Monday and Friday, for as long as I possibly can. Keep checking in, or subscribe via email; find on Facebook; be sure to comment with questions or anything you need from me. I'll keep the posts coming, and I'm always open to suggestions for post.

     Thanks again!



Testing the Waters

Feelings on Change

     To generalize, there are two types of people in this world: those who embrace change, looking for new things in their life daily; accepting challenges with ease -- and then there are those who fear change and everything it represents. In my case, I am so clearly the latter of the two. I'm afraid of change, almost always. To be honest, my stage fright issues probably have a lot to do with this, but that's not my point here.

     My point is this: as someone who has a deep-rooted fear of change, I can yet say that change is sometimes good- important even -and that there are certain things of which you should move past.

     I'll relate of course to my latest musical venture: the purchase of a trumpet. Now my point about change applies here, as I've always been extremely partial to woodwinds as apposed to brasswinds, in an almost ism kind of way (like raceism, only in this case, instruments). It may have something to do with the kinds of people I've encountered who play trumpet and the like. In my experience, I've met some truly self-centered and pompous individuals on the horns.
     But then it probably has a lot to do with many other things; regardless, I have always almost disdained brass instruments.
     Now that I'm getting older though, I see that this is pretty silly. Instead of wallowing in this childish stubbornness, I've decided to spread my musical know-how; to add a brasswind to my woodwind collection.
     This kind of change is great change, as it makes you better at what you do; smarter; wiser. Okay, maybe not wiser, but it's good for you to consider broadening your abilities. In my case, a trumpet is a good idea, as it's very cheap (just past a hundred dollars), and, if I'm at all decent at it, I'll be one step closer to a mariachi band (which is one step closer to godliness).
     Will I be terrible at the trumpet?
     Well, I like to think I won't for two musical reasons- one: I've played the didgeridoo, quite well, so that gives me an edge on the embouchure work, and two: I've about mastered altissimo- fluently -which means I'm good at harmonics and the like.
     So I've decided to take up a new kind of instrument (not counting the tenor saxophone I recently picked up), which is a good step towards healthy musical change. It's simply what I'm doing, and blogging about (not because I have nothing else to write about), but I suppose what I'm meaning to say is this: You should try new things too. It's a thrilling ride, be it pertaining to music, or not- it doesn't matter. There's no harm in trying.

Featuring: GXSCC by Gashisoft - Japan

A Unique MIDI Player

     I'm going to talk briefly today about something that I came across recently that I, as a child of the '90s, a gamer, and a lover of music, found to be quite exciting: it's called GXSCC, by Gashisoft- a Japanese company, and it converts standard MIDI (if you don't know what it is, click here for some explanation) into 8 bit music (if you don't know what that is, click here)!
     I'm going to let the sample speak for itself, but I want to share a bit of what I thought about this. Mostly, I thought up millions of fun ideas using this software to make game play videos of Pokemon, or something similar, using well-known classic rock songs instead of the classic 8 bit music of the old games.

     Whether it be to make a video, or just have fun with it, GXSCC is cool to try out, and is a lot of fun to play with! Give it a try- the links are listed below (but remember that this is a Japanese beta, so it wont look pretty, but it's safe, I promise):

GXSCC Beta236 English Download

See bottom of the linked

screen for "I Agree"

Metallica's Master of Puppets

8 Bit Version

An example

     Keep in mind, that to use it, you need to save a MIDI file, drag, and drop that saved file right into the opened program. This isn't all as complicated as it sounds. Here's a good website to find some popular songs:

MIDI World

Just search for a song

and save it to your

computer, then drag

and drop into the opened

program! Have fun!