Dotzauer Series on hold...

Dotzauer vids are on hold for now due to some tendon issues I'm having ... and on that note, computer use is too!!

Peter And The Wolf, Neil Gaiman, And Bold to Fall Withal and Gary Fagin

So last night (saturday), I went to a free performance of the Knickerbocker Orchestra ... the features were Peter & The Wolf, and "And Bold to Fall Withal" - a newly commissioned piece...

It was down in the World Financial Center, which would have been great, except this was the one weekend that the subway was all kinds of screwed up & it took a bit of extra finding (as did locating a seat) ... I was a bit surprised at how dismal that area of New York seemed ... really seemed like something out of a comic book (and perhaps it was, but if so, I've never read it)...

Anyway, so I got there at 6:45, (it started at 7) & discovered there were no seats left, so I had to sit on the stairs like many of the rest of the folks (which had a decent view). The downside to this was the sound. I *hate* the "back of the hall" sound ... I don't understand why it's so appealing to so many people who like classical music ... to me it's disconnecting & impersonal - especially when I can barely see the orchestra (who I know are all working hard & doing a great job, because I play one of these instruments!).

So 7:00 comes, the Orchestra starts with Tchaikovsky's Polonaise from Eugene Onegin - sounds exactly like the sort of stuff I played (and detested) in orchestra in college ... but then again, Tchaikovsky has never been my favorite composer. Either way, it was interesting to hear a piece in this style as an audience member (because I so rarely actually get to listen to any orchestral music, since I'm generally playing it) ... can't say it was my idea of exciting.

Next was Up and Down, Up and Down by Duke Ellington (orchestrated by Gary Fagin) ... this also failed to really capture my interest ... I think had I been able to hear it better, it might have caught it a bit more ... I'm really not turned on by a lot of jazz though ... especially when it becomes jazz for orchestra ... just not my thing ...

Then came the moment I had actually come for. Peter and the Wolf narrated by Neil Gaiman. Neil's banter with Gary Fagin when he first came on stage was incredibly hard to hear (because the mic was adjusted for Neil to be sitting), but it was interesting to discover that he and Gary Fagin were cousins.

Peter & The Wolf itself was interesting & you could clearly see its influence on film music ... looking at it historically, it's an incredibly significant and cool accomplishment. However, hearing it now, it felt a bit dated. It really would have worked great with some sort of animation (I was picturing a disney version ... and in fact they have done that!). Otherwise, it was occasionally hard to hear Neil Gaiman, but otherwise pretty cool. The other thing that would really have made this was a film crew & screen setup that could zoom in on instruments that had solos or melodies ... rock bands use them to great effect (Dream Theater is the #1 example) ... no reason an orchestra or a concert hall can't - it would do wonders for them... In general, this was a pretty cool experience ... Neil's narration was great

Afterwards, the concert actually got better! (talk about good programming order) ... the next piece was Charles Ives "The Unanswered Question" ... I studied it in music school, so it was great to get to hear a performance of it ... awesome piece - period. They did a great job with it.

Still, it got even better ... the next piece was the World Premier of "And Bold To Fall Withal - Henry Hudson in the New World". It was commissioned for the Orchestra & their conductor (Gary Fagin). Very cool piece ... I would love (and might actually even listen to) a recording of it ... the only weak spot was occasionally the lyrics (and this is something that classical music and musical theatre are plagued by) ... monologue is monologue and there's nothing that can fix it ... except maybe narration + monologue or dialogue ... either way, very cool piece, vocal part was awesome (I love the tenor range in general) & the orchestral part was very grand/Wagner-ish/awesome (I wish I had better words for it, but unfortunately, I don't, and I was not feeling too great at the time, so things didn't get stored so well...)

The final part of the concert was a Tchaikovsky waltz from Eugene Onegin (substantially better than the first piece!) ... the conductor invited the audience to dance & they did - it was quite awesome ... I think more groups ought to do this ...

In general, I liked the event ... am glad it was free though, not sure I would have paid money for it (because orchestra is generally not what makes my eyes light up, and my income is all kinds of very low right now) ... if there was a concerto or some amazingly cool piece, that might change my mind...

Pros:
General Admission
Neat Venue (on the edge of the water)
Programming
Neil Gaiman
Lots of very different people
Lots of kids
New piece = awesome

Cons:
FOH Engineer didn't have the sound loud enough
No Video Screens
The conductor's speeches in between felt more like lectures than genuinely connecting with audiences (something rock bands do real well)
I didn't have any friends to go with

Overall, cool event.

New Years Resolutions

I just realized, I posted this on my LJ, but not here, so here are the musical ones:

1. To practice cello more than 3 hours a day whenever possible (it's after that 3rd hour that visible progress really starts to occur)
2. To practice piano an hour a day or more whenever possible
3. To release my very first cd (I've been working hard at this since september and have written 9. To give concerts with my own music and to start playing nursing homes and any other possible area in the community

Dotzauer #4

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXCeIQBIXJ8
Grade: D
Comments: Tempo inconsistent, could be faster. RH & LH Articulation could be cleaner/more synchronized.

This is a fun etude, and unfortunately I spent not enough time on it (what else is new?). I really didn't account for New Years, but I didn't get started on this etude until Saturday or Sunday... needless to say, not enough time to prepare, and the video has me rushing in parts ... I did gain a lot from doing it though ... there's a lot of hidden techniques in this.

What do I mean by that? Well for one thing, this etude makes you switch between flat & curved fingers (b/c of the open strings and the broken 5ths) ... you also have to have thirds prepared, you have to be able to do staccato triplets at whatever given tempo you're doing, you have to be able to do triplet staccato string crossings fluidly, etc.

Every single piece of music we ever work on has something of this sort - technical aspects that aren't immediately observable on the surface. This is why we do technique - so when we encounter these hidden bits, we can automatically tackle them.

I tried to differentiate between on-string & off-string staccato this time (based on a comment I got on Dotzauer #3) ... I was starting to get it by then end ... I literally spent all my practice time today on this etude ...

In terms of memorization, I worked backwards about 3/4 of the way & then did the rest forwards - psychologically, this was a great way to approach it, because there's this feeling of relief that comes from working on the last quarter forward.

I've added a criteria to the rubric for tempo.

I'm so glad I don't have to make another one of these vids for a week!



Rubric:
F - Failed to memorize notes and bowings within one week.
D - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable).
C - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution is present. Tempo is steady.
B - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present. Tempo is stead.
A - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes on First Try. Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present. Tempo is steady.

Uploaded Songs

Normally I use this blog to talk about the cello specifically, however recently I've been putting sometime into web presence and social networking and all that, so I wanted to share the following:

1. I've uploaded some original compositions to my website: http://cellomike.com/compositions.html

2. I've uploaded a track from the solo album that I've been working hard at writing onto myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mlunapiena

3. I've finally joined Reverb Nation & Twitter ... and apparently I can link all these things (which is just great, because i need to spend *less* time in front of my computer ... anyway, if you're on twitter, feel free to follow me at: http://www.twitter.com/cellomike

I think that's it for right now ... I'm hoping to be done writing this album in the next 2 weeks!!

Dear 1999

This is in response to the public blogging event that http://www.musicanswages.com is doing: "If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?"

I'm hesitant to write this, because I feel every moment in our lives is important & we each follow our own path in getting to wherever we were today (and wherever we're going). Changing one event or one path really changes everything in so many ways that we couldn't begin to conceive ... In general, I'm very happy with where I've wound up in life & what I've made out of it ... I really value the choices I've made - even the mistakes!

So, anyway, in 1999, I was 12 and about to enter the 9th grade (or in 8th grade, depending on what point in the year). Here's the advice I would give myself

Dear Mike in 1999,

There is an instrument you've never heard of and don't know anything about, called the cello. Along with discovering heavy metal music, the cello will be the single biggest defining factor of your life. You have the potential to become an amazing cellist & a successful professional musician, though you will have a lot of work ahead of you and not a lot of time to accomplish it. You are already behind a lot of people who are on the same track as you, but if you put the time into it, you have the power to catch up & maybe even one day (in the far off future) to pass some of them. The cello is going to become the closest thing to you in your life & you are going to find new things to do with it that very few have done before. But you can only do this if you become really amazing ... don't get distracted & learn from everyone around you and from all the different music you can take in.

So drop the trumpet and go ask the orchestra teacher if you can play cello (you'll even get to use one over the summer) & become an amazing musician...

Good luck!


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Now I suppose that at 12, this may not have been the advice I needed & maybe I wouldn't have loved the cello so much if I had started it then ... I had a lot of family problems & went through some pretty bad depression for the next year or two & failed classes in high school & stuff of that sort ... but as I said, these all helped me form into the person I was today ... 12 was a very special year for me ... it was the year I discovered heavy metal for the first time and the year I became an atheist... it had a lot of other things in it too, many of them not so positive... Discovering heavy metal music was probably the most influential thing in my life because of the musical sophistication, energy & intellectual depth that I found in that tradition & because of the world it opened up for me & the values I formed based on it...

I also suppose that advice like "do well in high school so you can go to any college you want to go to" & "don't cut gym in high school, because it will cause you to form some terrible academic habits" might be more practical ... but I would have missed out on quite a bit of life experience

For those who don't already know my history ... I started cello at the age of 16 and became completely obsessed with it & went on to study music in college & now am in the process of trying to do it professionally. I also compose & improvise & make videos/recordings & play through FX Pedals/amp & blog as well...

So that's my piece I suppose ...

Edit: if you go here: http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/dear-1999/ you can read everyone else's responses ... they're quite fascinating!

Dotzauer #3

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvfahXeM3_g
Grade: D
Specific Comments: Bow distribution/speed/pressure was considered, but not achieved. Would benefit from slow practice, as well as more bow work. Dynamics were sometimes present. Only 1 attempt was necessary to record. Tempo is still on the slower side of Allegro.

This was a very different experience from the last one. To start with, this etude is a lot shorter and a lot more redundant & a lot more scalar (as opposed to 3rds and 6ths) - what a relief! I didn't quite get to spend as much time with it as I would have liked unfortunately. I definitely benefited from #2 though, because the LH part was easily within my grasp from the very beginning. This had some good consequences (namely that I was able to work with within larger groups/sections and that I wasn't as stressed), but also some bad consequences (I really didn't do much slow work, which I think could have benefited both of my hands).

I also approached this one a bit differently than #2 by working backwards in larger phrases and by relying on the music more (as opposed to trying to play from memory right away). I found this to be beneficial, because it meant that there was less room for error in the initial learning process. I also found that looking at the music helped me be more considerate of the dynamics, which I failed to memorize (and in general, fail to pay attention to - it's a huge flaw in my playing, but this etude got me to start considering it a bit more) ... I still think it's really important to perform from memory, but I think it will generally be worth it to work with the music more in the future. I also think in general when working on music, I could benefit from being more analytical (though there obviously has to be a balance between analysis and physical performance, since playing cello is ultimately about the latter).

Generally, I feel good about the progress I'm making & am really looking forward to #4. I'm going to try to put more time into cello in general so I can put more time into this...


Rubric:
F - Failed to memorize notes and bowings within one week.
D - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable).
C - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution is present.
B - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present.
A - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes on First Try. Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present.