Transposing Music Using Charts

Transposition Music Charts

Consider an example of a C major chord. The root note, C can be transposed to other keys by moving it up or down the scale. For example, the same chord in D major would be followed by the notes D-E-F-G-A. If we wanted to play this chord in A minor, it would go A-C#-E (or E as a sharp).

When musicians want to play music that has been written for a different key than they are playing it at, they will often transpose it. This is done either by playing an instrument in a different key or singing or performing with different instruments and voices that are tuned to match the notes of the song being played.

You might consider using a transposing chart…

– Like the Music Dials Transposition Chart

Transposition Music Charts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A single piece of sheet music could be used for many songs in different keys because all of these songs have at least one note which is common between them (i.e., they share at least one note with each other).

When sheet music is transposed into another key, not only do all of these common notes change but also some unexpected ones may change too! Often times there will be two options: one which uses sharps and another which uses flats.

Jam On!
Ron Greene
Founder of the Music Dials Charts

Extend Your Life Being A Musician

This article is a great example of how being a musician is a wonderful reason for getting up in the morning.

Now we all know that eating right and getting a decent amount of exercise can extend our lives, yet,  being a musician seems to be another contributing factor of life extension. (albeit, that’s if you don’t get hooked on the alchy and drug spin).

Steve Hideg is a good example of not only extending ones life being a musician, he does so living of the very edge of pure poverty. Now, we understand the poverty scene being a musician, yet, here’s a great example of enhancing ones spiritual drive with music. And to do it in such a classy way!

Jam On!
-Ron

Life extension as a musician(credit given: By Steve lopez | Photography by Francine Orr – via Los Angeles Times)

His rent is roughly $1,000 a month, and his Social Security income is about $900 a month.

“It’s a total miracle how he exists,” says one friend.

The secret is disciplined austerity, occasional help from buddies, and a once-weekly job as a jazz drummer — a job that feeds Hideg’s soul.

Hideg studied the moves of drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, got a job in an electronics factory and joined all three of the company bands. He later became a full-time musician and worked with a circus band for a while, but the songbook wasn’t to his liking and the government deemed Western music the enemy of the people…

Learn more about Steve here…
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-senior-drummer-20170805-htmlstory.html

Tower Records, the history of…

The history of Tower Records goes way back…

Wikipedia mentions that In 1960, Russell Solomon opened the first Tower Records store on Watt Avenue, in Sacramento, California. He named it for his father’s drugstore, which shared a building and name with the Tower Theater, where Solomon first started selling records.

By 1976, Solomon had opened Tower Books, Posters, and Plants at 1600 Broadway, next door to Tower Records. In 1995, Tower.com opened, making the enterprise one of the first retailers to move online.

You probably remember your first encounter with a brick and mortar record store… heck even if it weren’t selling vinyl and only CDs, you no doubt can still flash back to the earliest of days that you experienced the ambiance of music in an actual walk in store…. Russell Solomon and Tower encouraged that experience.

We now see that vinyl is back, but a touch to late to save the iconic Tower Records from moving on into the music history books.

Jam On!
-Ron

All Things Must Pass’ is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and its legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon…

History of the Double Bass Drum and Louie Bellson

Many think that the double bass drum set-up was started by the Hair or Metal bands of the eighties, however…
 
It actually started with ‘jazz’ legend Louie Bellson, a gifted musical school kid @ 15 in ‘1939 !’ who sketched out a double bass drum kit for his art class. That drawing earned him a high grade and served as a vision of what he would become… the most famous and arguably the very first double bass drummer.
 
So, the history of the double kicker goes way back further than one might expect. Now of course, you can use double kicker foot peddles to achieve the same affect (but not the same look) on a single bass trap.
Jam On!
-Ron
 
Here with his Rogers set-up…

Frosty, drummer for Lee Michaels passes…

71 seems to be a popular number this 2017 year for departed musicians…

Now, another powerful musician, drummer… Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost, aka: Frosty has moved on to the next musical dimension on April 12, 2017.

Ever since the day my face was melting after hearing Lee Michaels and Frosty play a small venue in Southern California in the late 60s, my appreciation for Frosty had never faded.

Be sure to treat yourself to some of the earlier work of Frosty and Lee (videos)… and of course, many of Frosty’s Austin bands.

Jam On!
-Ron

Frosty with Lee Michaels

(credit given Peter Blackstock via Austin 360 .com)

Born March 20, 1946, in Bellingham, Wash., Smith was raised in the Bay Area and also worked extensively in Los Angeles before relocating to Austin. He played on many of Austin’s biggest rock, country and blues records of the 1980s and ’90s, for artists including Alejandro Escovedo, Junior Brown, Roky Erickson, Butch Hancock, Marcia Ball, Tex Thomas, Doug Sahm & the Texas Mavericks, Toni Price, Guy Forsyth and Omar & the Howlers, among dozens of others…

Read More Here…

Barry ‘Frosty’ Smith, renowned Austin drummer, dies after long illness

Cleaning Chrome and Scratches on Drums…

So, the question continues to come up amongst the drummer environment… ? “How do you clean chrome on your drums?”

Well, after some deep and exhaustive research I’ve discovered some very interesting and powerful conclusions from the professionals out there… Here are some specific ‘bullet point’ details regarding this subject matter…

You do not want any ‘spider webbing’ what-so-ever… learn how to prevent this and read on!

Jam On!
– Ron

Cleaning Chrome DrumsHow to Clean Chrome Drums

Only let your drum take a comfortable ‘bath’ and do not allow it to experience a rough treatment… for example…

  • * Never Steel Wool to clean chrome drums.
  • * Never Ever. Never dry wipe a dirty drum.
  • * Never attempt to clean a dirty drum without a full, and careful disassembly.
  • * Never follow a famous persons recommendation to use steel wool. (if you wait long enough, there WILL be one.)
  • * Never use a power operated tool for disassembly or assembly.
  • * Get the right tools for the job, in good condition, and don’t cheat.
  • * Dawn (or equivalent) liquid dish soap is safe on chrome.
  • * Stay away from rough fabric and use only soft cotton cloths.
  • * After disassembly soak parts in a solution of Dawn (or any soft water suds maker) and water for several hours.
  • * If the [your] shell has no paper tag or other badge that would be damaged by immersion, soak that also. If it does use damp cloths to saturate the grime on the shell, and then, once saturated, clean it.
  • * Always ‘SAVE’ any provenance tags / originality!
  • * Rinse to remove all residue, and dry.
  • * For your parts… clean, rinse and dry. Then use your polish of choice… Meguire”s, Mother’s, Blue Magic, Flitz, and Never-Dull, are just a few brand names of products that are safe for chrome with no abrasive qualities!
  • * Be sure your fastener threads are clean with any spall (look it up) – especially with thread cutting fasteners removed from the threads, and any residual removed from the lug bosses and other parts. Carefully start the screws so that no cross-threading occurs.
  • * Do not over tighten anything!

And if the job is beyond one’s individual skill, please consider hiring a professional.

Bringing Back Analog in Music…

Is the rise of the digital machine really a cause for celebration?… This music artist in me believes not… especially when it comes to musical instruments

Give me my analog tube amplifiers and my screaming ‘steel’ stringed guitar opposed to digital devices, for any live stage or studio experience.

This article covers the existence and the rise of the (digital) machine as it’s associated with the musician. It’s something to consider to say the least…

Jam On!
Ron-

analog-vs-digital-music
Source (By: Gary Cooper / via:www.musicinstrumentnews.co.uk)

“I’m no Luddite and I doubt many of MIN’s readers are, either, but equally, I am not yet ready to surrender control of either my car or my sound system to robots which seem to have more in common with 1960s Japanese horror movies than Robbie from Forbidden Planet…”

… Read more about this article here:
https://www.musicinstrumentnews.co.uk/2016/11/21/really-sure-rise-machines/

Invention of the basic Jazz beat…

It was the late 30s’ and there was a drum cat named, Kenny Clarke. This dude could swing! Little did I realize that he created a very cleaver way (amoungst many other insightful trap notables) to use the ride cymbal as the one-beat.

Most drummers in those days struck the bass on every beat in the measure, a technique known as four-on-the-floor. For some of the faster songs back then, it was virtually impossible for drummers to keep-up this way.

Instead, Kenny kept the pulse going on the cymbal, using the bass and snare to ‘cut the time up’.

Now, with the advent of double bass and drums and pedals, the 4 on the floor is an option for trap players.

This article talks more about the history of this patriarch of drumming in modern jazz.

Jam On!
-Ron

Jazz-Beat-Kenny-Clarke

(by: Michael J. West via: NPR.org)

 

Spang-a-lang was only part of Clarke’s innovation. Marking time on the ride cymbal with his right hand — previously, jazz drummers employed the bass drum with the right foot — gave his left hand and feet the freedom and sonic space to play thundering accents (“dropping bombs”) at irregular intervals…

Read the rest of the article here…

https://www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2014/01/08/260769892/the-drummer-who-invented-jazzs-basic-beat

Latest Airline Musical Instrument Carry On Rules…

Since many of us fly with our instruments, it’s important to know how the airlines treat our equipment. Good news!… As of the first of the 2014 year the Department of Transportation (DOT) has developed a couple of new carry-on rules for flying with your musical instrument. This recent press release will bring you up-to-date on these important flying updates.
Jam On!
-Ron

Flying Guitar

 

(by: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY )

Airlines are ringing in the new year with a rule that standardizes how musical instruments are handled on flights. Once (for example) a guitar is in the overhead bin, its owner doesn’t have to move it for anyone else…

Read More About New Carry-on Rules Here…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/01/01/dot-musical-instruments-airlines/21148791/

#guitartabs

NY Subway Musicians Play Together via the Internet…

We’re getting closer (it depends on location these days) as musicians at being able to co-collaborate via the Internet and jam live together. The idea kinda emerged many years ago when lead guitarist, Jeff Skunk” Baxter with Steely Dan, created one of the first ways to gig with other musicians in different locations, all at once.

In this article…
An online video by director Chris Shimojima and producer Anita Anthonj set each performer up with a computer that connected them to the composer Ljova, who directed them from Bryant Park. Though there were many connection issues, the musicians were able to work through it and perform an original piece together from the different locations.

Jam On!
-Ron

Music on the Internet

 

As one of the NY street artist mentioned…
“I could see the composer was not matching up with music in my headphones,” she said. “I decided to go by ear and not the visual.”

Learn (w/video) more about this interesting experiment here:
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-musicians-collaborate-subway-stations-article-1.1996403