Jonathan Harnum's Blog, page 26

On the Road with Duke Ellington (1967)

Interesting documentary a fellow musician told me about (Thanks, Tim!). Recorded the year I was born. Louis Armstrong makes an appearance and Duke admits to stage fright. So may performances and the man still gets the jitters. Like Louis said, it’s all about using that energy.

Some good insights into Duke, his process, and his thoughts about composing, playing, and much more. Worth a look.

7 Ways to Improve Your Ears/Ear Training

The Lust Branch: “Private Matters” of Eccentric Musician Percy Grainger

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Nothing about practice, or music, apart from one composer’s motivations and inspirations, but still fascinating. Grainger is one of my favorite wind ensemble composers.

Check his discography.

 

Source: The Lust Branch: “Private Matters” of Eccentric Musician Percy Grainger – Atlas Obscura

Mastery, by Robert Greene: Animated

Mastery, by Robert Greene, is a book you should read/own. Want to listen to it? If you’re new to Audible, you can get it for free! Here’s a quick summary of Mastery:

Life and Music: Allan Watts

Bizarro: Horton Hears the Who

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Dan Piraro: One of the funniest comedians out there:

Bizarro Blog, Cartoon Archive, Shop, Secret Symbols

Source: Bizarro by Dan Piraro – Bizarro Blog, Cartoon Archive, Shop, Secret Symbols

7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE: ANIMATED

Pro Tip: Replace every business (or other reference) with “music.”

Jazz in Song: The Singing Instrumentalists

I sang some tunes for the first time in public at a gig a couple of nights ago, between playing trumpet and rhythm guitar, and then this show came on the radio.

Perfect timing. Almost. Before the gig might have helped a little.

It’s a good program. To listen, click the photo of Diz and Kenny. Lots of great stuff in the archives, too.

Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Hagood

Many jazz horn players cite vocalists as their main influences, while many vocalists draw inspiration from feisty instrumentalists. Some of the most heralded jazz artists can display lyricism both on their instruments and in their voices.

Source: Jazz in Song: The Singing Instrumentalists : NPR

Long Form: It’s hard to know why music gives pleasure: is that the point?

A long-form piece: well-written and thought-provoking.

We know music is pleasurable, the question is why? Many answers have been proposed: perhaps none are quite right

Source: It’s hard to know why music gives pleasure: is that the point? | Aeon Essays

How to Read Music: Free Course (new lesson published: Note Names)

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The video course, Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music is FREE as I put it together.

So far there are 12 lessons up, with more every couple of days. Today, the lesson on Note Names goes live.

I’m still working out the design, production flow, and proofreading, so you might spot errors as I dial everything in. If you see something, say something! And thanks.

Even when the whole course goes live (meaning it’ll cost $49), you’ll have lifetime free access as a small thanks for checking it out, spotting errors, and spreading the word. Or just enjoying it and learning something. No strings attached (musical pun intended).

Looking for more quality free stuff? Whenever I find something, I put it in the weekly newsletter: 6 Bullet Saturday (sign up and get a free book), and I’ll post the free stuff here, too.