Free jazz music!

If you're a fan of ragtime and jazz, you'll love this site:

http://www.jazz-on-line.com/index.htm

Basically, it's a massive archive of old jazz records. You can listen to and download tons of recordings from artists such as Louis Armstrong and Artie Shaw. The amount of recordings available is staggering (22,325 at the time of this posting) and is constantly being added to. If you want to find a particular song, you can often find multiple recordings of it, and you might even be surprised at what you find (the original recording of Ain't Misbehavin' played and sung by Fats Waller is even available).

This site's been in my favorites for a while now. I don't even remember how I found it. I think I was looking for a recording of The Charleston (which I easily found on this site; the Paul Whiteman recording is awesome, by the way).

So enjoy; in the meantime, I'll be looking at reviewing some CDs for you...

Die Beiden Grenadiere

I came across an excellent song by Robert Schumann yesterday called Die Beiden Grenadiere (click the link for an excellent performance by Hans Hotter). I found it while trying to choose a solo to perform for Solo and Ensemble festival. I'm going to practice this a bit to see if it's something I will be able to do. My main concerns are learning all the German and hitting the high notes (my voice is really low).

Also, I've been thinking about attempting to create an album of ocarina music accompanied by a piano, and perhaps other instruments as well. The album would have some sort of theme, and all the tracks would be original compositions or public domain classical works or folk songs.

Of course, actually producing the CD would be difficult, and might never happen. Still, it's a fun idea.

My Wooden Ocarina + Composing

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts. I've been a bit short on time lately.

Well, last weekend, I finally got the motivation to finish up the wooden inline ocarina I started making with my dad over the summer. Pictures are below.


It's made of cedar, and finished with 2 coats of varnish. It's an alto F and plays one octave. You'll notice that it only has 7 holes... Well, I had planned to put in 10, but the holes just kept doing less and less to the pitch to the point that it was getting extremely difficult to drill the fingerholes. It has a very soft and mellow sound that you'd expect from a wooden flute. I will try to record a video of myself playing it soon.

I'm also trying to become a better composer. Over this weekend I've tried to write and arrange a few different things. The most successful was a duet for clarinet and alto saxophone. Though I wouldn't really call it a success (honestly, I don't like it at all), it is a major step forward for me.

To further improve my skills, I have decided to try to write a short composition every day. Each piece's title will simply be the date it was written. These pieces will not share a similar theme or purpose; I'll experiment with different instruments and settings. If I somehow create anything good, I'll be sure to post it here.

Some band stuff

Recently, I have been assigned 3rd clarinet position in my high-school's band. Sure, it's the lowest position, but I really don't mind. I have the least amount of experience (about 6 months), and I don't claim to be that good, either.

Now, here's an interesting bit of news; our band is playing a piece called Russian Christmas Music! I love Russian music, so this is exciting for me. I didn't recognize any of the melodies in the piece, but you can bet I'm going to try and figure out what it all is. Knowing me, I'll probably end up buying a new CD along the way as well.

The cornet is coming along fairly well. I can play an octave now (sometimes). I really like the sound of the instrument, so I'm definitely going to keep practicing. I briefly experimented with using household objects as mutes with mixed results. The most interesting result was putting a CD against the bell; it muffles the sound of the instrument and creates a high-pitched buzzing sound as well. Not the prettiest sound in the world, but unique, at least.

My Cornet Arrived!

My cornet arrived today! I've been messing around with it for an hour or so. I can play the first 5 notes of the C major scale so far. It's pretty difficult for me to hit the notes consistently, though; hopefully that will change with more practice.

Playing a brass instrument is very strange to me, since I'm so used to playing the clarinet. I will have to get used to using my lips to change pitch, rather than just my fingers. My lips also start to go numb after a minute or so of playing. I do like the instrument, though. It has a nice sound to it, and I like not having to soak anything in my mouth before I play.

I hope to get good enough to start playing actual songs soon. I'll post updates as I improve. Also, I'll be doing some music recommendations soon, so if you're looking to expand your musical horizons (or just love the kind of music I do), be sure to check back; I'll be sure to post some good stuff!

eBay

Over the weekend, I bought a vintage cornet off of eBay. I imagine it will arrive some time this week. Needless to say, I am very excited. I have never played a brass instrument before, so I am very eager to try it out. Interesting bit of trivia; Louis Armstrong started his career much the same way; he bought an old cornet to mess around with (granted, he got it from a pawn shop, not eBay).

This is not the first instrument I've bought through eBay. My soprano F ocarina was also from eBay, as was my balalaika.

Shortly after receiving my balalaika, I found out that it was a pretty cheap one (apparently, it was made as a souvenir for the 1980 Moscow Olympics), and I probably paid way too much for it. I'm actually considering getting a new one some time. Imperskaya Music seems to make good ones, though the prices mean that this will not be a purchase made anytime soon.

eBay definitely rocks for picking up cool instruments, though.

Ocarinas

To start things off, I thought I'd show you an instrument you may not have heard of before.

The picture you see on the left is my collection of ocarinas, small ceramic flutes with a hauntingly rich sound. Perhaps you've heard of them from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? If so, you might be surprised to know that the game didn't invent the instrument; ocarinas have been around for thousands of years. The transverse (or 'sweet potato') ocarina, which is the style seen here and in Zelda, was invented in the 1800s by a man from Italy named Giuseppe Donati.

Ocarinas come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and tunings. The blue and the black ones I have are both alto Cs (meaning that they have an alto range and are tuned to the key of C), and the smaller red and white one on the right is a soprano F. Each has a range of about an octave and a half.

It's funny how many people consider the ocarina to be a simple toy rather than a musical instrument. Often times, people who own ocarinas are accused of being 'Zelda nerds,' even if their motives for buying an ocarina did not include Zelda. I assume that this all is a result of the misconception that Nintendo invented ocarinas. If only they knew how popular ocarinas are in Asia... They even teach young children the ocarina in some schools there!

The ocarina is a very appealing instrument for me because it is such a convenient instrument to play. They require extremely little maintenance, are easy to play, and are very portable (I can carry the soprano around in my pocket). They are fun to play, and they really sound good, better than a recorder in my opinion.

To wrap up this entry, I'll show you some videos of the ocarina. The first one is a video of my own, in which I play the Russian folksong Katyusha. Not too good, but enjoy it anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEJdVxhgfM

It just wouldn't be right to leave it at that, though. I've got to show you some good playing, too! The ocarinist in this video is Osawa Satoshi, a professional. He plays Monti's Czardas, using several ocarinas, including a triple ocarina (which has 3 seperate chambers and airways). A brilliant performance; enjoy this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wilmHR3DiQo

Let's Get Started, Shall We?

Hello, everyone! I am a lover of music, as well as an aspiring amateur musician. I play the clarinet, ocarina, and balalaika (plus some miscellaneous percussion from time to time). I also compose music from time to time. I am always looking to expand my instrumental horizons, as well, so as you read this blog, you'll see my list of instruments grow.

So what am I going to write about here? Well, I'll record my progress as a musician, give advice to other aspiring musicians, share my insight, and point people in the right direction if they're looking for some new music to enjoy. I may review CDs or post links to Youtube videos (of both my own performances and those of others). Basically, I want to both inform and entertain.

My musical tastes are pretty strange, I suppose. I mostly listen to Romantic-era classical music, ragtime and early jazz, and Eastern European folk music. No, I don't listen to rock or pop or anything like that. No, this isn't some deep, meaningful protest against humanity or some vow I've taken; I simply don't listen to it because I don't like it. I listen to what I really enjoy listening to, and if that falls under the categories of 'nerdy and intellectual,' 'old people music,' or 'just plain bizzare,' oh well. I'll live with it.

So, yeah, I'll get to writing some real content soon. See you then!