So, today is Record Store Day. I didn’t prepare a special release or anything like that for Record Store Day, because I’m still paying off massive law school debts. So here is a short essay: Let me start out by saying that I don’t have much experience with vinyl. My first experiences with vinyl records were […]
Tag Archives: st. lenox
April
10
How to Play or Sing Runs – A Mixture of Two Techniques
posted by eponymous
There’s a method for learning to sing runs that is a mixture of two techniques. The first technique is one used at Juilliard – though at this point, I think the technique is taught more broadly by good classical music teachers, called “rhythms.” Part of the difficulty with singing runs is a brain-programming issue – it’s […]
March
21
The Art of Interpretation
posted by eponymous
Music teachers at Juilliard teach the art of interpretation first by instilling a mastery of the range of the instrument. Production of sound from a violin, for instance, depends on a number of dimensions that an expert violinist has exacting control over – bow-speed, bow-pressure, bow-position, vibrato, intonation, note-entry, note-exit, to name a few. They assign exercises […]
March
04
Zen and the Art of Karaoke
posted by eponymous
Let me tell you about three different approaches to karaoke. The first involves singing in a room with friends, and I believe has its origins in Japan. The second has its origins in the Midwest, and has affinities with the American Idol tradition. The third has its roots in European Classical Music and/or mid-20th century […]
February
24
The Sampler’s Pangram
posted by eponymous
There’s a sentence that contains all of the letters of the alphabet – some refer to it as a “pangram” – that is used to display fonts. “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” If one has an instantiation of the sentence in a particular font, one can then create all of the words of […]
February
23
On Work Life, Bill Berry and Humanity
posted by eponymous
As some of you may know, I was finally sworn in at the 2nd Department, and am officially an attorney in the State of New York. The swearing in ceremony itself was an interesting event. Do you know why people have to raise their right hand when taking the oath? Apparently, back in the day, […]
January
31
Music Journalism, the L.A. Times and Music Theory
posted by eponymous
I won’t dawdle on this topic for too long, because I’ve spoken about it at length already, but a few days ago, I called out a music journalist for the L.A. Times (Randall Roberts) for incorrectly posting that Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” use “the same chord progressions.” That […]