Konnokol - Deep Rhythmic understanding

Simply put, the best way to learn rhythm. Whichever kind of music you play, whichever instrument you practice, this will lead you to the deepest understanding of rhythm. Used for centuries in Carnatic music, Konnokol is the art of vocalising rhythmic syllables while keeping the basic pulse or meter. In the west it is only in recent decades, partly thanks to work by composer Zoltan Kodaly, that it has been realised that children learn rhythms better through spoken syllables, but in Carnatic music this has been the norm for a long time.

In modern times it has drawn countless musicians to India in order to develop a better understanding of rhythm. Once learnt, the benefits are great and are easily incorporated into your instrument as well as practically any form of music.

A good start would be to watch this video by Asaf Sirkis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0T5u7Sthi4

Then give these basic exercises a try. They are very well explained by Bruno Tauzin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwLkEB2r-lI&index=37&list=PLF7DE23FB1FB8E3A5

How I notate Konnakol. I don't know if this is the best way but it works for me.

http://t.co/2GcYWUqOg7


More to follow...

Tunes that got me listening to Jazz #1 Oscar Peterson, Hymn to Freedom

I stumbled upon this recording the other day and it got me thinking about the tunes that got me listening to this great form of music. I remember hearing this tune for the first time like it was yesterday. A GCSE music class in school. Out of nowhere the new music teacher gets out the LP and plays this tune. Coming from a fairly strict school that basically studied all things classical, this was quite a shock. Not only that, at that time my only real introduction to Jazz was hearing the school Dixieland band perform, so this was my introduction to something completely new.

I liked this piece so much I had to have have it. It took me quite some time. Without internet I had to scour the cassettes in the local shop until I found it on a compilation called 'Jazz on a summer's day'. Many other tunes became favorites on that album but this one always stood out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHv1tcv_DoM

Harmonicas - first impressions

Like the Melodica, until recently this was an instrument I knew nothing about. I was totally ignorant. I even had for years 2 very good Hohner harmonicas sitting in my room which I hardly touched.

So, as summer is here and there is a little time on hand I started exploring. In short here are some of the things I found out:

1. It's not that easy to play! It took me a long time to even get a proper single note without spilling sound from the next hole. The first hours I practiced were so dire my girlfriend asked me to stop.

2. Don't buy cheap harmonicas. It's just a waste of time and will add to the time it takes you to learn. I bought a Hohner Silver Star locally and even after a month or so playing, and my limited knowledge I've decided to give it away.

3. Good Harmonicas are not that expensive. I have now a Hohner special 20 and a Hohner Blues Harp both which cost me less than 20 pounds in India.

4. You can bend notes on the 10 hole diatonic harmonica to achieve further notes. Ok, this sounds obvious but I had no clue what this really meant. This adds to the range of the instrument considerably. It is also what gives the harmonica it's bluesy flavour.

5. In the hands of a good player you can play almost anything on the diatonic harmonica. I will post links later but there are some extraordinary players out there young and old.

6. With skill, certain notes can be overblown or bend upwards. This again adds to a further range of notes not originally thought possible.

7. You can fit this instrument in you pocket and play anytime you feel. How good is that!

8. When you play the blues on the harmonica you play what is known as crossharp. If you are playing a harmonica in the key of C you use it to play blues in G. This is also known as second position and basically you are playing the instrument in a different key that it is intended.

9. If you want to start playing right away and your not sure what to buy go for a Hohner special 20. Thousands of top musicians swear by them and they are not expensive. Buy a key of C because alot of books and videos online use this tonality.

I'm going to post more on this topic as I advance. This is just a bit of fun. I will never be a full time harmonica player but I already love this instrument and maybe this post can help ignorant people like me get the most from it.

mattlittlewood.blogspot.in

After a very long time I have corrected the faulty links of my other blog and updated the look a little. I will use this page to keep posts regarding audio, video and pictures of past gigs.

I've added a further track with many more to come.

http://mattlittlewood.blogspot.in/

More foot tapping

Sometime ago I posted on the pros and cons of tapping your foot while playing. Does it help you keep time better? Do you feel rhythm better? Or is it actually a hindrance and distraction from the music you are playing?

After thinking about this carefully over the last weeks while practicing, my take on this matter is that both are valid. I believe that in order to understand some rhythms and to tackle certain rhythmic difficulties it is very necessary to tap your foot. It helps you to feel the rhythm in your body and tapping the pulse gives you the awareness of how the beat is placed in the music and how the phrase you are playing is falling relative to that beat. This is something essential to know, and in the long term builds up a strong sense of rhythm.

Having said that I feel that once you have achieved a good understanding of a certain phrase or rhythm, and how is falls within the music you should stop tapping your foot and simply feel the music through your ears and body - as if you were still tapping your foot. This in my view gives you a  more in depth feeling for that particular rhythm. Your understanding is coming directly to your ear and not first via your foot and in the long term will help you better internalise the rhythm.

Melodicas

Until recently whenever I was to see or hear a melodica I basically thought it was no more than a toy. A plastic piano that you blow? It can't be up to much?

Then around a year ago I started playing in a band where the keyboard player was using one to good effect and my views started to change. Not only did it sound good, but what a useful thing to carry around, especially while travelling. The perfect practice instrument.

A few weeks ago I purchased my own. A very basic but useful Hohner 26 key student model. It comes with a hard case and a couple of mouthpieces.

So far it's turned out to be the perfect addition to my practice gear. I'm too new to the instrument to yet play it in public, but taking it with me wherever I go has turned out to be very useful. Practicing, transcribing, impromptu jamming...you name it. What a find!

I think eventually I would like to set aside some time and learn to play it properly. The student model is not the best in the world and there are better ones available. Below I've put some links to useful sites regarding the melodica and some fun stuff too. There are some great musicians who play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCz2nUjlwCI  A melodica comparison


http://www.melodicaworld.com/ An excellent site for anything and everything about the melodica including a very good forum.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqgp5qU1B0Q A great demo of Suzuki melodicas or melodians.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqgp5qU1B0Q My funny Valentine by Mario Duenas

Temple Rock on Kappa TV

About a year ago I went to record in Kerala with the band Temple Rock. Led by Krishna Kumar on vocals and kanjira, the band plays an exciting and dynamic blend of traditional Carnatic songs, Jazz and Rock. The band also features some of India's best musicians such as Mishko M'Ba on bass, Aman Mahajan on piano, Jay Sithar on guitar and Souri Rajan on percussion. The videos were recorded for Kappa TV a popular music channel in Trivandrum. Below are youtube links to some of the songs.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4VdRzUJqSI Vathapi Ganapathim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSTCQurV_WA Pa Pa Pa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpdst-gGcG4 Nagumomu

Refuge

It's with great pleasure that these last months I have been playing with a band called Refuge. This is a band based in India led by pianist and composer Aman Mahajan. It also features Mishko M'Ba on Bass, Jeoraj George on Drums and myself on Sax. The tunes are all by Aman, and have the perfect twist of Jazz and Indian music incorporated in them. The band has played concerts in Bangalore and Chennai in recent times and is planning an Indian tour later this year.

For the official website and links to news and music check out:


/http://www.refugemusic.in/

Here is one of my favourite tunes "connections" recorded live at Humming Tree Bangalore:

https://soundcloud.com/refuge_music/connections?in=refuge_music/sets/hummingtree

More apps for travelling musicians. I Real B

Most musicians have seen this by now but this is probably the most useful app out there for travelling musicians. Basically with this app you have access to literally tens of thousands of charts which can be transposed on the spot and even played back for practice in different styles and tempos as in programs such as band in a box.

Especially if you play standards or need a tune quickly this is a wonderful tool. A few quick downloads and you have almost every tune your ever going to need. Furthermore with the ability to transpose instantly in a gig or rehearsal it is one of the most useful tools to have.

http://irealpro.com/

Sonny Rollins on Google Hangouts

If you haven't seen these already you really have missed something. Sonny Rollins gives in depth answers to questions from musicians via internet. There are some extremely interesting things here on a variety of topics for any level of playing. Wonderful stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7p6lYTREtU

On the road - useful Android apps for musicians

As I travel quite a bit I like to have things with me to help me practice when on the road. Plus it's a little bit of fun when journeys, especially here, can be extremely long.

Rhythm Sheep

This one looks like a toy but it really has a lot of depth. Listen to the given rhythm and tap it back as accurately as you can. It's not as easy as it looks! The sheep appear on the left if you tap late and on the right if early. A great rhythm and memory tool.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=turskagames.rhythmsheep.free&hl=en

Click Plus

For me this is the best metronome out there. You can pretty much program it to play any time signature and it has the option to add accents, which can also be saved for further practice sessions. Simple and good.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=myapp.metronomy&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsIm15YXBwLm1ldHJvbm9teSJd

Jazz 2 5 1's

Another simple but very useful app. Pre recorded ii v i's in every key both major and minor versions. It also has two speeds. Sadly the loops are the same in every key, but as a practice tool you can't complain.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_colano100dio.Jaz_251z&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImFwcGludmVudG9yLmFpX2NvbGFubzEwMGRpby5KYXpfMjUxeiJd

Chord Bot

Frankly I find this better than band in a box. As soon as I downloaded this I paid for the full version. Tons of styles, chord types, time signatures. It's got it all. The only down side is that it is no longer available for older phones.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chordbot.demo.gui&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5jaG9yZGJvdC5kZW1vLmd1aSJd

Saxindia: Journal Day 1

Saturday June 1st 2013

Probably my first day of holiday in a very long time. Woke up late, ate, and slept again. Reflecting upon a year in music it's been one full of work and travel but little practice. Fourteen hours to be precise (as I do keep note), simply not enough.

The positive things are that I have performed alot, and that the confidence is there. Strangely it only takes a week or so without a concert and I start to feel twitchy and nervous, even if like now I really need the time off.

Studying Carnatic music in the last year has probably provided the greatest benefit. My ear has really opened up, and I am able to learn longer phrases and rhythmic patterns than before since it is all taught aurally. It still needs alot of work, but it is going in  the right direction. It is like a muscle, it needs regular exercise and practice to keep it fit.

In general rhythmic work has been the basis of almost all of my work in these last years, but now I realise I need to keep working with harmony and chords especially if I'm to play well with bands that have standards or similar material as their base. I have noticed in the last gigs that I have become somewhat stuck in this area as no new real input has come other than through transcribing and listening. I am relying on my ear a little too much now and some new concepts need to be looked at.

First on the agenda are minor ii - v's. I noticed during gigs that when they appear in progressions that do not resolve, odd keys or in chord sequences unrelated to the home key i'm fumbling to find things to play. The ear is not quick enough in these situations, and you simply need a more solid harmonic technique. I will start by simply working out some ideas in various keys, revise my scales and come up with some patterns. Hopefully that will open me up to further ideas and I'll take it from there.

Update

Sadly is been a year since I've worked on this blog. Music has taken me many places in the last year but writing hasn't been on my mind.

In order to make this blog a little more personal I've decided to start publishing extracts from a music diary I keep.

I keep this as a useful exercise for myself as I pursue my path as a professional musician. Hopefully it will provide useful insights for others too.

More to follow...

Sam Newsome: To Play or Not to Play the Soprano

Those who know me, know that i have a special feeling for the soprano saxophone. I love playing tenor but it is with this intrument that I found the direction i was looking for in terms of sound, the moment i picked it up. Despite this i have often doubted whether being exclusively, or at least primarily a soprano player to be a good thing. This article by soprano saxophinist is an interesting read and goes some way to answering some of those questions.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33360&pg=1

Jazz Advice

It doesn't get much better than this. http://jazzadvice.com/ is a wonderful site with interesting and in depth articles on practically every aspect of improvisation and jazz. Written by Forest and Eric two musicians that have studied with some of the best, their articles really manage to touch upon why so many of us find improvisation so beautiful and intriguing. This is a must read.

Pete Lockett

This is probably the best site Ive found in a long while. I've been practicing for sometime now how to incorporate Indian rhythmic concepts into my playing, and having another browse on the net I found this stunning site by English percussionist Pete Lockett. There is a full page dedicated to various lessons, but the part that really stands out for me are the PDF's you can download on using Indian rhythmic concepts on the drum kit. This is surely a fantastic resource for any musician looking to expand their horizons. I will be coming back to this for some time.

http://www.petelockett.com/lessons/indianrhythmicsystems.html

You Tube clips

Despite saying i wasn't going to post videos or clips of my music on this blog, I'm going to do so anyway. I'm feeling a little lazy to update my other page but hopefully I will do so soon. Here is a selection from gigs in the last year or so. The sound quality is not so great on some but i hope you enjoy them anyway. Comments are always most welcome:

The Agenda at B Flat bar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtq1WGIzMwM (Somewhere over the Rainbow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGYdBd3KOFA (Visions - Stevie Wonder)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUTT98YXWgk&feature=related (People make the world go Round)

With Radha Thomas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0THJpwW7Dvw (Take Five)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIfzDjqZwrE (Am i Blue)

Jalshaghar in Auroville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnlrK33JwGs

Christmas at the Museum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5FUAk94umQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrja-fUdb20

Tips for Woodwind Players

I found this nice article and free PDF to download from the Canadian Musician website. It's a series of articles on 'Tips for woodwind players' which includes everything from, embouchure to sound and rhythmic exercises. It even has an article on Carnatic saxophone which was quite a nice surprise. This is a really nice read so do check it out:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/33731898/Tips-for-Woodwind-Players

Health Benefits of playing the Saxophone

So here it is. Why we all play! OK, I'm joking but actually this is something I'd like to do some research on. What are the health benefits of playing the sax and what we can do for our bodies and mind to play better. More coming up on this subject:

http://www.jazzassassins.co.za/live-music/index.asp?q=health-benefits-of-playing-saxophone

Mortens Lessons

Twitter is increasingly becoming a useful resource these days. Even if you don't like to tweet i would definitely recommend following some of the jazz tweeters as there are plenty of interesting things to read and learn. Hopefully over the next days I'll make a list of the more interesting ones and post them here. For now here is another great site with video lessons by Norwegian musician Morten Faerestrand. Its mainly for guitar, but the lessons are very well explained and they are surely interesting and relevant for all musicians.

http://www.mortenslessons.com/