"Rising Tide": Score Transcription Project

I have a new studio setup, based around Apple's Logic Studio software suite.  As part of my initiative to educate, or re-educate, myself, I am digging into the score production aspect of Logic Pro 9.  This powerful, industry-level application requires a fair bit of learning before being able to claim you are using it to its full potential.  Nonetheless, I have selected an obscure work for my first attempt to reproduce an entire score.

The piece is "Song of a City" (sometimes known as "Rising Tide") by the twentieth century composer William Grant Still.  This music was commissioned by the 1939 New York World's Fair Corporation to be played via continuous loop recording inside the iconic Perisphere building as part of the Democracity exhibit.  The actual recording is nowhere to be found, and I went so far as to inquire about it with the music company owned by Still's family in the year 2000.  They sent me a copy of the full, hand-written score for the music.

Here is an excerpt from a piano-only recording.

The impressive Logic Pro 9 software includes templates for various instrumental setups, and as luck would have it, one template almost exactly duplicates the instrumentation required for "Song of a City".  There is no glockenspiel part in the music, so that track in the score will remain vacant for now, but I may take some license at some point and write a glock part on my own.

Transcription may take several months, as I am learning the software at the same time as deciphering the hand-written score.  As the major segments of the work are completed, I will upload them here for review and critique.

Here is some background on William Grant Still and the musical work I am about to re-create.


And below are links to the various components of my studio:

iMac 2.93 GHz Intel Core i7 with 27" screen

Logic Studio

M-Audio Axiom 61

M-Audio Keystation 49e

Samson C03U USB Microphone

Muse Research Receptor Komplete

Traveler Guitar Pro Series

Sony DP-IF3000 Cordless Infrared Earphones

KK Audio A-1-88K Edit Desk

Mark Levine, and an update on my progress with the Paul Abrahams podcast

Paul Abrahams advised me via e-mail that I could take a look at the Mark Levine book vice the Mehegan series. I still believe the Mehegan series has the discipline needed to be versatile (e.g., commanding you to practice all songs in every key), but per Mr. Abrahams' advice, Levine is more instantly accessible to musicians. 

I bought the Levine book this afternoon at the local music shop in downtown Mountain View, CA.  Let's see if it lives up to the kudos of all who have reviwed it on Amazon.com....

Also, Paul is coming out with his own book shortly.  I have progressed through 7 of the podcasts (playing with Autmn Leaves this morning).  He clearly describes the use of shells with the left hand, and his step by step approach enables you to quickly learn the lesson.  Of particular benefit is his accompaniment, which deliberately plays around the parts you are required to play as the student.  It is a refreshingly effective way of getting students halfway around the world to understand some of the basic tenets of Jazz.  I will certainly write a review of his podcast on iTunes, but I want to get a couple more lessons under my belt in order to more completely descibe the experience.

Given the lesson on Autumn Leaves, I was compelled to mesh this tune with a rather obscure Amnerican television program theme from the 1960's.  I came up with the composite tune, Autumn Leaves Dark Shadows, with the Dark Shadows theme coming in after the second solo in the five section exercise Paul set forth.  Why Dark Shadows? When coming out of the second solo of Autumn Leaves, it sounds nice when begun on the IV.  Played through a couple of times (it isn't a long theme, only 8 bars) and then returning to the melody of Leaves has a nice effect.

Jazz Piano Teacher London

To augment my study of the Mehegan books, I have found a very good podcast by a professional keyboardist in London, Paul Abrahams.  His methodology general follows Mehegan, and his presentation is well-paced.  He may be contacted through his website.  I am through podcast #4, which is all review for me at my level of musicianship, but I am sure the lessons will become more complex.

The benefit here is that I can listen to this podcast at times when I don't have access to a piano.  Keeps the thinking going.

There are many music instruction podcasts available, and I intend to sample them from time to time.  So far I am very pleased with Paul's.  

"Silence also swings." - John Mehegan

Thank you for reading this new web log, Jazz Apprentice.  This is my attempt to restart a lifelong objective of serious jazz music study, utilizing the wonders of the Internet.

I play piano, but not as well as I would like.  Since 1994, I have owned all four volumes of the Jazz Improvisation series of instructional books by John Mehegan.  My best laid plans of concentrated study using these books have always faded when I could not find a suitable instructor.

Just as Mark Twain began his Autobiography countless times, so have many of us started down the path of jazz music theory only to be distracted.  If we are really serious about it, we can try a new approach.  A blog seems to be a convenient place to store notes on progress, source material,  music, and video of practice sessions.  I intend to place these and other things on the coming web pages.

The greatest benefit of a blog is feedback.  Whoever reads this blog is welcome to offer any commentary that comes to mind.  And I encourage criticism.  Let me have it!

And now, on to the lessons....