Here's me playing Dampening Etude #12 from David Friedman's method book. Feedback welcome.
Play this down in whole steps. It should make sense, what to do.
Then try and vary it a bit, change the rhythms, add a note. Try to build on this.
This is essential to play standards and more complex original tunes.
This needs to be second nature!
The first dominant chord, in this example G13b9 uses the dominant diminished scale. The second chord in this example the A7b13b9 uses the Altered scale.
Dom Dim - G Ab Bb B Db D E F G
A Altered is - A Bb C Db Eb F G
Put this through all the keys.
Is this helpful???
This is a tune by Russ Barenberg in the style of traditional Quebecois folk music. I arranged the tune as a chord melody in a semi-jazz style with a few choice reharmonizations. A version of the head notated is attached. The solo is a little rough, but this is the basic idea of what I'm going for. Jazz arrangements/reharms of traditional tunes.
I'm a week behind because I was out of town last week and didn't figure it was worthwhile to post a video of me playing on the towel. (see pic attached).
I put together a few different lessons here and then in the end, tried a little "play along" to bring some of the concepts together. It's a work in progress. haha. Meaning, this is all a little rough (understatement?) but that's what practicing is all about, right? :)
The lesson(s): A few of Behn's blues lessons. (Thanks Behn!) 3rds and 7ths, dominant lines, etc...I explain it all in the video.
Sometimes ya gotta just open the book and play whatever tune turns up. So that's what I did. No practicing, just play.
I've always loved this tune as a ballad. I'd never read through it before this (and it sorta sounds like it! haha). I did try to bring in some of what I've been working on recently though...
This is for you, Tony. Thank you for ALL you do for the us here at Vibesworkshop! You're the best...
Can You Do This?
Balafon to Vibraphone: a unique path to new ideas
I wanted to share some thoughts about my balafon lessons and how they might connect to your primary instrument: vibes, marimba, piano, etc.
I've told this story a million times. So sorry if you heard it before.
When my 1st wife was pregnant she came home and said so many woman were pregnant at the save time. I said I bet it's not any more than usual however you are pregnant and now you're seeing all these other pregnant women. We got into a big fight!
The point is, sometimes just doing stuff will pay off later.
Practice dividing the octave up into 3 parts and don't worry about why. I can do it very easily and if you can't then you should so we both can do it, think about it and talk about it.