Christian Howes - Latest Comments

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Masters Edwin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:48:44 -0000

Thnx, Christian, I'm inspired to keep pursuing music as more than just a hobby. Although I'm primarily a classical guitarist, I've learned all the drums in escola de samba, and have performed with Olodum from Bahia. I've studied afro-cuban, and middle eastern percussion as well. I play bass, trumpet, and have been teaching myself viola, and piano. I'm working with a female singer trained in gospel, and that's been getting me to sing again. So we've been getting some bluesy tinted stuff fused with my other styles. Living in San Diego, everyone in the world is here! Plus the border! I will defenately check out your stuff! thnx again 4 sharing! Edwin Masters

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Christian howes — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:42:02 -0000

Hi Marianne- I would go direct to folks over there. Go where the action is. The main thing that separates us from a scene is our holding back from jumping into the mix. once you jump into the scene, wherever it is, you can start building relationships and possibilities.
awesome reconnecting with you! thanks

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Marianne Osiel — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 04:00:23 -0000

Chris,

Wow, I'm glad I (e-)stopped by your site to see what you've been up to.....blowing me away, both with your beautiful artistry (caught the Bach) AND your ability to see where the proverbial 'peg' fits....in addition, the warmth to suggest to others that they consider taking the plunge outside the swimming (cess-)pool of the United States and see what could happen....I met you back when I had just moved to NY (1999) and I think that perhaps you were on the way out, or at least doing something contrary to mainstream, so we lost touch. As a classical oboist-turned-improvisor (though not jazz-trained, think off-the-page easily, have an improv CD out w/ 4 unusual NY keyboardists), plus singer/songwriter/slide guitarist doing original music wherever they'll have me, it's easy to think there's NOTHING out there in this part of the world/country (note: Nashville scene for 16 years i was rolling in it!). So you bit my butt to considering other alternatives, and I guess I need to reach out to others doing this sort of thing, or bookers/managers/etc. who book that part of the world....better to work with an American booker booking Europe/Asia/etc., or a foreign booker...thoughts? Anyway, thanks again, and I'm glad I found you and your wonderful musical spirit flying high and free the way we all should be doing!

Marianne Osiel
multi-instrumentalist
singer/songwriter
arranger
mosiel440@optonline.net

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Christian howes — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:47:04 -0000

Marius- you have a lot more success than most I've met at covering such a breadth of styles really convincingly, but I agree with you-there's only so much anyone can cover...

maybe this is also a good way to describe a "jazz" musician, i.e., someone who is open to learning and discovering a breadth of styles, as well as someone who's finding his or her distinct voice...

For example, I think learning to play bluegrass is just as hard as learning bebop, and I guess you would probably agree. Really there's no difference between the two in a way- someone learning bluegrass could be just like a "jazz" musician then...anyway I guess it's a choice about how one defines the term "jazz"- meeting musicians like you strengthens my conviction in this ideathank you

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Marius — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:07:19 -0000

Travelling playng music, that's really enough to enjoy life !

I also like to try learning the style of music of the country I'm in, I find it very inspiring and challenging, but that's something else than touring with a band...
At some point though you realize that it's impossible to be able to really play all styles of music, even for a jazz musician !

great post Chris

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Christian howes — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:21:43 -0000

Thanks Kit. You live in a pretty cool place already and I guess you are pretty happy with what you're doing!

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Christian howes — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:20:05 -0000

thanks Rosemary!

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Rosemary — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:12:54 -0000

I loved this article and the fresh inspiration to live daringly that it proposes ! Thank you Chris for having the courage to think beyond borders.

Re: Be a Big Fish! Make a Living Doing Music

Kit — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:28:14 -0000

Great post, Christian. If I was at the beginning of a career, I think I'd be on that Slow Boat to China!

Re: Amplifying your acoustic violin with acoustic violin pickups

Henrik Jansberg — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:55:18 -0000

"fitted so that it is almost invisible" could you elaborate a little further on that maybe a pic?

Re: Japan (tentative)

777mimi — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:11:54 -0000

Hello! Do you have a any plan Work shop at Osaka? I'll expect. mimi777

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:22:45 -0000

John- after just taking a peek at your paper it looks really fascinating and I hope to check this out in depth. thanks a lot for bring this up.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

christianhowes — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:06:11 -0000

From John Crooks:

This is great stuff and I think often under-discussed among teachers of improvisation.
One phenomenon I see is a tendency for both experienced improvisers and beginners to favor well-worn materials. This is understandable, a great idea, and of course we can all use more blues, AABA songs, repeating song structures etc. However, it also defies a central tenet of black music, improvisation, and american music by encouraging static forms that develop in sometimes uninteresting ways.
To play devil's advocate: Who cares if a new jazz tune is in 13/4, has complex harmonic progressions, extends "Countdown" concepts to modes of melodic minor, or anything as long as it is still a 1-3 page chart with a head melody, stable song form and endless central blowing section? It's still basically the same thing as "Cherokee."--a tune.

As a creative person, one place I see real possibility is in the reevaluation of what some scholars call the "improvisational referent;" which you call "familiar musical terrain" in your post. My question: what if, as improvisers, we started looking for new ways to engage with memory, structure, and improvisational process? Challenged ourselves and our students to find ways of improvising that do not arise from chord charts, lead sheets, 12-64 bar repeating structures, etc.
I have a paper on this topic here: http://goo.gl/TERCq

My creative impulse is to use computation and computers as partners in this process. I see the relationships between technology and jazz improvisation--from the piano (notated rags, piano rolls) to radio as a distribution platform, to the amazing work musicians in jazz have done using analog synths etc--and think that digital interactivity is the next step.
What do you think?
Best,

John Crooksjohn@jcrooks.comjcrooks.com

Re: Perfect Practice for jazz violinists, cellists, and more

Isaak — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:37:29 -0000

Thank you so much for posting this article. There isn't a great deal of jazz string players and/or teachers in my area, so a great deal of my learning is coming from teaching myself. This article is EXTREMELY helpful in allowing me to really address the things I need to work on to play jazz at the next level, and I appreciate that.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:02:48 -0000

glad to hear this from you Steven. I imagine for someone such as yourself, with such a deeply rooted knowledge of the music you play, it may come more easily/naturally, to play over the modes within Klexmer music, for example...and if nothing else, if this helps you to give your student more tools that's great. the ear/intuitive side is obviously also very important- nothing can substitute for immersion. At the same time, I think if we all use everything available to us it can only help.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:05 -0000

how nice it must be to be able to hear your way through things so naturally. i realize that some people are able to use their ears in some context more easily than others and I think it's great.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:58:03 -0000

awesome. thanks leonor

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Steven Greenman — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:18:11 -0000

Hi Christian,
I really enjoyed listening to you and Martin here and how the mind works with learning esp in regards to improvisation. The concepts you guys discussed brought up alot of ideas for me as I've been working with an adult student teaching her klezmer music and working "off the page." And for her, this is the first time and we're taking it slowly. We've been working on learning and internalizing the language or scales and modes behind the music and I can see more how if one is not familiar with that then the student has no "base" from where to draw from. We've also done some simple ear and listening exercises which have paid huge dividends. Thanks again for sharing all this information and more. I am learning a great deal about what I need to do to improve my teaching and learning skills.
All my very best,
Steven Greenman

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Leonor — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:21:18 -0000

great article Chris! Thanks for sharing, I agree with the fact of feeling more comfortable playing when is something more familiar, I guess in any aspect in life as well, and also, good reminder to not stay on only playing hard stuff or easy stuff, but making a balance so that is possible to make some progress. I forget it sometimes. I hope to see you soon! Leonor

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Sonackuls — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:08:32 -0000

For me, I don't have to memorize the music note wise, as much as feel how the flow of the music and notes goes. I can tell where the music will put scales, and such simply from hearing it and how the chord progression goes with it both underlying and prominently.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:28:21 -0000

thank you Janet! I'm relieved that it made some sense and was useful as a followup/in tandem with our series of workshops in Montana...

Seriously, you are the host with the most- I can't remember the last host who took me hiking in the mountains in the middle of a day packed with clinics-pretty special.

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:24:57 -0000

thanks Duane- I actually heard from John Crooks in relation to this and found out he has done some incredible research and writing on the subject- www.jcrooks.com.
I'm hoping he'll post some of his thoughts on here actually.. it had never occurred to me until yesterday to think of this whole conversation as being about the "psychology" of improvisation, but the more I think about it, the more I'm interested in pursuing the idea. Also possible collaboration with my friend Noa Kageyama (www.thebulletproofmusician.com) might result out of it and follow a completely different thread.. we'll see.. he's got great insights into the psychology of performance- adding improvisation brings in another set of twists..

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Jhaarvig — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:01:47 -0000

Hey Christian,
A great article and conversation! Your analogy of learning to read is so accurate. It takes quite awhile to learn the harmonic language and you can't woodshed all the time. So I really appreciated all the ideas you gave us at the Missoula workshops for improvising with what you already know.

My JamMan just arrived and it's a blast. Thanks so much for the inspiration and very useful info, for my students and myself. And I'm really glad a mountain lion didn't have you for lunch on that trail! All the best, Janet Haarvig

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Duane — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:16:31 -0000

Totally love this article! I have a degrees in both violin performance and psychology and have done research in both and this is all great info and totally o. The money!

Re: The Psychology of Improvisation: Jazz Fiddle Wizard, Martin Norgaard

Chris — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:48:31 -0000

thanks Beth- big sky Montana opened my mind as well....I had no idea people are so hip in Montana. very cool creative energy in the people i met.:) I look forward to returning to the northwest hopefully next winter.