Odd Meter...

So, today I was thinking about that last tune. I was running and it was early in the morning. (Not that I do that often, mind you.) I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. So. when 5am came around, I decided to put on my running gear and head out. Running is maybe a generous term, but at least I was moving somewhat faster than I usually walk. As I was running, I started thinking about rhythms and odd meters, and I came up with one that seemed interesting in my head.

||: 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 :|| 4x - Intro

| 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | - Transition to head...

Head in 6/8.

The key to this thing is that the head melody would be 8 bars long, at least and through-composed (not repeat after 4 bars.)

One thing that I get really tired of in my own song writing is that my phrases seem to only be 4 bars long, and then repeat. Also, I seem really stuck on A A B A forms. Not that there is anything wrong with A A B A. In fact, I have read some stuff that ties this approach back to classical forms. And I think that if it is a classical form, it was that way for a reason... It work. (Or at least it worked then.) I guess I just feel that it should be possible to reach outside this form, and go for something a little more fresh, and still maintain an ease of listening (want to be careful throwing that around).

Anyway, I'll have to see where this ends up, I guess...

Once in a lifetime...

As many of my friends know, I am a huge Pat Metheny fan. Even I find this odd at times, since I am actually a bassist and have been playing for 30 years now. I have very little desire to switch to guitar from bass. That said, I still very much identify with Pat Metheny's music.

I started to listening Pat Metheny somewhat by accident. In 1984, I received a copy of First Circle. A friend of my mother's belonged to a "tape of the month" club. My mom's friend had forgotten to send back her club notice saying that she didn't want any tapes for that month, and ended up getting First Circle (plus another tape from Blue Oyster Cult.) She new that I was getting into playing bass, and decided that rather than send the tapes back, she would just pass them on to me. I still wonder if maybe she stuck that tape in and never made it past Forward March... Anyway, the tape made its way into our old Marantz stereo and from the first note, I was hooked. Ok. Well maybe the first note of the second tune, Yolanda, You Learn (a fine example of a 1980s video, btw!).

I listened to that Pat Metheny Group tape over and over, and read everything I could about Pat Metheny and his band. Over the years, I have pretty much owned everything that Metheny has ever recorded commercially. Recently, I came across an advertisement for a week long workshop that Pat Metheny, Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez will be doing August 22-26 (2011) in Norwich, CT. I mentioned this to my wife, and she insisted that I go. It is not cheap. However, it is also not really too bad considering how much some technical conferences run these days. At this point, I have reserved a spot, have purchased a plane ticket (with frequently flier miles). I have a car lined up, and have located an upright bass that I can rent in CT. Now comes the hard part... I have to wait until August (4 months from now) before I can go.

Hopefully, I will accomplish a couple things in that time. First, I hope to continue to write this blog to dust off and further improve my writing skills. Secondly, I have decided that I want to come up with a set of original tunes that I can bring to the conference to see if I can get some feedback from some of the masters. One of the things that I have always enjoyed about Pat Metheny's music has been his compositions. He writes songs that have a wonderful balance of catchy melodies and at the same time are filled with harmonic and rhythmic complexity and sophistication.

For now, I have identified 8 potential tunes that I want to bring to the workshop. They include:

1. Relative Spring. This is a medium tempo swing tune inspired by Question and Answer.
2. Macondo. A ballad. I am not sure where this is headed. I had in mind something like Metheny/Hayden.
3. Danny's Tune. This is a rock tune ala American Garage or maybe "The Red One".
4. Bluebird. This is an up-tempo blues head tune that I wrote several years ago.
5. New Bossa. This is a bossa that I collaborated on with my friend Andy Dubner.

From here it gets a little more vague.

6. Enterprise. Similar to Round Trip/Broadway Blues. I composed this tune in 1986. It is "Ornette-like"
7. 12/8 This tune is as of yet unwritten. I have in mind a 12/8 kind of think similar to "Minuano (Six Eight)" on Still Life Talking.
8. ???? Dunno about this. It is wide open at this point.

So far, I seem to be bouncing back and forth between what I feel like are OK charts, and at times thinking they sound awful, and I am just not good enough to compose this kind of stuff... Then I remind myself that I have played for 30 years, and minored in music in college at a reasonable music school, and should just relax and write stuff that I enjoy without trying to impress anyone. In the end, that will be the real trick to enjoying this trip.

If I can just stop worrying about trying to impress people, and go to learn and experience music in a very intimate setting with an artist that I have followed and enjoyed for most of my life.

More later...