Practicing Away from Your Instrument

Some of my students have come into their lesson this week, saying "Sorry, I didn't have much time to practice. I was really busy." Well, that just sums up everyone's life these days, doesn't it? There are several ways that you can practice music when you are busy. I've already touched upon speed practicing. 

Another thing you can do while you are in transit or while you are working on your schoolwork is to listen to recordings of either you playing your pieces and/or someone else performing them. I was working full-time in an office while I was preparing for my ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Practice time, while working all day and living in an apartment was quite limited. 

During the day, I popped in CD's of of piano repertoire into my computer and plugged in my earphones. Even though I was busy writing articles or sending out correspondence, some part of my brain was listening to my pieces and dissecting them. I would also listen to them on my commute home. 

Sometimes, I employ this technique now with my Japanese language studies. I'll listen to our class recordings while completing my studio paperwork. Or, I'll listen to recordings of my students' pieces to refresh my memory before heading into lessons. Another thing I did frequently was scorestudy, that is, to study the musical score. At lunchtime, I would I would sneak off to a quiet corner for five to ten minutes after eating to frantically tap out the complex rhythms in my pieces. The third idea is courtesy of one of my students and applies for to music theory and ear training. It took her a long time to memorize her Circle of Fifths. I was impressed when she told me that she set the Circle of Fifths as her iPod wallpaper. "I had to look at it each time I unlocked it," she told me. As far as ear training and music vocabulary go, there's an app for that!

Concert Review: Calgary Jazz Orchestra Plays Brubeck and the Adderley Brothers

Lively music and exciting solos were on the programme at the Calgary Jazz Orchestra's first concert for the 2012/13 season. This concert took place on Sunday, October 21, 2012  at the River Park Church in Calgary, Alberta. The William Aberhart Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kevin Willms took to the stage first, performing three numbers. The first was "Hay Burner" by composer and big band arranger, Sammy Nestico, a mid-tempo number.

This was followed up with Duke Ellington's "Pyramid", which is a medium, Latin-influenced number. This featured some lovely solos on trombone, clarinet, tenor sax, trumpet and bari sax.

The jazz band wrapped up with "Groovin' Hard" by Don Menza. This upbeat swing number featured solos on drums, tenor sax, piano and guitar.

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra Performs the Music of the Adderley Brothers

The first half of the CJO's program featured some hard bop by trumpeter and composer Nat Adderley and his brother, alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.

The jazz ensemble opened the first set with "Hayseed". This lively number featured solos by Gerry Hebert on saxophone, Kim Beachum on trumpet, Egor Ukoloff on piano and Brian Walley on trombone. A highlight was when Jeremy Brown (saxophone) and Greg Baker (drums) were trading fours.

Another highlight wasn't listed on the programme. The late addition was "Tenderly", arranged by pianist Egor Ukoloff. It was performed by Egor Ukoloff, Jeremy Brown, Johnny Summers, Kodi Hutchinson and Greg Baker.

Egor Ukoloff opened with a Gershwin-esque introduction, complete with rolls and waves of blues chords and arpeggiated patterns. A sensitive presentation of the "head" was delivered by Johnny Summers on trumpet and Jeremy Brown. Jeremy's lines were quite varied, one moment, lyrical and wavy and the next, marcato as the melody grew.

In contrast, Johnny's lines were softer with tender motifs that mimicked the murmurings between lovers. This gradually ave way to a more rhythmic part as the rhythm section led the transition to the piano solo.

Egor's featured rhythmic motives and sequences. Truly, the architecture of their solos was simply sublime.

Five other songs were included in the first set. They were: “Work Song”, “Unit Seven”, “Sermonette”, “Jackleg” and “ Spectacular”.

The CJO Performs West Coast Jazz by Paul Desmond & Dave Brubeck

I must come clean, I am a huge Brubeck fan. I guess that makes me a West Coast jazz fan as well. The second half is what I had eagerly anticipated for months! Well, ever since the Calgary Jazz Orchestra announced its 2012/13 season.

The CJO performed the music of the Adderley brothers and Dave Brubeck. Photo by R-M Arca.

Director Johnny Summers shared the story behind his arrangement of “Take Five”. He asked a visiting musician for ideas on how to approach arranging this iconic tune. He was told “Don't bother.”

The result was an exciting arrangement. The punchy 5/4 rhythms prevail but the shaping was exquisite. Gerry Hebert's solo meandered, gradually leading the audience up to Shane Statz's solo on sax. It featured longer rhythms.

The middle section had a distinct “Get Smart” vibe. It also featured Rich Harding on alto sax. His solo started slowly and gradually built up the audience with trickier rhythms.

In contrast, Johnny Summers' solo built up in waves, punctuated by “splats”. Greg Baker's solo also built up in waves with punchy rhythms.

The final number on the programme was “Blue Rondo à la Turk”. Egor Ukoloff opened, followed by Greg Baker and Kodi Hutchinson. Next came the saxes, followed by the trumpets and trombones. The transitions between the swing theme and the Turkish theme was executed marvelously, gradually gaining momentum and energy.

Gerry Hebert marked the first transition to swing, followed by Rich Harding on sax in a lower register. Then, the pair traded fours, then twos, building up the excitement with faster rhythms.

Johnny Summers' solo during the “Turkish” part was slow and steady, at first, then got louder, higher and faster. This was punctuated by blasts of rapid descents to the lower register.

Egor Ukoloff's solo was blues-infused, featuring a soulful melodic line and crunchy chords. The music gained speed and continued to push towards a very energetic ending.

Other songs featured in the second set include “Charles Matthew Hallelujah”, “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “Unsquare Dance”. The CJO performed Cannonball Adderley's “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” as an encore.

Upcoming Events with the CJO

The CJO's next performance is the annual Al Capone Charade. This cabaret features an evening of big band swing and dancing.The Calgary Jazz Orchestra is launching a new series called “CJO Small Group Series”. The opening performance, “From the Plantation to the Penitentiary” is on Thursday, November 22, 2012, and will feature the music of Wynton Marsalis.

To find out more about CJO and the jazz ensemble's upcoming events, visit the Calgary Jazz Orchestra website.

The Music of David Brubeck & the Adderley Brothers was presented by the Calgary Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at Riverpark Church. It featured big band arrangements by Greg Baker, Shane Statz, Johnny Summers and Egor Ukoloff. This enjoyable programme showcased several pieces that had heads bopping to the music throughout the evening.

Practice Tip: Don't Bite of More than You can Chew

This week, I have the immense honour of playing on the Steinway CD 503 grand that legendary pianist Vladmir Horowitz played on. I just found out this morning that there were still openings, so I snagged some practice time.That gives me less than 24 hours to throw something together that would be worthy to play on such an instrument. That brings me to my point: don't bite off more than you can chew. I've dusted off Mozart's Sonata in C, K. 545 from last year. I just have to focus on trouble spots as the rest is holding together fine.

I am torn. I'd like to play Chopin on it. I may still. Debussy is on the short list as it doesn't take me long to get any of my ol' Debussy preludes under my fingers. We'll see if I can resurrect a Chopin Nocturne. No guarantees.

And in honour of VC3.0's big weekend coming up, I should toss in a bit of Eric Whitacre's Seal Lullaby.The moral of the story is: when you don't have a lot of time, stick to what is actually do-able in the time you have to prepare.I leave you with a performance by Vladmir Horowitz:

Music Practicing 101 - Keyboard Harmony Demo

Another quick demo primarily for students studying through the Conservatory Canada system (although anyone interested in chording can still benefit from this).ConCan students in Grade 5 and up have to demonstrate that they can harmonize a melody. In Grade 5, they use the Tonic (I) and Dominant (V). As they progress to higher grades, they must be able to harmonize using a wider selection of chords.From a speed learning perspective as well as a piano accompanist perspective, I must say that keyboard harmony is a necessity! It's saved my bacon on numerous occasions.This video shows you how to practice when you are just starting out with keyboard harmony.

Music Practicing 101 - Transposition Demo

Approximately a third of my students are working through the Conservatory Canada syllabi. One way it differs from the Royal Conservatory is that keyboard harmony and transposition are built into the practical examinations.Regardless of which music conservatory you're following (if at all), being able to transpose at sight is a valuable skill to have in your "musician's toolbox" It's practical music theory! If you play for vocalists, I can guarantee you that you will need to transpose at some point - with very little preparation time.Here's a quick demo on how to practice transposing at the keyboard.