In attendance: Victor McSurely, Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, Alex Lahoski, Dev Ray.
After a brief sound check at 7:45, we begin the meeting proper with a moment of silence, followed by a direction of attention to breath. This attention is maintained as we move to a three-note circulation exercise, and further maintained as we work with the staccato-legato exercise we were given earlier in the week:
-1---------------------------------------
---2----1--------------------------------
-----3----2-----1------------------------
-------4----3-----2-----1-------------4--
--------------4-----3-----2---4-1---3----
----------------------4-----3-----2------
-----------------------4-----3-----2-----
---------------4-----3-----2---4-1---3---
-------4-----3-----2-----1-------------4-
-----3-----2-----1-----------------------
---2-----1-------------------------------
-1---------------------------------------
Following this finger pattern, one would play this with all notes staccato, and then with each successive finger legato:
1234
1234
1234
1234
After working with this for a bit, and moving to 3 and 4 as successfully legato, Victor calls Askesis. Once through. He then calls for Blockhead, which the luau team dutifully runs. Some persnickitiness in the polyrhythms prompts some clapping work with this section, with one last run sounding better than before. Before a break, Chris requests a rundown of Intergalactic Boogie Express.
During the break, with guitars off, we learn about Elan S.'s decision to take on a weekly performance challenge, and are asked to help in any way we might be able to, with respect to footwork and organization. Extending from this, the discussion of our own weekly challenge arises, and what may be done to facilitate that. Eventually, a rough game plan is established, and we are all in.
Back in the circle, we jump in with some circulation work. With a Cmaj arpeggio, we work with circulating with return (with 7 players, it'd be 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2), with a definite pulse. There's an attempt to play this with ascending diatonic triads (Dmin would be next), but this gives way to circulating numbers in a six beat pulse (1-2-3-4-5-6-1-2-3-4-5-6). Once we have this established, we begin moving the pattern backwards. So, from here (italicized numbers are the place in the circle, and non-italicized is the count):
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2
1-2-3-4-5-6-1-2-3-4-5-6
we move to:
7-1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-11-2-3-4-5-6-1-2-3-4-5-6
and then:
6-7-1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-61-2-3-4-5-6-1-2-3-4-5-6
And so on. Once we have a definite pulse, we then move back to guitars and leave the pattern, simply working with circulation-with-return. After this, Victor calls the Prelude Circulation. Some frogginess, and we abandon the end, working directly with the pulse and counting of the circulation (5+3). This having been established, we play the Prelude once more, with a much better ending. A very musical free circulation, and we end the meeting at roughly 10:30 p.m.
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