Great Performance

Since i just figured out how to put a video on here, i'll be putting up some of my favorite videos.

This great performance from the Crossroads 2007 guitar festival. Featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Derek Trucks, Steve Jordan, and more.

New Post

Long time since my last post. I've been getting pretty busy with school and work lately. So, since my last post i've gotten some more music gear, a few gigs, a lot of practice, and tons of great new music.

Some good CD's i've gotten since my last post, in no particular order.

1. Keith Jarrett- "Shostakovich-24 Preludes & Fugues"

I actually just picked this up today. With this recording Jarrett shows that he is more than capable of playing in a more traditional solo piano style, and not just the great jazz playing he is so well known for. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a composer who paid tribute to Bach with these 24 preludes & fugues. Studying counterpoint and conducting at school has given me a new interest in more traditional music and classical styles. Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSbX6o3Z6xs&feature=related

2. Allan Holdsworth-"Against The Clock"

This is Holdsworth's greatest album. Featuring some of my favorites. Especially the first track, called "Tokyo Dream". Apparently this song was only released in Japan, i could find it anywhere here. I just watched this youtube video of a performance of it so many times. So i was excited to finally get a copy of this tune and try to learn it. It has a great melodic solo, where his tone is almost perfect. Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9xOomYyLI8

3. George Harrison-"Concert for Bangladesh"

Featuring an all-star cast of musicians; George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, and Ringo Starr played an incredible charity concert at Madison Square Garden in 1971. The highlight of this great concert is the performance of "That's the Way God Planned It" where Billy Preston shines. Here's a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYxzPdv67yA

4. Phish- "Live Phish 20: 12/29/1994 Providence Civic Center"

What would any list of mine be without Phish? This show represents Phish at a time when their improvisation could take them anywhere on any night. The fall of '94 is where they really hit their creative peak in my opinion. This show features an absolutely epic second set version of "David Bowie" that clocks in at 35:41. Listening to this jam in its entirety was one of the most powerful Phish experiences for me in a long time. Especially from around 25 minutes on, where it takes an extremely psychedelic turn.

More to follow...

-MD

Update

First entry in a while, I've been really busy at school doing lots of work. I'm learning a lot this semester and growing as a musician. For most of this semester, my focus has been on jazz. I'm not really a jazz player yet, but i think studying it has improved my ear and technique. I've improved my "rig" as well. I finally have a job so i can make money and get some things i need to put a good setup together. That was one of my main goals this semester. So i'll talk about my new setup just a bit. 

1. Ernie Ball VP junior Volume Pedal-Ever since i started listening to Jimmy Herring i've always wanted to be able to do some volume swell technique. Playing a strat, i was able to get the volume swell down with my pinky pretty well. It works well for single notes and longer, sustained chords. But i always wanted a way that i could be more articulate with the volume control and play some more complicated things in a swell. Well, the answer to that problem was a volume pedal. Now i can do some really interesting swell technique combining the use of my pinky and the pedal. 

2. MXR Carbon Copy analog delay pedal- This is a great and subtle effect for playing some chords or lead. The actual delay effect of this pedal is excellent because it doesnt change the tone of my guitar at all. I can get anything from slap-back echo to the U2 like delay that they are so famous for. I've also had a bit of fun trying to do the Pink Floyd delay settings from the song "Run Like Hell". There is also Modulation switch. This switch is the reason why i gravitated toward the Carbon Copy. It can emulate the old "tape echo" sound that i'm really into. Its this swirling effect where you hear the note move around a bit after you play it. Again, this is a subtle effect, but can be really effective. 

3. Boss TU-2 Tuner Pedal- this probably isnt the most interesting pedal, but it has really helped me out. I can use the pedal to tune my guitar or bass quickly in a live situation. I had a gig a few weeks ago, and having this pedal made me feel very confident about staying in tune the whole time. For some reason, when i play live, i usually think that i'm constantly horribly out of tune. Even though that's usually not the case. So having this pedal on my board can help me relax on stage. 

4. Maxon OD-9 Overdrive- I've had this pedal for a long time and i love the tone i get from it. Its a great lead tone that really screams. For a long time this was my only pedal. I'm happy with it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a traditional overdrive sound. 

So, that's my current setup. Its fairly simple and gets the job done. I've only got the chance to use it live once, but i was very satisfied with my sound. I'm also happy with how easy it is to use all my pedals. Of course these pedals are used in combination with my Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan strat that is my only guitar. Ive been looking to add another guitar to my setup as well. Something that offers a different option. I've thought about so many different guitars, that if i wrote them all i think this blog would be 50 pages long. I change my mind every day about what guitar i want next, so its good to know that i still love my No. 1. 

I'll be writing another entry very soon...

Thanks for reading,

-MD

What I'm working on

8/8/2009 

So i've decided to start a practice journal where i can write about what i've been practicing each day. I think this will help me be more goal oriented when practicing. It will keep me organized and will be a good way to look how i progress over time. Basically the entries will be me writing about what i'm working on, as well as goals for the next day. I'll make one every day and put a few up here every now and then just so people can check out what i'm working on. I'll also be doing more music talk, review etc. So here's my first entry into the practice journal. 

 8/7/2009

 My goal today was to study some Allan Holdsworth. I've been trying to work out some Holdsworth style chord voicings to spice up my comping. My hands arent big enough to do some of the voicings i discovered, but i enjoyed listening to the tunes and figuring them out anyway.

I also was tinkering with my gear to see if i could get a lead tone like his. Kind of tough to do when all you have is an SRV strat. The tone i ended up with wasnt really a Holdsworth sound, but it was much different to the straight up, bluesy fender tone that i usually use. Definitely a tone that i can use now when i want something different.

 I also was trying to figure out what i could of his lead playing, taking an idea here and there. It all goes by very fast. I figured out the chord progression to the song i was working on and i played lead over it for a while, focusing on using Lydian and Melodic Minor. There’s a few patterns I noticed that he repeated quite a bit, these really fast chromatic ideas on adjacent strings

 Also played along with Freddie the Freeloader from Kind of blue trying to employ a holdsworth like style. Got to learn more about Legato playing.

 Also, i want to become more comfortable with the Melodic Minor scale, and the chords that are in the harmonized scale.

 I Found some really cool Major 7 voicings with the 5^th in the bass. Sounds really deep. Come back and check these out eventually.

 Goals for Tomorrow:

 

1. Continue to study Holdsworth. Find more Voicings. Listen to solos. Figure out whats going on a little bit. Try and experiment more with Legato playing. 
2. Learn chords to “Proto Cosmos” play over it. Experiment with Comping trying to use the voicings I learned.
3. Work with Melodic Minor more
4. Experiment with comping and soloing over standards. Play over the songs that are on “Kind of Blue”
5. Explore the possibilities of the Maj 7 voicings with the 5th in the root that i found. Possibly write a progression involving them. 
6. Study Comping and lead on “Cause we’ve ended as lovers” cover by jimmy Herring. As well as “Utensil Oceans”. 
7. Select a few Metheny songs to learn. Trio or group. continue playing over "Midwestern night's Dream". experiment with comping over that. Loop it, take a bass solo. Study Jaco Pastorius' playing on it if i can. 
8. If time allows, listen to the entire Metheny album "Bright Size Life". 

So these entries arent going to be really formal. But it really helps me to write this stuff down. 

-So if anyone reading this is working on anything, whether its musical or not, I'd love to hear. Anyone else have any goals they're working towards?

I'll be back with a more traditional entry next time. 

Thanks for reading 

-MD

 

Artist

I'd like to write about an artist that i've been listening to a lot lately. 

Bruce Hornsby- Simply put, an incredibly talented person. 

As a kid i remember hearing "The Way it is" sitting in the backseat of my parents car, those great eighties drum loops and that silky smooth synth-bass tone. Up until recently, i pretty much thought that "The Way it is" was the extent of Bruce's work. I didnt even know if he still was around playing music. So, a friend of mine who is really into Bruce's music showed me a few of his songs and I was instantly hooked. I got a copy of his 5 disc "Intersections 1985-2005" to do some further research, and was completely blown away with what i found. Most of the tracks on this album are recent, and live performances of Bruce's music. No 80's synth tones or loops to be heard. There are so many great qualities to the this collection of 53 tunes spanning Bruce's entire career. There's so much to say about his qualities as a musician. An incredible list of songs he's written, the ability to play piano in so many different settings, technical ability on piano as well as accordion, and a unique soulful voice on top of all that. He really is the complete package. I'd like to highlight some of my favorite Hornsby songs. 

1. "Mandolin Rain"-Without any question this is my current favorite song. Particularly the live version off of the "Intersections" CD. Although i do really enjoy the 80's version which is more widely known. To me, this song is a perfect combination of beautiful melodies and meaningful lyrics. Bruce's voice is the highlight of the song, his soulful singing sounds so genuine that it takes the song to another level. Its been a song that i cannot get out of my head for around 2 months straight. 

2. "Look out Any Window"- The version that I have is the old 80's version from "Scenes from the Southside". One thing i really love about this song is that it has a HUGE sound. The big pulsing drums, the vocal harmonies, the synth chords sustaining in the background, all of it. This song just sounds like an excellent live recording. It also has an excellent piano solo by Bruce. I also believe that the lyrics to this song remain relevant today, especially with the state of the world/economy etc. 

3. "Walk In the Sun"- This song has an excellent 1990's sounding drum loop. Features some great background vocals and more excellent piano playing from Bruce. 

There's many more songs that i could write about, but I think these three are a good representation of Bruce's music. I think everyone has heard "The Way it is", which is another fantastic song. Listening to this music has helped me develop my ear and also helped me to recognize great lyrics. 

Bruce Hornsby's music is a great example of not over-performing, which I think is a common problem in today's music. A man with endless chops, both with piano and voice, that plays to what the song needs and not to what HE needs. A great lesson for any musician. 

As a kid, Bruce was just the soundtrack to going to Stop & Shop with my parents to get the groceries. And i think he might be that for many people. But, he is still around and writing great songs. 

Thanks for reading,

-MD