The Approaching Night Sheet Music
Clide Birkner
Cologne was magical. The scene! Seeing one, two concerts each night. Studying during the day, playing sessions and listening to music with friends. And lessons with two of my biggest heroes: John Taylor and Hubert Nuss. The best teachers I could imagine. New worlds every lesson.
Alongside my trio I play in a number of other bands. As sideman one can hear me on over 30 albums. In addition, memorable musical encounters took place with Billy Hart, Nasheet Waits, Mark Feldman, Anders Jormin, Tom Harrell, Mike Gibbs or Chris Speed. All of these are important influences and learning opportunities which in turn enrich my own projects.
A similarly rewarding change is teaching: 2011 to 2020 at the IFM Osnabrck, since early 2020 as assistant professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, plus workshops all over the world. My ideal throughout: joint investigation at eye level. Just as I could experience it with my own teachers.
Extend humane treatment of animals beyond companion pets to the wildlife in your backyard. While animals like deer, bats, skunks, squirrels and raccoons can be a nuisance, the best way to keep your pets safe and address conflicts with wildlife is to prevent conflicts from happening in the first place. By identifying potential problems and taking a few humane prophylactic measures, you can peacefully coexist with deer, bats, skunks, squirrels, raccoons and rabbits.
For your garden, choose flowers and shrubs that are unpalatable to deer, such as forsythia, lilac bush, marigolds, zinnias, daffodils, lavender and snapdragons. State Natural Resource Agencies may have specific recommendations for your area.
Install fencing around garden areas. During the growing season when natural vegetation is plentiful, fencing is typically effective. However, when natural food is scarce, fencing may not deter deer as they can jump over most garden fencing.
Consider simply coexisting with these gentle creatures. Skunks are naturally docile and non-aggressive. If you see one in your yard, it is best to just leave it alone and let it leave on its own time.
If a skunk is living under your deck or shed, spray the area with a mixture of castor oil and dish-washing detergent diluted in water. Spray the area at night when the skunk is away foraging. When it returns to the den, it will find this odor offensive and will likely seek a new den. Once you are sure the skunk is gone, thoroughly seal the area with appropriate wire fencing.
Do not trap and relocate skunks. While humane traps will not harm these animals, relocation is a poor choice. Studies have shown that many species of wildlife do not survive when placed in a new territory because of aggression from other animals, unfamiliarity with hazards such as roadways, or the inability to find food and water. Remember that this animal was born and raised within about a one-mile radius. Moving it even a few miles away can have devastating effects. Also, if the animal is female there is a high likelihood you will remove her from babies that depend on her for survival.
If you do have a squirrel nesting in your chimney or attic, try frightening it away by playing loud music. After you are certain the squirrel has fled and there are no babies left behind, seal the area. If there are babies in the nest, wait until they are weaned at roughly 10 weeks of age before attempting to evict them.
Do not coat birdfeeder poles with sticky repellants or hot sauce or use birdseed that contains capsaicin (hot pepper). These methods may repel squirrels, but they can be detrimental to their health. Birds are not affected by hot sauce and hot pepper, but sticky substances can affect their ability to fly.
If you have a raccoon in your attic, try driving it away with gentle harassment. If it must endure bright lights or loud music, it may decide to relocate. Once you are certain that the raccoon and any babies are gone, seal the area.
Do not trap and relocate raccoons. While humane traps will not harm these animals, relocation is a poor choice. Studies have shown that many types of wildlife do not survive in a new territory. Also, if the animal is a female there is a high likelihood you will remove her from babies that depend on her for survival.
Erect an appropriate wire fence around the area you want to protect. Make sure the fence is at least two feet high and supported by posts at six-foot intervals. The bottom of the fence needs to be staked securely to the ground to prevent rabbits from slipping under it.
Treat them like deer. Rabbits find the same type of plants unpalatable as deer do. Choose plants such as forsythia, lilac bush, marigolds, zinnias, daffodils, lavender and snapdragons. Rabbits also may be deterred using commercially available deer repellents.
When mistakenly taken from their natural environment, young animals will miss the chance to learn crucial survival and behavioral skills from their parents, including where and what to eat, and how to escape from predators.
If an animal is clearly injured and needs special care, call your state or local wildlife agency, or a licensed rehabilitator. Either will likely have the expertise necessary to help the animal with as little human contact as possible, which will give it the best opportunity to recover and then return to life in the wild.
One of the primary ways that combo jazz and popular music differ from classical and orchestral music is that in most jazz and pop, the majority of the performers, including the bass, guitar, piano, drums, and melody instruments are improvising their parts. This is a very different way of approaching complex music as it requires the performers to interpret the harmonic information according to the style and aesthetic in which they are playing.
A lead sheet contains the notes and rhythms of the melody as well as the chord symbols which dictate the underlying harmonic structure of the tune. The chord changes are assumed to occur on either the first beat of their assigned bars, or beats 1 and 3 of their assigned bars when there are two chords per bar (as seen in the final bars of the above lead sheet).
While Jazz Night School recommends learning music by ear as the primary pedagogical method, lead sheets can be an important part of learning jazz and playing with others. Through mastering the language of chord symbols, and gaining experience reading a large number of lead sheets, you develop the ability to read through a tune and improvise a part very quickly.
You will need to provide the following necessities, although you do not need every item on the day you move in. Almost everything on this list can be purchased locally or online. There are a few convenience stores on campus, and many local stores nearby.
For your first night, you will need: government-issued ID, a blanket, a twin XL bed sheet, a towel, essential toiletries, a jacket, a change of clothes, shoes, and a face mask to wear while you move in.
These items are not recommended, primarily for sustainability reasons. Please note that Stanford does not provide on-campus storage for students, so you will need to move out completely at the end of the school year. Click here for storage options and pricing.
Legendary filmscores of Italian cinema, composers and directors. An orchestra gala-concert with soundtracks by Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota Luis Bacalov and Nicola Piovani. Highlights of the program are scores such as Godfather, Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, Amarcord, Once Upon A Time In The West, La Dolce Vita, Malena, La vita bella, The Good, Bad and Ugly and others.
There are only a few musicians working in Hollywood today who deserve as much respect and fame that Hans Zimmer has earned. Composer if iconic soundtrack such as Interstellar, Gladiator, Dune, Crimson Tides, Top Gun, Backdraft, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception and The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Symphony meets swords, sci- and superheroes in this exhilarating ride through some of the most epic music of all times. Beam yourself up and explore new worlds with our STAR TREK Suite, the music from INTERSTELLAR and INCEPTION, soundtracks of both BLADERUNNER movies, our extended STAR WARS Suite, highlights from E.T., ALIEN, BACK TO THE FUTURE, INDEPENDENCE DAY and more.
A concert-experience with some of the most beloved heroes in movie-history. Selected music from Superheroes film such as SUPERMAN, SPIDERMAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, WONDER WOMAN, THOR and others. Listen to the bombastic soundtrack from THE TRANSFORMERS, the thrilling theme from MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and the suite from INDEPENDENCE DAY by David Arnold. The music from BATMAN from the earlier movies and from composer Danny Elfman to the most recent blockbusters THE DARK KNIGHT and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, created by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer.
It seems like the only real value I get out of playing the violin is a vague sense of progress, and doing something I love because I love it. It's just so hard to prioritize it now that I have a pretty demanding job and further career aspirations, a social life, and relationships...etc. I get 1-2 hours to practice max most days. The only thing that keeps me going is my love for the instrument. However, it's just so hard to be practicing scales, and checking my intonation constantly with open strings at 10 pm on a Saturday night when other people are having fun or doing something that is immediately rewarding to escape from real life. People think that I am weird that I can stick with something like this. My mom thinks that I am insane. My neighbors most likely despise me. Yet, in spite of this, I still have a long way to go before I can get to the level that I want to be at, and be the player that I want to be. Sure, it's very rewarding to have the ability play the pieces I love with the technical and musical precision in a way that I want to play. However at the same time, it's extremely slow process, and the progress seems so insignificant. Sometimes, I think about the immerse opportunity cost of playing the violin, and it just gets very depressing. I feel like I'm putting a lot(not even that much honestly compared to serious violinists) of resources into something that has no real value to most people in this world. What do you think guys, how do you stay motivated? Tweet !function(d,s,id)var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1445120298060-0'); ); Replies (16)
Will WilkinEdited: May 28, 2017, 5:17 PM I get the sense sometimes practicing doesn't feel good for you. Compared to my approach, you are following a very pedagogical and disciplined path: practicing 1-2 hours daily (I average less, and never force it if I don't feel good doing it), practicing scales (I've virtually never done that), and "checking my intonation constantly with open strings at 10 pm on a Saturday night when other people are having fun or doing something that is immediately rewarding to escape from real life" (I suppose I do "check intonation against open strings" --or at least against 1st position fingerings I have down pat-- but never as an exercise, rather only in the course of teaching myself a phrase in a higher position where I have to check I'm really hitting it right).Perhaps you should quit practicing and start PLAYING! Get sheet music of pieces or styles you love and just start sight-reading them and teaching them to yourself. PLAY music, don't worry about "technical and musical precision" for its own sake but only as a means to playing music you love! Whenever I play (often it is 10pm --or 2am-- on Saturday night), for me it is exactly what you wish you were doing: "immediately rewarding to escape from real life!"Perhaps my approach is too undisciplined, and certainly your more conventional approach ( a teacher and lessons and practicing discrete skills, scales, etc) would be favored by the professionals and fine amateurs who are a million times better players than I am. But if you're not happy, you need a new approach. Try quitting practicing and replace it with PLAYING!
Timothy JayneMay 27, 2017, 11:36 AM Things to help keep you motivated, perhaps?1. think of all the hard work you put in so far that you will be giving up. You have a special talent many people would love to have that is a special gift2. think of people who are starting later in life or who regret that they stopped when they were younger, this may be you one day3. try mixing in different types of music like folk, modern, or may be some Improvisation. There are lots of possibilities out there4. join a group perhaps a quartet, orchestra, or may be even something modern. That will also involve some socialization and maybe be at a happening place. I'm sure some bands would love to mix in an electric fiddle to spice them up.
Take it from a restarter....QUITTING SUCKS!!!
Lydia LeongMay 27, 2017, 11:41 AM What do you intend to do differently when you "get to the level that [you] want to be at, and be the player that [you] want to be"?Figure out how you can do some or all of those things now, even if not at the level you necessarily want to do them at.Do you want to play solo? Find a friendly pianist and go play at some retirement homes. Choose less difficult works; you can just sight-read old Broadway tunes and whatnot. They'll appreciate the music.Do you want to play in an orchestra? Join a community orchestra. If you don't want to spend much time practicing orchestra music, choose an orchestra that does less difficult works, and choose to play 2nd violin.Do you want to play chamber music? Get together with some people locally (join the ACMP to make it easier to get in touch with people, and look for local Meetup groups and such), or attend a weekend camp. Sight-read less difficult works (and play 2nd violin) if you don't want to spend much time working on this music.
George WellsMay 27, 2017, 2:01 PM Shawn,While you never stated your personal goals the other responses are the same - play your instrument in a way that gives you pleasure. If you haven't chosen at least and interim goal, pick one of Lydia's suggestions. Don't abandon the technical stuff but achieve a balance. Music is about having fun. All of those top professionals worked hard, not because it was something that was difficult but because it was fun. Life is too short, have fun and enjoy playing while also keeping your skill-set the best you can do.
Shawn WenrenEdited: May 27, 2017, 5:39 PM You are right, I honestly don't have any specific, immediate goals in mind to keep me motivated. I think I will definitely look into Lydia's suggestions. Something I really don't like doing however, is having to play orchestra excepts, and to practice them to get ready for an audition so maybe this rules out community orchestras. I did enjoy chamber music, but I don't know anyone to play it with right now. What I love to play the most are usually solo, unaccompanied pieces.My ultimate goal is just to become a better than mediocre level violinist, and possibly perform every once a while for friends and family, maybe at a nursing home or community event. The funny thing is that I used to enjoy playing a lot more when I was younger. Even somewhat recently, I actually monkeyed around without a teacher for several years, and did not practice correctly. Needless to say, I made marginal to virtually no progress in my technique. In the past 6 months or so, I changed my approach, and I've made noticeable progress, but still not much. I feel like I've made an effort, but still don't have much to show for it. Also, given my goals, I should possibly be practicing more, but I also have many other goals and responsibilities right now.
Erik WilliamsMay 27, 2017, 6:03 PM You ever play in group classes, OP? Or duets?
A. O.May 27, 2017, 6:21 PM Play a tricky but very musical etude like Dont 5 or Rode 3 to perfect polish. :)Work-out, and the exquisite beauty, hand-in-hand!
Cynthia OMay 27, 2017, 8:39 PM For me, one to two hours every day would be a dream. It seems like you are super diligent. But demanding too much of yourself can make you burned out and prevent you from performing optimally. (Mental as well as physical fatigue can both eat away at motivation and resolve.) You might consider giving yourself a break just one or two Saturdays a month.Also, I wonder whether you get tired enough from everything that you are doing that it's difficult maintain enough focus to practice efficiently. In other words, if you are too tired, two hours of practice may not be better than one hour. It's ok to prioritize other things (such as a career, a full life) over violin. Doing so does not mean entirely dropping violin or that violin is unimportant. If you can make peace with the idea of taking a bit more time to reach your violinistic goals, then maybe you'll be able to accept the pace of progress.For me, I sometimes get very discouraged by my own glacial progress. (For instance, I've been struggling with vibrato for more than a year and a half even though I used to be able to do it in my youth). But I periodically record my playing so that I can go back to it months later, which makes my progress more tangible (and motivating). I also think of violin as a long term education as if it were a high level course of academic study. For example, if you wanted to become a very good mathematician or physicist, you'd need your roughly dozen years of pre-university education plus however many years (not to mention financial investment) you need for university level training. That helps me accept the amount of time it takes to learn and improve on violin. And who cares if anyone thinks it's insane? I do what I enjoy in my free time and don't call my relatives and friends crazy when they spend thousands of dollars and hours and hours sitting on their bottoms just to watch people bounce some balls around a court or whack a puck across some ice.My final words: When I was in high school, I skipped a year ahead in maths, which absorbed a lot of my energy, was working for perfect grades in honors classes so that I would eventually win a scholarship, studied both violin and piano rigorously, and had a two-hour round trip commute to/from school during which I had to avoid bullies, then at home had to take care of housework and dinner for the family I because both parents worked. It was too much for me as a teen to help manage a household, be a perfect student and also train for conservatory on two instruments. Instead of accepting less than perfection (partly because my parents wouldn't accept less), I ended up quitting both instruments. I regretted quitting for years, and that regret also motivates me to keep going now. For me, being a slower learner is much easier to deal with than regret.
Kimberly DemuthMay 28, 2017, 7:45 AM Shawn wrote: " Something I really don't like doing however, is having to play orchestra excepts, and to practice them to get ready for an audition so maybe this rules out community orchestras."I don't know where you live, or what level you play at, but not all orchestras are created equal. Some community orchestras are very serious, but others aren't at all. Some are filled with adult beginners for fun. (The Really Terrible Orchestra comes to mind). You will have to do some research and find a group to play with that fits your needs.There is a youth orchestra in my area that also allows amatuers to play. Its completely stress-free and I get to play with my kids. I also appreciate the variety of music genres that are played.
Rocky MilankovMay 28, 2017, 7:50 AM Too many sticks, too few carrots. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1445120547957-0'); );
Lydia LeongMay 28, 2017, 12:56 PM Based on the Bach excerpts you posted two years ago, you're more than good enough for a community orchestra. Many don't require auditions, or if they do, they don't require excerpts, just two minutes or so of solo stuff. You could undoubtedly just play whatever it is that you're working on now.
Natania YapariJune 12, 2017, 3:44 AM Recently, I feel what you feel right now, Shawn. I also think that being a violinist is too hard for me and the fact that no matter how hard I try, I would never be good enough to enter a good conservatory because I started studying violin late (on age 11). And right now, I think I won't go to music conservatory and take another major instead.
Charles ZacksJune 12, 2017, 4:07 AM Shawn - I believe you have gotten a lot of good advice from many of us that to a greater or lesser extent have felt as you do. Nothing good comes without a staggering amount of hard work. I have a quote from Goethe, written on a card I keep in the lid of my violin case, that may or may not resonate with you:"Der Tag gehrt dem Irrtum und dem Fehler, die Zeitreihe dem erfolg und dem gelingen." - The day is subject to mistake and failure, in the course of time, there is success and achievement. - Goethe, Maxims and Reflections (Hecker 911)It is right next to a very old photo of my uncle as a youth with his violin, taken in Eastern Europe before his family has to flee the Nazis, that is also inspiring to me. Try to identify and understand your inspiration, whatever or wherever it is, cultivate it and run with it.
jean dubuissonEdited: June 12, 2017, 4:55 AM hi Shawn, absolutely, join a friendly amateur ensemble in your area! they are typically always on the lookout for extra violinists (because the more violinists the more of that "orchestra" sound you get). so they will be very happy if you join. they don't require auditions normally, except for the really obnoxious ones which you don't want to join :-) normally you join with the second violins; after one preparation process for a concert, if it is appropriate you will get the chance to move to first violins, or of course just stay with second violins, which is also very satisfying and they will love you for staying with the seconds! it will be a double whammy, as it will improve your social life at the same time as your violin playing, you will meet people like you with passion for the violin, etc., who knows find a girlfriend there, I've seen it all happen in the orchestra where I play :-) in the end, the orchestra music gives you a reason to practice as you play a concert once or twice a year and you want it to sound good. Good luck!
Andrew VictorJune 12, 2017, 7:00 AM I think there have been a lot of good responses to Shawn. Most of us will never reach the level of violin playing to which we have aspired. But we have reached a level sufficient to see the next level. Getting to that next level requires an act of will. When walking the Appalachian Trail, while the goal may be to walk the whole thing, the immediate goal is to just get up the next hill, or perhaps to make it to some shelter for the night. Taking small steps (and appreciating them) when you see them in front of you always worked for me. It got me to be CM of my high school orchestra for 3 years and of our community orchestra for 20 years. It has gotten me over 50 years of fairly consistent chamber music playing even now into my rapidly declining years. It has kept me fairly competent in orchestral playing even as my violin skills atrophied by switching to viola at age 80. So as long as I can still see ahead I can still make progress.Every step has been an act of WILL! That and just taking what seemed to me to be the next step.Heifetz may have been my inspiration since I first saw him in his 1939 movie (They Shall Have Music) the year of my first violin lesson. My inspiration, but not my goal - even then I had the sense to know I could not climb that Everest.
Christian LesniakEdited: June 12, 2017, 8:27 AM Shawn, I have thought a lot about this myself. If you feel you have no social life, then I think you should start adding more social elements into your life and schedule, which doesn't mean you necessarily need to quit violin. I don't know what your work situation is like, but luckily for me, my work doesn't make big demands on my time, so I'm able to get back from work, practice a fair amount, work out, and still see other people on weekdays. Weekends afford me plenty of time for everything, but you have to figure out what your priorities are and how much time you can possibly organize between all the stuff you want to do. Of course, none of this really matters if you don't really know why you are playing, so you have to really get that in order.I actually quit the community orchestra so that I could still have enough time to practice and have a life outside of violin. Now that I'm approaching 30, a lot of my friends are doing their own thing more, which means time with them generally needs to be coordinated better, which cuts down on the fear of missing out.Maybe you can find some people around your age to play with, which in many ways I think is the point of playing music. Don't isolate yourself without good reason! And find opportunities to play! One day you may have a wife and kids, and good luck finding the kind of time you have now. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548883144385-0'); ); This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.