Save Yourself! Give Me Music Lessons

GM Drum Mapping

I was in the studio the other day showing a couple of guys how to build quick drum beats.  A little chart like the one below saves me the hunt and peck for the tone I am looking for.  A glance at this out of the corner of my eye and they are quickly fooled into a false sense that I know what I am talking about.

This bit of random info is  useful to anyone programing MIDI drums.  MIDI channel 10 is a dedicated channel for drums.  The following is the key# or note (like on a piano keyboard) and the sound that will be produced on channel 10.  This is useful when you are programming percussion using a step program or a notation program. 

Erich

 

Key#	Note	Drum Sound
35	B0	Acoustic Bass Drum
36	C1	Bass Drum 1
37	C#1	Side Stick
38	D1	Acoustic Snare
39	Eb1	Hand Clap
40	E1	Electric Snare
41	F1	Low Floor Tom
42	F#1	Closed Hi Hat
43	G1	High Floor Tom
44	Ab1	Pedal Hi-Hat
45	A1	Low Tom
46	Bb1	Open Hi-Hat
47	B1	Low-Mid Tom
48	C2	Hi Mid Tom
49	C#2	Crash Cymbal 1
50	D2	High Tom
51	Eb2	Ride Cymbal 1
52	E2	Chinese Cymbal
53	F2	Ride Bell
54	F#2	Tambourine
55	G2	Splash Cymbal
56	Ab2	Cowbell
57	A2	Crash Cymbal 2
58	Bb2	Vibraslap
59	B2	Ride Cymbal 2
60	C3	Hi Bongo
61	C#3	Low Bongo
62	D3	Mute Hi Conga
63	Eb3	Open Hi Conga
64	E3	Low Conga
65	F3	High Timbale
66	F#3	Low Timbale
67	G3	High Agogo
68	Ab3	Low Agogo
69	A3	Cabasa
70	Bb3	Maracas
71	B3	Short Whistle
72	C4	Long Whistle
73	C#4	Short Guiro
74	D4	Long Guiro
75	Eb4	Claves
76	E4	Hi Wood Block
77	F4	Low Wood Block
78	F#4	Mute Cuica
79	G4	Open Cuica
80	Ab4	Mute Triangle
81	A4	Open Triangle

Musician Light Bulb Jokes

Musician Lightbulb Jokes

Over the years you will hear these all again and again and again.  After a little brain storming session, here is what we came up with:

Q: How Many lead guitarist does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They just steal somebody else's light.

Q: How many lead singers does it take to screw in a bulb?
A: One, to hold the bulb over their head while the world revolves around them.

Q: How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: First they have to agree on which is better; the analog bulb or a digital bulb.

Q: How many record producers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They are waiting for you to change the lightbulb so they can tell everyone that you couldn't have done it without them. 

Q: How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They have machines to do that now.

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. The Keyboard player does it with his left hand.

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But the guitarist has to show him first.

Q: How many will he say if you ask as bass player, "How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?"
A: One. Five. One. Five. One. Five.

Q: How many alto sax players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five: one to handle the bulb and four to contemplate how David Sanborn would've done it.

Q: How many singers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to hold the diet cola and the other to get her accompanist to do it.

Q: How many sopranos does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three. One to climb the ladder while the second kicks the ladder out from under her. And the third to say, "I knew that was too high for you dear."

Q: How many altos does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They can't get up that high.

Q: How many tenors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change the bulb and three to whine "It's too high"

Q: How many jazz pianists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Screw the changes, we'll fake it.

Q: How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change the bulb and eleven to say they could do it faster.

Q: How many keyboard players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change it, and the other three to beat back all the guitarists who are trying to elbow him out of the spotlight.

Q: How many BMI employees does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: They screw millions of bulbs every day, but when it comes to your bulbs, there's no record.

Q: How many folk singers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two. One to change the bulb, and one to write a song about how good the old light bulb was.

Q: How many French Horn players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Just one, but he/she will spend hours checking for technical problems.

Q: How many clarinetists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but they will go through a whole box of bulbs before the right one is found

Q: How many bass clarinetists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: All of them

Q: How many flute players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But she will break ten bulbs before she realises that they can't be pushed in

Q: How many sound engineers does it take to change a light bulb
A: None, sound engineers don't do lights

Q: How many oboists does it take it to change a light bulb?
A: One. But he'll have to make the lightbulb himself.

Q: How many Trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one.  But he'll leave a big puddle of spit on the floor underneath him.

Q: How many brass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One to hold it in place and two to drink until the room spins.

Q: How many Bluegrass musicians does it take to screw in a light bulb??
A: What's a light bulb?

Q: How many violists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but he'll keep breaking the bulbs with the hammer.

Q: How many music teachers does it take to screw in a light bulb??
A: None. music teachers can't afford lightbulbs.

Q: How many bluegrass musicians it takes to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to screw it in and one to complain that it is electrified.

Q: How many singers from Nashville does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change it, one to sing about how heartbroken he is at the loss of the old one, one to sing about how madly in love he is with the new one, and one to go "Yee-Hah!" and throw his cowboy hat in the air.

Q: How many Pianist does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Four: One to light a candle and the other three to say it's better than electric light.

Behold the Power of the Ukulele

Connection Ad - 1/25/2012: workshops

EQ Tips for the Recording Studio

At NOVA we have a small hands on studio for rent at $16 an hour.  Here are a few EQ hints for the recording studio as you mix your tracks down.

• Have a plan.  Before you change the EQ decide what you want to improve.
• Raising one vocal subject at 3 kHz can add clarity to that vocal and can help it move to the front of the mix. You can lower the background vocals at the 3 kHz range to make them fall to the background. You can boost or raise eq or both but be selective.
• Add presence to a vocal is at 4-5 kHz
• Vocal sounds such as 'm', 'b', 'v' can get lost if 2-4 kHz are boosted too high.
• Don't over boost at 1-4 kHz It can strain the ear.
• Control sibilance at the 5-16 kHz range.
• Sibilance and brightness may be found at the 6 kHz range. Open up the sound or reduce sibilance.
• Add power to a vocal around 80 but start looking at 60-125. Too much of this area can also make things sound muddy.
• Speech fundamentals occur between about 125 and 250 Hz. This is where you can add warmth. If you are looking for a powerful vocal don't add much here and boost around 80.
• The character of the voice is 300-1 kHz
• To make a telephone or radio speaker voice boost in the 1 kHz area.
• Vocals to harsh? Cut at 1 - 2 kHz
• Roll off vocals below 60 Hz. Anything below that are probably not vocals.

KARL STRAUB'S PERPETUAL MOTION ETUDES FOR GUITAR

Karl Straub is doing a guitar workshop at NOVA Music Thur, Jan 19, 7:00 PM. Note: the following guitar etudes are terrific studies for intermediate players, but if you
find them daunting, don't worry! You don't have to play on this level to benefit from the workshop. It's for all levels.


All contents copyright Karl Straub 2008.
www.karlstraubmusic.com/perpetual motion etudes 1-10.cpr.mp3

Note: CLICK ON LINK ABOVE TO HEAR EXAMPLES. CLICK ON MUSIC PAGES TO ENLARGE, OR PRINT OUT FOR YOUR OWN USE.
These are eighth-note studies that can be repeated as an endless loop, hence the use of the term "perpetual motion." i recommend playing them individually, ten times in a row without a break, once you can do that with no mistakes. until you can play an etude without error, you should break it into smaller pieces, practicing each piece in sets of ten until you eventually work up to playing the entire study multiple times with good sound and no mistakes.

These etudes can improve your technique in several ways. As a bonus, i have incorporated stylistic elements from a variety of idioms, including country, jazz, flatpicking, rhythm and blues, western swing, rockabilly, etc. the player using these etudes can develop musical vocabulary along with technique, extending his/her ability to improvise solos and fills.

HOW THESE ETUDES CAN IMPROVE YOUR TECHNIQUE

these studies are designed to develop your technique in the same way that repetitive physical exercise develops muscles. playing a musical instrument is challenging because it requires efficient use of physical and mental capacity. the sheer number of things to be learned, along with the repetitive practice required for mastery, can quickly lead to an overwhelming amount of time spent each day. even the most dedicated practicer will find it difficult to maintain a consistent practice schedule.
these studies are designed to get a variety of results even when only limited practice time is available. they develop technique in both right and left hands, as well as giving the player insights into issues such as playing in closed (up the neck) positions as well as open, playing in a various keys, position shifting, fingering, and alternate picking- all essential for advanced guitar playing.

THESE ETUDES CAN TAKE YOUR PLAYING TO "THE NEXT LEVEL," AND ARE ALSO USEFUL AS WARMUP EXERCISES.

my original goal in creating these etudes was to give myself a large amount of challenging material i could play repetitively, as a way of warming up my technique in a short time. they are excellent warmups for the player who has already achieved some basic facility with alternate picking, position playing, etc.
for the player who needs help with facility, any of these etudes on its own can help in the following ways.

RIGHT HAND TECHNIQUE

i recommend playing these studies with alternate picking, i.e. a consistent alternation of down and upstrokes. because all the etudes are eighth notes exclusively, you can begin a measure with a down pick, play the next note with an up pick, and continue alternating with each pick stroke. alternate picking takes a lot of concentration, and a lot of practice! when i first tried to learn it, it took a huge amount of work. at the time, i was a fairly lazy and unfocused musician, and learning alternate picking was by by far the greatest challenge i'd ever had as a player. trust me when i say it's worth the effort-- although alternate picking isn't the only good picking method, i believe it's the most versatile and neglecting to learn it will slow down your development enormously.
even if alternate picking is the only thing you get out of these etudes, it will be worth the time.
play with movement primarily in your wrist --- try to keep a loose wrist, and avoid arm movement as this can create stiffness and keep you from developing. make sure your wrist is ALWAYS RELAXED.

the etudes can be played with each note picked, for a great alternate picking workout. some of them include recommended pulloffs and hammer-ons for some notes. i put these slurs in where i thought they made the line sound better, but ultimately the etudes can be played with or without the slurs-- they're good for your technique either way. if the slurs make it hard for you to play an exercise, leave them out, or practice the slurs by themselves until they become easier.

LEFT HAND TECHNIQUE

some of these etudes can be played all in one position, i.e. in a four-fret span where each left hand finger is responsible for the notes on one of the four frets. others require shifting position one or more times. occasionally one finger has to shift or stretch "out of position," which means you are mostly in a four-fret span but notes not in the position require a momentary adjustment. i used to stretch rather than shift, believing that keeping my hand in position as much as possible made it easier to keep track of where i was on the fingerboard. eventually i came to prefer shifting my whole hand in a relaxed way to reach a note outside of the position. try both methods and find the one that works for you.

try to keep left hand fingers coming down straight onto the fingerboard as much as possible. my college teacher Gerry Kunkel always hounded us to keep our fingers "up on the tips," and i advise that as well.

TECHNICAL TIPS FOR THESE ETUDES
1. first bar-- first position, with open strings.this means index 1st fret, middle 2nd, ring 3rd. shift to second position for the pulloff from pinky to index finger. use the open G string to give yourself time to move the pinky and index, getting them ready for the pulloff. use next open note to shift back to first position.
2. four fret span, fifth position (this means the fifth fret is index finger, sixth fret is middle, seventh is ring, and eighth is pinky. ) no stretching or shifting needed, but you have to use the pinky for two notes in a row on different strings. try the rolling technique-- rather than lift the pinky and moving to the E string, keep it on the tip for the B string note, then "roll" it onto its side to get the E string note. this rolling techique takes getting used to, but helps keep passages like this smooth.
3.second position. use index for second fret, middle for third, and ring for fourth.
4.first bar is 9th position. second bar is tenth position. make this shift by moving index over while ring finger is on G11(G string, 11th fret. ) once you've made the shift, keep hand relaxed. shift back for repeats by moving index back to 9th fret. the key to this kind of shifting is to relax your hand while you do it.
5. begin with ring finger, shift (during open string) to index on E3. stay in this position (3rd) for first bar. second bar shifts to first position, with index on first fret, etc.
6.entire line is 3rd position, except last three notes which are in 2nd position.
7.entire line in second position, index second fret and ring fourth fret. middle finger used for only one note-- low E3.
8.2nd position, nothing tricky.
9. first bar is second position--index 2nd, ring 4th, until D3, played with ring. you're now in first position-- index on 1st, etc. second hammer-on should hammer to index on 2nd fret--now you're back in second position.
10.all first position. this is a pinky workout. try not to let your pinky pop high off the string and back into your hand when it's not being used.

NOTE ON MY RECORDING: I played these etudes pretty mechanically, in the hope they would be easier to hear that way. Keep in mind that most of them really come alive with accents and phrasing derived from fiddle tunes, or more modern kinds of "country swing," hillbilly boogie, rockabilly, etc. It seems to me that much of those more modern fifties and sixties styles of phrasing are descendents of the fiddle tune kind of phrasing, but I'm going to have to think about that for a while, and try to figure out how to present some examples at some point.