In attendance: Alex Lahoski, Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, David Kuznick, and Terry Tungjunyatham.
Rick, Brad, and Terry are in the space first; Brad is a little early, due to Glenn being gone, so the three of us head up to the loft to get set up. A little talking, and some circulation, and a little more talking, with everyone else showing up at roughly the same time.
Once everyone is plugged in and ready to go, some circulation to set levels. An interesting thing to note is that a lot of the circulation has been drifting to D natural minor, instead of the more common C Major (which is easily available due to NST). A bit of discussion, regarding what to wear for this gig (codpieces and chaps are turned down rather quickly), times to arrive, etc. Then some practice entering and exiting the space, and we sit down to run the set list for Wednesday.
Growing Circle first. Sounds good, so we move on to Intergalactic. This is hairy by nature, and we manage to put a little extra on it. Some spot work on finding the one in a couple of tough spots, and we run it a second time, due to a complaint from Brad about mix levels, and it runs a little better. Eye of the Needle next, which sounds very good. From here, it's a pretty straight run of the setlist, leading up to Askesis, and a bit of spotwork for the unison and tricky bits.
Here, there be breaks! Some talk about logistics and photography, while some of the circle runs lead parts from Flying Home.
Back in the circle, we circulate a bit, and find ourselves switching directions and casting notes in different directions. A lot of fun work. Moving on to Calliope, with attention to the transitions in the piece, as well as making sure that the cowboy sections don't sound like we just came out of the saloon.
Flying Home: generally, this sounds pretty good, though there's a bit of funky intonation going on in the basses. We try out a dynamic idea in the F section, which seems to work well, and then use this to go directly into Thrak out. Notes for this entry read: "Flying Home --> Thrak - Wow!"
Finalizing some bits about Asturias, as well as some explanation from Alex, who was taught all the parts by Bert Lams, the composer of the piece. A runthrough sounds very good.
With some final discussion of what the schedule will be like, after the gig, and after Victor and Dev get back to the States, there's a very clear feeling, which is articulated by several in the room, that the course in Italy is very present with us. Whatever happens, the momentum that we've built up will certainly be useful for us.
But for now, we end in silence, a little after 10 p.m. Next stop, Cambridge!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
GCNE Meeting, 03-14-2010, "The Loft"
In attendance: Alex Lahoski, Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, Terry Tungjunyatham.
In the circle at about 8 p.m., with some circulation to check levels. We start warming up with the 16 Bar exercise--as we're playing, Victor McSurely walks in to check on us. This is his last Sunday before flying to Italy. When Glenn asks for another calisthenic exercise, Brad suggests the 28 Bar exercise. A few are unsure on the form, so Brad begins to show it, but it becomes quickly obvious that it's alotta chords. Victor suggests approaching just the first 4 chords, for calisthenic purposes. Several people in the circle begin this exercise as 16th notes, but by the time we finish, we are all playing in 32nd notes (the tremolo part of the exercise).
Bicycling to Afghanistan, with Terry on lead, Chris on mid, and Glenn on bass. Unusually slow tempo. Some clarification on the lead part, from Victor, and a bit more of this at a more appropriate speed. Choosing to look at this, later tonight, we move to 3rd Relation. After playing this, Victor asks who in the circle was holding the tempo back, prompting a second run with attention to tempo.
Eye of the Needle. Only one person on bass, as David is not here, tonight, but well-played, with a decent balance of parts. Where's the Nurse, next. After we play this, Victor asks Brad if he's ever played bass in a band. When answered, "No," Victor advises him to play more assertively, and to listen to some bass players over the next couple of days. A second runthrough.
Askesis, next. There is a question about the clarity of "the tricky bit", which boils down to playing the parts accurately, so that the clarity becomes available. Victor also mentions how the piece was written in an hour or so, and how it was the first theme not written by RF.
Bum break. Glenn mentions that the Myspace salute didn't work, as we didn't have the entire URL of the website in the photo, and pulls out his camera. As he's arranging the shot, Victor takes a moment to ask us all to really consider what's coming up, in addition to the gig. Some form of participation at a distance with the completion course is suggested, as well as a different, less attached practice. Important words to consider.
Myspace Salute 2.0! One wonders what exactly prompted Rupert Murdoch to come up with this. With this, Victor takes his leave, for the night, with wishes for safe travels following him.
Calliope, back in the circle. There are some parts that need to be relearned in one of the leads, but otherwise, this should be good. Flying Home, next, with some clarification of both lead/mirror lead parts and bass (as well as attention to tuning).
Prelude, with Alex in pole position. One false start, due to some unintended contemporary reharmonization, and then a full run. This comes out much better than we had expected. Some discussion of arrhythmia in some parts, and another run. Intergalactic Boogie Express, next. This is a touch slower than some recordings, but the groove is much tighter--it feels like the right tempo for this circle. We address the outro chords, and then move back to Bicycling. Some more work with this.
"When ready, begin." Two parts to this, with a moment of silence in between the parts, and a longer holding of the moment after. We call it a night at about 10:15 p.m.
In the circle at about 8 p.m., with some circulation to check levels. We start warming up with the 16 Bar exercise--as we're playing, Victor McSurely walks in to check on us. This is his last Sunday before flying to Italy. When Glenn asks for another calisthenic exercise, Brad suggests the 28 Bar exercise. A few are unsure on the form, so Brad begins to show it, but it becomes quickly obvious that it's alotta chords. Victor suggests approaching just the first 4 chords, for calisthenic purposes. Several people in the circle begin this exercise as 16th notes, but by the time we finish, we are all playing in 32nd notes (the tremolo part of the exercise).
Bicycling to Afghanistan, with Terry on lead, Chris on mid, and Glenn on bass. Unusually slow tempo. Some clarification on the lead part, from Victor, and a bit more of this at a more appropriate speed. Choosing to look at this, later tonight, we move to 3rd Relation. After playing this, Victor asks who in the circle was holding the tempo back, prompting a second run with attention to tempo.
Eye of the Needle. Only one person on bass, as David is not here, tonight, but well-played, with a decent balance of parts. Where's the Nurse, next. After we play this, Victor asks Brad if he's ever played bass in a band. When answered, "No," Victor advises him to play more assertively, and to listen to some bass players over the next couple of days. A second runthrough.
Askesis, next. There is a question about the clarity of "the tricky bit", which boils down to playing the parts accurately, so that the clarity becomes available. Victor also mentions how the piece was written in an hour or so, and how it was the first theme not written by RF.
Bum break. Glenn mentions that the Myspace salute didn't work, as we didn't have the entire URL of the website in the photo, and pulls out his camera. As he's arranging the shot, Victor takes a moment to ask us all to really consider what's coming up, in addition to the gig. Some form of participation at a distance with the completion course is suggested, as well as a different, less attached practice. Important words to consider.
Myspace Salute 2.0! One wonders what exactly prompted Rupert Murdoch to come up with this. With this, Victor takes his leave, for the night, with wishes for safe travels following him.
Calliope, back in the circle. There are some parts that need to be relearned in one of the leads, but otherwise, this should be good. Flying Home, next, with some clarification of both lead/mirror lead parts and bass (as well as attention to tuning).
Prelude, with Alex in pole position. One false start, due to some unintended contemporary reharmonization, and then a full run. This comes out much better than we had expected. Some discussion of arrhythmia in some parts, and another run. Intergalactic Boogie Express, next. This is a touch slower than some recordings, but the groove is much tighter--it feels like the right tempo for this circle. We address the outro chords, and then move back to Bicycling. Some more work with this.
"When ready, begin." Two parts to this, with a moment of silence in between the parts, and a longer holding of the moment after. We call it a night at about 10:15 p.m.
Monday, March 8, 2010
GCNE Meeting, 03-07-2010, "The Loft"
In attendance: Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, David Kuznick, and Terry Tungjunyatham.
All arriving tonight roughly within 10 minutes of each other. Tonight is Terry's first night back in the circle since roughly this time last year.
Beginning with a quiet moment at roughly 7:45, we begin with a bit of circulation to set levels, followed by some basic calisthenics with the 16-bar exercise. Glenn then calls Eye of the Needle. Played pretty well, with a touch of rushing in the leads. Glenn's suggestion for this piece (and as a general rule) is to really nail the transition points throughout the piece, so as to glue the parts together.
3rd Relation, next. Some rushing and open strings. We run the descending chord outro a few times, to firm that up. Calliope, after this. It sounds good, but there are some parts that are a little unclean. We work on this for a bit, and decide to come back to this, later tonight. Flying Home: a couple of problems throughout the circle, but nothing major--simply a matter of momentary loss of attention. There are some indiscrepancies in the bass part, which turn out to be due to excess tension in the left hand, as well as clear tuning problems, which are addressed.
"When ready, begin." Glenn attempts to pull the circle into Asturias, coming out of this improv, but it doesn't work, as either no one hears it amidst the rest of the circle, or no one is listening. An instructive moment.
After this, Brad asks to try an idea that he got [brazenly stole] from Tuning the Air: working on Thrak at a soft level. This gets slightly misinterpreted as "working on Thrak with no amplification", which is fine. We play through the song, and it is interesting to hear how we play when not relying on volume or force to bulldog our way through the piece. Additionally, it's also surprising how quiet some of the players play.
Glenn takes this a step further, and asks everyone to stand up and stand in a circle, facing each other, and has us play the piece again. We then work both the straight magic-chord 5s and the polyrhythms. And then, seeing as we're all standing up, and essentially unplugged, we choose to take a break.
During the break, Glenn takes the opportunity to have us all pose for a "Myspace Salute!" Apparently, in order to regain control of a myspace page, it's necessary to pose for a picture with a handwritten sign with one's personal or band name on it (depending on the nature of the page). Curious, but fun.
After the break, we jump in to Intergalactic. This is very much a "don't fall off the boat" piece, and we manage to prove it a couple times. There is a bit of rushing all around (and a bit more in one of the leads), and we take some time to tighten up some areas (the re-intro is particularly difficult, due to a very long pause).
Moving on to Growing Circle: played well. Terry suggests Bicycling to Afghanistan, as he knows the lead (though he needs a refresher). This falls apart roughly 2/3 of the way through, but will likely be ready and waiting for the gig, within the week--very good news. Moving on to Askesis: this is generally sounding pretty good, with only a couple of things that really need to be worked on (tension in the hands, and the spaces after the "tricky bit" and last verse into the outro, especially in the basses, who have a big jump up the neck).
Addressing Asturias, we recheck parts and a couple of fingerings, and then play it through. A few words about playing cleanly.
Brad asks to try a concept from the OCG II course. "When ready, begin." Not bad, from the scribe's point of view.
Rick points out that we need to run Where's the Nurse, and so we do. A couple of spots reviewed, with one more runthrough. Ending the meeting in silence at roughly 10 p.m.
All arriving tonight roughly within 10 minutes of each other. Tonight is Terry's first night back in the circle since roughly this time last year.
Beginning with a quiet moment at roughly 7:45, we begin with a bit of circulation to set levels, followed by some basic calisthenics with the 16-bar exercise. Glenn then calls Eye of the Needle. Played pretty well, with a touch of rushing in the leads. Glenn's suggestion for this piece (and as a general rule) is to really nail the transition points throughout the piece, so as to glue the parts together.
3rd Relation, next. Some rushing and open strings. We run the descending chord outro a few times, to firm that up. Calliope, after this. It sounds good, but there are some parts that are a little unclean. We work on this for a bit, and decide to come back to this, later tonight. Flying Home: a couple of problems throughout the circle, but nothing major--simply a matter of momentary loss of attention. There are some indiscrepancies in the bass part, which turn out to be due to excess tension in the left hand, as well as clear tuning problems, which are addressed.
"When ready, begin." Glenn attempts to pull the circle into Asturias, coming out of this improv, but it doesn't work, as either no one hears it amidst the rest of the circle, or no one is listening. An instructive moment.
After this, Brad asks to try an idea that he got [brazenly stole] from Tuning the Air: working on Thrak at a soft level. This gets slightly misinterpreted as "working on Thrak with no amplification", which is fine. We play through the song, and it is interesting to hear how we play when not relying on volume or force to bulldog our way through the piece. Additionally, it's also surprising how quiet some of the players play.
Glenn takes this a step further, and asks everyone to stand up and stand in a circle, facing each other, and has us play the piece again. We then work both the straight magic-chord 5s and the polyrhythms. And then, seeing as we're all standing up, and essentially unplugged, we choose to take a break.
During the break, Glenn takes the opportunity to have us all pose for a "Myspace Salute!" Apparently, in order to regain control of a myspace page, it's necessary to pose for a picture with a handwritten sign with one's personal or band name on it (depending on the nature of the page). Curious, but fun.
After the break, we jump in to Intergalactic. This is very much a "don't fall off the boat" piece, and we manage to prove it a couple times. There is a bit of rushing all around (and a bit more in one of the leads), and we take some time to tighten up some areas (the re-intro is particularly difficult, due to a very long pause).
Moving on to Growing Circle: played well. Terry suggests Bicycling to Afghanistan, as he knows the lead (though he needs a refresher). This falls apart roughly 2/3 of the way through, but will likely be ready and waiting for the gig, within the week--very good news. Moving on to Askesis: this is generally sounding pretty good, with only a couple of things that really need to be worked on (tension in the hands, and the spaces after the "tricky bit" and last verse into the outro, especially in the basses, who have a big jump up the neck).
Addressing Asturias, we recheck parts and a couple of fingerings, and then play it through. A few words about playing cleanly.
Brad asks to try a concept from the OCG II course. "When ready, begin." Not bad, from the scribe's point of view.
Rick points out that we need to run Where's the Nurse, and so we do. A couple of spots reviewed, with one more runthrough. Ending the meeting in silence at roughly 10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
GCNE Meeting, 02-28-2010, "The Loft"
In attendance: Victor McSurely, Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, David Kuznick, and Dev Ray. Alex is feeling unwell, and cannot make it.
Starting a little late, at 8 p.m., we find ourselves 7 in the circle, with the return of David to the circle. This is the first time in roughly a year that David has been here, and he is welcome back.
A light comes on, and Victor calls, "When ready, please begin."
Following this is some discussion--this is the first meeting with Victor since the Montessori gig, and he invites some comments from the performance. Dev mentions that in the middle of one of the songs, he looked out at the audience and saw a writhing mass of movement, and had been surprised by it. Victor notes that the audience--both kids and adults--were very appreciative, and enjoyed the performance very much. The energy in the room was very present and positive, but the kids were pretty excited. When asked, he also noted that there weren't too many questions, the day after the gig, likely because he is teaching them all.
There was also an official recognition of the gig coming up at the end of the month, for the non-Italy contingent ("the special performance project GCNE team!"). As this is coming up fairly soon, the decision was made to do some full circle work, after which Dev and Victor would sit out and observe (with comments as necessary).
Growing Circle, first. Eye of the Needle, following. There is some rushing going on, especially in the leads, so we play through again, with more attention to time, as well as to the dynamics in the outro.
Moving to Opening. This is played once, but with a bit of lead section work before hand. After the full runthrough, some comments are offered, in regards to the rhythm/time-related issues with this. The duple-against-triple feel comes through, occasionally, but mostly isn't quite making it, though it clearly wants to.
Where's the Nurse is next. The first time is pretty fast, probably in the 84-88 bpm realm (it feels at least as fast as Tuning the Air's recorded tempo), and the timing is a little sloppy, so we play through it again, a little slower. Much better, though dynamics aren't quite as dynamic. This leads into the Bach Prelude, which, after a false start, just about falls apart halfway through, due to dropped/wrong notes. But, we keep it together and finish it, and then elect to play it again, now that we all remember our parts. The time is still a little too jazzy, but we at least are able to make it to the end.
Thrak is called, next. Played twice (I think). Not quite as cohesive as at the gig, but not bad. A break comes after this, with some talk about how the gig will work, when we'll be playing, where it is, who will be playing. In a word, logistics.
After the break, Victor and Dev elect to stay out of the circle and let the abridged performance team do their work. 3rd Relation is up, with some rushing. Glenn stops the circle, and asks us to return to playing just the intro with the same delicacy we had approached last week. A couple instances of this, and then through the piece. This is pretty effective.
Flying Home, called by Brad. This isn't played nearly as fast as last week, but sounds a lot better (Victor's comment: "You guys are fun to listen to!"). Some talk about minor/major points of performing this piece. Before we move on, Victor asks us to circulate, which is very clearly in C Major. At this, Victor and Dev take their leave, and we continue on. Growing Circle again, with this "new" organization of personnel, followed by Nurse, with three leads and one Brad.
Eye of the Needle. With five in the circle, and five parts, the balance sounds excellent, and this probably lends to the success of this run-through. Calliope, next--no mirror lead, but it doesn't sound bad, though the lead part in the intro is overpowered by four bass parts (one player switches parts between sections).
Intergalactic Boogie Express: this is becoming unlikely for performance, though when it works, it works. It's more a problem of lead players remembering which parts go where. 3rd Relation again, to revisit this, and it does sound a little better. Asturias up next, with parts getting redistributed and learned--this shouldn't be a problem.
One last requested improv, to finish the night, and we end in silence at roughly 11 p.m.
Starting a little late, at 8 p.m., we find ourselves 7 in the circle, with the return of David to the circle. This is the first time in roughly a year that David has been here, and he is welcome back.
A light comes on, and Victor calls, "When ready, please begin."
Following this is some discussion--this is the first meeting with Victor since the Montessori gig, and he invites some comments from the performance. Dev mentions that in the middle of one of the songs, he looked out at the audience and saw a writhing mass of movement, and had been surprised by it. Victor notes that the audience--both kids and adults--were very appreciative, and enjoyed the performance very much. The energy in the room was very present and positive, but the kids were pretty excited. When asked, he also noted that there weren't too many questions, the day after the gig, likely because he is teaching them all.
There was also an official recognition of the gig coming up at the end of the month, for the non-Italy contingent ("the special performance project GCNE team!"). As this is coming up fairly soon, the decision was made to do some full circle work, after which Dev and Victor would sit out and observe (with comments as necessary).
Growing Circle, first. Eye of the Needle, following. There is some rushing going on, especially in the leads, so we play through again, with more attention to time, as well as to the dynamics in the outro.
Moving to Opening. This is played once, but with a bit of lead section work before hand. After the full runthrough, some comments are offered, in regards to the rhythm/time-related issues with this. The duple-against-triple feel comes through, occasionally, but mostly isn't quite making it, though it clearly wants to.
Where's the Nurse is next. The first time is pretty fast, probably in the 84-88 bpm realm (it feels at least as fast as Tuning the Air's recorded tempo), and the timing is a little sloppy, so we play through it again, a little slower. Much better, though dynamics aren't quite as dynamic. This leads into the Bach Prelude, which, after a false start, just about falls apart halfway through, due to dropped/wrong notes. But, we keep it together and finish it, and then elect to play it again, now that we all remember our parts. The time is still a little too jazzy, but we at least are able to make it to the end.
Thrak is called, next. Played twice (I think). Not quite as cohesive as at the gig, but not bad. A break comes after this, with some talk about how the gig will work, when we'll be playing, where it is, who will be playing. In a word, logistics.
After the break, Victor and Dev elect to stay out of the circle and let the abridged performance team do their work. 3rd Relation is up, with some rushing. Glenn stops the circle, and asks us to return to playing just the intro with the same delicacy we had approached last week. A couple instances of this, and then through the piece. This is pretty effective.
Flying Home, called by Brad. This isn't played nearly as fast as last week, but sounds a lot better (Victor's comment: "You guys are fun to listen to!"). Some talk about minor/major points of performing this piece. Before we move on, Victor asks us to circulate, which is very clearly in C Major. At this, Victor and Dev take their leave, and we continue on. Growing Circle again, with this "new" organization of personnel, followed by Nurse, with three leads and one Brad.
Eye of the Needle. With five in the circle, and five parts, the balance sounds excellent, and this probably lends to the success of this run-through. Calliope, next--no mirror lead, but it doesn't sound bad, though the lead part in the intro is overpowered by four bass parts (one player switches parts between sections).
Intergalactic Boogie Express: this is becoming unlikely for performance, though when it works, it works. It's more a problem of lead players remembering which parts go where. 3rd Relation again, to revisit this, and it does sound a little better. Asturias up next, with parts getting redistributed and learned--this shouldn't be a problem.
One last requested improv, to finish the night, and we end in silence at roughly 11 p.m.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
GCNE Meeting, "The Loft", 02-21-2010
In attendance, tonight: Alex Lahoski, Glenn Hughes, Brad Hogg, Chris Paquette. Victor is in California, Rick is experiencing some un-wellness, and Dev is in the middle of a tour of the Northeast.
Everyone arrives at roughly the same time tonight, and is suited up and ready to go in a fairly short amount of time. After bringing the PA up, Glenn asks if there's any calisthenic exercises that we'd like to address. Chris explains an extrapolation of the 16-Bar exercise that he's been doing, using the middle descending section of 3rd Relation as source material. This ends up being a little confusing, so we instead use a modification that Glenn used on his Level 3: instead of playing 4 bars of each form, we cut them down to 1 bar, so the changes come much faster. We then go over some extensions of the 1st primary, including the Hammerhead exercise from Tony G. and a couple of modifications from Bill Rieflin. All interesting exercises.
We then bring up the subject of the potential gig at the end of March. Brad has put forward the suggestion of playing in Boston on March 25th to mark the anniversary, as most of the circle will not be going to Italy for the completion course. This is still up in the air, as we need to secure a venue first, before we make an official gig announcement. We run a list of songs that we'd be able to reliably play the gig with, without having to worry about missing someone for a part. A couple of old faces have also offered their availability for the gig, so even with Dev and Victor gone, this might still be a large group.
Moving on from logistics, we tackle Where's the Nurse? There's been a bit of rhythmic shifting the past couple of times that we've played it, so we move in to address those. Chris brings up a small but notable matter of ringing D strings, which is adjusted. Once more through, and we go on to Flying Home. This is played once, and fast, around 88 bpm. It is a little sloppy, but not a trainwreck (though close to it at one point), so we elect to keep that one on the "maybe" list, resolving to work on it privately.
With Victor gone, the lead section of Opening will have to be assisted by Alex. The lead team tests this out with the first chord, and it seems like it might be a viable option. File that one away, as well.
At this point, Glenn re-presents Morning is Broken, the Cat Stevens song. Working through it in sections, it's some distance from being ready, but might come together a little faster than we think. We take a break.
Back in the (abridged) circle, we play through 3rd Relation. We are still speeding up, but it's not as bad as it has been; however, there's little dynamic movement. Another runthrough, with return to the last descending section, and then on to Askesis. This falls apart in the middle, but we keep going, and end (mostly) together. Chris asks about a timing/transition issue in the bass section, and Glenn points out that there really isn't an easy way to pull off the jump up the neck. We run the piece again, and also decide to keep this one available for the moment.
For the last piece, we take on IBE. Chris and Glenn on bass, and Alex and Brad on lead. This falls apart entirely, but more due to some confusion about who is jumping where. Ending the meeting in silence at 10 p.m., we all take our leave for the night.
Everyone arrives at roughly the same time tonight, and is suited up and ready to go in a fairly short amount of time. After bringing the PA up, Glenn asks if there's any calisthenic exercises that we'd like to address. Chris explains an extrapolation of the 16-Bar exercise that he's been doing, using the middle descending section of 3rd Relation as source material. This ends up being a little confusing, so we instead use a modification that Glenn used on his Level 3: instead of playing 4 bars of each form, we cut them down to 1 bar, so the changes come much faster. We then go over some extensions of the 1st primary, including the Hammerhead exercise from Tony G. and a couple of modifications from Bill Rieflin. All interesting exercises.
We then bring up the subject of the potential gig at the end of March. Brad has put forward the suggestion of playing in Boston on March 25th to mark the anniversary, as most of the circle will not be going to Italy for the completion course. This is still up in the air, as we need to secure a venue first, before we make an official gig announcement. We run a list of songs that we'd be able to reliably play the gig with, without having to worry about missing someone for a part. A couple of old faces have also offered their availability for the gig, so even with Dev and Victor gone, this might still be a large group.
Moving on from logistics, we tackle Where's the Nurse? There's been a bit of rhythmic shifting the past couple of times that we've played it, so we move in to address those. Chris brings up a small but notable matter of ringing D strings, which is adjusted. Once more through, and we go on to Flying Home. This is played once, and fast, around 88 bpm. It is a little sloppy, but not a trainwreck (though close to it at one point), so we elect to keep that one on the "maybe" list, resolving to work on it privately.
With Victor gone, the lead section of Opening will have to be assisted by Alex. The lead team tests this out with the first chord, and it seems like it might be a viable option. File that one away, as well.
At this point, Glenn re-presents Morning is Broken, the Cat Stevens song. Working through it in sections, it's some distance from being ready, but might come together a little faster than we think. We take a break.
Back in the (abridged) circle, we play through 3rd Relation. We are still speeding up, but it's not as bad as it has been; however, there's little dynamic movement. Another runthrough, with return to the last descending section, and then on to Askesis. This falls apart in the middle, but we keep going, and end (mostly) together. Chris asks about a timing/transition issue in the bass section, and Glenn points out that there really isn't an easy way to pull off the jump up the neck. We run the piece again, and also decide to keep this one available for the moment.
For the last piece, we take on IBE. Chris and Glenn on bass, and Alex and Brad on lead. This falls apart entirely, but more due to some confusion about who is jumping where. Ending the meeting in silence at 10 p.m., we all take our leave for the night.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
GCNE Performance (!), 02-11-2009, Thacher Montessori School, Milton, MA
Dev and Brad arrive a little late, due to a bit of a late start (the previous day's weather wreaked havoc on poor Dev's schedule, the day before), at about 10 a.m. The gym/hall is already set, with risers set up and Victor sound-checking Alex and Chris. A few minutes later, Dev and Brad are getting levels set, with Glenn walking in then. Some circulation work for checking levels, as well as getting ourselves warmed up.
We run a couple of bits to get used to the sound of the room; it's very live, like most gyms are, and it's a little washy. This will change once the kids arrive.
At 10:40, we head off to the "green room". At 10:50, we're on.
Setlist:
Growing Circle
3rd Relation
Victor talks, and into Batrachomyomachy (the audience loves the Toady Gerbil joke)
Opening
Where is the Nurse?
Love is Green (not played)
Thrak
When ready, please begin ==> Asturias
Prelude Circulation (moved from earlier in the set)
The kids are eating it up, but they are also squirming all over the place; with the excitement of having a show put on for them, as well as the unnecessary snow day on Wednesday, they're going nuts. With respect to a progressively rowdier audience, Victor chooses to skip the Prelude after Batrachomyomachy and go straight into Thrak, with a note to let the kids know that it's alright to cover their ears, if it gets too loud. A couple of them do, but for the most part, the audience rocks out. To the scribe's ears, this might be the tightest we've played this.
Thrak ends, and Victor attempts to calm the kids so that we can move on. This doesn't really happen, so Victor gives us the instruction, "When ready, please begin," and jumps straight in, which does a much better job of getting the kids to focus. Dmin establishes itself fairly quickly, and it turns out to be one of the better improvs we've played--a very good springboard for Victor to begin play Asturias, which has all the shape it needed the other night.
Asturias ends to applause, and we decide to play one more piece for them, the Prelude. And with that, the show is over--we stand, unplug, and walk off. A good performance.
Back in the green room, a moment of collection. Then, a few minutes later, we head back into the gym, for a question and answer session that is markedly less formal. Some good questions all around ("How much do you practice?" "What kind of guitar is that?" "What's your favorite music?" "What kind of music do you play?"*). At twelve, we bid them adieu, and free dispersal. There is a short photo session afterwards (necessary), and then teardown and restoration. Some discussion afterwards of when the next meeting is, and we all take our leave, with the exception of Victor, who has a class to teach.
Photos coming soon!
*This might seem like a silly question, but even the long-time guys have a hard time answering this one.
We run a couple of bits to get used to the sound of the room; it's very live, like most gyms are, and it's a little washy. This will change once the kids arrive.
At 10:40, we head off to the "green room". At 10:50, we're on.
Setlist:
Growing Circle
3rd Relation
Victor talks, and into Batrachomyomachy (the audience loves the Toady Gerbil joke)
Opening
Where is the Nurse?
Love is Green (not played)
Thrak
When ready, please begin ==> Asturias
Prelude Circulation (moved from earlier in the set)
The kids are eating it up, but they are also squirming all over the place; with the excitement of having a show put on for them, as well as the unnecessary snow day on Wednesday, they're going nuts. With respect to a progressively rowdier audience, Victor chooses to skip the Prelude after Batrachomyomachy and go straight into Thrak, with a note to let the kids know that it's alright to cover their ears, if it gets too loud. A couple of them do, but for the most part, the audience rocks out. To the scribe's ears, this might be the tightest we've played this.
Thrak ends, and Victor attempts to calm the kids so that we can move on. This doesn't really happen, so Victor gives us the instruction, "When ready, please begin," and jumps straight in, which does a much better job of getting the kids to focus. Dmin establishes itself fairly quickly, and it turns out to be one of the better improvs we've played--a very good springboard for Victor to begin play Asturias, which has all the shape it needed the other night.
Asturias ends to applause, and we decide to play one more piece for them, the Prelude. And with that, the show is over--we stand, unplug, and walk off. A good performance.
Back in the green room, a moment of collection. Then, a few minutes later, we head back into the gym, for a question and answer session that is markedly less formal. Some good questions all around ("How much do you practice?" "What kind of guitar is that?" "What's your favorite music?" "What kind of music do you play?"*). At twelve, we bid them adieu, and free dispersal. There is a short photo session afterwards (necessary), and then teardown and restoration. Some discussion afterwards of when the next meeting is, and we all take our leave, with the exception of Victor, who has a class to teach.
Photos coming soon!
*This might seem like a silly question, but even the long-time guys have a hard time answering this one.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
GCNE Meeting, 02-07-2010, 'The Loft'
In attendance: a full house, with Victor McSurely, Rick McCarthy, Chris Paquette, Brad Hogg, Glenn Hughes, Alex Lahoski, and Dev Ray.
Victor and Dev have just arrived from the Guitar Craft "Professionals" course (quite literally, as they drove straight from the location in New Jersey to Boston and the loft, not even stopping at home) to find Brad waiting at the door. Everyone else arrives at roughly the same time, 10 minutes later, and the circle is assumed.
A gift is presented to the circle, from RF: fresh picks! A small, kind, and mutually appreciated gesture. Very good.
The theme of the night is the coming Thursday, and as such, there is little warming up, save for a short circulation. When Victor asks the key that we were playing in, the answer of Dmaj (with a borrowed chord from Dmin) is provided--a glance back at last week's work. From here, we jump straight into repertoire, mostly playing straight through the pieces.
Growing Circle, once through, followed by Eye of the Needle. Eye comes out sounding a touch flat, but only needs a little bit of personal attention to dynamics. 3rd Relation is next, and the same thing comes up; timing isn't as much of a problem as it has been before.
Moving on to Asturias, some basic arranging is worked out (who plays what twinkle, who's going to bring it in). We play it once, and the general consensus is that the twinkle section sounds pretty shapeless. A couple of questions about small details (shaping the twinkles dynamically, a difference from recordings), and we move to Thrak. No "Lark's" section tonight, but it sounds good and tight. Where's the Nurse is next. Very good playthrough--Victor's reaction of, ". . . Well, moving right along. . ." is a good summation.
Before moving into work on Batrachomyomachy, there's a bit of mention about the fact that we'll be playing for kids, which brings up a couple of recollections about the last time the circle played at this school ("This weekend, I got a chocolate egg!" "How many strings are on your guitar?"), and plenty of laughter. The basses (which are two, and the other two that aren't leads) move into the hall, while the leads remain plugged in. In the hall, Chris and Rick work their parts, while Alex and Brad look on and offer critique when asked. After about 10 minutes, they rejoin the leads, and some spot work is assumed, mostly from the middle and onward.
Philip Glass' "Opening" is next. A bit of work is attempted on this, but after a few minutes, it's pretty apparent that we need a break. So we do, though the basses--Rick, Brad, and Alex--take to the hall to run their parts (which aren't technically demanding, but the triplets-against-duplets feel can be very challenging, especially when conflicting parts sit next to each other).
Back in the circle proper, we jump back in with Batracho, with some more extensive work on this piece. Dev has been working the lead, and is still learning a bit of the part--admirable work. At least one full playthrough, and we move on to the trio version of Love is Green. Once through.
Next is the Prelude Circulation. Twice through this, with some spot work--the rhythmic work on this is still challenging, though it's more appropriate to say that consistency is the challenge. On to Opening, again. Playing straight through the form (48 bars, twice through), there's points where it locks in, and points where it doesn't. We make it to the end, and silence pays a visit, for a time.
With some words about technicalities for the gig, we end the meeting at roughly 10:30 p.m.
Victor and Dev have just arrived from the Guitar Craft "Professionals" course (quite literally, as they drove straight from the location in New Jersey to Boston and the loft, not even stopping at home) to find Brad waiting at the door. Everyone else arrives at roughly the same time, 10 minutes later, and the circle is assumed.
A gift is presented to the circle, from RF: fresh picks! A small, kind, and mutually appreciated gesture. Very good.
The theme of the night is the coming Thursday, and as such, there is little warming up, save for a short circulation. When Victor asks the key that we were playing in, the answer of Dmaj (with a borrowed chord from Dmin) is provided--a glance back at last week's work. From here, we jump straight into repertoire, mostly playing straight through the pieces.
Growing Circle, once through, followed by Eye of the Needle. Eye comes out sounding a touch flat, but only needs a little bit of personal attention to dynamics. 3rd Relation is next, and the same thing comes up; timing isn't as much of a problem as it has been before.
Moving on to Asturias, some basic arranging is worked out (who plays what twinkle, who's going to bring it in). We play it once, and the general consensus is that the twinkle section sounds pretty shapeless. A couple of questions about small details (shaping the twinkles dynamically, a difference from recordings), and we move to Thrak. No "Lark's" section tonight, but it sounds good and tight. Where's the Nurse is next. Very good playthrough--Victor's reaction of, ". . . Well, moving right along. . ." is a good summation.
Before moving into work on Batrachomyomachy, there's a bit of mention about the fact that we'll be playing for kids, which brings up a couple of recollections about the last time the circle played at this school ("This weekend, I got a chocolate egg!" "How many strings are on your guitar?"), and plenty of laughter. The basses (which are two, and the other two that aren't leads) move into the hall, while the leads remain plugged in. In the hall, Chris and Rick work their parts, while Alex and Brad look on and offer critique when asked. After about 10 minutes, they rejoin the leads, and some spot work is assumed, mostly from the middle and onward.
Philip Glass' "Opening" is next. A bit of work is attempted on this, but after a few minutes, it's pretty apparent that we need a break. So we do, though the basses--Rick, Brad, and Alex--take to the hall to run their parts (which aren't technically demanding, but the triplets-against-duplets feel can be very challenging, especially when conflicting parts sit next to each other).
Back in the circle proper, we jump back in with Batracho, with some more extensive work on this piece. Dev has been working the lead, and is still learning a bit of the part--admirable work. At least one full playthrough, and we move on to the trio version of Love is Green. Once through.
Next is the Prelude Circulation. Twice through this, with some spot work--the rhythmic work on this is still challenging, though it's more appropriate to say that consistency is the challenge. On to Opening, again. Playing straight through the form (48 bars, twice through), there's points where it locks in, and points where it doesn't. We make it to the end, and silence pays a visit, for a time.
With some words about technicalities for the gig, we end the meeting at roughly 10:30 p.m.
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