Alan Coady’s Musical Blog

New play-along midi files (for MGS Summer Concert - Thu 19 June) have been posted on the Guitar Group Midis page

I was asked recently about the benefits for pupils of being recorded – and those recordings being posted on this blog. Normally the answers would be fairly straightforward:it allows people who don’t normally access our lessons a chance to hear them play – peers, family, distant relatives, class teachers, management, the general public etc.

• it provides a deadline by which pupils are meant to have arrived at a polished performance
• it allows more performance opportunities than the normal diet of concerts could allow
• it provides a record of work

However, as this question followed hot on the heels of a recording session, some benefits of the recording session itself (as opposed to the broadcast) sprang to mind:

• the pressure of being recorded promotes a focus and concentration not easily summoned up in weekly lesson
• although the option of a second take exists (unlike concerts) nobody really wants to do this and the red light always feels special
• the moment of truth allows pupils to experience the difference between thinking a performance was ready and realising that, under pressure, it is not quite as ready as it seemed – this all happens in a friendly atmosphere and no recordings are posted without the agreement of all concerned – pupils are invited to suggest a date when a replacement recording might be made
• when a pupil in a group lesson is recording a solo, the others learn that part of teamwork sometimes means simply taking a back seat

New play-along practice midi files  have been posted for Campie Primary School’s Musical Evening * on the Guitar Group Midis page

*  Thu 17 April at 7.30 in Musselburgh Grammar School

In the Music Matters special on Music & Health one of the guests, Dr John Zeisel, claimed that music attacks The Four A words associated with Alzheimers - agitation, aggression, anxiety & apathy. Aware that the study of dysfunction often enhances awareness of function, I soon began to wonder whether music (specifically the study of music) has the potential similarly to benefit those not affected by that particular disease. All of us experience elements of the above conditions at some time or other - perhaps never more so than during our teenage years. I’m inclined to believe that any activity which heightens awareness of surroundings at the expense of that of the self is bound to help.

I learned one new term in this broadcast - retrogenesis - the degenerating mind’s equivalent of a common response to staffing cutbacks i.e. last in - first out - or rather - first in - last out. It seems that music has been hard-wired for so long in our evolution that it outlasts many other abilities. This disposition to longevity seems also to be due to its reliance on procedural as opposed to declarative memory.

Sergio della Sala’s video contributions to LTS stress that memories are recreated dynamically as opposed to being accessed from an unchanging archive. This certainly resonates with how I feel when playing music by memory (which constitutes the majority of occasions) and also with what pupils describe of their experiences of memorising music. If pressed, one could name the pitches, durations, harmonies, concepts etc. - but it seems so much easier just to play it!

Tuning a guitar is a thing upon which few people agree. There are many ways of doing it and the suitability of each depends on the experience of the player, the confidence in their ear and the time at your disposal:

• using an automatic tuner - some guitars have one built into the body
• tuning to another in tune guitar, string by string

• tuning to midi (or recorded) notes

• tuning using harmonics

• tuning each open note to a fretted note on the lower string*

• tuning the open strings relative to one another

• tuning thanks to perfect pitch (apparently a gift with which we are all born - but only one in a thousand retain - it is said that hands-on experience of a pitched instrument at a young age offers the best hope)

• getting someone else to do it (or at least to check it)

• buying one of Gibson’s self tuning guitars (click Instructions if you follow this link)

Rather than argue the merits of these various methods, I’d like to include here some additional considerations which, although initially a surprise, are often a great help to pupils:

• two things can cause the pitch of a string to rise - pressing it against a fret or tightening it - tuning is all about tightening or loosening the strings
• most necessary adjustment will be upwards - the only thing (apart from human interference) which can cause a string to tighten is contraction, caused by cold weather - the most likely outcome of the passage of time is that the pitch will slip downwards
• it is very difficult to tune downwards by a small amount as loosening the tension can cause the string to slip - in such cases, I always tune below the desired pitch and ascend gradually
• the thickness of the string makes a difference - the thicker the string the less turning required
• until new strings have been stretched sufficiently to settle at the required tension, they require constant tuning and will initially go out of tune within seconds
• the initial seconds of a fiercely plucked note often contain a wavering of pitch before settling - so it’s better to listen to notes for as long as possible rather than constantly re-plucking
• in addition to hearing, one can make use of the vibrations felt by the contact between the back of the guitar and the body - it is possible for a profoundly deaf person to tune a guitar this way
• any string which is detuned will attempt a return to the original pitch - many guitar pieces tune the 6^th E string down to a D and, to ensure that the string does not begin its return journey during performance, it’s better to tune the string way below the desired pitch and tune gradually upwards.

* although possibly the most common method, this is the one I never recommend - for one simple reason - by reaching to adjust the appropriate machine head (tuning peg) you cause the disappearance of the note to which you are tuning.

Midi files of Air (for Showcase Concert) have been replaced by ones without a click-track - to encourage you to feel the pulse by focussing on the other parts. You can access them here

The midi files of Córdoba have been replaced with ones where the click track stops after the count-in. The idea is to feel the (changing) pulse and not to have it hammered out. Access them here.

Those struggling to find time on the family computer can download the files (instructions on the page) and convert them in iTunes to mp3s. Then you can practise offline with you mp3 player.

One of the original intentions when beginning this blog was to upload resources which might be useful to others. As time went by I became engrossed in other aspects e.g. Guitar Group Midis or Pupil Performance mp3s and, to be honest, forgot about this intention. So I’ve attached a couple of pdf variations on some right hand exercises for finger-style guitar. The intention of both is the same - to measure the distance between strings by feeling the distance between thumb and fingers. The important thing is to use feeling rather than looking. What one is feeling for is, as far as I know, called radial abduction. 

Right Hand Exercises - No. 1          Right Hand Exercises - No. 2

N.B. the descriptions of Moving Bass Note - Stationary Top Note etc. apply within the confines of one bar.

…have been posted to the Guitar Group Midis page

In the spirit of stretching the East Lothian Guitar Ensemble to the limit, I put together a new, extremely syncopated salsa arrangement in 7 parts for the Showcase Concert.* The first pupils to try their hand at it did so during lessons at Musselburgh Grammar School yesterday, sight-reading their part while the laptop played out the complete arrangement. After a few lessons, I found myself wishing that we could have the same facility at our monthly rehearsal. Suddenly it struck me - why not? It took quite a bit more setting up than usual (laptop, speakers, extension cable, putting furniture in place) but it was definitely worth it. The pupils made a really good fist of their three pages. The optimum performance speed is 200 beats per minutes (bpm). We started at 130 bpm, which had quite a nice relaxed feel. For a bit of fun before the break we tried 180 bpm which wasn’t the disaster we’d imagined. During the break our coordinator, Peter Antonelli, popped in and we then played it to him at 150 bpm. Then, for pure comedy value, we tried 200 bpm - which turned out not to be quite the farce expected. Bearing in mind that 2/3 of the ensemble hadn’t seen the music before, it was an impressive performance.

Driving home towards a fantastic sky, with Mozart’s Symphony No 40 in Gm blasting from the radio, I began to wonder why the outcome had seemed even better than expected. Apart from the obvious opportunity for the pupils ears to contribute as much as (perhaps more than) their eyes, I think that the key ingredient is confidence. A newcomer to a piece or ensemble can benefit from the confidence of more seasoned players. Until a sufficient number of pupils in an ensemble exude enough confidence (i.e. accuracy & volume) for more timid members to follow, this is a role which can be filled by the computer.

Why not just use a CD? Even assuming that the work has been recorded, it will be at performance speed and that is something to aim for rather than the place to begin.