December 27, 2006
My son is minoring in music at college, and I'm eager to learn what he knows, without the tuition and the tests. Last night he told me about pivot modulation, where the mth chord in a key is redefined as the nth chord in another key. He went on to tell me that Sage Francis sometimes uses this technique verbally, by stringing together a series of compound words where the second word in a pair becomes the first word in another pair. Way cool!
I'm gonna borrow that technique here, and make the last blog from my previous blogging experience serve as the second blog in this series. I started writing about my musical highs in e-mails a few years back, then found a couple of music-centric contexts in which to try blogging. From January 2004 to April 2005, I wrote as Low_Reed on the Musicians Connected web site; in August 2004 I wrote as Fringe Heartbeat, doing a music-focused blog for the MN Fringe Festival.
So here's my last blog (so far) as Low_Reed, to further introduce myself, my obsessions, and my bass clarinet (and to send props Leslie's way!):
Friday, April 01, 2005 6:44 PM
My First Public Solo Gig |
| 5-7 minutes of fame at Leslie Ball's Cabaret |
Earlier this week, someone posed the following question on the online Clarinet Bulletin Board (The Clarinet BBoard ):
What was the first clarinet solo that you took to contest?
Now, I was never a music major, nor did I play one on TV, but I have begun playing solo recently. So I began to respond, and then I kept responding, and my answer turned into a blog:
My first solo experience happened last June, at the tender age of 53. This was the first time I played in front of a paying audience. It was a competition of sorts, as well: I competed with my stage fright and won!
The venue was Leslie Ball's Cabaret at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis -- a Saturday midnight staple on the West Bank for the last thirteen years. The audition was the easy part: You had to have been a Cabaret audience member at least once before, to get the lay of the land. Then you had to be willing to get up on stage and do anything you wanted for 5-7 minutes.
Well, I wanted to use my bass clarinet, an instrument I loved, to play some of the music that I loved. I had been recently reunited with my tall, dark, deep-voiced lover after a thirty-year separation. We had gotten reacquainted in the relative safety and comfort of a community band, where we blended in with the low brass. Now, we felt it was time to make a public statement about our growing commitment.
I also wanted to explore new musical territory, and play some of the jazz, and blues, and ballads, and classic rock that had gotten under my skin during three decades of self-imposed bass clarinet celibacy. High school and college band was fun -- I played bass drum during marching seasons and bass clarinet during concert seasons. And I wore a kilt and played in the pipe band at my Scottish-oriented college. But my musical consumption during the next thirty years ran more toward the Doors, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Thelonius Monk. Never learned guitar or piano -- how could I possibly play any of this stuff?
Well, I bought some clarinet, voice, and piano sheet music, did some transposing (via Finale software) and did some noodling around. Decided it was time to go public, but wanted some additional musical voicing to add texture and not be so exposed out there on the stage. So I recorded "me and my shadow" playing the second line of some jazz duets. For some other numbers, I used Finale as my piano accompanist and recorded that. Burned a CD, bought a portable battery powered speaker (a Fender Amp Can), and was ready to go.
The night of our public commitment ceremony, my BC lover and I sat off by ourselves in the theater risers. We kept our arms wrapped around each other, and frequently swapped spit to reassure each other (and to keep the reed moist). Our turn came, and we stumbled down to the stage. As we set up the stand, the music, the CD player, the Amp Can, and the wires, we were given a very warm and calming introduction by Leslie, the gracious host and MC.
We launched into our first number, "Well, You Needn't" by Thelonius Monk. Tentative at first, we gained confidence, due to the steady accompanying support of our own recorded voice. Got to the buildup and the long series of syncopated eighth notes, and kind of lost track for a bit. We were chagrined, but didn't think the audience noticed.
Then we passed out lyric sheets, and had the audience help us out with our concluding number: Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley / Loudon Wainwright's "Hallelujah." This is a piece that really moves me. With shared breath and coordinated rhythm, my lover and I emoted this number along with the audience (about 25 people, including 5 family members and friends).
All in all, it was a great night. My BC beauty and I got hooked on public displays of affection, and have been back to Ball's Cabaret a half-dozen more times, with more tunes and more elaborate equipment (including my homemade BuskMobile!). We've played in a couple of other venues as well. Recently we put together a demo CD and have been shopping it around at local coffeehouses and restaurants.
Now, I'm not in it for the money, or the glory (good thing, too!). But I've realized in the last couple of years that "I've got the music in me, I've got the music in me, I've got the music in me!" And I'm having a blast letting it out, exploring it, and sharing musical Good Vibrations with anyone who'll listen! |
