The eventful return to Perth

Well it’s back to college after a pleasant break at the home on the west coast and already the first week has been both exhausting and eventful. College continued as usual on Wednesday with both first study and band rehearsals taking place in the morning and composition skills in the afternoon. My drum lesson went well howeve I feel that in my band situation there is not enough progress being made as in the last 6 or 7 weeks we haven’t really got one cover or an original fully completed yet. It’s amazing how two hours fly by every week in the rehearsals and it just goes to show that you have to use your practice time wisely.
After college on Wednesday I got a call from local saxophonist Felix asking if I could lay down a trombone line for a Dixieland song at Clearwater studios. I had no idea really what to expect for I had never played Dixieland before let alone recorded anything however agreed to do it as the experience alone would be rewarding. On arrival I was shown the track and straightaway began to experiment with ideas but it didn’t matter what I felt was right, as it was what the band wanted. In the end I got an idea of what the band were looking for however there was a section they wanted that was out of my range, which I couldn’t reach comfortably. In the end though I managed to get the trombone line down with a great deal of strain on my lips. It was a great experience for me for I have never been under so much pressure in a studio before and also was a awake up call to my need of range extension. The band however seemed happy with what I played and said if anything else popped up, they would give me a call.
In session skills this week we carried on learning “The Broken Hearted” and also learned the cheerful song “Your love lifts me higher and higher.” So far I am not struggling with the reading material but yet again I am coming to terms with the fact I have to start to using dynamics to a larger extent, especially on the quieter side.
Friday morning was full of nerves for it was the debut performance of my new band “Feel Free Conspiracy” at the midday show in the Goodlyburn theatre inside the college. I always enjoy playing in the theatre for the sound engineers are so easy to communicate with and always get a good sound out of the bands. The whole band including myself were anxious about an audience appearing let alone entertaining them with our music however in the end a good crowd appeared and we were well accepted and received good feedback from the gig. This has helped to spur us on and we soon hope to be gigging locally and further a field with a few recordings under our belt as well.
The other half of the day was spent with a fiddle and bow in hand with a fellow classmate and banjo playing over some Irish reels and jigs. Playing traditional music is brilliant for not only does it help with improving my technical ability playing with another musician but also is quite relaxing for there are no pressures to it. It is also great in terms of building on sight-reading as we have both started purchasing books and books of tunes and started trying to play them on sight. Already we are both capable of playing on sight at a slow pace and its just down to tempo and articulation before we will be stacking up the Scottish/Irish sets for public ears.
Saturday turned out to be very intriguing day as it was the first of a four session course into composing with Scottish composer John Maxwell Geddes (legend). Not only is he demonstrating famous composers methods like Bach Tchaikovsky and Beethoven but is also given the students advice on melody, motifs, harmony, development and instrument ability, (to say a few). At the end of the course I hope to have a three-minute piece written and recorded for cello, flute and marimba with the guidance of John Geddes. The three musicians that will be playing my piece are all from the Paragon ensemble and it will to get professional feedback for wrting for all three of them. In the past I have written for classical instruments with both my higher and advanced higher music but never with a guided hand and in such professional conditions. I look forward to the following weeks and watching how my piece expands with help from the professionals. Well this week has been very demanding and has showed me that I need to begin organising and keeping tracks of gigs more often as it is only going to become busier as the academic year continues …I think my next step shall be to buy a diary lol. I feel that my un prepared time in the studio with trombone has helped me with one of my biggest flaws of coping under pressure and the fact that my band Feel Free Conspiracy is on the uprising live experience will greatly increase with every live show. Although the composition course I am under taken is not a big step towards becoming a session player it will help my musical knowledge and hopefully open many doors to becoming a professional musician for you sometimes find what you ‘re looking for in a place didn’t expect.

Holidays

The end of the weeks lessons are over and the holidays are now upon Perth and its time to head back home for some rest. Again the week has continued as per usual with Wednesday and Thursdays lessons and lectures further educating me in my chosen career path.
I have already seen improvements in my Jazz playing having a stronger feeling of confidence when it comes to approaching the style. Its always great when a development in technique is noticeable in my playing as it shows me that I am progressing as a player, helping me to keep the commitment and passion needed to become a session player. I just wish I could say the same about my trombone and fiddle playing but I assume its all about perseverance.
This week was the Dundee folk festival and so I thought it could be rather interesting to go and see a show or two. In conclusion we ended up going to see a double billed show at the Dundee Rep which consisted of a pair from Orkney playing traditional tunes with their fiddle and mandolin and a solo folk singer. Both acts were absolutely fantastic and the intimate atmosphere and venue really added to the show, however it was the Orkney pair “saltfishforty” that really made the night and inspired me in my fiddle playing with there perfect blend of traditional, blues and jazz pieces. It is little things like this that really helps to spur me on and clearly show me why I am studying music.
In session skills this week Gavin separated us into our bands to start our Motown sessions. It was great to play with new musicians that I was un-familiar with as I approached the situation in a more professional manner and managed to stay a lot more focused. The song we were given was ”What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” and the score itself was easy enough to follow however there are a lot of areas that needed improvement on such as playing for the song, dynamic variation and solid time keeping. I’m hoping that with these weekly sessions I will soon see improvement in such essential abilities as communicating, chart reading and probably my main flaw- playing under pressure, but we will just have to see what the next few weeks bring.

Looking further a field

This week has continued with its usual regime both inside and outside of college. My jazz studies came to an end this week in first study class as now that I have gathered the basics of the style my tutor told me that I can develop my technique in my own time. Already though I can see that my jazz playing has became more confident and independent however with my only source of playing in a band situation beingthrough electronic resources I do feel quite limited.
Through the last few weeks looking into jazz I have began to look further a field into such genres as big band. In the past I have played in relatively similar situations such as concert bands and it has always been one genre which I found to be most fascinating just in terms of the incredible acoustic sound and tone that is produced and the complete different approach that a drummer has to take for they are no longer driving the tempo as the conductor is.
I have managed to get a hold of a book called “chart reading for drummers” which explains the techniques needed for following charts, supporting figures and keeping time as well in a big band situation. Although I can read music to a fairly good standard I find chart reading a different kettle of fish altogether for there is a lot more independence needed and creativity compared to reading what is just written. It is skill that I find to be vital in becoming a session musician, especially if I want to further my career as a musician on the cruise ships with bigger bands.
Session skills this week consisted of a detailed look at contracts that are set up between the producer and musician in a session and the going rates that should be paid per 3-hour session. Although this is a long way away for me its good to see specific details of the contract and how as a musician I can come across in as professional manner as possible when it comes to payment. This week we were also put into our session bands for the up and coming motown theme. As my band has two drummers I hope to get my trombone out to add some brass to the tracks we are given and also to actually brush up on my playing as in the last year I haven’t been practiced enough to make any steady progress. I also hope that since Gavin is our tutor for this class he could give me a few tips on my playing and help me conquer some bad habits.
Also this week I was back in the studio to lay down the drum track to some new material that my band is putting together. In the past I have recorded to click with a live band however this time I tried recording with the click on its own and the result was a much tighter drum track. I felt this was due to the fact that I didn’t have as much distraction through the headphones and could focus on keeping it at a solid tempo. In terms of playing along to a click though I feel that it still is a slight weakness so it definitely one thing to look into.
This week yet again has inspired me significantly and showed me what I need to look into for improvement. I look forward to what the future brings with exploring new styles and seeing how I develop as a musician.