When I was in school I collected some really nice tunes from a bunch of local players/composers like Dick Odgren, Thomas Lee, Mitch Coodley, Ed Saindon, Scott Free, Neil Olmstead, and many others.

This tune was written by Thomas Lee, a very prolific composer who's living and working in Cambridge Mass. It's a lot of fun to work out and improvise on. Check out the attached lead sheet.

I pulled out an old set of Burton mallets from the 80's. I had forgotten how perfect these mallets were. The rattan is narrower then any of my modern mallets and they have a quickness and tone that is really exceptional.The rattan is almost warn thru so I'd like to get that redone but I want them with the old narrower rattan that maybe doesnt last as long but has a great responsiveness and lightness that I really like.

Christos Rafalides live at "ZINC" NY (video).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUGfptIEzPjjZaB4on_M7n_Q&v=womNzb_Fj…

Hey guys,

Great workshop last Wednesday. The assignment is posted to the blackboard in the percussion room, but I'll post it here also. You can post your finished assignments here as well:

Compose a short etude on marimba or vibes. Use a recurring vamp theme. Etude must contain at least two different tonal centers. Provide a mp3 and written music with your post. Good luck!

Attached is a PDF. I think these types of exercises are invaluable. However they take a lot of time in the beginning and get easier towards the end. But you are a changed musician at the end.

Put the chords in (it's All the Things You Are). Analyze it a little bit.

Play it and memorize it.

Put it through all the keys, from memory. This is the very very important part. Eventually the melodies will be in your head and you will go to the right notes. You'll then see alterations in other keys, you'll be training your ears. I did so much of all this, back in the day!

Excerpt from Milan clinic that took place this past May. Vibist Andrea Mellace (who came all the way from Calabria) asked me to play Black Orpheus. In this clip, I'm demonstrating various dampening techniques (including slide dampening and hand dampening) using Black Orpheus as a vehicle.

One of my favorite tune.
I play both piano and vibes on this one. ;o )
I have definitively adopted Miceli Stoned Grip ( after going back and forth with Burton Grip ) and i feel much better with alternated sticking for lines, voicings, time feel and melody phrasing ....
Thanks Tony ! LOL

Feel free to change the rhythms and anticipate.

One of my professors is assigning a lot of transcriptions (not just jazz; it's a class on various world musics) and suggested we buy the Transcribe! software program. Has anyone used this? Is it worth spending money on as opposed to using something free like Audacity? Most students in the class don't do much transcribing, so I've got an advantage since I've been transcribing jazz licks. I've always transcribed by ear and been fine with that so I'm hesitant to spend money on a program when I don't even use the free stuff.