A face is worth a thousand notes

Last weekend, when I was sickity-sick-sick, I attended my son’s piano teacher’s choral concert. She directs a local choir and is always encouraging her piano students to attend any and all such concerts, in order to broaden their musical worldview. Another friend of mine is in the choir and she asked me to help “work [...]

Let’s go See a Movie!

So, Indiana Jones and the It’s Fun to do Bad Things opens next weekend, perhaps you’ve heard.  
I want to invite all roadies who live in the greater Los Angeles area, to partake in a long standing tradition, the Opening Weekend Line Squat in Westwood.  Here’s what you do:  go to Movietickets.com, or Fandango, or [...]

Hymns: Be Still My Soul

Pastor Doug started a series of sermons based on the text of hymns. I thought I’d post them here each week, for reflection and comment. There first hymn up is “Be Still My Soul”.

Be still my soul
The Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently the cross
Of grief or pain
Leave to thy God
To order and provide
In every [...]

Arranging for Brass

Things I keep forgetting when arranging for brass, as a keyboardist:

On a keyboard, the higher the notes go, the softer they sound. On a brass instrument (depending on the instrument), the opposite is true. I have to keep mentally reordering the power of the stack based on range of the instrument voicing it.
Pro players will [...]

Phreaky Phriday: “It’s fun to do bad things”

Totalled 2006 Dodge Durango: $22,500
Punishment: A whole weekend without videogames
Doing hood-rat stuff with your friends: Priceless
Today, let’s take a moment to remember little Latarian Milton. A 7-year old boy with more poise and focus than most of us can muster. It’s friday, Roadies - go out there and make the most of it.