small group meeting, Rick's House, 1-6-12

In attendance: Rick, Chris (scribe), Scott, Brad, Dev, Alex

We begin with a circulation around 8:30, followed by some remarks regarding the purpose of our meeting tonight. Once we have settled this, we decide it would be best to warm up the hands with a primary exercise, a simple ascending pattern (1-2-3-4) for the left hand up and down the neck at a moderate tempo (sixteenth notes at 60 BPM). Intermittently, we take the opportunity to refresh some of the principles behind the exercise, such as succession, simultaneous release and constant release. Dev makes a note to be cautious about ringing strings (especially undesirable when amplified) and to keep right hand movement small; Alex reminds us to listen for tone.

Next, we continue along the same lines with a different fingering pattern, a descending figure (4-3-2-1). We find ourselves speeding up, with a few in the group admitting that this form of the exercise comes less easily than the familiar ascending pattern. Chris hypothesizes that the difficulty comes from the quality of constant release feeling unusual, while Dev suggests that we are not used to leading with the fourth, small finger.

For further variation, Alex proffers the "Hammerhead" exercise, which displaces a given fingering pattern to adjacent strings without disrupting its constituency (thus making any first primary figure a candidate for experimentation). He demonstrates a form for ascending and descending across strings, so that the exercise may be taken a la the first primary. We spend some time practicing on the middle strings, then add the outer strings, proceeding at a similar moderate tempo.

Next, Chris requests an exercise for the right hand. Alex then presents a figure based on Albeniz's Austurias (Leyenda) which incorporates an accelerating tremolo part with some continuous work for the left hand. First, as we come to grips with the figure, we practice eighth notes at 60 BPM (possibly slower) before adding and alternating with the triplet form. For fun, we take it up to 80 BPM, but don't last long.

After a break with some practical discussion, we reconvene with a second circulation that leads into some extended improvisation. This turns out to be an appropriate spot to conclude the meeting, and we do so around 10:30.