Session 6, Week 1 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Hey Gang!
Ahhhh that new session smell. For those of you here for the first time (and your returners too!)--welcome! I try my best to update this page once a week on Tuesdays or Wednesday.
I can't believe it's the last session of 2014 already. How in the heck did THAT happen?
I hope you all voted today and sang songs about America on the way to the polls. I know I did.
Onto the recaps!

In Guitar 4Ever we did the Time Warp again. Well, for the first time actually. It was a spooky Halloween one-off with a pragmatic twist. It gave us a chance to revisit the "boogie woogie" oscillations you can do on open E, A, and D chords. It was also a good lesson in listening and following the singer--since some of the changes don't take place on exact counts and you just have to follow the lyrics in whatever time they're delivered. We also took a superfast, top level look at Can't Hardly Wait, but more on that this week. I mentioned that there are two versions of the tune out there, should you choose to listen in advance. The studio album version (off of Pleased to Meet Me) is the one we'll be working with. That's this one: http://youtu.be/Wigclcg3stc There's also a different, more stripped-down demo version (no horns!) on the expanded edition of the album called Tim. It has different lyrics and some other changes and is a really interesting comparison study. More about that in class.

On Saturday, Guitar 1 Rep got to know each other a little bit and stretched out (as much as is possible in our narrow classroom!) our understanding of timing emphasis. For starters, we played through Jonathan Edwards' Sunshine. Here's a bit more on the singer, who I admittedly didn't know much about (odd for me!). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(musician) Our strumming pattern is a little simpler than what he plays (http://youtu.be/ScfUfsUlGro) but the emphasis piece is the same: come down harder on the 1s and 3s while strumming through straight down-up eighth notes. It has kind of a chug-a-chug-a train feel to it. Note the "stop chords," which are indicated by an exclamation mark on the song sheet. You hit those once and then mute them, but continue the counting in your head (and with your foot!) so that you're ready to come back in on the next one.
We also took a very quick look at When Will I Be Loved, which has the opposite emphasis on the 2s and 4s, and which features an opening bass riff presented at the top of the pages as a fraction where the first number is the string number and the second is the fret number. We didn't get to the timing piece of that but we'll put it together in class next time.

And on Sunday, Guitar 4 kicked off with Aimee Mann's Save Me. Other than the little variations on E chords (Em, Emaj7--which is and Em chord with the note on the 4th string moved down a half step to the 1st fret, and Em7--which is a one-finger chord with your index on the second fret of the 5th string), there's not a whole lot of fancy fretwork. Just one little old barre chord in the form of an F.
It's the strumming that makes this so satisfying (in my opinion). Bounce twice just on the bass note on beats 1 & 2, strum the chord on 3, and then snag a little upstrum on the and of 4 on your way to the next measure. It's a strumming pattern that combines the rhythms that the bass, guitar, and drums are all playing on the album version--remember, you're a one-man band in your living room so you have to get creative in the way you arrange songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c48vs4lwgc
You'll also--if you listen carefully--hear some logical opportunities to add in rakes (dramatic, slo-mo upstrums) in a couple of places. We didn't talk about those in class, but we'll add that detail when we get together Thursday. I know some of you love to sing this song, and I love that so I want to take advantage of it. Hear the background vocals? There are some wonderful "ahhhhs" and "do-do dooos" in there, not to mention harmonies. Grab any of those if you feel like it! We don't all have to sing the same part. Let's work on vocal arranging from time to time.
We also began the somewhat grueling work of learning major scales using the worksheet. Remember, WWHWWWH or the weird phone number 221-2221 in order to memorize the intervals that make up a major scale. 1 fret = H, so 2 frets = W. You can play up a single string, or break across strings to stay in one position using either an open or closed scale form. Open scale forms utilize the open strings--hence the name! But they can ONLY be played in one place because open strings are a fixed note/ position. Closed scales on the other hand, are modular and moveable. So long as you know where your root note is, you can use the same finger sequence to from any starting position. Don't forget that the second diagram--the one for CLOSED scales--shows you finger numbers, NOT fret numbers. Very important! It's confusing at first but we'll talk about it more and it'll sink in over time. We'll also put it into further practice with Man Who Sold the World next time we meet.

Finally, here's my new favorite song: It's a Dream by Neil Young. Patti Smith covered it when I saw her perform at the School last Sunday and it was very moving. She dedicated it to her late husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith who was the guitar player for the seminal proto-punk band The MC5. Her son (with Sonic) was playing guitar with her onstage. I was a bawling mess. And today happens to be the anniversary of Sonic's passing in 1996--as well as the first birthday of Mama Smith's grandson Frederick, who was named for his grandfather.
http://youtu.be/lJNB8fXje3I  Excuse me, I have something in my eye.

Keep on strumming, my friends!

Session 5, Week 8 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Hi folky-folks!
That's a wrap on another fine session. You don't need a recap because you all know how awesomely you performed at the Student Showcases. I just wanted to say that it's such an honor to play music with you, and I'm truly proud of each of you for the hard work you turned out these last couple of months.

I do want to specifically give props to Thursday night's G4Ever for seamlessly pulling off a MEDLEY (though not technically, but y'know). There's video in our facebook group if you haven't seen it yet. Awesome job on both tunes. How'd it feel to perform 7.5 minutes of music?! That's like 20% of a full set list! Getting there!

I also want to give a very warm congratulations to Tim from Guitar 1 on Saturday, who gave a SOLO command performance, to much accolade. I've seen other teachers take a single student up on stage, but that was my first experience with it too so we both did something new! Thanks for your courage! You're a natural. (But I promise you'll have some more bandmates next session!)

And I can't forget the be-wigged Ziggys of Sunday's Guitar 3 Rep! The Thin White Duke couldn't have done it any better. Thank you for putting your hearts into one of my favorite songs. It means the world to me, and the full house on hand to witness it will never forget it.

I've got lots of fun things planned for the new session, so I look forward to seeing you next week!

Session 5, Week 7 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Latest. blog post. Ever.
Sorry (again) for my tardiness. I hope you've heard out in the world that we're opening a brand new exhibition at The Field Museum tomorrow: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/at-the-field/exhibitions/vodou-sacred-powers-haiti
I've been heads-down on that all week with little time for anything else (including eating and sleeping). There is some amazing music in the exhibition though, and some beautiful drums that I'm having a hard time not grabbing and playing whenever I'm out on the exhibit floor!

Anywho...I'm sure you're all equally heads-down on preparing for the Student Showcase this week, so you don't even need me to remind you! But just in case:

Guitar 4Ever -- We finally played the lovely song of the session, fingerstyle! And it was lovely. Did I mention lovely? For tonight's show we're going to do Save Me and/or Thirteen. If there's time for both, we could talk about running straight from one into the other but let's do that work tonight in the classroom.

Guitar 1 -- It's either gonna be Tears for Fears or Elvis. We'll figure it out in class, and we'll have a full hour to polish up before we hit the stage at noon. But pause for a moment and reflect on how far you've come in a very short time. You know a whole host of chords--almost all of the ones you'll ever need--and quite a few strumming patterns. You can read diagrams and song charts, and listen to other musicians and play together. It's truly remarkable to come that far in 8 weeks so I hope you feel as proud of yourselves as I am to have watched your progress. I hope you'll invite friends and family to attend the show. Tell them to grab a seat in the concert hall, and the festivities will kick off at noon with dancers!

Guitar 3Rep -- We roped some Wild Horses. The strumming pattern is more or less the same as on Ziggy, but a little slower, lazier, and less precise. Don't worry about all the little up and downs, so long as you land clear strums on beats 1, 2, and 4. The rest of the doo-dads are just by feel. The split measures feature the root-strum root-strum-root stepping stones you'll hear here: http://youtu.be/UFLJFl7ws_0
Get to that root note! Especially on the Bminor. You've got a little extra time to form the rest of the chord after you nail the root on the one. But for our big show it's gotta be Ziggy. Of course it's gotta be Ziggy! Tell your glittered guests to be seated by showtime at 12:45p.

As always, it's truly my privilege to lead these bands and play music with you all. Thank you for another spectacular session, and keep on strumming!

Session 5, Week 6 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Hello folks!
I hope your week is going well. I finally got some antibiotics for this plague I've been suffering, so I hope to be in the pink next time I see you.
Here's a great rockumentary you can watch for free on YouTube, "Mayor of Sunset Strip" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EDp2oHQaRI
As the description reads--"Rodney Bingenheimer, born December 15, 1947, is a radio disc jockey on the long-running Los Angeles rock station KROQ who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market...He was the subject of a documentary by late filmmaker George Hickenlooper titled Mayor of the Sunset Strip which told the story of a groupie-turned-kingmaker with a knack for making friends in the music industry."
I've seen is a couple of times. It features Kim Fowley, whose book I recommended recently.
Onto recaps!

Guitar 4Evar worked through Elvis Costello's "Alison" (which has absolutely nothing to do with his wife, Diana Krall, and I don't know why anyone ever would've made that connection :p)
There are some quick-change chords, and some funny timing things but you guys really rocked it. Andrea took better notes that I'm able to recount verbally, so I invite you to head on over to our facebook group and download the PDF she so generously provided! For the record--I'm not just buttering you up. I think you all nailed it and I was super impressed! I hope you find that 4-chord measure as satisfying as I do to pull off.

In Guitar 1, we met up with Am, a very complimentary chord to the C we're getting used to. "Mad World" is great for practice. Just memorize that one chord progression: Am, C, G, D (I think that's what it is--though I'm at the day job and don't have the sheet in front of me...) and play it over and over again until it's time to play the chorus, which is just Am and D! There was never an easier tune to memorize. The strumming is the same John Denver combo of two quarter notes, and two pairs of eigthnotes: Down Down DownUp DownUp. We added some "Stop" chords at the end of versus, which you may have written in with an exclamation point, as well as one towards the end of the chorus before the 'mad world' repeated section. We also looked into D7 and G7 chords, which are tense and bluesy sounding, and can often be swapped out for their major chord counterparts in the right contexts. Try it out with tunes from the songbook and see how you like the results. We've added New River Train to the mix, so start there. And give another go at Mellow Yellow. It was a lot of heavy brainning to do at the end of class, but it does have the word "mellow" in it so let's work towards that tune being something relaxed and fun to shuffle through.

And in Guitar 3 Rep, though it pained me to skip over Tom Jones, it was straight into The Association's "Never My Love," which has some modest riff work. If you remind yourself that the C-shape (or Fmaj7--both work) is home base, and you simply make minor modifications inside that shape, you should be good to go. Also remember that the riff starts on beat 3, so you've got to count in "1 and 2 and" BEFORE you start. Inside the song, you'll be strumming either a C chord or an Am for those two lead-in beats, but in both cases, your fingers are already where they need to be to play the riff (because the C and Am chords are so closely related!) so you don't have to change anything to step right into the riff. We threw in one little walk, just to keep things spicy, and we're using the Golden Strum. It's a lot of work but the song is too pretty not to put in the effort! I hope you'll sing it for someone you love some day.

Keep on strumming, friends!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT + Session 5, Week 5 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

This session will probably go down as my worst as far as blog consistency, and for that I sincerely apologize. At least this week I have a string of musical excuses (gigs, subbing for other teachers--gotta put back into that karma bank after my own absences, and a visit to the David Bowie Is exhibition from which I am still recovering 24 hours later).
Please forgive my tardiness. I will try to do better.

Now, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! Registration is open for next session and this week only you can save $15 if you register with the code "SPOOKYFOLK14" (I don't write them. I just post the news.) It's only good through Sunday night, so don't wait.
I'll be teaching continuations of all my current classes in the same respective time slots. Stick with me if you like, or explore something different (happy to make recommendations!), but TAKE A CLASS!
Here's my class list: http://www.oldtownschool.org/teachers/Jane-Hanna/

Onto recaps.

In Guitar 4ever we spent some time talking about intervals and ear training (because I enjoyed that lesson in my other class the week before, flu-addled though I may have been). There's a handy worksheet that suggests some easy tunes to memorize that can help you recognize intervals when you hear them out in the world, but you can always come up with your own! It's a great way to start realizing the ways that the songs you know have common elements. We also spent some time on Thirteen. I liked what happened when we just strummed the eightnotes straight without worrying about the fussy outside-inside thing. Do it whichever way you see fit!

Guitar 1 spent some time working on transitions in and out of our G chord. You're going to play the G chord SOOOO often in your musical career, there's just nothing for it but to drill drill drill. Moving from G to C and the other way around is such a common maneuver, you should plan to make it part of your regular exercises. Try Hobo's Lullaby in the songbook for some tuneful ways to practice. There's also our Song of the Session, which is Roll Me On the Water. You could also take a look at New River Train and Aragon Mill for additional variety. I'm telling you, that book is a goldmine! We also glanced at the Am chord, which is very closely related to the C chord. Moving between them is also great training to build dexterity in the ring finger--which is one of the hardest one to strengthen. This week we're going to play a C/Am tune, so get ready!

And in Guitar 3rep we FINALLY played Yellow nearly a year after it was requested. The first four measures of A are a special intro which you strum with a One-and Two-and Three-and Four-and-A bouncing downstrum pulse. After that, it's all eigthnotes but being mindful of emphasis so that it doesn't become a wall of sound. Keep the strength on the beat, and back off on the "and" so there's sort of a rolling wave feel to the sound. We added some fiddly bits to the rest of the intro over the paired measures of A, E, and Dmaj7 (remember a slash means play another measure of the same chord). You'll play a single note over the entire first measure (8 counts--because it's eightnotes), plus one more on the first beat of the second measure. So you switch notes on the and of 1. Or in other words, play 9 pulses of the first note, and 7 pulses of the second note for a total of 16 pulses across the two measures. The notes are as follows (first number is the string, second number is the fret):
1/0 (e) and 2/3 (D) -- over the two measures of A
1/4 (G#) and 1/2 (F#) -- over the two measures of E
2/0 (B) and 3/2 (A) -- over the two measures of Dmaj7
1/0 (e) and 2/3 (D) -- over the two measures of A (again)
Remember that the chorus repeats in full where it says "You're skin..." towards the bottom of the page, but the lyrics the change from 'you know I love you so' to 'for you I bleed myself dry' in the second chorus. Note how you return to the intro chords at the end of each chorus, which also means you can return to the fiddly bit outlined above. And also in the chorus, remember to hit the second measure of D in the last line as a stop chord--so just hit it once and let it ring.
Finally the coda (everything after the second chorus) is just 2x through this chord progression A / E / Dmaj7 / -- which is like the intro except you do not play an additional two measures of A at the end, you just go straight back to the start of the pattern. It's a 6 measure progression--which is a little weird. That first A in the very last line of the coda is a stop chord too. Phew!

I'm Alive! aka Session 5, Week 4 Recap -- ALL CLASSES

Hey gang!
I did not succumb to the plague, though I don't mind telling you that I lost a full week to feeling crummier than I ever have before. The fog finally lifted last night and I've managed to make it through a full day at the Museum today, so things are looking up for me! Get your flu shots, kids. This year's strain is NO joke. Oof. Thanks for your get-well notes and warm wishes. They helped a lot!

I don't have much to post in the way of recaps, since I had to call upon Jimmy T. to arrange subs for most of my classes. I hope you had fun while I was away, and maybe learned something new from someone new. You'll have to teach ME when we next meet!

Sunday's Guitar 3rep was the only class I managed to drag in for--though I'm sure you all wish I'd gotten a sub instead (and I ended up spending the next two days in bed, so THAT was a mistake!).
We polished up Ziggy and then I prattled on about random music theory tidbits like ear training and intervals, and finding octaves on the guitar, and key signatures. What a mishmash! Back to our regularly-scheduled good-time strum-alongs next time.

If you've been to see the Bowie exhibit, I'm jealous. I'm going a week from today and I cannot wait.
Anyone else get tickets for Patti Smith at the School? I'm super-excited for that as well.
(I'm just making conversation here because this seems like such a short update!)
I just read Kim Fowley's autobiography "Lord of Garbage" and it's nuts. Just like him. Here's a great review. (You may not know his name, but you know his work.)
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/04/entertainment/la-et-jc-kim-fowley-memoir-lord-of-garbage-20130303
Next up on the reading list is "The History of Rock 'n' Roll ins Ten Songs" by Greil Marcus. I'll let you know how it is.
OK </blather> see you soon, friends!

Session 5, Week 3 Recap -- ALL Classes

I just got a flu shot, so cross your fingers that I'll actually be able to heft a guitar tomorrow and over the weekend! Hope you're all having a good week. Here's the rundown:

Guitar 4Ever ran through the Aimee Mann tune to keep it fresh. We also put all the pieces of Pretty in Pink together and I thought it sounded great! If you haven't worked on the riff parts yet, I humbly suggest you give them a try (and vice versa if you're eschewing the chords). See if you can do the opposite of what you did last week when we play together tomorrow.
We also got started on the Big Star tune. One of my all-time favorites. The strumming is a fun, loosey-goosey mess. Don't overthink it! It's just eighth notes for goodness sake. One-and-two-and-three-and-four-and. Pluck the bass note on the one and the three, then let yourself be free. Try the "inside/outside" technique. Just grab any old strings on the low end on the and of 1 (and the and of three); then grab something on the inside treble on 2 & 4 (think, like, 5th & 4th strings). Finally, play something on the inside bass for the last and on 2&4 (like the 2nd/3rd/4th strings). Do not be afraid to be sloppy. This is the whole point. Have a listen: http://youtu.be/pte3Jg-2Ax4 It's two guitars...or more. You're emulating a sound you can't possibly recreate alone, so relax. It's not about precision. More on this in class.

In Guitar 1, we locked in the A and E chords, and added quite a few new ones to the rotation. First up was E minor, which--like all minor chords--has a mournful sound. You make that one by starting from a regular E shape and simply lifting up your index finger. E7 is just as simple--you lift up your ring finger instead of your index finger. E-asy peasy (see what I did there?). Practice your E to E minor and your E to E7! Those exercises will get your fingers in shape.
We also talked some more about eighth note strumming (down-up down-up down-up; also known as one-and two-and three-and four-and), and also the combo strum of two quarters and four eights which goes One, Two, Three and, Four and, or down  down  down-up  down-up); and we worked our way through Another Saturday Night and Leaving on a Jet Plane. The former tune introduced the concept of "split measures," which means that you play more than one chord in a single span of 4 counts, two beat for each chord listed.
If that wasn't enough new stuff to worry about, we also plunged into the G chord. Play it with your 1, 2, and 3 fingers, OR with your 2, 3, and 4 fingers. It's good to learn it both ways because they'll be times that call upon you to do it differently. The 2,3,4 version is the one you'll probably come to rely upon though, so have a talking-to with that pinky and start breaking it in.

And in Guitar 3rep, we finished up Ziggy bits with the Big G and Cadd9 chords (and all the theory behind them). The second measure of the intro was the last bit to hammer out. It's a C chord that you arpeggiate and modify. Say it with me now: "trip-el-let" There's a one-two-three, one-two-three feel to the first two groupings. Modify the bass note of the second one (your finger will be on the 5th string, 2nd fret to produce a B note), and then take your fingers away completely for the last pair of eighth notes (four and).
We also got into Green Day to learn our way around the Big G and the Cadd9 in a more thorough way. http://youtu.be/CnQ8N1KacJc Remember, I give you permission to keep your pinky and ring fingers down for the WHOLE song. It's a little different than what Billie Joe does, but who cares?! We do what we want. (and I think it sounds cooler with that high drone) The strumming pattern is just a sloppy Golden Strum, with some assemblage of the low strings ringing on the downstrums, and assorted high strings on the upstrums. Don't over think it. You know Green Day doesn't!

Keep on strumming, my friends! See you soon.