Inspiration everywhere

You just never know when it will hit you. This time I found myself wanting to figure out a song thanks to the NBC show "Scrubs". "Men At Work" lead singer Colin Hay's appearance on this show lead me to want to figure out the song he sang throughout one of the episodes. Those who are a fan of the show know what I'm talking about. Anyway, after thoroughly enjoying watching a couple of "Scrubs" episodes, the Colin Hay's "Overkill" tune kept ringing through my head so I just had to go and figure it out. Anyway, it's fun learning new things, especially when you weren't planning on it.

In need of good copies

Last night I had my first rehearsal with the NYCO. Everything went well until we had to play; sarcasm intended. We received music for Beethoven's 5th, but the copy we had to play from was completely illegible. It didn't have any markings on the different movements and a good number of notes were cut off. It was quite frustrating but, it helped develop a much needed skill. Patience. Apparently, my feelings if ineptitued were shared with many others in the orchestra because most players were having the same difficulties as I. Hopefully, this is the worst it gets.

NYCO Concert Recap

The North York Concert Orchestra had its second concert of the season last night; my first as a part of its double bass section. It is always a bit of an adjustment when playing in different venues. Whether it be in your practice room or on a theatre stage or in a great sounding acoustic church, you have to make necessary adjustments. Last night at Willowdale United Church, I felt that we did a great job and the audience seemed to respond well to the Orchestra's performance. Thanks to all for coming out and supporting us.

NYCO Concert

Last night went well with the NYCO, even though it was a portion of the songs we will perform. I noticed that we tend to play things slightly faster when playing live. Granted you are a little excited, but, I should have gotten my hands ready to play some of those pieces that fast. It's not that I didn't keep up; the tempo we played at blind-sided me. Well, if you missed last night, you can catch the full concert this Saturday evening.

For details, visit www.nyco.on.ca

Reminder: North York Concert Orchestra

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

7:30 PM

Benefit concert for the Downtown Alternative School (DAS)

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
165 Front Street (at Frederick Street)
Toronto

NYCO:
Copland - Outdoor Overture
Glazunov - The Seasons: Winter

With the DAS Choir:
Traditional Quaker - Simple Gifts
Anderson - Sleigh Ride

NYCO:
Dvorak - Symphony #8

Tickets: $10 - $25

Visit www.nyco.on.ca for more details.

Click here for a map to the theatre.

See you there.

Little Jam

Last Friday, I had a small little jam session with a couple of people that I did a recording with late last year. We went through a few jazz standards and a couple of contemporary songs as well. I always find it interesting to see how other players process music, especially those who have been self-taught. I threw out a tune that the others didn't know at all. Although it took a little bit of time to figure it out, it came out sounding pretty good. In fact, everyone always brings different things to a song and it is always refreshing to see how a person interprets printed music. After all, "there's more than one way to carve a turkey" or "all roads lead to Rome". Anyway, we got to where we wanted to.

Find a mentor

Many people have this idea that they can learn everything from a book. This applies to those that want to learn music. Sometimes a person would buy a book or magazine with "tabs" in the hopes of being a virtuoso. But, we all know that learning music from books can only take you so far; they have limits. Don't get me wrong, when used properly, books are a great resource for musicians and artists alike. They can give you ideas to further your musical progress or be a source of reference to rehash some techniques. By far, having a competent mentor or teacher to show you the ropes is the way to go. A teacher can show you the tiny little things that you may be doing incorrectly and give you feedback. They are 3-dimensional fonts of knowledge that can give you visual, audio and tactile tips. Anyway, my point is to find your musical Yoda. They can guide you through your books and