In attendance: Rick, Chris (scribe), Brad, Dev
We're gathered a little past 8:00. After a salutatory circulation, Chris brings up the possibility of reviving Opening with a new arrangement: four seats taking the high ostinato (as opposed to three) and two seats taking the low. For the high part (i.e. the present company), that means circulating in triplets across four seats. We begin by working with a metronome on the first bar and simply trying to "do it", but with little success. We then bring the tempo down and discuss strategies for keeping with the pattern, including counting, visualization, foot tapping, etc. For further simplification, we take time to clap the pattern without guitars, which leads to our first taste of success. When we return to guitars, we are able to circulate much more steadily, and note the value of relaxation in this process. At concert tempo, we begin to experiment with adding more material from the full piece, with and without metronome, until we have the entire first section. Here, we decide to take a short break.
We briefly return to make a pass through some current and working repertoire, including Where's the Nurse, Batrachomyomachy, Bicycling to Afghanistan, and Hommage a JSB. After a valedictory circulation, we depart around 10:45.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays s. 2 #4, 9-25-11
In attendance: Victor, Rick, Chris (scribe), Brad, Dev
We arrive, set up, and do a little prehearsal before showtime; as usual, we review what repertoire is available with a less-than-optimal configuration of the group. Where's the Nurse and Love is Green get specific attention before we go on around 7:35. A fun set: strong improvisations and Lark's Thrak making an unexpected appearance, worthy of the approbation of upstairs and downstairs audients alike. In the green room we discuss some performance/publicity opportunities that are opening up, then tear down early to support another performance in the area by visiting friends.
We arrive, set up, and do a little prehearsal before showtime; as usual, we review what repertoire is available with a less-than-optimal configuration of the group. Where's the Nurse and Love is Green get specific attention before we go on around 7:35. A fun set: strong improvisations and Lark's Thrak making an unexpected appearance, worthy of the approbation of upstairs and downstairs audients alike. In the green room we discuss some performance/publicity opportunities that are opening up, then tear down early to support another performance in the area by visiting friends.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays s. 2 #3, 9-18-11
In attendance: Victor, Chris (scribe), Brad, Dev, David
Chris, Brad and Dev get together at Brad's apartment about an hour prior to normal GCS set up time for some extra work together (in lieu of a small group meeting over the week). After beginning with a short circulation, Chris suggests looking at triads in G minor, in connection with the Haydn canon currently in the GCNE repertoire. The plan is to begin with a pattern and see how far it goes: Chris playing roots, Brad 3rds and Dev 5ths. After going up to the highest D (the 5th of the highest G minor triad), we descend and alternate intervals - Chris on the 3rd, Brad on the 5th, etc. Before moving on from this, Chris makes a request to be able to hear some 'counter-subjects' happening over the canon, and the resulting experiment offers a clue that natural minor is not the best choice for improvising in a harmonic minor context.
Next up, we run through Batrachomyomachy, retaking it from the "frogs" with Brad playing on a different part of the round. Finally, Dev indulges Brad and Chris by listening to a recital of Bartok's Hommage a JSB, and has a pointer not mentioned on their previous Sunday's close work with the piece. The group heads out soon thereafter.
Everyone is gathered at the performance space by 6:20. Victor needs just one more shot at the mirrors in Where's the Nurse during prehearsal, and we are on around 7:30 for a 45-minute performance.
Post-show with guitars, we play a game involving a search for the "last note" of a phrase as the notes are passed around the circle; several report that this is harder to do at faster speeds when the thinking turns to being on point, rather than being present with the circulation as a whole. Afterward, we play another game searching for the tonic in a series of circulated notes: eight seats forward, then all chime in for a group chord with their "answer" to the question.
Tear down and out by 10:45.
Chris, Brad and Dev get together at Brad's apartment about an hour prior to normal GCS set up time for some extra work together (in lieu of a small group meeting over the week). After beginning with a short circulation, Chris suggests looking at triads in G minor, in connection with the Haydn canon currently in the GCNE repertoire. The plan is to begin with a pattern and see how far it goes: Chris playing roots, Brad 3rds and Dev 5ths. After going up to the highest D (the 5th of the highest G minor triad), we descend and alternate intervals - Chris on the 3rd, Brad on the 5th, etc. Before moving on from this, Chris makes a request to be able to hear some 'counter-subjects' happening over the canon, and the resulting experiment offers a clue that natural minor is not the best choice for improvising in a harmonic minor context.
Next up, we run through Batrachomyomachy, retaking it from the "frogs" with Brad playing on a different part of the round. Finally, Dev indulges Brad and Chris by listening to a recital of Bartok's Hommage a JSB, and has a pointer not mentioned on their previous Sunday's close work with the piece. The group heads out soon thereafter.
Everyone is gathered at the performance space by 6:20. Victor needs just one more shot at the mirrors in Where's the Nurse during prehearsal, and we are on around 7:30 for a 45-minute performance.
Post-show with guitars, we play a game involving a search for the "last note" of a phrase as the notes are passed around the circle; several report that this is harder to do at faster speeds when the thinking turns to being on point, rather than being present with the circulation as a whole. Afterward, we play another game searching for the tonic in a series of circulated notes: eight seats forward, then all chime in for a group chord with their "answer" to the question.
Tear down and out by 10:45.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays s. 2 #2, "opening night", 9-11-11
In attendance: Victor, Rick, Chris (scribe), Brad, David
Chris arrives a bit late while the rest of the team is doing a sound check. After getting set up, we run through a few circulation ideas with a note to pay attention to the timbre of individual notes clashing or blending with that of the full group sound. Love is Green gets prehearsal refreshing before a brief pre-show dispersal.
Our performance runs for about forty minutes and closes with Growing Circle and a cadential circulation, and has lots of circulation and improvisation in general. After the show, we do a group exercise before David has to make an early departure, and talk a little about musical phrasing in regard to the intentional placement of a phrase on or around the "weight" of a beat*. Chris asks for an example to help him with practice at home, and Victor and the team oblige.
The exhibition with Chris dovetails into a Hommage a JSB (Bartok) recital where Chris and Brad get individual and collective performance pointers for bringing the short piece to life. Following this, Victor works with Rick to pick up the mirror part in the final 10 + 9 section of Where's the Nurse, and gets a question on the bass part in Intergalactic Boogie Express answered.
Tear down and out by 10:45.
Chris arrives a bit late while the rest of the team is doing a sound check. After getting set up, we run through a few circulation ideas with a note to pay attention to the timbre of individual notes clashing or blending with that of the full group sound. Love is Green gets prehearsal refreshing before a brief pre-show dispersal.
Our performance runs for about forty minutes and closes with Growing Circle and a cadential circulation, and has lots of circulation and improvisation in general. After the show, we do a group exercise before David has to make an early departure, and talk a little about musical phrasing in regard to the intentional placement of a phrase on or around the "weight" of a beat*. Chris asks for an example to help him with practice at home, and Victor and the team oblige.
The exhibition with Chris dovetails into a Hommage a JSB (Bartok) recital where Chris and Brad get individual and collective performance pointers for bringing the short piece to life. Following this, Victor works with Rick to pick up the mirror part in the final 10 + 9 section of Where's the Nurse, and gets a question on the bass part in Intergalactic Boogie Express answered.
Tear down and out by 10:45.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays s. 2 #1, "soft opening", 9-4-11
In attendance: Brad, Rick, Victor, David, Chris, Dev
All are present by 6:30. Brad and Rick got here early to set up lights and get stools and equipment going. We have a new mixer.
A little prehearsal before our performance tonight: Third Relation, Eye of the Needle, Morning Has Broken, the Haydn canon. Some review of the canon is necessary, after which we give a go in an organized manner.
We continue along preparatory lines with Flying Home when the first guest of the season comes in off the street, having seen the words 'guitar circle' with an arrow pointing on a sandwich board outside. At 7:35, we take this as a sign of the beginning of our performance. We play for about forty-five minutes.
We pow wow after the guests depart and, among other things, follow up on the konokol exercise Victor presented last week; tonight he offers another and other suggestions for further experimentation. We decide that the best use of our time is for rehearsal and get to work. Some of the items addressed are Intergalactic Boogie Express, with Victor picking up the bass, and Love is Green as a trio with Chris, Victor and Rick.
Tear down and out by 10:30.
All are present by 6:30. Brad and Rick got here early to set up lights and get stools and equipment going. We have a new mixer.
A little prehearsal before our performance tonight: Third Relation, Eye of the Needle, Morning Has Broken, the Haydn canon. Some review of the canon is necessary, after which we give a go in an organized manner.
We continue along preparatory lines with Flying Home when the first guest of the season comes in off the street, having seen the words 'guitar circle' with an arrow pointing on a sandwich board outside. At 7:35, we take this as a sign of the beginning of our performance. We play for about forty-five minutes.
We pow wow after the guests depart and, among other things, follow up on the konokol exercise Victor presented last week; tonight he offers another and other suggestions for further experimentation. We decide that the best use of our time is for rehearsal and get to work. Some of the items addressed are Intergalactic Boogie Express, with Victor picking up the bass, and Love is Green as a trio with Chris, Victor and Rick.
Tear down and out by 10:30.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Guitar Circle Sundays s.2 rehearsal, 8-28-11
In attendance: Victor, Rick, Dev, Brad, David, Chris (scribe).
We're all here by 7:30. We spend about forty-five minutes setting up equipment and making sure we're ready to go for next Sunday - gear-wise, at least. Rick repairs a few of the wobblier stools and investigates the coffee station situation with Chris. We're using a different mixer than normal so setting up sound requires some extra trial and error.
A long silence precedes the guitar portion of the meeting. We begin with an improvisation, following which Victor introduces a konokol exercise which works with accelerating groups of five; this segues into a discussion of the extended present moment of melody and rhythm. At this point, we break from guitars to consider some practicalities going forward to December 11th, before turning our attention to getting David up to speed on what he needs to know for Guitar Circle Sundays. In turn, this talk leads back to guitar work with variegated circulation.
After a formal break, we experiment with a quartet set-up for a performance in-the-round, which proves to be quite viable, sonically. This is also an opportunity for a mini-recital from Dev, Chris, Rick and Brad, who have been meeting autonomously throughout the summer. Victor has some performance notes throughout, and has something in particular he would like to try. But before going there, we give Third Relation a hearing, at David's request.
Following an exhibition, Victor asks Chris to pair up with Rick and for Brad to pair up with David, and for the four to head on stage (there is a small stage in the auditorium-like room). In each pair, one of the partners is to speak only in gibberish, accompanied by gesture, while the other partner acts as translator to the other pair, who cannot understand that group's gibberish speaker. From this, the two groups are to improvise a scene to entertain the audience (during the exercise, Brad is swapped out for a heckling Dev). Much fun is had by all and worthwhile observations are shared, with a clear analogy to musical improvisation within the Circle.
We tear down, and are out before 11:00.
We're all here by 7:30. We spend about forty-five minutes setting up equipment and making sure we're ready to go for next Sunday - gear-wise, at least. Rick repairs a few of the wobblier stools and investigates the coffee station situation with Chris. We're using a different mixer than normal so setting up sound requires some extra trial and error.
A long silence precedes the guitar portion of the meeting. We begin with an improvisation, following which Victor introduces a konokol exercise which works with accelerating groups of five; this segues into a discussion of the extended present moment of melody and rhythm. At this point, we break from guitars to consider some practicalities going forward to December 11th, before turning our attention to getting David up to speed on what he needs to know for Guitar Circle Sundays. In turn, this talk leads back to guitar work with variegated circulation.
After a formal break, we experiment with a quartet set-up for a performance in-the-round, which proves to be quite viable, sonically. This is also an opportunity for a mini-recital from Dev, Chris, Rick and Brad, who have been meeting autonomously throughout the summer. Victor has some performance notes throughout, and has something in particular he would like to try. But before going there, we give Third Relation a hearing, at David's request.
Following an exhibition, Victor asks Chris to pair up with Rick and for Brad to pair up with David, and for the four to head on stage (there is a small stage in the auditorium-like room). In each pair, one of the partners is to speak only in gibberish, accompanied by gesture, while the other partner acts as translator to the other pair, who cannot understand that group's gibberish speaker. From this, the two groups are to improvise a scene to entertain the audience (during the exercise, Brad is swapped out for a heckling Dev). Much fun is had by all and worthwhile observations are shared, with a clear analogy to musical improvisation within the Circle.
We tear down, and are out before 11:00.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
small group meeting, Rick's House, 8-16-11
Rick, Dev, Brad and Chris (scribe). We tread some well-defined tonal space during our opening circulation which leads to a question about listening to tonality as it morphs during a free circulation; then for a warm up, we tackle the "hammerhead" variation of a familiar left hand exercise at a moderate tempo for a few minutes.
For repertoire work, we begin with a take of Eye of the Needle which leads to a comment and retake of the ending. It is here that we turn to our performance the previous Sunday for guidance on what to work on tonight, and Flying Home is first on the chopping block. After one take, Dev says that the biggest problem with our performance of the piece is the basses and leads not being in the pocket together; we then take turns pairing up a lead with a bass (conveniently two of each present) while the remaining players listen and offer performance notes in this regard. It sounds better when we do a full-group take again, and we even give it a shot at concert tempo with fleeting glimpses of success.
The small group takes some time to help Chris with his work on playing fast, offering some pointers and an exercise. As a group, we take on a speed-oriented version of a left hand exercise and have some fun pushing our limits.
After a short break, we return to work with Third Relation. Chris is apparently familiar with a part that makes a full-reading of the piece possible with the present configuration of the group, and that reading is given two hearings and some bass treatment. We play Calliope after some discussion of the fingering of a certain part in the bass, and we work some more on our time feel. Then a take of Bicycling to Afghanistan, Thrak, and an improv to end our work for the night.
For repertoire work, we begin with a take of Eye of the Needle which leads to a comment and retake of the ending. It is here that we turn to our performance the previous Sunday for guidance on what to work on tonight, and Flying Home is first on the chopping block. After one take, Dev says that the biggest problem with our performance of the piece is the basses and leads not being in the pocket together; we then take turns pairing up a lead with a bass (conveniently two of each present) while the remaining players listen and offer performance notes in this regard. It sounds better when we do a full-group take again, and we even give it a shot at concert tempo with fleeting glimpses of success.
The small group takes some time to help Chris with his work on playing fast, offering some pointers and an exercise. As a group, we take on a speed-oriented version of a left hand exercise and have some fun pushing our limits.
After a short break, we return to work with Third Relation. Chris is apparently familiar with a part that makes a full-reading of the piece possible with the present configuration of the group, and that reading is given two hearings and some bass treatment. We play Calliope after some discussion of the fingering of a certain part in the bass, and we work some more on our time feel. Then a take of Bicycling to Afghanistan, Thrak, and an improv to end our work for the night.
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