edit: oops double post
edit: oops double post
That is good mandolin playing!
edit: Well I give up. I keep trying to post this comment right under Neal or Neil from Scotland; now I can't even scroll around without having to start over.
Last edited by Bill Stokes; May-25-2013 at 8:00am. Reason: the post won't go where I try to put it!
Here is a bash at week 4's song with a hysterically distorted e-mandola. I called it Memories of Tomando.
I'm still clumsy at picking on this thing. I wanted the best of violin and guitar in one instrument, but didn't realize I would need to practice the darn thing...
I've been lurking on this thread since the start but I'll admit now that I too am a happy member of the class. I didn't mention it sooner because I wanted to be confident that I would finish the whole thing, and now it looks like I should be able to do it. I just need to record the final week's tracks.
I can honestly say that this was a really good experience for me and I would encourage anyone to consider trying it the next time it comes around. Like a lot of us here I've had many years of playing a little jazz and thinking about how to do that. I've got plenty of instructional material and I even took David Baker's improv class at Indiana U. back around 1980. But I couldn't pass up the chance to see what Gary Burton would have to say and to find out how he would structure the class.
I've really enjoyed having permission to think about jazz more than usual these last weeks and I'm sure that some of Gary's approaches will be very useful the next time I get the chance to play in a jazz setting and for years to come. I especially have enjoyed listening to my fellow classmates and trying to provide a fair assessment of their efforts.
You can find my own attempts at the assigned play-alongs here:
https://soundcloud.com/jgoodin/
John G.
Great sounding tracks, John. Nice lines on Memories, I want to redo mine.
This morning's effort: http://snd.sc/15eYdsl
I am going to miss the class, and the weekly video lecture/demos. It forced me to practice the violin, even during a busy time of the school year, and introduced new concepts.
I won't miss all the complaining on the discussion boards. That really highlights the value of a site like the cafe, which manages to stay overwhelmingly friendly and positive. Come to think of it, the Cafe may be the only site like the Cafe...
Last assignment. Olhos de Gato and F Blues. On violin, sorry. The blues has some electric undercurrent, and gets crazy.
I found the time last night to record my last assignments for the class. All that's left now will be to provide some feedback on the recordings of some other students in a few days. I'm sorry that the class is ending but it has really been just the right length for me. Any longer and I would have been more tempted to let it go.
I learned a bunch of new things and Gary's approach reinforced some things I already knew. I will especially benefit from his advice on how to analyze tunes on the fly.
Scott mentioned this morning that he has enabled the soundcloud feature here so I'll test it out by posting the link to my last assignment recording, my modest take on Carla Bley's dark and beautiful "Olhos de gato".
John G.
Thanks for posting your links, John and Bill. I have also been enjoying the class and am trying to figure out how to incorporate some of the ideas into my playing (without needing to do a few hours of analysis beforehand). One thing I know for sure is that I have to work on my music reading and my timing. I spent too much of my time just working on getting the melody close.
I still have to finish my last 2 recordings tonight, but here is my one from last week.
- Neil
Collings MT2 Mandola | 1916 Gibson A1
Here are my last two. They need more work, but I ran out of time.
- Neil
Collings MT2 Mandola | 1916 Gibson A1
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