Lessons with Eric (Piano Abrahamson)

THEORY BOOK
pages 58 - 62

1) Scales: A minor (review), C Major (review)
                new E minor, G major )review)

      Practice hands separate then together, play as 1/2 notes

3) "At The Races" (Fix fingering last stanza)

4) "Water Lilies" - Slow (practice last two measures only)
                   Use my Octave Theory

5) "Minuet in G" - Bach

Plugging In Revisions

I have made new ideas that are variations and more detailed melodies that work over the same progression.  I am having trouble deciding weather to throw out the original or make a variation on the second time around.

What I decided to was to keep the original file, and make a copy with the changes, (hold on I have to correct some spelling).   Then I can go back and combined the two without loosing all the hours of work,  A wiser man a short amount of time, but I'd rather be the Tortious than the Hare.

PRINT MUSIC - Tutorials

Take the time to look through the Tutorials.  There are things you can learn in there to make things easier for you.

• Short cuts (holding down keys on the keyboard)  to switch from an eight note to a quarter notes 

          (less time + effort dragging place to place)

• Set up a mouse with two areas to click on (left + right), plus "zoom" 

          (Hold the command key)

These are rough notes from listening to yesterday's recording. After playing the song on the piano over and over trying to read what I wrote, the mistakes that I made were possible ideas for variations.  

While listening through the 12 minute recording, I'd look for 'good idea' that could be possible real parts to learn and add to the song.   I'd stopped, rewind and listened carefully to write down the notes and rhythms that I heard, in order so I can read + play it later.

This is very difficult and labor intensive, (It can not be done with someone else in the room talking to you about something else!) .  Even though I can read better I still have trouble looking at some notes to know what they are.  I can write notes down but not read them back as well.

This is the only way I know how to embellish and flush out a song properly!

EMBELLISH:

1. Make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features: 
2. "blue silk embellished with golden embroidery".
3. Make (a statement or story) more interesting or entertaining by adding extra details, esp. ones that are not true.

"On Time" Self Evaluation with New Edits + Mixes!!

1) Farm Town World

1. Seems to be playable.

2) Patiences

1. Seems to be listenable.

3) Place You Get To Go"

1. But when was the piano out and replaced by and organ! 
2. Seems to be pretty smooth.
3. Seems to be listenable.

4) "Work Smart" - Sounds good but needs work!!

1. Seems to be listenable but still questionable.

5) "Captain/ Jumps Ship/ Paradise Island"

1. English accent is strange.  I give it an 8.  Music sounds good though.
2. Background vocals are pretty good, in the back.
3. Transition sound fine, surprisingly no trouble.
4. Fade to wind
5. The title on this song changed from "SpeedBoat" to "Paradise Island"
6. This song was just notated.
7. Seems to be pretty listenable.

6) "Afraid of the Dark"

1. Afraid of the Dark (awkward lyric) 
2. Afraid of the Dark (5 plays) good version guitar good
3. Right lyric, good guitar in the background, weird fade
4. Seems to be listenable.

7) "Lone Ranger"

1. Good sound effect
2. strong lyric and lead vocal
3. Slightly screwed up guitar.
4. good sound sound effects
5. back background vocals
6. the machine guns are not cowboy guns
7. by 2:24 could start fading but it keep going!
8. 3:00 minutes!
9. Break with a horse sounds effect sound good
10. 3:32!

8) "Face of a Clock" - Sounds good but needs work!!

1. Good start but goes no where at all.
2. cut sooner to a vocal
3. Is there a vocal?
4. until :52 then it changes and slight distortion
5. Questionable!

9) "Day Turns Into Night"

1. strong start and lyric
2. blow away all this stuff I've had enough (drug reference?/ no)
3. Chorus sounds good in the headphones anyways)
4. No perfect but good.

10) •Waltz in G minor

1. Distorted near the end
2. Maybe remix after you get the others done.

11) •Zap!

• strong start 
• Very listenable
• good song
• keeps your attention!

12) Dark Cloud

• strong start no lyric
• Sounds good but needs work!!

ONYX - Blackjack

Tonight I took the "Left and Right" Line Outs I had on the computer headphone jack and went into  ONYX Black Jack "Outputs" .This instantly gave me a better signal and no more awkward protruding adapters.  If I have only know to do this before!

• Select Apple
• Drag down to "System Preferences" and Open 
• Select the "Sound' icon.  
• Then choose "Output" and switch from "Internal Speakers"
• to "ONYX Blackjack" USB

I was so happy to see the 'volume knob' on the hardware working,  9 time out of 10 things like this do not work for me!  I did a few edits to the end of 'Waltz in G minor" which I:

• Added a "phaser" effect to the first 35 seconds
• Removed the troubled areas 
• Cutting into the repeated sections 
• Shorted the ending by about 10 seconds (2:04) (1:
• Downside: You can hear the changes on the recording.

I could go back to the original tracks but would have to record the drums over.