Wednesday Night

Today I accomplished all that I set out to do (as listed in a previous post). Getting some momentum back with regards to taking charge of my health, and it feels good. 

Looks like I'll be collaborating on a song writing project with my friend from high school.

Reminder

DO NOT MESS UP DIET

Did lose 3.6 pounds since last week!

Wednesday Addendum

AND DO NOT MESS UP DIET!!!!

Wednesday Plan

1) Walk for 1/2 hour

2) Pray the rosary

3) Read Mindfulness book

4) Swing Guitar book

5) Try some of the Piano by Ear book

Tuesday's Addendum

Was able to achieve all the goals I set for myself for today (as listed in the post below). So far, so good!

Also restarted reading my Mindfulness book. Also, received my Piano by Ear book in the mail today and it looks interesting.

Looks like I'm going to use the Piano by Ear book, but I would like to focus on using it for FUN !!!

Tuesday

TODAY'S PLAN

1) Walk for about 1/2 hour total.

2) Organize music into:

     A) Religious

     B) Jazz Duet

3) Work on the Swing Jazz Book.

4) Work on an improvisation for one Jazz Duet song.

5) Do not mess up diet.

6) Pray the rosary.

Sunday

Spent most of the day in transit driving my son backache to college. 

Interesting music day: listened to "Geogaddi" by Boards of Canada, and the first two albums by The Band.

Tried playing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" on piano using The Sudnow Method. Got through the first line or so. Sounded ok. Then I took out my chord melody guitar version, and was surprised that I was able to play through the whole song (even if I had to play it slowly and with mistakes).

The bit of trouble I have is that although I like the piano sound better, it is the guitar's language that comes easier to me. So do I put off the guitar? Put off the piano? Do I really hate the guitar? No. 

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving

 

Arrival

Saw two great movies today: "The Last Waltz," and "Arrival." Saw "Arrival" at the theatre with my son; while we were gone, my wife set up our new Christmas tree.

 

Music

I once heard an interview with Bruce Springsteen and he said, "There's more to life than what you see around." I know that. That is what I try to capture in my music. The instant I held my son for the first time. Charlie Christian knew it in his solos as did Louis Armstrong. There is more to life than iPhones, money worries, and taking out the trash. There is more joy in life than what we see in the daily rut of routines. Vince Guarldi felt it when he played the introduction to "What Child is This." Keith Richards knows it, as did Keith Moon. I think music offers that opportunity to listeners as well as creators the reminder that indeed, "there's more to life than what you see around."

Black Friday

Went over some of the reading book. Won't concentrate on how to read rhythms as much as reading where the notes are on guitar. Looking to get back into the Swing Guitar book.

Ordered a new book: by Lucinda Mackworth-Young:

"Piano by Ear: Learn to Play by Ear, Improvise, and Accompany Songs in Simple Steps"

An Older Pic

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Listened to some Barney Kessel today.....wow.....

Looked at some of a YouTube video of him giving a guitar lesson; it seems excellent.

Up to chapter 2 of the guitar reading book. Actually tried to play along with some Charlie Christian stuff. I remember when I was younger playing along with a Muddy Waters album.

12:00

12:01 AM.

Happy Thanksgiving to All.

Strawberry Fields Forever

My favorite song...

 

 

 

Teddy Boys

 

 

Thanksgiving Eve

Reading an interesting book: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig. Not too far into it, but interesting how he seems to bemoan how technology interferes with living; the book was written in 1974, but I wonder what he would think of all the technology available in 2016! Continue to work on the guitar reading book and the Silver ideas.

Thanksgiving's Eve's Eve

Wasn't quite in the mood to practice, but glad that I did. Continue to practice the Silver ideas. Also continue to learn how to read music (on the fifth position on the guitar). Feels like when I was a kid and was making mistakes practicing the first position!

Sunday

A good guitar practice day. Went over some Silver ideas, spent a half hour on the reading book, and worked on the Howard book. Looking forward to my son coming home from college tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Really have to get better at organizing my life. Want to spend 1/2 daily on exercising in some way. Would also like to spend an hour of guitar practice including the topics of reading and improvisation. Really need to change my diet.

Christmas Time is Here

Well, ok, I might be rushing things, but it sure feels like Christmas time is here. Practiced with the band this morning for a number of Christmas shows that are sneaking up. Then one of my friends came over to my place and we played some jazz tunes. He played either sax or bass, I played guitar, and we used an "app" that played accompaniment. Went really well. I mostly used the ideas of Marc Silver in my improvisations, and I think that is the way to continue to improvise (for me). I think I still should learn how to read music. Lastly, I still remain intrigued by the Swing Guitar book by Paul Howard. I must continue to try to ingrain Silver's material in my brain while exploring the Howard book and music reading. Continue to use the Gibson Les Paul Studio in my jazzier stuff, and it's just sounding really nice. I really love the ebony fretboard.

Friday

My son's playlist from his radio broadcast tonight: 1) "Zebra" by Beachhouse 2) Antlers: "Crest" 3) Radiohead: "Everything in its Right Place" 4) Aphex Twin "Xtal" 5) Nicolas Jaar : space is only noise 6) Boards of Canada: rogbiv 7) Timber Timbre: "Curtains" 8) The Books / "Classy Penguin" 9) The Books / "Tokyo" 10) Brian Wilson (Smile version): "Our Prayer" 11) Beach Boys version of "Surf's Up" 11) Beatles "Mother Nature's Son" 12) Leonard Cohen "Last Year's Man"

Aebersold

Back to the basics. To learn a musical instrument takes some hard work. Going back to perhaps learning how to read music for guitar (I can read ok in the first position, but let's face it, that's not going to cut it. Also learning improv using the Aebersold/Christiansen book.

Music Day

Played my Gibson Les Paul Studio for the first time for a prolonged time at a church Christmas sale with the band. Liking the sound. Also played with the band at Mass tonight and we received a number of compliments.

Musical Direction / Radio / Fewell Book

My son was the DJ for an hour last night on his college radio station. Here's what he played: 1) Bill Evans: "My Foolish Heart" 2) Vince Guarldi: "Skating" 3) Sufjan Stevens: "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland Illinois" 4) Penguin Cafe: "Cherzo And Trio" 5) Fleet Foxes: "Lorelai" 6) Velvet Underground: "Candy Says" 7) Nick Drake: "Road" 8) A dad request: Rolling Stones: "Moonlight Mile" 9) George Harrison: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic George Martin 'Love' version)" 10) Bob Dylan "Desolation Row" Pretty Cool. Practiced some Christmas stuff with the band, but also stretched myself a little musically by playing a couple of jazz standards with our sax player and a background music app. I think it's time to dig in deeper in guitar and get back into the book "Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach," by the late Garrison Fewell. We had some cool email interaction in the past, and he autographed a copy of his book: "Outside Music, Inside Voices; Dialogues on Improvisation and the Spirit of Creative Music."