Frank Zappa Talks About the Business of Touring
We know that Mr. Zappa’s forte was staging amazing tours. In this excerpt from a recorded interview, he stresses the importance of holding your bandmates to high standards.
Pro Tips
Arranging “Call Me Maybe,” Part 3
In Part 1, I described how I devised an overall strategy for the arrangement, then transcribed the verse parts. In Part 2, we examined the keyboard part in the chorus. Today, I shall conclude by summarizing the other rhythm parts… Continue Reading
Practicing the Omnibook with Animated Sheet Music
I would expect any jazz student to be familiar with the Charlie Parker Omnibook, a compendium of transcriptions of heads and solos by the seminal altoist. It is an essential tool for any performer interested in building a bebop vocabulary.… Continue Reading
Arranging “Call Me Maybe,” Part 2
In Part One, I described my process for preparing to arrange the pop tune “Call Me Maybe,” and some of the decisions I made in charting out the verse. Now, let’s look at the chorus: I remember reading in the… Continue Reading
Arranging “Call Me Maybe”
I was recently tasked with arranging Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” (YouTube link) for a variety band. I thought I might share my process. My first step was to take inventory of the various components of the song. How… Continue Reading
Create!
Here’s a dose of inspiration from Mark Helprin, in the Wall Street Journal: Skip The Paris Cafés and Get a Good Pen In his article, Helprin discusses the creative process, and how it is less romantic and more work-oriented than… Continue Reading
Auditioning for Lady Gaga
In a blog post, Ben Levin details his experience auditioning for a Lady Gaga tour. I found it pretty interesting. Some takeaways: 1. Being well-trained as a musician doesn’t necessarily give you stage appeal, and that’s what many acts are… Continue Reading
Simplify Your Life
The Captain frowned. After a while he said, “Anjin-san, what’s the significance of the stone?” “Please?” “The stone. Why, Anjin-san?” “Ah! I watch stone grow.” “Oh, so sorry, I understand,” the captain replied apologetically. “Please excuse me for disturbing you.”… Continue Reading
When Play is Work
Last Sunday, I was sitting in an echoey room that was at times the lobby of a posh rental hall, but that night was the field headquarters of a mobile catering crew. The idle chatter of my bandmates swirled around… Continue Reading
Don’t Just Learn, Test Yourself.
I recently came across a forum post wherein a guitarist resolved to write a riff per day. Not a bad idea. This approach could be adapted for various purposes: One could improvise over a new vamp each day, learn a… Continue Reading