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Actions: July 26 – 31

This is it. The horses are rounding the final corner and into the home stretch!

I realized that I bit off more than I could chew in July. Attempting to write out 2 songs, one fluid and still forming, and one complete but 12 pages long (and the TOUR DE FRANCE and the OLYMPICS) … OMGosh – I needed to make some quick decisions about what I was going to accomplish in July.

I opted to complete Ivan’s Rush Hour – the 12 pager from 2000. 21 years is a long time to let something sit in a dusty bucket on half written music paper. I’m so proud of my efforts. It was truly a piano piece that developed both rhythmically and musically. The freedom of being in “rush hour” allowed me to have some abrupt changes (like you experience driving in Southern California). I’m even considering doing a 10 minute podcast or YouTube video to show how I got it out of my head. 21 years in 30 days! Wow!

For Project 1 – I had some amazing experiences in July as well. I did figure out how to notate in a swing notation. My a-ha moment came after studying atomic valency and then taking a short nap in my car. I had been re-writing Project 1‘s verse in 12/8 time (123, 223, 323, 423), which gives me 4 beats in a measure, but each beat has a triplet. This was to “visually” capture the quarter and eighth notes (3 eighths) for swing. Mathematically, I knew 12/8 would not match perfectly with swing eighths in 4/4 time. But the atomic valency nap assured me that I am “borrowing or lending an electron to get to 8 in the atomic sphere to be happy.” Literally! THIS is how I come at creativity. It clicked! and my flute teacher checked my work and confirmed I got it!

“I will never have to do this again.” That has been my mantra. Just like learning a language – once you know how to read or say “bathroom” you don’t have to hold it as long as before you didn’t know the word!

I will work on certain Ivan rhythms this Saturday with my flute teacher and then start recording a better version to share with a pianist on FiveR who will eventually play it, professionally. My chops just don’t have it anymore!

sb

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Actions: July 19 – 25

Ivan’s Rush Hour –  I am still notating the slow section. This week I do intend to map out the entire 6 minute song to see how many sections I’m working on. 

I did learn this morning as I was writing it out: I play grace notes now and then. These are the tiny notes before a normal looking note that is played before the beat but not counted as a beat. WTH? Think of the word, “TA-DA!” Your “DA” lands on the downbeat. The “TA” is the grace note. Those 2 syllables are considered as one beat. At least, that’s my understanding. 

Grace notes to share with others

Project 1 for July – The new verse and bridge are complete! I am now tasked with getting it written in SWING Jazz style which means 2 x eighth notes are really played as 3 x eight note triplets. Oh, man… Couldn’t I just play like a 4 year old learning quarter note beats? Of course not! LOL. I FEEL it. I SENSE it. Now I have to pull the melody out of my head and put it into this format.

Swing Style

And as for the termites nibbling away at my dreams – I need to complete the landing page on Noteflight for music partners to read and discuss my sheet music. I also need to start re-learning Sibelius and Finale. 

My goal is to have both of these songs written out and in a decent format by the end of July. What used to take me 20 years, has now been completed in almost 30 days!

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Actions: July 12 – 17

And we’re off! The website is up and populated!

Actions are similar to last week. I’m further along in Ivan’s Rush Hour. I am now notating the slow section. I need to map out how many sections I’m working with to determine how much manual labor I need to do. With the notation software, there can be a lot of copying/pasting. Project 1 for July – I want to keep messing around with the verse line and figure out the rhythm for my intro chords. 

I need to keep writing out 2M/day for both songs.

 

Possible Transition Chords
Possible Melody SH
rhythm

Studio Rebuild – I downloaded Sibelius and Finale last night. Finale is being used when I work with John Z for older transcriptions. Sibelius is my preference since 2012. 

Noteflight – I need to set up a landing page for Partners who wish to view sheet music.

Boring post, I know. But these are the termites chewing away at our dreams. Unless I do it daily, I’ll just have holes and brittle bones and no Fosamax! So much to do! 

-sb

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Actions: For July 4 – July 10

This week, I’m trying for the following:

1) Get the blog from WordPress updated. 

Ivan’s Rush Hour – I’m on page 5, M103 and have 10 more measures to go. Next I need to copy the slower section from Finale and input into NF using .xml. Then my handwritten manuscript ends and I need to find the audio file to see how I played it in 2000. But this entry into Noteflight will make things much easier.

Survivor’s Hymn – I played the piece on a REAL piano at church and realized my verse needs to be longer if I’m using the various ideas with jazz rhythms. Would like to get onto Youtube and learn how to do large chords that play the melody along with the chord structure. It’s a typical jazz piano technique, but I don’t know what it’s called.

Studio Rebuild – I want to download the soundsets over to an external drive to free up my laptop. I need to determine if my laptop should be upgraded to a 1TB to support everything. Could I install that on my own? Then I will download Presonus/Finale and Sibelius.

– sb