One day after, one day before
Various domestic activities this morning. An advantage of doing this at my age is that regular trips to the supermarket are not a financial issue. They are no less boring for that.
The joys of a full pantry that makes no impact on the bank balance...
Listened to the rough mix of SpaceChoir from our latest rehearsal. I should qualify "rough". When I say rough I mean final. My mixing skills extend to moving volume sliders relative to each other. So when I say rough and mean final I actually mean finished. I wish I had more skill in this area but there is so much technical information already required to transform the plucked notes I play into a vast ensemble that I don't have the time or inclination to spend more time not playing. Perhaps later we can entice, entrap, cajole or threaten someone with those skills to help out. Why they would agree to do so is beyond me.
The mix sounds good, great really. I might post it to the web site soon. Soon-ish. The web site, the new web site that is, needs to be completed first. It is number one on my task list but finding time to work on the task list is difficult too. For example, the necessary (but boring) trip to the supermarket. I could be doing the web site instead of this blog, but...
I have yet to speak of the inspiration for the resurrection of my playing career. Playing live career, that is. Except for the dozen years previously mentioned I have continued to play. What got me thinking that this was not a stupid idea (it is a silly idea but it's not stupid) was Mr Gil Askey. An amazing man. I have seen him play many times but have never met him. Don't need to. He inspires by what he does. I'm not a fan of the jazz he plays (and still plays so well although he is into his 80's), but I am a fan of his enthusiasm. For people who don't know I suggest a Google search. And for all those questions online like "Where is Gil Askey now...?" I can tell you he is here. He runs the jazz band at the High School my children attend. They are awesome. The group of teenagers they are not withstanding. My son plays drums in the jazz band, he also plays classical guitar but his real choice of instrument is between a 4 iron and a 5 iron when 200 metres out from a green. He has great expectations of a U2-like revenue stream but not from music. Look out for another Macpherson ten years from now.
With Gil as the jazz band leader they attract some great musicians that just "pop in". The drummer, David Jones, played with the band a few times last month, with my son playing next to him. What an opportunity. Although it did cost me $300 with his enthusiasm for different implements to strike things with. I didn't know such a variety of hitting sticks was possible.
I remember a silly thought I had once. I was 27 and I thought, "I'm too old to be doing this sort of thing anymore." An interesting concept that, too old for music, too old to be performing music I mean. I guess the embarrassment factor is important. Which I guess it would be if you were playing Kiss covers at my age or plain old sad if you were trying to live a Kurt Cobain lifestyle. But, playing innovative, improvised music at any age is acceptable. When it comes to jazz then the older you are the better.
I'm doing that.... the getting older part, I mean.
So, the music, the innovation, the moving forward or simply changing is what is important. I can do that too.
On the subject of inspiration, I remember another story. It is amusing in its contrariness. It was 1969, I was a 14 year old budding guitarist. My grandmother had remarried and moved to Scotland years earlier. She was dying of cancer and in 1969 my father went to visit her. On his way back, through London, he went to buy a present for each of his children. I have a younger sister. Music was the obvious and safe choice. For me the choice was simple, "Abbey Road". My sister was a problem so my father simply picked out an album, by its cover, that he thought she would like. He picked an album that, he thought, consisted of children's novelty songs. A logical choice since the cover was, almost, clown-like. Thank god for my fathers complete lack of taste and, probably, his haste to get the present shopping over with. He does not have a musical molecule in his body, so there was no intent in his purchase.
Later, when my father was back in Australia and had distributed his largesse, I was happy with the Abbey Road purchase. My sister announced, many days later, that she did not like her present. I was interested immediately, since any music that a younger sister did not like must have merit. I played it on my record player in my bedroom. I can still remember standing and listening with the album cover in my hand. I had not heard music like that before, I did not know music like that could exist. I was listening to, possibly, the only copy in Australia at the time of, "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.
The logical extension, being a budding guitarist, is that I was inspired by Mr Fripp's playing and that led me in new and uncharted directions. However, with the greatest respect to Mr Fripp's playing (it was only years later I appreciated his playing) it was the flute that inspired me. I thought, 'I have to learn the flute'. I did.
When I met Mr Herrick, only a few years after that, I inspired him with that record and my enthusiasm for it. He also learnt the flute, and he became a better player than me (I was by then concentrating on guitar - probably beginning my quest in pursuit of proficiency with the E flat major scale, that still continues today!). When we played in Cirrus, many years later, we had a section of music in the middle of our performances where I put down my guitar (with increased reluctancy as time progressed) and Lee and I played a flute duet. It lasted only for a few minutes but our band became known as the "one with the two flutes". With one to two hours of music we were defined by what happened during one or two minutes only.
I only discovered Mr Anderson years after I began playing the flute. Unfortunately, my flute has remained encased and un-played for a few years now - not since my acoustic foray, "Dispossessed". Now, that is embarrassing but needs to be discussed at another time.
That's enough, I need to get back to the E flat major scale. I was naughty last night and played it in the sixth position for awhile. I have an idea for a new piece of music. It's in E flat at 180 bpm. I have the name already, "Wagner would know". Yes, a pretentious in-joke but one of the highlights of my musical life was seeing the complete Ring Cycle. The music says it wants to be at 180, but the days of picked semi-quavers at 180 are gone. Although, I hope not, I hope it's just a matter of (even) more practice.
I want to spend a few tens of hours on just the E flat major scale and burn it into my brain. Again. I'm sure when the music is, eventually, heard people will not understand why I spent so long on just this one scale (and only in one position, so far). Most of the notes will not be in the E flat major scale! However, it is important to know where your fingers should have been placed when you, purposefully, place them elsewhere.
The joys of a full pantry that makes no impact on the bank balance...
Listened to the rough mix of SpaceChoir from our latest rehearsal. I should qualify "rough". When I say rough I mean final. My mixing skills extend to moving volume sliders relative to each other. So when I say rough and mean final I actually mean finished. I wish I had more skill in this area but there is so much technical information already required to transform the plucked notes I play into a vast ensemble that I don't have the time or inclination to spend more time not playing. Perhaps later we can entice, entrap, cajole or threaten someone with those skills to help out. Why they would agree to do so is beyond me.
The mix sounds good, great really. I might post it to the web site soon. Soon-ish. The web site, the new web site that is, needs to be completed first. It is number one on my task list but finding time to work on the task list is difficult too. For example, the necessary (but boring) trip to the supermarket. I could be doing the web site instead of this blog, but...
I have yet to speak of the inspiration for the resurrection of my playing career. Playing live career, that is. Except for the dozen years previously mentioned I have continued to play. What got me thinking that this was not a stupid idea (it is a silly idea but it's not stupid) was Mr Gil Askey. An amazing man. I have seen him play many times but have never met him. Don't need to. He inspires by what he does. I'm not a fan of the jazz he plays (and still plays so well although he is into his 80's), but I am a fan of his enthusiasm. For people who don't know I suggest a Google search. And for all those questions online like "Where is Gil Askey now...?" I can tell you he is here. He runs the jazz band at the High School my children attend. They are awesome. The group of teenagers they are not withstanding. My son plays drums in the jazz band, he also plays classical guitar but his real choice of instrument is between a 4 iron and a 5 iron when 200 metres out from a green. He has great expectations of a U2-like revenue stream but not from music. Look out for another Macpherson ten years from now.
With Gil as the jazz band leader they attract some great musicians that just "pop in". The drummer, David Jones, played with the band a few times last month, with my son playing next to him. What an opportunity. Although it did cost me $300 with his enthusiasm for different implements to strike things with. I didn't know such a variety of hitting sticks was possible.
I remember a silly thought I had once. I was 27 and I thought, "I'm too old to be doing this sort of thing anymore." An interesting concept that, too old for music, too old to be performing music I mean. I guess the embarrassment factor is important. Which I guess it would be if you were playing Kiss covers at my age or plain old sad if you were trying to live a Kurt Cobain lifestyle. But, playing innovative, improvised music at any age is acceptable. When it comes to jazz then the older you are the better.
I'm doing that.... the getting older part, I mean.
So, the music, the innovation, the moving forward or simply changing is what is important. I can do that too.
On the subject of inspiration, I remember another story. It is amusing in its contrariness. It was 1969, I was a 14 year old budding guitarist. My grandmother had remarried and moved to Scotland years earlier. She was dying of cancer and in 1969 my father went to visit her. On his way back, through London, he went to buy a present for each of his children. I have a younger sister. Music was the obvious and safe choice. For me the choice was simple, "Abbey Road". My sister was a problem so my father simply picked out an album, by its cover, that he thought she would like. He picked an album that, he thought, consisted of children's novelty songs. A logical choice since the cover was, almost, clown-like. Thank god for my fathers complete lack of taste and, probably, his haste to get the present shopping over with. He does not have a musical molecule in his body, so there was no intent in his purchase.
Later, when my father was back in Australia and had distributed his largesse, I was happy with the Abbey Road purchase. My sister announced, many days later, that she did not like her present. I was interested immediately, since any music that a younger sister did not like must have merit. I played it on my record player in my bedroom. I can still remember standing and listening with the album cover in my hand. I had not heard music like that before, I did not know music like that could exist. I was listening to, possibly, the only copy in Australia at the time of, "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.
The logical extension, being a budding guitarist, is that I was inspired by Mr Fripp's playing and that led me in new and uncharted directions. However, with the greatest respect to Mr Fripp's playing (it was only years later I appreciated his playing) it was the flute that inspired me. I thought, 'I have to learn the flute'. I did.
When I met Mr Herrick, only a few years after that, I inspired him with that record and my enthusiasm for it. He also learnt the flute, and he became a better player than me (I was by then concentrating on guitar - probably beginning my quest in pursuit of proficiency with the E flat major scale, that still continues today!). When we played in Cirrus, many years later, we had a section of music in the middle of our performances where I put down my guitar (with increased reluctancy as time progressed) and Lee and I played a flute duet. It lasted only for a few minutes but our band became known as the "one with the two flutes". With one to two hours of music we were defined by what happened during one or two minutes only.
I only discovered Mr Anderson years after I began playing the flute. Unfortunately, my flute has remained encased and un-played for a few years now - not since my acoustic foray, "Dispossessed". Now, that is embarrassing but needs to be discussed at another time.
That's enough, I need to get back to the E flat major scale. I was naughty last night and played it in the sixth position for awhile. I have an idea for a new piece of music. It's in E flat at 180 bpm. I have the name already, "Wagner would know". Yes, a pretentious in-joke but one of the highlights of my musical life was seeing the complete Ring Cycle. The music says it wants to be at 180, but the days of picked semi-quavers at 180 are gone. Although, I hope not, I hope it's just a matter of (even) more practice.
I want to spend a few tens of hours on just the E flat major scale and burn it into my brain. Again. I'm sure when the music is, eventually, heard people will not understand why I spent so long on just this one scale (and only in one position, so far). Most of the notes will not be in the E flat major scale! However, it is important to know where your fingers should have been placed when you, purposefully, place them elsewhere.
posted by Mark Macpherson at 4:04 pm
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