What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Dave2002]

Just seen a challenge - though not sure that I'll go for it. Might not be impossible, though - https://musescore.com/groups/unlimit...5082987?page=3

I'm not committed to trying this - but who knows. Would keep me off the streets for a while.

Some of the people there are really good ... some entries from this year have come in, and there are also others from previous years.

A short list here of Joy to the World.

https://musescore.com/user/9996931/scores/6485654

https://musescore.com/airwaves_2/joy-to-the-world

https://musescore.com/gnterschaper/joy-to-the-world-weihnachten-naht-vorspiel-u-choral

https://musescore.com/user/7613826/scores/6464659

https://musescore.com/andyblueskies/scores/4470621

https://musescore.com/user/30880919/scores/6468711

[Dave2002]

Entries for the Christmas song competition are still open - until Wednesday. It doesn't have to be serious, and even if you've never tried anything quite like this before, the exercise of trying may amuse you.

Deadline for final score submission is end of the year.

How about it Joseph K?

https://musescore.com/groups/unlimited-competition-group/discuss/5082987#comment-5322392

[Joseph K]

A recent attempt, that, despite meandering and losing focus around three-quarters of the way through, has redeeming aspects so that I consider it upload-worthy.

Plan for the new year: learn a few new pieces - including Giant Steps - jettison (i.e. stop practising in the same way) all the ones I've already made in some cases more than one recording of. I've been practising Donna Lee but have yet to make a recording of it, mainly because the backing tracks available to me are either a bit on the slow side (150 BPM) or just above what I'm currently comfortable with (180 BPM) so it's one tune I'll keep practising until I have developed some vocab and am comfortable with the 180 BPM backing track.

[cloughie]

RVW: Charterhouse Suite

[Joseph K]

[Joseph K]

Just started learning John McLaughlin's 'Marbles' - i.e. reading it from the sheet music and tab provided in the excellent guitar tab anthology. It's going to take some time...

[Jonathan]

After a long break, I have returned to learning the Alkan Marche, Op.37 no.1 which a couple of years ago I nearly had right. As I've been really lazy practising recently, it's going to be a challenge!

[Edgy 2]

After a long break, I have returned to learning the Alkan Marche, Op.37 no.1 which a couple of years ago I nearly had right. As I've been really lazy practising recently, it's going to be a challenge!

Respect

[Joseph K]

Another attempt at this. Although I'm not practising this tune at the moment, I find the kind of skills I've acquired from practising Giant Steps for three weeks now and improvement made in picking technique mean to me at least I sound a bit better on it. Still however I listen back and hear ideas that get discarded when they could have been turned into a sequence. Hey ho.

[BBMmk2]

After a long break, I have returned to learning the Alkan Marche, Op.37 no.1 which a couple of years ago I nearly had right. As I've been really lazy practising recently, it's going to be a challenge!

All the best with that!

I have now arrived at the final section of the Tchaikovsky I’m transcribing for concert band, the finale of his Fifth Symphony.

[BBMmk2]

Another attempt at this. Although I'm not practising this tune at the moment, I find the kind of skills I've acquired from practising Giant Steps for three weeks now and improvement made in picking technique mean to me at least I sound a bit better on it. Still however I listen back and hear ideas that get discarded when they could have been turned into a sequence. Hey ho.

That must be quite challenging!

[Dave2002]

Another attempt at this. Although I'm not practising this tune at the moment, I find the kind of skills I've acquired from practising Giant Steps for three weeks now and improvement made in picking technique mean to me at least I sound a bit better on it. Still however I listen back and hear ideas that get discarded when they could have been turned into a sequence. Hey ho.

Have you tried different backing tracks? A search for Ellington and Billy Strayhorn might give you a selection - basically the same piece, but with slightly (sometimes more) different flavours. There's also Oscar Peterson.

Your playing sounds much more precise here - though you might loosen up if you try alternative backing tracks. Just a suggestion.

Well done. Keep going.

[Joseph K]

Have you tried different backing tracks? A search for Ellington and Billy Strayhorn might give you a selection - basically the same piece, but with slightly (sometimes more) different flavours. There's also Oscar Peterson.

Your playing sounds much more precise here - though you might loosen up if you try alternative backing tracks. Just a suggestion.

Well done. Keep going.

Thanks Dave and yes, I have tried different backing tracks, but the one I use in the video above is more to my liking because it's faster than the other ones I've seen. Basically, in a slower tempo like 140 BPM, while I could play mostly quavers, they'd be a bit on the slow side, but my technique yet isn't enough to be comfortable picking triplets at this tempo so for me 140 BPM is a "neither here nor there" tempo - for the time being, of course. I do however have access to one that's 120 BPM, and I think I will try this tune at that tempo some time soon.

[Dave2002]

Thanks Dave and yes, I have tried different backing tracks, but the one I use in the video above is more to my liking because it's faster than the other ones I've seen. Basically, in a slower tempo like 140 BPM, while I could play mostly quavers, they'd be a bit on the slow side, but my technique yet isn't enough to be comfortable picking triplets at this tempo so for me 140 BPM is a "neither here nor there" tempo - for the time being, of course. I do however have access to one that's 120 BPM, and I think I will try this tune at that tempo some time soon.

Of course we barely hear the backing tracks in your video, and that influences views on how you're doing. I heard Ellington and one of his original bands on two occasions, and they were extremely impressive. To some extent the traditions of big band sounds are, or were, carried on in US college bands up to the end of the 20th Century - something which I think is quite hard to find in the UK now - though there may be other bands in the UK which manage to get a similar sound. I'm not sure about the latest "Ellington" band, which I assume is some sort of tribute band (you may find it on Youtube), but with a similar sound and style of playing to Ellington's own band.

College bands in the US are often very proficient - and have a really nice sound - though that sound is perhaps not so fashionable in Europe and the UK now. You'll find a few US college bands on Youtube doing the A Train piece. I'm not sure whether there are any current UK bands doing this. Music in some US secondary schools - I suppose corresponding to our 5th and 6th forms in UK schools (or years 11 -12) seems generally to me to be at a much higher level of technical proficiency than orchestras and bands schools in the UK - though whether this is true across most schools/colleges in the US I don't know. It may be State dependent - my experience was mostly of California.

In a live situation, or with very good recorded sound, the impact of a piece can be much greater - even if done at a steady tempo. Often I feel that a very steady tempo can be really boring and plodding, without any other stylistic features and nuances to liven things up. On the other hand a steady tempo can make for a more precise ensemble. So, other than that I can't really say much about how you're managing with your backing tracks. Even with fairly good equipment slight differences - for example between original CDs and other "very similar" sources can make a big difference to the impact - I think others, including JLW will agree - so the suggestion to try different backing tracks was meant to be helpful - but we "out here" listening to Youtube audio can't really tell.

Your playing in this piece is definitely more technically assured than in some of your previous videos, so well done.

Best wishes - as ever.

[Joseph K]

Thanks, Dave.

I for one can definitely hear the backing track in my videos.