Category: Misc

Moving Back to Omaha!

Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to let everyone know that I (we) will be moving back to Omaha this Fall! :-)

We’ve been away for over 8 years now, and it’s time to come back home. This big move is partially why I haven’t posted in a while… Busy, busy, busy… Overwhelmed with the preparations, really. Of course, this also means that I have had to set aside things like writing music in the interim… I had been writing a lot of stuff, so this might actually be a good time to take a step back and gain some perspective. Then, I can start fresh and go in some new directions.

Anyway, it will be great to be able to see a lot of the people we have known over the years again and to hang out at all the old places we used to visit. Sure, I’ll miss the mountain views and the crisp, clean mountain air… But, I have always been a big fan of Omaha, and family and friends are much more important than the view out of my window. Besides, the Omaha Symphony is way better than the orchestras I’ve heard around here (sorry, Colorado, but it’s true).

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Bandcamp, How I Love Thee

Sometimes I get carried away and I can’t seem to stop myself from posting. Other times it seems there are big gaps… And, of course, if I was patient enough to post this tomorrow, it would spread things out a little… But since I’m not, I just want to take this moment to point out a feature or two on Bandcamp that I like.

1. I like the way one can be directed to a customized, tiled list of your music instead of just the most recent upload. The old way made you have to click and scroll too much and that can only lead to carpal tunnel.

http://dmgardnermusic.bandcamp.com (new version)

Assigning an upload to each tile can be annoying (and somewhat time-consuming), but it does let you present your music in whatever way you think is most beneficial. You do, however, have to click the back button to get back to the tiles.

2. I’ve mentioned this before, but I love the customization features available in Bandcamp. I am able to really make it look like an extension of my website by changing backgrounds and so forth.

http://dmgardnermusic.com (example of main site)

3. I love how Bandcamp lets you embed your music across several platforms. Not only that, but you can customize font and background colors, again helping you exactly match it to your site’s theme. I also like the visualizations, which can add a little flare to your example, particularly if it is a midi sample. NOTE: I am only going to use the email version of the link for this next example to see how it posts across platforms. I’ll fix it later, if necessary.

http://dmgardnermusic.bandcamp.com/track/fanfare-alleluia-ssaa?permalink

4. I like how Bandcamp lets you offer your tracks in various ways (free, set your own price, fixed price). For me, this is a little less of a concern, as I am not a band… And most of my music on Bandcamp exists for the purpose of example. To a band, however, these features are invaluable. Bandcamp allows you to download in various higher-res formats too. No low-quality MP3s here (unless you’ve tricked the system and up-converted them).

5. It doesn’t stop there. You can offer bonus downloads such as PDFs, offer physical goods and merchandise, and even provide the UPC code for your new album. Bandcamp can even use your UPC info to relay sales statistics to Nielsen SoundScan,” the company behind the Billboard charts.” You have to admit, that’s pretty cool. ;)

6. OK, now this one is a little weird, but it’s still cool none-the-less. Ever feel the need to play Defender, but don’t own an antique Atari system? Well, you’re in luck! Bandcamp will let you play a cheesy little version of Defender with your statistics! Huh? That’s right. …With your statistics. Just click on “stats,” then on “defender” when logged into your account and let the fun begin! Well, it’s a kinda fun for a few minutes anyway…

7. Given the awesome treasure trove that Bandcamp already offers, I’m sure it does other cool things too… But now I’ve spent too much time writing about them to discover any more of them just yet.

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Below is a comment posted on one of the other platforms I post to:

“Hold the fire key down when turning on Defender if you think it starts out too easy. Thanks for the props.”
Comment by  Joe of bandcamp.com
2010/04/11 at 11:21am

Feedburner RSS Feed Changes – File Too Big

(Oops…  The server didn’t like my graphic attachment the first time I tried to post this, so I’ll just post without it and delete the previous one later.  Sorry!!!)

While in the process of updating my subscription options, I realized that some of my feeds were not updating properly.  The problem appears to have been related to a setting in WordPress.  It was set to display 999 of my most recent posts and Feedburner evidently did not like this.  As soon as I changed it to only 10, Feedburner was happy again.  If you have already subscribed to the RSS feed, the address stayed the same and you shouldn’t miss any updates.

But remember, subscribing by email is the way to go.  So, go ahead, it’s easy!

Also, please let me know if you have any email subscription issues or just any feedback in general.  I’m always looking to improve MTT, and the best way to do that is to find out what you would like to read about.

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Subscribe by Email – An Easier Way to Follow

I used to use RSS feeds to follow other blogs, and that was working out OK until I realized that I hate using RSS feeds. There were just too many, and I was really only checking a few of them regularly anyway. …Not to mention, life generally provides constant distractions, so before you know it, you’ve missed a lot of stuff that’s been posted.

So now’s your chance! Instead of just waiting around until you happen to remember to look through your RSS feeds, simply enter your email address in the sidebar on the right and click “Subscribe.” Now you can be as lazy as I am and just wait for the information to just flow your way!


Trust me it really is the best way to follow…

Besides, I know you wouldn’t want to miss out on any of the fascinating posts on Music Tech Talk. ;-)

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Orchestral Accordion

Generally speaking, it is probably a little lame to blog about something someone else just posted on Facebook…  But the thing is, this is so amazing that there are other people out there who are not on my Facebook account that might be interested to see this.  Anyway, I’m not a violinist (unless you count when I was 5) nor have I ever played or wanted to play the accordion…  Unless I could play like this guy.  Clearly, he is a virtuoso, as this is the first time that I have listed to an accordion and didn’t think about beers and Polkas.  What amazes me about his performances are a few things:

1.  Musicality – It would have been cool enough to pull off at all, but the quality of music he is producing is really first rate…  For any instrument.

2.  Sound Quality – I guess I never realized that an accordion could sound so good…  I mean it has an orchestral “feel” to it.  You even get a good violin solo impression juxtaposed with an orchestral-like accompaniment.  I don’t know if that’s just the way he plays it or what.

3.  Age – Lets face it, most musicians who are remembered as great prodigies didn’t wait until they were adults to be discovered.  While watching kids do things you couldn’t possibly dream of doing even if you spent an entire lifetime trying can be a little discouraging, it is still awesome.  I’d love to see this live.

FYI, for those of you who have made it here on other services that may not have posted the video correctly, it should be posted correctly on my main blog.

It looks like there are several other videos on YouTube out there.  Oh, and thanks, Bill, for bringing this to our attention.

Posted via email from Music Tech Talk on Posterous

Also, I should note that Posterous posted these videos correctly to my Wordpress account, even though I only used links (not embedded code) to the videos!

Gallery of Living Art 2010

Well, we made it.  Though the temperature in the balcony soared and a lot of us were losing our voices toward the end, it was a successful presentation.  All the performances were well attended, and we even had to make a couple extra rows for some of them.  I tried watching my daughter in her scene while we sang the final Hallelujah Chorus.  Unfortunately, I got a little lost, so I hope it wasn’t too obvious to anyone.  Overall, I think the choir, actors and everyone involved did an excellent job.  We were happy to hear that many people felt this was one of the best performances of the Gallery, because they sensed a genuine “passion with which we were singing.”

(CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FULL-SIZE!)

We had a visitor from Atlanta that really didn’t know what to expect from a “Gallery of Living Art.”  Later she said that she really began to understand what it was all about during the performance and was even moved to tears.  I think I experienced a little of this when I saw the Gallery for the first time last year.  The music and the scenes seem to bring the audience closer to the events described in the Bible, making it more tangible and real.  Just to know a story or believe a thing does not always make it understood, mentally or emotionally.  It’s kinda like hearing all the stories about the earthquake disaster in Haiti.  Every knows about it.  People may even feel a bit sad about it…  But a lot of it just seems like news.  Now imagine a play about these events depicted in the same way as the Gallery of Living Art.  Suddenly you realize…  These aren’t just words or stories….  These were real events involving real people experiencing real emotions.  Any event that you did not personally experience will not have the same meaning or impact until it is put into its proper context.  Setting scenes/events in a performance such as the Gallery puts events into a context that everyone can understand.

On a funny note, our choir director shared with us a quote that we all found rather amusing.  Someone in the audience approached her and said,

“You know, I’ve read the book, but I like this even better!”

Well, hopefully our performances encourage people to contemplate God’s word and even read it…  But in an age of high-tech entertainment and movies, I guess that’s at least something to work with.

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Room with a View

I’ll be honest… I don’t think this picture was actually taken out of a window, but it is very similar to the views that we did have from our hotel. Either way, it is a breathtaking view. Colorado Springs is beautiful and certainly not without award-winning mountain vistas, but there is just something special about Austria.

FYI, I removed our friend’s image from the photo, just in case he doesn’t want it posted for the world to see. I did, however, keep his awesome hair.

From The Archives – Euro Tour 1996:  Post IV

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Time To Buy A New Trumpet – Part III

Of course, articulation would be nothing without lighting fast valves, and the Xeno series valves are among the best. I wouldn’t say they are absolutely quiet or anything, but certainly not distracting.

Surprisingly, I also like the stock mouthpiece. It’s basically the same size that I was using previously, but it seems well-tuned to the trumpet.

The horn already slots well, but with this mouthpiece it almost seems to play itself.

The Yamaha mouthpiece is not as warm sounding as my Bach Megatone, but it is much more precise and requires virtually no change in embouchure from G below the staff to the C above. It also doesn’t seem to require a whole lot of pressure. Perhaps most telling is the fact that I actually seem to have to warm up, and as I play, my playing and stability seem to improve. This is basically the opposite of how it used to be. I hated warming up, because it wasted some of my playing endurance. The peak endurance point was from the start of play. From there it would steadily fall off. My new horn and mouthpiece combination yields a peak somewhere around 50 to 70% in terms of duration of play. I still haven’t gotten used to this concept, but it has helped me to follow good habits such as a thorough warm-up and warm-down routine.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I got an amazing horn at a great price. Even in the short while I have owned this horn, my playing has dramatically improved. I am certain this horn will help open the door to my eventual return as a legitimate trumpet player. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of difference a good horn can make for a player of any ability, pick up one of these and see what you think. It won’t make a bad player great, but it will help any player fight the horn less and just concentrate on performing. That, ultimately, is what makes a trumpet great.

Musical Injuries Series – Methods of Recovery Post VIII

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Time To Buy A New Trumpet – Part II

You may be wondering why I opted for the 8335S (yellow-brass bell) as opposed to the 8335GS (gold-brass bell) that is supposed to have a warmer tone. I have two reasons:

1) The yellow brass bell is supposed to project very well and have an extremely well-balanced tone.

2) It is also supposed to be very responsive to articulations, etc.

I am not sure that the added warmth of the gold-brass bell version is really such an obvious sell over the 8335S, but since I played them in different environments, I won’t swear to it. The 8335S has a beautiful, full and balanced tone that sits perfectly between warm and bright. Here’s what I think are the strongest selling points for the yellow-brass bell:

A lot of trumpets will tend to sound as though the notes are coming directly from the bell of the horn, which is not only common, but probably a logical expectation. It’s easy to get comfortable with that, but it is not always representative of what the audience is hearing. In other words, when you play a forte you feel like you are playing a forte. However, with the yellow brass bell, it first sounded like I was playing at least one dynamic lower than I felt like I was playing.

I soon realized that, because the horn was projecting so well, I was actually getting a forte while playing at what would have normally been a mezzo forte or less!

I can’t begin to tell you how much this characteristic has made a difference, reducing the amount of pressure required while playing. I discovered this phenomenon when trying out the new horn in various environments, from small rooms to a large sanctuary. Once I started playing in open areas, I heard a big, rich, powerful sound resonating back at me. …Even though I was putting only a moderate amount of force into the notes. The same was true while playing into a wall. In a medium sized room, however, the sound didn’t resonate back as well, thus the initial confusion.

To give you a different way to think about it… It almost seems like the center of the horn’s sound comes from about 15 feet in front of the horn. That’s why I didn’t notice how big the horn’s sound was in a medium sized room. About the point where the sound “centers” is just about the point where it would normally be reflecting back… Kind of canceling itself out from the player’s perspective. I know that is not a scientific explanation, but it is how I perceive it never-the-less. It took a little getting used to, but now I love the amazing projection.

Projection isn’t the only selling feature. The other thing I am very happy with is the 8335’s truly amazing response to articulation. I have never been able to articulate so quickly or cleanly. It’s feels effortless, and never seems to get in the way of the notes. Here is an example of the horn’s responsiveness. It was recorded by accident in the pocket of my crumpled-up jacket by a small Sony digital recorder. …So it sounds a bit muffled.

<a href="http://evilpettingzoo.bandcamp.com/album/articualtion-examples">Articulation Example 1 by D. M. Gardner</a>

…Or use this link:
Articulation Example 1

To be continued…

Musical Injuries Series – Methods of Recovery Post VII

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The Olympics Remembered

Set against an already amazingly beautiful mountain view (unfortunately not viewable in the pics) it literally looks as if you could jump over the city and the mountains.

I thought this would be a good time share a few photos of our visit to the old ski jump area for the 1976 Olympics. …And no, we weren’t there in 1976. It took us 20 years to get there, but it was spectacular none-the-less. It is difficult to capture with a photograph, but the view from the top of the jump is breathtaking.

I wouldn’t recommend going to the top of one of these jumps if you are afraid of heights… Then again, I wouldn’t recommend jumping off of one of them unless you have absolutely no fear of death. It really is impossible to describe how high top is and how far down the drop is from the top unless you are standing there. It looks absolutely terrifying! …And I remember actually getting those butterflies in my stomach… Like when you are near the edge of a cliff or something unreasonably high such as the top of the Empire State Building.

Of course, now I can’t wait for the 2010 Olympics to start (Feb 12th on NBC). The winter games have always been my favorite.

From the Archives – Euro Tour 1996 Post III

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A Couple of Things

It seems like my schedule will sometimes implode on itself, and I am forced to compartmentalize my various activities.  As an experiment, I tried to see how hard it would be to blog every day.  I have come to the conclusion that, while it is doable, I tend to want to write fairly substantive posts.  …Which could probably be spread out a little more.  Now I am trying to decide exactly what interval would be best to keep a regular posting schedule and keep readers interested.  That is of course, assuming that I have readers and that those readers are actually interested in what they are reading.  …And you know what they say about assuming…With that said, this will be a mini-post, followed by another post of yet undetermined length…  …Eventually followed by a follow-up on some trumpet stuff.  That way, tags, titles and so-forth won’t get too confusing …  Unlike maybe this last sentence… ;)

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From the Archives – Euro Tour 1996 Post II

One of the most entertaining places we visited on our tour was Hellbrunn Castle, in Salzburg, Austria.  What made this destination so unique was the trick water garden designed by a Duke with an unusual sense of humor.  In some of these photos you’ll get to see Dr. Saker and Bill experiencing these tricks first hand.

I’m hoping you’ll be able to read the text on the scrapbook pages.  You should be able to click on them to enlarge the images.  This first picture is of the front of the castle.

Here’s a look at the guest area and garden.  It is quite beautiful…  It even has built-in sprinkler system!  …Though you might not find out about it until it is too late.

Finally, we a various shots of the castle’s water powered scenes and decorate pool.  It was like the historical version of modern animatronics.

If you are ever in Salzburg, do yourself a favor and visit Castle Hellbrunn.  It is well worth your time…  But you might want to bring a change of clothes :)

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From the Archives – Euro Tour 1996 Post I

I’ve mentioned this a couple times before, so it seemed like the right time to break out some pages from the old scrapbook. 1996 to be exact. That’s the year that the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. James R. Saker, went on a tour to Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. That experience holds a lot of great memories for me and my wife, Laura, so I thought posting some of our pictures and stories might help bring back some good memories for other people too.

Read more »

From The Archives Post 2 – I Survived Mahler’s 8th

Ever felt like one in a million?  How about one in a thousand?

While I was in college, I had the opportunity to be in Mahler’s 8th Symphony chorus and perform with the Omaha Symphony for director Bruce Hangen’s final performance with the organization.  I don’t know if there were 850 of us (+170 orchestral members) like the 1910 premiere that Mahler’s agent dubbed “The Symphony of a Thousand,”  but there were definitely a lot of us.  I remember a few sets of antiphonal brass, a children’s chorus, a great big orchestra, a giant chorus and a capacity crowd…

The performance was in the original concert hall, not the newer Holland Performing Arts Center opened in 2005.  It was probably the closest I will ever get to feeling like a rock star.  Sure, it was a huge collaborative effort, but being completely immersed in the ethereal resonance of choral and orchestral sound guided by the masterful conducting of Maestro Hangen and the genius of Mahler’s flawless orchestration made me feel at once alone in the experience and part of the whole.  Upon the conclusion of the final movement but before the ambient reverberation of the final cadence ceased, thunderous applause erupted from the enormous crowd like a battle cry as two massive armies engaged in battle.  You could literally feel the energy being transferred through the floor and walls of the concert hall.  Almost simultaneously, the crowd rocketed to their feet and showered us in endless exaltation, bow after bow, ovation after ovation.   I thought I recalled about 8 times that the conductor, orchestra and chorus had to bow.  I wish I had a recording of the performance or a perfect memory of the occasion, as it was for me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  The only other experience that came anywhere close to that, chorally speaking, was our performance of Bach’s Magnificat with the Omaha Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Cina Crisara.  I’m pretty sure she also rehearsed us for the Mahler performance, but as I get older, so diminishes my ability to recall such detail. Read more »

Under Construction

This is the new location for Music Tech Talk. I will set up a redirect from Blogger to Wordpress when this site is ready. Thanks for your patience.

Good News is No News

Or so the saying goes. Well, I realize that even on the most popular blogs, people really don’t comment as much as you’d think. This doesn’t bother me, because I admit that I often read blogs and will not comment either. It has to be something special for that to happen.

So, it occurred to me that I should take a little main-stream media angle on it, and report only bad news today. Even better, it’s funny bad news. Here’s what happened…

It all started when my wife lost her car keys. I let her use mine and I used the spare. I got called into work early this morning and realized my wallet was nowhere to be found. Hoping what little I.D. I had would get me in, I headed to work anyway. Flashing a smile, apparently, did not do the trick. So, waiting in line for 30 minutes hadn’t done me a bit of good either. I called work, let them know my predicament. They then informed me that I needed to go back home, find my wallet and come back in again…

My cell phone rings. My wife has located my wallet (yeah!). I had dropped it unknowingly because I had been using my spare key, which I had been putting away in my wallet. Unfortunately, this led me to dropping my wallet and not realizing it was missing, as I usually do not have it out when I am returning from work. It gets better…

I head back home (30 minute drive), reclaim my wallet and head back to work a second time, slightly relieved. Just about 3/4 of the way there, I notice something… Odd. My car is surging. …And this is now the third time I have driven the distance between home and work. It is at this point that I realize I am almost out of gas. I’d tried to get gas the night before, but it was late, and this particular pump likes to not work even though it’s supposed to be open 24 hours… No problem, I’ll fill-up in the morning, right?

I decide my best course of action is to get up a little speed and coast. This works, right up until the point I stall right a the entrance of work. This is, unfortunately, not anywhere close to the building I need to get to. So, with humility, I start walking toward the building. Another guy sees me in distress and offers me a ride. I accept. He drops me off at the gas station, and I buy a can of gas. …But I decide, I should just go ahead and walk to the building and get my car later.

I say hello at work. When I get everything done I needed to do, I go and find a junior employee that has nothing to do and ask for a ride. Once again, a humiliating experience. He graciously provides me with transportation; first to the gas station, then to my car.

Finally, it was all over. I made it back to the gas station, filled up and was on my way. Needless to say, I am looking for a way to relax this afternoon and a way to pay back the poor guy who had to drive me around today.

I hope that was enough bad news for the day. If this has inspired you to comment, please do. If not, oh well, at least I finally made it home OK.

Recording with Yo-Yo Ma

And, Oh, how I wish it were me… Last Fall, Yo-yo Ma held a contest inviting anyone interested in performing with him to compose an arrangement of Dona Nobis Pacem, effectively combining his version with that of the winner. People could vote on their favorites, but Ma got to make the final pick. In Ma’s infinite generosity, he ended-up choosing two winners… But the one I’m interested in writing about today lives right here in Colorado Springs.

As a composer myself, I know we can often be an ignored or overlooked component of music and performance (or I suppose that could just be me). It sounds strange at first, but this is for fairly obvious reasons, if you think about it.

The composer is often out-of-the-picture once it is in the hands of the ensemble, for the most part (particularly if you don’t have your own ensemble at your disposal). Not to mention, there is so much music already out there. I think ensembles often feel it is a lot easier to do works they are familiar with. New works from non-mainstream composers represent risk and can’t deliver on the guaranteed-good-performance-warm-fuzzies. I mean, who knows what kind of crazy stuff is going to come off the page? …So, it’s pretty amazing that Yo-Yo offered this kind of opportunity to just anyone interested… I wish I had known about it earlier, as this crazy composer would have surely written something as well.

Kevin McChesney of Colorado Springs, on the other hand, has “composed more than 400 arrangements and original works for hand bells and “is in constant demand as conductor and clinician world-wide”. He kinda knows what he is doing. I had the opportunity to attend a concert by the Pikes Peak Ringers, and it was clear then that McChesney not only conducts a great ensemble, but that his music is amazingly beautiful and well-crafted. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated.

I wish Kevin had arranged a version of It’s a Small World After all, because now would be a great time to have it playing in the background. My choir director, Joan Kuehn, happens to be a member of the Pikes Peak Ringers. On 5 Nov, she had just returned from Boston that morning after recording with Yo-yo Ma and the Ringers in person. That was a treat for us, her choir, because we got to hear the inside-scoop on Yo-yo and the recording process.

Joan was still a little excited from the recording session and didn’t seem tired at all after her long day. She told us that Yo-yo seemed like a genuinely nice guy and that he “put people first and music second.” I’m pretty sure she was referring to Ma when she said that, but either way, that’s how I like to think of him. I just can’t imagine Yo-yo in a rage over anything… Well, to further the nice guy image,

she told us a little about a moment when the sound engineer stopped things to inform Yo-yo that he was playing his C’s, well… Sharp.

In fact, he was playing his C’s sharp in that measure and a few others too! Joan said the Ringers’ jaws all dropped at the sound of Yo-yo being criticized! The way she described it, I wonder if there might have been an audible gasp. Well, of course, Yo-yo has had more than his share of experience in this matter and handled it gracefully. So when it came time for the Ringers to face a bit of criticism for allegedly “dragging” in a certain section, Ma quickly came to their defense.

He jumped up and quipped, “It must be the economy!”

(or something to that effect, anyway).

You remember that tune playing in the background?… You know, the “small world” tune… Well, it just so happens that a good friend of mine, Anthony Trecek-King, director of the Boston Children’s Chorus, lives in Boston (obviously). I decided to write him and mention that my choir director was just there recording with Yo-yo Ma. His response was, I actually knew that already, because the BCC records in the same studio! …Then I found out we were actually cousins… Just kidding, but it kinda seemed like it was going there, didn’t it?

The Colorado Springs Gazette, and I’m sure many other organizations, did a couple of articles on the subject. In one of the articles, it talks about Ma’s interview on NPR where he tells NPR’s Robert Siegel,

“The arrangement is phenomenal, and the professional quality of what this group has done is absolutely stunning.”

OK, Kevin McChesney, you have now officially arrived. Oh, you too, Ringers… What greater compliment from what better source could a composer ever hope for? Personally, I’d start printing T-shirts at this point, but I have the feeling Kevin is a little classier than that. OK, Kevin, I think you are officially one of my heroes now.

If you’d like to hear Yo-yo Ma’s solo version of the original melody, use the player below:  (NOTE: If the player below decides to never load properly, you can just go to this page.)

Man, was that C a little sharp, or what? Just kidding.

Here’s Kevin’s winning entry:


Not to steal his thunder, but here’s the other winning entry. It is basically the polar opposite of hand bells, but quite interesting none-the-less:

Still Busy

The last week has been no less packed than before. I am making a lot of progress with the website, but a hoping to reach a stopping point soon. The learning curve with Dreamweaver CS4 has been steep, but I think I will have a lot to talk about when I am done updating my site. Like pretty much everything else associated with my music, I like doing things from scratch. So, while it may take a bit longer, the process is at least twice as fun.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow, haven’t had much time to post. I’ve been doing a lot of writing, studying and prepping for a graduate recital… And that’s after spending a lot of time with family. Doesn’t leave much time for posting.

Today I had the pleasure of studying organ scoring do’s and don’t with Evan Becker. He is a fine organist has already imparted much knowledge. However, it is clear that I will want to keep my hands on the organ as I continue to perfect the organ reduction of my choral symphony. The organ is such a complex beast in all it’s subtleties and sometimes lack thereof. In order to do it justice and fully exploit its many pipes and stops, one must give it respect and allow enough time to really understand it’s capabilities, limitations and sounds. One thing is for sure… I think I could easily become addicted to studying the organ. There is just something about its raw power when you pull out all the stops, especially the 32′ stop!

A New Look For My Website


Please be patient with my website experimentation, but I always like to try to do things myself… That means a lot of trial and error. The good news is that my home page loads a heck of a lot faster now and I like the new look. The other pages will be changed one-at-a-time as I get to them.

WordPress Themes