Physical Training Update

My apologies to anyone who is still following this blog - I've been really slacking off on updating it.

In my quest to rehab my lower back, I noticed that the Yoga routine assigned to me by my last two teachers emphasized the core in some way. I discontinued Yoga lessons because of the need to create some time in my schedule for other things, but carried the idea of emphasizing core work to my regular exercise.

Monday's training, with Intuitive Training scores:

Circuit (done 5x):

Chinups x6, RPT=8, RPE=6, RPD=4
Power Wheel Hand Walk x10 forward and backwards, RPT=8, RPE=4, RPD=4
Power Wheel Leg Curl x5, RPT=6, RPE=5, RPD=3
Power Wheel Pike Up x10, RPT=8, RPE=4, RPD=4
Rest 3-5 min.

Finish with Chest Expander work to compensate for training effects on shoulder. I was experiencing left shoulder soreness from the above routine until I tried the Chest Expander exercises I'd used to rehab the same shoulder a couple of years ago.

This has been my exercise routine of late, with rep numbers increasing as Intuitive Training scores allow. As a very brief recap, if RPT (Rate of Perceived Technique) is 8 or greaters, RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort) is 3-4 or less, and RPD (Rate of Perceived Discomfort) is 4 or less, then it is time to increase exercise difficulty. Intuitive Training is of course from Scott Sonnon's Circular Strength Training system.

The Power Wheel came with an instructional DVD and a brief set of printed instructions, which differ from one another in what exercises are prescribed for each skill level, so I use elements from both the DVD and the printed manual.

I use Lifeline's Jungle Gym 2 as my chinup device. I do chinups to strengthen my back from the top side - so the entire back is covered. The chinup was also one of the few ways to strengthen my arms without negatively impacting my back.

I'll keep doing this routine until I can do 10 Power Wheel Leg Curls. I figure by then the lower back should be strong enough to handle a switchover to Clubbell training.

Allan Holdsworth playing Traditional Jazz in 1978

Allan Holdsworth is best known for his blazing, sophisticated jazz-rock fusion guitar work. Recordings of Allan playing more traditional jazz is rare, aside from the None Too Soon album.

Thus, it was a pleasure to discover a 1978 recording of the Allan Holdsworth Quartet playing traditional jazz, which was posted to the discussion forums on Allan's website. For this gig, he opted for a guitar tone that is as close as he's gotten to the traditional jazz guitar sound. The performances are fantastic, and the sound quality is incredible.

Update: Here's a song list:
Scatter - Kenny Wheeler
What Am I Doing With You - Fran Landesman & Hod O'Brien

There are plenty of other recordings by fusion luminaries as well on that site. Enjoy!

Ozan Yarman's 79-tone Qanun

This is the first batch of audio demos that I have encountered of Ozan Yarman's 79-tone Qanun. Qanun, as I may have previously mentioned, is a Turkish zither that is played with fingerpicks and has little levers to instantly retune certain strings. Ozan's 79-tone tuning is a recent invention.

Demo1
Demo2
Demo3

Video: How To Upgrade a Macbook

This video shows how to upgrade the RAM, hard drive, etc. of a Macbook:

Charles McNeal

To be honest, I only just now heard of Charles McNeal and I certainly haven't heard his music yet. But his website came up in a thread about soloing - it was mentioned as a source for transcriptions of solos by some great jazz players.

Transcribing the solos of the masters is often recommended to jazz students, but not everyone has time to write down these solos onto paper - I find it a MUCH slower process than learning the solo by ear myself and I suspect I'm not the only one. Enjoy Mr. McNeal's work!

Guitarists' Secret Weapons for Textural Effects

Check out this discussion thread on the Gear Page Effects forum for ideas on achieving textural effects.

Some of these ideas will work with just your guitar and bare hands! My favorite, courtesy of the great David Torn:

light taps on the back of the neck (or, the body) whilst the lefy hand holds chords.
alternatively, tapping on the bridge itself (or at the base of the bar, if the guitar is whammified) with the thumb, a sharpie, etc.

Phil Keaggy demonstrates E-Bow technique

NFL Linebacker In-Season Training Program

It is highly unlikely that I would ever follow such a program myself, because I am not a football linebacker. Still, it is interesting to see how a real NFL linebacker trains during an NFL season.

Check out Joe Defranco's program for an unnamed NFL linebacker.

Bjork on Modern Minimalists, Pt 1

Tobogganing Safety Tips by Rush's Geddy Lee

While I haven't kept up with Rush much of late, as I prefer the warmer sound of their Moving Pictures album and other albums from around that era, I'm still an admirer of the band, particularly lead singer/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee. So I know I can always count on Geddy to give me great tobogganing advice!

Notes from the Janos Starker Masterclass

These are my notes from the Janos Starker Masterclass at the Hungarian Embassy in DC, in which which we watched Mr. Starker instruct two talented young students. No doubt I missed something, but I wrote down what I could.

All opinions expressed in these notes are Mr. Starker's alone. Both students were right-handed, so right-hand = bowing hand, left-hand = fretting hand.

The first set of notes are his comments directed at the two students (keep in mind both are advanced level, not beginners!):

- Beware of rigid thumbs. Thumbs need to be loose on both the fretting hand and the bowing hand.

- A practice to try with the bow: Hold bow in bowing hand with palm facing up and play with the balance.

- Beware of tension in non-playing fingers of the left hand

- In thumb position, "lean back" the index finger. I think he didn't want to see the index finger perpendicular to the fingerboard.

- "Hitchiker's Thumb" is not desirable in thumb position

- Practice slow vibrato technique. The demo of this slow vibrato practice looked similar to the latter half of the "Beginner 1" lesson on http://violinmasterclass.com/vibrato.php

- Less vibrato is preferable on notes with more natural overtones

- Tense right-hand thumb causes aggressive bowing

- Pressure on bow should come more from weight of arm, not the fingers. The forearm should "roll". Use knees to turn cello for more (volume? tone? I don't remember)

- Use less thumb pressure on bow. Arm should be suspended.

This set of notes are from Mr. Starker's responses to questions from the audience:

- To improve your intonation, work on double stops

- Use breath control to anticipate phrases

- "Accent" of cello playing is related to language (Russians play this way, French play that way, etc.)

- Two styles of vibrato: 1. Thumb is anchored 2. Thumb ??? (my note is unreadable, sorry) with arm

- There is nothing "natural" about playing the cello. The thumb opposes the 2nd finger because of the rotation of the arms to play the cello, not because of "nature".

- In thumb position, do not leave the thumb in the air ("Hitchhiker") or lying on the fingerboard if you are not using the thumb. Anchor it to the side of the fingerboard, from where it can be readily deployed when you need it.

Improving Your Learning

Learning is a way of life for me. I'm learning how to play the cello, guitar, and other instrument, learning Yoga, etc. So, here's a relevant article I found, entitled 7 Little Known Ways To Drastically Improve Your Learning.

I'm not sure effectively I'll be able to apply the advice in this article, because, for example, I'm in the habit of diagramming how I play the cello. The article seems oriented towards the acquisition of nonphysical knowledge as opposed to learning how to perform certain physical skills and how to improve upon those skills. Still, I'll see how it goes.

How To Be Creative

This article has been out for a while, but perhaps you might enjoy reading (or rereading) it.

Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com

Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com describes a social experiment by the Washington Post:

Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

The passersby above were people passing through an indoor arcade just outside the L'Enfant Metro Station in Washington, DC. The street performer in question is the famous classical violinist Joshua Bell.

I wasn't surprised to read that Bell was for the most part ignored, despite the quality of his performances. If you read the article, you will find video excerpts from this social experiment.

Current State-Of-The-Art Guitar Technique

The number of guitarists who can play multiple musical styles at a very high level does not seem to be high. Most guitarists seem to specialize in one genre or two.

Here is a guitarist who can play really, really fast, but is also willing to take the time to let his guitar sing, demonstrating astonishing versatility as well as skill: British guitarist Guthrie Govan



The guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the music world, yet so few players reach this level...

25 Tips For a Better Pre Sleep Ritual

25 Tips For a Better Pre Sleep Ritual

Slide Guitar using a Spoon

Behold, a guitarist who can play melodies with a spoon in his mouth while accomanying himself with chords at the same time:



From the official Karoo Kitaar Blues informational page:

In 2001 David Kramer presented a show called Karoo Kitaar Blues that made South Africa sit up and take notice. It was a concert presenting the eccentric guitar styles of the Karoo the unique finger-picking and tunings of a marginalised people who live in remote villages and outposts of the of the semi-desert areas of South Africa.

"Karoo Kitaar Blues" - the documentary - follows David Kramer on a journey through the Northern Cape where he hopes to find another 'blikviool' player and new musicians whose instruments and songs are still unrecorded.

Don't play nice when house-shopping

Americans love a bargain and come hell or high water, they’re going to do their best to get one….

….Unless, of course, they are making a major financial purchase such as a house or a vehicle. Then they close their eyes tight, hold out their hands, and allow the smarmy guy in the suit to lead them like lambs to the slaughter.

Strong words, eh? Read this house-shopper's tale.

A designer's thoughts on how to fight outsourcing

...or, in other words, things you can try to do to save your job from outsourcing. Not surprisingly, not everyone agrees with this designer (it's unclear what type of design he/she does), but the 5 points outlined make sense to me. "Work hard and stay creative"

Hope for aging brains

I actually saw this a while ago, but this article describes how research is now showing that older brains do not necessarily become senile and may even improve with age.