Tuesday, October 26, 2010

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 196 #239)

Recital Season Begins!!!

There were extra performances last night in preparation for the upcoming recital. Joe passed out the schedule and on the back page is the Recital Check List, which he spent some time going over. Read it carefully, be prepared and work to "imitate a professional" on and off stage! Click here for schedule.

Metronome Study!!!

Highway Rickey, drummer extraordinaire, and Shoji Naito will be giving a talk next week on using a metronome. How do you operate one and how the heck do you practice with it? Bring yours to class and find out!

Also, Rickey has these recommendations in advance:

Bounce Metronome a very powerful pc program. You can create any time signature combo with multiple visual displays. You can configure length of sounds as well as control their micro placement relative to the beat. Numerous other controls too.

For the iPhone, Tempo 2 has over 18 new features including a bar counter, accelerando, ritardano and advanced setlist editing like duplicating songs to other setlists.

Metronome Techniques Book is is a must read before the next class. Understand that fundamentally the metronome has two purposes. One, to set an absolute tempo. Two, it acts as a guide for learning complex rhythms. All of which will be covered and highlighted next Monday.

Brandon Bailey CD Release!!!

Ever wish you could fire your band? Here's a nineteen year-old from Memphis who shows that you can! Brandon Bailey's debut release on Modern Blues Harmonica records, Memphis Grooves, is an incredibly rich mix of influences: you'll hear some Chris Michalek, Jason Ricci, Adam Gussow (producer), and Son of Dave in his playing and at the same time traditional Sonny Boy Williamson material and even tunes by Bill Withers and Ray Charles. Check out how a looping pedal can cut you loose from your band, even for a song like Whammer Jammer!

Brandon is a fantastic harp player, vocalist and beat boxer, pulling it all together for a hard-driving CD.

Memphis Grooves is a disc with a great sense of where the harmonica has been and where it can go! Buy the mp3 download here: mp3 and the wave download here: wave.

Memphis Grooves photography and graphic design by yours truly, Grant Kessler!

B1 Gets Custom Mic Stand!!!


Harp player, B1 friend and home restoration and remodeling expert, Don Bourne saw a way to make our bullet mic more accessible. He built a custom mic stand for us to keep it up off the ground! Thanks, Don, for this cool addition to the room!

Class Notes
  • Joe will miss class the next three weeks due to the European tour! But don't despair - the amazing Shoji Naito will be leading classes the next two weeks. The third week Grant will host a jam and open opportunity to practice recital songs. You may even hear Corporate Kirk on keys that night!
  • Shoji's private lessons will all occur in B1 the next two weeks.
- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew