Re: [Harp-L] Questions re: blue notes and micro-tonality

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 9/5/2008 7:27:21 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jruss433@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

 
I think you got it, Larry.  I grapple with this everytime I practice  and 
every time I take to the stage (when maybe I should be practicing).   Should I do 
what I do and add to it; or should I backtrack and figure out what  I've been 
doing for the last 30 years?  I ask myself the same questions  about singing 
and haven't resolved them there  either.

 
Not knowing what you do, it's hard to answer your question. I found that  
personal reevaluation of everything done and where it came from was a process of  
"re-inventing" my approach. Every year or two I began to consciously inject 
this  reworking into my own evolution.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Since I started trying reconstruct while playing, I have  slowed my 
development.  I remain greedy to reach the next step, yet I  have gigs and the thrill 
of performance calls.  There are only so many  hours in a day.
 
There comes a point where you may decide to turn  off your analytical brain 
and start to follow the sound - you've put in enough  time that your muscle 
memory response should be approaching the speed of your  thoughts. Substitute 
sound for your words in your head. Chris talks about  channeling the music of the 
universe through you by opening up to it. This works  when you learn to quiet 
the words that spin through your brain as you talk to  yourself in your head 
- analysis is a lot of talking. It gets so loud that you  can't hear the music 
of the universe that is all around you. Some learn to quiet  the mind through 
studying/practicing meditation. Once the chatter in your head  stops, you'd 
be amazed at what you'll hear. It is wonderfully linear - one note  that leads 
to the next one that leads to the next one that leads to the next one  that 
leads........
 
 
 
 
 

The lady or the tiger... 
Mark Russillo 
a.k.a. The Rhode Island Kid 



----- Original Message ----
From: "IcemanLE@xxxxxxx"  <IcemanLE@xxxxxxx>
To: rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx
Cc:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, September 4, 2008 9:07:57 PM
Subject:  Re: [Harp-L] Questions re: blue notes and micro-tonality

Right on,  Rick. 

First came the music. Then came the academics to try to explain  the music.  
To approach it from the opposite direction can be a  frustration, as the mind 
 
tries to ask for more and more analysis  details to try to reconstruct what 
was  
natural music in the first  place.


In a message dated 9/4/2008 8:21:01 P.M. Eastern Daylight  Time,  
_rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx)  writes:

I  would  say that trying to define the 'blue third' or blue anything else  
for 
that  matter is the equivalent of sending the blues to college;  
not a great idea  in my opinion (I don't like what that's done to  jazz 
either)
It's a vernacular form, like all folk music. The best  way  to 'define' it is 
to work out what sounds good to you at any  given time, and  go for that; the 
flatter, the darker, the   dirtier.




**************It's only a deal if it's where you  want to go. Find your 
travel 
deal here.      
(_http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047_ 
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) )
_______________________________________________
Harp-L is  sponsored by SPAH, _http://www.spah.org_ (http://www.spah.org/) 
_Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx) 
_http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l_ 
(http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l) 






**************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel 
deal here.      
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)