Thacher Music Room, 11-25-2012

In attendance:  Victor, Brad, Rick, Glenn, Wayne, Dev

Rick and Dev are both running a bit late.

The meeting opens with a short bit of improvising, which also serves as soundcheck music.  Victor asks each of us what we've been working on, and then suggests the staccato-legato exercise as a means of warming up.  We bring Wayne up to speed on this, and then run it for a bit.  Following this, a bit of 1st primary to warm the right hand up.

With Dev and Rick still in their respective transits, the suggestion to write a song before they arrive is floated; quickly, a basic figure arises in six (5-7-7-5), with a vague bass part being formulated underneath this.  Dev arrives around this time.  Some general harmonic structure is implied, and then an off-the-cuff line from Glenn is expanded and developed as a sort of in-between bit (the metric is something like 2-3-3-2-2-3-3-2-2-2-4).  Back to the main section (in A and D) for a bit, and then a line in Bdim shows up.  This is developed, with a bit of clarification.  A bit more work, and we let this go as Rick arrives.

A bit of shifting and soundchecking, and we move to working with circulation.  The unexpected challenge of circulating in quarter notes, then 8ths, then 16ths twice, and then 8ths, and then beginning again with quarters.  We also work a bit with 8ths to triplet 8ths and back, and a touch with 8ths to triplet 8ths to 16ths, and back.

Following this, a deep working of A Sigh And A Kiss.  Good and productive work.  A break after this.

A request for further work on Iron Man is declined; some work on Peaches en Regalia follows instead.  A quiet moment to end the night, and we all set off for our respective homes.

Thacher Music Room, 11/4/2012

In attendance:  Victor, Brad, Glenn, Rick, Scott, Dev

This is largely anecdotal.

Dev running a bit late, but we begin without him with a full group improv.  After this, Victor asks what we've been working on; Scott mentions that he's been playing a few open mics (in NST, per request for clarification).  A call for a demonstration yields Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong".

Some circulation work, and then a call to Dev to check on his progress.  With an ETA of 10-ish minutes, we elect to break and wait for Dev.

Dev arrives a short time later; once we've worked out a cabling issue, Dev delivers a short report on next year's Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists tour, and the progress with this so far.  A brief discussion regarding a weekend with Sandra Bain Cushman, as well.

Victor runs a sitting exercise with us.

Some work on Sigh and a Kiss, including teaching Scott some of the bass part.  Also, some general work with Peaches en Regalia (which is surprisingly bare, sans Chris).

A short silence to close the night.