It's Done

Well, the last section was really easy. I could have finished this chart in a day. Too bad I don't have a day to spare solely for transcribing. Anyway, I finished the chart after hanging out with friends and coming home at around 11:45pm. I stayed up for just over an hour to have it finished. Piece of cake.

I have a couple of other charts that I've been asked to transcribe so those will be next. Hopefully, I can practice a little bit more than I have this week.

Just on a side note, the board game "Gestures" can become very competitive.

Almost Done

I'm almost done the transcription.

I found myself just starting to get into the transcription when our friends dropped by for a visit. It's always nice to have people over, too bad it slows down the steam that you had going for your work. The unexpected is what makes life so interesting and fun. So, after my friends left, I went back at it for another hour; with more yawns than I was planning that night. The neat thing about the visit is that the arrangement is for my friends. Tonight I'm planning to have it all done to give them tomorrrow. I'm not too worried. It will be done.

If there was an exercise I would advise people to try is to take a choral piece and transcribe it; or any piece of music. It's a chance to get an idea behind the arrangers musical tools and devices used for a piece of music. I've definately learned a fair bit from this transcription. I just have to get it done.

mfpenafiel@hotmail.com

A capella @ York U

If you're in the Keele & Steeles area on February 9 and have an appetite for some good a capella singing, then come on out to York University's Winters College. Both Wibijazz'n (of which, I and many of my friends are proud almunists) and the award-winning Cadence (a spin-off group of Wibijazz'n and a group that I am a proud supporter of). Anyway, they are performing together in the Winters College Dining Hall and the show starts at 6:30pm. Admission is pay-what-you-can with the suggested price of $5. Proceeds will be donated towards the Winters College Fund. So, come out and have a good time.

Blogger Shout-Outs

Last Friday night, I went out with some friends and I bumped into Amber, from Call for Help, the person who introduced me to Blgger.com. She definately knows her stuff and can help a ton of people with their web problems. Anyway, I'm just really happy with how easy it is to post stuff on blogger.com. Anyway, thanks Amber. I still have a lot to learn about html, but I'm glad I've got my head in the game.

Arranging Project

I love challenges.

Just this past weekend, I was given a couple of a cappella songs to transcribe by a friend. I haven't done this in a while so it's refreshing to get back into it. On top of that, there's a loose deadline where my friend would like it done sometime in February. I'm setting a personal goal where I have my first arrangement finished by this Sunday. I'm already through the first section. It's just a matter of ploughing through and gettting it done. The hardest part is actually sitting down and doing it.

Quote(s) of the Week

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow annonymous benefits upon the world."
-Rober Louis Stevenson

"Don't Worry... Be Happy"
-Bobby McFerrin

"???"
-BassBassDude

Quote of the Day

"The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy"
-Merryl Streep

"The great gift of elephants is their power of never forgetting where they left their trunk"
-BassBassDude

Quote of the Day

"We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them."
- Evelyn Waugh

"You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your friend's nose"
- BassBassDude

The City Chase

I just thought I'd mention that a good buddy of mine and I have recently joined Toronto's Bell City Chase. Last year was our first time racing in this event and we didn't do too badly. We had high expectations of ourselves, but we fell short of our goals. This year we're planning on a top ten finish. Will, it happen? Who knows. We went in last year running around like chickens with our heads chopped off. We spent a lot of energy on the unimportant stuff and found ourselves out of gas at the end of the race. My calves tightened up early in the race and that slowed us down immensely. It was a disappointment but it was a fun time none the less. Anyway, I'm planning a workout schedule for me to follow so that way I can keep up with my buddy who seems to always be in shape. If you have any tips or insights on training, feel free to e-mail me at www.mfpenafiel@hotmail.com

Pulled it off

Well, with the folk choir, we got through the two arrangements and opened the Rice Cafe last night. It went well and the arrangements that I/we had put together sounded good. The group learned it quickly and worked hard at it. I'm just glad they made it through it and made it sound good. The other performers from the Rice Cafe did a good job as well. If you're looking for more info on the Rice Cafe, please visit www.rice-cafe.com

"It's always a good time when you are performing in front of people and you are comfortable."
-BassBassDude

Afterwards, a late dinner and some karaoke topped off the night with some good old fellowship and merriment. Hard work, in the long run usually pays off. If not, it's good to be around people that can at least laugh about it.


Just on a side note, if you would like to e-mail me you can do that as well. Drop me a line at mfpenafiel@hotmail.com

Learning by rote

Just a quick point. After last night's second practice/dinner, I am reconfirmed in my belief that learning by rote is a powerful way of learning music. Although it can be difficult and frustrating for the most part, it is through this discipline that one can fully internalize a song.

I remember my days in Wibijazzn' when I would learn songs and parts through rote. I remember how painful it felt when I was having a hard time to get it. Eventually after practicing it over and over again, it became second nature to me.

I guess it only makes sense that we learn music similar to how a baby learns how to speak.

The way to a musician's time is through his...

Stomach.

Last night, I was invited over to my buddy's house for dinner. As soon as I sat down to eat, I found out that it was going to be a practice night. It didn't bother me at all. In fact I was howling at how deceptive he was about it all. Either way, it didn't matter whether I knew or not; good thing I didn't have any set plans that night. I can only guess that my friend didn't tell me about the practice because I guess he didn't want me to bring my upright bass over. Either he wanted me to focus more on the vocal arrangements or he's being subtle about how I play my bass. Either way, that's a clever way of getting a practice together.

A little change up...

A little change up...
Originally uploaded by BassBassDude.

Just last night, I had finished an arrangement for the folk group/choir that I'm a part of. I tried to keep it as simple as possible keeping in mind that it had to be learned quickly for this little thing that we're a part of next weekend. It sounds fine, I just hope it works out. Anyway, my buddy came over to take a look at it; he says it sounds okay. On top of that we went over a few things as well. After that, we decided to change things up a bit. For a guitarist, he picked it up well. I'm just happy that he admits that playing the double bass is hard.

Happy New Year

P1000246
Originally uploaded by BassBassDude.

Here's to setting new goals, and to have the courage just to try them, regardless of the circumstances.

Happy New Year

To a year that will be kind and generous to those who need it most.