Graduate school calls, and I’ve begun work on a PhD in Music Theory and Cognition at the Ohio State University, working under David Huron. Things are chugging along quite nicely, and I’m slowly getting into the groove of things, so to speak. Surprisingly, though, there’s not much of an a cappella scene here; there are murmurs that something might soon begin though. In the middle-term, it’s life as usual, piano lessons, and more arrangements for hire. In the meantime, take a good look at Diana Deutsch’s speech-to-song page to get a feel for the type of work that will be happening here. As I get deeper into the work, expect some more incremental updates to the A Cappella guide, and other cognition-related posts.

Cheers!

Stayed tuned in the coming months for a lot of activity on this site. We’re gearing up for a new school year and there will be plenty of thunking happening. In the meantime, enjoy this incredible stop motion video someone forwarded me. Notice especially the absolutely stellar image quality that is a result of using a still camera and not a video camera to take the photos, then editing it into a movie. I can’t imagine all the work involved!

I’ve been music directing a co-ed all-genre a cappella group called Rather Be Giraffes at Brandeis University for almost four years now, as well as years and years of orchestra and solo work on piano and double bass. I’ll be providing some of my hard-fought experience to this great movement once I figger out the widgets and stuff. It’ll be epic.

But of course, before I start contributing real information, here’s the Swingle Singers raising the bar for the rest of the world.

Nu is Nu.

To all a wonderful 2009 — we’re off to a great start already, I should say. With best wishes for the new year, we’ll be looking to greatly expand our a cappella arranging SmarterGuide, and begin work on a new SmarterGuide: Music Theory for Singers. Our New Year’s Resolution is to have a stellar first month of content generation, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride!

Also, a shout-out to Liz Garnett at Helping You Harmonise; she has some excellent notes on vocal arranging and conducting.

Stay Tuned!

Love,
Your SmarterMusic Editors

A few more pages are coming this weekend in Advanced Explorations, complete with audio examples and scores to listen to.  Also expect this to include an example step-by-step and more FREE ARRANGEMENTS. Everybody’s favorite.  Stay tuned and thanks for the patience as we generate content!

I am always struck at first by the “why” of blogging, and in fact the tiny and short lived blog I wrote only a handful of entries for while living in Asia was dominated by reflexive commentary on the processes of its own creation. Maybe I’ll reproduce one or two of those entries here at some point, but in general I’m going to forgo that tack in favor of producing some actual- what’s the word… content. (Gasp!)

One reason is this: this blog actually does have a why! What is it? Well…

Yuri and I both spend a lot of time thinking about music. I mean a lot of time. This is not news to those near and dear to us, I’m sure, but it bears mention for the rest. After 11 or so years of earnest exploration, I try very hard to remember that I’ve at least figured a few things out (though daily I feel to the contrary.) Some of these things come in the form of little truths… lessons learned out of the microcosm of a musical endeavor that can be applied to the rest of one’s life. Some of them are simple mechanical understandings of the workings of different instruments or the techniques applied to them. Once in a while, I might feel like I figured something really big out- or stumbled on a way of thinking that makes everything make more sense. Those moments are so few and far between, but without them true advancement would not be possible. It all depends, I guess, but with something as delightfully interdisciplinary as music, for an open mind the fun need never end.

But of course, it is the joy and frustration of learning that every step forward gives you two more ways to turn, and it is so true that knowing anything at all just shows you how much you lack. The title of this blog, while a minor point of contention between its creators, is accurate in its description not of the music we may discuss or the theories we might stand behind but of the approach we’re trying to follow. Ultimately, “smarter” means something along the lines of “more efficient understanding”… what it most definitely does not mean is “better because it’s harder to understand.” Hopefully, if we do our job right, this distinction will come through in the writing. I think a lot of what Yuri has already written has this characteristic, and I’m really looking forward to adding to it.

On a personal level, I’m excited about having a reason to actually organize all the crap floating around in my head. I’ve always been jazzed up by the prospect of understanding how music works, and a lot of the things I now intuitively grasp began as external abstract concepts. To go in the reverse direction is a kind of exercise in mental gymnastics, and one that I look forward to.

Though this is a music oriented blog, expect regular excursions into neighboring concepts. After all, nothing exists in a vacuum (do you hear me, New Criticism?) and applying specific ideas in a general way is half of the reason for studying anything at all!

Alright, well, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so that’s that for now. Perhaps more to come after our internet is beaming from a less dubious source. In the meantime, here’s a slightly pertinent quote (and I paraphrase)

“You’ve got to learn everything, of course, all of the scales and chords and how to get around on the instrument, but the ultimate goal is to forget it all again and to just play.”

-Sonny Rollins

Bye!

Nu is Nu.

Welcome to SmarterMusic, now with Jjjefff. More soon, of course, but the major behind-the-scenes tinkering with technology is done with. Thanks to Blogsdna for the free theme; in time I expect I will modify it beyond all recognition. But for now, we have a start and a new voice. Music stuffs to follow; first will be a guide to arranging a cappella and an expansion of the jazz tunes.

1. I went to an AMS/SMT convention in Nashville and learned about the true state of Musicological research.
2. Managed to move to New York City.
3. Cleaned everything up, got some furniture, food, and a good sense of the city.
4. Finished a long essay on Chopin’s Op. 31, applied to 7 graduate programs (ahead of the deadline!).
5. A bachelor party, wedding, and Thanksgiving.
6. Multiple job interviews and prayers for an income.

But now I am back and ready to go.  I will again be posting my musical progress and interests here, starting today.