June 25 – 29 at CWS and Soapbox Music Studio.

More details here 

I tried out a couple instruments yesterday at Dixon Strings (Thanks Chris!) in their awesome new studio overlooking the lake.  They’ve combined forces with Elizabeth Stein in the Fine Arts Builidng.  There were some nice cellos, but I’ve do some comparison shopping. 

Later, trying to set my soundpost myself (it has a penchant for migration), I knocked it over.  Again.  At A440, the luthier mentioned that my bridge was very odd.  I told him that I was looking for a new instrument due to my current cello’s worn-out fingerboard, and the prohibitive cost of cutting/planing a new one.  He suggested I replace my odd bridge first, and offered to remove my fingerboard and alter the angle of the neck, canting it backwards, which would effectively raise the fingerboard angle when it is re-attached.  So, I’m having work done on the old instrument, again.

I do really like my Doetsch, it just usually sounds kind of off.  But I trust this luthier since A440 both sells and repairs instruments, and yet he seemed confident he could improve the condition and playability of the Doetsch to the point where I wouldn’t need a new cello. 

Fingers crossed.

Songwriting and Recording Summer Camp at Soapbox Music Studio and CWS

In a week-long day camp, participants will be introduced to the following exciting new concepts:  analyzing the structure of a favorite song, composing original chord changes and melody, notating parts for other players, and basic audio recording and mixing techniques.  At the end of the week, participants will take home an audio CD of their own song, performed by the group and mixed with the assistance of a professional audio engineer!

Who: Students 4th Grade and up with at least 1 year of instrumental experience.
When: June 25 – 29, Monday – Wednesday at CWS, Thursday and Friday at Soapbox Music in Logan Square.  10am – 3pm.
Bring: Your instrument and a bagged lunch.  Snacks and supplies will be provided.
Registration: Before April 1 – $300.  After April 1 – $350. Sibling discount available. Space is limited to eight participants.

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Fun Stuff We’ll Do:

• Listen to a favorite song and analyze it!

• Learn about blues and rock song structure

• ‘Jam’ to get our ideas flowing

• Write our own chord changes and melody

• Notate parts for other players

• Rehearse the ‘session musicians’

• Learn about the fundamentals of studio audio recording

• Record and mix a live performance of everyone’s song!

We shot it in the woods up Northwest.  Billie used 8mm film.  It’s awesome!

The Paver is playing next on Feb 29 at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago

http://vimeo.com/37044359

I’m working on two things for the spring.  I’ve procrastinated and now have about 24 hours to complete these before the madness returns! go! go! go!

One is a curriculum for first and second year orchestra students, with an analogous one for my private cello and bass students.   The other is a shor Basic Skills Packet for orchestra students.  Because music performance and orchestra (the subjects I teach) are incredibly broad, particularly when taken together, I think a curriculum of sorts will be really helpful.  By creating ‘standards’, I’ll be able to assess the progress of individual students and more accurately identify areas that need work.  It will also help elucidate my own successes as a teacher, which is important since I tend to for whatever reason focus more on my areas of perceived failure.

As an added bonus having a curriculum will help me articulate to students exactly what and how they need to practice.

The Basic Skills Packet will be a combination of material from a few string and orchestra technique books, and some note-reading supplements.  The idea is to work out of the packet for warm-ups in first-year orchestra (fourth grade at CWS) and to use it as a Sam Hankins-style remedial bootcamp for students who’ve ” fallen behind” in orchestra in the 6th and 7th grade.

I’ve tried out a bunch of (mostly) vintage amps over the past two weeks.  So far:

• Jesse’s vintage Newcomb/Western Electric 30W tube amp a
• Jesse’s Airline 5W, probably 50’s or 60’s vintage.

I spent a bunch of time (5 hours straight) on youtube listening to Led Zep I and demos of the Valco Supro and the Gibson Skylark, and realized I needed more experience, so I went to Rock And Roll Vintage and with Rich’s help added the following to the list:

• A 50’s Montomery Ward 10W.
• Valco Supro, 5W.
• Tweed Fender Deluxe, 50’s, approx 20W.
• Orange Tiny Terror 7W/15W, modern.

The 20W 50’s Fender Deluxe sounded *amazing*, but with a price tag over 2K. The modern Tiny Terror sounded pretty awesome too, Farsheed reports preferring it to the Fender.  Rich recommends the Vox Night Train over the TT, in the modern variable wattage amp head category.  I’ve been doing some reading — the NT is  Class A/B, while the TT is pure class A.  Some ambiguation naturally exists on the web around whether or not one can hear the difference.  Today’s mission:  try both NT and TT head-to-head at Chicago Music Exchange.

Overall goal:  is there one?

Hm.  Well, there is a goal pattern.

Things I’m keeping in mind:

• cost control
• simplicity of user controls
• reliability/build quality
• flexibility/versatility (good tone at varying volume)
• singing sustain for days
• warmth, harmonic shine.  it’s gotta make the electric cello sound *good*.

Just Scheduled.    3pm at the Chicago Waldorf School.

featuring the recently re-named

Bass Clef Bandits!