www.vibesworkshop.com

My MalletKat came back on Wednesday with the KS v7 upgrade.

I am now officially a super MalletKat Fan.
Having the internal sounds really helps very much.
Especially these PC3 sounds.

A few things I want to mention.
1. I still have to get used to the rubber pad feel.
2. The pads are much wider than the bars on my M44 making playing in general much easier.
3. The vibe and marimba sounds are really very good. Keep in mind I'm not a purest by any means.
4. The head phone output volume needs to be louder so you don't hear yourself hitting pads.

I spend quite a bit of time practicing and don't always feel as if I'm progressing as desired.
I'm also one of those guys that get completely immersed in something and burn out when air runs out. So I'm adding something new to my practice options.

The Story:
I like shooting sports. ALL shooting sports! Sporting clays, skeet, hand gun sports, 3D archery, rifle, carbine... I love all of it. Especially sporting clays because I like watching the clays turn to dust. Learning to shoot has a lot in common with playing jazz.

This week I didn't practice as much as usual.
Work has been a real bitch and I needed some change to improve my perspective.
So I made it a listening week.

Aside from all the great videos posted at VW this last week or so, I kept being reminded of someone on the site saying we need to listen to other instruments and in particular guitar players. So that's what I did this week. A guitar listening marathon.

The guitar players I listened to were:
Jim Hall
Pat Martino
Bill Frisell
Emily Remler
Steve Kahn
Pat Metheny
Larry Carlton
John Scofield
Robben Ford

When I was a young kid I used to listen to Buddy Riches LPs awake and asleep so I could capture everything he does and the other players too. I could literally sing every solo on my favorite albums.

Even today I will often put a song or songs on loop on my iPhone and sleep with earbuds or just let it play next to me all night long.

In spite of not intentionally listening, it is my belief this helps subconsciously internalize the music.

Does anyone else do this?
Do you find it works for you?
Does anyone know if this messes up your sleep?
What do you think?

I know everyone is going to say play it slower and I do when practicing.
But this is about where I'd like it to be. It may be a few clicks to fast ....hmmm.... not sure yet. This is 158 BPM.

Figuring out solo vibes stuff is really challenging and fun!!!!

Anyway I had to post because we are moving on to Blue Bossa.

Be kind :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTxqlteh50&feature=player_embedded#!

Those of you who met me at the Delaware boot camp know I have a horrible time playing vibes in front of an audience. Part of that is just lack of confidence. And this is caused by not knowing what the hell I'm doing. So Ive decided to tackle this problem and start working live with vibes.

I booked a steady gig in duo for Wednesday evenings twice a month.
It will be a vibes and guitar duo.

Your help in determining how to do this without making a fool of myself would be greatly appreciated. Suggestions for tunes that are not too difficult in duo would be appreciated.

Tony demonstrates different approaches to playing over rhythm changes.
We saw a lot of this at the workshop in Delaware.

http://www.vibesworkshop.com/sites/vibesworkshop.com/files/emily.mp3

1. I am beyond practicing.
2. I play a regular gig at my empty venue.
3. Its easy to play anything I can play.

I hope this helps anyone who suffers from MWDP syndrome.
M - Masters
W - Who
D - Don't
P - Practice

Disclaimer:
As a charter member of IAC I need to point out this is done in humor and these affirmations are not intended for coaching purposes. It's just for a chuckle.

Words being wholly inadequate
Music is the language of the spirit

Between the notes
The greatest impact
Reflection, time, color

Silence is played
Stewards of passion
The spirit alive and well

Words being wholly inadequate
Music is the language of the spirit