Last weekend I finished the intro text for my book, and the stuff for the symbols and basic folds. Now that my origami book is done I’m looking to start in on some new projects.
I was at the music store last week to buy some clarinet books for Michelle, and bought a couple really good music books for myself too. One is Bach for the Electric Bass. This is great fun to play so far. The first two pieces in the book are the two parts of a two part invention. The first has regular notation and tab, and the second only notation. It’s really good for practicing reading in the bass clef, and also works really well as a source for riffs for walking bass lines. The lines lay really well.
The other book is called Metaphors for the Musician by Randy Halberstadt, and its a jazz piano theory and practice. I already know lots of theory, and while in theory there’s no difference between theory and practice, in practice that’s not always the case. This will be a good book to help me get it together playing-wise and take it to the next level as a performer. Just what I’ve been looking for. The need was inspired by my desire to take a solo at the end of Checker Cab, while still holding down the bass part. I have to come up with a melodic right hand approach that works with the in-the-pocket bottom, sounds good, and is possible to play.
Right now I’m reading thru the book, but it’s designed to be used at the piano, so once I’m done I’ll start over at the keyboard. It will take a few months. Lots of deep harmony theory, very well laid out, and more general stuff about how to approach comping and improvising that transfers into playing in general. One thing he stressed early on is the importance of playing slow and keeping good time. I know I tend to rush, and I don’t play with a drummer that often, so I’ve started practicing with the metronome again, and in general just taking everything down a few BPM to work on a more relaxed feel. That alone is already making a difference. Especially on a song like Heat Wave or Steppin’ Out.
I also got a book of arrangements of songs from the various Mario video games. Some of them are pretty hard. And a Soundgarden songbook. They were my favorite of all the grunge bands of the ‘90’s and I recently got turned on to them again. Chris Cornell is a genius with his singing and his use of melody and out meters. Unfortunately the book is in guitar tab, so it’ll take a pretty good amount of work to make piano adaptations. Still, it’s faster then doing it by ear.
Martin came over last weekend with the family, and we had a little time to jam. Matrin always has a knack for picking interesting covers, and so now I’m working up Breaking Us in Two, which I knew once a long time ago but forget. Perfect song for me to sing on.