Music Wise

1.  Stuff done this week Trying to rekindle my music studies, folks. A lot happenend these past months, that had a profound impact on my life. I sold my appartment in Utrecht, struggled with dysthemia en heavy asthma, sold our appartment in Rijswijk, moved to Voorburg, committed to a building project in The Hague, left the band Crimson Inc., became a father, got married. And as a family, we had to deal with the terrifying event of Bernice's cancer which was discovered in week 37 of the pregnancy... I feel lucky and I'm just very grateful we pulled through. But my academic work has suffered a lot. It is hard to get back on track, but I am trying. This is one attempt of many. But I just love music, even though it has been silent in my head and heart for a while. I spent the last few days reviewing my old blogposts, building up to just do something. Aurelius said: "Don't contemplate being a good man, be one". So, here we are... 2.  Listening d

There are three types of minor scale; they are used in different contexts. 1. Natural:  The natural minor scale follows this sequence of steps: W, H, W, W, H, W, W W = Whole step H = Half step The natural minor can also be represented by the notation: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 8 2. Harmonic: In the harmonic minor scale the seventh degree is raised by a semitone, which is written as an accidental rather than included in the key signature. This raised 7th remains in place both ascending and descending. The raised 7th creates a sense of leading to the tonic. This is a useful property when used in harmony , hence the name. The natural minor scale follows this sequence of steps: W, H, W, W, H, WH, H W = Whole step H = Half step WH = Whole-and-a-half step The harmonic minor can also be represented by the notation: 1 2  ♭ 3 4 5  ♭ 6 7 8 3. Melodic: The melodic minor scale is more suitable for melodic writing. If you try to sing a harmonic minor scale, you will notice t

1.  Stuff done these weeks Continued my study of Baroque era music forms. My notes from Burkholder et al. (2014) are presented below. 2.  Listening done these weeks Fascinating, complex song  by 70's folk singer  Judee Sill ( 1944 – 1979). It  draws on church liturgy and almost has the feel of a polyphonic Mass . "Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison Kyrie eleison, eleison, Eleison, eleison Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison So sad, and so true That even shadows come And hum the requiem..." Judee Sill - The Donor There is an interesting documentary on her life; the years of her short life (only 35!) were invariably harsh. The Lost Genius of Judee Sill (2014 BBC Radio Documentary) 3. What I have learned Lutheran Church Music In German speaking regions, composers in both the Catholic and Lutheran churches adopted the new monodic and concertato techniques. Alongside compositions in modern style, Lutheran composers also wrote

1. Stuff done these weeks - Studied from Burkholder et al. (2014); please find my notes below. - Recorded two songs with Crimson Inc.. - Trying to find a temporary place for my wife and child. In January we have to leave our apartment, which has been sold. Both excited and anxious. Our new house - which shall be built next year - will be great, I'm sure. - Getting the paperwork sorted for the mortgage. - Training for a new system (ServiceNow) for my work. I need to review my old lessons on JavaScript. - Trying to write "Red Wing"  (traditional) in music notation. My teacher let me listen to this beautiful version by Mark Howard:  https://open.spotify.com/track/35nTsH8eLzlCLLwqKhBybY . I am writing down the melody played by the mandolin. It is coming along nicely. This exercise is good ear training and helping me practice music notation. - Practicing "Arkansas Traveller"  , "Saint Anne's Reel"  and "Little Rabbit"  - all tradition