Vibraphone

Pick the right melody, it doesn't have to be hard!

Vic Firth just finished editing this clip. The playing was taped at Berklee in one of the percussion department studios and the interview was taped at the VF office. The tunes that I'm playing in the clip are Black Orpheus and Somewhere Over the Rainbow on vibes and Ain't Misbehavin' and St. Thomas on marimba.

Ari is so creative!

So I am in Texas visiting my folks, which means I don't have a vibe with me. I used to get really bummed about this. Having to spend a week or so away from my instrument. I have since come to look at it as a forced "put yourself in a box" situation. I still have a keyboard here, so I can practice music, and it forces me to practice specific things. This week I decided to focus on comping/ voicings/ and learning tunes in other keys through the "vehicle" of chords/ voicings. I found this article (for a guitar magazine as you can tell by the tab) by my old professor.

Here's my last lesson before I start a bunch of lessons on rhythm changes. Sorry, my loop skipped once or twice during this, but I was only like a second, so I kept it.

Here's a solo etude on rhythm changes based upon the use of four note groupings.

Man, it's the end of the semester here. I'm working my ass off between gigs, students, classes and setting up my summer.

Musicians HAVE to think at least one season ahead. It's spring and if it isn't happening it probably won't. Get to summer. I bet the heavy cats are thinking 2 seasons or a year ahead. OK.

Anyway, let me officially announce we are working on Rhythm changes now. This is our tune of the month, officially.

So, why don't you guys blog about rhythm changes. What do you want to know? What do you think about??

Guys, here's a version of Ellington's Take The A Train. A Train is one of those tunes that can sound cheesey if you play too diatonic and "in". The changes are fairly diatonic, so if you just play chord tones and diatonic scales, it will sound pretty in. There are some techniques that we can use to venture out of the tonal area of the changes. Here are some ideas:

Improv techniques to get out of the key:

Leaning on chromatic approach notes to target notes (G# to A on C6)
Leaning on tensions (especially altered tensions on Dom 7 chords)

This is a promo video of the recording of '15', the new album of VinnieVibes, produced by bandleader and composer Vincent Houdijk.
The album will be released this year, the last steps are being made as we speak.

For more info http://www.vinnievibes.com

Enjoy,

Vincent Houdijk