Madness

Well thought out album cover that shows the well organized

group each doing there completely own thing. Who in the

world would think to take a picture with Primrose Hill the

same size relationship. Well done.

"Complete Madness" and "Rise and Fall" were probably the two most listened to records growing up. They still hold up today. These people took what they may have rememeber from childhood and took it to adulthood for the world to see. Fearlessly.

Abrahamson

Here's a caricature I gave to my piano teacher Eric Abrahams. I luckily make a quick copy before giving to him. I hope he liked it I don't always feel I can capture a likeness.

"Pirate's of the Caribbean"

Here's a new illustration I did for my book "Happiest Music On Earth" (2011). The other one was rushed and I used a Pirate from "Peter Pan". I like the lettering better in this new one and the funny 1960's Animatronic Pirate's.

"FUN ZONE" - Button

New "Fun Zone" buttons will soon be in stock.

"Today at the Park" - Garfield Park

I never usually do this but bringing the ipod ghetto box really can inspire a good mood to create music. The music I select works fine so just keep it playing. During the practice I had a few folk stop by. I kept playing and like usual switching over to playing Disney Music...

Right when I finish a lady who was starting her conversation decides to start talking to me. I turn on the ghetto box and tell her I am going on break! On the way back from the car I see her dancing with her partner.

I did a small puppet show for four people with the horse mask as a huge puppet to the song "Ghost Ryder in the Sky". I had the horse singing but for got I had made the sign with the "Yippy Yi Ho" . . . bummer. But I did get a round of applause and they stuck around for "Mickey Mouse Club".

Song rehearsed were FRENCH MUSIC "Amelie", "Valse D'Amelie" and "La Ven Rose". Sight reading "Bella Notte" and "So This Is Love". Surprisingly sounded halfway decent.

"Charleston" - Day #5

This version has been revised so many times to get the left hand chords correct and comfortable. Hopefully earlier versions are not better. I now hope I finally got it right!

"The Charleston" - Jimmy Johnson

I download a lead sheet of the Charleston with the melody and chords but I could not find sheet music for both left and right hands. I applied the way I'd been seeing how to 'voice' the chords in the left hands on this version here. I tried to steer them out of the way of the right while keeping them centered around middle "C".

After hearing the 'Player Piano Rolls' version, it sounded to me like maybe there were two piano players parts playing at once. My version is much simpler but not as simple at the single note lead sheet I originally downloaded. That didn't have octaves or chords that I was hearing in my head.

The song has words but I don't think of this song sung. It's like a theme song like George Lucus's "Star Wars" or the music in Fishbone's "Party at Ground Zero".

Tomorrow - Piano Lessons

1) Scales "F", "Bb" (practice slowly daily)

2) "On Wings of Song" - Medelssohn

3) "Bethena" - Joplin

4) Music Theory - Circle of Fifths Sharps and Flat in order.

Sharps F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#

(Females Can Get Down And Even Boogie)

Flats Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb (Are they backwards from the sharps?)

(Beware Every Accident Does Great Circumstantial Failure)

5) "Someday My Prince Will Come"

6) "Captain"

'On Wings of Song' - Mendelssohn

Boy that song is one tough safe to crack. Played the hands separately for a hour and a half and finally got it. He really takes each measure and puts them together in such a way. I could see that this stuff can really get tough when it has to do with Romance. And I see this just the simplified version! Great middle section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8kS5HNjzFA

More work on this song has proved again the only way to get these songs good. Play the hard measure repeatedly until it's smooth as butter.

So This Is Love

Here is a song on my list of songs I want to learn on accordion and piano properly. I already play these songs but not as accurate as I would like. So here they are with all the left-handed accompaniment. . . "So This Love", "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bella Notte".

A Dream Is Wish Your Heart Makes

Bella Notte

FRENCH MUSIC FAVORITES - "Amelie"

Here is a drawing I did of "Amelie". I just lightly traced a photograph in colored pencil and then a few days later inked it looking at the picture and a pleasantly looking inked drawing of Snow White.

It's may or may not work but the point of it is just to give the musician working on the piece of music some relief while they are sweating reading the music. It will be shrunk down pretty small with the title of the song along side of it.

Dave's Accordion School - "Bellows Shake"

I forgot to mention Dave explained to me how to bellow shake.

1) Keep the Bellows closed

2) Shake very little at the top very slowly.

3) Learn to practice shaking for 15 minutes in a row.

He also explain a "triplets" shake.

The bellows pivot in the center cause is 1-2-3 timing.

It sounded incredible the first time heard it.

I explained I wanted to do a bellows shake to him before with the "Little Rascals"

theme song, then he went looking for an accordion that could make this "tremolo"

sound instead.

I think the shake is to be used half way through a song to make the song elevated in

excitement level but it's really hard to do.

Dave's Accordion School

Photography by Todd Stefani

Today we went through songs in "French Music" book that I lost then found. I worked really hard on "Someday My Prince Will Come" that I learned on piano. Dave showed me 'tri-tone chords' on the ending and middle transition which made it sound much fuller. Stephen Grabstein, a great accordion player was standing by listening as we were going through this. He has this song on his CD and he look curious waiting by.

The other song "La Vie En Rose" which Veronica says is the most popular request song from

people who come through their door. The version Dave and Veronica had given me was pretty old and look liked it had been xerox a thousand times so I retyped it in PRINT MUSIC. I figured out the fingering (how I thought it should be played at home) and asked Dave to check it. He said what I had worked.

"Valse D' Amelie" was the last song that I fixed by changing it to the correct key of "E" rather than "C". I asked about the fingering at the end of the piece and he added a few fingering to make it correct. The "ties" on the notes of "slurs" he called them "fraizing marks".

My accordion case is made for a "Cordivox" and it is a little too big for the accordion so it slides around a bit and I move this thing around alot. I asked Dave about a case so that I might have better luck keeping it safe. He suggested I get a smaller bag-type that fits on you back. (for $70.00 that is lighter than the big accordion case). It fits on your back so my left arm will not take so much stress. (I have been having pain off and on for the last few months) and paid for today's lesson and one I had missed!

Horner Soft Case for the Accordion

Set List for Book

PRINT MUSIC - "Happiest Again in Nottingham"

Today I found the PrintMusic! User's Manual on their website. It only took about five minutes and some prayer before I found the answer. In many musical pieces I have been assigned, they ask you to play an accompany melody that usually follows the main melody. This means while certain notes of the main melody are being held, others are being played beneath it to fill in the background.

Anyways you can not just do this when you plug in the notes. The program will only allow a certain number for each bar. But I read that buy using different "Layers" you can! You have to hold down "SHIFT" and the "AAROW" key "DOWN" to get to four different layers. The other layers will be "dimmed".

The last thing I have to warn when doing this is, plug in the "Main Melody in first", then let the "accompany parts" on other layers in order of Hierarchy.

"Hierarchy": Any system of persons or things ranked one above another.

French Music Revisions

After finding the folder with all the french music I was excited to play some of it. It's funny when you loose something how all of the sudden you see how much you really want it.

I really could only play the songs I knew that I had performed at that FRENCH PARTY. To my surprise I found all sort of mistakes in the notation I had written. I played them several times at the train station marking them up with pencil, making the corrections.

"L' Autr Valse D' Amelie" was written in the wrong key. I had it in "C" and was configuring every notes that was flat or sharp with a symbol. I went into the drop down menu where you "change the key" and it did just that. The song was changed to "E" with 4 sharps. There was an option to hold the notes at the same "value" I played today at the park and the fingering and notation was right on.

"Vie En Rose" had a few note that needed to be fixed. I still can not play it like I've heard on recordings with all the romance but I am getting better at sight reading. This song is beautiful on accordion but I got to play the basses short!

I did not have "Valse D' Amelie" in the book and was trying to remember the key but to no avail. The sheet music is in the piano book, Need to move that over here.

DA DA - DA DA -DA DA! OH YEAH 3/4 Waltz how could I forget.

Lastly "Swan Lake" would work nicely with this group too. I should include "Neapolitan Dance" too. That's already written out thank God.

Recording Bass - "Afraid of the Dark"

For the past several days I have trying to recording Bass Guitar on the song "Afraid of the Dark" and get a good sound. The part I am playing is pretty good but it's the sound that has been boomy and not much high end. The song is a up beat reggae song with the classic Kick Drum on three note Bass guitar lick. There is also I melody that is felt in the bass the vocal and instruments play with.

I figured it out.

1) Turn down the Bass on the amp, to bring out the high.

2) "Drive" turn up a little distortion.

3) Mid up, Treble up

4) Turn on the "Compressor" in the recorder.

5) Click "Edit" change "RATIO" from 240 to -8!!!

6) This "Evened the Sound Out" of the Bass and made it sound great in the track.

"Being Alone" was writing at the Hotel and all it is was just a melody line that repeats over two chords Am E7. The length of the song is now 3:00. Could end up being on the album "On Time" will replace any song that does not "Withstand the Test of Time".

Someday My Prince Will Come

I've been playing "Someday My Prince Will Come" for about 3 weeks, it's getting better but I am still having trouble with the end. Also playing the 'counterpart' at a lower volume is not something I can pull of . . . yet!

HAPPY FARMER

You better know your arpeggios before attempting this song. Especially in the left hand. It's the "octave" in "F" but fooling you by reversing the basses and starting on "C"!! Due Sunday 4-31-2011 unless that's the 1st!

"Waltz" Brahms

This song is great. I learned it one week and have not practiced it for awhile but still can play it. Surprising.

Learn This Boogie!

"On Time" (2011) ERIC STEFANI

"ON TIME" (2011) - ERIC STEFANI

01 Farm Town World

02 Patience

03 Places You Get To Go

04 Work Smart

05 Captain/Jump’s Ship/Paradise Island

06 Day Turns Into Night

07 Zap!*

08 Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining*

09 A Night Out*

10 She Left Her Boyfriend*

11 Explore*

12 The End

Cut

01 Fruit Tree

02 After You're Done

03 March In History

'Bright Morning' title of the song changed to

"Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining"

Songs Changed

05 Captain/Jump’s Ship/Paradise Island

"Captain" had a third verse cut and then added on old song to it called "Sail My Boat" which the title was changed. The first title was to follow the story of Mutiny, the second idea was deserting his ship and going to a "Desert Island" then "Paradise Island".

08 Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining*

New words to the song.

07 Zap!*

Title was shortened

Good songs were found and added to "On Time" (2011)

04 Work Smart

06 Day Turns Into Night

09 A Night Out*

"Work Smart" from the Album "On Time" (2011)

This song "Work Smart" (mp3) was recorded in 2009. It was lost and then found it on another computer. It is much better than a few tracks on the album so, "March of History" or "After Your Gone" are cut and replaced with this one.

Searched the records for handwritten notation and found it in a book from 2006. After reading though it and made corrections (2am), typed into PRINT MUSIC (9am) and got it straightened out so someone could read through it. There are several chords and the melody falls on them in a particular way. (1:26)

Written for piano but it's just as easy on accordion. Spent a considerate amount of time on the fingering to help you get to the right notes easily. Thinking now this idea may go back as far as 1999. Anyhow if it lasted all these years there's got to be something special about it.

You should not see the capitol letter "I" ANYWHERE in the above paragraph.

Major & Minor Scale for Accordion

Remember when using BLOGGER
You gotta choose page (2) first before importing page (1). Work backwards if you want the top page to be the first page you read!

What I learned about making "Happiest Music On Earth" (2011)

Remember when using HEAVY DUTY XEROX MACHINE

Xerox pages different xerox machines have different configurations. Meaning you got to have the pages feed in upside down, facing down, if you want want it to come out correctly. Although if you use the scan mode to make a book you simply scan ALL PAGES (8.5 x 11) in, under the set up of putting them all in a folding book (11 x 17). HUGE TIME SAVOR!

The End - Mountain Top

Here are two songs I finally go typed up in music notation. This stuff gets easier the more you do it. I found just get 8 bars done and then the next 8. And put it all together later.

I find this is plenty to keep you busy. See there is already a typo in bar 4 of Mountain Top!

Gb not Ab...This has been revised.

Spanish Flea (for Accordion)

This was one of my favorite songs as a kid, I can not wait to learn it!

"Happiest Music On Accordion" (2011)

As I had been thinking about going back to my book (finish up printing) after fixing the size of the pages and any errors. Resizing each page took the notation down from 120% to 110% and adjusted the fingering and directions around that was throw off. That in it's self was a huge job.

Then it came time to play through the final pieces and make sure the pages numbers were correct. This is where is got really interesting. For some reason I thought that I didn't have to refer to a table on context. This was a big mistake, I wasted hours printing and reprinting thinking I could change this and that when I was wrong every time.

After getting the table of context corrected it was then easier to just follow along and plug in the correct page numbers. Duh. Finally when I was all ready to go I noticed several song were written wrong. So I took a few days patiently going though them until they were ALL corrected.

Then I went to print I spent $50 printing placing each page on the glass palette. Later I learned you can feed it all at once and program it what to do. The quality on this new machine was far better than the rest of the other xerox machines. No specks nice dark blacks and illustrations looked really sharp with the text.

Now I went to show Dave I found several mistakes on "Mr. Sandman". The reason being it was originally in the key of "D" but reworked it in "C". So some of it need to be fixed. This is after PRINTING IT TWICE. 10 books at a time.

So now, I am going through the book again rereading and checking for errors. Meanwhile a blank page in book prompted me to do a new illustration. I work on it all today you can see it on "Eric Stefani's Animation History and Research".

Swan Lake

This took 4 hours! But it's done!!!!!!

Need to still add fingering

Micheal Aarons (Book #2)

Played these songs so many times I wonder if I can play the song by seeing the title and key the song is in. If not flip to the page by the page number , which you could memorize too!

"Choral" - Michael Aaron Piano Course

Piano Solo

Here is the piano solo for "Places You Get To Go ". It is not as easy as you might think.

"Place You Get To Go"

This song is finally coming together.

1) Doubling the vocals on the chorus was scrapped.

2) Putting delay on vocals to sit better in track scrapped (better dry)

3) The organ solo was replaced by a piano (much better)

4) The guitar removed completely during the solo.

5) Editing the song down to one solo section and still four verses.

6) Still not please with final verse but oh well.

The best description of the title is the first verse. With my songs this is always the case. Trying to make a similar verse using the same frame of story or continued story is always troubling.

Some place you want to go and then you discover something that makes you want to go there. That's the basic idea I'd like in every verse, and have the end rhyme "the flower", "the pay off" "the kiss", "the smile" or of course "the tear".

In a lyric there is not much time, so every word should have words that describe or color the simple melody line.

WORD LIKE DOUBLE RYHME

"Damp Rain Forest" "Ended Up Dating the Florist"

"Hit A Brick Wall" "Set Up For A Big Fall"

"Money In Bank" "Pirate Walked The Plank"

This fuzzy verse idea was coming to me throughout the day

"You got to stop at a Hotel, before you get to where your going

you might need to go through hell, before you get flowing."

I found that in this particular song, it's better if the second line follows a different storyline. In this case just a revision to focus the end lead better into the verse.

"You got to stop at a Hotel, before you get to where your going

or hit a brick wall, you may of had no way of not knowing!"

and I like exploring 3 or 4 approaches before deciding . . .

"You got to stop at a Hotel, before you make it to the next morning

You got to hit a brick wall, before you find the way and without warning!"

I enjoy taking it to the next level by throwing in more, and swapping words around.

"You got to stop at a Hotel, before you make it to the next stop

And if you come to a brick wall, you might be hit with a loud pop!"

Rework it, until you really enjoy it!

"Captain!" from the Album "On Time" (2011)

At this time I could not print so I took a screen shot to get it on the Blog.

Caro mio ben

Piano music I need to learn by the end of the month.