Church Picnic

What a great time plating with the rock and roll band at the Church picnic today. Channeling my inner rock and roll star with Springsteen type of talk during some songs. Interesting from a musical standpoint applying some stuff from the Fewell book during my solo for the song "Moondance." A fun day!

Saturday

Read a bit of "Zen Guitar" today. I want to express my spirit and my soul

In my music. Results of MRI to be discussed with doctor on Thursday. Ok so I bought a new jazz Inprov book. I'm thinking, though, that the way to go might be to just dedicate myself to the Garrison Fewell Jazz Improv book and

Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach

really concentrate on it. Playing at church picnic tomorrow with the rock and roll band. Looking forward to expressing myself with my music there [and eating their food :) ] !!!!

A Good Gig

Gig went well, but of course the lack of a participating audience was an issue. It was mostly a car show. I think we sounded good. Here's my friend relaxing at the show:

Gig Day / Health

Will be playing a gig today with the rock & roll band at a car show; we will have a jar set up for donations to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The set lists will be similar to the September 13 post below. Some notable exceptions are that we added some songs switching our bass player to saxaphone on "Tequilla," "Sleepwalk," and "Honky Tonk / pt. 2." 

Another very notable exception involving me is that we added a medley of "Mona/Not Fade Away." For years I have been a gigantic fan of Bruce Springsteen's versions of this medley where he utilizes these tunes and others that have this "Bo Diddley beat" which lead to Bruce's "She's the One." "She's the One" is the first Bruce song I really liked. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of the Bo Diddley beat, and I am very much looking forward to doing this stuff!

Got some scary health news the other day which I'll try to summarize in the "short version" here. Having an MRI of my next this week to see if I have a certain health condition. If I don't have the condition, then ok. If I do have the condition, and I do NOT have surgery, then I can expect to eventually get paralyzed and end up in a wheelchair. This news stunned me, but then when I had a chance to think about it more, what it comes down to is a win-win situation: if I don't have the condition, then great! And if I do have the condition, then that's actually fine because surgery will stop the progression of the condition! Actually found out that our drummer had surgery for the same exact issue and it turned out just fine.

I told my wife about this issue a couple days ago when I found out, and I was pretty shook up. Told my kids yesterday, and wow, my 17 year old son was so great about it.  (The younger kids were too, but I told them all late at night and my younger ones were just going to bed).  My son actually asked how I was doing with it, told me I can talk to him about it, knew sonething was wrong when I talked to wife the other day alone, asked if I wanted to watch a movie with him, and treated me late last night to some fast food. So proud of him!

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to today's gig and hopefully people will show up, actually listen to us and do some dancing, and will make some cash for the Make-A-Wish folks. If you have read this post and are a believer in God, I'd appreciate some prayers for the health stuff; thanks!!!!!

Slow, Patient, Practice

Not sure if I will get to practicing today due to my schedule. But yesterday I did something a little different with my practice of the Fewell book. Took my time. Didn't focus on quickly turning pages as much as slowly trying to absorb and internalize the material. The result was that I think I made progress in terms of better internalizing the material. Having the guitar in hand while using my mind to learn and internalize material is a good method for me in learning improvisation.

Gig Day II

Benefit gig for kids with cancer went well in terms of how we sounded; it's a shame though that turnout wasn't big at all. Didn't get through all the songs (see post below this one). One song that I particularly liked was the old Everly Brothers' song "Let it Be Me." I sing lead on it, and the other guitarist provides a wonderful harmony vocal.

Will soon be getting on the mail the book "Outside Music Inside Voices" by Garrison Fewell (the same author of the book I'm working out of to learn improv.). The one I recently ordered talks about improv and spirituality.

Today's gig setup:

Gig Day I

Yesterday went over repertoire and worked on some melodic extensions.

Today is gig day for our rock and roll band; playing at a benefit for kids with cancer. Here's the set lists ( *denotes songs I sing lead on or a lot of):

1. 

Blue Suede Shoes

Bad Moon Risin *

Lucille *

Come a Little Bit Closer

That's All Right Mama

Ain't Too Proud to Beg *

Land of 1000 Dances *

Dream

Twist and Shout *

Bless the Child (an original written by a band member) *

2.

Memphis

Midnite Special

Spooky *

All Shook Up *

Last Kiss *

Kiss the Girl

Pink Cadillac *

Bebopalula *

Don't be Cruel

Margariteaville

3.

White Sport Coat

Spider and the Fly

Midnite Hour *

High Heeled Sneakers

Shake Rattle and Roll

Secret Agent Man

Heard it Through the Grapevine *

Werewolves of London

    Bye Bye Love *

Jumbalaya

Hang on Sloopy/Louie Louie (Medley) *

4.

Johnny B. Goode *

CC Rider

Moondance

Suzy Q *

Let it Be Me *

I Saw Her Standing There *

Slow Down *

Little Sister *

Amazing Grace (House of the Rising Sun format)

Teach Your Children *

Guitar Thursday

Another good guitar day. Went over repertoire, and dove again into Garrison Fewell's "Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach" book. 

Our rock and roll band had a fun rehearsal tonight in preparation for our Saturday gig. It's a gig benefiting kids with cancer. 

"The Christmas Song"

Well it needs work, but here's how it's sounding today:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vl95cur4l3wuq5x/My%20Song%2032.m4a?dl=0

Finished the song, yes, but still fighting with how to do improv. Worked aittle on a minor scale; tempted to go back to a book I started a while ago. 

Another Good Guitar Day

Interesting and good day with the guitar. Worked on repertoire and also added to my chord melody knowledge of "The Christmas Song" utilizing Robert Conti's "Assembly Line." 

Just airtime talk about 'fear' is in order. Perhaps I didn't move on sooner in that song because of fear. Fear I couldn't handle it. So it's easier to stagnate thanto take  the risk. Well I confronted that today and I'm glad I did! It's sounding nice.

Also ready to move on in the Aebersold book.

Cool Beatles Picture

This looks like it was taken in some kind of time warp or something:

Agenda

Guitar Agenda for Today

1. Review Repertoire

2. Experiment with Charlie Christian shapes. Maybe I can use these shapes as a basis for my improvs?

3. Continue to work on "The Christmas Song."

4. To the extent that #2 above is successful, utilize the Aebersold book.

5. Practice for Saturday's rock and roll gig.

Agenda (Other)

1. Clean gutters and try to get gutter guards.

2. Food shopping 

3. Buy stamps

4. Consider possibly working on basement; cardboard and CDs.

Well, here's how I did today with the above agenda items:

Regarding "Guitar Agenda," I did #1, #2 (my experiment did not work the way I may have liked), #3 (but did not learn anything new to the song), #4 (major scale shapes), and #5 (with a bandmate).

Regarding the "other" Agenda Items:

Successfully cleaned gutters and somewhat successfully installed gutter guards. Did #2 and #3, painted part of shed (with wrong kind of paint [!]), and painted address plate on our home. Did not do #4.

This Ray Rice / Baltimore Ravens / NFL stuff is not cool. 

Really great guitar day

Felt good learning "The Christmas Song" (again). It's not done yet. Went over my repertoire; began relearning Aebersold scale forms. Felt like a good guitar day.

Philly Eagles were losing 17-0 in their season opener, then they stage a comeback to win in the second half. Good job, men!

Opening Day of Philly Eagles Football !

Saturday

Received sacrament of Penance at Church tonight, then played guitar at Mass. Practiced my chord melody songs, still in the wilderness at night without a light when it comes to improv. FSU Seminoles win tonight; Philly Eagles play game one of new NFL season tomorrow.

September 5, 2014, Music, and the Guitar

Went back a bit to the joy of melody in going over some of my chord melody songs. Do not want to lose this skill, and I can't say enough about Robert Conti's "Assembly Line" in teaching this.

Considering utilizing Herb Ellis books or Conti's "Ticket to Improv." I am all over the place, I realize, with my sources of learning material.

Lesson 1 / Stefani Course

Have not yet received lesson two in the mail yet; this is a GOOD thing, because it gave me a chance to work more on the third lick given in the "Jazz Language." It is a challenge for me to implement those picking direction changes in that third lick!

Mark Stefani Course

Currently utilizing Mark Stefani's Jazz Guitar Course by mail: "Swing Blues: The Doorway to Jazz." It has 24 lessons, and I should be receiving the second lesson any day now. Just about done with the first lesson, though it isn't quite perfected. For this lesson, I learned three jazz licks, a song, and how to use some chords in a progression.

Labor Day, 2014

Went on a date with my wife to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary!

A nice guitar practice today of some repertoire songs and my jazz guitar lessons. Having some trouble with alternate pickings as described but it'll be ok. 

Finding that "seize the day" can't mean "conquer everything in a day" when it comes to learning guitar, having a family, and having a career!