The Ramones Are Dead

I have a split guitar recital with Josh Garza on April 22nd. It should be very entertaining. Josh will be playing Villa Lobos Etudes-#3, #11, Johann Sebastian Bach BWV 1006-Prelude, Astor Piazzolla-Adios Nonino, Tarrega-Recuerdos De La Allhambra, and Rodrigo's-Zapateado. I will be playing Villa Lobos Etudes-#2, #12, Bach-BWV 1001-Presto, BWV 1006-Gavotte En Rondeau, BWV 996-Gigue and Mauro Giuliani's Grand Overture. Lot's of Bach! So it should be a great concert.

Remember in the last entry how I mentioned how great life was when my senior year was ending and I was listening to Bad Astronaut, Lagwagon and Smoke Or Fire? Well in that time, I was playing BWV 1006-Gavotte En Rondeau non stop. I haven't played it since then. But for some reason I told myself to re-learn it. The feeling I get is quite nice. It's not the hardest song in the world to play. In fact, I know about 2 or 3 songs much more technical that I could play for this concert. But I love playing this Gavotte and there is nothing more important than that. The picture to the left is a score for Viola. I'm a little confused as to why it's written in the key of A major when it's clearly in E and it even states that at the top. Probably something about the Viola that I'm unaware of so I'll trust that I'm the ignorant one.


This is a video of it played by what looks like a zombie on the violin. Ever see Shawn of the Dead? He totally looks like one of the zombies.

I've been wanting to get back into song writing for the longest time now. Not to try and make it big as a solo artist, but just to do it. I used to always make up fast punk songs when I was 14-16 and really into electric guitar. But ever since I fully converted to classical, I've really lost my desire for it. Making up songs on the electric is kind of out of the question since I never play it anymore. But recently, I've wanted to write stuff like Joey Cape. Or like Pedro The Lion. But my problem is that I think guitar first. I have so much experience with guitar, so much knowledge about music theory and chord progressions, that it's almost an overwhelming thought to create anything. And I've been taking jazz lessons for 2 years now and so even when I want to do a simple chord progession I throw in the M7's or 9ths or french chords or borrowed chords or a neapolitan chord. And before anyone accuses me, of course I know I still have an incredible amount of theory to learn and understand. I'm in my last level of theory, but I don't know it all by any means.

But obviously, that's not what Joey Cape is doing. He's doing standard I IV V or other common progressions. Usually in the key of D major. One thing that I like that he and many other artists do, is play the IV chord and then make it a iv chord then onto the I for the plagal cadence. Along with the plagal cadence, it creates a nice little chromatic line with La Si So. Tony Sly also does it in "Sleeping Between Trucks." And all their music is based off vocal melody. I don't have a terrible voice, but I'm no singer. So vocal melodies never really seemed like too big of an issue to me. But they are. Guitar isn't the focus. I've yet to go through with this attempt of writing music, but I feel that when I get to San Francisco I will.