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Saraswati and Kay Gardner

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:05:25 +0000

I’ve been reading Sounding the Inner Landscape: Music as Medicine by Kay Gardner. She references Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music and the sciences. I once had a teacher who said that music was like mathematics in technicolor.

Gardner also illustrates the relationship of the chakras to the overtone series. When you produce a pure tone, either vocally or instrumentally, it sets up vibrations that are strong enough to be heard, occurring mathematically on a vibrating string. Going from the root to the octave, the fifth, fourth, third, and so on…

This is one of the most effective, quick warm-ups for a flutist, and a tip I give every student: Play a low C, then focus the airstream slightly to sound the octave, the fifth, through the overtones, ascending as far as possible and still maintain some tone quality, then descending, one breath. Don’t force, feel your way up and down until you can seamlessly adjust your embouchure in that especially challenging third octave. It will limber up your chops in less than 5 minutes.

Same thing with voice. Start as low as comfortable and hum into your nose as high as you can, smoothly turn around and come back down to the “fry,” or when your voice rumbles in your chest, like a monster talking. Same quick results as above.

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Missing Nina Simone

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:47:04 +0000

I was delighted when I began to hear Nina again, just here and there, then on my daughter’s player. She said, “Claudia, listen to this.” Then she put on Feeling Good. I was blown away that she was blown away that I knew about her and she didn’t. Then she clued me in that Nina is on the Six Feet Under soundtrack. It’s such a wonderment to share an appreciation for music with someone you love. And Nina’s songs speak deeply to women. She does it the way you wish you could.

I must have been 17 or so when I first heard her. In fact, Fred Tackett, the same person who introduced me to Mose Allison turned me on to her. Strange Fruit. Having grown up in the racist South, I knew what the woman was talking about. It chilled my soul. This woman is so affecting, and at the same time such a magician with her voice and piano, and her writing…you are compelled to bond with her on many levels. Yep, I’m in love with anyone who refines their talent to the point that it exquisitely supports their inner being. And delivers and demands authenticity.

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Music Industry Boot Camp–Austin Music Foundation

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:46:40 +0000

Everything The Good Musician wants (and needs) to know about leveraging cool tech to be successful. The Austin Music Foundation Music Industry Boot Camp is a goldmine of tips and tools for artists and bands to integrate online Web 2.0 technologies and internet best practices to most effectively promote yourself and your music.

Best of all, Music Industry Boot Camp is free and open to the public!

Monday, July 14, 6:30 p.m., Scholz Garden, 1607 San Jacinto, Austin TX

Image details: Consumer Electronics Show Previews Latest Products served by picapp.com

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Musical events in and around Austin–week of July 7.

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:36:42 +0000

Image details: Young Violinist served by picapp.com

Lots of good classical and jazz going on in Austin and regions this week. The Cactus Pear Music Festival features aspiring young musicians. Here’s a partial listing:

Sunday, July 6, 6:00 till 9:00 pm,
& Tuesday, July 8, 5:30 till 9:30 pm:
Shawn Ellison, jazz pianist
Truluck’s Seafood Restaurant
183 & Great Hills Trail
794-8300 (no cover)

Wednesday, July 9, 1:00 pm:
Cactus Pear Music Festival: Young People’s Concert
Thiry Auditorium, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio
210-838-2218 FREE

Wednesday, July 9, 1:30 pm:
Brian Lewis, violin, master class
Edythe Bates Chapel, Festival Hill, 237 & Jaster Road, Round Top
979-249-3129 FREE

Thursday, July 10, 12:00 noon:
Joel Becktell, cello, & Michelle Schumann, piano
Central Presbyterian Church, 8th & Brazos
472-2445 FREE (lunch $5)

Thursday, July 10, 1:00 pm:
Austin Chamber Music Festival: Cecilia String Quartet
Brentwood Christian School, 11908 North Lamar Boulevard
454-0026 / 454-7562 FREE

Thursday, July 10, 7:30 pm:
Round Top Music Festival: Young Artists Chamber Concert
Festival Institute Concert Hall, 237 & Jaster Road, Round Top
979-249-3129 FREE

Thursday, July 10, 7:30 pm, & Friday, July 11, 7:00 pm:
Cactus Pear Music Festival: Brahms & Mendelssohn
Thursday: Travis Park United Methodist Church, San Antonio
Friday: New Braunfels Presbyterian Church, New Braunfels
210-838-2218 $22/$10

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Szentendre, Hungary

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:12:14 +0000

Musical instruments hanging from the rafters in a very old, family restaurant in Szentendre, Hungary. Photo by TGM.

Szentendre (Saint Andrew) is a sleepy little village two hours up the Danube from Budapest. Artists and tailors and craftspeople spend the winter in the Carpathian Mountains and bring their wares to Szentendre in the summer to sell. One elderly woman who did exquisite needlework said that Transylvania was very cold in the winter, and she enjoyed spending the summers in the heat.

There is an old Serbian Orthodox church in Szentendre, strains of ethereal chant float through the small square. The area was settled by Serbs, fleeing from the scourge of the east. We got to sing in the St. Peter and Paul church. The Stations of the Cross are marked by contemporary white plaster busts in a spare, but striking environment.

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AVAE concert tour: cathedral acoustics and singing

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:23:06 +0000

St. Matthias in Budapest, Hungary was our first concert on the tour. As most churches in Central Europe, it was an accretion of centuries of building on the old foundations. Layers of Byzantine, Medieval, the Magyar chieftains resisting Attila and the various Huns. The castle and church on top of the hill are well fortified, and the only approach is over a bridge on the Danube, through a long tunnel at the base of the hill, and a steep switchback road to the castle close.

There is a four-second lag in the sound from the choir loft. That was the longest delay we experienced. The organ pipes were at the back of the small choir loft, and the organ console at the front of the loft. Our organist, David Polley, treated us to a fantastic organ concert, if a bit loud–we stood directly in front of the pipes.

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Bruce Houghton–Music 2.0 resources for The Good Musician

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 05:33:40 +0000

Bruce created a robust body of information for all good musicians before he said goodbye to his colleagues at b5media. I encourage you to take advantage of his expertise in the music business. His Music 2.0 and Music 2.0 Bookshelf pages will move you smartly toward building your personal database of helpful tips and resources from expert bloggers, a must-have for The Good Musician’s business needs.

In this age of indie music producing and promotion, it behooves aspiring musicians to gain some practical knowledge in the business side of the profession. Many schools offer degrees in music management, but you can quickly grasp the basics at most any community college, informal class offering, or independent music organization, sometimes for free, or a modest fee. Even a single online class can give you an idea of how to keep your business side running at a dull roar. Certainly take advantage of any opportunity to participate in workshops, master classes, jams, any sharing of relevant information that could mean the difference between being a happy good musician and a miserable good musician.

This is part of the good musician’s informal training, which according to commenter Eugene Cantera on Rick Blincoe’s thoughts on formal vs. informal music training, benefits from a balance. I’ll take my musical information any way, any time I can get it.

So Bruce, thanks for all the fish and especially the great tips! Good luck with hypebot.com, Skyline Music, and all your endeavors. We’re sure to cross paths across the music blogosphere. *Waving bye-bye*

Image details: Jimi Waves served by picapp.com

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Libby Kirkpatrick plays benefit at Ruta Maya

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:40:26 +0000

Austin songstress Libby Kirkpatrick is playing at the Ruta Maya coffeehouse this Thursday, May 15. Along with Kirkpatrick, Michael Shay (and the Just Desserts), Mark Utter, David Rothgeb, Geoff Union, and a talent show kick off at 9 p.m. as a benefit for Jim O’Brien.

Come early for a new Environmental Film Series, 6-9 pm, hosted by Texas Clean Water Action and CLEAN (Citizens League for Environmental Action Now). Each screening starts the Austin way, with music from local singer-songwriters, and is followed by a panel discussion with time for audience participation. Opportunities to take action on environmental issues is presented with each event.

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TI$A–good intentions…or?

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:52:31 +0000

A tip from my favorite hip-hop producer–thanks, J!

Taz Arnold (TI$A), one of Kanye West’s Good Music label artists, put out this number. Flashy, flashy. But is he hurting or helping the cause? Got to say that I looooove the sunnies. Only in L.A.

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John Aielli and KUT-FM 90.5–streaming music 24/7

Sat, 10 May 2008 07:12:39 +0000

1:37 a.m. Tired, but too wired to sleep. Maybe some music would relax you–scrolling through your collection, you’re bored of listening to the same old tunes. Frustrated, you fire up your computer and…

National Public Radio streams forth from your speakers, album art illuminates the gloom of your darkened room, and you groove so hard you forget all about sleeping.

NPR is an embarrassment of musical riches. You may know that one of the top radio shows in the country is Eklektikos, with John Aielli. Weekmornings on KUT-FM, John offers music based on the theme of the day…or doesn’t. Sometimes he follows a thread of a stray thought or image and leads you down the garden path to discover treasures, old and new. Any musician would kill to be featured live on his treasured 11:00-noon slot. Part studio session, part interview, John tenderly cultivates musical newbies, just as he tends his own garden, graciously giving them a helping hand with precious air time.

John also blogs at Aielli Unleashed. He weaves art, music, books into a rich tapestry of words and sounds. An accomplished singer, John is knowledgeable about all kinds of music.

NPR serves up non-stop streaming music 24-7 from stations across the country, along with videos of concerts, studio sessions, and interviews. So the next time you find yourself filled with ennui at two ay em, tune into your local NPR station and soothe your sin-sick soul.

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