Tuesday, April 7, 2015

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 396 #441)

Reading Rhythm!!!

Shoji and RickEy both like to say that "music is about playing the right note at the right time". So when exactly is the right time? How do you develop a stronger sense of timing and rhythm?

Enter B1 drummer and passionate rhythm-meister, Highway RickEy!

RickEy lead class last night and emphasized how important it is to command rhythm and counting, regardless of the instrument you play, and started with a refresher on standard musical notation. If you missed class or want to dive into notation further, RickEy recommends you work your way through the terrific WebRhythms tutorials.

Once you have a grasp of reading the rhythmic notation, it's time to practice counting it out and, courtesy of a really cool app called ReadRhythm, you can practice and score yourself. Get this thing loaded on your iPhone or iPad and get to work tapping out rhythms so you understand and internalize them. The app gives you instant feedback and scoring so you know where you stand and whether you're improving.

(For Android users, check out RhythmTrainer or Music Rhythm Master.)

Class Notes
  • Joe will miss sessions in April on the 13th and 20th. Private lessons will not take place but all Level III and Performance classes will proceed as normal with sub help from Zoe, Grant and Shoji.

"Blues All Day Long"

YMM reader Mick Zaklan wrote us recently with this note. Thanks for the intel, Mick!

"Just finished the new Jimmy Rogers biography, "Blues All Day Long", by Wayne Goins.  If you're a blues harmonica player, it's a really nice read.  Sixteen harpists are listed in the bibliography as info sources and more than twenty-five others are mentioned throughout book.  I was especially pleased to see several obscure players get some print:  Little Joe Berson, Henry "Pot" Strong, Good Rockin' Charles Edwards, and Bill Lupkin."

- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew

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