It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:51 am




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
 Year in review take 2 
Author Message
Resident Contributor
Resident Contributor

Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:09 am
Posts: 395
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Post Year in review take 2
Wow, can you believe just 3 weeks away from 2018? How many of your goals did you meet within this year?

I'll start it off by saying another year gone by way too quickly, even though I did work my plan I fell way short of the overall goal (Imagine if I had not set any goals?). However, I did join a group in October and we were able to play one gig in November. A group of old timers and its on "Guitar" not tapper. So it was still a musical win since I hadn't performed in public in about 8 years!

Anyway hope you all meet your goals in 2018,
Best wishes and Happy Holidays!


Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:25 am
Profile My Photo Gallery
Resident Contributor
Resident Contributor

Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:09 am
Posts: 395
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Just thought about this today, I'd like to expand it slightly.

What was your biggest bottleneck issue in 2017?

I'll go first, for me its the chicken or the egg thing to a degree.
To me, I can't greatly expand my "Repertoire" if my "Improvisation" isn't where I want it to be. Just learning the shell arrangement of a tune doesn't really seem to be too beneficial if all I can do is play the head and bridge even with a groove? Therefore I've only added a few more mainstream tunes to my list this year but worked on Improv like crazy. Also the note for note solo on George Bensons' "Affirmation" was/is a killer. Video in 2018 for sure!


Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:43 am
Profile My Photo Gallery
Site Donor
Site Donor
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:17 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Portugal
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Oh! I wanna see that video Pete! [emoji4][emoji4][emoji4]


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

_________________
Rodrigo Serrao

All Links:
https://ampl.ink/dNLw4


Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:01 pm
Profile
Master Contributor
Master Contributor

Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:45 am
Posts: 1183
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Try creating a "window", a repetitive chord progression that's somehow evocative of the song. Also create a simple melodic theme for that mini composition within the composition. Now you improvise first by playing that sub-theme (reminiscent of the song itself), then decorate it, then delve into the complexity of its characteristic intervals, choice licks and passing tones.

This subsection could also serve as the intro and coda to your song arrangement. It's also a strategic fallback position in case nerves rise and concentration wanes.

Coda Tails


Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:08 pm
Profile
Resident Contributor
Resident Contributor

Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:09 am
Posts: 395
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Post Re: Year in review take 2
BSharp wrote:
Try creating a "window", a repetitive chord progression that's somehow evocative of the song. Also create a simple melodic theme for that mini composition within the composition. Now you improvise first by playing that sub-theme (reminiscent of the song itself), then decorate it, then delve into the complexity of its characteristic intervals, choice licks and passing tones.

This subsection could also serve as the intro and coda to your song arrangement. It's also a strategic fallback position in case nerves rise and concentration wanes.

Coda Tails

Excellent advise!! Now that's what I'm talking about, Thanks Emmett!


Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:20 pm
Profile My Photo Gallery
Elite Contributor
Elite Contributor
User avatar

Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 9:43 am
Posts: 4039
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Repost!

Cool post, I love these things... Thanks, Pete.

For me, It was a "catch up" year, as I feel I met and exceeded expectations I had set for myself in the 2 years previous (and failed at). So yeah, 3 years in, and now working on year 4, I am quite happy with where I am at and what has been achieved. It feels like I am going to head into the new year with a clean slate so to speak...

Sightreading
Stick note layout
Repertoire
Learning tunes/concepts timely and efficiently
Hand independence
Improvisation
Composition
Arrangement
Leveraging previous musical knowledge
Etc

_________________
GUITAR RULES
https://www.facebook.com/scottsguitarstuffMy FB Page


Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:57 pm
Profile
Site Donor
Site Donor
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:17 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Portugal
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Repost: I don't know... I guess I reached all my goals for this year... I have a pretty laid out plan of where I want to take this and it's working out so far... the only thing that's missing is the money and the opportunity to travel to LA and meet Emmet... that is one goal I failed in 2017... and I wanted to be at the seminar in Interlochen and
That didn't work out either... [emoji20]


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

_________________
Rodrigo Serrao

All Links:
https://ampl.ink/dNLw4


Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:16 pm
Profile
Multiple Donor
Multiple Donor
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:28 am
Posts: 1055
Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Hmmm 2017. Fell a little short on material , but thats nearly fixed. My main aim was not to play "Dream Theatre" but just be really comfortable on stage in a variety of settings. Definitely got that done, cant get enough now. And I kind of have my own sound , even as a beginner. Played 21 little performances, the Singapore stuff I wrote about the biggest highlight and challenge. The road map of 2017 below. Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone. And can we just go to Mallorca again? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

_________________
Bruce Jacques
Melbourne Australia.


Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:51 pm
Profile My Photo Gallery
Multiple Donor
Multiple Donor
User avatar

Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:40 am
Posts: 2884
Location: Detroit, MI
Post Re: Year in review take 2
Great idea, Pete! I thought that this has been a really, really crappy year with all the musician deaths and stuff going on in the world. But I hadn't really looked over my own personal year in terms of what I've done or tried to do. Let's do Year in Sink! (Pardon my shameless self-promotion along the way, but I ain't really selling nothing but maybe some eyes and ears on fractal videos...)

Steve Sink's Year in Review
I had no goals this year--rather, I had no clearly-defined goals, other than to make a bunch of music. And get better at the Sticking, so I could make a bunch of music.

Event-wise, the highlight of the year was Interlochen, which was awesome and amazing and I will definitely be doing that again. I learned a lot and made a lot of new awesome Stick friends from all over. I saw Greg and Bob jam a couple of times and several other awesome Stickists, and the Bob & Greg Rocking-Out Jamboree alone was worth the price of admission. Phenomenal musicians and teachers!

I felt like this, the 2nd year of my Sticking, was not as productive Stickwise as my first year was. There was a lot going on at work, and with politics, and sometimes the two intersect when your ultimate boss and commander-in-chief is DJ Trump. Emotionally, it was a very rough year. I honestly thought I had not gotten much done this year, so I looked at my SoundCloud site: https://soundcloud.com/stephen-sink-1 and saw to my surprise that I've done 12-15 new tunes this last year. Some of them I still even really like! Which, a year later, is usually a good sign.

What my disconnect was: every time I got frustrated with the Sticking, I would put it away for a bit. But then pull it out for "a quick bass line here, a quick guitar lead line here." Not actually PRACTICE with the damn thing, but noodling and playing when the need arose, rather than the muse. I just didn't feel very inspired. But over a year, I've used my Sticks in quite a lot of songs.

I discovered Jam Origins MIDI Guitar, which lets me use Sticks to trigger keys, so that's been another thing making me pick up and use the Sticks. I can still layer on afterward in MIDI, and mix with the Stick sound, or not use it at all except for MIDI triggering notes.

I was just describing to someone at work that I get my best stuff done procrastinating, as long as the thing that I should have been doing doesn't really have to be done. Meaning, if you asked me for a waltz, I can produce a million other things that started out as a waltz, but then the 3/4 time went, and then we changed instruments, and then...

But the greatest little life hack that I've figured out this last year--probably only will work for me--but it's been a productivity supercharger: make fractal animations videos every week and need original music to go with them. Every week, frames roll off out of the render farm, and I need a 4-to-5 minute piece of music for each video. The render farm is a harsh taskmistress and the channel needs to be fed brain-melting videos.

This year, my channel of music and fractal animations hit 35,000 views (yay!), and this was my number one viewed video of the year (5736 views):

Plato's Shadows--"Z'ha'dum"--3D Fractal Animation Music Video
https://youtu.be/FgFeFN5JPf8


So, music-wise this year, let's take a look! I did some really cool songs with Scott Kerr (Jayesskerr) or SINKERR as the cool kids call us (my Mom at least). His production and Stick, guitar, violin, and some drums, and my Railboard bass and some drums.
A Monstrous Thing of Beauty

https://soundcloud.com/stephen-sink-1/a ... ty-sinkerr

And then my production, piano, Railboard bass, and some guitars and his awesome guitars:
Spirit Chewality


My best Stick tune of last year was probably "E is 4 Empath, " which was done for the Stickist collab last year. All Railboard, both melody and bass, key of E.

E is 4 Empath


My favorite procrastination song when I was supposed to be working on scales or something and ended up with a "mouse song," or song played with a mouse and samples.

Monks Funks Flutes


There was also some new hardware and Roli Lightpad and Roli Seaboard Block that I played with and made some songs with. And I discovered Orange Tree Samples Strawberry Guitar plugin for Kontakt that lets me sound like a geetar player.

https://soundcloud.com/stephen-sink-1/whampa-chunk-demo


That was my year! I thought going into this that it was genuinely a meager and not-so-productive year, but I see that I have been making stuff that I like--just never the thing that I was supposed to be working on.

I'd love to see the roundup of how your year's been!
-Steve Sink

_________________
Steve Sink, Laser Fractals
Rosewood 10-string, #5989, M4s
Sapphire Railboard, #6763, MR
Wenge-on-Wenge NS/Stick, #170130, Bass 4ths
http://soundcloud.com/stephen-sink-1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-RDlN ... Ez0hN49_Qg


Fri Dec 15, 2017 4:51 pm
Profile My Photo Gallery
Resident Contributor
Resident Contributor

Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:09 am
Posts: 395
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Post Re: Year in review take 2
paigan0 wrote:
Steve Sink's Year in Review
I had no goals this year--rather, I had no clearly-defined goals, other than to make a bunch of music. And get better at the Sticking, so I could make a bunch of music.-Steve Sink


Steve, Sure sounds like a successful year to me!! Wow.

--

So actually my goals for 2017 were very loose unlike the previous year. 2016 didn't go at all like i had planned because I think my goals were too specific!

For 2017 it was actually just supposed to be the year I did at least one public performance for any size crowd at all just public. The set list I had of 15 pieces for this "somewhere set" never got to "performance ready" mostly because of the improv weakness. The supportive work was to get used to my new Double neck "BGTapper" and focus on Frank Gambales' Technique books along with Jamey Aebersolds' II V I and nothing but the blues etc.. To complicate things I introduced 2 additional books "Patterns for Jazz" and "Triad Pairs". I do have to say the "Triad Pairs" is an incredible work out for the fingers and I do think I definitely did have "gains" in dexterity from working out in that book, though I Only went thru the first 12 or so exercises. I never just Keep going if I know I don't have the exercise truly mastered.

Things got derailed after heavy soloing practice on a few of the Jazz Standards, so I'd go back to the books.. That's where I was, an eddy of repeatedly playing a tune getting to the solos and then stopping to go back to the books, back to examples. For some the process goes easier I'd imagine just like in body building or weight loss, somethings work for some people and for others it doesn't. Not sure if this fallout from the OCD I've come to discover in my own personality!

In an Ironic twist though, the Guitar performance/band gig I did in November came completely out of the blue! But it was actually 2 days after my original target performance date from my goal plans, I'd call that providence!


Mon Dec 18, 2017 9:45 am
Profile My Photo Gallery
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  

board3 Portal - based on phpBB3 Portal Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group. Designed by Vjacheslav Trushkin for Free Forums/DivisionCore.
Heavily modified by Stickist.com. Stickist.com is an authorized Chapman Stick® site. The Chapman Stick® and NS/Stick™ and their marks are federally registered trademarks exclusively licensed to Stick Enterprises, Inc., and are used on Stickist.com and NSstickist.com with SEI's permission.
Click here for more information.