http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-to-invest-in-a-broadway-show-part-i.html
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| Broadway Babies - Wikipedia |
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Davenport Supports Investing in Broadway Shows
In these days of economic chaos there are some of us who figure we may as well produce a show as hang on to money that may or may not go up in smoke. High risk? You bet. Knowledge based advice try this.
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-to-invest-in-a-broadway-show-part-i.html
Some of us who love the theatre thrive on Broadway shows.
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-to-invest-in-a-broadway-show-part-i.html
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
COPYRIGHT of original music discussed
I asked the Executive Producer of Hilltop Records what their policy is regarding the use of music they produce. Hilltop Records produces music for many beginning their careers, and are seeking publicity. They operate out of Los Angeles.
He explained that clients of his who have their original music produced by Hilltop Records, retain their copyrights. If that same composer chooses to sell the material to another company, as long as it is not Hilltop's production, all is well. The problem is when an artist uses the Hilltop production as their own. This clears this up for me because I have paid Hilltop to produce material of mine, but I intend to use it in a musical production of new arrangements in my play "Miss-Placed: The New York Years".
 |
| www.dreamstime.com |
He explained that clients of his who have their original music produced by Hilltop Records, retain their copyrights. If that same composer chooses to sell the material to another company, as long as it is not Hilltop's production, all is well. The problem is when an artist uses the Hilltop production as their own. This clears this up for me because I have paid Hilltop to produce material of mine, but I intend to use it in a musical production of new arrangements in my play "Miss-Placed: The New York Years".
Saturday, October 19, 2013
ARCATA history written in poetry form posted on Youtube
ARCATA History video now on Youtube
In 1977, my mother, Sylvia Molloy wrote
a poetry book based upon the history of Arcata, CA. We had it printed
at a local newspaper office, which included several local photograph
collections.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g7tmoKhDbg
I hope you enjoy this video. I have submitted it to Humboldt Access Television also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g7tmoKhDbg
I hope you enjoy this video. I have submitted it to Humboldt Access Television also.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
EXCERPT FROM CLASSICAL PIANO BLOG WRITTEN BY DWAYNE CANNON
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Chopin, Opus 10/2: The answer is in the palm of your hand...
If you really wanted to simplify the matter, you could consider there to be two broad categories of movement (or techniques)
in piano playing: those of the arms and those of the fingers. While
these compliment and re-enforce each other, they are indeed separate.
Rapid trills of neighboring notes, for example, depend more on factors involving the fingers -- clear articulation and proper alignment -- than the arms. Trills, therefore are an aspect of finger technique. (Please, dear readers, hear me out on this before jumping to conclusions.) Conversely, large rolled chords -- as in Chopin's étude op. 10/11 -- generally call for more active participation of the arm as weight is rolled, so to speak, over passive, but firm fingers. Arm technique.
Five-finger figures, repeated notes, mordants, scales and arpeggios (which have the added complication of thumb passage) are all more or less functions of finger technique; while octaves, chords, tremolos of all types, repeated chords, and glissandi are of arm movement.
To say nothing of how to move in an efficient and coordinated way, perhaps the most basic prerequisite to successful execution is identifying (instinctively for some) which technique is best suited to a given musical trait.*
This becomes especially clear in these stills of three pianists -- Valentina Lisitsa, Evgeny Kissin and Ingolf Wunder -- playing this very étude:
Incidentally, the arch has broader implications, as it also applies to octaves, among other things. Only in this case there are two important structural arches, one from the thumb to the 5th or 4th, and another under the wrist, both of which are sometimes accentuated by raising the wrists:
But I'm getting off track...
I'll sum up with this. To successfully manage the chromatic scale in the op10/2 étude it's important to be aware of how the fingers -- the 5th above all -- move, how they strike the keys and how to compensate for their differing lengths all the while navigating the uneven topography of the keyboard.
The next technical hurdle is playing the chromatic scale in the same hand as the accompaniment. Two roles roles in one hand.
That's for another post.
* Factors such as tempo, dynamics, character and time period (the role of the arm is much more pronounced in late romantic and contemporary works than in Baroque or Classical ones) are also important in deciding which "technique" is the most effective.
Rapid trills of neighboring notes, for example, depend more on factors involving the fingers -- clear articulation and proper alignment -- than the arms. Trills, therefore are an aspect of finger technique. (Please, dear readers, hear me out on this before jumping to conclusions.) Conversely, large rolled chords -- as in Chopin's étude op. 10/11 -- generally call for more active participation of the arm as weight is rolled, so to speak, over passive, but firm fingers. Arm technique.
Five-finger figures, repeated notes, mordants, scales and arpeggios (which have the added complication of thumb passage) are all more or less functions of finger technique; while octaves, chords, tremolos of all types, repeated chords, and glissandi are of arm movement.
To say nothing of how to move in an efficient and coordinated way, perhaps the most basic prerequisite to successful execution is identifying (instinctively for some) which technique is best suited to a given musical trait.*
This brings me to Chopin's flighty a minor étude. As anyone who
has played the piece knows, the first difficulty to overcome is the
continuous right-hand chromatic scale. It's difficult enough to learn to
"run" on the keys as it is; here it has to be done with the weak
fingers (the linked 3rd and 4th, and the stunted 5th). Opus 10 n.2 is
thus a work aimed at developing finger dexterity in the most unequal of
fingers.
Now the easy part's done...
Fast single-note chromatic scales are a function of finger technique. Fine. But how do you play one with the weak fingers? There's no quick nor fully sufficient answer. It's like explaining what music is, or why your water glass, fresh from the dishwasher, smells like wet dog.
Still, there are answers to be had. In part, it's a matter of simply getting in the habit of using the weak fingers, in scale patterns or trill exercises. Also, of getting used to the overlapping feel of the chromatic scale. Beyond that, I've found that certain general notions, central to any effective finger technique, regardless of the fingers used, can be quite helpful.
The first of these, I would say, is more psychological in nature. Namely, that finger movement is principally a downward action -- and should be thought of that way. Since the unplayed key is already elevated vis-à-vis the played key, it's entirely possible (though not recommended) to play an entire piece without any upward movement of the fingers at all. While finger lift is necessary, it's never a finality in itself. As with walking, you don't lift your foot for its own sake, but rather to put it back down on the ground again to continue forward.
A good way to improve finger technique then is to gain an understanding and awareness of how to lower your fingers.
Now the easy part's done...
Fast single-note chromatic scales are a function of finger technique. Fine. But how do you play one with the weak fingers? There's no quick nor fully sufficient answer. It's like explaining what music is, or why your water glass, fresh from the dishwasher, smells like wet dog.
Still, there are answers to be had. In part, it's a matter of simply getting in the habit of using the weak fingers, in scale patterns or trill exercises. Also, of getting used to the overlapping feel of the chromatic scale. Beyond that, I've found that certain general notions, central to any effective finger technique, regardless of the fingers used, can be quite helpful.
The first of these, I would say, is more psychological in nature. Namely, that finger movement is principally a downward action -- and should be thought of that way. Since the unplayed key is already elevated vis-à-vis the played key, it's entirely possible (though not recommended) to play an entire piece without any upward movement of the fingers at all. While finger lift is necessary, it's never a finality in itself. As with walking, you don't lift your foot for its own sake, but rather to put it back down on the ground again to continue forward.
A good way to improve finger technique then is to gain an understanding and awareness of how to lower your fingers.
And that's the second notion. In so far as pure finger technique is
concerned (if such a thing really exists), the fingers should be
activated from their departure points under the knuckles. I've come
across this idea expressed in a variety of ways.
Seymour Fink uses the term "finger snaps" to describe going from a relaxed hand position to what he calls "palm position" where all fingers are extended forward (imagine making an alligator shadow puppet with your hand, mouth closed). Paul Barton, who has a popular Youtube channel, talks in one of his tutorials about an exercise he once learned of playing a note, then rubbing the finger back towards the front edge of the key, effectively bringing the hand into Fink's palm position. Finally -- to cite just these three pianists -- the French pedagogue Monique Déchaussées talks about awakening the sensation of the finger's base in the palm of the hand (Pour la technique de doigts, il est donc avant tout nécessaire de réveiller cette sensation de départ du doigt dans la paume.).
Seymour Fink uses the term "finger snaps" to describe going from a relaxed hand position to what he calls "palm position" where all fingers are extended forward (imagine making an alligator shadow puppet with your hand, mouth closed). Paul Barton, who has a popular Youtube channel, talks in one of his tutorials about an exercise he once learned of playing a note, then rubbing the finger back towards the front edge of the key, effectively bringing the hand into Fink's palm position. Finally -- to cite just these three pianists -- the French pedagogue Monique Déchaussées talks about awakening the sensation of the finger's base in the palm of the hand (Pour la technique de doigts, il est donc avant tout nécessaire de réveiller cette sensation de départ du doigt dans la paume.).
In her book L'homme et le piano, Déchaussées talks about
the necessity of developing speed in the lift and fall of the finger
from this point. But what I've found most helpful is her imagery of la voûte (or arch) of the hand, calling to mind the structural strength of a vaulted cathedral ceiling.
Acquiring these two sensations -- of activating the finger from its base and of a solid arch -- goes a long way in resolving what I've come to think of as The plight of the Pinky (indulge me, please), so central to our Chopin étude.
The pinky's problem is principally due to its shortness compared with the other fingers; cause for instability, tension and/or weak tone quality. Because of its size, compensation has to happen on some level. It can happen in the arm position (i.e. Alfred Cortot's mouvement tiroir where the hand and arm travel on a horizontal plane to the back or front of the keys like a drawer opening and closing) or in the wrist (which can change its angle to accommodate the 5th finger). Yet as a general rule -- and especially in the case of our étude in which the 5th falls almost exclusively on white keys -- the angle of the pinky itself at the moment of attack must compensate for what it lacks in length.
Its attack is more frank and direct. In other words, steeper -- almost vertical -- and more fully extended than the other fingers. As long as the nail joint (the one closest to the tip) doesn't collapse, this assures solid tone quality without strain (the bottom of the key might otherwise feel too "deep" and difficult to reach). Because of this, it ends up closer to the edge of the keyboard than the other fingers.
Acquiring these two sensations -- of activating the finger from its base and of a solid arch -- goes a long way in resolving what I've come to think of as The plight of the Pinky (indulge me, please), so central to our Chopin étude.
The pinky's problem is principally due to its shortness compared with the other fingers; cause for instability, tension and/or weak tone quality. Because of its size, compensation has to happen on some level. It can happen in the arm position (i.e. Alfred Cortot's mouvement tiroir where the hand and arm travel on a horizontal plane to the back or front of the keys like a drawer opening and closing) or in the wrist (which can change its angle to accommodate the 5th finger). Yet as a general rule -- and especially in the case of our étude in which the 5th falls almost exclusively on white keys -- the angle of the pinky itself at the moment of attack must compensate for what it lacks in length.
Its attack is more frank and direct. In other words, steeper -- almost vertical -- and more fully extended than the other fingers. As long as the nail joint (the one closest to the tip) doesn't collapse, this assures solid tone quality without strain (the bottom of the key might otherwise feel too "deep" and difficult to reach). Because of this, it ends up closer to the edge of the keyboard than the other fingers.
This becomes especially clear in these stills of three pianists -- Valentina Lisitsa, Evgeny Kissin and Ingolf Wunder -- playing this very étude:
Incidentally, the arch has broader implications, as it also applies to octaves, among other things. Only in this case there are two important structural arches, one from the thumb to the 5th or 4th, and another under the wrist, both of which are sometimes accentuated by raising the wrists:
But I'm getting off track...
I'll sum up with this. To successfully manage the chromatic scale in the op10/2 étude it's important to be aware of how the fingers -- the 5th above all -- move, how they strike the keys and how to compensate for their differing lengths all the while navigating the uneven topography of the keyboard.
The next technical hurdle is playing the chromatic scale in the same hand as the accompaniment. Two roles roles in one hand.
That's for another post.
* Factors such as tempo, dynamics, character and time period (the role of the arm is much more pronounced in late romantic and contemporary works than in Baroque or Classical ones) are also important in deciding which "technique" is the most effective.
Dwayne Cannon
Saturday, August 10, 2013
European Style In Music Engraving Services
Stephen Begley and Peggy Molloy
MOLLOY: What is "music engraving"?
BEGLEY: I guess you will not have met many music engravers which is ironic given the explosion of music notation software over the last few years. I wouldn't say that we are a dying breed but there is a big difference between those of us who do this for a profession and amateur engravers marking out their personal projects.
MOLLOY: Your company (Http://www.sb-music-engraving.com) SB Music Engraving, features expert music preparation, transfer from manuscript to print, editing and arranging, and a bespoke service. Give me an example of what you have to offer the musician or composer.
BEGLEY: Some people have the software for producing the notation themselves and they're able to put the notes down in order but they have limited understanding of the metrics involved so they send us the files to us. We take the music and transform it into beautiful notation for the music stand. It has the potential to be remembered for centuries, literally. By and large most of the material comes in a handwritten form.
MOLLOY: I am in the category of the Supreme Amateur Composer. I have songs in my head and I can plunk them down on the piano, but I also totally respect serious music makers, composers and musicians, so I never want to offend them with my childish tunes. I guess you could help me with bridging that gap.
BEGLEY: I never pass judgement on the material people send to me. I've worked with Bach, Liszt, and Vivaldi manuscripts but I have also worked with lesser known composers who are not published yet. It is not for me to judge the artistic merits of your work in any way. You can employ me to make sure it conforms to the modern conventions of music notation or to make sure it communicates your intentions to the world clearly. Whether you are the Supreme Amateur Composer or Strategic Air Command, my role is the same...to make YOU, look good in sheet music. Ambiguity is the enemy for the performer. This can be a delicate task but I've been lucky, in my experience composers are open to new ideas and trust my expert knowledge. Once everyone is satisfied that the music is accurate and clear it enters the final stage of the preparation: the cast off.
This is where the musical script is optimized for sight-reading on the page. The music is studied for turns, places in the score where a player may safely turn a page without losing the thread of the performance. The music is sized, shaped and a thousand little details adjusted so that when a player comes to perform the work, the score allows him to interpret the vision of the composer without the score standing in the way.
MOLLOY: Where are you located?
BEGLEY: I live and work in Central Bohemia, in a town called Beroun about 30 minutes from Prague. I work from my studio at home. The office space is crammed with books, scores, the computer, my gadgets and me: organized chaos. I work with people from all over the world. It creates some unusual office hours when communicating between vastly different time zones. Occasionally, I will take out my papers and pens to meet with clients and work with them face to face. With Prague so near, it is a great opportunity to get some solid work done in a fabulous city.
MOLLOY: How did you learn your skills?
BEGLEY: I am still learning but to answer your question it began with being a musician. I was educated in the UK but education there and music education in particular, leaves much to be desired so, after serving my time at University, I started my education performing and composing. I am one of those musicians who never reached the top of the pyramid, but the older I got, the more I realized my interests were broader. My principle instrument was always the guitar - from acoustic to classical. Classical guitar is something of a niche in the classical world so then I started to join orchestras and worked in percussion.
MOLLOY: Where do you get your business?
BEGLEY: In recent years I have served as Editor-in-Chief for a Swiss publisher, Bisel Classics and trained several engravers during my time there. I was a contributor (a minor one for sure) on the latest
version of Sibelius. I am also a contributor to the SMUFL code, a brand new music character set that will revolutionize the way music notation software works in the future. With a background in editing and music notation being created on the computer, I went into business for myself. For marketing purposes, I used to advertise in trade magazines, but the returns never covered the cost of carrying the advertisements so I gave it up. I have a stack of business cards that I carry with me at all times. Social networking, newspaper interviews similar to this one, these are where clients find me.
MOLLOY: Are the arts undergoing a renaissance where you live or work?
BEGLEY: Prague is a culturally rich environment with galleries, exhibitions, art-house cinemas, ballet and dance, theatres and several orchestras. It is perhaps not as ethnically diverse as London for instance, but in the Western European tradition there can be few places like it. I guess everyone has suffered with the recession, however and funding changes from the EU are having an impact on promoters who are struggling for the first time in years. This doesn't stop the influx of sheer talent onto the streets - that seems to grow year on year - but it does make it more difficult these artists to find open doors.
Artists will always run into tough times, it goes with the turf. The trick - I guess - is not giving up when it happens to you.
Begley can be reached at:
Email sb@sb-music-engraving.com
Monday, July 1, 2013
Interview With Conductor Rihards Buks
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| @RihardsBuks on Twitter |
Conductor Rihards Buks of England.
MOLLOY has the good fortune of chatting via email with Conductor RIHARDS BUKS Http://www.artcommerceonline.com
MOLLOY: Is it difficult for you to balance your expertise in Social Media & Marketing with your musical career?
BUKS: For me it is the same as a work and life balance! I keep Classical Music close to my heart and never thought about it as a JOB or WORK. It is the most precious thing in my life and it will stay like this forever! I'm trying my best to differentiate my conducting from the music production 'factory' feeling and every activity from my side regarding conducting and classical music I keep closely personal and unique. I love Classical Music, always did and always will and it is an essential part of my being. Marketing and Technical web related stuff is where I am polishing my expertise regarding human psychology and habits. It is closely related to business and I see this as being very logical and naturally good; Work = Business, Soul = Music.
MOLLOY: How old were you when you began your musical training?
BUKS: I was 8 years old.
MOLLOY: At this point, what is it that you are most proud of within your profession?
BUKS: I'm most proud of the fact that I had a chance to meet really great teachers and personalities.
I had a chance to learn a lot and I had a chance to be around the world quite often. Here is a small list of my teachers for you:
Prof. L. Segerstram (Finland), Prof. Ravil Martinov (St. Petersburg), Jooyong Ahn )USA),
J.Domarkas (Lithuania), A. Kukushkin (St. Petersburg), Giorgi Jordania (USA), D. Hendel
(Bolivia), A. Alekseev (St. Petersburg), J. Shteinberg (USA), J. Suckov (Moscow), Maestro
Kurt Masur (Poland), Colin Metters (Great Britain), Enhbatar Batarzav (Mongolia), E.F. Brown
(USA), I. Resnis (Latvia), and Prof. A. Titov (St. Petersburg).
MOLLOY: Have you lived in London all of your life?
RUKS: No, I haven't. I'm here only for the last 4 years of my life and now I'm relocating to Malta.
MOLLOY: What is your favorite musical composition?
RUKS: I don't have just one because because each composer has a period of his life that has something unique and individual that is very close to me. I differentiate composers by their period of the creations and not by composition. Only one thing I can tell you for sure - J.S. Bach for me is the Father of Classical Music as I see it and every human being should have to listen to his wonders at least once per week! I believe the world would become much better if that could happen. One of my favorite composers at the moment is J. Brahms and his symphonic repertoire. Of course there is the whole scope of Russian masters and Austrian geniuses which are part of my education and frankly, I don't have the possibility not to love them.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Bob & Donna Sellers, Kathrin Burleson continue to show work
BOB & DONNA SELLERS,
& KATHRIN BURLESON BOTH
FEATURE SECOND
weekend of showings in the Humboldt County.
& KATHRIN BURLESON BOTH
 |
| Sellers (707) 442-2123 |
weekend of showings in the Humboldt County.
 |
| Burleson (707) 677-0490 |
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