"Specialization." I recently came across a jazz guitar forum thread with this same title. They person who posted it was relating his feelings about focusing on what he really wanted to do and what he was good at. In his case, it was playing bebop jazz guitar. The thread got me thinking about my own long journey toward what I do now. I had to agree with his sentiments: the more focused you can be, the better you can get at what you do.
It took me such a long time to realize this. I was into so many types of music at one time that I see in hindsight why I never got very far playing piano. I wanted to do it ALL, and really thought that I could. I was trying to become a great player in blues, jazz, rock/pop, classical, and salsa/Latin jazz. I honestly thought that a certain level of fundamental technique was all that was needed to master everything. How wrong I was! It is the subtleties in music that make each style, each tune unique. Being immersed in a style is what leads to mastery.
I remember very clearly an admonition given in a piano method book I used to use. The author cautioned against doing several styles of music for the sake of authenticity. He used rock and classical as examples, saying basically that one who tries to master both can excel at neither as well as one who focuses on one style. And that's not to say that both styles don't share many fundamental techniques. I know from experience that they do. It is what is in the details that can make or break you as a player.
And that is exactly what caused me to give up piano playing. I assumed it was because I had hit a wall with technique. Now I know that it was more likely the fact that I had tried to master too much. When I think back, I remember the frustration I had at having almost no repertoire (tunes I knew well). It was always the same thing. I would get started on something, intending to master it, but could never truly get there because there was too much to do. I simply had a lack of focus. Had I really known about focusing, I may well have continued to play piano!
When I switched to the guitar, I thought my solid technique would be that answer I was looking for. I had very good technique from playing and studying electric bass for several years before I switched to piano. I also made a commitment to playing jazz on the guitar. While the better knowledge of technique did help, it wasn't until a few years later that I realized that specialization and focus meant more than just working withing a basic musical genre. It meant I needed to go even deeper.
That turning point occurred after having a particularly poor experience at a jazz open mike-jam session. I realized then that even though I thought I knew what I was doing, I was still stretched too thin to be really GOOD. It took some hard decision making, but I eventually came around to the idea that I really wanted to do something that could work both as a solo player and in groups. I began the journey that has continued until today and hopefully will continue on for many years. I committed to playing swing jazz guitar in the style of George van Eps, Carmen Mastren, Marty Grosz, and others. I also made it a point to get back into singing, and I have been quite happy ever since.
I think it really allowed me to get to the root of what I want to do without the excess baggage we as musicians tend to assume we need. I no longer worry about the things that I once thought so necessary to being taken seriously. I don't care about playing everything in all keys. I don't practice memorized licks over 2-5-1 progressions. I do what I need to do to make music the way I want to. I practice those things that will make me better at the music I care about. Jazz is just to big of a genre to try to do it all.
I hope some of you out there who may be going through the same thing I did will find this helpful. There isn't an exact time when you will experience this. Maybe you never will. There are plenty of dabblers in various genres, and that's fine if it moves you. I personally needed to focus and go deep to get to the heart of what I needed as a musician. I still love and listen to great variety of music. There is inspiration to be found in all kinds of unusual places, but I no longer have the urge to try and do it all. Without focus it is hard to do incorporate something different or exciting into your music. Do what moves you, and go from there. You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll get good!
Friday, April 29, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
Unusual Instruments #1: The Guitarron
Note: This post is the first in a series of special posts where I discuss some of the more unique and unusual musical instruments I've come across over the years. I hope you have as much fun discovering them as I did!
I'll bet you wouldn't know what a guitarron was if I mentioned the name to you. But if I showed you one in its traditional context you'd know right away. The guitarron is the enormous, short-necked, fretless bass guitar used in Mexican mariachi music ensembles. It's very rarely found outside of that context, but for those in the know it can be a very useful and usable acoustic alternative to an electric bass guitar.
My own experience with the instrument began when I was in high school. I had a growing musical interest in all things exotic: African drums and percussion, Latin American guitars, and various other odd instruments. I don't know exactly where I happened upon the guitarron; it may have been online or it may have been in Spanish class, I don't remember. I knew when I saw it, however, that it could be the ultimate solution for a truly acoustic bass guitar. It was either that or dedicate an unrealistic amount of time and money to learning to play double bass!
I was itching to get one, and scoured the internet for more information: tuning, playing technique, set-up issues, you name it. Ready to buy, I came across a group of cheaply made and cheaply priced Venezuelan made guitarrons on eBay. After contacting the seller for more photos, I was sold. I hit the buy it now button, paid, and waited patiently over the next few weeks for the instrument to arrive.
Then, one night in March, I came home from my after-school job and there it was. Covered in foam, a black garbage bag, and bits of wood suggesting a makeshift crate, it was the strangest packaging job I think I have ever seen! Ever so slightly concerned at the condition of the contents within, I started to unpack it. Bit by bit the instrument emerged; sweet smelling Venezuelan woods came into view. All unpacked it was a sight to behold: A cello sized, bowl-backed, short necked instrument that had a wonderfully rough handmade quality to it. I couldn't be happier.
I slid the carved wooden tuning pegs into their slots, strung it up with the Mexican made strings it came with, plucked some notes, and listened to the loud, deep,resonant tones that emanated from within. It really was amazing. I found it hard to believe that this instrument had not caught on as a real answer to the acoustic bass guitar need. No matter, I had one and I was going to use it! I just had to learn more about it!
Initially, I had the guitarron tuned down to E like a bass guitar for a while, but soon enough found out why it is tuned the way it is traditionally, which is A D G C E A. The short scale length (something like 23-24") requires a higher pitched tuning to keep the string tension high. Higher string tension means more volume, which is necessary for an instrument that is purely acoustic to be heard in an ensemble. I finally tuned it the way it is supposed to be tuned, and was even more blown away with the volume and tone it produced. The last thing I had to do was come to terms with the bizarre fingering system.
The fingering system is probably the strangest thing about the instrument and maybe it is what scares most people away, but the its incredibly simple once you understand the concept behind it. Remember that thing about volume? Well, two strings sounded at once is going to be louder than one string, right? This is the whole basis behind the odd tuning and fingering of the guitarron. Guitarron players DON'T play single notes, just octaves. So, for example, if you see an "A" written in the music, you pluck both of the open A strings. They are tuned only one octave apart to accommodate this.
If this sounds confusing, just think of it this way- there are only 12 possible notes or fingerings that are played on the instrument due to that whole octave thing. So that A note I mentioned would not be played any other way other than on the open "A" strings. "C", "Eb," "B," and every other note is the same way. There is only one place to play each note of the chromatic scale on the instrument, unlike on a bass guitar or double bass. This is doubtless borne out of need for volume and the lack of frets, as you can of course play single notes on the instrument. However, single notes lack the power and tone of octave playing.
Learning the tuning and fingering system took me a couple of months, so it really isn't too bad. Its infinitely easier than learning guitar, where you have several places on the instrument where you can play the same note or even chord in some cases. Most of the hard work on the guitarron is in plucking, left hand strength and intonation on the fretless fingerboard. Other than that it's a pretty simple instrument, but very powerful and very usable in the right hands.
If you are tired of the joke that is acoustic bass guitars, try a guitarron. They take some work coming from a bass guitar background, but a few months should have you at a proficient level of playing. They work really well for acoustic groups of any type. I've been using one for years in a folk group I now infrequently play with, and the tone, volume, and power of a guitarron cannot be approached by anything other than a double bass. A guitarron is a lot simpler and more portable, though. If you've ever thought about them, go get one! There is plenty of English language instructional material both online and in book form these days to get you going!
I'll bet you wouldn't know what a guitarron was if I mentioned the name to you. But if I showed you one in its traditional context you'd know right away. The guitarron is the enormous, short-necked, fretless bass guitar used in Mexican mariachi music ensembles. It's very rarely found outside of that context, but for those in the know it can be a very useful and usable acoustic alternative to an electric bass guitar.
My own experience with the instrument began when I was in high school. I had a growing musical interest in all things exotic: African drums and percussion, Latin American guitars, and various other odd instruments. I don't know exactly where I happened upon the guitarron; it may have been online or it may have been in Spanish class, I don't remember. I knew when I saw it, however, that it could be the ultimate solution for a truly acoustic bass guitar. It was either that or dedicate an unrealistic amount of time and money to learning to play double bass!
I was itching to get one, and scoured the internet for more information: tuning, playing technique, set-up issues, you name it. Ready to buy, I came across a group of cheaply made and cheaply priced Venezuelan made guitarrons on eBay. After contacting the seller for more photos, I was sold. I hit the buy it now button, paid, and waited patiently over the next few weeks for the instrument to arrive.
Then, one night in March, I came home from my after-school job and there it was. Covered in foam, a black garbage bag, and bits of wood suggesting a makeshift crate, it was the strangest packaging job I think I have ever seen! Ever so slightly concerned at the condition of the contents within, I started to unpack it. Bit by bit the instrument emerged; sweet smelling Venezuelan woods came into view. All unpacked it was a sight to behold: A cello sized, bowl-backed, short necked instrument that had a wonderfully rough handmade quality to it. I couldn't be happier.
I slid the carved wooden tuning pegs into their slots, strung it up with the Mexican made strings it came with, plucked some notes, and listened to the loud, deep,resonant tones that emanated from within. It really was amazing. I found it hard to believe that this instrument had not caught on as a real answer to the acoustic bass guitar need. No matter, I had one and I was going to use it! I just had to learn more about it!
 |
| A store photo of the Lucida Guitarron I own now |
Initially, I had the guitarron tuned down to E like a bass guitar for a while, but soon enough found out why it is tuned the way it is traditionally, which is A D G C E A. The short scale length (something like 23-24") requires a higher pitched tuning to keep the string tension high. Higher string tension means more volume, which is necessary for an instrument that is purely acoustic to be heard in an ensemble. I finally tuned it the way it is supposed to be tuned, and was even more blown away with the volume and tone it produced. The last thing I had to do was come to terms with the bizarre fingering system.
The fingering system is probably the strangest thing about the instrument and maybe it is what scares most people away, but the its incredibly simple once you understand the concept behind it. Remember that thing about volume? Well, two strings sounded at once is going to be louder than one string, right? This is the whole basis behind the odd tuning and fingering of the guitarron. Guitarron players DON'T play single notes, just octaves. So, for example, if you see an "A" written in the music, you pluck both of the open A strings. They are tuned only one octave apart to accommodate this.
If this sounds confusing, just think of it this way- there are only 12 possible notes or fingerings that are played on the instrument due to that whole octave thing. So that A note I mentioned would not be played any other way other than on the open "A" strings. "C", "Eb," "B," and every other note is the same way. There is only one place to play each note of the chromatic scale on the instrument, unlike on a bass guitar or double bass. This is doubtless borne out of need for volume and the lack of frets, as you can of course play single notes on the instrument. However, single notes lack the power and tone of octave playing.
Learning the tuning and fingering system took me a couple of months, so it really isn't too bad. Its infinitely easier than learning guitar, where you have several places on the instrument where you can play the same note or even chord in some cases. Most of the hard work on the guitarron is in plucking, left hand strength and intonation on the fretless fingerboard. Other than that it's a pretty simple instrument, but very powerful and very usable in the right hands.
If you are tired of the joke that is acoustic bass guitars, try a guitarron. They take some work coming from a bass guitar background, but a few months should have you at a proficient level of playing. They work really well for acoustic groups of any type. I've been using one for years in a folk group I now infrequently play with, and the tone, volume, and power of a guitarron cannot be approached by anything other than a double bass. A guitarron is a lot simpler and more portable, though. If you've ever thought about them, go get one! There is plenty of English language instructional material both online and in book form these days to get you going!
Friday, April 15, 2016
Swing Guitar Record Review: Jess Stacy Piano Solos
One of my most listened to records right now has to be an album I received for Christmas called “Jess Stacy Piano Solos.” I think it receives so much turntable time for a few reasons, but the main one is that it’s really just a nice collection of good swing music!
The album is the second I’ve come across from the Australian Swaggie label’s series “The Jazz Makers.” The other album I have from the label, “Bechet Spanier Four” runs along similar lines, being an album of collected works from a certain jazz musician or group. In this case, Swaggie has collected a variety of recordings featuring pianist Jess Stacy both as a solo performer and in groups big and small.
Side one is a set of 8 quartet recordings done in the early spring of 1951, featuring Stacy along with George Van Eps on guitar, Morty Corb on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums. The tunes are all familiar standards, including tunes like “Fascinating Rhythm” and “Back Home Again in Indiana.” These recordings were released at the time on a 10” LP under the same title as the Swaggie LP: “Jess Stacy Piano Solos.” It’s this side of the album that attracted me to it in the first place, as it features Van Eps playing rhythm as well as taking solos on several of the tracks. For a swing guitar enthusiast like me, these recordings are a gold mine! I haven’t come across many recordings featuring Van Eps with a very small group outside of another record I have titled “George Van Eps Plays Four Memorable Solos,” an album filled the rest of the way with a set of trio recordings featuring Van Eps, Stan Wrightsman on piano, and Eddie Miller on saxophone.
Side two is much more varied, including material recorded between 1935 and 1955. Stacy’s playing on this side is musical as always, and we get to hear him in settings varying from solo to duo with a drummer to one big band recording, with Bob Crosby’s Orchestra. There are even a few original tunes here. One big standout on side two, and another reason to pick up this album, is Stacy’s famous recording of Bix Beiderbecke’s “In the Dark/Flashes.” This classic solo piano medley is one of Stacy’s finest moments, in my opinion. It is right up there with his famous solo on “Swing Swing Swing.” If you haven’t heard it before, do yourself a favor and check it out on youtube.
If you are a fan of swing piano and/or swing guitar playing, pick this album up. You will not be disappointed. Stacy’s unwavering musicality makes even the most common standards exciting to hear again. George Van Eps’ features on side one make this a must for swing guitar fans. I commend Swaggie for this and other titles in their “Jazz Makers” series. It is great to have all this material on one well put together album.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Transcribing: What it means to me
Transcribing. It's a topic that is almost as fuzzy in definition as it is polarizing in the jazz community. Some say to do it or fail. Others say they rarely or never have, and have been successful without it. Many more aren't really sure what it is, why they should do it, or even what the word "transcribe" even means!
After years of trying to come to terms with transcribing, I have finally come to a conclusion about what it means to me. First and foremost: the concept is much more important than the word itself. I dislike the word "transcribe." It's simply too vague of a term, and that vagueness makes the subject so cloudy for most of us. Instead, I think of the concept, and the concept is simple. The concept of "transcribing" is nothing more than finding an answer to a musical question.
Here's an example. Lets say you are interested in the rhythm guitar style of Steve Jordan, something that is not covered in books, videos, or other instructional material. You want to know what chord voicings he plays on a particular song so that you can incorporate some of his ideas into your own playing. "Transcribing" is how you do that. You find a recording that has something you are interested in learning and learn it, by ear. The question here is: What kind of chord voicings does Steve use on this tune? The answer? Whatever you are able to pick up off the recording- hopefully, a few nice sounding chord forms!
There are endless questions to be answered trough transcribing. How do I get that feel? Whats that voicing he uses there? Whats that rhythm he just played? As long as you have a question, recorded music has an answer somewhere. Having a large record collection or knowledge of what to look for online can really help build a library of possible answers to your musical questions.
Transcribing can be tough, especially at first. I don't follow the popular belief that one should just transcribe for transcribing's sake. That's pointless. You need to have a goal in mind, and something you are truly interested in learning in order to commit to transcribing. Anything less will result in being burned out pretty quickly, as happened to me when I first heard I needed to transcribe solos. I learned a few commonly transcribed horn solos, spent much of my precious practice time on them, and really learned nothing from them. Have a goal first!
You might be wondering if learning tunes by ear is transcribing. Well, not for me. I do learn most of the tunes I play by ear, but I'm rarely listening to find out exact chord voicings or how a certain player soloed over the chord changes. Transcribing and learning by ear are closely related, of course, but for me transcribing is looking for specific answers, learning by ear is not. Let me give another example: Learning by ear is hearing an overall structure, melody, and chords to a tune. Transcribing is finding out what exact notes and chord forms Carmen Mastren played on Lazy River with the Bechet-Spanier Big Four. Transcribing should be very specific!
That's how I think about transcribing. Its a way to get answers to musical questions that WILL come up throughout our journey as musicians. Knowing what you want to learn, what recordings you will learn from, and what you will do with the material learned are all part of transcribing and all part of becoming a better, more well rounded musician. Transcribing is powerful. That one little chord or series of notes you learned will have applications far beyond being an answer to a question. What you transcribe WILL become a part of your playing.
After years of trying to come to terms with transcribing, I have finally come to a conclusion about what it means to me. First and foremost: the concept is much more important than the word itself. I dislike the word "transcribe." It's simply too vague of a term, and that vagueness makes the subject so cloudy for most of us. Instead, I think of the concept, and the concept is simple. The concept of "transcribing" is nothing more than finding an answer to a musical question.
Here's an example. Lets say you are interested in the rhythm guitar style of Steve Jordan, something that is not covered in books, videos, or other instructional material. You want to know what chord voicings he plays on a particular song so that you can incorporate some of his ideas into your own playing. "Transcribing" is how you do that. You find a recording that has something you are interested in learning and learn it, by ear. The question here is: What kind of chord voicings does Steve use on this tune? The answer? Whatever you are able to pick up off the recording- hopefully, a few nice sounding chord forms!
There are endless questions to be answered trough transcribing. How do I get that feel? Whats that voicing he uses there? Whats that rhythm he just played? As long as you have a question, recorded music has an answer somewhere. Having a large record collection or knowledge of what to look for online can really help build a library of possible answers to your musical questions.
Transcribing can be tough, especially at first. I don't follow the popular belief that one should just transcribe for transcribing's sake. That's pointless. You need to have a goal in mind, and something you are truly interested in learning in order to commit to transcribing. Anything less will result in being burned out pretty quickly, as happened to me when I first heard I needed to transcribe solos. I learned a few commonly transcribed horn solos, spent much of my precious practice time on them, and really learned nothing from them. Have a goal first!
You might be wondering if learning tunes by ear is transcribing. Well, not for me. I do learn most of the tunes I play by ear, but I'm rarely listening to find out exact chord voicings or how a certain player soloed over the chord changes. Transcribing and learning by ear are closely related, of course, but for me transcribing is looking for specific answers, learning by ear is not. Let me give another example: Learning by ear is hearing an overall structure, melody, and chords to a tune. Transcribing is finding out what exact notes and chord forms Carmen Mastren played on Lazy River with the Bechet-Spanier Big Four. Transcribing should be very specific!
That's how I think about transcribing. Its a way to get answers to musical questions that WILL come up throughout our journey as musicians. Knowing what you want to learn, what recordings you will learn from, and what you will do with the material learned are all part of transcribing and all part of becoming a better, more well rounded musician. Transcribing is powerful. That one little chord or series of notes you learned will have applications far beyond being an answer to a question. What you transcribe WILL become a part of your playing.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Making an inexpensive "silent" practice guitar
Well, it happened again.
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve gotten a noise complaint from a neighbor. I thought for sure that the last one, in the previous apartment complex I lived in, would be it. I'm not that lucky I guess. A couple of months ago, in a new place, I got one again. I was upset to say the least. What kind of loser neighbor calls in and complains about an acoustic guitar being too loud? Apparently the ones I always seem to end up next door to…
No matter. After I cooled off about the situation I decided to take action. Though I gave it a try at others recommendations, playing with a piece of cloth or foam stuck up underneath the strings was not going to be an option for me. I don’t know how a serious guitarist can deal with that. It completely kills all string sustain and your guitar ends up sounding like a banjo with a pillow stuffed inside it. Sure, its quiet, but its also terrible! I thought about getting an electric guitar and keeping it unplugged, but they are hard to hear when playing along with songs with headphones on and (more importantly) don't have the substantial body size of an acoustic I'm used to. I needed a better answer.
My solution was to get myself a cheap 100-dollar-or-less guitar that I could stuff full of material to deaden the volume without killing the sustain of the strings. I got online, headed to Musicians Friend, and compared specs and reviews of a few bottom of the barrel acoustic guitar models. I ended up with a Fender something or other. The main selling points for me were that it had decent tuners, an adjustable truss rod, and a full scale length (the length of the strings from nut to bridge; some are longer or shorter than others).
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| The solution in its completed form. |
Within two or three days it arrived. I just happened to have the day off work when it was delivered, so I could get right down to making it into my silent (or more accurately more silent than before) practice guitar. It ended up being a very simple process.
First of all, I had to hear what the guitar could do before being doctored. After tuning it up, it proved to be a surprisingly loud and decent sounding instrument, considering it was made entirely of laminated wood. After playing around with it for a few minutes, it was time to get to work. I took the stock strings off and proceeded to fill the body with at least 6 tee shirts, a pair of pajama pants, and one large flannel shirt. I then re-strung it with my preferred strings, tuned it back up, and gave it a go. It was perfect. Gone was the "boominess" that seems to travel so easily through walls and floors. Though it was quiet, it still had more than enough volume to be heard over headphones when playing along with tunes.
The only other modification I did was to tear off the original pickguard and tape on an unused archtop guitar's pickguard. I did this only because my playing style doesn't work so well with the traditional round soundhole. I needed something to slide my fingers back and forth on when playing faster single note material.
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| Stuffed and ready to play with added pickguard. |
So far so good. While a bit heavy (10-15lbs) this “guitar suitcase” proved an inexpensive way to deal with that noise complaint. If you are like me, there is only so much you are willing to compromise in your musicianship- and not practicing or practicing with foam jammed under the strings is not a compromise I’m willing to make. If you are in a similar need-to-limit-volume situation, go for it. For about 100 dollars and a few old shirts, you can get back to practicing the way you want to.
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