Steve Ball Diary
related
guitar craft diaries
seattle
rep circle
seattle
practice circle
discipline diaries
nj
circle diaries
Tuesday October 09
Wednesday October 10
Thursday October 11
Friday October 12
Saturday October 13
Sunday October 14
Read the archive
Tuesday October 16
Wednesday October 17
Thursday October 18
Friday October 19
Saturday October 20
Sunday October 21
Monday October 08
Still re-adjusting to life as a car commuter who lives on the opposite side of the
water from the evil empire where he works. How to use my commute time? Reading
while driving: not recommended. But, NPR only goes so far.
I like TaylorS' approach: daily tracking music listening. Seems true, but may only be projection: you can learn some thing significant about someone based upon what they listen to. Tool or Tori?
From where does taste come? Genetics? Chemistry?
Need to organize a portable CD collection of music worth listening to (branching out from my always-looping staples of Jonatha, Tori, Jane, Sheryl, and Shawn.)
* * *
Evening: SGC Rehearsal at HQ. Run-through of a proposed set list for our upcoming Saturday show. Many giggles brewing just below the surface for this group lately. We know how to work; we know how to play. Some comfort in this.
Bob came up with a new set list; a winner for this upcoming show. Shaking up our own expectations about show-flow. Each piece sounds (functions?) differently depending upon what it played next to.
* * *
Many dangling prepositions in my life recently.
* * *
Tuesday October 09
SBRS rehearsal chez Travii. Fun run-throughs.
* * *
Wednesday October 10
A night 'off.'
Thinking more about the 'language' of music again lately. I've written and spoken about this many times. The analogy seems 'stronger' than an analogy (a mapping between distant objects.).
Notes are letters. Chords and groups of notes are "words". Melodies (phrases) are sentences. Songs are chapters. Shows (or CDs) are books.
Some music is news, some is literature. Some songs are one liners, some are soliloquies.
Avant-Grunge trumpet player, Jon Hassell, (many years ago) wrote about the idea that albums (song bundles, CDs) can be analogous to newspapers, novels, classics, reference books.
The language of instrumental music is 'pure' in that it is not 'polluted' with a polarizing lyric track. And yet, there are clearly 'meanings' contained within instrumental compositions.
What is the meaning of Bicycling to Afghanistan or Vulcanization? What is transmitted in the performance of these pieces? My feeling lately: this is music that is primarily designed to transform the musician; a secondary effect may be what happens to an audience who happens to hear these pieces.
I know, with this repertoire, I am in a blind spot.
It always really comes back to one central theme for me: How to measure the value or impact of this work?
* * *
Thursday October 11
Back-to-back SBRS and SGC rehearsals in preparation for multiple shows this
weekend.
* * *
Friday October 12
Philip Glass Ensemble live at the Paramount: live Koyanasquatsi to
accompany the film. Wow.
Ran into Peter Dervin, Kevin Goldsmith, and hundreds of appreciative Glass fans. Standing ovation at the end.
This film is even more relevant now than when I saw it sixteen years ago. Scenes of buildings imploding and collapsing take on new meaning.
This film is a social microscope. Go rent the DVD if you have not seen his recently.
* * *
Happy news: friends with new baby on the way!
* * *
Saturday October 13
What a day. 8am meeting at HQ to prepare for a day and evening
of music work and play.
The first Seattle Circle Weekend Workshop began with sitting at 9am. Calisthenics with Curt, Ear Training with Trey, Lunch by Derek, TravisM, and DougB, Rhythm Circle with BillR, Circulation games by SB, then observations with FrankS.
Good work today. Getting a sense of what is possible in this space. Twenty-one guitarists in the circle today. Right at the limit of what is possible in this ballroom.
Noticed the difference between 'making music' and music; analogy to 'making fun' vs. fun.
Fun via jokes at the expense of others vs. fun.
SGC live at Kirkland Youth Center.
Then, SBRS at Penny Cafe in Ballard.
Just the facts right now, m'am.
* * *
Sunday October 14
Seattle Circle Weekend Workshop day two. Another full day with some
miraculous moments surrounded by moments of mundane searching.
Evening: excellent play at Seattle Rep Theatre: "Proof."
* * *
home
Monday October 15
Needed a break following the intense activities of the weekend. All day
Weekend Workshop followed by two shows, followed by all day Sunday Workshop make
for a tired SB.
Call from BillR Monday evening with observations regarding the Workshop. Too many to share here and now. More reflections on this as my week unfolds.
* * *
Tuesday October 16
Learned what a 'zooblott' is today. Growing interest in genetics...
Evening: SBRS rehearsal chez HQ. More work on new material and a revamping of a TravisM cover song for the Roadshow. Nice!
* * *
Wednesday October 17
Preparing to fly to BBQ (audio industry think tank tomorrow morning.)
* * *
Thursday October 18
Retreat in Texas.
* * *
Friday October 19
Retreat in Texas.
* * *
Saturday October 20
Retreat in Texas.
* * *
Sunday October 21
Retreat in Texas.
Back home.
* * *
home