It seems there have been a lot of music videos featuring cyclists lately. Here’s one that won’t ruin your appetite:

Thanks for alerting me to the great sounds of Die Goldenen Zitronen, WFMU. Good luck with the one day marathon!

Cos I can’t sleep

We played a sort of gig in my house the other night using whatever instruments were lying about. It was good fun so thanks to the 4 or so people who paid attention. The headline act lead by Peeps was much better though, even if it did verge on being an Elbow tribute (nowt wrong there).

We’ve written some bits for the upcoming Christmas E.P. It’s going to be a downer folks. Must get started on the recording this week. Bob’s set a high standard in the Christmas album market according to Ronan, though.

I got a new musical toy for my birthday (thanks Jerome and Mark). I can’t play it yet but that didn’t stop me recording it on something already. In fact, it’s probably going to be on everything I do for the next while. I’m cool with that if you are?

Shane

a beautiful old door in Munich

an old abbey, somewhere in Austria

The Glockenspiel, Munich

I’ll  never forget the Glockenspiel because, while we gazed at it, a Gay Pride parade was marching behind us. Many people riding on colorful floats, most notably a lot of men in drag.

It also rained the entire day, but our moods were bright as several friendly locals gave us directions to the Hoffbrauhaus (and one nice gentleman sold us umbrellas). One woman gave us directions in German and we sort of understood what she was saying, and we smiled and said, “Danke schon,” (thank you) as we walked away.

She responded, in English, “Have fun!”

Title: Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions

Author: Hermann Gschwedtner

Description: Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions edited by Hermann Gschwendtner is a collection of works designed to prepare one for a professional audition. For many years, orchestras and conservatories have wanted a practical and easily accessible edition of orchestral passages required at auditions. This edition, initated at the request of the German Music Council, is based on statistical studies carried out by the German Union of Orchestras and on many years of professional experience gained by the editors themselves, all of whom are members of orchestras and conservatory staffs.

Excerpts are included for the following instruments:
Timpani
Xylophone
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Snare Drum
Cymbals
Castanets
Tambourine

Categories: Orchestral Repertoire, Accessories, Keyboard, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Snare Drum, Timpani

Annotated by Greg Simonds

Vor der Kulisse des Römerberges und vor dem Hintergrund der Paulskirche steht auch in diesem Jahr, gemessen an der Anzahl der Besucher und der Anzahl der Stände, einer der größten Weihnachtsmärkte Deutschlands. Am 25. November wird der Weihnachtsmarkt in Frankfurt mit der Oberbürgermeisterin und Weihnachtsliedern aus der goldenen Kehle von Karel Gott eröffnet.

Glocken und Stimmen: Auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt in Frankfurt gibt es immer etwas zu lauschen. Täglich ertönt das Glockenspiel der Alten Nikolaikirche, Mittwoch und Samstag gibt es das Turmblasen von eben dieser Kirche und am 28.11. sowie am 24.12. erklingt das Frankfurter Stadtgeläut mit 50 Glocken aus 10 Kirchen. Adventskonzerte gibt es jeweils Freitag, Samstag und Sonntag auf dem Römerberg.

Vorweihnachtliches gemischt mit allerlei Wissenswertem gibt es bei einem täglich stattfindenden Weihnachtsmarktrundgang. Es geht einmal über den Markt, dann hinauf auf das Dach der Alten Nikolaikirche (fantastischer Panorama-Rundblick über den Weihnachtsmarkt und die Skyline), dann noch eine Runde auf dem Nostalgie-Pferdekarussell und zum wärmenden Abschluss einen Glühwein. Alle Infos zum Rundgang, den Zeiten, Treffpunkt und Preisen finden Sie hier.

Was gibt es auf dem Römerberg, Paulsplatz und Mainkai weihnachtliches zu entdecken? Klassisches aber auch modernes Kunsthandwerk, Spielzeug und Frankfurter Spezialitäten wie Dippe und Steinguterzeugnisse sind eine gute Grundlage für den Weihnachtseinkauf. Glühwein und Feuerzangenbowle wärmen Kopf und Füße, die bezaubernde Deko das Herz.

Wir wünschen ein bezauberndes, vorweihnachtliches Vergnügen!

Hat der späte Oktober der Nebel viel,
freut sich die Bäurin auf’s Glockenspiel.

(Oscar-Benno Rülpsilanti über Oktober und Glockenspiel)

Kitty in The Well


Born out of a mutual distaste for both modern bohemia and musicianship, the three-piece, Kitty in the Well has been putting the ‘humour’ back in ‘humourless’ for three years now. This highly dysfunctional outfit nevertheless has a knack for bringing its crowds together in something like elation and something like biliousness. The group is known for big, haphazard arrangements, huge voices, and their no-holds-barred approach to genre and instrumentation.

Author: Mitchell Peters

Title: Fundamental Method for Mallets (Book 1)

Publisher: Alfred Publishing Co.; USA

Length:166 pages

Content: This method book starts with basic introduction to all types of concert mallet instruments, including range and playing techniques for each instrument. It is largely divided into two sections. The first section works exclusively with basic two-mallet techniques and fundamental music reading exercises. The second sections introduces four-mallet techniques, theory, and basic exercises and studies. The book is comprehensive and a very useful tool for lower to intermediate students in introducing basic mallet techniques.

Bio: Mitchell Peters was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1969 to 2006 and owns and operates his own music publishing company that handles percussion works exclusively. His widely published compositions and instructional materials are highly regarded throughout the United States and abroad.

Title: Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba and Vibraphone

Author: Morris Goldenberg

Description: This book is meant as an all-encompassing method in the study of mallet percussion. It is broken into three main parts. The first section contains a variety of exercises and studies that examine numerous musical and technical challenges. Included in the section are exercises for rolls, double stops, scales (in all major and minor keys), chords (in all major and minor keys), arpeggios, octaves and various rhythms and tempi. The second section is a group of 39 etudes meant to develop the skills learned in the first section. Many of these etudes are very challenging, and require a great deal of facility to correctly navigate. The final section of the book includes solos and excerpts from the orchestral repertoire. Some of the pieces given are excerpts from orchestral pieces, and other are transcriptions from another instrument’s repertoire.  Included in this section are the following:

Bach – Violin Concerto in A minor

Paganini – Violin Concerto

Mozart – Finale of Act I from Magic Flute (Bells)

Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (Bells)

Wagner – Waldweben from Siegfried (Bells)

Wagner – Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from Gotterdammerung (Bells)

Ravel – Mother Goose Suite (Xylo)

Wolf-Ferrari – Dance of the  Camorrists (Xylo)

Korngold – Much Ado About Nothing (Xylo)

Stravinsky – Petrouchka (Bells and Xylo)

Stravinsky – Les Noces (Xylo)

Prokofiev – Scythian Suite (Bells and Xylo)

Prokofiev – Alexander Nevsky (Bells and Xylo)

Kabalevaky – Colas Breugnon Overture (Xylo)

Shostakovich – Polka from Golden Age Ballet (Xylo)

Shostakovich – Symphony #5 (Xylo)

Shostakovich – Symphony #6 (Xylo)

Shostakovich – Symphony #7 (Xylo)

Khatchaturian – Gayne Ballet (Xylo)

Sowerby – Irish Washerwoman (Xylo)

Grainger – Shepherd’s Hey (Bells and Xylo)

Grainger – Spoon River (Marimba, Bells and Xylo)

Gershwin – Porgy and Bess (Xylo)

Kleinsinger – Tubby the Tuba (Xylo)

Keinsinger – Peewee the Piccolo (Bells and Xylo)

Chopin-Levin – Prelude in G Major (Marimba or Xylo)

Gould – Guaracha (Xylo)

Gould – Harvest (Vibes)

Bennett – Drum Tune #7 (Vibes)

Delibes – Bell Song from Lakme (Bells)

Categories: Keyboard, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Xylophone, Method, Vibraphone, Orchestral Repertoire

Annotated by: Greg Simonds

Author: Alan Abel

Title: 20th Century Orchestra Studies for Perccusion

Description: Compiled by former Philadelphia Orchestra Percussionst Alan Abel, the 20th Century Orchestra Studies contain many of the more recently composed orchestral parts for percussion. The book covers a wide variety of composers and pieces as well as containing  orchestral excerpts for many different percussion instruments. This collection is quite valuable as a study tool, especially considering that many of these pieces are hard to find elsewhere. Unlike the Carroll or Goldenberg books, the parts in Abel’s book are not always complete and, in most cases, could not be used for performance. Like the Goldenberg timpani compilations Abel does not given any kind of personal commentary. However, Abel includes certain instrumental or rhythmic cues which are very helpful when listening or practicing.

Included in this edition:

Albeniz – Triana from Iberia Suite
Barber – Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
Bernstein – Overture to Candide
Bernstein – Chichester Psalms
Bernstein – The Age of Anxiety (Symphony No. 2)
Chavez – Sinfonia India
Cowell – Fourth Symphony
Cowell – Eleventh Symphony
Creston – Invocation and Dance
Dukas – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Hartmann – Sixth Symphony
Hindemith – Mathis der Maler
Hindemith – Symphonic Metamorphosis
Hindemith – Sinfonia Seria
Holst – The Planets
Khachaturian – Gayne Ballet Suite #1A
Kodaly – Hary Janos Suite
Nielsen – Fifth Symphony
Nielsen – Sixth Symphony
Orff – Carmina Burana
Piston – Fourth Symphony
Prokofiev – The Love of the Three Oranges ‘March and Scherzo’
Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 1
Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2
Prokofiev – Fifth Symphony
Prokofiev – Seventh Symphony
Revueltas – Sensemaya
Riegger – Dance Rhythms
Schuman – Circus Overture
Schuman – Judith
Schuman – Third Symphony
Scriabin – The Poem of Ecstasy
Shostakovich – Seventh Symphony
Strauss – Don Juan
Strauss – Salome’s Dance
Surinach – Feria Magica
Surinach – Ritmo Jondo
Thomson – Lousiana Story
Toch – Peter Pan

Categories: Accessories; Glockenspiel; Orchestral Repertoire; Snare Drum; Xylophone

Annotated by: Greg Simonds

today was pretty lame until about a couple hours ago when i decided to start recording my new song.

i like this one because it’s different. it doesnt really sound like anything i’ve written before…theres no real structure….which is something i like. i dont like overly structured songs…..do i make any sense???

anyway, just laid down all the guitar parts and the glock. it took me 2 hours! i’m getting a little tired so im gonna save bass, “drums”, and vocals for tomorrow. for all you recording guru’s out there…i know im doing this in the wrong order.

here’s tonights song:

Landon Pigg – Magnetism

here is a live performance

look at him play that tambourine.lol

for those who don’t know, Landon will be at The Troubadour this coming Monday, September 21 with Erin McCarley(i think that’s her name.)
me and steph will be there!hopefully working merch!

also, i have a little street show in downtown disney in anaheim this friday! around 6pm in front of the house of blues! it doesn’t cost anything to get into downtown disney. and the first 3 hours of parking is FREE! we’ll be there a little before handing out fliers to promote the channel and after wards too. come out if you’re in the area. it’s gonna be a party!

if you want to help me out with giving people fliers to promote the channel let me know! i’d definitely appreciate the help!
i already have people in NorCal, New York, and North Carolina handing out fliers to their friends!

send an email to stefieannmusic@yahoo.com with your name and address and i’ll have fliers mailed to you within the week!

thanks so much!

peace&love always.

Author: Raynor Carroll

Title: Orchestral Repertoire for the Glockenspiel, Volumes I and II

Description: Raynor Carroll, principal percussionist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has compiled these books of some of the most commonly asked excerpts on the glockenspiel portion of an orchestral audition as well as some other pieces which contain famous or challenging glockenspiel parts. Because of the large number of pieces included, the books are broken up into two volumes. The books contain the entire glockenspiel part for each piece, and each part is re-notated in an easily readable format. Because the parts are not the originals, a very few discrepancies do exist.

The pieces included in Volume I are:

Debussy, Claude – La Mer
Delibes, Leo – Indian Bell Song from the Opera “Lakme”
Mahler, Gustav – Symphony No. 4
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus – Finale from Act I of the Opera “The Magic Flute”
Prokofiev, Serge – Alexander Nevsky, Cantata
Prokofiev, Serge – Piano Concerto No. 1
Ravel, Maurice – Daphnis and Chloe’, Suite No. 2
Respighi, Ottorino – Pines of Rome
Rimsky-Korsakov, Nicolas – Russian Easter Overture
Saint-Saens, Camille – The Carnival of the Animals
Strauss, Richard – Also sprach Zarathustra!
Stravinsky, Igor – Petrouchka (1911)
Tchaikovsky, Peter – Waltz, No. 6 from the Ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”
Wagner, Richard – Forest Murmurs arranged from the Opera “Siegfried”
Wagner, Richard – Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music from the Opera
Wagner, Richard – “Die Walkure

The pieces included in Volume II are:

Dukas, Paul – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Glazounov, Alexander – Violin Concerto
Kodaly, Zoltan – Hary Janos, Suite
Mahler, Gustav – Symphony No. 5
Ponchielli, Amilcare – Dance of the Hours from the Opera
Ponchielli, Amilcare – “La Gioconda”
Prokofiev, Serge – Romeo and Juliet, Suites 1 & 2
Prokofiev, Serge – Scythian Suite
Rachmaninov, Serge – Symphony No. 2
Maurice Ravel – Mother Goose, Ballet
Respighi, Ottorino – Fountains of Rome
Scriabin, Alexander – The Poem of Ecstasy
Strauss, Richard – Don Juan
Tchaikovsky, Peter – Capriccio Italien
Tchaikovsky, Peter – The Nutcracker, Ballet
Wagner, Richard – Dance of the Apprentices from the Opera
Wagner, Richard – “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg”
Wagner, Richard – Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from the Opera
Wagner, Richard – “Die Gotterdamerung

Categories: Keyboard, Repertoire Book, Glockenspiel

Annotated by Ethan Pani

Σας έτυχε όταν ήσασταν μικροί να τρομάξετε από ένα θεατρικό έργο; Όμως το θέατρο σας αρέσει, δεν θέλετε να φύγετε, αυτή η παράσταση σας έχει στοιχειώσει. Τώρα μεταφέρετε αυτόν τον τρομαγμένο σας εαυτό αρκετά χρόνια μετά, με τα ίδια ακριβώς συναισθήματα, τότε σίγουρα ακούτε το “Inversed World” των Dirty Granny Tales.

Το “Inversed World” ανοίγει την πόρτα του ανεξήγητου και σε καλωσορίζει σε ένα μαγεμένο θέατρο όπου το τίμιμα για την είσοδο είναι το πιο ακριβό μέρος του σωματός σου. Σε αυτό το θεατρικό δεν ξεχωρίζεις την αλήθεια από τις παραισθήσεις, και στο τέλος γίνεσαι και εσύ μέρος αυτού του περίεργου freak show, ένα άδειο κέλυφος, μία μαριονέτα.

Το παραπάνω concept πάρνει σάρκα και οστά από τις εκπληκτικές συνθέσεις του συγκροτήματος, μέσα στις οποίες παντρεύεται το black metal με την ατμοσφαιρική μουσική και τα ethnic στοιχεία. Πρέπει να ομολογήσω ότι όταν προτοείδα τα μέλη των Dirty Granny Tales με το corpsepaint και τα άκρως black-metal-ικά ψευδώνυμα δεν περίμενα ένα τόσο ανοιχτόμυαλο και καλό album αλλά ευτυχώς είμαι ένας γελοίος τύπος κολλημένος σε στερεότυπα.

Carillonkonzert mit Twan Bearda aus Belgien am Stockenklavier der Pfarrkirche “Unsere Liebe Frau” in Eppingen

Zu den schönsten Freiluftereignissen im Ländle gehört der traditionelle Carillonsommer, der seit siebzehn Jahren im Kulturleben der Fachwerkstadt seinen festen Platz hat. Die Attraktion im Herzen der Altstadt ist das Glockenspiel direkt über dem Haupteingang zur katholischen Pfarrkirche „Unsere Liebe Frau”. An drei Sommer-Sonntagen pilgern Musikliebhaber aus nah und fern zum musikalischen Kleinod, lauschen den Konzerten auf den 49 Glocken, die, so meinen Kenner, so rein gestimmt sind, wie nur selten bei vergleichbaren Instrumenten.

Twan Bearda ist bereits zum zweiten Mal in Eppingen und vom Instrument begeistert. Bei schönstem Wetter zog der mehrfach mit Preisen ausgezeichnete Carilloneur das Publikum schon mit der Einstimmung in seinen Bann. Paganinis Variationen über ein Thema von Franz Xaver Süssmayr, genannt „Le Streghe“ (Hexentänze), zeichnet ein Hexenbild, das mal lieblich, zart und leise, mal keck und auftrumpfend, mal schüchtern ist und mit scheuem Blick um die Ecke schielt.

Wie ist der Belgier auf das Geigenstück gestoßen? „Ich hörte es im Radio und fand, das ist ein tolles Stück, das will ich auch spielen.“ sagt Bearda und spricht vom besonderen Reiz, die „dynamische Freiheit der Geige auf das Glockenspiel zu übertragen“. Weitab vom Teufelstriller wird hier mit gängigen Hexenklischees aufgeräumt. Statt dem düsteren „Da ist bös sein“ (wie’s auf der Tafel am Pfeifferturm, dem früheren Amtsgefängnis heißt), entsteht aus dem Spiel mit Tonarten, flirrenden Klangkaskaden und Federwölkchen ein himmlischer heiterer Gesamteindruck, quasi ein Reigen zauberhafter Wesen.

Ob Paganinis Hexentanz, mehrstimmiger, moderner Chorgesang, wie Zoltán Kodálys sakrale Lieder („Gebet“ „Stabat Mater“ und das „Pange Lingua“) oder eine Haydn-Sonate („Rondo“ der „Sonata Nr.35 in A-Moll“), Bearda überträgt – mit Händen, Fäusten und Füßen – die Vielstimmigkeit der Originale und transponiert spezifische Klangqualitäten mit einer Leichtigkeit aufs Glockenspiel, die einem den Kopf verdreht. Vorbild für die hohe Kunst des Arrangierens dürfte dabei sein Lehrer Boudewijn Zwart sein, dessen Umsetzung von Haydns Symphonie Nr.39 – samt Orchester-Tremoli, Synkopenketten, großen Intervallen, schroffen Kontrasten und Rezitativ-Formeln – die opulente Sprache des Barockmeisters in ein Musterbeispiel transparenter Klarheit verwandelt.

Der letzte Akkord liegt noch in der Luft. Auf dem kleinen Erker der Westfassade erscheint, von der Nachmittagssonne beschienenen, Bearda, unprätentiös, als käme er aus dem Urlaub, sportlich leger in kurzen Hosen und Poloshirt. Den Applaus des Publikums lässt er nicht unbeantwortet, rundet das Konzert mit Peter Tschaikowskys „Tanz der Zuckerfee“ aus dem Ballett Nussknacker ab. Klangen Glocken je süßer?

Info: Das nächste Carillonkonzert in Eppingen vor der katholischen Pfarrkirche “Unsere Liebe Frau” ist am Sonntag, den 30. August mit Charles Dairay aus Frankreich, um 17 Uhr. Der Eintritt ist frei.

New Blog is At www.comecloser.com/blog

The streaming songs work there.

1) Prelude: The Gentle Art of Not Forgetting 1:38

This song was available on the 2006 compilation `Abandoned In Situ.’ So you regulars out there, I am sorry that the first thing you are hearing is something you already own.

The Hot Attic of Despair

When I listen to this track, I remember being in my attic (I lived in the attic in my parent’s house) and playing the piano part. I remember the Green and Orange signal level lights on the Tascam 4 Track jumping up and down.

I remember the oppressive New Jersey heat and humidity, the sweat dripping off my nose onto the white keyboard keys. I had an air conditioner that only cooled 1 square foot of the room and I was 20 feet away. Average temperature in the summer was about 110 degrees in that attic.

Despite the heat, I loved that attic. It had dark brown faux wood beams and a cathedral-style ceiling. It kind of looked like an old rustic Swiss tavern. In better times, it was a great haven. I was fortunate to have spent my `tender years’ in such swanky digs.

It was mid-week and I was absorbed in my microcosm until the weekend job; which consisted of lugging musical gear up and down Interstate 95 for a tribute band. Where would I be this week? Poughkeepsie? Providence? Vermont? They were all the same to me. Except for West Virginia.

I really wanted to be on stage, interact with a crowd, not behind the scenes setting up drums and lights. I couldn’t free myself to be on stage, I couldn’t free myself to connect with others. After the hours of setting up gear, I spent the duration of the show watching the band, wishing I was playing. No one’s fault but my own. It was all there for the taking but I was too stupid and proud to go for it.

Same Day, Everyday.

I don’t need specific memories to know that I was miserable at that time. Every week day I felt I was sitting around with a steel box encasing my head. Too crippled to go out THERE and do anything or interact with anyone. So I stayed in my attic; recording this thing that I felt had profound power. I felt it had purpose.

It wasn’t heartbreak that was consuming me when I wasn’t recording. It was the lack of control I had over the situation; and the complete inability to govern my emotions in order to move on. Or perhaps I had too much control and was the one responsible for setting all the negative incidences in motion?

Or maybe, just maybe, New Jersey girls are simply insane. You’ve heard the stories…

It angered me knowing that the girls of Orchid (We will call them Flower #1 thru #3 respectively.) were having a better more fulfilling life than I. Especially that they helped facilitate this state, alongside my immaturity and inexperience.

To know that anyone with basic motor functions could sense the despair and desperation sweating out of me was disheartening. And somehow I maintained a personality that was a hybrid of rotten meat and narcissism.

Recollection

I do recall that this introduction was written a few weeks after the completion of `Orchid.’ For whatever reason, I thought `Orchid’ needed a proper introduction. And for the past few hours I was wondering what that reason was. While in my zeal of beating up my junior self, I thought I created the prelude to show off the theme of `Orchid’ and how clever I was to build the entire album around it. The more I think about it, the creation came about because I was simply playing the piano on that June day. I have faint recollections of `hey, that’s pretty nice.’

I know I somewhat improvised the introduction with no metronome/click track or MIDI. The synth Glockenspiel (which sounds NOTHING like a glockenspiel) is awkward with its interplay to the Korg Barely Sounds Like A Piano Piano sound.

The `soaring’ distortion sound at the end plays a big role on `Orchid.’ You will hear it quite a bit in other tracks. It’s a sonic motif that I think was meant to represent a sort of screaming soul. It was a subconscious move on my part to use this distortion as the main orator of my emotions.

Regardless if my intention was to be brilliant and clever, I still like this introduction. Personally, I believe this piece tells more of the story and emotional state than the remainder of the album.

In the background you can hear an almost buzzing pulse. If you turn it up loud, you’ll hear that it’s a distorted piano. This was not intentional. What you are hearing is tape bleed from the song `Where We Rest.’ The very end of `Where We Rest’ actually.

Either I was too lazy or couldn’t afford more cassettes to record on. So I just recorded over what I had.

That tape bleed makes the song. It’s something out of the Pink Floyd playbook.

The beginning meets the end. There we go again: Ouroboros.

Bonus Track: The Gentle Art of Not Forgetting – 2009 Version (Unfinished)

I mentioned in my first post that re-recording `Orchid’ in 2009 was a rather miserable and pointless endeavor. Below is the unfinished version of `The Gentle Art of Not Forgetting’ which was done only a few weeks ago. As you will hear, all the `accoutrements’ are missing. It’s just a Piano, Celeste and Glockenspiel.

I was unable to re-create that Screaming Distortion sound because I no longer have a Korg 01/W (now back with its rightful owner.) Not being able to properly re-create or replace that sound was the definitive end. While I could have obtained this keyboard, I was not motivated to do so.

Korg 01/W: Workstation, Sequencer, Trusted Companion

Die Aegidienkirche steht inmitten der Innenstadt von Hannover. Sie wurde 1943 durch einen Luftangriff von Bomben zerstört. Wieder aufgebaut wurde sie im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Kirchen nicht. Die Ruine stellt heute ein Mahnmal für die Opfer von Kriegen und Gewalt dar. Im Turm der Kirche hängt ein regelmäßig ertönendes Glockenspiel und im Turmeingang die japanische Friedensglocke. Sie wurde Hannover 1985 von ihrer Partnerstadt Hiroshima geschenkt und wird jeweils am 6. August für die Opfer des Atombombenabwurfs angeschlagen.

Was auf dieser Schwarz-Weiß-Aufnahme zum Glück nur zu erahnen ist, sind in den Fenstern verdrahtet angebrachte Glasscherben. Die Stadtoberen bezeichnen es als Kunst. Die meisten Einwohner Hannover bestenfalls als Fragezeichen tauglich. Vermutlich war die Umsetzung dieser Idee seinerzeit einfach zu teuer, um sie als Schrott zu bezeichnen; also nennt „man“ es eben Kunst.

Was ich nicht verstehe ist, warum die Proportionen dieses Bildes so verquer wirken. Außer dem Foto die Farbe zu entziehen und es auf quadratisches Format zuzuschneiden habe ich nichts damit gemacht. Der Turm ist gerade; der Rest der Kirche sieht aus, als kippe er jeden Moment zur rechten Seite. Innerhalb dieser Serie gibt es mehrere Bilder, in denen es so wirkt, als sei an der „Statik“ nachträglich gebastelt worden. Ich war’s nicht! *schwör

© skriptum

I’ll Have a Beer has moved. This page you are looking for is now located at http://haveabeer.couchand.com/2009/07/24/great-lakes-glockenspiel/.

This book is under the patronage of  The Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, St John Bosco a great teacher of youth and St Cecilia the patron saint of music.  Holy Infant Jesus of Prague please grant blessings and success to this work. 

St John Bosco and St Cecilia pray for us and for the success of this work.

An overview of the method

This music learning program is based on a method that was devised and taught by Richard Weber, an American music teacher in late 1950’s and in the 1960’s.  I found an outline of his method in an old magazine article and picked tunes that fitted in with the method. The only notes that are used in this method are the following consecutive notes:  C  D  E  F  G  A. 

The C note involved is Middle C on the piano.  Middle C is the C note, which is nearest to the middle of the piano keyboard. (There is more than one C note on the piano).

Many tunes cannot be used, because they require additional musical notes to the six that are listed. There are no sharp or flat notes. (They are the black notes on the piano keyboard).  B notes are also not used in this method.

The method is a simplified method of teaching music because only six notes are used. This simplicity makes the method suitable for teaching mentally disabled children and adults and young children. It is therefore a method that can be used as a stepping stone for further musical development if that is appropriate. More notes and tunes can be introduced later on, if the student shows that he or she can progress to a higher level. It has been noticed that the application of this method helps mentally disabled children and adults to learn better by stimulating their interest.

Richard Weber had great success in teaching mentally disabled children and adults with this method.  Some of them went on to progress in learning other subjects which they previously could not do. It also helped to improve the behaviours and moods of the disabled children who were taught the method. Two music song books using Richard Weber’s method were published in 1968, unfortunately they are no longer available, that is why I made this book.  I have not been able to obtain the books that Richard Weber published, but I hope that somehow I will be able to track them down. If anyone can help me to find copies of these books, please contact me with the details.

Some of the songs included in this book are whole tunes and some are only sections of songs. In the partial songs, the students plays the notes that are supplied and then the teacher can play the rest of the tune or help the student to sing the rest of the song.

The first part of the method is to teach the student to sing the songs so that he or she knows how they sound. Make up two sets of cards that have the individual note letters on them, (One note to each card e.g. C). Show the letter (note) cards to the student and teach him or her what the notes on the card are and then get the student to match the cards with the other set of corresponding cards. Paste or stick the six notes on the piano or the keyboard, even a glockenspiel is suitable. It is an instrument that has metal bars which produce a chiming sound when it is played. These are available from stores which sell musical instruments. There are shops which sell sheets of stickers with letters on them, which are suitable for putting onto the keyboard.

When starting out to play a tune on the keyboard or piano, say to the student. “John we are going to play:  (name the tune here) e.g. Mary had a little lamb”. This is important because music is made up of notes of different lengths.  The song would not sound right even if the right notes were played if the notes were all the same length.  Of course we are dealing with intellectually disabled children and baby steps have to be taken.  Even a small child can sing a song with notes of the right lengths e.g. fast, long etc.  Announcing the name of song helps this concept in the child’s mind.

(When you read music from a music book the music is written in a way which indicates everything that the musician needs to know: which notes to play, how long to play the notes, pace, beat, etc).

When I finished the trial edition of this book, I brought it to my niece who is a normal five year old child attending kindergarten.  She has been taught the alphabet by her mother and she took to it like a duck to water, playing a tune by looking at the notes in the book and matching it to the keys on her electronic music keyboard, which had the six notes stuck onto it, using commercial letter stickers, that her mother had purchased from a bargain store.

To see this success was satisfying, because my niece had been asking if she could go to music lessons like her friends do.  Finances are a bit tight for her parents and the method is going to get her up and running in the music department.  She can take formal music lessons later on, or learn to play the school descant recorder. The instrument and the instruction book are inexpensive.

The school recorder book is so good that students can teach themselves to play the recorder without a teacher. In fact when I was eight years of age, I was taking descant recorder lessons at school taught in a group instruction of about forty children.  I did not have a clue what the teacher was talking about, but one Saturday morning I sat down with the recorder and the book and in a short while I learnt how to play it.  The book was my teacher not the school music teacher! 

The recorder is a real musical instrument not a toy. It was once played by the notorious King Henry VIII of England and also by the well known Von Trapp Family of Austria, who were the inspiration for the film The Sound of Music.

This method outlined in this book does not teach music in a formal way going through the usual steps like learning to read music etc.  because it was designed with special needs people in mind and many of them cannot learn music in the ordinary way.  If they do develop their capabilities in this area that can be addressed with more formal music lessons.  I should point out here that some people who have intellectual disabilities, especially people who have autism, actually have special musical abilities. Methods like the one outlined in this book can help to bring them out and develop them.

One of my daughter’s carers mentioned that she is working with a blind girl and lamented the fact that the method could not be used to teach her, the idea then came to me that this book might be able to be  translated into Braille and also that the notes names in Braille could be pasted onto the music keyboard. Learning music in this way might be a bit slower for the blind, than it is for a sighted person, but the student would still learn music, learn the sound of the notes, the position of the keys and could memorise the notes for the tunes.

Formal music lessons (that are specially designed for blind people) could be taken at a later stage. Later on the student could learn to play by ear. i.e. hear a tune and play it. Playing by ear is a natural talent that some people are born with, or this skill can developed after the person has learnt to play music. The simplified method of teaching music which is presented in this book would be suitable for blind people who have an intellectual disability. It would probably be better for other blind people to learn music by more formal methods.

I do not have any experience working with blind people, so  I am just presenting these ideas as food for thought, for those who do have teaching experience with them, especially in the area of teaching music. The songs included in this book are familiar children’s songs, including several nursery rhymes.

The piano music keyboard which is pictured above, shows the positions of  the notes which are used in this method.

Click here to see a larger picture of the piano music keyboard  (with the notes for the method).

Index of Songs

Michael Row the boat ashore
Kumbaya
Mary had a Little Lamb
Row Row Row your boat
Old MacDonald had a farm
It’s raining, It’s pouring.
Heidi Heidi Ho
Jingle Bells
Three Blind Mice
Oranges and Lemons
I wrote a letter to my mother
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
London Bridge
Lavender’s blue
Little Bo Peep
Ten Green Bottles
Silent Night
Kookaburra
Mamma’s Little Baby
Looby Loo
O Sussana
Frère Jacques (Brother John)

Michael Row the boat ashore
(The whole tune)

C    E    G    E   G

A    G   E

G    A    G

E     G    G   E

F    E   D

C   D   E   D   C

Michael Row the boat ashore alleluia,
Michael Row the boat ashore alleluia.

Kumbaya
(The whole tune)

C    E    G    G    G

A   A    G

C   E     G    G    G

F    E    D    C

E    G    G    G

A    A    G
 
F    E    D    D

C    F    E

D    D    C

Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya
O Lord Kumbaya,
O Lord Kumbaya.

Mary had a Little Lamb
(Whole tune)

E    D    C    D

E    E    E

D    D    D

E    G    G

E    D    C    D

E    E    E   E

D    D    E    D    C

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.

Row Row Row your boat
(Part of the tune)

C    C    C    D    E

E    D    E    F    G

Row Row Row your board gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrrily, Life is but a dream.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Old MacDonald had a farm
(part of the tune)

G    G    G    D

E    E    D

Old MacDonald had a farm,
E I E I O
and on that farm he had a duck
E I E I O

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

It’s raining, It’s pouring.
(Whole tune)

G    G    E    F

G    E    E    G

E    F    G    E

E    G    G    E

E    F    G    G   E

E    F    G    G    G   E

E    A    G    E

It’s raining, It’s pouring,
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed and he
bumped his head and he
couldn’t get up in the morning.

Heidi Heidi Ho
(Full tune)

G    E    G    E

C    C    D    D    D

E    F    G    E

C    G    E    G    E

C    C    D    D    D

E    D    C

E    F    E    D    F

E    D    C    D    E    F

E    D    F    E    D    C

G    E    G    E

C    C    D    D    D

E    D   C

Heidi, Heidi Ho,
The great big elephant
Is so slow,
Heidi, Heidi Ho,
The elephant is so slow.

He swings his tail from side to side
As he takes the children for a ride.
Heidi, Heidi Ho,
The elephant is so slow.

Jingle Bells
(Part of the tune)

E    E    E

E    E    E

E    G    C    D    E

F    F    F    F    F

E    E    E    E    E

D    D    E    D    G

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
O what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
O what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Three Blind Mice
(Part of the tune)

E    D    C  E

D   D    C

G    F    E   G

F    F   E

Three blind mice, see how they run, three blind mice see how they run. They all ran up to the farmer’s wife. She cut off their tails with a carving knife.  Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Oranges and Lemons
(Modified version of the tune)

G    E    G    E    C

D    E    F    D    G    E    C

G    E    G    E   C

D    E    F    D

G    E    C

Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clements,
When will I see you say the bells of Old Bailey.

I wrote a letter to my mother
(Part of the tune)

C    F    F    G    A

F    A   G    C

F    F    G    A

F    E

I wrote a letter to my mother on the way I dropped it.  Someone must have picked it up and put it in their pocket.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
(full tune)

C    C    G    G

A    A    G

F    F    E    E

D    D    C

G    G    F    F

E    E   D

G    G    F    F    E

E    D

C    C    G    G

A    A    G

F    F    E    E

D    D   C

Twinkle twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are.

London Bridge
(Full tune)

G    A    G    F

E    F    G

D    E    F    E

F    G    G    A

G    F    E    F    G

D    G    E    C

London bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.

Lavender’s blue
(full tune)

C   G    G   G

F    E    D    C    C

A    A    A    C

G    G   G   F   E   D

C    F    E    D    C

Lavender’s blue dilly dilly,
Lavender’s green,
When I am king dilly dilly
You shall be queen.

Little Bo Peep
(Part of the song)

C    C    C    C

D    D    D    D

E    F    G    G    F

E    E    D

Little Bo Peep,
Has lost her sheep
And doesn’t know
where to find them.

Leave them alone
and they will come Home,
with their tails
behind them.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Ten Green Bottles
(Part of the tune)

C    C    C    E

D    C    D    E   C

E    E    E    G

F    E    F    G   E

Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if ten green bottles should accidently fall,
There’ll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall.

Silent Night
(Part of the tune)

G    A    G    E

G    A    G    E

Silent night,
Holy Night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yond Virgin
Mother and child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Kookaburra
(Part of the tune)

G   G    G    A

A    G    E    G

E    E    E    E

F    F     F

E    C    E    C

Kookaburra laughs in the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh Kookaburra,
Laugh Kookaburra
Gay your life must be.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

Mamma’s Little Baby
(Whole tune)

C    C    A    A

G    A    C    A    G   A

C    C    A    A

G     G    A    E    D   C

Mamma’s little baby
Loves shortning, shortning
Mamma’s little baby
Loves shortning shortning bread.

Looby Loo
(Whole tune)

C    C    C    E

C    G    C    C    C

E    C    D    C    C    C

E    C   G

G    A    G    F   

E    D   C

Here we go Looby Loo
Here we go Looby light,
Here we go Looby Loo
All on a Saturday night.

Part 2 of the song: I put my right foot in (hokey pokey)

D    C    C   C

C    C    D    E    E

E    E    E

F    G    G    G    G

G    G    F    E   

E    D    D

I put my right foot in,
I put my right foot out,
I put my right foot in
And I shake it all about.
I do the hokey pokey and I
turn around and that
what’s it all about.

(Play the non-bold section, sing the bold section).

O Sussana
(Full tune)

C    D    E    G

G    A    G    E

C    D     E    E

D    C     D    C

D    E    G    G

A    G     E

C    D    E    E   

D    D    C

F    F    A    A    A

G    G   E

C    D    C    D

E    G    G    A

G    E   C

D    E    E   D    D    C

O I come from Alabama
with a banjo on my knee,
O I come from Alabama
with a banjo on my knee

O Sussana O don’t you cry for me
cause I come from Alabama with a
banjo on my knee.

Frère Jacques (Brother John)
(Almost the full tune except for Ding Ding Dong, Ding, Ding Dong).

C   D   E   C

C   D   E    C

E   F   G

E   F   G

G   A    G    F    E    C

G    A   G    F    E   C

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing,
Morning bells are ringing.
Ding, Ding Dong,
Ding, Ding Dong.

Special note:  If the notes names for the songs in this music book are made bigger than they are in this posting, they will be able to be seen and identified more easily by the student. The tunes can be copied into a word processor and the size of the text enlarged. Choose a large size text.

I would appreciate any feedback or ideas that you have on this book, to help me to develop it further. Thank you. I can be emailed at:

catacomb@bigpond.com

My name is Mary Ann.

I made up this book primarily for my autistic son, now it will also be used for my autistic daughter as well.  I am keen to share the book with anyone who can benefit from it, e.g. mothers with small children, pre-schools, centres and schools for the intellectually disabled etc. Please let others know where the link to the book is.  Thank you. 

If you are not familiar with these songs, purchase a CD or two from the shops.  I purchased two, that were on special yesterday with nursery rhymes songs and other familiar children’s songs. Play the CD to the students. The ones which I purchased were pleasant to listen to even for an adult. I am playing them to my autistic daughter.

Some other matters of interest

The powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors.

The Holy Souls in Purgatory can obtain many favours for their benefactors. The web page has accounts of the intercession of The Holy Souls in Purgatory, for their benefactors in cases of illness, addictions, cars that won’t start, infertility problems, serious weight loss problems, protection in accidents, noisy unruly neighbours, conversion, chronic insomnia, their help for people who are experiencing major trouble with city councils, success with projects, employment, real estate, television sets that don’t work properly, finding lost property and trouble with relations, etc. and prayers and ideas on how to help The Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Read my book: Help from Heaven (Answers to prayer),  

free on-line at the link provided.

Would you like to join a Living Rosary?  Information here.

I am currently forming a Living Rosary Circle.

I have mentioned Super Desserts before (way back when no one was reading this blog), but several months ago, I promised them a full review of their album. Barefoot in the Disenchanted Forest really isn’t like any album you’ve seen/heard before. Then again, super Desserts aren’t like any band you’ve ever seen/heard before. For instance, when was the last time you paid $5 for 21 songs with titles like “Under the Guise of Darkness, Clara’s Hands Look Like Ninja Fighting Stars (We Won’t Talk About Her Nose)” on a CD with a 26 page photocopied collage booklet packaged in a 7-inch vinyl record sleeve? For that matter, how many bands have you seen that use glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo, and sitar along with strings simultaneously, all the while reveling in the melodic capabilities of the bass clarinet? Are you starting to get the picture?

“Ghost Song” mp3

“Fran’s Song” mp3

Clearly, I cannot address every song, so we’ll just stick with a few of the highlights. “Four Seasons” (yes, each track has an alternate, simpler title) is a great opener, if only because, within 20 seconds, you have a clear sense of how intricate Super Desserts’ instrumental textures really are. (It is, however, a great song in its own right.) The track opens with ukulele, shaker, and glockenspiel for a few measures before adding banjo, harpsichord, and bass clarinet and, finally, choral, sing-along-style vocals. (And that’s the thing about this band, every song is like listening to a group of friends gathered in a pub or someone’s living room or round a campfire with whatever instruments they have on hand, singing and playing for the love of music. And that is just what every Super Desserts show is like. It’s the kind of genuineness that Fleet Foxes might have been capable of were they not from the self-obsessed Pacific Northwest.)

Eight tracks in is the clever two-minute gem, “Ghost Song” (written by Justin Riley). Who could not love a song with lyrics like “And if you are ever feeling lonely / Have a little séance and I’ll talk to you,” or “Maybe I can join a band of angels. / I may not have a body, but I’ve still got soul”. Late in the album falls “Jump Out of the Way”, one of Eve’s. The second half of this song is particularly stellar as the whole band joins the fray in a manner similar to the second half of Nickel Creek’s “Helena”, but in a somewhat stripped down (in volume only) sense. There are several other great tracks worth mentioning, like “Funeral” (“I once made out with my cousin from Cleveland / I thought she was beautiful / When my sister caught us (Oh no! Oh no!) / We were so embarrassed.”) or “Peckin’” (based on a poem by Shel Silverstein and a melody by some local fifth graders) which returns as an instrumental in a blues rock jam at the end of the Southern gospel revival style “Hammock”.

I want close out this review with one last song, my favorite, “Fran’s Song”. Despite an altogether uninteresting title (even the longer version is somewhat ordinary: “Clara is Sitting on a Sofa Next to Her Half-Brother and is Having a Completely Normal Conversation with Him”), it is the standout for me. This is as close as Super Desserts get to a normal song and the only time piano/glockenspiel-ist Fran Litterski (who also wrote it) takes center-stage. And I think it’s that ordinariness that most resonates with me. Her voice is sweet and pleasant to listen to, which further elucidates some of the prettiest, purest lyrics on this record (“I find it beautiful when I see older people holding hands. / I see that and I want it so bad, / but I know that there’s a life to live right here before that comes / I just want to know that it is something that I’ll have.”) Even a “hardened critic” like myself feels that way sometimes (read: constantly) and cannot help but melt upon hearing them here. (I had better stop listening to this song soon, or my nascent crush on Ms. Litterski is just going to get worse, and we all know how badly those things work out for me.)

Anyway, I’ve talked a lot and you’re probably bored, but I like Super Desserts. A lot. So, check out the MySpace and the website and the mp3s (above and below) and the Facebook and our Facebook and I’ll leave you alone now.

“Ghost Song” mp3

“Fran’s Song” mp3

Group of two members creating a “band sound” with only two members. Lymbyc Systym, made by a duo of siblings Mike and Jared Bell ageing 20 approx, can not only create a traditional sound, but they can also make that sound uniquely their own.

“I play an electric piano and an older keyboard called the Clavinet. It has a little synth and a sampler. And Mike has his drum set, a Glockenspiel and a computer. That’s basically our live set up,” Jared said.More on
http://khichdiall.blogspot.com/2009/07/lymbyc-systym-performs-with.html