Inner Focus Music

There’s no wonder LeBron James chose Miami as his new home, it’s not just the Miami Heat, it’s Miami all together, especially South Beach (SoBe). Who can blame him? Miami’s South Beach is everybody’s favorite spot in Miami.

While LeBron stays at any of the best 4 star hotels Miami can offer him, as he figures out which million dollar mansion to buy as his permanent resident, he only needs to bring flip-flops, hats, towels and sunscreen for fun days in the sun. He can lounge about, check out the hottest fashions or just people watch, that’s when he’s not the one being watched. When he’s sick of the sun and sand, he can check out the best restaurants, the most exclusive spas and shops that will cater to his every need.

He probably already experienced SoBe when his team played against the Miami Heat and found that not only the atmosphere, the crowd, the food, the shopping and the ‘amazing’ view to be the best reasons to move here, but SoBe in Miami hotter than the Miami Heat.

LeBron James coming to Miami has just given the rest of Miami’s visitors another reason to come here during basketball season and a great reason for locals to become season ticket holders for the Miami Heat. Miami welcomes LeBron James and understands why he picked this place to live over New York and Chicago!

Various corporate training workshops and programs are designed to streamline staff performance and enhance productivity. They create a fluid work environment and provide for all staff to understand the basic philosophy of the organization and work in an expected manner. This can be an essential resource for any business’ continued survival and thriving. Having a solid professional skill set among staff, that goes far beyond the economic and business theories that were learned in school will guarantee a competitive edge to any business. The actual daily functioning of any business or corporation depends on a streamlined approach to tasks, management and service.

In addition to standard staff enhancement and development skills, an executive development seminar and other upper level management training programs are extremely beneficial and will provide company leaders with essential communication, delegation and other skills that come with leadership responsibilities. There are other special topic trainings that are becoming more common requirements in many fields. These include multi-cultural awareness seminars and workplace sensitivity to differing lifestyles, gender and religions. With such a shrinking world and increasingly diverse workplaces, having a respect for other staff and maintaining appropriate boundaries is as valuable a skill as any other in creating a productive work environment.

We all have those people in our lives that we bestow with the title “social butterfly.” They call just to say hi but will talk your ear off for an hour or more, you can barely fit a word in edge-wise, and they are typically in the know about all of the latest news regarding family or friends. They keep our lives interesting in ways that others can’t and provide us with a unique form of entertainment.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being social; however it can sometimes be a challenge when it comes to finding the right kind of job. For example, sitting silently at a desk all day would probably not be the ideal job for social types. However, there are many other options out there.

Jobs in sales can often be the most rewarding for social people . Retail can be a challenging and sometimes thankless job; however, for those that enjoy the constant one-on-one interaction it can be ideal. Direct selling with a business like Southwestern Company can also be a good source of employment. Often with direct selling you are meeting with people in their homes through sales calls, product demonstrations, and sometimes even parties. These types of jobs often offer a lot of flexibility and the ability to build your own business and network. There are some companies that work with a specific type of client and are looking for a specific type of sales person. For example Avon sells a lot of makeup and is targeted more for women, Southwestern Company publishes a line of education books and works primarily with students.

This is just the beginning of all the opportunities that are available to people who love to get out there and meet people; there is so much more if you are willing to put yourself out there and seize new opportunities.

There are a lot of cool things you can do in Miami, and eventually you will end up spending a lot of money. Where you want to spend the money is really a matter of choice. Some people would rather spend their money on food or attractions while others would like to spend their money on five star hotels. Miami has places for everyone to spend their money. You may want to get away from these places eventually though, so here are also some free things that you can do that will help keep the cost of the trip down.

You can go to any of the Whole Foods in Miami and pick up a schedule for free cooking demos that will be happening there. If you like to cook, this can be a lot of fun to do while you are on vacation.

While you will not get to play completely free, it will cost you a little less to go bowling at some bowling centers around the city. Usually kids get up to two games for free.

There are beaches as well that are usually free. Because parking isn’t always free, you may want to think about grabbing some free parking and jumping on a free shuttle to South Beach and relax in the sun and the waves.

Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features. As a specific movement in the arts it is identified with developments in post-World War II Western Art, most strongly with American visual arts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with this movement include Donald Judd, John McLaughlin, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. It is rooted in the reductive aspects of Modernism, and is often interpreted as a reaction against Abstract expressionism and a bridge to Postmodern art practices.

The terms have expanded to encompass a movement in music which features repetition and iteration, as in the compositions of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Adams.

The term “minimalist” is often applied colloquially to designate anything which is spare or stripped to its essentials. It has also been used to describe the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett, the films of Robert Bresson, the stories of Raymond Carver, and even the automobile designs of Colin Chapman. The word was first used in English in the early twentieth century to describe the Mensheviks.

Las Vegas is well known for its incredible nightlife scene and all of the fabulous shows that take place there. And while many of them are based on individual comedians, magicians and major spectacle shows such as Cirque du Soleil , there are also some great music concerts that are a standard entertainment option. Some of these occur in the casinos, while others take place in live music venues and major concert arenas. Regardless of where you are staying, there is certain to be a great live music concert within accessible reach of you and will likely be a favorite aspect of your trip. And casinos like the Golden Nugget, MGM Grand, Caesar’s Palace and numerous others make it extremely easy to see a great show with major performance venues existing right on the property. You can have an entire event filled vacation in Las Vegas and never leave your resort.

One of the great things about the music scene in Las Vegas is that in addition to all of the internationally known musicians and bands that perform there regularly, it also has some of the top tribute performers in the country. You can almost always find some of the best Elvis impersonators and other great tribute performances like that of Peace Frog who emulates The Doors performance style, appearance and sound.

Major casinos will regularly have specific music genre celebration concerts, such as the legends of Motown and evenings of blues, sounds of Nashville and jazz specific performances. And in the middle of all of these theme specific shows headliner concerts by artists like Lionel Richie, Ted Nugent, Cher, Santana, Kenny Chessy and other major stars are taking place on a nightly basis. The amazing entertainment options and great concerts that take place at the major casinos and other concert arenas in the city have become as strong a reason for visiting the city and enjoying a stay in one of the Las Vegas hotels as gambling has always been, and likely will always be.

Pegheds make tuning easier!!  They are geared pegs for violin, viola, cello, viola da gamba etc, and there is no need for fine tuners!

Many lower priced instruments are equipped with badly fitting pegs which make tuning really, really difficult.  And often we are faced by a change in climate conditions -either humidity or dry air and the pegs tighten up.  Ever wonder why cello tailpieces with 4 integral fine tuners have become so common??  People with arthritis and joint problems have trouble shifting their pegs and tuning.

Installation tools include  a peg reamer.  It is not necessary to remove all the strings at the same time to install Pegheds.   Always  measure the peg diameter of your instrument to be sure they are not larger than the available Pegheds.

In Walt Whitman’s notebook for the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, he writes, “Every soul has its own individual voice.” That notion rang true for photographer/poet/filmmaker Gerard Malanga as he put together “Souls,” an exhibit of 100 portraits spanning five decades.

Malanga may be best known for his work with Andy Warhol, with whom he founded Interview magazine and collaborated on many films. He has authored several books of poetry, as well as the band-bio Up-tight: The Velvet Underground Story, and maintains an archive of photographs and movies from his years at Warhol’s Factory.  More…

On Approaching the Invisible Mountain, Jenks Miller’s only previous album under his own name, the guitarist exploits only space and tone. The series of six spare, nebulous guitar improvisations comes full of rests and breaks—as though, in pauses for pondering, Miller considered what he’d just played and proceeded accordingly. It was a winding, easy listen, where the listener delighted as much in the possibility of what might happen next as in what had come before.  More….

Here is the blog of Justin Marc LLoyd – it includes a noise/ambient musical project and many releases, all of which you can download for free as well as cassettes, CDs and digital releases.

One of the most adventurous and prolific members of the New York free-jazz community” according to Ed Hazell of Signal To Noise, Steve Swell’s reputation, work ethic and committment to excellence has kept him in the forefront of improvised music and a leading voice on his instrument for more than 20 years. On February 27th at Roulette, Swell presents a concert featuring his new ensemble with some of improvised music’s finest contributors: Rob Brown, alto; Chris Forbes, piano; Hilliard “Hill” Greene, bass; Michael T.A. Thompson, drums, percussion. It will feature Swell’s writing along with his unique, on the spot direction of incorporating this group’s rich improvisation abilities along with his compositions. Read more….

No musician admits it out loud and a few probably don’t even admit it to themselves, but every musician wants to get into the history books. I’ve seen composers open a new book from the back just to look for their name in the index. I do that myself sometimes.

I’m very proud that I got mentioned even once in Frank Zappa’s autobiography. (On page 175 in case you run across a copy because Frank didn’t believe in indices.)

Recently I was contacted by Charles Sharp (also known as C. Sharp). He wanted to interview me for his doctoral dissertation. Here’s how he described it:

[It is] ostensibly about avant-garde jazz in Los Angeles but it has become increasingly about the intersection of various different genres of experimental music in Los Angeles.

One of those intersections involved the ICA, the Independent Composers Association, a group in which I was active in the early 1980s. You can read several Mixed Meters articles about ICA. (MM is the only place on the Internet you can read anything about ICA, alas.)
I answered Charles’ questions as best my memory would allow. A year passed. Charles finished his dissertation, charmingly entitled “Improvisation, identity, and tradition: Experimental music communities in Los Angeles”. He has since defended it against all comers and earned some letters after his name which entitle him to a chance of being hired for menial college teaching positions.

The dissertation is 500 pages long! I immediately searched it for my name and found a gratifying number of mentions. Thankfully the quotes Charles picked didn’t make me look like a complete idiot. It’s not online at the moment but if you want to read it you should contact him. Charles created a blog to accept comments here which might be a good place to leave him a message.

The story Charles tells is important. It’s about creative music right here in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, in experimental music, what happens in L.A. stays in L.A. This telling should help delineate a historical tradition few people know much about. Even those of us who witnessed parts of it don’t know the whole story. People from elsewhere will be surprised.

After an academical introductory chapter (in which the word hermeneutics confused me repeatedly) it’s a pretty easy read. Charles starts off with Ornette Coleman, not often thought of as an L.A. musician. He left here for New York in 1959 after recording The Shape of Jazz to Come. Three Los Angeles jazz musicians, pianist Horace Tapscott, cornetist Bobby Bradford and clarinetist John Carter are the backbone of the story.

I was acquainted with John Carter, heard him play a bunch of times and even got to play with him once, if only in private. He was a nice and genuine person. His cycle of 5 albums, Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music, is the centerpiece of Charles’ story. I could have learned a lot from John – had I thought to pay more attention.

Sharp discusses the music of Tapscott, Bradford and Carter :

…these musicians had preunderstandings, which were informed by bebop and also the developing music of free jazz. Their music suggested different realities and possibilities. If racism, which was a systemic part of urban planning, policing, and public policy, was a reminder that black people were not fully valued as individuals, the music was a reminder of the importance of individuals and the power of community. … Their music was supposed to sound unique, different every time, and challenge the listeners; aspects that seldom result in broad mass appeal. … As their music was understood, it expanded the horizons of the listeners and new communities would emerge. (p.126-7)

Charles writes a lot about communities – little groups of like-minded people within which music could take on some meaning. Telling how these groups arose and interacted with each other and eventually disappeared makes the story interesting.

For example, I found the early histories, starting in high school, of drummer Alex Cline, guitarist Nels Cline and synthesist Lee Kaplan (who ran an important concert series at a little dump pretentiously called the Century City Playhouse) fascinating. My buddy Vinny Golia gets a lot of space. (You can hear ancient recordings by an improv trio of myself, Vinny & flutist Anne LaBerge in this MM article.) Others (like Bill Roper, James Grigsby, Titus Levi, Kraig Grady, Lynn Johnston, Will Salmon) who I know or worked with get space as well.

Charles puts a lot of different things into his narrative. A chapter about punk rock. A chapter about the various Los Angeles city-wide arts festivals (which I alluded to in my recent post about opera.) Dr. Sharp takes the story right up to the present – long after I dropped out.

Having lived in Los Angeles for nearly 35 years, first as an active participant in the local experimental music scene and then an observer of same, I think this dissertation deserves to be widely read. Creative musicians, non-creative musicians, music fans of all kinds and even music critics will find it interesting. And they might just realize that Los Angeles is not quite the creative wasteland we pretend to be.

By David Ocker

Chicago has lots of music festivals, and Chicago has plenty of concerts year-round devoted to experimental music and noise. Now it looks like the city is finally getting a festival that focuses on experimental music and noise. The Neon Marshmallow Festival will make its debut from August 20 through 22 at the Viaduct Theater, and while the details (including the lineup) are still being hammered out, what’s been announced so far looks impressive.

The event is being organized by Daniel Smith (who makes music under the name Red Electric Rainbow) and Matt Kimmel, who’s behind the Acid-Marshamallow site, which showcases mostly experimental stuff. Among the confirmed performers are Astral Social Club, Carlos Giffoni, and Emeralds, whose recent What Happened (No Fun) was one of last year’s best examples of taxonomically slippery pyschedelic drone. I’ve also seen a list of artists the organizers are waiting to hear from, so I can say that Smith and Kimmel seem to have pretty good taste (and an aesthetic leaning toward the noisier end of the spectrum). There’s already a Neon Marshmallow Fest site, but it’ll probably be another week or so before anything is actually on it. More….

The Ergo Bass Electric Viola Da Gamba is a special instrument and one that I have been playing live for some time now. It is based on the traditional viola da gamba, a renaissance instrument and has many of the features of these instruments, with a few updates that I felt would be more appropriate for the modern player.

The Ergo Electric Viola Da Gamba features a 27″ scale (similar to the modern cello, and only slightly longer than a instrument bass viol). It has the traditional tied frets and I use the traditional bass viol bow with it. The traditional instrument features gut strings but this modern update comes with standard Super Sensitive Viola Da Gamba strings. (Available from juststrings.com, southweststrings.com) These strings have a synthetic core (much more stable, and long lasting that traditional gut strings, but still with the warm tone of gut, silver wrapped strings that can be ordered from a number of sources online. They can be tuned in the traditional way from low to high D, G, C, e, a, d. I have the seven string version which features a low A string. There are other alternatives for tuning – for example – up a whole step for more familiar bass layout (E, A, D, g, c, f). It is a versatile instrument that requires accurate left handed finger positions and excellent bowing technique – 7 strings!!

The main advantage for me – over the traditional viol is that it can be amplified – and you can use effects with it. The skies the limit in terms of different sounds. I would recomend the use of a high quality amplifier – and not a bass or guitar amp. One that is equipped to handle the full range of this fine instrument.

Ming Jiang Zhu was the winner of 12 international awards including several highly prestigious awards – two Gold Medals in Violin Making [1994 and 2006] and a Silver Award in Viola making [1996] in the Violin Society of America (VSA) Competitions. The VSA has awarded gold medals only to those instruments that were judged highly in both tone and workmanship. He is from KwanDong violin school and won an gold medal in violin making competition. He was featured in a Time magazine article.

The Ming Jiang Zhu violins come in at two price ranges. Ranging from $1500 to $7500 violins. The $7500 one is made directly by Ming Jiang Zhu.

Ming Jiang Zhu violins are quoted as being “well seasoned spruce”, all are “oil antiqued finished”. The higher price model is all European wood, one step down has European spruce and highly-flamed maple.

The VN-350 Artist is the bottom of the line but is a very fine instrument made in the workshop of Ming Jiang Zhu.

The VN-900 is made from European Maple and Spruce and has excellent workmanship. They come well set up and are consistent and are a real good “player” instrument. Ming Jiang Zhu performs about 20% of the work on the high level VN-900 Premium Master instruments.

Ming’s workshop employs about 30 workers. They produce about 40 instruments per month. It is a small workshop of makers under the direct supervision of the master Ming Jiang Zhu. No instrument is sent out without inspection by Ming Jiang Zhu himself. Ming Jiang Zhu performs about 20% of the work on the high level VN-900 Premium Master instruments.

The Ming Jiang Zhu workshop has also produced viola da gambas.

Deep, resonant bass response is the essence of this remarkable new instrument. Whether plucked or bowed, the NS Design Omni Bass delivers pure, exciting acoustic and electric bass sounds that can be tailored to compliment virtually any musical style or gig.

The Omni Bass has a highly arched fingerboard and bridge, similar to a cello, to optimize bow articulation. The high arch on the fingerboard fits the human hand, and combines with the round neck profile for a comfortable and natural feel.

The 34″ scale length of the Omni Bass is the same as standard electric bass. Tuned in fourths (EADGC or BEADG), the fingering positions and spacing are identical to the bass guitar, and therefore immediately familiar to any bass player. The Omni Bass can also be tuned in fifths, for fingerings that are more natural for the cellist seeking enhanced bass range.

Dots for each semi-tone cascade across the fingerboard, a unique configuration that provides a clear visual fingering reference. The logical dot pattern is of critical value to the novice player, and an invaluable reference guide for the seasoned pro. Fretted models have conventional bass guitar dot pattern. The Omni Bass is also available as a fretted model.

The multiple sensor NS Polar bridge pickup system has two modes of operation: “arco” and “pizzicato”. This allows the player to optimize bowed response, and to control attack and decay characteristics for plucking. The deep bass and brilliant highs possible with piezo crystal technology give the instrument a beautiful, dynamic, and versatile sound.

Custom designed EMG low impedance magnetic pickups have a smooth response with lots of sweet midrange for the quintessential “electric” tone. Their relatively flat frequency response allows the natural sound of the instrument to project through. Each pickup is individually adjustable and internally shielded an internal preamp system for hum free performance.

Two balance controls allow unlimited mixing options for the magnetic and the dual mode Polar Pickup systems. On-board pre-amplification provides master volume, bass and treble controls. The 18 volt power supply insures plenty of headroom for full dynamics. Polar Pickup systems. On-board pre-amplification provides master volume, bass and treble controls. The 18 volt power supply insures plenty of headroom for full dynamics.

The Boomerang Strap System is standard with the Omni Bass. Two articulated arms and a pivoting hub allow full mobility on stage or in studio. The comfortable Boomerang strap fits over the shoulder just like a guitar, but the adjustable arms allow the instrument to be placed in virtually any position in relation to the hands and body. The Boomerang Strap System allows full mobility for either bowing or plucking.

The optional self-standing Tripod stand provides stable fixed support for the instrument. Virtually any angle can be set whether you prefer standing or sitting. A matching black finish provides a sleek compliment to the instrument.

The optional End Pin stand provides a more upright bass feel. It too is easily adjustable so that the instrument remains evenly balanced without support.

Five strings cover the range of the double bass, bass guitar, and cello.

Steel, aluminum, tungsten, and bronze are combined to make strings that are unusually responsive, with singing highs and a deep low register. These polished low-tension flatwound strings are effortless to play and minimize unwanted finger noise. The bright pizzicato growl provides an authentic acoustic tone, yet these strings deliver plenty of sustain and drive when you need it. Developed in collaboration with D’Addario, these strings are also ideal for bowing. They respond much quicker to the bow than traditional bass strings, so expressive bow technique is easier to develop and maintain. The Omni Bass is designed to accommodate any standard bass guitar string, adding unlimited set up options for musicians who want to explore & create their own unique sound.

Each instrument is hand-made in the Czech Republic to the highest standard by craftsmen steeped in a long tradition of instrument making.

My daughters favorite and country music star Taylor Swift ranks at number 69 as the most powerful celebrity in the world.  This is according to the annual Celebrity 100 list produced by Forbes.  After all the publicity she has gained this year who can be surprised!

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer–songwriter, guitarist and actress. In 2008, her albums sold a combined four million copies, making her the best-selling musician of the year in the United States, according to Nielsen Sound Scan.

In 2006, she released her debut single “Tim McGraw”, then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified Platinum several times by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In November 2008, Swift released her second album, Fearless. Fearless and Taylor Swift finished 2008 at number three and number six respectively, with sales of 2.1 and 1.5 million. Fearless has topped the Billboard 200 in 11 non-consecutive weeks, no album has spent more time at No. 1 since 2000. Forbes, ranked Swift 2009′s 69th-most powerful celebrity, earning $18 million.  Swiftranks…

The New York art world does such a wonderful job of satirizing itself that further assistance hardly seems necessary. But with “(Untitled),’’ writer and director Jonathan Parker takes for granted the trumped-up stakes, the humorlessness, and the artists’ capacity for opportunism and willful absurdity. The players in this movie are cynical, but, amazingly, Parker is not. His movie works as a serious comedy in which the assorted players – a couple of artists, some gallerists, and the people who attend (or don’t attend) their shows – discuss what art is, what it should aspire to be, and what kind of people collect, exhibit, and consider it.  Read more…

1. The Stone
John Zorn’s spartan Alphabet City outpost provides a no-frills home for avant-garde music of all inclinations, programmed by different musicians each month. Ave C at 2nd St (no phone)

2. Issue Project Room at the Old American Can Factory
Issue’s current home is temporary, but avant-rockers, contemporary-classical players and electroacoustic improvisers have made the space a permanent destination.
232 3rd St at Third Ave, Gowanus, Brooklyn (718-330-0313)

3. Roulette
Now housed in a comfortable, elegant Soho space, Jim Staley’s long-running venue keeps the downtown-music torch burning brightly.
20 Greene St between Canal and Grand Sts (212-219-8242)

4. Monkey Town
Four-wall video projections make Monkey Town’s back room a haven for multisensory stimulation.
58 North 3rd St between Kent and Wythe Aves, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-384-1369)

5. Experimental Intermedia
Twice a year in March and December, composer and video artist Phill Niblock opens his loft to composers, sound artists and improvisers from around the world.
224 Centre St at Grand St, third floor (212-431-5127)

For information on New York hotels click here

The Museum of Modern Art presents Looking at Music: Side 2, a survey of over 120 photographs, music videos, drawings, audio recordings, publications, Super 8 films, and ephemera that look at New York City from the early 1970s to the early 1980s when the city became a haven for young renegade artists who often doubled as musicians and poets. Art and music cross-fertilized with a vengeance following a stripped-down, hard-edged, anti-establishment ethos, with some artists plastering city walls with self-designed posters or spray painted monikers, while others commandeered abandoned buildings, turning vacant garages into makeshift theaters for Super 8 film screenings and raucous performances. Many artists found the experimental music scene more vital and conducive to their contrarian ideas than the handful of contemporary art galleries in the city. Artists in turn formed bands, performed in clubs and non-profit art galleries, and self-published their own records and zines while using public access cable channels as a venue for media experiments and cultural debates.

Looking at Music: Side 2 is organized by Barbara London, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and succeeds Looking at Music (2008), an examination of the interaction between artists and musicians of the 1960s and early 1970s. Looking at Music: Side 2 is on view from June 10 to November 30, 2009, with an accompanying film series in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters to commence in September 2009.

The exhibition spans numerous forms of media by a diverse group of artists including: drawings by Patti Smith and photography by Dan Graham, Nan Goldin, and Jimmy DeSana; experimental video by James Nares; issues of influential zines and magazines including Search & Destroy, Interview, and Punk; posters designed by Adrian Piper and Collaborative Projects, Inc. (Colab); prints by Jenny Holzer, Betsey Johnson, and Bern Boyle; music videos with songs by Blondie and Suicide; record covers designed by Kim Gordon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Raymond Pettibon; music from Television, The Ramones, and Talking Heads; and live band footage from performances at Max’s Kansas City.

Barbara London states: “This exhibition shows how musicians and artists coalesced at a time when New York City, while financially struggling, seemed to incubate innovative ideas and facilitate the phenomenal success of a few, marking the transition into the next, more commercial decade of artists in New York City.”

Outside The Yoshiko and Akio Morita Gallery, Looking at Music: Side 2 is introduced through a title wall designed by the New York artist Laurie Anderson. Within the exhibition James Nares’s video, Game (1975), greets viewers at the exhibition’s entrance. Active in the 1970s on the Lower East Side as a Super 8 filmmaker and member of The Del-Byzanteens, Nares concocted a percussive, imaginary board game, performed with Seth Tillett, which he turned into the subject of his experimental film. Nares’s work is accompanied by a monitor displaying segments from Glenn O’Brien’s late 1970s Manhattan Public Access television show, TV Party. Equal parts party, talk show, video art, concert, and political action, TV Party took live television to a place it had never been before, including interviews with a number of the artists included in the exhibition. Also on display are drawings by Patti Smith and an audio station playing her song Hey Joe/Piss Factory (1974), considered to be the first punk rock record and funded by the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Two tracks from The Ramones, widely cited as the first punk rock group, play at a nearby audio station, including “Beat on the Brat” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976). In vitrines, poetry from the musician Richard Hell and a record from the German artist Martin Kippenberger’s short-lived musical project with Christine Hahn and Eric Mitchell are on display.

The exhibition next focuses on the work of New York based Colab, a non-profit artist collective distinguished for political engagement and the co-opting of public spaces, including an abandoned building in the heart of Times Square in 1980. In a set of video monitors, works from Colab artists are on display, including Coleen Fitzgibbon, a founding Colab member and instigator of the Times Square Show, which housed socially themed artworks in a derelict Times Square building. With a background in 1960s structuralist cinema, Fitzgibbon’s Super 8 film transferred to video, Time (1975), is a nonstop visual flow of headlines and text, all drawn from an issue of Time magazine, with the effect of an incessant restlessness of the filmic frame. On a nearby monitor, the music video Frankie Teardrop (1978), set to the New York-based band Suicide, is on display. This coarsely-textured film-video hybrid combines super-imposed projector manipulations and high-end video post-production. An insightful collaboration between videomaker Paul Dougherty and Art-Rite zine editors Walter Robinson and Edit DeAk, the work interprets a strident song by Suicide about a poverty-stricken Vietnam vet pushed to the edge. These works are surrounded by posters, audio, and a video by Judith Barry, Richard Kern, and the New York band Sonic Youth and the work of Beth and Scott B.

Looking at Music: Side 2 next examines the cross-influence of hip hop and art in New York City, including the video of Rapture (1981) by Blondie. Rapture, the first video to incorporate elements from rap on MTV, opens with choreographer William Barnes dancing in a white suit and top hat in New York’s Upper East Side. Barnes is joined by Debbie Harry and her bandmates–easy-going, cross-over artists who bridged uptown and downtown scenes. In the final sequence of the music video, the band dances down a street passing Fab 5 Freddy and graffiti artists Lee Quiñones and Jean-Michel Basquiat in action. The video is accompanied by photographs of Basquiat’s graffiti work from the 1970s, by Peter Moore and Stephanie Chernikowski, and a large-scale drawing by the artist, Untitled (1981).

The exhibition concludes with images from five rock n’ roll photographers. Adjacent to a large-scale photographic collage of the work of Bob Gruen, adapted from the 2007 installation Rock and Roll Teenager’s Bedroom and measuring 7.5′ x 22.5′, the exhibition includes vitrines with photographs of Suicide by Godlis and Sonic Youth by Stephanie Chernikowski, along with additional photographs by Roberta Bayley and Marcia Resnick. On a monitor beside these works is Bob Gruen’s New York Death Cult (Live at Max’s Kansas City) (1976), featuring grainy footage from famed music club Max’s Kansas City, which captures the raw, immersive spirit of up-and-coming musicians of that era such as Patti Smith.

You need to know the following items to improvise and compose in a right and nice way: first you have to know all major and minor scalesand relative keys and all chords in every keys. Then you must play all chord inversionsand the building melody techniques. You have to practice so much so you can play right melodic lines with swing and without thinking about scales, rules, keys…

Phrasing is the following step. You must learn to begin and finish melodic phrases from every point of easure. Ear training, transcribing, music harmony, transposing, voicing, harmonization are other important and fundamental techniques to learn jazz improvisation and composing. These techniques can give you the skill for express the music you have inside.

Learning jazz improvisation is not simple. The theory and harmonic concepts you have to learn are few and easy to understand but the fundamental concept is just one: to learn improvisation you have to play much and practice for a longtime!

I used to compare improvisation with language. Improvisation is a language, you can express ideas, concepts and emotions and sometimes much deeper than language. So, as well as you have to study and practice a lot to learn English or French or Italian so you have to do the same with music improvisation.
You do not need to understand difficult concepts but without doubts you must be patient. Here in this site I offer free resources to learn this art but be patient if my English is not perfect.

Beginning in silence, holding only an instrument, listening within, observing a point for departure into the inner world of sudden creative expression, tapping the well to draw out a first sound in a musical exploration, that sound which then will be observed faithfully, and which then move with a life of it’s own into the next, and the next, growing naturally along an undetermined path, to be noticed as music becomes…

We follow this movement, listening creates a connection as we observe ourselves responding, and allowing the flow of motion, which becomes melody, rhythm, and harmony that reveals itself at the moment of creation, in the act of doing, listening and responding, allowing the inner workings of the Soul to be made manifest. Drawing new images, from the subconscious. Where do the images come from? Emotion and Sound-Vibrating Life and sustaining force… Who are we, but the vessel of transmission, the intermediary physician of this living sound, which shapes itself into a music, which becomes from our mediation. And then, what is the Source of this movement?

Improvisation is a part of life. It is a time of crossing. Crossing the threshold of known and unknown. It is truly the instantaneous momentary points of departure based on memoirs of experience and the void of the unknown. Whether we are listening for and through our inner voice, for the words we need, or the directions to do, or whether we are so tuned that our allowance of the given activity transcends beyond conscious direction, to psychic automatism, sudden acumen, or emotional abandon, we find the “flow” and observe the “direction”. We are challenged to accelerate, withdraw, or proceed beyond our own creative expectations, to discover that which is given to us, that we give over to, that we channel to new levels, and observe without self-judgment. We don’t know exactly where or how we will manage. When we can’t know a given outcome, but must respond, then we improvise and therefore experience. When we are living in the moment, we are improvising our life.

I would like to invite you to consider the nature of a very natural form of music, which is called “Free Improvised Music.” You may find it interesting to realize that this music is very akin to prayer. It begins with a point of departure, in which no one is certain what will happen, just as our lives begin each and every day. We wake up and proceed with faith that the walk, we are about to embark upon, will take us on the path to higher consciousness and service to a better world. Even on ordinary days, there is always a miracle, waiting to be realized. Sometimes they are small positive outcomes to mundane situations, but they are only real if they are noticed and felt. It can be as simple as a moment of sharing, or feeling the wonder of changing seasons, or noticing sentiments. Or the act of slowing down enough to notice that you are growing older, and that autumn is once again upon us, with it’s smells and sounds, it’s clear blue days…to be enjoyed. Never mind the “gotta’s” (gotta do this and gotta do that), but in noticing the feeling of the air at the point of the intake of your breathin

This submissive awareness is a form of prayer. Prayer is a time of introspection. It is the time when we search our heart for feelings, for needs, for communication with the Spirit, however we define it. We sit in silence and listen deeply. If we are fervent, we come away feeling a renewed connection with our world of Spirit, a gentle knowing, and even a subtle change in our heart.

Music, as the emotional transformation of Sound, has the power to move us to this point of connection. Just the act of simply listening and remaining aware and open to it’s message, comprehending it’s movement, in melody, harmony, and vibration can give us the same inspiration as drinking in the colors of the sunset upon the clouds while feeling a gentle breeze upon our skin and so we Silently listen…to the Spirit in music, to the awesome Sounds of our environment, and marvel at the Sound of Life all around us.

As a form of music, Free Improvisation is an art form. It is the art of taking the first sound uttered, and riding that sound through, while noticing a musical landscape that is forming, as we are attentive to its creation. It is the act of allowing the creation to manifest through our willingness to participate, whether as music maker, or as listener, by following the process. It is an opportunity for that which arrives from our subconscious to show us what is real and imaginary. It challenges a new kind of space. It does not just represent linear time from beginning to end, but it is manifesting real space with great depth, between the beginning and the end. It is a time of expansive listening, to both the music that is being received, but also to the subconscious thoughts and feelings that come up during that process of listening… It is the willingness to give over to another frame of reference. Of being guided, of being an instrument of guidance, and allowing the creative force to speak through us. It is not about a finished product, so much as it is about the process. The process of actively improvising music is a letting go of the standard passing of time, and receiving an expanded awareness of energy, manifested in sound, movement, and perception.

I invite you to participate, as improvisatory music is as natural and spontaneous as the cry of a baby. Begin with your subconscious mind, your ears, & your own voice. Just notice your first Sound, and allow its continuation. Connect with it, as the Sound continues to grow and explore it’s own territory. Take note of the feeling of it. See it as a touching in with the Soul, with the Spirit of the Universe, with the Creator of all Creation, in harmony with the great Unknown, and with others like yourself, who have given a moment of time to vibrate in the pool of frequencies that make up the Universal Movement which is known as Life. As you deepen in your musical practice, draw in your awareness and watch as you begin to improvise and respond, magnifying the musical moment into a metaphor for the events of the world.

By La Donna Smith

The viola da gamba is an old instrument that is today making a comback. Check out this information on the instrument. What is a Viola da Gamba will give you some good insights into the history of the instrument. Further information on the Viola da Gamba can be found in this in depth article. Viola da Gamba Society of America The viola da gamba is slowly being introduced into modern music. This had led to the development of new instruments such as the Ruby Gamba which is a modern viola da gamba from the Netherlands Another interesting instrument is the Ergo electric viola da gamba built in the USA. If you are interested in buying a viola da gambait is usually best to shop online as stores that currently carry them are few and far between.

If you are interested in the viola da gamba, check out the movie Tous Les Matins Du Monde. It is a great French movie about the lives of two important players.

Scheherazade is both the name of the narrator of the legendary age-old tales “One-Thousand-and-One Arabian Nights” as well as the title of composer and instrumentalist Al Conti’s latest album which quickly hit #1 on the international New Age Reporter airplay charts.

Scheherazade (pronounced sheh-hair-uh-zahd) is Conti’s third album and contains ten original world-fusion tunes that musically tell the storyteller’s story. The famous tales originated throughout Persia, Arabia and India more than 1, 100 years ago, and Conti gives the music a Middle Eastern ambiance utilizing the sounds of exotic instruments (hurdy gurdy, udu, sitar, tablas and tribal drums), but making the music appealing to modern audiences by also incorporating piano, violin, cello and acoustic guitar. Read more jazz news…

Harvard researchers Gottfried Schlaug and Ellen Winner say that their findings apply not only to tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity, but also to tests measuring verbal ability and visual pattern completion.

During the study published online in PLoS ONE, the researchers compared 41 eight- to eleven-year-olds who had studied either piano or a string instrument for a minimum of three years to 18 children who had no instrumental training.

Children in both groups spent 30-40 minutes per week in general music classes at school, but those in the instrumental group also received private lessons learning an instrument and spent additional time practicing at home.

The researchers observed that the young musicians scored significantly higher than those in the control group on two skills closely related to their music training—auditory discrimination and finger dexterity.

The musicians were also found to score higher in two skills that appeared unrelated to music—verbal ability (as measured by a vocabulary IQ test) and visual pattern completion (as measured by the Raven’s Progressive Matrices).

The researchers further said that the longer and more intensely the child had studied his or her instrument, the better he or she scored on the tests.

Based on their observations, the researchers came to the conclusion that though their study shed light on the question of whether connections between music and other, unrelated skills did exist.

They said that further studies were needed to examine the causal relationships between instrumental music training, practice intensity, and cognitive enhancements.

Ambient music is a music genre in which sound is more important than notes. It is generally identifiable as being broadly atmospheric and environmental in nature. Some forms of rhythmic music presented in chillout rooms at raves and other dance events could be described as modern ambient music.

Picking up where the Akia Headrush E1 left off, the E2 Headrush brings together 16-bit digital delay with times from 0.5ms to an 35 seconds, tape echo simulations with 4 separate heads, and a looping recorder in one pedal.

In addition to offering digital and analog-type delay sounds, user-selectable delay options allow for control of signal output. There are several realtime interval and level adjustment selections as well as feedback level for repeats.

Headrush can also simulate a 4-head analog tape echo machine and it is possible to set the spacing between the virtual heads to create complex multiple delays and repeats. The outputs of each of the virtual heads appear on individual outputs for use with an external mixing console.

The looping mode allows you to record and overdub layers of sound in real-time.

Depending upon which mode is selected, the left switch controls the on/off and play/stop functions while the right switch sets the tap delay time or recording and overdub options. The LED display indicates which effect is in use and blinks in time showing the delay time selected.

Features

• 16-bit digital delay
• 0.5ms to 35 seconds delay times
• Tape echo simulation
• Looping recorder
• Simulated analog delay sound
• Adjustable repeat times
• Mix wet and dry signals to output
• Realtime delay control

Specifications

Modes
NORMAL DELAY, TAPE ECHO and LOOPING

Resolution
16bit

Sample rate
Normal : 44.1kHz, Extend: 29.4kHz

Maximum time
Delay: 23.8 seconds
Tape Echo: 5.9 seconds
Looping:
Normal : 23.8 seconds, 11.9 seconds overdub
Extend: 35.6 seconds, 17.8 seconds overdub

Controls
LEVEL, HF DAMP, FEEDBACK, TIME COARSE/TIME, TIME FINE/HEAD GAP, RATIO

Switches
MODE SELECT, LOOP LEVEL, LOOP TIME, Footswitch x 2

LEDs
MODE x 3, EFFECT ON/OFF x1, TEMPO x1

Connections
Input: jack. Input impedance 500kOhms or more

Outputs: Mix, Effect/Head 1, Heads 2-4: _”jack x 5, output impedance 1kOhms or less

9V DC in (160mA)

Options
AC adaptor (MP9-III)

Dimensions & Weight
5.51” (W) x 7.22” (D) x 2.56” (H) / 140mm (W) x 183.5mm (D) x 65mm (H)
2.535lbs (1.15kg)