Around 7:30, and the GCNE-ers begin congregating at their old haunt and rehearsal space for their first formal meeting since the close of the Guitar Circle Sundays performance season. We have had a few weeks off to rest and assimilate our experience undertaking the performance challenge, and are ready to begin discussing the future as circlemate banter wisps about the chilly air.
When we reach the loft upstairs, we arrange ourselves in a circle according to the sequence used for GCS, as opposed to the semi-circle form usually adopted in this space, in a natural way. We have no amplification and will be playing acoustically. We begin with silence. A couple circulations to get us going, brief, and rich with accidentals and a few accidents. A couple baton cues for group chords.
Perhaps following up on some of the possible work hinted at during the prehearsal of our last performance, Victor calls the circulation pattern, "two forward, one back." We pass a note to the person two seats to our right, and that person passes to the player one seat to the left, ad infinitum. This pattern is easy for us to grasp and even takes on some velocity. To mix things up, Victor adds the stipulation that notes being passed to the right are to be played from C minor on the 5th and 6th strings, while notes going to the left will come from A minor on the first and second strings.
A new pattern: two back, three forward. This form is not as compact as the previous one, and is harder for some of the team to visualize happening. As an experiment, we attempt "glance" circulating, which involves looking at the person we are passing to in the eyes without making any sound; this is of course a very odd thing to do, but somehow progress is made with internalizing the pattern. The next game is passing words, using the circulation pattern to form peculiar sentences (this would make for a poignant performance piece on "Bloomsday").
Back to business, and we are a little more confident with the form. Now, it's: "on the downbeats, two forward, one back; on the upbeats, two back, three forward." So, a double circulation with the two forms happening concurrently. When this proves to be difficult, we set aside playing notes and instead circulate the words "down" and "up", corresponding to which form we are passing as part of, while pointing to the next person in that respective pattern. Eventually, we make a complete pass using this method, and after a brief attempt with guitars stop to talk about logistics for Sunday.
We will be taking on a different kind of performance challenge by providing music for a service at a local Unitarian church. Because some portions of the service will be of indeterminate length, we decide that improv and a handful of appropriate pieces are the way to go. Victor refreshes the parts for Invocation with the group.
We take a break, but this turns to necessary talk regarding some possible upcoming Spring projects, GCS season II, and a recording project. The discussion winds up concluding the meeting around 10:30.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
GCNE Meeting 06-02-2011, Rick's House
In attendance: Rick McCarthy, Dev Ray, Brad Hogg.
Dev and Brad arrive at Rick's house just after 8pm. After a bit of organizing and collecting ourselves, we sit down and begin with an opening circulation (Dmin?). Some tuning follows, and then we jump in with Askesis (two basses, one lead) as a warm up. At roughly 88 bpm, it's maybe a little fast as a warm up, but no reason to stop now. A moment is taken to clarify an octave double in the bass. 3rd Relation (two basses, one lead) comes next. Still spritely, but we're finding our bearings. This is shaping up to be largely focused on Crafty repertoire.
A bit of talking, and then we give Calliope a shot. Interesting to hear with two basses (no mirror) and mirror lead. Flying Home also gets more than a passing nod (two basses and one straight lead), with a question following about how the lead is played, and incredulity at the answer given. Bicycling to Afghanistan is mentioned, but considered to be currently out of reach. At the urging of one Dev Ray, Moving Force (one bass, one lead) is played instead, to the mock boredom of Rick (only serious players tonight).
After a moment of more gabbing, and following a noodle from Dev, Brad shows Rick the first part of the lead on Driving Force to Rick. This has been bandied about recently, and Glenn has mentioned that he sees this piece being a viable option for this Circle. A couple runs through the section, and stopping before the bridge, gives us a good workout and some useful homework.
A circulation after this, leading into an improv with a fairly energetic and clear ending, followed by a brisk run of Where's the Nurse. Following the Tony Geballe line, we pick up Batrachomyomachy, with Brad jumping ship from bass to lead after the first half of the "mice". Some work with the mice (including several runs of the canon section) closes it out, and we opt for a break from the stools. This leads to a lengthy chat that ends up running longer than our actual playing time, but this is difficult to avoid with gossips such as us. Calling it a night shortly after midnight, we all head our separate ways.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
GCNE Meeting, 05-26-2010, Brad's Apartment
In attendance: Rick McCarthy, Brad Hogg. Dev for the last half an hour, due to travel difficulties.
Rick arrives at Brad's place at about 10 a.m. Dev is running late due to some unexpected travel difficulties. This is the first time anyone has met since the end of the season, so we warm up a bit with the 16 Bar exercise at a slower pace, somewhere in the 75 bpm range. Mirrors are added as desired. A few minutes of this, and then a few more minutes at something around 88 bpm to bring up the blood pressure. A brisk run through 3rd Relation to get the mind running along with the hands is probably a little faster than we should attempt, after the break, but assume the virtue. . . .
Diving into experiment mode, Brad presents a bitonal exercise. The first side is a simple ascension in Dmaj, on the 2nd-4th strings, using the I, the IV, and the vi chords. The second side uses the same chords in Emaj, descending in contrary motion. Rick gamely gives it a go, and then suggests the same approach, but using Abmaj instead of Emaj (the Bartok approach). A second twist is added by hocketing each side, with Dmaj on the downbeat and Abmaj on the offbeat. Then a false double-time feel is added every other chord (playing twice as fast, but remaining on that chord for an equal amount of time). We switch hockets (Dmaj on the offbeat) to further explore the idea, and decide that this is something that has quite a bit of value. We'll come back to this later.
A bit of discussion on various off-topic topics, along with a couple of possibly bright ideas about potential repertoire pieces.
Moving on, Rick shows a 7/4 figure in Gmaj to Brad that is the beginning of a piece that he has been working on for some time in a rock band context. Once Brad has this, then the next bit is shown: the same figure in Amaj, with a climb back to the Gmaj figure, with mirrors added. The next sections are slowly added on, with a couple of hocketing figures, a restatement in octaves, and a rejoining in Amaj. Challenging, but fun and listenable. As we finish working on this, Dev arrives at long last.
A circulation and improv with some good moments and very unusual key centers for us to play in.
We bring Dev up to speed with the bitonal exercise. A stated area-of-less-aptitude-than-others gives us a chance to focus on some chord shapes, which brings us up to the necessary leaving time for the two journeyman. A closing moment, a piece of watermelon, and they're off, leaving Brad to type up the minutes.
Diving into experiment mode, Brad presents a bitonal exercise. The first side is a simple ascension in Dmaj, on the 2nd-4th strings, using the I, the IV, and the vi chords. The second side uses the same chords in Emaj, descending in contrary motion. Rick gamely gives it a go, and then suggests the same approach, but using Abmaj instead of Emaj (the Bartok approach). A second twist is added by hocketing each side, with Dmaj on the downbeat and Abmaj on the offbeat. Then a false double-time feel is added every other chord (playing twice as fast, but remaining on that chord for an equal amount of time). We switch hockets (Dmaj on the offbeat) to further explore the idea, and decide that this is something that has quite a bit of value. We'll come back to this later.
A bit of discussion on various off-topic topics, along with a couple of possibly bright ideas about potential repertoire pieces.
Moving on, Rick shows a 7/4 figure in Gmaj to Brad that is the beginning of a piece that he has been working on for some time in a rock band context. Once Brad has this, then the next bit is shown: the same figure in Amaj, with a climb back to the Gmaj figure, with mirrors added. The next sections are slowly added on, with a couple of hocketing figures, a restatement in octaves, and a rejoining in Amaj. Challenging, but fun and listenable. As we finish working on this, Dev arrives at long last.
A circulation and improv with some good moments and very unusual key centers for us to play in.
We bring Dev up to speed with the bitonal exercise. A stated area-of-less-aptitude-than-others gives us a chance to focus on some chord shapes, which brings us up to the necessary leaving time for the two journeyman. A closing moment, a piece of watermelon, and they're off, leaving Brad to type up the minutes.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays #18, "Finale", 5-15-11
It is gray, damp and comfortably cool today, and we are meeting early at the space in preparation for the final performance in the Guitar Circle Sundays series (season one...?). Hard to believe this is number eighteen!
Matthew Merchant has come down from Canada to join us for the show, and is with Brad at SC when Chris and Alex arrive around 2:30. Downstairs, another group is getting ready for a graduation party, making for concurrent convivial convocations. We set up for a circle of eight by giving one of the house bar stools a long-needed repair.
As we are setting up sound, a technical difficulty arises concerning our amplifier, and Victor is forced to depart to retrieve a replacement. While he is away, the group keeps focus and goes over common repertoire with Matthew. After about twenty-five minutes, Victor returns with an amp and is able to finish the mix, which, with Matthew in the eighth seat, has a more 'circular' sound. We wrap up repertoire work with Matt and take a dinner break around 5:20.
The 'party' portion of the party downstairs gets underway during this time, and when we are seated again there is an enticing mix of salsa and contemporary pop thumping through the floorboards. Victor gives Matthew the skinny on our improvisational tendencies and some of the circulation forms that commonly come up in our performances, with the group providing examples. We then move on to special group repertoire, giving the most attention to The Sunken Cathedral, Love is Green and Prelude No. 1.
As always (well, more or less), we go on at 7:30. It is our best house so far, volume-wise, with 25-30 people. A set a little more on the repertoire end, with Victor mostly calling the shots. We play for about fifty minutes, with no encore. Audience response after the performance is highly positive, and it seems like there will be a future for the group. We roll-up quickly, and head out as a group for a post-series celebration.
Matthew Merchant has come down from Canada to join us for the show, and is with Brad at SC when Chris and Alex arrive around 2:30. Downstairs, another group is getting ready for a graduation party, making for concurrent convivial convocations. We set up for a circle of eight by giving one of the house bar stools a long-needed repair.
As we are setting up sound, a technical difficulty arises concerning our amplifier, and Victor is forced to depart to retrieve a replacement. While he is away, the group keeps focus and goes over common repertoire with Matthew. After about twenty-five minutes, Victor returns with an amp and is able to finish the mix, which, with Matthew in the eighth seat, has a more 'circular' sound. We wrap up repertoire work with Matt and take a dinner break around 5:20.
The 'party' portion of the party downstairs gets underway during this time, and when we are seated again there is an enticing mix of salsa and contemporary pop thumping through the floorboards. Victor gives Matthew the skinny on our improvisational tendencies and some of the circulation forms that commonly come up in our performances, with the group providing examples. We then move on to special group repertoire, giving the most attention to The Sunken Cathedral, Love is Green and Prelude No. 1.
As always (well, more or less), we go on at 7:30. It is our best house so far, volume-wise, with 25-30 people. A set a little more on the repertoire end, with Victor mostly calling the shots. We play for about fifty minutes, with no encore. Audience response after the performance is highly positive, and it seems like there will be a future for the group. We roll-up quickly, and head out as a group for a post-series celebration.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays #17, 5-8-11
Mother's Day. We are pumped for the mothers to come out, and prepare our performance space accordingly. During a soundcheck circulation Victor observes that something about the guitar circle format is more "direct" than when we look on as spectators in a conventional concert setting, for better or for worse.
We play a modest-length set for a small audience. There is no encore, but a question and answer session is called for, followed up by an unplugged Askesis. After guests depart, we pow wow for some time, in anticipation of next week's finale performance.
We play a modest-length set for a small audience. There is no encore, but a question and answer session is called for, followed up by an unplugged Askesis. After guests depart, we pow wow for some time, in anticipation of next week's finale performance.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wake Up the Earth Festival, 5-7-11
Brad, Rick and Victor meet at the space around 10:00 AM to begin moving equipment down to the festival grounds. Chris arrives shortly afterward to lend a hand.
There have been some doubts about the weather, but for the moment it is a gorgeous day: a few roads have been blocked off, and people are busy setting up banners, stands and musical equipment for the festival. The Circle is set up in front of a train station and next to a lawn where other activities are taking place.
We are instructed that a mythological parade will arrive at our location, perform a ritual dance on stilts accompanied by a drum circle, and disperse, at which point we will begin our set. So, same old, same old.
Our set is a condensed statement, moving briskly through some of our more concise repertoire and lively improvisation. As we play, a cold front comes in, and dark clouds can be seen looming over the horizon. Invocation appears for the first time in four years, and ends up closing this special set as clouds roll in.
There have been some doubts about the weather, but for the moment it is a gorgeous day: a few roads have been blocked off, and people are busy setting up banners, stands and musical equipment for the festival. The Circle is set up in front of a train station and next to a lawn where other activities are taking place.
We are instructed that a mythological parade will arrive at our location, perform a ritual dance on stilts accompanied by a drum circle, and disperse, at which point we will begin our set. So, same old, same old.
Our set is a condensed statement, moving briskly through some of our more concise repertoire and lively improvisation. As we play, a cold front comes in, and dark clouds can be seen looming over the horizon. Invocation appears for the first time in four years, and ends up closing this special set as clouds roll in.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays #16, 5-1-11
Tonight is our final appearance downstairs, and we are without Glenn or Rick.
The room is a little untidy, and the bar stools we have been using as our seats are mostly being used by the group upstairs. But we can make it work.
We take some extra time to move props and puppets from the bar into the adjoining art room, and seek out a few black padded stools to fill out the circle of seats. Our current opinion regarding our regular stools is that they wobble, and are generally in need of repair; these new substitute stools, however, are maxing out our perspective on the possibilities of dubious butt support.
No recording is being made tonight. Whatever we play will be lost in the aether.
Dev arrives as Victor is setting up the mix with the rest of the group; a few others, who are not members of the GCNE, are also arriving around this time (we are running a bit later than usual). For a warm-up we play through Askesis, then go on to consider what repertoire is available to our truncated group. From this, a few piquant prehearsal items emerge.
A good turnout - there are almost no empty seats. It's a short, light-hearted set featuring some official repertoire debuts, including a Bartok duet and a short canon by Haydn. It was also a good opportunity for the Circle to navigate through distraction, with bathroom-goers and furniture-movers coming and going from upstairs.
Dev and Victor are on a somewhat tight time table, so we talk about logistics for Saturday (Wake Up the Earth festival) and tear down by 10:00.
The room is a little untidy, and the bar stools we have been using as our seats are mostly being used by the group upstairs. But we can make it work.
We take some extra time to move props and puppets from the bar into the adjoining art room, and seek out a few black padded stools to fill out the circle of seats. Our current opinion regarding our regular stools is that they wobble, and are generally in need of repair; these new substitute stools, however, are maxing out our perspective on the possibilities of dubious butt support.
No recording is being made tonight. Whatever we play will be lost in the aether.
Dev arrives as Victor is setting up the mix with the rest of the group; a few others, who are not members of the GCNE, are also arriving around this time (we are running a bit later than usual). For a warm-up we play through Askesis, then go on to consider what repertoire is available to our truncated group. From this, a few piquant prehearsal items emerge.
A good turnout - there are almost no empty seats. It's a short, light-hearted set featuring some official repertoire debuts, including a Bartok duet and a short canon by Haydn. It was also a good opportunity for the Circle to navigate through distraction, with bathroom-goers and furniture-movers coming and going from upstairs.
Dev and Victor are on a somewhat tight time table, so we talk about logistics for Saturday (Wake Up the Earth festival) and tear down by 10:00.
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