#also mackey's the wine-dark sea

[capn-o-my-soul]

save me symphonic works for concert band save me

[peachcitt]

here is the first chapter of my ladrien june fic!! (this is the first part of three) ive been so excited working on this and im even more excited to finally share it with y’all<3

you can read it here

[calensis]

Eight people I’d like to get to know better ~

Tagged by @shut-upjesse (thanks for the tag!!)

1. Name ~ you can call me Cal!

2. Birthday ~ same as the day i was born

3. Zodiac sign ~ Leo

4. Height ~ 5’ 8"

5. Hobbies ~ reading, music (I play euphonium, trombone & piano please don’t give me an excuse to talk abt music I will not stop), crocheting badly

6. Favorite color ~ flibbn green. or purple. or blue

7. Favorite books ~ the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson bls read it it’s got crabs & it’s so good

8. Last song listened to ~ not technically a song but wine-dark sea by john mackey!! a very good music!!! bls listen to it it’s based on the odyssey and it’s so good

9. Last film watched ~ into the spiderverse

10. Inspiration for Muse ~ not quite sure what this means but I find a lot of inspiration in nature. green forests and rain and the sort of overgrown places you see in the pacific northwest. also star trek

11. Dream Job ~ something in music. if we’re talking unrealistic dreams trombonist in a major symphony

i don’t know who’s done this already so i tag the tumblr user reading this (yknow. if you’d like)

[maidstonewinds-blog]

In just under a weeks time @maidstonewinds will be performing composer John Mackey’s @ostimusic trumpet concerto Antique Violences with the fantastic @matildalloydtrumpet. The full #orchestra will perform Mackey’s epic Wine Dark Sea, Symphony for Band. The accomplished #redbridgebrass will also be performing some wonderful works by #raysteadmanallen and #edwardgregson - 20 April, 7pm at The Space Performing Arts Centre in Sevenoaks - link in bio #live #livestream #sevenoaks #music (at The Space Performing Arts Centre, Sevenoaks School) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwLzt2hAUuH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5e3fz9mfs871

[ultratalewatch]

Nowadays it is a common belief that classical music is a dying medium. No one is willing to create epic symphonies that sway and move us and our emotions. Enter John Mackey. A graduate from Juilliard school of Music for composition, he has created multiple pieces of epic and small proportions. And all of his works are unique. Not to mention the most original I know. The most common time signature in all of music is 4/4. Where there are four beats in a measure and the quarter note gets the beat. It's the basis for most top 40 pop songs. This is also true for classical music. Mackey takes this idea and literally turns it inside out and backwards. Using time signatures like 7/8, 5/8, 1/2, and 11/16. This creates interesting rhythms and melodies that almost no one can predict. He takes the ideas of a classical piece like Beethoven's 9th; A set rhythm and melody. The volume and scale of the piece is genius, but relatively predictable. All of John Mackey pieces are a ride from start to finish. Taking elements from Latin American percussion riffs and incredibly intricate interlocking parts. You never know what'll hit next. He is also known for his famously huge songs. Requiring a percussion section of 7 or sometimes more. From auxiliary percussion to the basics of bass drum and snare. I suggest if you want to listen more, find the third movement of Wine Dark Sea: The attention of souls and Aurora Awakes.

[miladyaelin]

Wine Dark Sea

Okay, everyone and anyone who loves music and loves Greek mythology needs to go listen to the symphony Wine Dark Sea by John Mackey. I heard it live this past weekend and oh my god it is beautiful. Also the second movement may or may not remind me of a certain otp of mine and it makes me cry.

[kickstarter-promotion]

Another Amazing Kickstarter (The Music of John Mackey by The Dallas Winds —Kickstarter) has been published on http://crowdmonsters.com/new-kickstarters/the-music-of-john-mackey-by-the-dallas-winds-kickstarter/

A NEW KICKSTARTER IS LAUNCHED:

ASPHALT COCKTAIL : THE MUSIC OF JOHN MACKEY

John Mackey’s music runs the gamut of human emotion, from the sublime to the ridiculous. One minute he offers the sound of ripping metal, then suddenly gives you a melody that’s achingly beautiful.

You can be part of the team that creates the first all John Mackey CD, recorded by a professional concert band, for a major label. John always writes with a purpose, be it jostling you through the wildest Manhattan cab ride ever, or painting that ethereal hour just before sunset.

John Mackey, Composer

Special guest artist on the album is Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, Christopher Martin performing Mackey’s newly written Antique Violences: Concerto for Trumpet. Also included is the World Premiere of This Cruel Moon based on the second movement of Mackey’s Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band.

   Christopher Martin, Trumpet

Mackey’s vibrant, energetic music will be performed by conductor Jerry Junkin and The Dallas Winds in one of the world’s greatest recording halls, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.

Jerry Junkin and The Dallas Winds

  The Dallas Winds is a three-time Grammy Award nominee, with 21 albums in worldwide distribution. All of this magic will be captured by legendary recording engineer Keith O. Johnson, and his team from San Francisco-based Reference Recordings.

Keith Johnson & Reference Recordings team

  With your pledge, this recording will set the highest artistic benchmark for the performance of John Mackey’s music, for generations to come. Please help us bring Asphalt Cocktail: The Music of John Mackey to life by supporting and sharing this Kickstarter Project. Thank you!

The Dallas Winds recording onstage at the Meyerson Center

Asphalt Cocktail: The Music of John Mackey 

Asphalt Cocktail (2009)

Sheltering Sky (2012)

Antique Violences: Concerto for Trumpet (2017)

This Cruel Moon (2017)

Hymn to a Blue Hour (2010)

The Frozen Cathedral (2012)

The Ringmaster’s March (2013) 

Fanfare for Full Fathom Five (2015)

High Wire (2012)

Rewards: 

We have some very cool and unique rewards to offer backers of this project. Be sure to check out more details about each of the support levels on the right hand side.

$10  Digital download available 1 week in advance of the general release.

$25  A hard copy of the Asphalt Cocktail CD with limited edition artwork on the CD booklet different from the CD booklet available for general release.

Artwork of Limited Edition Backer’s CD

  $35  Receive the backer’s CD signed by John Mackey. A must have for any John Mackey fan.

$45  Access to a private livestreamed Q&A session with John Mackey, Jerry Junkin, and Christopher Martin.   

$75  The first page of the Asphalt Cocktail score personalized by John Mackey. 

Artwork of Signed Score

  $125  All of the limited edition goodies from the Kickstarter project including this nifty limited edition T-Shirt sure to make all your friends green with envy! (Except for those friends who also backed the project at this level.)

  Artwork of Limited Edition T-Shirt

 $500 and above: At these levels, you can experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. From a 1-on-1 Skype call with John Mackey, to backstage access during the recording sessions, these vested individuals will get to create memories they will never forget.  

Risks and challenges

The Dallas Winds and Reference Recordings enjoy a 28-year working relationship. During our time together, we’ve produced 21 audiophile-quality albums. This ain’t our first rodeo folks, so you can rest assured we’re going to knock this one out of the park! We are confident that the project will be on schedule and you will receive your rewards in a timely manner. We promise to keep you in the loop all the way through the production process, with updates on a regular basis. It’s going to be a fun ride! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY Kickstarter.com and Kicktraq.com VISIT PAGE SOURCE

[marimbalove]

Two Mallet vs. Four Mallet

Now that we’ve discussed just how four mallet is accomplished on the marimba, I think it’s time we compare two mallet playing to four mallet playing and see what the difference really is. Six and eight mallet playing is also technically possible, but is very unorthodox and not seen much in traditional marimba literature. Adding more mallets make them individually harder to control and in turn the marimba pretty much turns into a large version of the piano, with the player only really being able to play chords. That being said, the main two mallet numbers are two and four, and a world of literature can be played with these combinations.

Two mallet playing is the most basic, fundamental version of marimba playing. The mallets are held much like drumsticks, and there is only one stroke type. The wrist/arm rotation initiates the stroke, and the mallet is struck into the bar, rebounding back up (usually). In instances of rolls, where the note is extended, the fingers and wrist team up together to alternate between the left and right hand in quick succession to maintain the dynamic of the note. Two mallet playing is typically more run rather than chord based, and can be much more technical and quick. Two mallet is also used largely in ensemble or chamber group type settings. The excerpts I have performed in the video present many different forms of two mallet playing, including one of my all-state excerpts that I will be auditioning with this coming Wednesday. White Knuckle Stroll is a solo I am currently working on by Casey Cangelosi. It is arguably one of the most technical modern two mallet compositions out there, and involves me hitting the shaft of the mallet to the bar to create a much more percussive effect. It also forces lots of one handed strokes, making it a very physically demanding solo to play. Bit O’ Rhythm is a rag piece written for xylophone, but I performed it on the marimba. This was my first keyboard solo in 7th grade, and exemplifies the versatility of two mallet performance. Swing rhythms and chordal structures are still entirely possible using two mallets, as shown in the fun and quirky excerpt. The All State Excerpt from Wine Dark Sea by John Mackey employs the usage of the low register of the marimba. It is very quick and percussive, with pretty extreme runs up the keyboard. I have been practicing this for a couple of weeks, and hope to do well in my audition (wish me luck!). The last excerpt was the piece I used to actually make it into All-State: the region etude. This piece exemplifies classical marimba literature, and is extremely heavily focused on musicality and shaping. Classical marimba literature also requires, “machine gun style rolls”, as stated by Todd Meehan, percussion professor at Baylor University.  So, as shown, you can do a lot with just two mallets, so why the need for duplication?

Four mallet marimba playing opens a large range of possibilities with stickings, chordal structures, and visual musicality. On a fundamental level, more mallets means more notes. Lots of four mallet music can be highly technical: permutation and stroke type wise, but can also be very light, artistic, and beautiful. Although the same can be said about two mallet playing, four mallet playing can toy around with chords and hand independence, and some extremely intriguing and heart wrenching literature can be played by just one person. Extending a player to double the amount of mallets like fingers for a piano gives them infinitely more musical opportunities. The excerpts I have performed with four mallets include artistic, flowy solos, chamber music, different grip types, and another one of my all-state audition etudes. The first piece I perform in the video is Land, by Takatsugu Muramatsu. It is a very lyrical, beautiful solo, and was actually the first four mallet solo I ever fully learned. I performed it in my freshman year of high school, and it is quite possibly the reason I fell in love with the marimba. The graceful melody interwoven into both hands creates a very nice visual performance aspect, in addition to it just being wonderfully composed. This is a prime example of the musicality that can go into four mallet playing. The second excerpt I perform is actually one part of a duet piece entitled Catching Shadows, written by Ivan Trevino. I am also performing with traditional cross grip, as that section of the music is very chord based, and playing cross makes it easier for me to play accurately. I performed this in my sophomore year of high school, my duet partner being my girlfriend, Kat. This excerpt exemplifies the technicality of four mallet playing, mixed in with an abundance of chords. Pieces such as these prove that not all four mallet playing has to be lyrical and slow, but can also be extremely technical and physically challenging. The final excerpt I perform is another excerpt from Wine Dark Sea. This excerpt emphasizes the usage of chords in four mallet playing, with the ending literally being all four note chords. In this way, notes can be layered on top of each other very easily by one performer, rather than needing two people to play four notes. The contrast of lyrical, melody based solos, to technical, high intensity pieces, to chordal focused excerpts are all encompassed in these 3 performances.

Most percussionists, myself included, begin their keyboard learning with two mallets to simply learn notes, and don’t really develop to learn four mallet playing until around high school. Four mallet marimba playing, in turn, can sometimes be considered, “more technical”. In my opinion, however, both choices emphasize different parts of the musicality of the marimba, and can be equally as musical and as challenging.

Your nervous high school percussionist auditionee (again), Alex