Early Bird Jazz Tunes

After 2017 I just became too busy to teach in the mornings.  Still, the music goes on and I continue teaching privately - and of course gigging, recording, writing songs, and composing/arranging!

I may re-start the program at some point in the future but for now my mornings are my own!

Meanwhile, if you have a jazz band and want access to some charts for young groups, checkout my offerings here:

https://www.birdwellmusic.com/articles/jazz-band-charts-for-high-school-and-middle-school/

Rob Birdwell

Mystery Way

Written for the Early Bird Jazz Band (2013 crew)

Read more about this track on Rob's home page!

Early Bird Jazz Band 2012-2013 Starts October 2

We'll start the 10th season of Early Bird Jazz Band (well, my 10th season at least) promptly at 8am on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in the Linus Pauling Middle School band room.

Things for students to bring:

• instrument & equipment (reeds, cables, sticks/brushes, tuner)
• a pencil

Note that rhythm section players (drums/bass/guitar/piano) should typically arrive by 7:45am to get setup.

I will be handing out new folders with sign-up materials that need to get home to parents and signed.

We probably will NOT meet on October 9 or 11 because I will be in CHINA for a gig that week!

I'm looking forward to a fun and musical year - I truly enjoy the opportunity to work with the EBJB students!

More information to come - the main things for you and your student to consider:

1. Have they played their instrument for about a year and are interested in additional playing/performing opportunities?  Definitely try out Early Bird Jazz Band!
2. #1 above is true but they attend a different middle school (or home school) and can get a ride with a parent or family member to their school:   Definitely try out Early Bird Jazz Band!
3. My student was in Early Bird Jazz Band last year and is a returning LPMS student:  Yes, see you soon in EBJB! 

As always, if you have any questions or comments, contact me!

Rob Birdwell

Valley Youth Summer Band Camp

The Valley Youth Summer Band Camp is a summer enrichment music "camp" right here in Corvallis. Middle and High School musicians are encouraged to register and participate - it's fun!

• 4 rehearsals in the evening
• 4 noon-time performances all in the Corvallis area!

For the latest information and registration details for the Valley Youth Band Camp, see the following links:

1. Valley Youth Summer Band Camp main page - contact Julie Duffy for more information
2. Music director Rob Birdwell's Valley Youth Band Camp page

Early Bird Jazz Band Spring Concert 2012

A FREE concert at Linus Pauling Middle School, featuring the Early Bird Jazz Band (music director Rob Birdwell).

Monday June 4, 7pm

Caravan as performed by Valaida Snow

More information about Valaida Snow and her life.

Early Bird Jazz Band 2011-2012

The Early Bird Jazz band will meet in the Linus Pauling Middle School Band Room every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am.  Our first session will begin Tuesday, October 4 (8am).  Please do your best to help your student arrive a few minutes early so that they are ready to play right around our class start time.

The fee is $30 per month (October through June) -  please pay by check monthly, quarterly or in full, to Rob Birdwell.   Scholarships are available for those who qualify - please contact me if you have questions.  I will be providing a variety of materials (music, studies, exercises).  Each student will have their own Early Bird Jazz folder, which will contain these materials and it is the student's responsibility to maintain the folder contents and bring their music to class.

It is the responsibility of the parent/family supply their student with a suitable instrument for Early Bird Jazz Band.  Standard instrumentation for this group is Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Guitar, Drums.  Other acceptable instruments may include Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and Tuba, but students playing these instruments are encouraged to take up one of the other doubles (e.g., Tenor Sax, Bass).  Students who play Piano (portable keyboard), Bass/Guitar (with amps and cable) and Drums may need to bring and store their own equipment to the school in order to participate. There is currently only one piano and one drum set in the band room - taking turns is not a desirable strategy as this will limit the student’s ability to actively participate in class.

I look forward to working with your student and having a great year making music!

Rob Birdwell

North Albany Middle School Jazz Fest - Jan 29 2011

The Early Bird Jazz Band will perform at this fun festival on Saturday, January 29.  It's at the North Albany Middle School in Albany, Oregon.

Our exact performance and workshop time TBD, but probably sometime between 10am and 2pm.

Be sure to come early or stay longer to hear the other bands from all over western Oregon.  The director's show their stuff in a "director jam" at noon - which is always fun!

A List of Bands that Feature Good Horns by Jackson

Early Bird Jazz guitarist Jackson S. (an 8th grader in the Early Bird Jazz Band class of 2009-2010) gave me a handwritten list of what he deemed bands with "good horns."  He wrote it on a little piece of paper in front of me, in about a minute, every band named exactly correct.  I've had his list for some months now and before I archive the paper, I want to transcribe it as it seems very interesting and worthy of exploration:

Good horns:

• The Specials
• Streetlight Manifesto
• The Toasters
• Fatter Than Albert
• The Aquabats
• Voodoo Glow Skulls

Good rhythm section Ska (per Jackson, "many edge towards punk"):

• Operation Ivy
• Left Alone
• Some Rancid Songs

I had the sense that Jackson was merely scratching the surface of the bands he could have named.  I won't be surprised when I add his own band to the list someday.

Jackson's love of Ska music was one of the main inspirations for my tune Freeway Ska.

Rob Birdwell

Big 12 Major Scales

I love scales - not so much the scales themselves but the world of melodies they opened up for me.  Having them under my fingers makes many things much easier - like sight reading, improvising and even composing!

But I recognize that not everyone likes scales - they can be viewed as tedious and boring.  But once we recognize that scales serve as the fundamental building blocks of melodies, chords and other great musical things, we begin to get to know them and see them for what they are:  cool!

So take some time in your daily routine to befriend these 12 major scales on your instrument - each one has a  unique character.  Some have a few more flats and sharps than others, but they will be there for you someday so get to know them well!  Good things start to happen once you have these under your fingers!

The Big 12 Scales - Alto Sax
The Big 12 Scales - Baritone Sax
The Big 12 Scales - Bass
The Big 12 Scales - Clarinet
The Big 12 Scales - Flute
The Big 12 Scales - Guitar
The Big 12 Scales - Horn in F
The Big 12 Scales - Piano
The Big 12 Scales - Tenor Sax
The Big 12 Scales - Trombone
The Big 12 Scales - Trumpet
The Big 12 Scales - Tuba
The Big 12 Scales - Vibes-Drums

My junior high music director, Bill Wicker, introduced me and all the students to the big 12.  He had posters on the wall that said things like:  "Practice makes perfect?  Phooey!  But perfect practice makes better!" and other helpful quotes.  He had a challenge that very few students took him up on called the "Super Big 12" - which was to play all 12 major scales in two octaves, including the arpeggios!

The beauty of learning your major scales is that the minor scales are included, for free!  A couple examples:

• Play a C scale but start on A - that will give you the relative minor scale (A minor)
• Play a C scale but start on D - that will give you a dorian mode minor scale
• Play a C scale but start on B - that will give you a very cool locrian mode minor scale

Most of all, have fun and enjoy playing your instrument!

Rob Birdwell

Early Bird Jazz Band - 2010-2011 Sign-up General Information

Early Bird Jazz Band 2010-2011

Rob Birdwell, Music Director

http://earlybirdjazz.birdwellmusic.com/

General Information for the 2010-2011 Early Bird Jazz Band Season

Early Bird Jazz Band is a before-school music enrichment program open to students who meet the basic Musicianship Requirements (see below).  Rob Birdwell is the music director for the class - this year will mark his 8th season leading and directing this music program.  For more about Rob, visit BirdwellMusic.com.

Start Date:  Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 7:45am, Linus Pauling Middle School Band Room


Monthly Student Tuition:  $30 per month


Musicianship Requirements: One year (or equivalent) playing their primary instrument; some ability to read music; some experience playing in an organized group (band, orchestra, choir, rock band, private or self-study, etc.).

When and Where We Meet: Wednesday and Friday mornings, 7:45am to 8:45am - Linus Pauling Middle School Band Room.

Who Can Join?
Interested musicians should meet the basic Musicianship Requirements (see above).  Home-schooled students and students from other area middle schools are also welcome to play in the band.
Primary Instrumentation:

• Trumpet, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Trombone/Baritone/Euphonium/Tuba
• Guitar, Bass*, Piano*, Drums*

Students playing or doubling on other instruments can and are encouraged to play them in the Early Bird Jazz Band - including: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Viola, Cello, French Horn, Mallets. However there will be times when the student needs to transpose an existing part for their instrument.

When we have multiple Pianists, Bassists, and/or Drummers parents will need to ensure their student has their own instrument to play in class as well as their own amp/cables, etc..  (There is only one drum set and one piano in the band room.  The bass amp can handle two players at once.)

Performances:  We will play at least two concerts during the year for parents, family and friends (Winter and Spring).  Additionally, we will play at the NAMS Jazz Festival (scheduled for Saturday January 29, 2011) and the LPMS 8th Grade Celebration (June 2011).  We will also perform a couple “Cafeteria Jams” during the year (at our regular morning time) for students, staff and family.
Scholarships:  For those who qualify, a limited number of reduced tuition or tuition scholarships are available.  Sibling discounts are also available.

For more information, contact Rob Birdwell

Benefits of Music and Music Education

This PDF document is pretty much what every student, teacher and/or parent actively involved in music/arts programs already knows - but it's worth a second glance:

http://www.menc.org/documents/temp/benefits_of_music.pdf

And if such an important and valuable thing, why then would cuts in music and arts programs from our schools even be considered?

It seems to me that it's not merely a lack of resources or dwindling budgets, but a question of values.

Rob Birdwell

Spring Concert May 5 2010 at Linus Pauling 7:30pm

Hope you can all make our concert this Wednesday - here's a sneak peak at our set list...always subject to change!

• Percussion Prelude
• All Blues
• Mission Impossible 
• Jump, Jive and Wail
• St. James Infirmary
• Well You Needn't
• Freeway Ska

I'm hoping to get a good recording - treats and mingling after.  Should be all done before 8:30pm!

Rob

NAMS Jazz Festival 2010 - Audio

Here are the performance audio tracks recorded at the North Albany Middle School Jazz Festival (4th annual - 2010!)

Call And Response
Summertime
Watermelon Man
Caravan
Rock Around The Clock
Bag's Groove

Congratulations to all on your hard work in learning the music and putting together an exciting and spirited performance!  We will likely reprise some of these tunes again, but it's good to have these recordings to listen back to.  Thanks to parents and families for all your support!

Rob Birdwell

NAMS Jazz Festival 2010 - Photos

Terry Poe Photography took photos of our performance - you can view and order your own photos from this link:

http://www.poephoto.com

The photos are excellent - have a look!

The instructions on the handout were to click the "clients" page then the "Jazz Festival" link - you'll be prompted to enter a code to access the photos.  It is: jazzfest2010

Freeway Ska - New Tune for Early Bird Jazz Band

Here's a link to a slightly produced version of the score to Freeway Ska:

Freeway Ska (MP3)

If possible, download the audio file and copy it to your MP3 device and play along at home with your own part.  You might find that the tempo on this recording is challenging to play with at first - that's okay.  Simply take a bit of time to to practice your part slowly at first so you can work up to playing along with the recording.  It might take some time but you'll get it.  We don't necessarily need to play it this fast, but the tempo is about what I'd like to aim for.

Recall that "G.P." means Grand Pause, D.S. al Coda means Dal Segno: in other words, go to "the sign" at letter "B" until you hit the "coda" sign, then jump to the "coda".  These are short-hand musical terms that actually help to save ink and paper!

Finally, keep in mind that the written note is nothing without a real musician (you!) to breathe/pluck/drum life into it.  So strive to understand the original intent of the written notes (articulations, dynamics, phrasing, etc.), but don't forget to add your own sense of musicianship and expressiveness to the mix - that's called making music!

Have fun and enjoy playing your instrument(s)!

Rob

Bass Basics

The following are some (of many) online resources for beginning bass players.
 
Reading Music (Bass Clef) Primer:
http://www.cyberfretbass.com/reading/primer/standard/index.php

YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKtjWBPGXk

Quiz yourself on the notes:
http://www.studybass.com/tools/bass-clef-notes/

"Walking" bass lines (a bit more advanced, but very useful!)
http://www.adamnitti.com/bass_player_10.shtml

And finally, here's my own mini-primer (the Finale to Noteflight rendition):
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/6516e7c4e142f42beba448acb94dda36ee419b53

Early Bird Jazz Band to Play Gracewindws Music 2009-12-12

!!! EARLY BIRD JAZZ BAND GIG ALERT !!!

Where:  Gracewinds Music, downtown Corvallis
When:  Saturday, December 12
Time:   Start at 12 noon (arrive by 11:35am to setup)
Dress: "Nice" - Festive Colors!

What to bring:  all your music; stand; your instrument of course!

Drums provided; bass amp(s) provided; possibly guitar amps too.

We'll play a short (20 minute) set TBD.  Short and sweet - a great chance to play!

Whole Tone and Diminished Studies

Take a listen to these scales. You hear them all the time in a variety of music in one form or another - for example, a dreamy moment (whole tone) often played by a harp, or a suspenseful chord played as the villain in a drama attempts some dastardly deed (diminished arpeggio).  Just knowing a bit about these scales and how to play them on your instrument will really add to your "tool kit" of skills. 

(Hint:  click the "Noteflight" logo to view the whole page and text - it's a bit crunched in this view. You can also click the Play button and hear what these scales sound like!)


Note that both of these scale types (whole tone and diminished) are known as "symmetric" scales - in other words, each note is equidistant to the next.  The result is a unique sound.  Any note can be the starting point for a new scale, since there's no half-step interval to provide the sense of  "leading tone" weight.

When you listen to music, you'll recognize these elements (whole tone sounds and/or diminished scales) as the funcitonal devices they often are. In classical music, composers often used the diminished scale/chord to provide a sense of suspense and/or harmonic ambiguity. Hence, they are perfect for development sections and/or as a means of transitioning to a new key center. In Jazz (especially), the diminished scale is closely related to a "dominiant"chord . In fact any diminished scale is really a dominant 7 with a flat 9. For example, if you play a D7(b9) chord (piano/guitar), a C diminished scale will contain all those notes. Sounds a bit complex, but only at first. Your ear knows all this already, it's just a matter of putting a name on some of these things. Happy playing!

Tequila - Wes Mongomery Version

This is the version I'll play in class. If you listen carefully, you'll here the solo bass entrance and then the percussion entrances.  There's a feeling of syncopation, but your sense of "one" (if you're like me, following the bass) will be a bit offset. You think you feel the groove, you were lulled into the feel, thenWes makes his entrance with a pickup to "one" - wow, we've been tricked it seems.  But only musically.  And that's a nice way to be tricked.  Enjoy the performance! 


And here's the bass line notated, so you can see how it dances by the bar lines...we'll also discuss the approach to the percussion, but listen to the tune and see if you can find other versions of the song.  I like this one because it's a small group, yet the sounds and rhythms they create are very rich.