Sudnow

Finished (finally) with “What a Wonderful World.” So now I have two songs in my piano repertoire:” Misty” and “What a Wonderful World.” Time go move on to a song that I think I had sounding pretty good in the past: “Over the Rainbow.” 

Playing an open mic on guitar with the trio in a couple of days. Here are some possible songs we’ll be doing: 

“Havana,” “At Last,” “Why Don’t You Do Right,” “I Want You Back,” “Summertime,” “Over The Rainbow,” Smile,” and What a Difference a Day Makes.”

Sometimes I get the urge to just play some electric guitar blues and rock & roll!

Looks like our band is gearing up to play Christmas shows for charity.

Guitar / Piano

Looks like our trio is gathering some traction. Four days ago we played at an open mic night. Looks like we will be pushing this trio thing.

Continue to practice scales from the Arbersold Book 1 for guitar. Putting chord melody on hold for now (at least temporarily!).

Good piano practice too. Practiced closed voicings as well as continue to work on “What a Wonderful World” Sudnow style. 

Sudnow

Back yet again to the Sudnow Method. Working on closed voicings. Can somewhat play “Misty.” Working on “What a Wonderful World.”

To a lesser extent, still learning guitar chord melody and some soloing stuff.

Playing a charity gig with the band this weekend.

Playing at an open mic a week from today in a jazz trio (the bassist in the other band, our main vocalist, and myself on guitar).

Bought Led Zeppelin I the other day / of course I used to have it years ago.

I like the new Paul McCartney album: “Egypt Station.”

National Dog Day

Here’s our relatively new puppy: Oliver Rocco

College Move In Day

Moved my second child into college two days ago.

MARTIN D-35

My new guitar (a 50th anniversary) Martin D-35:

Update

A few things going on musically:

1. Playing fingerpicking guitar style a bit. Here’s me doing the old Fleetwood Mac song, “Never Going Back Again.” Lyndsey Buckingham gets such cool sounds from the guitar. Here’s a version I recorded yesterday: 

https://app.box.com/s/a8ow9mlrf9ncgn4k1ahiae5s11ns7c1p

2. Playing a gig soon with the band of Christmas songs. We call the show “Christmas in July.”

3. Got a free piano and just paid for the moving of it. Will eventually have to get it tuned. Where I go with piano is now at the stage where I just want to incorporate inversions in a number of songs (with left hand playing root only).

4. Playing some jazz standards with a woodwind player and our bassist.

5. What I’m mostly excited about is a new book I got: 

“Beyond Chord Melody” by Martin Taylor with Joseph Alexander. I’m up to page 16 and really liking it.

What a Wonderful World

It’s been awhile since I posted here. Here’s what I’m up to:

Back to the Sudnow Piano Method, but this time I am really taking my time. I got “Misty” pretty much under my fingers, and I’m working now on voicing and learning one of my favorite songs: “What a Wonderful World” (the Louis Armstrong one). 

I just keep coming back to Sudnow. 

Figured out what’s mostly a guitar chord melody solo arrangement of “What a Wonderful World,” also. Here’s how that recently sounds:

https://app.box.com/s/iw6bt8562m8fqvfxc4vm09kj89p47xn7

I’m still on the Keto diet, though I messed up a couple of days. Continue to lose weight!

Happy Birthday to Me

Turned 56 today....going to celebrate it this weekend.

Pentatonic Thursday

Still on the keto diet and lost about eleven pounds. Hanging in there! 

Bought a cool book about chord melody solo guitar by Martin Taylor. Interesting; from what I gather, he’s taking a different path than just using established chord forms. Intriguing to me because there are soooo many chord forms..... He covers other stuff like playing bass during the solo, 

Worked tonight mostly on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” Interesting using some pentatonic stuff. 

Every Night

Practiced some guitar tonight; learning “Meditation” chord melody style for our jazz duet. Still doing some stuff with the Silver book. Took out my acoustic and this happened; made a recording of my version of Paul McCartney’s “Every Night.” Use headphones if possible:

https://app.box.com/s/zpidgoi4cda5l9cahlio9kdsktxrokqd

Keto Diet / Day 3 / May 2, 2018

Keto Diet / Day 1

Musically I want to get back into the Silver book. And of course, there is the piano. Here is a picture taken today. Hopefully in a year my face will be thinner:

Update

Haven’t posted in awhile and here is an update without going g into too many details. Currently:

1) Still in the rock and roll / jazz band playing guitar and doing a little singing

2) Currently in a jazz duet with another guy who is in the band above 

3) The Fewell Book is a focus.

4) Still there, but less of a focus: chord melody on guitar, and the Sudnow Method on piano

Fewell

Decided to just s l o w d o w n and try to learn material in the Fewell book slower. Trying to get it. It or nothing else can be an easy method when it comes to learning how to improvise. I would like to have more than scales as tools.

One of my main issues remains what to do when keys change in songs; like when it goes from one key to another every few bars.

CONGRATULATIONS TO VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY FOR MAKING IT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME !!!!

I attended there when they won their championship against the Georgetown Hoyas.