FW: Joey Stuckey - Friday Night at the GSHF!

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Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Newsletter Quick Links GSHF website Become a Member Join Our List Joey Stuckey Album Release - Friday, July 20    Joey Stuckey's new album, Mixture, will be officially released at a concert and reception at the GSHF on Friday, July 20 beginning at 7:30 PM.  Refreshments will be served with a cash bar.    Joey Stuckey is a blind guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, inspirational speaker, and sound engineer.  Mixture is a collaboration with pianist Tom Rule that is somewhat of a departure for Stuckey from the edgier blues guitar featured in past work.  Dr. Monty Cole, Mercer University Professor of Jazz Studies had this to say about the album. "Smooth jazz is the latest frontier, and the legendary guitar virtuoso is blazing a trail of softer hues across the sound spectrum."   Proceeds from the event will benefit the GSHF and the Jazz Association of Macon.  Tickets are on sale now in the Locker Room Gift Store or by calling 478.752.1585 x 120. $15 per person or $25 per couple.  CD's will also be available for purchase.   For more information, visit joeystuckey.com. Save the Date! The 2013 GSHF Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, February 23 in Macon.  This is an event you will not want to miss! Please forward this message to your friends and co-workers so they too can learn about all the exciting things going on at the Hall!

and ONE MORE THING......!

1. If you are interested in how albums are recorded and you have some time Thursday afternoon / Friday afternoon [May 10-11, 2012], swing on over to

http://presonus.com/community/presonuslive/

from Noon - 6pm Eastern time

Presonus is Livecasting the recording session for the latest SwampGrease 2 with Terence Higgins in New Orleans. It's some really good funk played by real professionals, and the audio is EXCELLENT coming downstream - you can really hear what's going on.

It's a chance to see what a session looks like.

2. The recordings we did in class are now available for listening and downloading at this site:

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

Enjoy!

Final Words for Spring 2012

Some final thoughts - it's a bit of a tradition.

In no particular order:

1. Final Listening: #1 was the Little Organ Fugue by JS Bach. Baroque. It was amazing how many wrote about a harpsichord. It was an ORGAN!
2. Final Listening #2: Duke Ellington, C Jam Blues. Jazz, of course.
3. FInal Listening #3: Zwilich Concerto Grosso 1985, so 20th Century. A quotation piece that uses a theme by Handel - and a HARPSICHORD....that would explain why part of it sounded Baroque.
4. FInal LIstening #4: Ravel, Romances for Saxophone: Prelude. NOT one on your CDs, adn a bit tricky. The sax meant it was probably 20th C [which it was], but it did have a Romantic-type vibe going on. There were some interesting observations.
5. Final Listening #5: Classical. Surprised? Several put that it had to be 20th C. because of the guitar and the synth buzzy sound [not a bad conclusion]. This was actually a Concerto for Mandola and Jaw Harp by Albrechtsburger [who taught Beethoven composition lessons.]
   
6. You can see what you got points for on the listening - if it was a good conclusion, I copied a word or two into the comments box. Go look at the test in WebCT to see them.
   
7. It really was an interesting semester. Thanks for making it so by participating, jumping in, etc.
8. The recording we made will be posted sometime in the next week at http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments. You'll be able to download all of them - use them to annoy your younger siblings!
   
9. It fascinates [and aggravates] me every semester at the number of students who refuse to go to the 2 concerts. That's a whole grade and a half - and every semester I have people fail the class because they didn't go to any concerts. Amazing.
   
10. Don't forget that there is an absolute world of music out there. Get outside your little box and experience it - it's freakishly easy to find music now that you've never heard of. If you don't like it, try to figure out WHY. If you do, likewise!

Now, go forth and LISTEN!

 

An afterthought:

Speaking of listening - I was recently interviewed on AudioStyle audio magazine, which airs on the ArtistFirst network.  CLICK here to check it out.

WebCT: Almost all grades posted

Everything [except your final exam grade!] has been posted - so you can now easily see where you stand gradewise, and can play "what if" using the spreadsheet downloadable from WebCT [inside the "Start Here" folder].

Download and open the spreadsheet. Call up the gradebook on WebCT and manually type in your grades plus the points possible on the tests - and the number of absences.

The spreadsheet will calculate your grade - then change the final exam grade to see what happens to your final grade.

Then GO STUDY!

Last Day Spring 2012: Notes, Vids

"Third Stream" - combining "Classical" and "Jazz"

  [is this jazz? is it classical? is it both?]

Dave Brubeck Quartet & RNO
To Hope! A Celebration Mass Moscow 1997

http://youtu.be/r2FNC66gBJ8

Jimmy Giuffre -- Suspensions (Gunther Schuller Orchestra) 1957 

 http://youtu.be/MAk_GBSX9iw

In the album liner notes, Schuller, both a composer and a critic, discusses such 'third-stream music'-- a term he popularized, perhaps invented-- while avoiding the application of that, or any, label for the "intermingling of influences in the jazz and nonjazz [ie, classical] fields". He asks rhetorically, "[I]s this still jazz, and is the intermarriage of two separate kinds of music valid?" The ultimate answer is the listener's reaction. About Giuffre's composition specifically, Schuller writes-- "'Suspensions' is another one of Jimmy Giuffre's attempts to compose and notate, as exactly as our inadequate musical notation will permit, music that represents his particular viewpoint on the jazz and blues feeling. In this respect, the present work is an extension of the kind of thing Giuffre has been doing for some years with his own small groups. In 'Suspensions' he has also once more used percussion, not as a rhythmic foundation and backdrop, but as an integral melodic voice [hear The Jimmy Giuffre Four, 1955, 'Tangents In Jazz', Capitol LP T634] within his contrapuntal structure. Giuffre also attempted to write for the players in an individual manner 'with which they can express themselves as they would in a solo'-- to quote Giuffre from his own notes for the Brandeis concert-- which partially explains why there is no improvisation in this work." 

Latin Jazz

Timba Latin Jazz Quintet - Descarga Cachao - Roma AlFellini 2008

 http://youtu.be/SohfAqfggoQ

Chicago Latin Jazz Festival - James Sanders & Conjunto 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqhzjBYt7Dg

  

Free Jazz 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGKDA6oBww 

Fusion

Herbie Hancock - Cantelope Island 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrgP1u5YWEg 

Vocalese

Manhattan Transfer

http://youtu.be/jkRXl52gHRQ

The original recording:

http://youtu.be/5rm0kbF2XbE

 

Last notes

If you weren't in class, you missed the study suggestions for the final exam! 


Make sure you doublecheck the grades posted in webCT - contact me BEFORE THE FINAL EXAM if there are problems, particularly with the presentation grade and the absences.

Check your grades in webCT!

I've updated my record of absences, presentation grades, and concert reports - so what is on the screen is exactly what I have on paper.


CHECK YOUR SCORES - and if there is a problem let me know BEFORE the final exam.

Music should be free?

I referenced this in class Wednesday - there is a huge "movement' that says no one can own anything intangible, that all art should be free to consume, etc etc etc. I think my position is clear on this matter [I hope so!!!] - but here is a MUCH more entertaining presentation of why music SHOULDN'T "be free"....and why that isn't a sustainable position for a society and it's art.

 The article: [read it first - or at least scan it]

http://www.philipbrocoum.com/?p=601

The rebuttal:

http://youtu.be/EwAiLICevc4

Grades, Test scores, and misc. stuff

1) Test Scores are posted.

2) I am CURVING this test. (Don't get used to it, though!) In the spreadsheet where you are keeping track of your scores, INSTEAD of setting this test worth 92 points, make it worth 82 points.

3) The gradebook will be updated by the time you read this with current attendance, concert report grades, and presentation grades.

3) Next week: JAZZ. This will be outside the book, mostly. I strongly suggest you take notes. It WILL be on the final exam.




Here is everyone's comments - an interesting panoply of opinions!

What was most surprising about the 20th C music to you?

Kind of strange how the first half, everything sounded so distorted and uncomfortable, and then near the end people got sick of it (thank God) and went back to tonality. It's almost like it was two different eras.

It surprises me that 20 Century music hasn't gone out of style. You still hear it today in commercials, on the radio, and in movies; sort of multi purpose.

There seemed to be such a huge step apart from "classical" sounding compositions.

It jumped quickly to change.

The odd sounds that they considered to be "music" no matter how dissonant they sounded!!
 
How atonal and dissonant it was. I was thinking it would be more similar to the late 20th Century music.

The Most Interesting would be the fact that it so different and open ! There is true expression and none sounds alike I love this era !

I was surprised by the fact that it didn't sound pretty. All of the music that I listen to sounds good, some of the 20th Century just sounded like noise to me.
 

Where a lot of songs I have heard before came from.

The sharp sounds, the music that sounded like it was from a sci fi movie or slasher flick.

Nothing really.

How there were so many sounds involved. Also how quickly the technology developed. And what was surprising they was how they still didn't use the sound effects that much until later on.
 
The way in which they just changed from the norm of every other era of music. The completely overhauled the system just because they could. I was shocked at how they changed sounds by destroying a perfectly good piano, or how they flipped scales to make more of a certain tone. everything dealing with the 20th C shocked me, because I was expecting more of a gradual step to modern music.

Having the different sounds and how it was all structured surprised me. I thought some of it was sort of weird but as i focused more on it all they wanted was something new that can fit in the music

The most surprising part of the 20th C music to me was, that I’m surrounded by it in everyday life and never realized how weird and different it sounds. 20th C music has taken music to greater standards of music.

Most surprising about the 20th C music is the prepared piano. How could composers just stick any and everything they got their hands on and insert it into the piano. To me it's disrespectful to a pianist to tamper with the sound but I also can understand that they were trying out new ways to change sound like no other composer before them have attempted to try. Composers in the 20th C were bold and I applaud them for that.

How much I wanted to go back to Classical music. The listening had been improving consistently up until Romantic and 20th century, I didn't like it so I listened to the pieces a lot less. It surprises me that people would pay to listen to this stuff.

personally, it wasn't very surprising to me. I guess living in the 20th century and 21st century exposes me to many of the different techniques and styles used in early 20th century music

I was surprised at how much music was out there that I didn't particularly care for. I am a lover of music, and I'm up for giving anything a try, but this music was hard for me to take at time. I did love the Jazz portion of 20th century music, but all of the atonal, dissonant, crazy music that was all over the place (particularly Schoenberg's) was not music to my ears at all. Other than that I was surprised to learn how wide of a variety of music there was. I consider myself to be pretty well rounded when it comes to instrumental music, but there was a lot of stuff I had never heard of that we listened to for this unit.
 

UPDATE: MONDAY'S TEST

1. PSC255 [down the hall from where we took the last test]
2. BRING HEADPHONES/EARBUDS - there may not be any extras available.
3. Ms. Rebecca Lanning will be the proctor - she is the head of the music department, a phenomenal musician, and a really good person to know!
4. Listening: there will be 18 listening items - make sure you can tell which era each item is from [Romantic or 20th C].
5. Know any of the composers yet?

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In Other News.........something to look up before the weekend starts, strictly for the "wow" factor:

Kinect-Controlled, 4-Story Pipe Organ

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/04/kinect-controlled-4-story-pipe-organ-a-phantom-of-the-organist/

Now, that's seriously mixing time eras!

...and just because it's fun:

Record-Breaking Rube Goldberg Machine Pops Balloon in 300 Steps

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/record-breaking-rube-goldberg-machine-pops-balloon-in-300-steps/

Have a weekend, don't forget the headphones, and I'll see you next Wednesday!

lhttp://www.slideshare.net/maconmacguy/talk-radio-presentation

l“Talk Radio” by Daniel Linz

lLots of samples triggered together, lots of phonemes + drums. Interesting structure. Familiar harmonies, yet not…… Mix of consonance and dissonance. Melodies, but has stretches where it’s just sound. 

Talk Radio Screencast

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Stockhausen: Hymnen [electronic music]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0aeagbZBRs

 

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 The Theremin piece is at

http://www.nonpopmusic.com/2008/09/30/a-soulful-theremin/

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Modular Synth piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCK--bs6FYY

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Modded Pianos Delight Indie Audiences, Classical Buffs

http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/12/hauschkas-modde/

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4

Vids used in class Mon 4/9/12

Aaron Copeland 
Fanfare for the Common Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEro8pG0hiE

Appalachian Spring: part 3/4, which includes the track from your CD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91y-NEdTj-g&feature=relmfu


Varese:
Ionization - Percussion Ensemble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mg4KHqRPw&noredirect=1


Webern:
5 pieces for Orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOnFKLvonQw

Turn off your phones at a concert

Concert: Macon State Arts Festival, THIS WEEK

Saturday, March 24
Keynote address and performance by Allan Evans accompanied by Carol Goff, pianist
Arts Complex Rehearsal Hall, Macon Campus, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 22
Performance by Allan Evans: Opera Singer
Douglass Theatre, downtown Macon, 7:30 p.m. 


Allan will give two performances: one, a recital at the Douglass Theatre on Thursday 3/22 at 7:30 pm, and the other as keynote speaker and performer for both the Arts Festival and Macon State College's Undergraduate Conference on 3/24. Our event at the college takes place from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at H/SS Rehearsal Hall. At both performances, Allan will be accompanied by the pianist Dr. Carol Goff of Mercer University.

Our event at the college is, of course, free and open to the public. Regarding the performance at the Douglass, we have a very nice opportunity for up to 50 MSC students to attend Thursday evening’s recital for free through a gracious gift of the Central Georgia Opera Guild.  Just show your MSC ID at the box office - there are 50 free tickets available.

It is also POSSIBLE there will be an MSC van take students to the Douglass concert. See Dr. Clayton in the English Department for Details [and paperwork!]


Allan Evans, Opera Singer
Allan Evans was born in Macon, Ga., but his talents as an opera singer have taken him far from his hometown. After studying at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and then at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York City, he moved to Europe, where he established himself as one of the world's preeminent bass-baritone opera singers. Known not only for his beautiful voice, but also for his formidable acting skills, Mr. Evans has performed many of what he calls "the monumental roles of operatic repertory," from Mozart's brash Don Giovanni, to the Norse god Wotan in Richard Wagner's Die Walküre. In addition to his operatic roles, Mr. Evans has recorded and regularly performs a treasury of great Negro Spirituals that he learned from his family and teachers growing up in Macon. Mr. Evans is a longtime resident of Mannheim, Germany, where he continues to perform and teach. In 1996, the German government awarded him the title of “Kammersänger,” one of the highest honors the country bestows on distinguished singers.

ART FESTIVAL NEWS RELEASE:
http://www.maconstate.edu/news/newspage.aspx?sqid=1087

Original Recordings posted

http://www.nps.gov/edis/photosmultimedia/theo-wangemann-1889-1890-european-recordings.htm

In 2011, the National Park Service digitized a box of unique wax cylinder recordings made by Wangemann during his European trip of 1889-90. The recordings include the voices of the eminent German historical figures Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, several performances by important musicians of the period, and even a home recording in which some of Wangemann's relatives send greetings to family members who had emigrated to America a decade earlier. The Moltke recordings have special interest as the only known examples we can listen to today of the voice of someone born in the eighteenth century. Overall, these recordings give us a cross-section of the pioneering work of the first-ever professional recording engineer.

  ------------------------------------ Tom Rule http://www.tomrule.info  NEW ALBUM! Accessible Depth http://www.TomRule.info.depth  Mugs, Tshirts, Hats, iPhone/iPad cases http://www.HamSandwichTees.com  MP3, Charts, Sheet Music http://www.MacMusicGuy.com  Websites, Web hosting, Training http://www.MaconMacGuy.com ------------------------------------

Concert Reports update

TONS of possible concerts over Cherry Blossom, many free. Check the schedule!

I've udpated the "Concert Reports" page a bit - check it out for ideas.

http://maconstate.blogspot.com/2006/08/sample-listening-chart.html

Spring Break "homework": Orchestration

From the mighty wikipedia:

The term orchestration in its specific sense refers to the way instruments are used to portray any musical aspect such as melody or harmony.

For example, a C major chord is made up of the notes C, E, and G. If the notes are held out the entire duration of a measure, the composer or orchestrator will have to decide what instrument(s) play this chord and in what register. Some instruments, including woodwinds and brass are primarily monophonic and can only play one note of the chord at a time. However in a full orchestra there is generally more than one of these instruments, so the composer may choose to outline the chord in its basic form with clarinets or trumpets. Other instruments, including the strings, piano, harp, and pitched percussion are polyphonic and may play more than one note at a time.

Additionally in orchestration, notes may be placed into another register (such as transposed down two octaves for the basses), doubled (both in the same and different octaves), and altered with various levels of dynamics. The choice of instruments, registers, and dynamics affect the overall tone color. If the C major chord was orchestrated for the trumpets and trombones playing fortissimo in their upper registers, it would sound very bright; But if the same chord was orchestrated for the celli and string basses playing sul tasto, doubled by the bassoons and bass clarinet, it might sound heavy and dark.
Note that although the above example discussed orchestrating a chord, a melody or even a single note may be orchestrated in this fashion. Also note that in this specific sense of the word, orchestration is not necessarily limited to an orchestra, as a composer may orchestrate this same C major chord for, say, a woodwind quintet.

- from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestration



Notice HOW MANY DECISIONS THERE ARE that need to made - and all this for just ONE chord!




CLICK HERE to see how you study Orchestration - it's an online version of another orchestration text [by Rimsky-Korsakov].

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COMPARE THESE THREE VERSIONS
of the same piece.
Which do you like better?
Which is more expressive?

First the original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIA8hHXfbC8

Then the orchestrated version by Ravel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okzToFBY-CY

Then the Electronic version by Tomita:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT4DGD_6Z7g

Vids for Wed Class

CLASSICAL - what Symphony?
1st Movement
3rd movement
heading into the 4th Movement

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ROMANTIC

Rossini

Peter and the Wolf

TEST SCORES HAVE BEEN POSTED

Your comments about whether the room change had an affect on you were remarkably consistent. That is a very rare occurrence!

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nope not at all. It simply comes down to how well I know the material.

 No, the first test was also taken in a different room than our usual classroom. The adjustment was easy. =]

No, not really at all. I don't feel that it made a difference one way or another, although it is nice to have a change of scenery. Keeps one's mind attentive.

I don't feel that the different room had any bearing on my grade. I am using the same equipment so I believe that the only thing affecting my grade is my studying

I don't think taking the test in a different room affected my test grade. I think how well I studied will affect my grade more than the room itself. I just wished the computers didn't take so long to start up, it kind of made me not focus on the test in the beginning.

No, I feel that the atmosphere is the same in here as the library would have been. I see no diiference in my ability to take the test or concentrate on the test.

No I do not feel as though taking this test in a different room will affect my grade. It's still quite just like the library and not as spacious. I do feel as though this computer may have an affect on my grade because the color kept changing on me while taking my test, causing my vision to go in and out.

Maybe a little, but not any more than it would if we took it in the library. After all, that is a different room than we are used to having class in. If this room would affect our grade, so would the room in the library.

No not at all, simply because either you know the information or you don't.

no because a test is a test, you can't blame the room. cause the room your in doesnt apply to life

I don't feel like taking the test in a different room affected my grade. If we had taken the first test in our usual classroom, I might feel a little more out of place in a different classroom for this test. But because we changed classrooms from our usual classroom to take the first test anyways, I don't think taking this test in another different classroom has made an impact on my ability to take the test efficiently at all

No, because it would've been on a computer anyways. In this case it's in our favor because we can play the listening parts over at our own pace.

No. I say this because if I have a good understanding of the material the location shouldn't matter.

No, I feel as if you know the material you should take the test and get the grade. Some peope can forget a test question but, that can happen where ever you take a test at.

No, because the room doesn't have an affect on what i know and what i do not know.

I don't believe taking the test in a different room will affect my grade because both tests were given on computers, regardless of the room location. You either know it or you don't know it.

I am not sure, I actually liked it in here a lot better than the Library.

No, it doesnt. I actually feel the same but i did study more. I feel much better on this test compared to the first one

No I do not feel as though the fact of the room setting change,affected my grade.Why would yes the atmosphere is different but it does change or affect anything.

No I do not feel it affected my grade because I am still in a quiet environment and still able to focus on the test rather than my surroundings.

No, because it doesn't matter where you take a test, what matters is if you know the material or not.

No, I don't think it affected my grade any. I still had the same amount of time to study. So if I did badly it was my own fault.

No! cause if you don't know it in the computer lab your not gonna know it here doesn't matter what room you take a test in

No, because I feel like I know the material and whatever I am located I should be able to answer the question correctly. Just to add this, I like the other room in the library better.

It doesn't really effect my grade, but it does interfere...mainly because I am more adapted to and comfortable to the classroom that we mormally meet in.

Taking this test in this room, rather than in the library may have helped my grade a little. The library is a lot quietier and i dont quite focus in complete silence, also, there was major setbacks with the systems in the library.

Beethoven Handwritten letter found

http://news.yahoo.com/newly-bequeathed-letter-shows-beethovens-misery-153639666.html

A rare handwritten letter by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven complaining about illness and a lack of money has turned up at a northern German institute as part of a bequest, causing excitement among lovers of the musical genius.....

 [..and I thought MY handwriting was bad......]

REMINDERS: MONDAY'S TEST

1. will be held in PSC 250
2. bring earbuds/earphones/headphones/personal speaker devices. I'll have a FEW extras from my stash - headphones of various ilks. I don't know if I'll be able to bring any in from the library box.
3. Listening will be same type of thing as the last test, but done in a slightly different manner.

See you there!

Concert: Ocmulgee Symphony Sat Mar 3

This concert is being held in Cochran, which is the school that's merging with Macon State. President Albritton has asked us to canvass our classes and see if we can get a group together to head up and here them.

Symphonies played LIVE are waaaaay better than recordings... so this would be MUCH more interesting than just listening to CDs.

....and the administration is trying to pull together some vans to go up - i.e. MSC will provide transportation. Tickets are only $5 for students - bring your ID!

Interested?

See Dr. Mary Wearn in the MCA office (downstairs, past elevator, around the 90 degree corner, 2nd door on right).

Here are some more details:

President Allbritten contacted me this week about an upcoming concert of the Ocmulgee Symphony Orchestra (OSO).  The "Yellowstone Symphony for Violin and Orchestra"  will be presented on March 3rd at 7:30 pm and will take place on the Middle Georgia College campus.  For your information, the OSO is a professional orchestra lead by Dr. Charles Quinn, who is a music professor at MGC. 

s. 

Free Concert Next Tuesday 2/28

From Rebecca Lanning, head of the music department:

On Tuesday, February 28, classical guitarist Dusty Woodruff will perform a solo recital in the MSC Rehearsal Hall.   Dusty is a founding member of the Athens Guitar Trio and a member of the applied faculty at Georgia College and State University and Augusta State University.  I’m including bio below, should you like more information.  I’ve heard him; he’s an amazing player.  Please join us!

Tuesday, February 28

7:30 pm

MSC Rehearsal Hall

Free

Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, Dusty Woodruff discovered his love for the guitar at the age of fourteen as a self-taught musician. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Abilene Christian University in Texas where he studied with Dan Mitchell and David Brandon. Dusty later moved to Georgia with his wife Jordan. In 2006, he received his Master of Music degree from the University of Georgia, where he studied with John Sutherland. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Georgia in classical guitar performance.

As a member of the Athens Guitar Trio, Dusty Woodruff has written a number of arrangements that have been received with great acclaim, some of which are found on the CD “Emergence” by the AGT. It is through these arrangements for the trio that he and its members work to bring the repertoire for guitar ensemble to a wider public. Dusty has also arranged several works for solo guitar. His recorded contributions are to be found on the supplemental CD from Everybody’s Classical Guitar 1, along with collaborations with the other members of the Athens Guitar Trio.

Dusty Woodruff was awarded first place in the 2004 GMTA competition for graduate division for guitar, selected to be a contender at the Shadt String Competition in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He has been a guest performer with the Voices of North Georgia, the Augusta State University Orchestra, the Augusta Opera and was invited to be the guest accompanist to the debut of Kevin Kelly’s choral setting of Stations of the Cross (2011).

Dusty Woodruff is active as a soloist and concerto performer and has conducted master-classes across the United States.

In his role as an educator, Dusty Woodruff heads the Guitar Department at Augusta State University, and at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. He also maintains a private guitar studio in Athens, Georgia.

Free Concerts @ Macon State

[yes, they count...] Original article @ http://www.maconstate.edu/news/newspage.aspx?sqid=1058



Dr. Dusty Woodruff, classical guitarist and founding memberof the Athens Guitar Trio will present a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the Arts Complex Rehearsal Hall at Macon State College.  Free and open to the public. 


Dr. Matt Anderson, classical guitarist and founding memberof the Athens Guitar Trio will present a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in the Arts Complex Rehearsal Hall at Macon State College.  Free and open to the public. 


Contact Rebecca Lanning for more information at 471-5773

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Quick note re: Classical Guitar recitals:

1. This is NOT guitar playing like you've ever heard. It's very subtle playing and sounds [as opposed to the  "slap you upside the head" sounds like you are used to] . Expect it to require some concentration.
2. That said...you're going to hear some very cool sounds coming out of a guitar that you didn't know the instrument can make.....if you'll listen well.
3. PLEASE make ABSOLUTELY sure your cell phones are OFF. Not "set to vibrate". OFF.
4. Generally you applaud between major pieces - not individual movements. Just be aware!

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Upcoming concerts that would count as of Fri 2/10/12

I saw these in the Friday Macon Telegraph - inside the Out & About section. In no particular order:

• Georgia Brass Quintet - Sunday 2/12 3 pm, First United Methodist in Warner Robins. $10, free for students [Bring your ID]
• Mercer University Orchestra - Tuesday 2/14 7:30 pm, music building. Free
• Mad About Chamber Music II: Mercer Wind Ensemble - Friday 2/17 7:30 pm, music building. Free
• Macon Symphony Orchestra - Saturday Feb 18, 7:30 pm, Grand Opera House. Student tickets are $18.50
• The American Boy Choir - Sunday, Feb 19, 4 pm, Vineville Methodist. Free
• Anton Nel, pianist - Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 pm, $10 general admission.
• Third Thursday Organ Interludes -  Thursday Feb 16, Noon St, Joseph Catholic Church, Free.
• The Met live in HD: [this is the ONLY "video concert" that I will allow] - Saturdays 2/11, 2/25, 3/14, 4/7, 4/25 at the Douglass Theatre [downtown Macon] and the Galleria Mall Stadium Cinema in Warner Robins.
  
  The Douglass is showing fewer of the events - tickets are available at each theater's box office. See www.metopera.org/hdlive for more info.

 There will be several concerts that count during Cherry Blossom - there is a noon organ series that usually runs during the festival, for example.

Some advice, at the risk of stating the obvious:

• Don't wait until late April to get these done.
• Write well. Tons of ideas on the "Concert Report" link on the blog sidebar.
• The report is to be turned in no later than the 2nd class meeting after the event. I will not grade them if turned in late (unless a hospital visit is the reason for the delay).

Test 1 notes

1. Everything is graded and posted. You should be able to see your grade in Vista.
2. WATCH OUT: Your grade is NOT on a 100 point scale, so don't panic!
3. Download the student gradebook spreadsheet from Vista - use it to keep track of your grades.

I'll be handing the listening sheets out on Monday so you can see how you did.

By the way - the extra credit (assuming there is some) is not always the composer's name on each test!

(I told you I was sneaky!)

More stuff from Mon Jan 30

Remember to keep an eye on the blog - I'll post schedule updates as soon as I know what's happening with the funeral. on Wednesday DO NOT depend on an email update - it sometimes takes several hours for the update to flow into your mailbox after I post it here.

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Another madrigal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYbN_2hqFoI

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An instrumental ensemble playing a renaissance dance piece: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2DejJyPeKk

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JUST FOR FUN: PDQ Bach
If you don't see what's funny here you aren't paying attention!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6YgWcqAm5E

When you go to a concert......

....especially a "classical" one, please remember to turn your cell phone OFF. Classical requires an incredible amount of concentration to get things EXACTLY right. This is one of those times when getting 90% correct is NOT an A - it would be an "epic fail".

Why do I bring this up?

This video came across my inbox today. I love the soloist's response!

Music Technology Videos

Remember that these really are low-budget, but hopefully will get the point across.

These are demonstrating a variety of basic technologies used in music, including:

1. Analog synthesis
2. Sample-playback
3. MIDI
4. Soft-synths

Synthesis = creating sounds from scratch [Analog = messing with the electricity coming from the wall. Digital = calculating what the sound is using math equations]

Sampling = recording audio and converting the audio into numbers. CD quality = 44100 measurements per SECOND, using 16 "digits" per measurement. Recording studio quality = some 96000 measurements per second using 32 "digits" per measurement.

MIDI = a computer language that allows multiple keyboards to be controlled from a  single keyboard.....and since it's a digital language, computers can "memorize" what was played, and then send those same commands back out to the keyboard and duplicate the performance.

Soft-synth = "software synthesizer". The vids use "hardware synths" - i.e. separate "boxes" to create the sound. A soft-synth is purely software where the computer calculates what the sound will be on the fly.

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Demo a Synthesizer (Analog)

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Demo a Sample Playback keyboard

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MIDI The computer memorizes what notes were played when

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Wouldn't it be great to record your music, and then go back and make changes to it like we can with words? You can!

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Soft-Synths No hardware needed (other than the computer)

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The entire 9 minute Music Technology Demo

Concert Reports

A couple of quick reminders about the concert reports:

1. TWO of them
2. They count 15% of your final average - that's a letter and a half!
3. Classical or Jazz ONLY - only other option would be Middle School / High School PERFORMING groups [i.e. NOT a "musical" - theatrical production]. ASK if any question
4. Reports are due NO LATER THAN THE SECOND CLASS after the event. So if the concert was on Friday, you need to turn the thing in to me No Later Than Class on the following Wednesday.
5. I will NOT accept them late.
6. LAST DAY TO TURN THEM IN: THE LAST REGULAR CLASS MEETING.
7. I will NOT grade them if turned in later than that.
8. Only POSSIBLE exception - and this would be announced here on the blog AND in class - is if there is an awesome concert that would count between the last class day and the final exam. Those cases are RARE, however.

http://maconstate.blogspot.com/2006/08/sample-listening-chart.html has some ideas for how to write one of these. 2-3 pages long. WRITE WELL. I mean that!

[DON'T PLAY THE FONT SIZE GAME - I used to work in a print shop as well as a newspaper and know more than you about fonts, leading, and typographical trickery]

BEGIN SPRING 2012

If you've already survived the class and don't want all the stuff from this semester, feel free to unsubscribe - there's a link down there below this paragraph.

www.tomrule.info/depth

Latest News: Final Exam, Listening, grades.....

The final exam has been graded - you can pop into WebCT to check your score.

Final Grades won't be posted for a few days - there's a lot of data to mes with, and I have a recording session and a performance this Friday.

THANK YOU to everyone for your patience - we still don't know where the scheduling mixup occurred, but I'm thankful you guys were willing and able to go with the flow!

LISTENING <-- Click if you want to hear it again.

1. Check your audio - obviously, one of the class piece recordings - the aleatoric one. CLICK HERE if you'd like to listen to ALL the things we recorded.

2. One - "Hotter Than That", Louis Armstrong. Jazz!

3. Two - Weelkes, "As Vesta Was Descending". NOT "Vespa" - they didn't have Italian-made scooters back then! Renaissance, word painting, polyphonic, a cappella, a madrigal.

4. Three - Bartok Concerto for Orcehstra (II. Game of Pairs), towards the end. 20th Century, some dissonance. This is actually "NeoClassical".

5. Four - I had mistyped something in the code, which is why it wasn't working - everyone got the 10 points as a patience/Christmas bonus. You can hear it now - [it's on your CDs as well].

6. Five - the class minimalism piece - so 21st c., minimalistic, not much variation, noise as a sound source.

I'll post again when the grades are put into the system. Next Wednesday is the Deadline, so they'll definitely be done before then!

OOPS.....the class recordings!

Just discovered the class recordings didn't post correctly. That has been repaired, and you can now download our recordings and bestow them on posterity or to annoy the rodents in the neighborhood.


CLICK HERE and select the track to download!

Who says Classical is boring?

Something to make you smile - the Calgary Chorus took the music to "O Fortuna" [you'll recognize it when you here it] and asked their audience to tweet in their suggestions for keeping warm up there.

The original article is at
http://gizmodo.com/5865380/tweeted-tips-for-staying-warm-as-sung-by-the-calgary-philharmonic-orchestra

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The Class Recordings are Ready [finally!]

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

You can listen to them online, or download them. They are 320 bitrate MP3s, so can be played on any mp3 player/computer, etc.

Aleatoric 2 probably sounds the best.

So, I have to ask: IS THIS MUSIC?

[and was it fun to create?]

Miscellany for a Tuesday

1. ABSOLUTE deadline for concert reports to be turned in is the last class meeting - next Monday Dec. 5! Check music.mercer.edu for a calendar of events over there - GCSU also has one.

2. 23 foot high Theremin appears in Melbourne and freaks people out. - I would so like to see this!

3. Musician Uses Looping Pedal to Play with Time - Comes back to the "Is This Music?" question!

Wikipedia article  -  Website, with samples [pun intended!]

Comments from the Romantic / 20th Century Test

Comments from the Romantic / 20th Century Test. These are copy/pasted, complete with typos.

What 20th century piece surprised you the most? Why? [either pleasantly OR unpleasantly surprised!]

• Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" surprised me the most. I think the people that started a riot over it over reacted, but I still thought the music was bizarre, yet captivating with the odd, powerful sounds and chords.
• Poeme Electronique was extremely "interesting". It had a lot of new and crazy stuff going on that sounds weird even now.
• idk
• The percussion ones. I have only been to one percussion concert, and I must say that it was one of the most interesting performances I had ever seen before. The tones are so dark, which I really enjoy. I like how in the 20th century, there is use of harmonies and vocals as beats, instruments to contrast the melodies. I like how they developed a new sense of structure with the electronic beats. But what truly intrigued me the most was the avant-garde section, because I never expected you to cover that the way you did.
• Poeme Electronique suprised me the most because it was nothing but random sounds.
• I wasn't suprised by it.
• Rite of Spring. I just can't get over how weird all of it is. Both of the dances we watched in class to go along with it were somewhat jolting and disconcerting. It's just strange...
• The one with the random noises # 17 on the listening section because it seems like random sounds with no theme. {Varese Poeme Electronique]
• The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky surprised me the most.It was the most memorable of the ones I've heard. It was really different from the classical music we listened to before this.The drums and the beat gave it the power and is why this piece was primitivism and it produced a different emotion from me than the other songs.It pulled my concentration and made me focus and really think about what's coming next.I enjoyed the difference and contrast of these two eras compared to classical and baroque eras.
• Armstrong impressed me the most. I really enjoy jazz and blues. All the other works give our century a terrible name.
• simple variations. i really like the piece because it has a nice moving melody and it will keep you entertained through the whole piece.
• Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" surprised me the most because it was such a drastic change from the Romantic Era. It was harsh, primal, with a driving beat that was so dramatically different than what his audience was used to and it was the beginning of a new era.
• My favorite piece was probably Erlking. It surprised me on how emotional it was. The steady rhythm of the horse's hoof beats really MADE the song. Once I read the translation of the words on the listening guide, it just made the song even creepier. It really surprised me when I found out that one man performed all of it: the father, the son, Erlking, and death. The way the man portrayed the son was brilliant!
• Ahhh!!! This whole section was brutal. What surprised me was how difficult this section turned out to be!!
• The peice that surprised me the most is Symphonie Fastastique, because it was so long and diverse
• The piece "Shard" surprised me the most. I can tell that the music is organized, but I don't see how there is any substance to what he's composed. Even though it is composed, it still sounds like somebody just messing around on a guitar. Unpleasantly surprised. Difficult to appreciate.
• Cance music. Some was good but I still dont think it should be classified as music
• the Afo-American syphony because it was un comman for blacks to write and proform symphonies and the fact tat he put a banjo in his syphony.
• The Afro-American Symphony pleasantly suprised me the most because of their unusual use of a banjo in an orchestra piece.
• Stravinsky's the Rite of Spring surprised me the most because of the harsh tones and discord throughout the piece. Although it is clear the composer took time with the piece, I did NOT enjoy it. It was very difficult to listen to or enjoy; it is not a surprise that the piece caused a riot. I believe the piece should have been named the "Riot" of Spring.

What surprised ME about the comments was the number of times Rite of Spring was mentioned as a surprise, even after all of these years!

Test next Monday in the Library (11/14)

Hint: 

Who wrote what piece?

The last nudge about concert reports.....

Every Friday in the Macon Telegraph - available in the Library - is a section that lists upcoming concerts for the next 10 days. For example, the Macon Symphony is performing as I type this.

On Sunday, 11/13, there's a free Flute & Piano concert featuring Eugenia Zuckerman at Vineville Methodist @ 4pm.

The Metropolitan opera (New York) has several broadcasts in HD that you can see either at the Douglass Theatre in Macon, or at the Galleria Mall Cinema in Warner Robins. There's a list at metopera.org/hdlive. These WILL count for concerts.

There are also SEVERAL concerts coming up at Mercer - see http://www2.mercer.edu/Music/calendar.htm for the entire list.

Remember that ALL concert reports are due

at the last class meeting.

I will NOT accept any reports late - EXCEPT:

Dec 1 - Thursday, The Mercer Percussion Ensemble will be performing with Andy Harnsberger. If you have never been to a percussion ensemble concert, you really should go. Marcus Reddick, the director, is an incredible percussionist and teacher - we chatted the other day about what they will be playing, and it sounds VERY interesting.

It is free, and it will count as long as the concert report is turned in NO LATER THAN the final exam.


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Remember that the concert reports count for 10% of the final average - that's an entire letter grade.  Write a couple of pages about it - write well - and take a look at the syllabus and at the blog entry on concert reports for some ideas.

links for 11/3 class - 20th Century slides

Link to the slideshow

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Tom Rule Music Appreciation 20th c

View more presentations from Tom Rule

Notes from 10/24/11 class

1)
I just updated the WebCT/Vista gradebook with all of the grades from the presentations so far.

We have 5 weeks of the semester left. I have only seen TWO concert reports! They are due during our last class meeting. Don't let this slip up on you!

2)
The Macon State Chamber Singers will be performing oncampus twice, downstairs in the rehearsal hall:
Monday November 14 at 7:30 pm
Tuesday November 15 at 12:30 pm

Yup - 'tis FREE!

3) 
Here are the Symphonie Fantastique Videos we started today:

4th Movement | 5th Movement

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4th Movement

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5th Movement

Free Concert THIS WEEK

[YES, IT COUNTS - but since it's so short I'll expect better writing!]

BRING THE KIDS to an adorable opera for child audiences (Grades K-5) that the whole family will enjoy! Next week Mercer University Opera teams up with Stone Academy after-school program to present A Muskrat Lullaby. Based on the story book “Mama Don’t Allow“, this great little show is only 25 minutes long and we are performing it at 6:00 p.m. for your convenience: after work and before dinner.


It’s FREE, so bring the grandkids and neighbor’s kids, too! See how Miles the Muskrat and his singing quartet of swamp animals escape the clutches of Boss Alligator and the Alligator Gang!!

Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 18-19

at the DOUGLASS THEATRE, 6 pm

Thursday-Friday, Oct. 20-21

at MERCER’S MUSIC BUILDING, 6 pm

FREE! 

Audience participation and sing-along! Meet the cast after the show!
Call (478) 301-5751 for more information.

Test 2 comments

What surprised you most about Baroque music? About Classical?

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I was surprised that I enjoyed the Baroque music better then the Classical music.

What surprised me most was the differences between the two. I thought they sound the same before but now I see clear consise differences.

My favorite thing about Baroque music is the ambling melodies. They're fun to play on piano. My favorite thing about Classical is that it is more emotional than Baroque, which is why I'm excited to move into the Romantic period.

I like classical better because its not as crazy.

A few pieces that I always thought were "classical music" were actually from the Baroque period.

the baroque music is a little weird to me. i'd much rather listen to childrens music. and the classical music was the best to me because it kept you moving throughout the piece.

Before the class, I could not tell the difference. They were just names to me and had no meanings. I was surprised that the Baroque era had as much "drive" as it did. I didn't realize that the Classical era still used vocals in music.

A lot of different things surprised me. Mostly about Bach's dad.

I find it hard to tell a distinction between pieces. I find it hard to tell a distinction between classical composers also. I feel there is only so much a composer could have really done to stand outside the box. However; each period offered their own uniqueness. Taking the roots of the earlier period.

What suprise me about Classical is that the only two composures i know are both considered under the Classical section and that both Mozart and Beethoven didnt do as much as Haydn but still are the two names tht comes up the most. The Baroque its hard to say because before this class I didnt know anything about it but I did learn alot from the 1600s when it came to this time period in music

The classical era surprised me in that it was essentially the composers were comparable to the pop artists of today.

Baroque music goes on and on and classical music survived for a long period of time

I was definitely unaware that Opera began during this time period. I grew an appreciation and interest for opera while learning this section. What suprised me most about classical music was after listerning to music from the baroque period, it is amazing to me how simple it was compared to that. It made me realize that this is where folk music began.

It surprised me that a boroque peice could last so long and be so fast paced while the musician remembers all of it and doesnt miss a note. It surprised me that the classical composers were so amazing at experimenting with dynamics. I also like it when a theme returns many times in different fragments and keys.

what the musican had to go through in oder to play music

I did not know that the harpsicord was invinted before the piano. I also didnt know that people and society in Europe were as involved and dedicated to music, nor that it was considered educated to be able to play music.

The Baroque music is somewhat harsh, very loud and constantly moving uses Basso Continuo. Classical is much more lyrical uses a full orchestra no longer uses a Basso Continuo or the Harpsichord.

To me, Baroque music is difficult to identify. I never realized how easy it is to get Classical music stuck in your head until I sat and really analyzed it.



MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:

The fact that I could actually pay attention to it and the fact that I didn't hate it.

Oct 23rd concert in WR

Sunday Oct 23rd @ 3pm
205 North Davis Drive
Warner Robins

Admission $10
Students FREE

Free Upcoming Concerts @ Mercer (WITH MSC STUDENT ID)

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. - Fickling Hall
Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin Julie Albers, cello Elizabeth Pridgen, piano
Franck - Piano Quintet in F minor
Shostakovich - Trio No. 2 in E minor

Monday, October 24 - 3:00 p.m. - Fickling Hall
William McGraw, baritone, Master Class
Mr. McGraw is one of the foremost performing vocal pedagogues in the United States.

Note from the booking agency:
"We hope your students are able to attend.  They only need to show their ID for a ticket or admission.  I would encourage them to get an advance ticket for the Oct. 18 concert."

Upcoming Concerts that count

NOT an exhaustive list - just a couple that class members have let me know about


Tuesday, September 20 at 9:00pm
Sons of Daughters - FB Event Page - Website
Free Jazz group from Wisconsin

the Golden Bough371 Cotton Ave
Macon, GA

FREE 

Tuesday Sept 27 @ Mercer
Mercer Ensemble Series
7:30

@ the McCorkle Music Building
FREE

Presentation - quick reminder

Don't forget that the presentation schedule is listed on the blog- make sure you don't miss your date! We have ZERO flexibility in the schedule now.

FINAL EXAM DATE:
Wed 12/7  1-3 pm in the ARC as usual.

CONCERT: Georgia Guitar Quartet

Click on the graphic to see the larger [readable] version.

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Test 1 is graded........

....so you can pop over into WebCT/Vista and see what your score is.

WARNING: The number you see is NOT a percentage - it's your score out of 83 points possible.

So if your score is a 74, that's actually an 89.15%. Yes, I round to the nearest integer.

There is a spreadsheet you can download from the WebCT/Vista section that you can use to track your progress in the class. Take advantage of it!

Test notes & Blog info

I just tweaked the study posts for Elements, Medieval, and Renaissance. You might want to look at them.

I also updated some of the links on the right sidebar - most notably the Kamien Connect link now points to the Fall 2011 section (instead of the one from last Spring).

Study well!

Don't forget that the test will be in the LIBRARY COMPUTER LAB. Bring headphones/earbuds if you've got some you prefer. Make sure you have an 1/8" jack [i.e. iPod/Zune/MP3 player type].

We do have a good number of headphones available, but they are "merely OK" quality-wise.

Techno Jeep - is this music?

Advice for MusApp

I had someone ask what to do because they are feeling lost. Here is my advice to them:

1. Make sure you're signed up on the blog - http://maconstate.blogspot.com - add your email address on the signup sheet.
2. Dive into WebCT/Vista for the class. The powerpoints I use in class are posted there (at the moment, they are last year's versions, but they will be about 95% identical to what I'm using this year).
3. Listen to the tracks on the CDs WHILE READING THE LISTENING GUIDES.
4. Read AHEAD of what I'm going to cover in class. Check the syllabus for the schedule - I stay decently close to it. There's is a pdf copy on WebCT/Visa, and a web-page-version on the blog.
5. Ask questions - either via email or in class - when something doesn't make sense!
6. DON'T PANIC!

 

Kamien Connect info

Kamien Connect is a website where you can

1. Listen to the CD audio over the 'net
2. read the textbook (depending on which "type" of access code you have)
3. take some quizzes etc just to test yourself.

The advantage of listening to the music through the website is that the listening guides are dynamic - you don't have to guess if you are looking at the right line, because the text is animated to show you exactly where you are in the piece.

It's fairly handy.

SO WHERE IS THIS THING?

Here's the URL for the Fall 2011 class:

http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/trule_fall2011

IF YOU HAVE YOUR CODE ALREADY:

Setup an account with your access code - click the "register now" button.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE:

You can purchase it online, or get one from the bookstore. I do not know which is cheaper. BEWARE, though - there are two types of codes - one gives you access to the textbook, the other does NOT.

You can decide if online textbook access is important to you - I just wanted you to know before plunking down the cash.

IS THIS MANDATORY FOR THIS CLASS?

No, but it'd be very handy! The animated listening guides alone are worth the price of admission if you are serious about getting an A and developing your listening skills.

START FALL 2011

If you'd like to quit receiving these in your inbox, click the "unsubscribe" link that's supposed to be below.

You're welcome to stay on, though!

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Music "in the Cloud" - in the 1800s??????

Apple, Amazon, and others have all announced services that will allow you to stash your music somewhere "out there" on the 'net, and listen to it wherever you have 'net access.

This is not a new thing!

What 'cloud-based music' looked like in 1892

Meanwhile, back here in the USA:

The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill in 1897.^[1][2] The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was heard on the receiving end by means of 'horn' speakers.^[3]

^{"There is nothing new under the sun" - Solomon}