Tryin' to Get Ready

SKU: HL.14002373

ISBN 9788759810637. English.

This book is designed for the intermediate/advanced drummer to improve musical, technical control and reading ability, and presents several rhythmic styles, such as funk, jazz and Latin. I'm not trying to educate you on the 'correct' Cuban or Brazilian grooves, but have used this music as an inspiration for different phrashings and concepts. In the notes you can find book recommendations to explore the styles fully. Please feel free to use the material creatively, like repeating bars when you feel like it. You can also use the pieces for advanced sight reading, but I suggest that you take time to look carefully at the dynamics and stickings. All the stickings are basedon a right handed player (please reverse them if you are left handed). The basic concept is to have rhythmic compositions with basic classical notation and technique, that you can play on a drumset or on a practice pad with your feet stompin' at the floor. The first part is snare and bassdrum with hi-hat foot suggestions. Later in the book hi-hat (with stick) and snarerim are added. The advantage of these concepts is that playing through these etudes is very closely related to what is going on in modern music. Especially important for players in Jazz, Rock and Latin, but also very useful for a classical percussionist who needs solid music training. The last part of this book is a few pages of technique studies and rhythmic concepts that is related to the compositions. The purpose is not to include all basic strokes and principles (there are already many great books for that) but to show you some concepts that I have found useful and special through my years of playing and teaching. Michael Axen.

SKU: HL.14037707

ISBN 9781849385916. UPC: 884088578626. 8.25x11.75x0.262 inches.

Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:
In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s), beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy', almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This, of course, has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York - Phil Niblock and La Monte Young, to name but two), butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work,and fearing this would make the label stick, I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic, an aesthetic which,however, pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure - the ego - underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot, not movingaround at all. I like that.
The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.

SKU: AP.1-ADV14216

ISBN 9783892210306. UPC: 805095142167. English.

This book should be seen as a method to help the artist to develop his or her own way when trying to improvise chromatically. Through the concepts and examples offered, the improvisor should be able to use this material alongside already familiar tonal ideas. Specifically, the book serves as a guide for organizing chromaticism into a coherent musical statement meant to satisfy both the intellectual and emotional needs of artistic creation. The reader will be introduced to more than one way of conceiving chromatic lines and harmonies. There is nothing theoretically complex or new in the text, it is the organization of the material as well as many musical examples and transcriptions (Bach, Scriabin, Coltrane, Shorter, Hancock, Beirach, Liebman a.o.) which should serve to inspire musicians to expand their usual diatonic vocabulary. This book also provides insight into the style of playing that David Liebman is known for. In addition the book contains 100 assorted solo lines and 100 chord voicings. More from David Liebman at his homepage.