Origins of JAZZ MUSIC

There are a lot of people nowadays who enjoy great jazz music. In fact, almost every home has somebody who loves to listen to its cool rhythm and its moving beat. However, jazz music did not come along that easy since it all started. In fact, based on the origin of jazz, this type of music genre had its share of low times before it hit the popularity spot. While jazz is now being enjoyed by a lot of people, there was a time in its history when it was not as accepted as it is today.

Photo  by    FaceMePLS   (cc)

Somehow, the popularity of jazz or its unpopularity at the onset had to do with its being clearly identified as black music. But now, when the issues of racial discrimination is slowly starting to wane, anyone can say that jazz music, which is being played not only by black people but also by white, is here to stay.

In general, the origin of jazz was believed to have started in New Orleans before it spread to Chicago and then on to Kansas City, then to New York City and finally the West Coast area. Both the vocals and the instrumental sides of the blues are known to be essential components that we can still predominantly see in this music genre today. There have been and there still are many types of the genre and this was all started with the ragtime that officially started in New Orleans or what is also known as the Dixieland jazz. Then, after this, there came the swing jazz, which was also known as the bop or bebop. Cool or progressive jazz followed thereafter, which was also then succeeded by the hard bop or the neo-bop.

Then, there was the third stream and the mainstream modern and the jazz type that a lot of people like to dance, which is the Latin jazz. Of course, rock and roll also made its influence on this music genre with the coming out of the jazz rock, which was followed lastly by the avant-garde or what is commonly known as the free jazz.

The origin of jazz actually started out in the later years of the 19th century and this was derived from the work songs of the blacks, their sorrow songs, their field shouts, their hymns and their spiritual songs, the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic elements of which were seen to have been dominated by African influence. However, because it was seen as a music genre that was improvisational, emotional and spontaneous in nature and because it was mainly associated with the blacks, jazz did not garner the level of recognition that it deserved.

It was the European audiences that showed warmer reception to jazz, making the jazz musicians of America go to this country to work on their trade. Jazz only gained a wider audience when adaptations or imitations of it were made by white orchestras. It was in the later part of the 1930's when it was known to have become a legitimate entertainment and this was when Benny Goodman initiated concerts at the Carnegie hall of groups having mixed racial origins.

By Ian Pennington Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Do You Want to Learn the BASSOON?

The bassoon and contrabassoon are the lowest or bass members of the oboe family and hence the woodwind family which consists of flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. Bassoons developed from the Curtal which was an earlier instrument in England and they came into use in the 17th century.

The bassoon is generally made of maple eg sycamore maple and sugar maple,although polypropylene and ebonite are used to create a cheaper instrument which is great for students and outdoor use. It consists of tubing nearly 2.5m or 7-8 feet long which is bent double to allow the bassoonist to play it. A small piece of bent metal shaped like a crook is fitted to one end and to this crook is set a double reed.

The Bassoon - Photo  by     stephanie.lafayette

The bassoon has a distinctive sound and listeners often compare its warm, dark reedy sound to that of a male baritone voice. The sound is produced by blowing through the double reed which is made from two pieces of cane.The air vibrates through the reed and down the tubing. The various sounds are created when the player presses down the keys or covers holes in different configurations or finger patterns. The bassoon can play a large range of notes. The contrabassoon is bigger than the bassoon and sounds one octave lower.

A bassoon is a large wind instrument and can not be held on its own like the flute, clarinet or oboe. Bassoon players can use a neck strap or seat strap for extra support. The bassoon is held diagonally in front of the player whilst being played.

Bassoons are used in orchestras and chamber groups. There are usually two bassoonists in an orchestra with a possible third player playing the contrabassoon. The first bassoon player often has solos. A popular chamber group which the bassoon takes part in is the wind quartet which consists of 1 flute, 1 clarinet, 1 oboe, 1 bassoon, 1 french horn. And it is combined with other instruments in various groupings. The bassoon is rarely used in jazz or popular music.

A couple of well known bassoon players are Bernard Garfield (born 1924) and Archie Camden (1888-1979) who was a soloist of international acclaim.

Now that you know a little about the bassoons with its shape, sound production and types of music it plays, do you want to learn the bassoon? If you like the thought of playing low notes in a group or even by yourself, and blowing air through a double reed and tube to produce the sound then the bassoon could be just what you need.

By Hilary Daglish Take a look at a Picture and Go Here to grab an instrument and sheet music. Happy Bassooning ( if you call this a word!) Article Source: EzineArticles

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BARITON SAXOPHONE - Music-Instruments of the World

Bariton Saxophone - Music-Instruments of the World

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CHARLIE PARKER Bio Alto SAXOPHONIST Legend

Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker was one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Known also as Yardbird, or simply Bird, Charlie was an early bebop pioneer; many of his songs remain standards to this day.

It might surprise you, but Charlie Parker started playing the saxophone at age 11, but wasn't a child prodigy by any stretch of the imagination. He joined the school band at age 14, and by one account, was kicked out because of his bad playing as a result of his lack of formal training. Charlie didn't let setbacks bother him though, and an in interview once said that for three to four years he practiced 15 hours a day. Part of this practice regime included playing the blues songs he learned in all 12 keys. During this time, Parker's improvisational skill flourished, and he began to develop some of the musical ideas that would give birth to bebop.

"Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis, Max Roach (Gottlieb 06941)" by William P. Gottlieb -  Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

In the late thirties, Charlie played with local jazz bands in the Kansas City area. Ensembles led by Count Basie and Bennie Moten were popular in the area around this time and influenced Charlie's playing. By 1938 Charlie Parker had joined pianist Jay McShann's band, Jay McShann's Territory Band. The band played all over the southwest and occasionally travelled to bigger markets such as Chicago and New York.

It was with Jay McShann that Parker would play on his first professional recording. Bird moved to New York in 1939 and took a job as a dishwasher at Jimmy's Chicken Shack to supplement the income he made with Jay McShann's Territory Band. Pianist Art Tatum frequently played at the venue and his use of fast paced arpeggios would have an influence of Parker's playing.

In 1942 Charlie Parker left Jay's band to play with Earl Hines' band. A band that included Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. A musician's strike from 1942-1943 has made it difficult to document much of what happened during that period. We do know, however, that in that year Paker played with a group of young musicians who embraced the new bebop form of jazz. This group of musicians included not only Parker and Gillespie but other soon to be legends, such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian and Kenny Clarke.

During these formative years of the genre, most of the older, established jazz musicians did not embrace it. Some, however, such as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, appreciated the new art form, playing and recording with bebop stylists. The genre which Charlie Parker all but invented, had arrived.

Charlie was famous for showing up to gigs without an instrument and borrowing one from somebody else at the last minute. For this reason, he could be seen playing many different makes and models of sax. These include Conn 6Ms, Selmer model 22s, and 26s, and even a Grafton plastic saxophone. In 1947 he had a King Super 20 made exclusively for him. He seemed to prefer Brilhart mouthpieces, having used both Ebolin and Tonalin Streamlines. According to rumor he used hard Rico reeds early in his career but later switched to a 2 ½ in the fifties.

By Neal Battaglia Are you into sax improvisation? Learn more about Saxophone Improv at Sax Station! Article Source: EzineArticles

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The Nylon String ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Playing an acoustic guitar. The guitar is a Harley Benton (HBF20CE/TS); an Ovation clone, that is. (A friend of mine plays the guitar on a dock by a lake, in front of a summer cottage at Mäntyharju, 

Finland in July, 2004.) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The nylon string acoustic guitar has a softer, mellower sound than the steel string guitar. Strangely, modern audiences can still be spellbound by the depth of feeling of a nylon string guitar.  It's entirely up to you which one you choose to play. I could cite a list of artists who used either nylon or steel string for this or that record, and make a wild guess or two at why the artists made the choices they did, but the bottom line is that if you want a deep, quiet sound that doesn't compete with your singing, the nylon string guitar is the way to go.

When you go out to buy a guitar, go past the general music store and on to your local guitar dealer if you have one. That way you will have a guitar expert guiding you and not some dufus who only plays two-and-a-half chords. Don't let the guy in the store automatically steer you to the top-of-the-range guitars, and equally don't succumb to your inner cheapskate. Pick a guitar that you like the look, sound and feel of, then come down in price range if you really need to.

To get some idea of the range you could be looking at, the Alvarez Masterworks Series MC90 Classical Guitar, a more pricey instrument, has solid rosewood back and sides, western cedar top with precision scalloped bracing, mosaic rosette and gold tuning pegs with tortoise buttons and sells for over $600. The Alvarez Regent, a beginner's model, is about $150. Of course there are many grades of price and quality in between.

The kinds of music that the nylon string guitar was designed for are classical and flamenco music. Classical guitar music is classical music composed for other instruments but arranged for the guitar, and classical style pieces composed especially for the guitar or other stringed instruments. There is a wide repertoire of music composed in the medieval or renaissance eras for the vihuela or mandolin and arranged for the guitar which can be extremely enjoyable and satisfying to play. Flamenco music is a folk music of Spain, and is usually comparatively technically advanced simply due to flamenco being a "flashy" kind of music. If you are interested in exploring either of these kinds of music I suggest you go to YouTube and check out the classical or flamenco guitar videos. John Williams (the British guitarist, not the Starwars guy) and Julian Bream are two obvious starting points for classical guitar. Paco De Lucia, Paco Pena and Sabicas will open your heart to flamenco.

We can't finish without mentioning the nylon string guitar-driven folk music boom of the 1960's which has given us a lot of great music which can be easily picked up by beginner guitarists. The music of Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Joan Baez or The Kingston Trio still holds some interest for modern guitarists.

So that is an overview of the world of the nylon string guitar. I hope you have found something to spark your interest.

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The Mythical Sounds of the PAN FLUTE

The pan flute is an instrument that consists of ten or more pipes, which differ in length, that are closed tube. The tubes are placed in a row, from the longest tube to the shortest. Each length will then produce a different note, depending on its length. It is most often viewed as an old folk instrument and it is what preceded the harmonica and the pipe organ. It is believed that the different lengths of the tubes in the pan flute were the inspiration for the pipe organ. While original pan flutes were generally made from reed or bamboo, most pan flutes today are made out of metal, plastic and wood.

Pan Flute - Photo  by      Horia Varlan 

As the ends of the pan flute are stopped, the flute is not played by the musician blowing air directly into the tubes. Instead, the pan flute is played by the musician blowing air across the opening, much the same way as other flutes are played. While the instrument appears fairly simple in its design and limited in the sounds it can play, the musician playing the pan flute can actually play a wide range of musical notes that can make some pleasant music.

In fact, an experienced player can play both sharp and flat notes by tilting the flute a certain way and by how they blow the air across the mouth of each tube. Even more experienced musicians can have such a good handle on the pan flute that they can play a scale in any key and creating vibratos is little trouble for them as well.

While the pan flute has been around for a very long time, and it didn't appear to be overly popular in modern times, the pan flute really began to come back in the late 1900s, especially after a Gheorghe Zamfir, a Romanian musician, recorded many albums, toured and became well-known for his pan flute music.

Today, many people have chosen to play the pan flute and have continued to play for their love and enjoyment of the music and the instrument. In fact, there are other very well-known musicians who have used the pan flute in some of their music, including Aerosmith and The Beatles. It has also become quite popular in New Age music, perhaps for its light and soothing tone.

It might not be the first instrument that many will immediately choose when deciding on an instrument to play, though many who have heard the pan flute, and enjoy the genre it is typically played in, will choose the instrument. It can be a rewarding instrument to play and one that does not create a lot of noise when trying to practice at home. It is a quieter instrument, though its sound can attract attention because of its clear and soothing tone. It is a pleasant instrument to play, even if not for a career in music. There are many people out there who have chosen to learn the pan flute as a hobby because they enjoy the sound and they like to play on their free time for fun.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. Article Directory: EzineArticles

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Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - BACH's Most Loved Work

Even non-musicians around the world are undoubtedly familiar with one of Johann Sebastian Bach's more famous compositions, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Usually, this song is played in a slow, almost reverent style during weddings or in religious and liturgical services. However, many music lovers aren't aware that this recognizable tune was actually intended to be played in a much more upbeat manner.

The song was originally composed for accompaniment of voices, as well as traditional orchestral instruments, particularly woodwinds, strings, and brass. Today though, it is more often performed on piano and organ. It's difficult to say whether or not Bach might be rolling over in his grave every time the slower version of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring graces someone's nuptial ceremony. Nevertheless this piece has won the affections of both aficionados and non-musicians alike. In fact, of all of Bach's compositions, this one is his most recognized.

The German-born composer originally wrote his composition in the early 1700's. It was performed publically for the first time on July2, 1723 as part of Bach's cantata: "Herz und Mund Tat und Leben" ("Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life"). What is perhaps less known about this fondly-loved composition is that the underlying choral melody was actually composed by violinist Johan Schop.

Schop was something of a pioneer in the music world during the early 1700's. Considered to be a virtuoso, his technical ability was largely unsurpassed by his contemporaries, and certainly unequalled by his predecessors. Despite his immense talent, Schop has since faded into the background. Today, Bach himself is attributed most of the credit for Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

The piano arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring that is most familiar to listeners in the 21st century was actually transcribed by British pianist Myra Hess, well over 100 years after its composition. It is this adaptation that has stood the test of time as far as popular recognition goes, and is how the song is most often publicly performed today. When it does happen to be accompanied by English-speaking voices, it is sung to the words that were translated from the original German to English by the prominent 18th century English poet Robert Bridges. The English version, though, diverts somewhat from the original German. Bridges obviously did what poets do best, creating a poem that still echoes the sentiments of the original work, but contains flowing rhyme which is easy to sing in its translated English.

Since its first public performance nearly three centuries ago, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring has been adapted and performed by hundreds of other musicians and artists. Even modern artists, such as Josh Groban, continue to make this song one of classical music's most renowned and adored tunes.

Even though Bach did not consider this piece his favorite or best work, it is probably the most widely recognized of all of his compositions. Because of its mainstream popularity, this song will undoubtedly continue to surface at weddings and other public performances for hundreds more years.

Duane Shinn is the author of the popular online newsletter on piano chords, available free at "Exciting Piano Chords & Chord Progressions!"  Article Directory: EzineArticles

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DADDY YANKEE

Daddy Yankee is one of the best reggaeton artist today. He has won a grammy and has sold over one million albums and has traveled around the world. He was born in Puerto Rico and raised there. He once got shot for being with a gruops of people that were bad but he recoverd and left that life to follow his dream of being a great reggaeton artist and he made it.

Daddy Yankee - Photo  by     conexionmusic

Daddy Yankee is now very successful and he says he has much more to accomplish in his life and is working in lots of projects. He did a album with other new artist called Sangre Nueva and it is selling very well.

Now he is going to to make a album that is called Barrio Fino En Directo which has the older songs from Barrio Fino and five new ones which one of them is Rompe and it is already very popular and coming in December.

Another album he is working hard is Cartel Which he is making with other great artist and he says he is very proud of this album that is going to come out very soon.

Daddy Yankee is one very successful artist and has many more dreams to accomplish. More  information at Daddy-Yankee

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Composer Illustrated: RICHARD CHARLES RODGERS

Richard Rodgers
By Al Aumuller, World Telegram staff photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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CONTRABASS TROMBONE - Music-Instruments of the World

Trombone

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Do You Want to Learn the TROMBONE?

The trombone is a member of the brass family and the horn and come in different sizes. The most common ones are the medium sized or tenor trombone and larger sized or bass trombone which are both pitched in Bb. They produce heavy sounds which are lower than the trumpet and are used when the orchestra is playing loud sections or in harmony with the higher horn and trumpet parts.

Trombones have a cylindrical shaped tube and a cup shaped mouthpiece and are related to the trumpets. But instead of valves which a trumpet has, a trombone has a moveable slide which moves in and out. A player will stop the slide at any of the seven positions to get the range of notes available to produce. At any of the positions a series of notes can be produced by tightening or slackening his lips. The notes produced are a series of natural notes called harmonics. When the slide is pulled out completely, the range of notes which can be produced will extend downwards for six semitones.

Trombone - Photo: Wikimedia CC

Like other brass instruments, the sound of the trombone is produced by blowing air through pursed lips producing a vibration that creates a standing wave in the instrument. When the player moves the slide out it extends the length of the air column and lowers the pitch.

Trombones are played in a variety of situations like orchestras, military bands, jazz bands, dance bands eg the big band.. <br>Orchestras generally have two tenors and one bass trombone. The other groups having varying numbers of trombone players.

Let's take a look at two well known trombone players. <br>1. Slide Hampton (Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton ) was a famous American trombonist, composer and arranger who played all around Europe after he was in his dad's band, named Hampton's Band. He toured with them a lot and is probably the best role model for starting trombonists. Slide Hampton was born in 1932.

2.Tommy Dorsey ( Thomas Francis Dorsey ) was a great American jazz trombone player as well as a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He had a smooth-toned trombone playing style and was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing". He is famous for The Spell of the Blues and The Boogie Woogie. Tommy Dorsey was born <br>November 19, 1905 and died November 26, 1956.

You now know that the trombone is a brass instrument of varying sizes and can be played in a variety of situations. You have been given examples of two well know trombonists which could look up on YouTube and see if the sound tantalises your taste buds. Then you need to make the final decision; Do you want to learn the trombone?

For pictures of the trombone and other brass instruments Look Here To look at a trombone or trombone music you might like This  Article Directory: EzineArticles

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BALLROOM DANCING - The Jive and Samba

The fastest of all the Latin dances would be the Jive.  According to some sources the roots of this dance are in New York's Harlem area, others put the origin of the dance with the Negroes of the southeast United States where it resembled the dances of the Seminole Indians.  Depending on which source you are looking at either the Negroes copied it from the Indians or the Indians copied it from the Negroes.

Jive performed by Charles-Guillaume Schmitt and Elena Salikhova, France
Photo: Wikimedia

The Jive is a face paced, rhythmical dance that was influenced by a number of other dance styles including Boogie, Rock, African American Swing and the Lindyhop.  In the late 1800's the Negroes in the south held Jive competitions where the prize was a cake which is how the dance became known for a while as the Cake Walk.

Unlike the other ballroom dances the Jive doesn't require moving around the dance floor, however, even though it looks like the dancers feet are flying every which way the feet should be directly under the body with the knees always close together.  You'll see the woman being twirled a lot and lots of kicks.  The music that is associated with the Jive is commonly called Ragtime, possibly because the participants dressed up in their finest clothes ("rags") or maybe because of the syncopation of the music giving it a ragged feel.   

Ballroom Dancing - The Samba

When the Samba music plays its party time!  The Samba originated with Brazil's Rio Carnival and is comprised of several different South American dances.  While walking and side steps are the main moves with heavy hitting rhythm and lots of hip action the Samba is the perfect party dance. 

By Ailura  - SAMBA - Photo:  Wikimedia Commons

Slaves imported into Portugal in the 16th century brought along their dances (a few of which are the Catarete, Embolada and the Batuque).  Europeans thought these dances were quite sinful as the dancers were close enough to have their navels touching.  The Batuque was an incredibly popular dance - so much so that at one time it was outlawed.  The Batuque was done in a circle with dance steps resembling those of a Charleston with a solo dancer in the center of the circle.   Down the line carnival steps were added and members of Rio's high society decided that once the dance had been modified to use the closed ballroom position it was then a proper dance. 

Eventually aspects from all these dances and probably others combined emerging as the Samba we know today.  

Some things the judges watch for in a good Samba are steps like the Volta (crossing in front of the body), the Samba Roll (moving the upper body in a circular motion while going through a six step turn), Botafogo (traveling walk that includes a direction change) and dancers who have a good balance of moving and stationary moves.  They will also look for outstretched arms and the distinctive climax of the Samba where the dancers throw their heads back and their arms are splayed out to the side. 

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MUSIC Inside Us

Everyone of us has music inside. And it is not an abstract statement, but scientifically proved fact. Molecules of DNA "sound" inside us and it is very important if music from outside is in keeping with music inside us.

Scientists pay great attention to researches concerning music’s influence on human beings. Attention to such researches has increased recently and their results are interesting and convincing. For example, after listening classical music cows have increased their yield of milk and mimosa and petunias have grown faster and burst into bloom 2 weeks earlier. 120 breast-feed mothers took part in experiment in Japan. Some women listened classical music, other women listened pop and rock music. In first group the amount of milk increased in 20 per cent, and in second group - reduced twice.

Such researches are the attempt to synthesise science and art (music). But in ancient India science and art were considered to be the parts of single creative power. All knowledge of ancient India one can find in the Vedas (Holy Indian Scripture) and one of four main Vedas Sama-Veda is entirely dedicated to music. According to the Vedas the creating of the world started from the primordial sound "OM", which appeared while division of the Almighty (Sadashiva) and his creative energy (Adi Shakti). "OM" was the foundation of the universe and the first musical sound.

Human subtle system consists of 7 main chakras (energetic centres) and 3 channels, which rule mental, emotional and physical life activity of person. 7 chakras of our subtle body revolve with certain frequency and form an octave, which consists of 7 tones of proper altitude. Intervals between them should reflect intervals between chakras. These tones were called musical sounds - notes (’svars’ in Indian music). They sound - sa, re, ga, ma, pa, da, ni and they are in keeping with chakras - from first till seventh. 5 notes can change (fall and rise), creating 5 additional sounds (left and right aspects of chakras). Thus, these notes are built-in subtle body and represent the ideal "repository" of information, the repository of those feelings, emotions, wishes and thoughts, which composer or performer has.

While listening music a person receives some influence on subtle level, which later appears on physical body. Same notes can bring destruction or good, it depends on the inner condition of person. For example, anger, aggression, drug intoxication and so on, which have power over the mind of composer or musician, will find the reflection in his music. There are some styles and forms in music which reflect only such bad qualities. Such music may do harm not only the musician, but also a person who listen to it. Clear, inspired people, who have lucid mind will never create such music. They created only folk music with great variety and classical music which has its roots in folk music.

Let’s listen to music, which is in keeping with music inside us.

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MUSIC EDUCATION And The Smarter You

Music education makes you smart. Smart people educate themselves with music. Both are true to an extent. What is it about music that increases you brains efficiency? From a teacher’s standpoint, the answers are quite obvious. Because music education is such a broad topic, let’s condense it to the studying of an instrument... more specifically the piano.

Teachers have noticed through the years that students seem to get sharper mentally with every lesson. Even the ones that don’t practice a lot seem sharper at the end of a lesson as compared to the beginning… although many teachers can think of a couple of past students who seemed to get more sluggish with every lesson. Thankfully, those types of pupils were the exception rather than the rule. So what aspects of mental capacity are improved by piano playing?

Hand eye coordination vastly improves with instrumental training on the piano. You can better judge distances between notes while playing of notes simultaneously, and there are a whole list of coordination demands that come from the gradual improving of fine motor skills.

Reading skills expand. If you think of music as a language, you are constantly improving your musical vocabulary with more compositions and technical exercises.

Memory, both visual and touch, is given a workout. In this regard, the phrase “use it or lose it” comes to mind. Musicians who constantly memorize new pieces just seem to be sharp in the memory capacity, provided they have a fairly healthy lifestyle.

EQ is forced to develop when performing the works of other composers. You really must feel and understand what a composer felt when composing a work; you will have trouble performing the work effectively for others if you don’t.

Apart from studying the piano, the study of theory and history go hand in hand with the study of any instrument. Knowing about the history of a composer helps you to interpret a piece and improves your music knowledge base. Interpretive improvement is also achieved through the comprehension of a piano piece’s structure. This understanding is obtained through theory knowledge. Music theory is often compared with math and it can be improved gradually, provided the student has a sound foundation.

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6 Steps in Arranging Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the ORGAN in 4 Parts

Have you tried to make an organ arrangement of a popular aria or a choral work? If not, it is worth giving it a try because not only you will have a lot of fun in the process, will be able to create a new organ piece that you will love to play but also you will learn a lot about the composition itself. In this article, I will describe how to make a 4 part arrangement of the famous Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the organ in 6 easy steps.

1. Take a music staff paper and write the treble clef for the right hand, the bass clef for the left hand, and the bass clef for the pedals. Connect the 3 staves into a system.

2. Add a key signature (F sharp) and a meter signature (3/4).

3. Write the Violin I part in the right hand with the stems up in triplets.

4. Write the Violin II part in the right hand with the stems down. Be aware, that according to the usual practice in Bach's time, in the original score this part is notated using dotted eight notes and sixteenths which should be played together with the last note of each group of three notes in the top voice. When you transcribe it in the right hand part, you can use groups of quarter and eighth notes in triplets.

5. Write the Soprano part in the left hand one octave lower. This way the chorale tune will sound in a tenor range. The chorale tune will sound well on a solo registration, such as a soft reed.

6. Write the Cello part in the pedals which will be played using soft 16' and 8' stops.

The Violin II part will fit nicely to the right hand part. Although there are some voice crossings between the two violins, in general, the right hand can play these two voices very easily. You can play this part using flutes 8' and 4'.

Because in this arrangement you have to play 2 voices in the right hand, for some people who have little proper organ training experience it might not be as easy as it may seem. If you are at the beginning stages of organ playing, I recommend the 3 part version which will also sound very well. Just omit the step 4.

After the process of arranging this fantastic piece for the organ you will know how the piece is put together on a much deeper level than before which will also help you to advance in the field of music theory.

You can play your arrangement from the written down version on paper or you can use your favorite music notation software to transcribe it. Choose whatever is more comfortable for you but do not forget to treat your arrangement as a genuine organ composition while you play and practice it.

By Vidas Pinkevicius By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Your Search for the Perfect OBOE REED

This might sound crazy coming from someone that owns a reed making business, but the best reeds for you are the ones you'll make yourself. At MKL Reeds and Oboe:Space, we get many questions about finding the ideal reed and what we think the "best" scrape is.

As an oboist, you'll always be striving to make better reeds. But without sounding too zen... the answer is already in you. What you need in a reed is unique and depends upon you, your personality and the way you play. There is no "best" or "right" reed for everyone, no matter who you are.

Even when you make your own reeds, your own definition of the ideal reed should change and evolve with the musical situation you are in.There are a few qualities that MUST be present in a reed, no matter whose it is or where you get it, or even what "kind" of scrape it is.

A good, functioning reed of any kind RESPONDS and is STABLE.

When those 2 core qualities are present, the other benefits that come along for the ride are plentiful. In my opinion, having response and stability (most often) takes care of pitch and even results in helping produce a respectable tone because the reed is both easy to play and is holding together properly.

Oboe Reeds

Before I think or do any kind of detailed scraping, however, my reeds must have these core qualities. It must respond when I want it to and it must hold together no matter where in my mouth I put it or how I choose to blow. Getting to this stage of the game in reedmaking takes skill and practice, but is pretty much the same from reed to reed (assuming I continue to use consistent materials, like shape and gouge, and also that your gouge is good and centered).

I don't know if other reedmakers actually think of reedmaking this way, but I would venture to guess that even without thinking about it, these are the core qualities "everyone" goes for initially. Thinking about RESPONSE and STABILITY first keeps me focused. I strongle recommend not going for any more "detail" until you have these 2 qualities in your reed. This will make sure that you have a strong foundation for a good, consistent, dependable reed. These are the reeds that we strive to sell to our customers at MKL

Reeds.

Now that we've covered the basics, things can get more personal...

The "best" reed for you enters next, when you start applying your own personal tastes, preferences and habits. Unless you find someone who plays JUST like you do and has exactly the same oral physiology and uses their air the exact same way you do (you will never find that person), then the "best" reed for you is the one that you make for yourself.

It's that simple.

Commercial reeds satisfy the basic needs of oboe players, but in most cases can't don't and shouldn't go beyond that. I won't argue that you may find some really great reeds for yourself out there, but I'd still say that even the great reeds you find could be surpassed with your own reedmaking efforts.

So beyond response and stability, what goes into making not just a good, but a really great reed? We'll save the importance of a good gouge for another time, because that is a big topic. But besides having a great gouge, (which in itself is a quest and an art) you need the shape that works for you.

There are tons of things to consider when choosing a shape, and you'll only find what's right for you through experimentation. The right shape for you will "fit" with your gouge and offer you things in a reed that you might never have thought about. You might discover that what feels really good to YOU is to have a reed that is slightly wider, allowing you to feel slightly "under" at first. Then you find either you like that feeling because your air gets you up to pitch perfectly, or you might make a note of this and use this shape for making the "best" reed for playing with that church organ pitched at 438.

You might find a gouge/shape combo that makes amazingly focused, smallish reeds that are "best" for chamber music. There might be yet another combo that makes the most perfect low-register reeds for that second-oboe audition.The possibilities are endless, and this is only one aspect of the freedom you have when making the best reed for you. Finding a gouge/shape combo is very individual and specific to you and your tastes.

Other qualities that change from person to person are how large the opening of the reed is and how much is scraped out of different areas of the reed. Of course, this all comes back to the different physical attributes of each person. Think of all the obvious differences you see from one oboist to another, like height, stature, age, etc.

These differences are important when choosing the best reed for you. Not to mention the many difference you can't see, like the palate, tongue or position of teeth. These are differences that make every oboist sound and play differently.Another important thing that determines the "best" oboe reeds for you is your instrument. You might think, "an oboe is an oboe," but it is really a bit more

complicated than that.When people ask what the best reed is for them, you can't possibly know the age/ quality/type of instrument they are playing on.

I do pretty much stand by my belief that "a good reed is always a good reed," but there are certain qualities of an oboe that necessitate certain qualities in a reed. You'll find it rather hard to find any reed that "responds" on an oboe that is really out of adjustment. Again, who better to make a reed for your oboe than YOU? No one else deals with the trials and tribulations of your oboe everyday, so how could anyone else make the best reeds for it?

Although it is hopefully pretty easy to find and/or make yourself a decent reed, there is so much more opportunity available to you when you start to make your own reeds and experiment with what you need, and what your instrument may require as well. Reedmaking is truly an art, and like any art, it is up to the artist to mold and shape it.

By Maryn Leister Oboist and entrepreneur Maryn Leister helps beginner, intermediate and professional oboists become happier oboe players. She is owner of the oboe learning company MKL Reeds and publisher of the Reed Report and Oboe Success Tips Newsletters. Each newsletter is full of straightforward tips on becoming a better oboe player and on taking control of your oboe reeds. Get your free subscription to the Reed Report newsletter and start your own journey towards a more rewarding oboe future right away. Sign-Up now and get your FREE Oboe Reed Tips! Article Source: EzineArticles

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How to Practise OBOE SCALES

To practise oboe scales regularly is an important part of learning the oboe. They are an important part of learning any other instrument too. Scales teach us correct fingerings for each key signature, they help us to develop finger sequences and train us to use the appropriate alternative fingering where there is a choice. As we learn and extend our range they are the perfect way to incorporate the high and low notes into our practice so that we can cope with them when we meet them in pieces. As we become more advanced, scales can also form the basis of work on all aspects of technique.

Albrecht Mayer playing the oboe.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are four crucial issues which need to be addressed when practising scales. I will deal with each of those issues in turn.

1) Know the key-signature of the scale you are practising. This may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many students I have taught over the years just tried to 'bumble' their way through without thinking first. As a fellow oboe teacher I worked with many years ago used to tell his pupils, "How do you expect to be able to play in any key where are the notes are jumbled up if you can't play them in simple step order?" This may be a bit simplistic, but it is a good point. So, to reiterate, you cannot possibly practise oboe scales effectively if you are at all unclear about the key-signature.

2) If you are playing scales which use the octave keys, make sure that you are using the right key at the right time. Oboes made for young students usually have separate Octave Keys. The back key is used for the notes E to G# in the second register; the side key is used for top A to top C. If you use the wrong one, or both at once, the notes will be out of tune. However, on an oboe with Semi-automatic Octave Keys, you can keep the back key on whilst adding the side octave key. The very high notes in the third octave are a different issue which I won't deal with here.

3) The use of correct fingerings is also very important in the practice of oboe scales. The oboe does not have many alternative fingerings, especially when compared with the clarinet or bassoon, but the ones we do have must be used when required. Trying to cheat and avoid using them will ultimately backfire on you. As you develop your playing you will find, more-and-more, that you encounter problems which cannot be overcome by cheating. The two principal alternatives we meet on the oboe are the 'Forked-F' and the 'Long D#/Eb' key. Persevere with these alternatives from the start and you will make life much easier for yourself in the future.

4) A number of oboe scales require the player to begin on the lowest notes of the instrument which is often a problem for many. To explore this particular issue in depth would take several pages, but, to state the basic issue, it is all a question of the balance between the air pressure (Diaphragm) and the lip pressure (Embouchure). To sum it up in simple terms, it is all a question of 'more push and less bite!' You need the air pressure to activate the reeAlbrecht Mayer playing the oboe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)320d, whereas too tight an embouchure will actually stop the reed from vibrating; - result a hiss and no note!

Most aspects of technique can be tackled when you practise oboe scales. During scale practice it is possible to focus on issues such as posture, tone, intonation, etc. etc.

Practising scales can be quite a boring business at times, so the technique most oboists use is the 'little and often' approach. We are told that the human brain much prefers information in 'bite-sized pieces'. Information delivered in this way tends to produce a better response and sticks in the memory better. Rather than trying to practise oboe scales for half an hour at a time, spread 5 or 6 minute 'bursts' of scale work through your practice sessions. I have always found this works very well, both for me and for my students.

So, in conclusion, to practise oboe scales is an essential part of your learning of the instrument. If you avoid them you will stunt your development as an oboist. Perseverance is a critical quality here as the work is never as interesting as playing tunes. Apply the advice above and, hopefully, you will develop a good playing technique which will carry you through all the tricky passages you will meet in your oboe playing life.

By Robert Hinchliffe Robert Hinchliffe is a professional oboist, composer, teacher, conductor and music director. This article is based upon over 35 years of both playing and teaching the oboe. If you have found this article helpful and would like to know more, please visit http://www.oboeplaying.co.uk. Article Source: EzineArticles

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