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Saturday, July 18, 2020

332. THE EASY MODE OF PLAYING THE BRASS WINDS FOR SIMPLICIAL COUNTER MELODIES AND BASS LINES.. BRASS WINDS AND THE GUITAR OVERTONES TUNING



The EASY MODE of the brass wind instruments consists of

A) Independent improvisational (mainly overtones arpeggios) large range melodic themes across the overtones scale created solely by the embouchure (at any particular constant and fixed level of the trombone slide , or horn valve combination).  We call it independent vertical overtones harmonic melodic lines or overtones arpeggios (overtones vibes). The very design of the brass instruments is based on the ability to play many overtones. IF WE DO NOT UTILIZED THIS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE BRASS INSTRUMENTS (AS OVERTONES ARPEGGIATORS OF ROOTS ON A CHROMATIC INTERVAL OF A 5TH ) WE MAY AS WELL SAY THAT WE MISUTILIZE THEM. Only chromatic melodic lines are by far easier in other types of winds that use only the 1st 2 overtones (clarinet, flute, saxohone, cornett etc) . If we would utilize mainly only chromatic melodic lines then the optimal design of function of the  brass instruments should be more or less like a brass cornett with holes (diantonic instrument) and not valves. 
An example of two such overtones scales are when the roots are an interval of 4th apart e.g. one at root ofthe instrument and one 5 semitones lower either by the valves or by the slide. (E.g. For a trumber or trombone  it would be the power and/or major chord over Bb3 and the power amd/pr major chord over F3.)
B) Independent improvisational  short range melodic themes within a diatonic tetrachord which is inside an interval of 4th across  the slide positions of the trombone  (or valve combinations of the trumpet ) and at a constant and fixed overtone level of the Embouchure.  We call it independent horizontal chromatic melodic lines (chromatic vibes).

In other words brass instruments are particular easier to such 2 different types of independent improvisations (overones and chromatic vibes) AND NOT for any type of melody at all as e.g. the piano, the guitar or a flute are appropriate for ! 

If we want to understand it better for those that they play the guitar here is the analogy

We assume that the 6-string guitar has an overtones tuning with root at Bb2 and overtones 2nd 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th. In notes they are Bb2-F3-Bb3-D4-F4-Bb4.  Thus the strings from the lower pitch to to the higher pitch correspond to the root overtones notes of the (baritone) horn created solely by the embouchure.
Then the chromatic notes between the overtones of theBrass wind created by the slide or valves at anyparticular overtone level correspond to the notes v=created by the frets in thsi guitar.
So we have the correspondance

STRINGS<--->BRASS OVERONES GENEATED BY THE EMOUCHURE ONLY
FRETS<--->  SLIDE OR VALVES GENERATED NOTES

Under this isomorphic layout correspondance the Easy Mode of playing the Brass winds as defined above by A) and B) corresponds in this guitar in
A) Playing among the 6 strings but always in the same fret (Overtones arpeggios themes)
B) Playing across a single string, and on all frets (Chromatic lines)

We must not forget of course the  exceptional properties of Brass instruments compared to flutes with fipple or not and to single or double reeds like clarinets, oboe etc.

In the latter wings it is mainly  the action of the fingers that determine the pitch and the frequency of the mouthpiece follows after almost automatic resonation.

But in the brass winds where the lips produce the sound it is the converse: The main factor of pitch determination is the Lips buzz control of the player, and then the action of the fingers, at the valves or at the (trombone) slide has more or less to follow and not opose it . If it flows it we have resonating notes which are of high volume and the brass modules highly the color buzz sound.  If the fingers donot follow fast enough or with sufficient precisioon the pitch of the Lips buzz we have nono-resonating notes that are of lower volume and of color closer to the human Lips buzz. In less than 50% of the case we may have the converse follow up (the finger actions change the lips buzz frequency). Thus we may say that the player plays his lips buzz with the help of the instrument, and not vice versa as in flutes.  This means that there is much indeterminacy of the Lipz buzz pitch relative to the length of the tube determined by the fingers on the valves or slide. And this indeterminancy is much higher that what is e.g. in the large double reeds (after the lips pressure) in armenian duduks , which are considered difficult to play excatly because of it. Obviously also the barss are much more difficult to play that e.g. a 6-string guitar in overtones tuning excatly because of the possible indeterminancy and nono-resonation notes of  the lips buzz in the embouchure.

Therefore even the easy mode of the brass winds as described above, does not circumvent the embouchure difficulties of the playing.  It olly circumvent  the finger actions complexities for a diatonic scale. 



Friday, July 17, 2020

331. THE ONLY 3 SCALES IN MUSIC

THE SCALES IN MUSIC ARE TRULY ONLY 3:

(Here we shift the meaning of the term scale.....)


A) The scale of the musical experience on the existential individual level. It is healing, it changes the emotions and therefore the habits of thoughts. It also includes ultrasounds from the bodies of the musicianswe do not hear and define how the musician experience the  music that he is playing .


B) The scale of the musical experience of the small group that plays and sings music (2-20 people) Creates deep subconscious bonds either for sadness or for joy. It also includes ultrasounds from the bodies of the members of the group that we do not hear.

C) The scale of the musical experience of the very large audience in society through the internet or recorded media . Does not include ultrasound of the bodies. But it continues to act on emotions and sets standards for us to feel, perceive and think.

330. THE PRINCIPLE OF OPTIMAL SPECIALIZED PARTIAL USING AND PLAYING OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THOSE THAT PLAY MANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

(see also post 271)
This is principle is an example of a principle where it is proved that the method of learning something is more important than the object ogf learning itself. It is also relevant to the concept of  distributed cognition

Brilliant examples of musicians that play many musical instruments (from 5-6 to 10-12 musical instruments) is the  Caling family. Ecah mamber of this family plays at least 5-6 musical instruments, and Gunhild Carling (https://www.gunhildcarling.net/)is playing 10-12 musical instruments.
Obviously this also proves that the method of learning many musical instruments is  radically different from the traditional in Scolls of music and Universities.
And by this we do not mainly  mean that the technique is different.

When learning a musical instruments five areas of the human subjectivity are involved

1) The sense of hearing
2) The sense of seing
3) The kineasthetics of the fingers (fingering)  and/or the mouth (embouchure)
4) The feelings and emotinal percepton of the music
5) The mental images and intellectual perception of the music (musical ontology)

So when we say radically different method we mean that the combination of the previous 5 factors is radically different

The next are 6 principles that are involved in learning many musical instruments

1) Principle of learning as new self creation
2) Principle of least time of  playing while learning
3) Principle of most easy method as far as the memory and practice of fingers/mouth is concerned
4) Principle of most smart intellectually perception of the learning material  desired to learn
5) Principle of maximum pleasure while learning (so that serotonin and dopamine are created in the nervous system so as to have the creation of nerve synapses that is the subconsious ability and memory and desire for more learning)
6) Principle of optimal socialization of the process and result of the learning.


Under the above principles it is derived that for a musician that is playing many musical instruments it holds that
(see also post 275, 128)

FOR MUSIC:


1) Each instrument is NOT used so as to play all possible melodies and songs. Instead it is used and it is learned only as far as this instrument is specializing to allow playing an area and type of music that with the other musical instruments is not done so easily , efficiently and desirebly. There are though among the many insyruments at least one wich can be used the musician to play all possible melodies or songs. But most of the many instruments is  learned and played only in the area and specialization which is concidered best (e.g. a cello  might be learned to play only bass lines at the 2nd octave and a Bb/F trombone,  overtones improvisations only with 2nd overtone root , over a chromatic base 2nd octave Bb1-Bb2. See also post 332 about the esay mode of playing the brass winds, with a) independent vertical overtones large range melodic themes and b) independent horizontal by the slide short range melodic themes within a diatonic tetrachord )


2) At least one midi controller is used that can emulate all 3 generations of musical instruments  (see post 329, chromatic, diatonic,overtones musical instruments) and helps to learn but also to conduct the music of all other musical instruments.


3) The musician is focusing in learning a repertoire of music and songs with its musical theoretical ontology rather, than particular instruments. Thus when learning and spent some hours per day or week we learn a new song, and we learn its harmony (chord progression) melody and parallel simplicial counter melody (bass lines) etc on many instruments one after the other rather than spending these hours on particular instrument. In this way the same hours spent for the musical ontology of a song (chords, melody, countermelody, bass lines, rhythm  etc) will be used for learning more than one instruments, This reduces dramatically the memory and time spent in learning and shifts the subconcious memory to the abstract musical ontology rather than particular material particularities of the instrument which is more spiritual , and which memory and time is utilized for all instruments simulteneously. (see also post 271) 

4) It is by far more efficient when learning to utilize improvisation rather than tedious practice excercizes from musical sheets, for many raesons. One is that the improvisation is forgiving in "mistakes" that turnout to be innovations in melodic improvisation. Another reason is that it activates more deeply the various nervous system centers that are relevant to the 5 subjectivity areas  mentioned previously, therefore it is more thorough learning. Still another rason is that improvisation is  more pleasant than tedious excercises of practing therefore we have more serotonine-dopamine inthe nervous system, which are utilized in creating new nerve synapses valuable in the subconcious memory and desire for more learning in the future.



THE ADVANTAGES OF IMPROVISING A MELODY VERSUS PLAYING A MELODY

PLAYING THE MELODY

DISADVANTAGES: 1) No sufficient space to interpolate  your own feelings parallel to the melody
                                   2) Rigid stereotypic repetition  , that the slightest deviation will cause the                                                feeling of an "error" or "bad sound". This will create fear and will "slauter" the "wings" to add your own "signature" to the melody. It will stop  also and suppress the ability to compose your own melodies.

ADVANTAGES: 1) You do not have to involve much of your emotions and creativity , after learning it it seems easier to repeat it each time and if the melody is played correctly it is expected by the audience to to appreciate it.


IMPROVISING THE MELODY:

ADVANTAGES:1) Plenty of free  space to interpolate  your own feelings parallel to the melody
                                   2) No rigid stereotypic repetition , each time played it is somehow different . The randomness of the decorative notes of the improvisation allows for searching the appropriate melodic center that corresponds to the intended emotion or for gradual correcting till the melodic center of the original melody is found  (in the scale stepwise glissando as default movements) This will create an euphoria of abundance of creativity and will multiply the ability to compose your own melodies in later times.

DISADVANTAGES: 1) It requires listening to your own mood (or the mood of the  audience) when improvising the  melody, and there is always the risk that the current version of the improvisation of the melody is not good enough compared maybe to previous improvisations or that the audience will not appreciate it enough as you appreciate it when your are improvising it.



IN OVER ALL IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IMPROVISING A MELODY IS BY FAR MORE ADVANTAGEOUS THAN JUST PLAYING THE MELODY.

FINALLY A VERY USEFULL TECHNIQUE TO HAVE UNIFIED CONCEPT AND SYSTEM OF MENTAL IMAGES WHEN YOU  PLAY MANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS  IS TO HAVE ISOMORPFC LAYOUTS OF NOTES ON THEM. E.G. TUNE THE STRING INSTRUMENTS BY OVERONES TUNINGS SYSTEM (EACH CHORD AN OVERTONE, AS SOMETOMES JONY MITCHELL HAS DONE WITH HER GUITAR) SO THAT THE STRING INSTRUMENTS HAVE ISOMORPHIC LAYOUTS OF NOTES WITH THE VALVED OR SLIDER BRASS INSTRUMENTS (TRUMPET, TROMBONE, HORNS ETC) SEE ALSO POST 329



Saturday, July 4, 2020

329. THE 3 GENDRES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: CHROMATIC, DIATONIC, OVERTONES AND THE MIDI/MPE CONTROLLER ARTIPHONE. THAN CAN EMULATE THE NOTES LAYOUTS OF ALL OF THEM

We may simplify the classification the various musical instruments to 3 gendres according to the way that the notes are basically and initially arranged.

A) THE CHROMATIC GENDRE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Such instruments have basically from their hardware a full 12-notes chromatic scale arrangement ofthe notes. E.g. the fretboard of the guitar, but also all other similar instruments like

Strings by plectrum like Mandolin, Greek and Irish Bouzouki, ukulele, charango, cuatro, Saz etc

Bowed strings like , violon, viola, cello, bowed dulcimer, Greek lyra, etc

B) DIATONIC INSTRUMENTS
Such instruments originally are designed with a diatonic scale of notes arrangments, although they may have extensions to p lay also all sharpsand flats

E.g. Irish whistles, clarinets without keys (chalumeau, xaphoons) , the piano, the accordion, the celtic harp, harmonicas, panflutes, saxophone, old medieval wooden cornett etc


C) OVERTONES HARMONIC SERIES INSTRUMENTS,
Such instruments are desined initially with notes arranged by the overtones harmonic series  , but later they may have extensions tO play all sharps and flats

E.g. Overtone flutes, fujara, natural trumpet (which evolved in the modern valved trumpet) , All brass winds like , French horn, tuba, melophone, euphonioum, etc


The advantages and disadvantagesa re somehow known.

1) The chromatic instruments are very convenient to change scales and play in many scales. But in order to play and improvise even in a single scale special skills must be acquired, to seorate this diatonic scale from all possible notes.

2) The diatonic instruments are simpler and the best to improvise on a single diatonic scale , but in order to extend the tonality to a the chromatic tonality or to multi tonality extra design is required to support all flats and sharps which is usuallynot as well as the initially diatonic scale. Thus usualy it requires to have many different such instruments for different diatonic scales.

3) The overtones harmonic series instruments have a beatifull magic, that of the overtones that create and enforce for improvisation directly and simply ,  happy melodies. But also highly chromatic   harmonic minor scale and melodic minor scale are directly derived from the overtones series of the first 13-15  overtones. An very beatiful advantage is that when we make translation-variations of small melodic them across the overtone series of notes it imediatly is also variated by elongnation or contraction-expansion. It exaonds as we goto the lower harmonics and it contracts as we goto higher harmonics which makes the variationseasier and less boring in pitch-variation translations. The disadvantage of such nstruments is that that cannot even play even a full diatonic scale unless we extend the design to play sharps and flats, or aplay all the flats and sharps. 


By favorite gendre is that of the diatonic instruments, and 2nd best that of the overtones series instruments, because of the easiness of improvisation. Neverthless Learned initially  the string chromatic instruments that somehow I play better. Actually by marking the fretboards and fingerboards of such string chromatic insttuments (guitar , violin etc) to a single prefered diatonic scale I have converted them to diatonic instruments.


If we tune the string instruments with overtone tunings, in other words with connected parts of the sequence of t he overtones, then the layout of the notes onthe fretbaord or fingerboard is identical with the layout of the notes in a brass instrument with 3-4 valves or a hybrid Bb/F trombone with a slide and one valve etc. And this is what I have done tome string instriuments. I have set then overtone tunings due to the advantages of such tunings. In such a case and from the point of view of notes layout scheme we therfore get that we have only 2 gendres of musical instruments A) THE DIATONIC B) THE OVERTONES-CHROMATIC This is a great advantage for those that play many instruments and inparticular both string instruments and brass instruments as they have isomorphic pitch layouts of notes and the mental images to play notes and arpeggios are identical. 
If furthermore we apply a   marking scheme on such overtones tuned string instruments , that exhibits the prefred diatonic scale, with its root and dominat note on the fretboard or fingerboard, then all 3 gendres of musical instruments a) chromatic b) diatonic c) overtones combine on each such single instrument.  This is done of course easier on digital instruments as applications in ipad, compared to traditional hardware analogue string instruments.



THE NEW APPLICATIONS FOR DIGITAL MUSIC IN THE IPAD OR IN THE DESKTOP VERY OFTEN EXHIBIT A HIGHER SPIRITUAL  FUNCTION AND A BETTER MUSICAL ONTOLOGY ORGANISATION AND COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL HARDWARE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
THE ALSO HAVE A UNIQUE UNIFYING POWER  FOR MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND TYPES OF MUSIC THAT IS VERY USEFUL FOR TALENDET MUSICIANS THAT ARE MULTI INTRSUMENT PLAYERS AND WANT TO COMPOSE MUSIC.
 THIS NEW GENERATION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS  SHIFT THE MUSICIAN FROM AN INSTRUMENT PLAYER TO A MUSICAL COMPOSER.  
THEY SHOULD BE  COMBINED WITH TRADITIONAL HARFWARE ANALOGUE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS TO GIVE THEIR FULLEST VALUE. 

In the next we discuss how the midi controler and digital fretbaord artiphone can emulate by appropraite tuning of the digital fretboard which is a 2-dimensional arrangment of the notes on the fretboard to play the notes arrangments all the 3 gendres of instruments , guitars, violin, harmonica, celtic-chromatic harp, overtone flutes, natural trumpet, modern chromatic trumpet, diatonic trumpet etc and ofcourse with all available colors of sounds from any type of instrument.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHwiJTay6GI


See alsp post 315
https://simplerguitarlearning.blogspot.com/2020/05/314-digital-fretboard-midi-controller.html

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

328. ONE CENTER AT EACH TIME MELODIC IMPROVISATIONS. THE INDISPENSABLE SIMPLICITY LAYER OF A MELODY.

This concept of perceiving melodies is probably the best, and we discussed it qute extensively in previous posts under therms like simplicial submelody, dolphin words etc. See e.g, posts 72, 282 etc. This technique  provides  a simplicity layer in  the melody , as simple as the chord progression of the song.

In this  concept of melodic improvisations, we conduct a simple sequence of notes of a scale as centers of the improvisation (e.g. 1-4-5-1) , with rather at will and by the feelings decided transitions, so that each note lasts quite long, but we also move much faster with rather random fluctuations with notes of the scale close to each center. The center though sounds much more than 50% of the time that all other embelishment notes close to it.
The transition from one melodic center to the next, has been called elsewhere as Dolphin word (see e.g. posts 72, 282) or melodic simplicial vector interval, or simplicial (sub)melody theme, or simplicial subtheme etc. In classical music it might be called the starting and ending notes of a melodic phrase, as , the melodic phrase isperceived as a little melodic journey which starts and ends in these two notes. Again the total duration ofthe starting and ending centers of a melodic phrase are supposed to last more than 50% of the intermeniate notes in total.
The group of transformations of melodic themes, does apply to the simplicial melodic themes (Dolphin words) , as translation, inversion, contraction-expansion or elongnation (dilation) and mutation.

This perception of the melody, is used also in an excellent way to write the basic bone-structure of the improvised melody without a pentagram, with as high simplicity as the chord progression. We simply chose one of the closest 7-notes diatonic scales, and we indicate the sequence of the melodic centers as ordinal numbers of the diatonic scale. The rhythm is based on the main rhythm of the song and it may vary as well.





Saturday, June 13, 2020

327. THE BEST WAY TO LEARN THE GUITAR FRETBOARD IN THE STANDARD TUNING: THROUGH 3-NOTES CHORDS MAJOR-MINOR-DIMINSHED (SHAPES D A E SYSTEM) ON THREE CONSECUTIVE STRINGS OF THE MARKED DEFAULT DIATONING G-SCALE . THE 4 MODES OF CHORDS THAT ARE CREATED AEOLIAN ,IONIAN, AEOLIAN, FRYGIAN.

(This post has not been written completly yet)

THE BEST WAY TO LEARN THE GUITAR FRETBOARD IN THE STANDARD TUNING: THROUGH  3-NOTES CHORDS MAJOR-MINOR-DIMINSHED (SHAPES D A E SYSTEM) ON THREE CONSECUTIVE STRINGS OF THE MARKED DEFAULT DIATONING G-SCALE . THE 4 MODES OF 3-NOTES CHORDS THAT ARE CREATED AEOLIAN ,IONIAN, AEOLIAN,  FRYGIAN.


This method to learn the guitar fretboard in the stanrd tuning is best for melodic-and-chord improvisations.

We enrlarge below in more details with charts of the 3-notes chord-shapes of major-minor-dimished on three consecutive strings thata re created by the marked on the fretboard default for the stanrd tuining G-major scale.