An apology

I apologise for the lack of posts in recent weeks. I have only just remembered my password and since it is 11pm and I am extremely tired and want to go to bed. I will be updating my blog and the performance blog tomorrow when college is over.

First jazz solo

Had my second improvisation in music class today and it was pretty great. It's just fantastic learning to play things by ear. Also pretty impressed with how I managed to transpose what Simon was playing! I'm definetely feeling a lot better about this class and hope it continues to be this much fun. Have to say that when Simon was doing the riff and picking a soloist and he said, "CLARINET SOLO!" that was probably the scariest moment of my life! And according to Jordan, "My eyes just widened" but hopefully it sounded fine because I thought it was a lot easier than I thought it would be...Wonder how long this is going to last? Haha!

So looking for some Count Basie blues tracks and I was astounded to see that Count Basie did the music for Mel Brook's film 'Blazing Saddles.'  The film and music are really good so it's definetely worth a watch.  Unless you're easily offended, in that case don't watch the film just listen to the music.

Week one Improvisation

Not going to lie to anyone here.  I am actually rather nervous about this class but I'm fully prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead with improvisation.  Also here's hoping that my blog is interesting enough to all of you that read it (especially the tutor!). 

Anyways, the first task on the assignment on running a blog is to outline accurately and honestly my current practical knowledge of scales and modes.  Whilst I attended high school, my teacher never taught jazz or blues so I had to go find it myself.  Whilst studying to pass Intermediate Two in fourth year, we were taught for the listening exam the notes of a Blues scale and what it would sound like.  We were taught all about different kinds of jazz but never in great detail.  I played in a jazz band at school though where we performed jazz-funk, ragtime blues and enhanced performing techniques on our instruments but we never got to improvise and we certainly did not learn about scales or modes.  We were given sheet music and told to follow it.  In my fifth year whilst studying for highers, that was the very first time that I had heard of modes.  We were taught about the Dorian mode, Ionian mode and Aeolian mode and I composed many compositions based on the Dorian mode.  I also know a little about Pentatonic scales but it's basic stuff like, "You hear this scale in traditional Scots and Chinese music."  I have also sung many Pentatonic scales in singing lessons so I am able to identify that scale.

In conclusion, I do not know an awful lot about scales or modes but in due time and putting in lots and lots of hard work then I'm sure that by the end of the course I will know the majority of what needs to be known. 

Now I'm off to buy that book!