August 29, 2010

Working on the drum feature and pretending school isn't starting this week.

It has been true for most of the summer that I've not been accomplishing quite so much as one would hope to have accomplished by, say, the beginning of one's senior year of high school. By the time I had less than two weeks to go, I realized that I should probably plan on doing nothing all day but practice and work on AP English until the end of summer. Writing the second part of this drum feature has also become kind of important. Ahhh, yet another item for the "Finish before school starts" list. I tried to be all organized about it and plan to work on that crazy-loud-samba-party-mess that is our percussion feature a little every day. But as it turns out, the process of writing notes on a staff simply cannot be given a schedule tantamount to the process of writing notes on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Composition seems to be a much more complicated endeavor that occurs in short (or long) bursts of inspiration and thoughtfulness. It is at these random times of day in which I will listen to the clave pattern that will the basis of our samba groove and try to imagine what I might hear in a Brazilian drum circle (imagination is required here only because I've never actually been part of a Brazilian drum circle). If you just spend enough time processing the foundation of the song, that "dut, dut-du....dut-du", it can lead in all sorts of different directions. I can then take those different directions and string them all together, using lines, arrows, numbers, and circles, then eventually put it all into the Finale Allegro computer program that replays it note-for note with MIDI sounds. The hope is that this will result in what I call Habanero 2, the little hyperactive and fun-loving Brazilian cousin of my original drumline piece, Habanero. Yes, our theme this year is "Hot" and I felt the need- nay, the obligation to do something spicy. The outlook is l out looking well so far, and I hope it all lives up to expectation. Only time will tell! DUN DUN DUUUUUNN!!!!

August 26, 2010

Has another summer come and gone in a flash?

I'm afraid so. The real question is, why haven't I blogged all summer? Aren't I supposed to be lounging around for hours having absolutely no idea what to do with myself? Unfortunately (fortunately?) such was not the case for this kid during these few months of freedom and humidity. When I wasn't away at some camp up in New York City or Boston, I was down here working with the marching band or practicing by myself. I've also got some AP English summer reading that is unlikely to be getting done all by itself. Anyway, I feel kinda bad about being unable (and just a bit unwilling) to report on these exciting events as they happened, but I must redeem myself by giving a bit of a recap on my vacation madness before the school year starts. After all, you don't want to be following the story before you've read the prequels, right? Because I shouldn't have any shortage of things to talk about this coming year (though a potential shortage of time to talk, which I'll work around). And henceforth, I do swear unto all six of ye dedicated readers that my exploits involving all things that carry the suffix band shalt find themselves documented here on this very blog!