DulciTheory #4
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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DulciTheory Newsletter -- Issue #4: Back To Basics
publisher: Jerry Rockwell
email: jcrockwell@gmail.com
Intro to issue #4
As I write this we are over 70 subscribers! Seems a bit odd seeing that our
topic is not exactly mainstream, but that shows you what the web can do.
Feedback
I still have not had any real feedback about what is working and what is not --
or what is too basic vs. too complex or advanced. So maybe its time to try
something a little more interactive: I'm thinking of a form or questionnaire
hosted on my web site, that would allow you to let me know where you are at in
the realm of music understanding. There would probably be a few "test"
questions for diagnostic purposes, along with some "type in the text field"
sorts of opportunities for you to give feedback.
I should be able to get this form ready in the next few weeks -- before Mary
and I blast off to Cullowhee -- so when its ready I will send out a special
mini-edition of this newsletter with the link to the form.
Frequency of Publication
When I first started DulciTheory earlier this year, I was thinking about doing
about two issues a month. While that's certainly a noble target to shoot for,
the frequency may well go down to about one issue per month during the most
hectic part of the festival season -- which is coming right up.
For Recent Subscribers
Those of you who just signed up for DulciTheory in the last month or so, you
should definitely check out all the introductory material on my web site:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dulcitheory.html
Also, you may want to look over the first three issues which are archived on my
site now:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt1.html
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt2.html
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt3.html
As always, questions are welcome, and I should be able to respond to your email
very quickly:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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BACK TO BASICS
Why Learn Theory?
This is probably the most fundamental question we have to ask ourselves, and
there are no complete answers or correct answers to this. We will ALL have
different reasons for deepening our understanding of music, as we have
different approaches to music and the dulcimer.
I can only answer this from my own unique and individual perspective:
1. As an improvising musician, a solid knowledge of theory helps me to
visualize and plan ahead when I'm in the heat of real-time improv. There are
MANY great musicians who improvise on a totally organic, intuitive level --
without thinking too much about the structure of what they're doing. I don't
deny these abilities in my own music -- I've simply made theory a trusted
friend -- a kind of "toolbox" I can reach into anytime I want. Theory INFORMS
and GUIDES my intuitive senses, and often allows me to expand upon the ideas
that occur naturally and intuitively.
2. As a composer of mostly modal folk-like melodies and harmonies, I have found
that deepening my knowledge of the structure of the modes, and how they lay out
on the dulcimer, has been extremely helpful in spinning out my own tunes and
taking them to some strange and different places.
3. As an arranger of music for the dulcimer, I am often faced with transcribing
multi-part music written for piano or some other instrument. Again, my theory
toolbox allows me to make hundreds or even thousands of decisions on the spur
of the moment.
It is this last application that I know many of you already have a strong
leaning towards -- I guess I know this "statistically", instead of being a
mind-reader or anything like that :-) When the form is ready, you can fill me
in more about what you personally need from a study of theory.
Why Are There All These Numbers Everywhere?
Don't we have enough numbers already with our tab fret numbers? Yes -- I
suppose we do, but I'm afraid that the numbers are quite fundamental to
studying music theory: for intervals, chord formulas, scale ingredients, and
much more. The numbers allow us to:
1. Understand the STRUCTURE of musical elements like chords and scales
2. Port them "lock-stock-and-barrel" ANYWHERE we want in any key!!!!
It is this portability trick that is just so incredibly cool once you get used
to it: once you know the structure of the major scale and all its indigenous
triads and seventh chords -- then you know ALL the major scales in every key.
[of course, the dulcimer with its mostly diatonic fret pattern, does not let us
port any structure anywhere on the fingerboard the way a guitar will. But there
are still many uses for this concept as it works away behind the scenes,
grinding away in our mental gears.]
Music Theory is all about RELATIONSHIPS -- the numerical scale degrees,
intervals, and Roman Numeral Chord Symbols -- they are all teaming with
information about RELATIONSHIPS. Now....once you become familiar with some of
these relationships and the inherent tendencies of some chords to want to pull
in a particular direction....its what you DO with all this insight and its the
DECISIONS you make based upon this information that actually make it useful.
I'm going to try real hard to make everything we cover in DulciTheory an
APPLICATION of theory, rather than an academic "Beethoven did it this way, so
go and analyze it to figure out why it works."
I've always liked to draw an analogy between the many amateur piano players
I've known over the years and the many dulcimer folks I've had the pleasure of
teaching. The piano players, with VERY few exceptions, are tied ABSOLUTELY to
the printed page of music: take away the sheet music and the performance ends
abruptly. The dulcimer players, with some exceptions, are tied ABSOLUTELY to
the tablature in a book or handout.
There is a very interesting parallel here: neither of these musicians is likely
to get at the essence of the music at hand, nor are they likely to expand upon,
or improvise around, the structures inherent in the music they're playing. Why?
Because in both cases, the music is merely a set of rough instructions on how
the music is supposed to be played: its like the music or tab is the software
and the player is the hardware!
Of course, this is a very rough generalization, and doesn't refer to the great
classical players (though they always know the music by heart) nor to the many
fine dulcimer players who use tab frequently, but often go way beyond what is
on the page.
What's even more interesting is that I don't think the piano player has any
advantage over the "play-by-number" tab-oriented dulcimer player. This is
because the piano player was taught to look at the music on the page and play
EXACTLY what is written -- no extra notes, no embellishments, no variation the
second time through, no soloing around the changes, etc. So the traditionally
taught piano player doesn't SEE the structure implied in the music. In fact,
most of these players cannot play chords from a lead sheet or rhythm chart --
they need all the notation written out EXACTLY how its "supposed to" go!
As dulcimer players, then, we might consider standard music notation from a
totally fresh viewpoint: with an eye toward deep structural understanding -- so
it becomes a scaffolding that we can hang variations on -- so that it becomes a
REFERENCE STRUCTURE.
Anyway, these are just some thoughts to chew on for a while -- feel free to
email me with your reactions or questions:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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Once Again: I would like to especially encourage everyone to sign up for my
Celtic Class at Augusta this July -- the class will focus on the process of
arranging for the dulcimer, and all the good stuff you're learning here can be
applied directly to your chosen tune project in the class. There should also be
ample time to learn some of the tunes in Dulcimer Solos 2, Blackbird & the
Beggarman, and Dulcimer Solos 1 revised edition (which will be ready VERY soon)
Here is a page with more info:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/celticclass701.html
Thanks!
Jerry
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