Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Pianists and Band-aids

Considering the amount of times I've brandished a knife in the kitchen, I've had amazingly few digital injuries.  Yesterday I got nicked in an unexpected way: opening a peanut butter jar.  As I pried the top off, I managed to slice open my finger on the protective plastic covering. 

Ouch.

Fortunately, because I'm in a job where paper-cuts are an occupational hazard, I have boxes of bandaids (all sizes).  I got to play the piano later that morning with a firmly placed bandage on my third finger. This didn't throw me over-much, fortunately, as there are many occasions in which I've needed to play with bandaging:  

  • Shows using excessive glissandos.  Depending on the heaviness of the keyboard, I occasionally end up bleeding (and eventually developing a 'glissando callous')  
  • Pieces with octaves EVERYWHERE.  My pinkies need reinforcement.
  • Excessive practicing in general - the bit where the nail meets the finger can get quite tender

I've also heard that cold, cold weather can lead to split fingertips (some pianists use nu-skin for this problem).  I'm lucky to have avoided THAT problem, so far.  But I'm curious about other people's 'war stories'.  One doctoral student I know had a serious kitchen accident right before a recital: his response?   "I'll just have to re-finger everything."  Tell your story in the comments section.


Important information for all: remember when in the kitchen - Always curl your fingers inwards when cutting!

 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

If resumes reflected what we actually do:


Jane Doe

Piano Slave

Perform regularly in every musical style known to mankind 

Translator and interpreter:  I speak Singer (specialization in Soprano and Bari-tenor dialects), partially fluent in Dancer

Excellent at dumbing down: music theory, history, opera plots 


Additional skills:  Drive stick shift


Friday, August 5, 2011

Spring Awakening band info

All the minutia you could ever want about the Spring Awakening band.

Instrumentation:
Bass - Acoustic and Electric
Guitar - Acoustic, Electric Nylon Acoustic, Steel String Acoustic and 12 String Acoustic

Violin*
Viola
Cello
Drums
Keyboard** 
Harmonium

*Calls for a Violin/Guitar II double 

**Keyboard part is occasionally called to be played by actors

ACT ONE
0. Opening phrases (played by entire band heard on soundtrack) before 'Mama Who Bore Me' are not written out

1. Mama Who Bore Me
Violin – m.7-end
Viola – m. 11–end
Cello - m. 11–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 20-end
Guitar (Nylon Acoustic) - m. 1–end

Harmonium - m.20-end

2. Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)
Violin – m.10-end
Viola – m. 10 – end
Cello - m. 1–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 2-end


3. All That’s Known 
Violin – m.11-end
Viola – m. 11 – end
Cello - m. 1–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 1-end
Guitar (Steel String Acoustic) - m. 1–end

Keyboard - m. 1-end

4. The Bitch of Living
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Guitar 2 (acoustic) – m. 19-end
Cello - m. 11–end
Bass (Electric) – m. 1-end
Guitar (Electric w/Distortion) - m. 1–end

Keyboard - m. 44-57, tacet al fine

5. My Junk
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Guitar 2 (electric w/delay) – m. 3-29, 57-end
Cello - m. 19–29, 53-end
Bass (Electric) – m. 11-29, 53-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 1–end

Keyboard - m. 30-47, tacet al fine

6. Touch Me

Violin – m.21-end
Viola – m. 21 – end
Cello - m. 21–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 12-end
Guitar (12 String Acoustic) - m. 1–end
Keyboard - m. 21-30. At m. 65, 'Ilse' is written to play until the end

Harmonium - m 46-88 

7. The Word of Your Body
-Computer track 
(or Keyboard) plays harpsichord 16th notes-
Violin – m.11-end
Viola – m. 11 – end
Cello - m. 11–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 19-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 7–end

Harmonium - m 11-26, 35-end

8. The Dark I Know Well
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Guitar 2 (electric w/light distortion) – m. 23-39, 56-end
Cello - m. 1-6, 15-87
Bass (Electric) – m. 23-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 1–end

Keyboard - m. 23-38, 56-end.  'Georg' is written to play  

8a. The Word of Your Body (Reprise)
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Cello - m. 2–end
Bass tacet
Guitar tacet

Keyboard - m. 1-end.  'Georg' is written to play

9. And Then There Were None
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Guitar 2 (electric w/light distortion) – m. 35-43, 59-66, 99-end
Cello - m. 15–106
Bass (Electric) – m. 15-end
Guitar (12 String Acoustic) - m. 1–end

Keyboard - m. 35-42, 53-68, 76-end

10. The Mirror Blue Night
-Computer track (or Keyboard) plays synth 8th notes- 
Violin – m.1-4, 13-end
Viola – m. 13 – end
Cello – m.2-4, 13-44
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 21-end . . . double check on this one - heard that something was missing on this song, but can't check on it until Oct.
Guitar (Electric) - m. 13-44

Keyboard - m. 21-end, 'Ilse' is written to play
Harmonium - m 21-44

11. I Believe
Violin – m.28-end
Viola – m. 28 – end
Cello – m. 13 – end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 13-end
Guitar (12 String Acoustic) - m. 1–end

Harmonium - m 28-end 

ACT TWO
12. The Guilty Ones
-Computer track 
(or Keyboard) plays synth 8th notes-
Violin – m.79-end
Viola – m. 79 – end
Cello – m. 64 – end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 50-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 26-33, 50-91


13. Don’t Do Sadness
Violin – m.11-54, tacet al fine
Viola – m. 11 – 54, tacet al fine
Cello – m. 1 – 54, tacet al fine
Bass (Electric w/pick) – m.19 – 54, tacet al fine
Guitar (Acoustic Steel String) – m.35 – 54, tacet al fine

Keyboard - m. 35-end

13A. Blue Wind
Violin – m.29 - 41, tacet al fine
Viola – m. 16 – 41, tacet al fine
Cello – m. 29 – 41, tacet al fine
Bass (Electric) – m. 3 – 41, tacet al fine
Guitar (Acoustic Steel String) – m.1 – 40, tacet al fine

Keyboard - m. 3-end

13B. Don’t Do Sadness/ Blue Wind
Violin – m. 11 – 38, tacet al fine
Viola – m. 11 – 38, tacet al fine
Cello – m. 1-38, tacet al fine
Bass (Electric) – m. 11 – 38, tacet al fine
Guitar (Acoustic Steel String) – m. 3 – 38, tacet al fine

Keyboard - m. 19-end

14. Left Behind
Violin – m. 1-4, 18-end
Viola – m. 1-4, 18-end
Cello – m. 1-4, 18-end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 4, 18-end
Guitar (Acoustic) – m. 1 – end

Harmonium - Interspersed throughout song

15. Totally Fucked
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Guitar 2 (electric w/ distortion) – m. 39-49, 71-78, 84-end
Cello – m. 7-22, 31-46, 55-78,84-end
Bass (Electric w/pick) – m. 7-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 1-end

16. The Word of Your Body (Reprise)
-Computer track 
(or Keyboard) plays harpsichord 16th notes-
Violin – m. 22 – end
Viola – m. 22 – end
Cello – m. 9 – end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 17-end
Guitar (Electric) - m. 5-end

16A. Melchior Letter Underscore
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Cello tacet
Bass tacet
Guitar tacet

Keyboard - m. 1-end

17. Whispering
-Computer track (or Keyboard) plays synth 8th notes-
Violin: m.13-20, 33-43, 53-63, 76-86
Viola: m.17-20, 33-43, 53-63, 76-end
Cello: m.17-20, 33-43, 48-63, 76-86, tacet al fine
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 33-41, 49-63,76-83, tacet al fine
Guitar (12 String Acoustic) - m. 1–33-43, 56-63, 76-86, tacet al fine 

Keyboard - m. 33-43, m76-end

17A. Wendla’s Letter Underscore
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Cello - m. 1–end
Bass tacet
Guitar tacet

Keyboard - m. 1-end

17B. Abortionist Underscore
Violin tacet
Viola tacet
Cello - m. 5–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 5-12
Guitar tacet

Keyboard - m. 1-end

18. Melchior’s Escape
Violin – m. 5 – end
Viola: m.3-10, 17-end
Cello - m. 5–end
Cello - m. 1–end
Bass tacet
Guitar tacet

Keyboard tacet

18A. Almost Midnight
Violin – m. 2 – end
Viola – m. 3 – end
Cello - m. 7–end
Bass (Acoustic) – m. 3-end
Guitar tacet

Keyboard - m. 1-end

19. Those You’ve Known
Violin: m.3-5, 13-38, 46-56, 65-80, m 87/end
Viola: m.2-6, 13-38, 46-56, 61-80, m 87/end
Cello - m. 1–end
Bass (Acoustic): m. 21-38, 47-80, m 87/end
Guitar (Nylon Acoustic) - m. 11–56, tacet al fine

Keyboard - m. 1-38, 47-end

20. The Song of Purple Summer
Violin – m. 1-9, 17-end
Viola – m. 1-9, 17--end
Cello – m. 1-9, 17--end
Bass (Acoustic) - m. 1-9, 17--end
Guitar (Acoustic Steel String) – m.1-end

Keyboard - m. 9-42, tacet al fine


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Just for the Record . . .

This article is not referring to me.  Apparently I share a name with a female martial artist who lost a match to this lovely young lady:




I do music.  And the closest I've come to martial arts is kickboxing aerobics (no hair-dye required to attend). Glad we cleared that up.