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I've been transcribing parts of a Chick solo. What's great about these programs is that some of Chick's licks are hard to play. Now I can slow everything down and play the line and then work up the speed.

I thought that might be a great way for some of you guys to learn hard tunes like Donna Lee.

My keyboard is set up to send instructions to Amazing Slow Downer, so play the lick and then hit a key and it speeds up. That's how we practice anyway right? Play it slow and then a little faster and then faster until we have it up to tempo.

I just got all excited because I counted 560 Lesson on this site. It's a rough count, but even at 500, that's amazing. I really think there's 3 or 4 years of study here now!

I just got the update to Band-in-a-Box. First impression is that it is really cool (as if it wasn't already cool). As usual, you enter the chord changes and BIAB automagically generates an accompaniment of bass, drums, piano, guitar, strings, etc. With the update, instead of using MIDI instruments, there is an option for BIAB to extract pre-recorded audio of session musicians playing real instruments over certain changes.

OK, this is the morning after the incredible hectic workshop weekend.
Got out of bed 3.30 this morning as I promissed Tony and Sharon to get them to the Airport. After that back to sleep for a few hours and then off to the factory.

We're taking an easy day today, first cleaning up the shop after the weekends' hurricane ;-) that went thru and putting everything back on its place.

Finally an occasion to start blogging.

Tomorrow I think end of the day Tony is arriving here, of who I'm excited to meet in person.

So, this is my first blog entry and I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate this site. I have learned a lot from this site since I joined not too long ago. What a great Atmosphere!

Alright so I'll get to the point. Earlier I posted a few videos of myself playing some 2 mallet stuff working on lines and such and I got lots of great critique and pointers. One specifically was to ALWAYS use 4 mallets (If you want to be good at 4 mallets that is). I took that advice and now any time that I play I am holding 4.

So I'm heading out this week to do workshops in Ireland and Holland.

This is great and I'm psyched. In Ireland I'll have a very small group of vibe players, maybe 2 or 3. However I'm also doing an improv workshop which will have about 8 or 9 students after the vibesworkshop. We'll work for a few days and then do a concert. I'm excited and love teaching improv workshops.

Then I head to the Vanderplas factory and we should have about 5 or 6 vibe students there.

I have seen mallets numbered from left to right as 1-2-3-4 and 4-3-2-1.

To me, 1-2-3-4 makes more sense since that is how I read, from left to right.

What is the reason for numbering 4-3-2-1?

Since there seems to be no standard labeling, we should preface anything we write regarding stickings with the mallet numbering system is being used.

Barry

Angelo the 91 year old vibe player (maybe the oldest professional working vibe player) write me now regularly. He always asks me to post the letters for everyone to read!

here's the latest. he's really interesting and his advice is good! He always reminds me to eat from all three food color groups as in this letter.

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This in an ebay listing for a 1920s Deagan Vibra-Harp. It was designed to be attached to an organ and is very different than today's instruments. The listing contains a lot of interesting information and many photos. It's worth a look.