#pentachord

[improv8-blog]

Chords made easy

[torillatavataan]

Kalevala laulettuna (Kalevala sung) is a channel by Sipo Herva and Lauri Palomäki, who aim to sing and record all of the Kalevala.

Subtitles are available in Finnish (so you can sing along if you want to!) and English. This is the first poem of the Kalevala, detailing the creation of the world and birth of Väinämöinen.

Ilmatar (featured in the first poem) by Joseph Alanen

The folk poetry the Kalevala is based on was always sung in the same metre.

The poetry was often sung to music built on a pentachord, sometimes assisted by a kantele player. The rhythm could vary but the music was arranged in either two or four lines in quintuple metre. The poems were often performed by a duo, each person singing alternative verses or groups of verses. This method of performance is called an antiphonic performance, it is a kind of “singing match”.

The Kalevala's metre is a form of trochaic tetrameter that is now known as the Kalevala metre. The metre is thought to have originated during the Proto-Finnic period. Its syllables fall into three types: strong, weak, and neutral.

[flannelshirtandjeans]

Ohhh man I’ve been listening to some Finnish & Karelian folk songs and I’m imagining the Finnish women in Jay’s family singing something like THIS to Norma before the wedding - they make the bride weep ahhhh. I imagine like. it’s like a bachelorette party but at the venue already, the ladies just split off to sauna together and spend time and prepare Norma while the men do the same with Jay, and like. this isn’t the whole wedding guest list, it’s just the nearest and dearest who arrived first, and this is when they sit her down and sing to make her cry. I imagine Jay’s Finnish family would be from Eastern Finland and have roots in Karelia (even if Jay’s dad moved more west before moving over the pond) and by some miracle liked to keep really old traditions alive amongst the family - but they’d write their own lyrics because of course they don’t want Norma to feel like she’s not gonna be welcome in the family lmao, quite the contrary: they make her cry about how much they’re ready to love her (and how much they love her already) and how happy they are for her. ;u;<3

Jay’d grandma plays the kannel and Jay’s most beloved cousin (probably the only one who flies over lmao) on the Finnish side leads the song until the end when Jay’s mum takes over, and her Finnish has an accent, she’s never gotten the sounds right, but she sings 

mie laulan lapselleni                                 I sing to my CHILD kukun kultarinnalleni                                 I chirp to my precious dear nyt meistä perhe tulevi                              Now we become a family perheleipä leivotahan                               (now we) bake a family bread ja nimi toinen annetahan                           And give you a new name’

Norma ugly-cries and it’s grand.

[singingninja4]

My next comparative analysis involves the cue from 6x04: Hit and Run that I previously analyzed; and Lalo’s leitmotif, called Nothing Gets Past Lalo (for those that don’t know the term, a leitmotif is a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation).

I was analyzing Lalo’s cue for another project when I heard something that reminded me of the Hit and Run cue. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was because on the surface, they don’t seem all that similar. However, after closer inspection using some post-tonal analysis methods, I found a link between the two cues. 

Many of Dave Porter’s cues in Better Call Saul and in Breaking Bad don’t neatly fit in to classic western tonality. In other words, there’s not always a clear scale being used or a clear tonal center. I wouldn’t go as far as classifying all his cues as atonal or post-tonal, but many of them are. When analyzing atonal or post-tonal music, different methods must be used to make sense of the music. In this case, I used a process called segmentation, which isolates sets of pitch classes that unify the cues being analyzed. To help you better understand the analysis, I have defined a few terms below:

Pitch-class (PC): an integer 0-11 that indicates one of the twelve notes in the chromatic scale regardless of enharmonic spelling or octave placement. C=0, C#/Db=1, D=2, D#/Eb=3, etc. (10 and 11 are indicated as T and E respectively to avoid confusion with double digits)

Pitch-class interval (PCI): an integer 0-11 that indicates the distance in half steps from the first pitch class up to the second pitch class. Unison=0, minor 2nd=1, Major 2nd=2, minor 3rd=3, etc.

Best normal order: the generic representation of all possible transpositions and inversions of a set. 

Prime form: a series of numbers that represents all the pitch-class sets in a set class. Kind of like how “major chord” represents all possible major chords and their inversions.

Pentachord: set with five pitch-classes

ok FINALLY. Onto the actual analysis... After segmenting out the final few measures of each cue, I found that both cues share the pentachord prime form [0, 1, 2, 4, T].

6x04: Hit and Run m9-12 --- x

Best Normal Order: 5, 6, 7, 9, 3 || Prime form: [0, 1, 2, 4, T]

Nothing Gets Past Lalo m 28-31 --- x

Best Normal Order: 7, 8, 9, E, 5 || Prime form: [0, 1, 2, 4, T]

There are 38 total possible pentachord prime forms, so the fact that these two cues have this in common is significant. Whether Dave Porter did this intentionally or not, I can’t say. However, with the numerous other Kim/Lalo parallels that I’ve seen thus far in season 6 it does make me wonder if it was intentional 👀👀

The Hit and Run cue ends with this pentachord, and as mentioned in my previous analysis, the half-step motions and the tritone at the end leave the listener unsettled with a sense of dread. In Lalo’s leitmotif, this pentachord is sandwiched between iterations of the main theme the cue (seen in m 32-35). The ending of his leitmotif is still unsettled, but it ends with familiar material, thus giving it a little more stability. Perhaps this is because while both characters’ fates are unknown, Lalo’s path is more defined than Kim’s...

Sorry for another long post if you read this far 😅😅 Let me know what you think of my analysis or if you have any interpretations of your own!

P.S. The material above is an abbreviated analysis. If anyone is interested in exactly how I found the best normal order and prime forms, feel free to message me and I’ll explain it!

bcs/brba music analysis 2/??

[marches45]

Since @mattbear-music-nz said I should post it, here’s the excerpt from the band composition I worked on when quarantine began. Under the Keep Reading is a score breakdown of the section in the recording.

m. 37 - 43: The excerpt starts with a baritone/euphonium and bassoon soli on the heels of a short brilliant/cylindrical brass choir phrase (cutoff), leading into a repeated ascending 3-note motif in the 3rd clarinet, alto clarinet, tenor sax, upper 2 horns, and baritone against a drone in the bass brass and reeds, with intermittent pizzicato pulses in the string bass and steady pulses in the bells, on E♭, and a harmonized piano statement of one variation on the main motif by the 1st & 2nd clarinets. At 42, the 3-note motif is unaccompanied and leads into the march section.

m. 43 - 49: As the 3-note motif ends on a sustained B♭, the mood shifts to a more regimental feel. Bass instruments carry the beat alongside the triangle, dropping down to just tuba and st. bass (still pizz.). Snare drum adds rhythmic interest. The melody begins at the upbeat into 45 in the trumpets, soon adding harmonies in the 1st and 2nd trombones at 47. Bursts of harmonized counter-melodic flair come from the upper woodwinds, alto saxes, & cornets.

m. 49-54: The brilliant brass melody continues, featuring 1/16 note contrapuntal phrases, with the upper wws. and a. saxes continuing the scale-wise counter-melodic run in octaves, as the a. cl., bsns., t. sax, and bar. alternate between sustained pitches and upward staccato movement within a perfect 5th interval, each iteration a major 2nd lower than the previous. This tenor line are based around the main motif. At 52, all winds, save for trumpet holding the melody’s final note, play together on 2 sforzando 1/4 notes in the chord ♭VI. The trbs. follow with an E♭ chord as the music decrescendoes to lead into the next iteration of the theme.

m. 54-62: This iteration reorchestrates the 1st. The melody is now in the upper wws., with piccolo joining halfway through at the upbeat into 58; the bass line now includes low reeds; the tpts. and trbs. now play sectional flourishes at 55 & 57; and the tenor line is now played in chords by the english horn, 3rd cl., a. cl., and a. saxes. Listen for a doubling rule violation at 59. At 60, as the music crescendoes again, the 1st 3 notes of the main motif are played in accented 1/4 notes, leading into the full band sforzando alternation between I and ♭VI.

m. 62-70: The music, sounding like it’s closing out the section, alternates between key centers E♭ and D♭ until 66. The melody, played by the flutes, oboes, and cors., outlines a descending E♭ pentachord while the cls. play tenuto ascending chords aligned with the shifts in the tonal center. At 64, the melody begins ascending, passing over to the low brass and reeds & expanding into chords while the tenuto chords of the cls. move to the a. saxes and upper hns., still ascending. Upper wws. play a 6-tuplet 1/16th-note mixolydian scale-wise run that leads into their reclamation of the melody at 66 with the cors. and upper hns., where the key center trade-off changes to E♭ and F. The melody descends again, now outlining the E♭ lydian pentachord, with the repeated rhythmic pattern 16-16-4-8. The instruments from the first tenor line (bsns., a. cl., t. sax, bar.) play a diminution of that line on the pattern rest-8-16-16-8. The a. saxes., hns., trbs. and tenor group echo in 3-part harmony the ending fragment of the upper voiced melody. The music decrescendoes one last time in 6 counts to piano before crescendoing in 2 counts to fortissimo as the 3-note motif (book)ends the section with a key change to G minor.

[turangalila]

Lecą latami jakby skrzydłami życia mego momenta. (Moments of My Life Fly Like Winged Years). (Les instants  de ma vie s’envolent, emportés par les ailes du temps)

Marianna Bączek (1931), Bronisława świder (1934) – Bandysie Oraz Władysława Dąbrowska (1925) – Czarnia (Mazowsze – Puszcza Zielona )

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Lecą latami jakby skrzydłami * życia mego momenta Jak łódź po wodzie prędka w swym chodzie * żaglem będąc poddęta.

Nędzny człowieku, w doczesnym wieku * nie wiesz dnia ni godziny, gdy cię do Sądu porwie od lądu * śmierć i z małej przyczyny.

Nagle śmierć kradnie wiek ludzki snadnie, * niech o tej będą myśli. Nie ufaj zdrowiu, bądź w pogotowiu, * niech się to w sercu kreśli.

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Jest drabina do nieba część druga PIEŚNI ŻAŁOBNE I ZA DUSZE ZMARŁYCH (Ladder to Heaven. 2. Songs of Mourning and for the Souls of the Dead)

In Crudo Released November 1, 2011 Recorded 1996-2001 by Remek Mazur-Hanaj (1-6, 8-11, 13, 16, 19, 21-22) and Piotr Piszczatowski (7-8, 15, 17), Adam Rzemieniuk (12), Andrzej Bieńkowski (14), Filip Maria Taranienko (18) and Piotr Dahlig (20). Edited and compiled by Remek Mazur-Hanaj

The recordings on the CD can be regarded as songs which may have been common to a variety of social classes in Poland in the past. However, they were mostly preserved in rural communities of those parts of the country that were barely touched by industrialisation. The majority of the songs presented come from catholic communities – the only exception being a song of an orthodox group from Dobrowoda. The catholic singing traditions are not as well preserved as the orthodox ones. Therefore the collection comprises of recordings of ancient songs performed by the older generations of villagers. Nevertheless, some of these songs are still sung today. Songs and prayers sung during death-watches and funerals are the only area of folk culture that has never been reduced to a folklorist spectacle. (...) We may find here interesting examples of isorythm (unchanging rhythmical patterns in each bar). A flexible treatment of rhythmical measures is also frequent. The changes in rhythmical measures are caused by a decisive influence of the lyrics on the rhythmic development of the melody. Hence we often hear recitative rhythm, which may have been prevalent before the 16th century. Another sign of the ancient provenance of these funeral songs is their pitch patterns, known as tonal formations. They do not follow the standard major and minor scales, which have dominated classical music since the 18th century and folk music later. Instead, we have examples of five-tone scales (pentachord, pentatonic), six- or seven-tone modal scales (mixolydic, Aeolian and Doric). The ancient character of these songs is also confirmed by numerous neutral intervals (neither minor nor major thirds) and the changing intonation of some tones in the scale. - prof. Piotr Dahlig 

[ozumsturkishmusic]

Introducing Turkish Classical Music

Turkish Classical Music had always been an intriguing mystery for me. With the youth generally being guided to Western-style musical education, Turkey’s musical scene is a mixture of tradition and innovation. Recently I’ve realized the emergence of microtones in the works of experimental American musicians, and this made me go back to my roots. During January, I’ll be learning Turkish classical music from scratch, mostly on my own, and share my findings here as a part of a winter term project. Special thanks to my sponsor Professor Gregory Ristow for taking this risk with me and being open to an unconventional style. I’ve traveled over 5000 miles back home, pursuing the spirits of makams. You’ll learn what this means in time. 

The first person I visited had to be Mr. Deniz Baysal. As a multi-instrumentalist, Baysal knows both about Turkish and Western music. He told me that what initially struck him about this style of music was the philosophy behind it. Historically, Turkish Classical Music had connections with Sufi teachings and music therapy. Each makam was known to represent a particular spiritual state. Still, the Ottoman palace sponsored this style and provided it a place to grow and survive to this day. 

Baysal told me, “Piano is the most out-of-tune instrument in the world.” He also indicated that the equal temperament system in Western music resulted in a loss of many other naturally occurring pitches and overtones, just for the sake of setting up a harmonic standard. He said that the commas in Turkish music are not exact; they’re open to the performer’s interpretation. 

One of my initial questions was, “How do students learn?” A method that came up to my mind was by using a tuner. For Western-trained musician, every pitch corresponds to a specific frequency—very math-based. According to Murat Aydemir, the author of “Turkish Music Makam Guide”, the ultimate way to learn Turkish Classical Music is meşk, also known as the master-student relationship. Aydemir describes meşk as a “method of learning about all areas of life from the master during any session of artistic training”. The training is much more comprehensive than technical work. It involves the philosophy of art and the development of high morals. That’s why only learning the theory can barely teach one this grand tradition.  

Based on Baysal’s recommendation, I will follow Aydemir’s order of learning and explaining the spirit of Turkish Classical Music. He starts with some explanations of terms and notation. During my interview with Baysal, I was baffled by the differences between Western musical norms and their Turkish correspondences. Let’s start with the basic notation, for instance. The note D (aka Neva) is the reference tuning pitch that corresponds to 440 Hz. This means that our Western-trained ears hear a fourth lower than the note on the staff. Be careful if you have perfect pitch!

Mr. Baysal keeps a 24-Note System name table in his pinboard. Although there are more than 24 notes in an octave, this is the primary notation system, with every note (perde) having a specific name. I’ll keep referring to the notes (perdes) by their names, so keep the table in mind.  

In the Makam Guide, I see that the two octaves above the concert D are known as the Bolahenk register. Most of the Turkish Music is written in that register. The transpositions are done without writing a new score. Mr. Baysal demonstrated that to me with his yaylı tambur. “The score is always in Rast (G). We transpose it in our instruments”, he said. To transpose a tune, he played the melody starting from a different fret, just like using a capo on the guitar. The resonance of the yaylı tambur was the most exciting part. Regardless of the key, the sympathetic strings created depth and elevated the sound.

Aydemir also defines the word çeşni (flavor) in his book. Much similar to a mode, çeşni has its own character when played. A çeşni features a few notes that make up a makam’s tetra/pentachord and is played from a specific pitch. One example in the book is “Rast flavor on Neva (D).” Flavors are supposed to be internalized by the musicians. They serve to provide further freedom in improvisation. 

In conclusion, I learned that Turkish Classical Music is a grand tradition that is incredibly different than Western Music. This short period might not be enough for me to master or even perform it. However, I’m really excited about this learning journey and opportunity.

[gopentaspro]

Eventku dulu kala, masih bersama @Pentachordsystem #masihmuda #kenanganevent #masalalu Pocari Satu Hati Cerdaskan Bangsa 21 Mei 2011 Area SUGBK Senayan Eo By @activeindonesia Pentachord pasang : Audio system Lighting system Screen & Projector Panggung Rigging Genset Tenda, Meja & Kursi AC & Fan Instalasi Listrik #jagasemangat #dirumahaja #masakuliah #masasekolah #eventapasaja #covid19 #covid-19 Sumber Gandhi Ex-pentachord 08111634722 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-rc8v9gdau/?igshid=tay6aj1h455p

[un-nmd]

Recent listening—

Protomartyr, Relatives in Descent (2017) Solemn cynics seek a grandiose aching, paint wicked scapes that bespeak a hidden, unexpected, searing depth of feeling; it is precisely through their gothic haughtiness that they betray their vulnerability. The execution of the pretence is spectacle enough: marvel at the heady monologued verse on “Here is the Thing” or instead the climactic descending pentachords that punctuate the last minute of “The Chuckler” to the words “...and poison in this soil”. Nevertheless the most important words on the whole thing appear on the first track and echo in the last, words in apparent contradiction to the nihilism you so desperately want to find, words that advocate an anachronistic humanism: “She’s just trying to reach you.”

Kara-Lis Coverdale, Grafts (2017) Antidote to the unending rush of days and weeks, the whirlwind of time, space, people, place, passing instants placed as frames spooling wild into the forgotten past, task after task, night after night, the exhilarating maximisation of one’s faculties and the exhausting repose of achievement, then in again, on again, toil over time too little, toil tricking time to skip minutes, hours, no moment spared to notice, no rest for the wicked, only the bitter glee and cruel pride in the knowledge that one has seen one’s brink—such music as to be antidote and comfort against all above, and more... or at least it was to me.

Jlin, Black Origami (2017) Quite gratifying that an album such as this is making the rounds of all sorts of year-end lists, one that’s designed on premises a world apart from what we usually call pop music, one whose driving impetus ain’t harmony or melody or a verse-chorus song structure but the oft overlooked element of rhythm. A different way of looking at music and yet still within the borders of what the average consumer would consider ‘acceptable’ to listen to—don’t kid, it’s not overwhelmingly avant-garde; just some fresh beats and a modest disdain for more ‘obvious’ music. The progressive doesn’t always have to be confusing (better if it’s not, actually, to allow the masses to catch up) and this certainly is not. It is very straightforward, very clean and angular, well-crafted and genuinely entertaining.

Chastity Belt, I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone (2017) So much feeling conveyed with so little gesture! A shame that nothing on the rest of it quite approaches the perfection of the opening track (I have heard it over and over again and I’ve yet to get bored or find a fault), though this would perhaps be asking too much of something so modest—this is its greatest strength. And I relate incredibly to an embarrassing number of lyrics (too personal to reveal).

Sonic Youth, Evol (1986) Ranaldo pulls off the drunken ramble far more convincingly than Kim ever did because his apathy’s far better suited to the material than her dreamy drugged stupors. He ought to’ve done it more. Second point: d’Anconia/Akston said:

There are almost no contradictions. When faced with a contradiction, examine your premises. You will find that one of them is false.

In this case, the contradiction: noise vs. melody. The false premise: that beauty is synonymous with grace.

[sonic-autopsy-blog]

#5 ‘So What’ by Miles Davis [Jazz]

Genre: Modal Jazz

Track: So What

Composer/ Artist: Miles Davis

Introduction: Jazz has come to be one of the most influential music genres of the last century. Jazz has its roots in African-American communities of New Orleans in America. The genre is said to have begun in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and takes influence from both Blues and Ragtime. The end of World War I, the newfound freedom of African-Americans, the sharing of cultures, and the  increase in leisure time and mass media all contributed to the rise of Jazz music. The likes of New Orleans Jazz (1910s), Gypsy Jazz (1930s), Bebop (1940s), Jazz-rock fusion (1960s) and Smooth Jazz (1980s) all share broad characteristics such as improvisation, swing, blue notes, call and response vocals and polyrhythms. However, all these sub-genres also put their own stamp on the genre through various compositional, technical and stylistic choices.

The track we will discuss here, So What is a quintessential piece of Modal Jazz, a musical style born from the ashes of Bebop in the late 1950s which celebrates simplicity, more organic structures, relaxed tempi and whimsy but also gives rise to a wider palette of melodic colours since modes bring new harmonic structures into the aural mix.

Themes: Laid Back, Relaxed, Light-footed

Texture: Featured on Miles Davis’ classic 1959 album Kind of Blue, the opening track So What is by all means a Jazz standard. Texturally, this track comprises of trumpet, piano, drums, upright bass and tenor and alto saxophone. The piano establishes the tonal context of the track with a two-chord motif. The upright bass enters and delivers its melodic voice in call-and-response. When the brass first enter they play in monophonic voicing supporting the piano. The call-and-response interaction with the bass persists. On bar 42 the call-and-response and monophony gives way to a 3-part polyphonic section with bass, piano and trumpet playing separate interweaving melodic lines with the trumpet taking the lead. This polyphonic structure continues through the solo section with the trumpet being replaced by tenor and alto sax and finally piano (where the brass all being once again to sound a melodic line in monophonic fashion). After the solos the piano returns to the main riff/motif along with the brass and the track finishes as it started - in a call-and-response between the bass and the other instruments.

Dynamics: So What follows the tradition of a lot of Jazz in its expressive use of dynamics. Probably the most notable use of dynamics in So What occur with the piano. The iconic chord voicings which repeat throughout the track use dynamics to convey a sense of energy and light-footedness. On an overall compositional level the dynamics shift from mf in the intro section to f when the solos begin. The track returns to mf when the piano takes its solo. Here the drummer changes to playing the rim of the snare. The brass also come down in level. The track then drops further to p and again to pp before fading out.

Timbre: So What can be seen to showcase a fairly traditional grouping of Jazz timbres. The piano on the track features throughout and is delicate, rich and for the most part dry and upfront. The upright bass is full bodied and rounded sounding but at the same time has some distance and openness. The drums sound crisp, woody and airy which adds to the laid back feel of the song. The trumpet is focused but not harsh. It exhibits a fairly rounded and mellow timbre. In comparison the tenor and alto saxophones are much more piercing, reedy and bright and command the attention of the listener when they play full voice.

Instrumentation/use of Technology: Technology both in recording and instrumentation in the 1950s was very different from current conventions. So What was recorded on three-track tape at Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio in New York City using entirely acoustic instrumentation. The studio was a converted Greek Orthodox Church. This large space with its high vaulted ceilings plays a large part in the sound signature of So What as close micing would not have been used. Unlike the now common practice of recording instruments one by one, the ensemble would have performed together paying close attention to their distance from microphones and their level in relation to the rest of the musicians. Songs were performed in one take with little practice or rehearsal. All of these elements combine to give a sonic signature which is very organic and unmediated.

Melody: Modal music develops thematic material through rhythm and melody rather than through chord progressions. The melodic backbone of the piece is the compelling quartal 2 chord riff introduced by the piano. These pentachords are a whole step apart. The basic interval is the perfect 4th (in some cases ♭4 and ♯4). The simplistic foundational progression gives freedom for improvisation in terms of melody. In terms of the solo section which takes up much of the track, the modal structure manifests in a complex and ever moving piece of music which modulates from D Dorian to Eb Dorian. Davis’ solo can be marked as very melodic with thoughtful phrasing, whereas Coltrane uses a harder/ scalar approach playing faster and leaving less space.

Notation (Piano chords):

Time Signature: 4/4

Tempo: The tempo of So What varies to some degree but as a while the track has a moderate swing feel and plays at roughly 134bpm.

Tonality: As mentioned earlier, instead of musical ideas which move away from and back to the home key, or tonic (which may be major or minor), modality implies a series of transposable interval relationships. Ideas are developed via changes in the character of the mode (e.g. C Dorian to C Mixolydian) or in modulation to other modes. This amounts to a simplistic tonal foundation on which Modal Jazz songs are built. So What follows a 32 bar AABA structure (16 bars in D Dorian, 8 bars in Eb Dorian and a further 8 bars in D Dorian).

Structure: The track intro is played by the piano and bass. The piano drops out and the bass plays a line solo before the piano and drums enter. The brass then enters, playing the melody in a call-and-response fashion with the bass. After one 32 bar chorus each performer takes an extended solo in the following order: trumpet, tenor sax, alto sax and piano. During these solos the other brass players do not play. Following this the melody line is played for a chorus. The piece ends with bass, piano and drums and fades out.

[improv8-blog]

New to music improv? have a look at this; there are 8 in this series.

[henry33tan]

Self-learners transition to Piano lessons

Over decades of teaching, I’ve observed that “autodidacts” who embark upon formal lessons, experience a common awakening related to the piano as a “singing” instrument with its well of tone/touch discovery.

Their epiphanies about the cosmos of piano tone and color are also shared among some transfer pupils who were previously unexposed to varying dimensions of phrase sculpting, arm weight transfer, supple wrist, floating arms, and the “imagined” sound that is internalized before playing the very first note of a piece. (Leon Fleisher’s mantra: “Hear it before you play it.”)

It’s often a first sunrise experience for self-learners, who like very young children are introduced to a previously unknown world of beauty.

I can remember my own transition from two previous early teachers to the one who opened my ears to the “singing” dimension of piano playing. She devoted many weeks to having me drop my “hanging” arm (with supple wrist hands and relaxed fingers) into a series of keys in a stepwise sequence, while checking my elbows and wrists for any tension, telling me not to “squeeze” keys after a graceful, centered landing. Such a well-balanced physical/musical synthesis produced a “ping,” not a “poke.” (It took time, but before long there were no more pencil-point attacks on keys that had previously accentuated the “percussive” profile of the pianoforte)

As a concurrent violin student, I could make the tie-in to long drawn bows on open strings that formed an early understanding of the instrument’s capacity to “sing” before fingerboard exploration. Tone variance related to the bow arm and transfer weight pressure that was introduced to beginners taking lessons. (though, in truth, bow technique and approaches to teaching, have always been as varied as piano mentoring styles) But the idea of a violin exuding a pulsating emotional vibrato with a player having direct bow contact with the string was easier to embrace than that which related to pressing piano keys that in turn activated hammers–enlarging the distance from a player to the strings.

Self-learners of the piano experience such a wide-eyed appreciation of how to bridge that distance in their more structured studies with a teacher who cultivates the singing tone and how to produce it.

I usually start with the very long tones that my most enlightened piano teacher exposed me to at age 13. (I had just entered the New York City High School of Performing Arts at the time, and had auditioned with the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Op. 13) Were it not for my simultaneous audition on the violin, I probably would not have gained admission. Without a tonal foundation as yet laid down, I was swimming in waters too deep to navigate. (But I was open to a new approach without resistance)

Students coming to the piano from their self-imposed cubicles or from a previous teacher, must be willing to let go of what seemingly has not worked for them. (And there are a myriad of experiences that do not fall into neat categories)

Getting back to the basics of the long tones, developing sensitivity to the drop in, without punching, poking, or squeezing, but pinging into a tone center, allows a central focus on the tone/touch cosmos. (It invites attenive listening without cognitive distraction)

While five-finger positions are often drilled to the ground in popular method books without the necessary prologue of the singing tone dimensions of playing, I still explore them not as reading exercises, but for the “feel” of weight transfer to destination notes and their resolution. I like the idea of varied geographies without having thumb shifts at first. (though some of the pentachords, can introduce one thumb pass going up, and another down with an altered fingering, when a student is ready)

Here’s a sample of raw footage that I sent to a transfer student in the five-finger cosmos: (the editing tool was not working so I was unable to trim the beginning and end)

***

Delays into resolution notes attach epiphanies. A delay can be so subtle as to create the feeling of “melting” a final note–not entering it too fast, even if a metronome would confirm its mathematically valid arrival. Some pianists refer to the “illusions” of piano playing, and often make reference to how the relationship of notes to each other can create magic in the hands of the illusionist.

In truth, the study of piano has many intangibles and abstractions that are difficult to write about but can be demonstrated by the artful player and teacher.

Naturally, selecting repertoire is pivotal to drawing in long tones, various five-finger romps and much more in baby step progression. I favor Tansman’s early studies and those of Kabalevsky, and there are some pertinent Schumann two-voice pieces from his Album for the Young, Op. 68, all being selections that are not too cluttered with notes, and have the breathing space to explore tone/touch/attentive listening learning dimensions. (The BREATH, of course, is intrinsically woven into a beautiful tone, and contoured phrasing) Breathing is an important facet of playing that should be explored in the course of piano lessons.

One disclaimer: There are autodidacts who discover that a new approach to learning, quite different from their own, is too much to bear. I had one student who made considerable progress in a formal lesson framing, but admitted he was basically happier learning on his own. I appreciated his honesty and was glad that we had some well spent time together.

The musical journey is paved with joys and challenges, some setbacks, and then advances that make it a worthwhile adventure if we are willing to embark upon it, no matter how new it is.

from Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/self-learners-transition-to-piano-lessons/

[michaelgogins]

Orthogonal Axis of Chord Space

In his book Audacious Euphony, Richard Cohn notes that the consonant triads are minimal disturbances (in terms of the shortest voice-leadings) from the augmented triads. Cohn then points out that minimal voice-leadings between the consonant triads generate hexatonic cycles with special (and musically meaningful) minimal voice-leading patterns (Chapter 2, “Hexatonic Cycles”). These are alternating up and down one-semitone voice movements.Dmitri Tymoczko has defined chord spaces as those in which there is one dimension for each voice of a chord. In the space of all trichords, the augmented triads form what I call an “orthogonal axis” of the space, and the consonant triads are arranged next to this axis in a hexagonal prism.

In every chord space, the orthogonal axis is defined by those chords that evenly divide the octave.

It follows that in the space of all tetrachords, the orthogonal axis is defined by the diminished 7th chords.  For pentachords, the orthogonal axis is defined by whole-tone chords. (And of course for dichords, there is no axis, just a single chord, the tritone).

These are the only axes that consist of chords found in 12-tone equal temperament.

It would of course be possible to define orthogonal axes, and thus by implication whole systems of minimal voice-leadings that define other harmonic systems, in other chord spaces, by using different divisions of the octave. For example, for a heptachord, the division of the octave is 1.71428571429 semitones, and for an octachord, the division is 1.5 semitones.

And so, also, in other chord spaces, there would be other cycles of minimal voice-leadings, analogous to the hexatonic cycle, and the other related cycles that create contrary voice-leadings as discussed by Cohn.

[pentaspro-blog]

Support sound system for Morinaga festival 2017@aldiron - order by pentaspro - vendor by gamung & pentachord

[thegrandstudentdestinything-blog]

The haunting seems of the Oud dates back to 5000 a long time in the past and when played by King David and is nonetheless getting played today. The Oud instrument is the king of the Arabic audio instruments

Oud According to El-Farabie, the Oud dates back again to the days of Lamech a sixthgeneration descendant of Adam. Lamech was identified as the “Father of the Oud players”. The initial appearance of the Oud was 3000 BC. The desecrated skeleton proposed the kind of the Oud. Oud is acknowledged as the 1st stringed instrument in heritage. The oldest pictorial report of the Oud dates again to the Uruk period of time in Southern Mesopotamia (Iraq), above 5000 several years in the past on a cylinder seal obtained by Dr. Dominique Collon and the seal is at the moment housed at the British Museum.. As the Oud becomes the quintessence of before chordophones, it also constitutes their practical synthesis. In the ninth century, Miwardi, the jurist of Baghdad, extolled its use in treating disease, this kind of as King David did by means of his lifestyle with his Oud. The Oud was in the hands of Egyptians and Iraqis when the Israelites came out of Egypt. They took the Oud with them to the Holy Land. The Oud nevertheless maintains its Egyptian and Iraqi attributes and musical stylings. The Oud was played in sacred locations these kinds of as the temples of Egypt. In the very first centuries of Arabian civilization, the oud had four courses (a single string for each training course – double-strings came later on) only, tuned in successive fourths. These had been referred to as (for the least expensive in pitch) the Bamm, then came (larger to maximum in pitch) the Mathnā, the Mathlath and the Zīr. A fifth string (greatest in pitch, most affordable in its positioning in relation to other strings), named ḥād ("sharp"), was sometimes extra for theoretical reasons, normally to complement the double octave. The neck, joined to the human body, is explained as 'unq ('neck') in classical writings and the raqba ('neck') or zand ('wrist') nowadays. It extends the upper component of the instrument by some twenty cm and is inserted into the soundbox up to the soundhole. This length, which has been considerably discussed, is essential in the instrument's construction, deciding the variety and location of the intervals and thus impacting the modes. In early 19th-century Egypt, Villoteau gave the measurement as 22.4 cm a century later on, also in Egypt, Kamil al-Khula'i gave it as 19.5 cm. In modern day Egypt, the size of the neck might range amongst eighteen and twenty.five can. It is standardized as twenty cm in Syria, but a length of 24.5 cm may be found on Moroccan versions, he 'ud 'arbi (Arab 'ud). If the 'ud 'arbi is the descendant of an archaic model of Andalusian provenance, the higher component of the instrument might have turn into shorter. The neck not often has 4. Versions of the 'ud (i) Two-string 'ud:The thesis of its existence has been upheld by musicologists from Europe and Iran it envisages the archaic 'ud as a counterpart of the tanbur, obtaining two strings like that instrument. The argument rests on the names of the strings, two of which are Iranian terms (bamm and zir) and two others of Arab origin (mathna and mathlath). There is no circumstantial documentary evidence to help this hypothesis. (ii) 4-system 'ud: The Arabian 'ud qadim (historical lute), in certain, invited cosmological speculation, linking the strings with the humours, the temperature, the elements, the seasons, the cardinal points, the zodiac and the stars. The strings might be tuned bass to treble or treble to bass. Bass to treble tuning is represented by al-Kindi (ninth century), who advocated tuning the least expensive training course (bamm or first string) to the lowest singable pitch. Placing the ring finger on a mathematically determined length of this string, a single moves on to deduce the pitch of the 3rd open up training course (mathna), then that of the next (mathlath) and lastly the fourth (zir). (This method is also used to the five-system 'ud and is even now employed as a tuning strategy, following the sequence one-four-2-three-5 or one-four-two-5-three.) Adherents of the reverse college (Ikhwan al- Safa') tune from treble to bass. The intention, inherited in portion by the Turkish 'ud, involves pulling tough on the zir (higher) string, so that as it ways breaking-stage it presents a clear seem. A single then moves on to decide the pitch of the next program (mathna), the 3rd (mathlath) and lastly the fourth (bamm). These two colleges did not continue to be fully individual. But whichever method is utilized, equally stop up with tuning by successive 4ths, each and every course currently being tuned a 4th over the lower program previous it. Musicologists, Japanese as well as Western, who consider to interpret the pitch of these notes in European phrases end up with diverse final results. Although the four-training course 'ud survives in Morocco, as the 'ud 'arbi, the tuning does not conform to the pitches inferred from classical treatises: a conflict among oral and composed traditions. The Moroccan approach looks to be the solution of a preceding program, the 'ud five ramal, which also comprised a sequence of 4ths: ramal (?e), hsin, (?a), maya (? d'), raghul (?g'). This 'ud, like its Tunisian counterpart, may possibly be variously tuned: a attribute of these tunings is that they juxtapose the classic 4ths with the octave and often the 5th and sixth (D-d- G-c). The strings of the 'ud 'arbi are named dhil, ramal, maya, hsin this terminology by no signifies refers to a fixed pitch common this kind of as educational and standardized tuition approaches would would like for. At the time of al-Kindi, two of the programs were made of gut and two of silk. In the tenth century silk turned predominant and some texts give the composition of the twisted threads: bamm = 64 threads, mathlath = 48, mathna = 36, zir = 27. The figures for the lower programs of the 'ud correspond with those of two upper strings of the Chinese qin, a simple fact that has led to speculation about the romantic relationship in between Arab and Chinese civilizations by way of the Silk Route. Yet another characteristic of the 4-course 'ud is that it is bichordal, possessing double courses. thirteenth-century iconography displays that it was already normal to pair the strings at that time, possibly to enhance sonority but also to permit the improvement of a far more virtuoso sort of overall performance. (iii) Five-program 'ud: The addition in Andalusia of a fifth training course has been attributed to Ziryab (8th-ninth century), though in theoretical writings it appeared in Iraq with al-Kindi. (The addition of this extra system has a parallel in China.) With Ziryab the fifth course, acknowledged as awsat ('intermediary'), a time period perpetuated in the 'ud of San'a' known as qanbus, is put between the next (mathna) and third (mathlath) programs. With al-Kindi and his successors, it was to attain the stop of the instrument and turn out to be the string called hadd ('high') or the 2nd zir. (In accordance to oral tradition, to receive an octave on the extended-necked lute baglama, a reduced string need to be placed in the center. This is carried out when the neck has few frets.) As the historic 'ud did not have a two-octave compass, the physical appearance of the fifth string corresponded to the calls for of a new system. The four-training course 'ud had no need to run correct through the octave. Its repertory was carried out on a tetrachord or pentachord, transposable an octave larger. With the five-course product, the heptatonic system imposed total series of octaves. The new lute was referred to as 'ud kamil ('perfect 'ud'). The 5-system 'ud is the most widespread and most well-known product amid performers. It has also been named the 'ud misri (Egyptian) due to the fact of the finely created instruments produced by the lute makers of Egypt, who export them as significantly as Zanzibar. The individuals of North Africa have included the dialectal name of m'sharqi or mashriqi ('of the east'). The technique of tuning it, extremely adaptable in the nineteenth century, is now getting to be stabilized. These modifications are owing partly to the crack-up of the Ottoman Empire, which has induced a rupture between Turkish and Arab cultures, and partly to the proliferation of educating approaches endeavouring to impose a solitary type of tuning, working from low to substantial: yaka = G 'ushayran = A duka = d nawa = g kardan = c'. Nonetheless, there are variants reintroducing tuning by 4ths. Thus what is explained as 'Aleppo tuning' consists of: qarar busalik = E 'ushayran A duka =d nawa = g kardan = c'. This latter composition is utilised in Turkey and Iraq. To reply the sensible specifications of present-working day notation, a treble clef adopted by the figure eight is utilized. This procedure has been considerably criticized by those in favour of employing the bass clef. The tuning of the Turkish lute faithfully reflects the Arab type but in reverse, looking through in descending order: gerdaniye = g' neva = d' dugah = a asiran = e kaba dugah = d (this final, a lot more mobile pitch may similarly settle on G. This outdated tuning represents the 'old school' (eski akort), and has now been replaced by an ascending tuning - the 'new school' (yeni akort): A-B-e-a-d'-g'. However it is now considered incorrect in the Syro-Egyptian spot, and agent of the aged Ottoman faculty, a tuning method in ascending buy survives in Iraq. It is made up of: yaka = d 'ushayran = e duka = a nawa = d' kurdan = g'. The compass of the bichordal five-program 'ud is just in excess of two octaves in Turkey, it is three octaves with the addition of a lower system. Arabian instruments can accomplish this by the addition of a sixth training course. (iv) Six-course 'ud: Two varieties of 6-training course 'ud exist: a single has six pairs of strings, the other 5 pairs with an further reduced string. The very first was found by Jules Rouanet in North Africa in direction of the end of the last century tuned inclusively it has considering that disappeared except in Libya, six where it is still created but with distinct tuning. A related instrument, identified in Syria, is tuned C- E-A-d-g-c'. The instrument with five double strings and a one lower one, nevertheless, is turning into progressively common from Istanbul to Baghdad. It has become widespread to place the extra string after the highest (or chanterelle). Its pitch is at the choice of the player no rule is laid down. The presence of the extra string endows the instrument with a broader range and improved ease of enjoying, permitting the performer to operate very easily by means of three octaves. The sixth program is also coming to be employed as an intermittent drone, a new phenomenon. (v) Seven-program 'ud: 7-system types, based on a sophisticated system of tuning, had been identified in Egypt and Lebanon in the 19th century but have not been observed because 1900. There is 1 exception: the Tunisian, Fawzl Sayib, is a living learn of the 7-system instrument in the six pairs and 1 minimal arrangement. A characteristic of this 'ud was that it reversed the arrangement of strings, positioning first the higher and then the minimal strings on the neck from remaining to appropriate. In accordance to Mikha'il Mushaqa (1800-88), only four of the 7 programs had been played, the lowest course (jaharka) and the two maximum (busalik and nihuft) getting unused in performance. The University of Oud On-line, is a system constructed to educate the Oud by means of Skype by the migrant Oud learn Ramy Adly, an Egyptian well-known Oud Participant, Ramy Adly is a youthful learn of the oud, the functional lute-like instrument that shaped Arab classical songs. Grounded in the principal Arab classical styles many thanks to arduous coaching in his indigenous Egypt, Adly has branched out repeatedly, incorporating jazz idioms and embracing discussions with other musicians about the planet. Adly has carried out all around the Center East, Europe, and North The united states. He has composed songs for theater and movie, and gathered a big number of students all around the planet, by way of an revolutionary on-line curriculum he created, named The University of Oud Online. His delicate, sturdy enjoying has been read from the Library at Alexandria to American cathedrals and schools. Now dependent in Washington, DC, Adly proceeds to broaden the choices of his instrument. “I want to deliver the oud to the identical level as the guitar culturally, the instrument that is almost everywhere and can do every little thing,” he exclaims. For Adly, the oud has usually been like a member of the household. Almost every person in his loved ones played the oud when he was growing up in Cairo, like uncles, siblings, and his beloved grandfather, who gave him his 1st introduction to the intricate, evocative instrument. “I grew up listening to the oud,” he recalls. Listening is 1 factor, and mastering the instrument one more. Adly plunged into his review of this age-outdated instrument at the Arab Oud Home, with Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma. Adly located himself working towards for a dozen hours a day, and loving it. “It was a great deal like the system Paganini proven for his students,” Adly points out. “You have to go by means of the fire to be qualified as a performer and composer. I graduated as the two composer and soloist.”

[music-of-silence]

Good foundation for students. The Faber Piano Adventures are a good foundation for students, helping reinforce the basics in technique, performance, theory and musicianship. The lesson book works in conjunction with theory, technique and performance books, but be aware that you are buying the same editions. I've had it happen before when I have bought the 2nd edition of the lesson book, but not theory and therefore had the corresponding pages not match up. Music is printed in relatively big print which is great for student and teacher! Not always the most challenging method book if you have fast learners with talent and ability. Go to Amazon

Very nice! These Piano Adventure books are wonderful! They are bright and colorful and go in perfect steps for a young learner. My daughter has used many of these and is doing great with piano lessons! An added bonus is there is a certificate of completion in the back of each book so your child gets an "award certificate" when it is completed. Go to Amazon

Love this series I am a adult student learning out of this series. I like the Faber series because each lesson is challenging enough to push me to improve, but not so challenging to overwhelm me. Go to Amazon

Piano Adventures Series is Great! I have been teaching piano at the beginner and intermediate levels for ten years. I find the Faber & Faber Piano Adventures Lesson Book to be thorough with regard to well-rounded piano instruction. Their newer version duplicates some of the supplemental materials that I provide (i.e., pentachords, scales, I-IV-V chords), which my students learn far in advance of the book's timeline. By the time most of my students complete level 2A, they have memorized all the major pentachords and scales and are working on the minor keys. Still, for under $8 per lesson book, this series is affordable and packed with songs that my students enjoy learning. I appreciate the massive efforts of Faber & Faber to make piano study fun and steadily progressive. Go to Amazon

Great Buy Best series around for the older adult. Well written for an educational standpoint. Would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn to play the piano Go to Amazon

Good books for learning piano My daughter just started this book. The songs are beautiful to listen too and she's been progressing nicely with the Piano Adventure books. Go to Amazon

Their music is fun, memorable I never have any complaints about Faber books. Their music is fun, memorable, and perfect for the levels they advertise it at. Some of the newer adaptions of the books are missing songs I loved growing up, but their new songs are just as good. I would recommend Faber to anyone. Go to Amazon

Great series I'm a piano teacher of over 25 years. I love the Faber Piano Adventure methods series and use it with most of my students. Go to Amazon

Excellent! Four Stars Great series. good learning product Five Stars Five Stars Five Stars Five Stars Five Stars Piano lesson book