I’ve been listening to Ba-Benzele Pygmy music lately. It’s crazy complex: multiple time signatures/melodies at the same time. They live in the equatorial forest in Africa, are mostly hunter gatherers and are known for their distinctive vocal music, which involves a complex type of dense contrapuntal communal improvisation based on four voices, and mastered by all members of the community. Here is a link to some of their music: ba-benzele pygmies Some interesting facts about their music: -The level of polyphonic complexity of pygmy music was reached in Europe in the 14th century, yet Pygmy culture is unwritten and ancient. -Their music consists of up to four parts and can be described as an "ostinato with variations" similar to a passacaglia in that it is cyclical. It is based on repetition of periods of equal length that each singer divides using different rhythmic figures specific to different repertoires and songs. This creates a detailed surface and endless variations not only of the same period repeated but of various performances of the same piece of music. As in some Balinese gamelan music, these patterns are based on a super-pattern which is never heard. The Pygmies themselves do not learn or think of their music in this theoretical framework, but learn the music growing up. -Hindewhu is a style of singing/whistle-playing of the BaBenzélé pygmies of the Central African Republic. The word is an onomatopoeia of the sound of a performer alternately singing pitched syllables and blowing into a single-pitch papaya-stem whistle. Hindewhu announces the return from a hunt and is performed solo, duo or in groups. -Water drumming (Liquindi) is produced by persons standing in water, and hitting the surface of the water with their hands, such as to trap air in the hands and produce a percussive effect that arises by sudden change in air pressure of the trapped air. The sound cannot exist entirely in water, since it requires the air-water boundary as a surface to be struck, so the sound is not hydraulophonic.
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I’ve really come to appreciate birds (especially songbirds) lately. I love hearing them when I walk outside in the morning. They remind me that the world is alive and vibrant. Sometimes I imagine what life without their cheerful songs would be like: Bleakness is the word that comes to mind. One of the things I enjoy about songbirds is their intricate melodies. It is like hearing bebop from the trees. And much like the bebop greats, each type of bird has its individual and instantly recognizable style. This morning, Bud Powell was in the cedar tree, Dizzy Gillespie was jamming from the Live Oak and I heard Art Blakey (a woodpecker) laying down the groove from the Arizona Ash tree out front. Charlie (Bird) Parker was too obvious a choice to include here. Interestingly, (and this is all conjecture on my part as I haven't transcribed songbirds nor do I have perfect pitch), their phrases to my ears often sound as though they are based on western tuning. Which makes me wonder, do they sing in just or tempered tuning? I would hazard a guess at just tuning. So, “to those about to Rock (or Bebop or Fugue)….. I salute you”. Interesting songbird fact: While humans have one set of vocal cords, a songbird has two sets, enabling it to produce two different sounds simultaneously, in harmony with itself (piano, vibraphone, guitar etc….?). To the saxophone players out there: empirical study of pad resonator material (plastic VS metal VS no resonator). Spoiler alert! The difference between plastic and metal is indiscernible.
https://www.syos.co/blog/acoustics/pad-resonators-part-2 #SaxophoneLessonsAustin In our complicated world, which often requires a complicated protocol for even the simplest of tasks, it can be refreshing to play a gig without constraints attached to it. Imagine a gig at which your set list (if you bothered to make one), is more of a serving suggestion than a dish. The band has not rehearsed for, nor agreed upon, any sort of arrangement, time signature, style, tempo, etc…… of the material ahead of time. Basically, you show up musically naked, in your musical birthday suit if you will, the same way you entered this world. And just like that nascent being, you have no idea how things are going to pan out. Anything can happen: a song can soar ethereal or fly too close to the sun and melt. Side note: The guitarist Ralph Towner wrote a beautiful jazz tune entitled Icarus in the 70’s. If you are an adrenaline junky and enjoy living on the edge, this sort of gig can be particularly attractive. I play a gig like this with 3 other sax players a couple/three times a year called Saxtravaganza. The premise of the gig is to enjoy a musical adventure of discovery together. We don’t enter the gig with any expectations (nor preparation) and we don’t leave with any regrets. It is refreshing. And yes, I get burned more often than I soar but that’s musical development for you. The IOU of playing your instrument. Get these three right and people will want to hear you play.
When I teach private saxophone lessons in Austin, I present the IOU to my students as a fundamental tenet. The I,O,U: “I” as in time. How is your time feel? Are you paying attention to the groove, be it Swing, Rock, Latin, Funk etc? “O” in tone. How is your tone? Does your tone exhibit qualities that attract the human ear to come hither and hear more? “U” in tune. Are you playing in tune? If not, even though you may be playing with good time/tone, the listener’s ears and brain will quickly become fatigued. As you develop your style, your time and tone conception will be what define you as a player. It will be your signature sound. Make periodic recordings of yourself and listen back critically, keep and develop what you like about your playing and jettison the rest. The is the refinement of the musical you. Keeping your mind active is just as important as keeping your body active for optimum health. Just like the body, the brain needs exercise every day. Humans are problem solvers by nature, working the problem until we succeed. And that is what true practicing is; problem solving. True quality practicing requires mindfulness: Be present. This will help you to notice your weak areas so that you may address them to become a better player. Play slowly and be responsible for each note that comes out of your horn. When practicing this way, you may find that you get tired much sooner than with mindless practice. You will also find that you make more progress within a shorter period of time. When you practice can also make a difference; whenever possible, I like to make my practice the first thing I do each day. That is the time of day when I am most alert and able to concentrate. It also means that during the rest of the day, my brain will continue processing what I worked on. We live in a world of excess and without realizing it, we are constantly stressed out with option anxiety. Having too many options to choose from can make a person feel lost and ineffectual in life and in music. What does this have to do with music? Well, even our improvised lines can fall victim to information overload. I, (and I’m not alone in this) am most creative when some restrictions are imposed upon my musical pallet. It forces me to think creatively, look for patterns, and work the problem with an open mind. Therefore, I present to you, the appended triad. It is restricted to just 4 notes which will help you rely on your creativity rather than anxiety. I am a big fan of picking a major or minor triad and tacking on one note (usually a half step from one of the triad’s chord tones) and voila! Having a cool 4-note cell to play around with. Today’s example is a G major triad add Eb (a major triad with a flat 6th added). This is technically a tetrad but I prefer to think of it as a major triad with added note as it is easier to recall when improvising. We will apply this tetrad over an F Lydian b7 tonality (I’m speaking in tenor key). This tetrad can of course be implied over other chords as well (for example: C minor/major 7, A minor 7 b5 etc…). Just a few more quick examples of a major triad with a flat 6th added: -E major triad with C added: Sounds great over a D7#11 C+MAJ7 A harmonic/melodic minor tonality -E major triad with F added: G13b9 A harmonic minor tonality Any of 4 diminished scales starting on G#, B, D, or F (using the diminished scale which starts with a whole step). -E Major with G added: E major tonality E minor tonality -E minor triad with D# added: E minor/major 7 A13#11 There are many, many more possibilities. These are but a few quick ideas to get the brain thinking. Play around with the concept and see what you come up with. Practicing the saxophone every day is relaxing and rejuvenating, I often feel energized and clear-headed after a practice session. I always start my practice session with focus on breath. Filling the lungs using the Dirga breath (see below) while practicing long tones or the overtone series. I teach this in my saxophone lessons. Deep breathing and especially the study of breath (Pranayama) is a lost art in our busy modern world. Why is this important? Breath is our first nutrient. It is more important than food or water. Normally, breathing is involuntary. Your nervous system regulates your breath so that you can focus on other things. Which means that we often lapse into shallow breathing especially if we have stress in our life. Pranayama is the Sanskrit word that refers to breath work in yoga. "Prana" means "life force" and "yama" means "to control", so pranayama means to control the breath. The Dirga Pranayama, or complete breath, which is the proper way to breathe for playing the saxophone, has three parts;
A book about breath I highly recommend is: The science of Pranayama by Sri Swami Sivananda |
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