Category Archives: Music

Music

Into The Groove with Madonna

Although “Like a Virgin” was the launching pad for Madonna, “Into The Groove” in my opinion was the sounding board epitomizing her stellar career in music. It also showcased her surprising talent on screen in “Desperately Seeking Susan”. I ponder how many incredible 80’s songs were inspired by the successes of Madonna and Michael Jackson. It was such a phenomenal time to have an ear to the radio irrespective of over played hits.

There’s nothing particularly interesting about the chord combinations but the changes are very well timed with the beat amidst a synth sound reverberating throughout. The coolness of the track melded with the rawness of her character in the movie. There is nothing cerebral about it. It’s all feel. It’s all vivacious no holds barred fun. How much of the free-wheeling Susan Thomas from the script was inherently Madonna? Enough I suspect to give the movie that intrigue value eliciting commercial success. The spirit within the groove certainly featured the movie fully and composer Thomas Newman had his hands full filling in.      

Lifestyle, Music

Stampede Bound

That’s right. I will visit the Stampede grounds in 2021 in lieu of the fact that I’ve done everything my governments have asked me to do in overcoming the pandemic along with the majority of others. Consequently, we’ve had success in Alberta and the health department has worked closely with the Stampede in adjusting to the landscape accordingly. Although, I am often suspicious of governments’ ability to perform, I actually believe on this front…they’ve done alright after failing to ground jets early and I give them credit. Professional musicians, vendors, entertainers deserve my support. The recording landscape for musicians is challenging and streaming platforms pay poorly. Live venues is where most musicians earn their bread and butter and you know what demographic has been hit hardest over the past sixteen months. The Stampede will employ hundreds of students this year many assigned to administering Alberta Health protocols.

There are some tremendous exhibits at the Stampede. I love the art exhibit and the trade booths filled with vendors selling the next best thing. The Big Four should have its stage running and there’s bound to be some great acts show up. In fact Blue Rodeo will appear on the Stampede Summer Stage (formerly the Coca Cola Stage) on closing night. The people watcher in me will be in tune while munching a corn dog and cracking a Coors (haven’t had a cool one in months).

You may not know that the Calgary Stampede Showband is a six time world champion in it’s discipline.

Hopefully, the Clydesdales show up. A great uncle was a trainer of these monster horses and mom would rail on about the majestic tranquility of these animals. I love seeing the reaction of children who may have just seen them for the first time.

On occasion my eyes will be peeled in awe of teenagers in glee twirling along in the Wave Swinger. There’s no mention of the slingshot making a return engagement but we’ll see.

Nashville North will impose the strictest of protocols given the big tent and it looks like the Cowboys Dance Hall will be a no go this year. 

 Incidentally, my new office is just down the street from the grounds. How convenient.     

Music

Benefits of Learning Music Theory

When learning to play an instrument, we occasionally have “ah ha” moments as Ian Stich from Youtube’s Sitch Method likes to call them. Today I’ve had another of them as I run piano scales. If you’ve ever had a child in piano lessons, there’s a good chance they would have balked at the notion of doing scales. The piano teacher would say, there’s a long term benefit to learning scales which you’ll come to understand later. Well, unfortunately…later doesn’t arrive for too many music students because they view the task a just too boring with not enough melody.

Here is the thing: When running scales on the piano, we are hitting every note in a scale consciously and the mind develops awareness visually which aids in recalling chord triads and sevenths instantly. The visualization of roots, thirds, fifths and seventh via the keyboard would be akin to visualizing the notes on a staff. 

Additionally, if students run major and minor scales chronologically around the Circle of Fifths, the circle itself is memorized concurrently with scale tones. Consequently, chords within a key using the context of the circle take shape with repetition. Of course, there is the technical side of developing muscle memory around piano keys and efficient fingerings concurrently.

Imagine then moving the versatility of scale /chord / key mastery over to another instrument having put in the repetitions of running scales. Whole steps and half steps intuitively developed from running piano scales could be subconsciously applied to the new instrument with the Circle of Fifths lurking as an improvisational tool.

Guitarists could potentially take the theory of scale tone distances learned in piano and apply them to the fretboard accounting for the third / second string pitch differential or stick with the standardized three note per string pentatonic patterns taught more traditionally.

If a person can honestly espouse that they lack perfect pitch, lack some sense of relative pitch, and cannot intuitively “play by ear”, then that person might consider concepts of music theory practically to further advance play.

Over at my youtube channel, I hope to deploy more improvisation guitar / piano as I continue to apply concepts.  https://www.youtube.com/c/BlairSveinson

Lifestyle, Music

Music and Dance Reminisce

My piano music book, “Pop Standards” by Hal Leonard has select classic pieces from the ‘70s. It’s sent me back on a childhood revisit this past weekend. As I write this I’m listening to the classic “Love’s Theme” by Barry White and Orchestra. The time was so innocent in many regards which was spawned by the music of the decade. There were so many happy (major keys) melodic songs. There was the one hit wonders. There were the indecipherable lyrics. There was the disco and Abba. There was Le Freak by Chic and Mike Oldfield, and “The Hustle”. There was Saturday Night Fever and Fleetwood Mac. There was Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. There was the Eagles and Kiss. My sister was into Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and I actually saw the appeal although I was mostly playing baseball instead. The latter part of the decade had me thinking that dancing looked fun. I had no problem with it at all in spite of friends looking at me strange. There was the band “Heart” and the program “Midnight Special”.  I was enthralled.

The years 76 and 77 had me focused on Littlle League ball but I had memorized the lyrics to Hotel California. I had the album and played it all the time along with Kiss, Destroyer. With the move to Kamloops from Cranbrook in grade eight – I didn’t think twice when school dances came around. I went to them all and I danced to Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”, Bee Gees – “Night Fever” and “Stayin Alive”.  There was Donna Summer, Blondie and Cheap Trick (Surrender), Foreigner, Journey, Asia, Trooper, and ELO. I was remarkably composed in refuting a friend’s insinuation that dancing wasn’t cool. I even overcame nerves and rejection in asking girls to dance.   

Free form dancing apparently is not in right now. It could all change again one day. Culture could go through another period of revitalization having gone through a pandemic and the realization that part of the soul’s earthly journey is one of connection through dance.            

Music

I Have A Copyright Strike On Youtube

Upon learning piano and guitar I thought it would be neat to share my progress on youtube. I went about learning how to record with some basic tools and voila….I made this whole thing happen.

One day, I head over to my channel and I see this “copyright claim” made by the rights holder to Bruce Springsteen’s “The River”.  After a belly laugh…I thought – okay, I best go over to my settings and see if I have my channel in monetization mode despite not coming near qualifying for youtube revenue. Indeed, there was a check box that had been set by default to “permit monetization”. Hence; I unchecked the check box thinking that this might resolve the matter. Then I actually listened to some of the commentary over at Youtube’s “Creator Insider” channel and learned that no check box was going to effectively deal with copyright law that is in fact restricting novice musicians such as myself from putting up covers.

Fast forward a couple of months and I check my “dashboard” and learn that I’ve been bad again. This time, it’s a copyright “strike” and not a “claim”. You see…three strikes and you’re out. Your channel comes down. This time it was my piano rendition of The Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why”. There was no warning. No claim. It was a simple strike and I was informed to head over to “copyright school” as a condition of having the claim potentially removed after a waiting period.

While I may be amused by all of this given my elementary participation, there are people who have taken up careers by creating youtube content and whose livelihoods depend on being treated fairly. 

Two examples of youtubers operating in the space of music education are Rick Beato and Paul Davids. These folks provide valuable educational content and are subject to these claims even when using snippets of songs for educational purposes. It’s become apparent that these record companies now have the option to impose a “revenue sharing” formula with a creator if they deem that there is a violation and hence a “claim” or they can impose a “strike” like what happened to me perhaps because my “permit monetization” check box is unclicked.

As you can see there’s nuance to all this but youtube likes to keep things fairly vague in their representations through their “creator insider” channel. Their editions are short and informal with broad strokes and big smiles.