Ney Rosauro - Seven Brazilian Children's Songs for solo marimba

I was listening to the first hour of the public radio show Performance Today on July 15 when I heard some really cool sounding music that turned out to be "Brazilian Fantasy: Bach in Brazil" by Ney Rosauro.  It was an in-studio live recording of the Seattle Marimba Quartet performing this nine minute piece.  I loved the melodies and rhythms and it immediately occurred to me that I could maybe adapt parts of this for tenor banjo.

I learned that Ney Rosauro is a Brazilian composer, percussionist and vibes/marimba player.  His Brazilian Fantasy is a duet for two marimbas that mixes original music, traditional Brazilian folk tunes, Bach melodies/chord structures, and melodies by Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes.

Further research on Ney Rosauro uncovered a project he did about twenty years ago called "Seven Brazilian Children's Songs for solo marimba".  These are kind of like études he wrote based on melodies and rhythms from Brazilian folklore, for the purposes of developing basic four-mallet (marimba) technique and increasing the musicality of the person practicing them.  Despite (or because of) this, they sound like the kind of melodies I like to play.

These Children's Songs are numbered 1 through 7 (there are seven of them) and you can buy the sheet music from Lone Star Percussion.  Upon listening, my instant favorites are No. 3 Pirulito que Bate Bate and No. 6 A Moda da tal Anquinha.  The music for Pirulito que Bate Bate is available for free download on Ney Rosauro's website.  Here are some YouTube videos of a young woman playing these songs very well.

A Moda da tal Anquinha

Pirulito que Bate Bate

Although these pieces were written for marimba, for the most part they can be played as tunes on tenor banjo or any chromatic instrument.  Sometimes what I hear as the melody is actually written as the bass-line, but to me it still serves as the melody whenever there isn't a simultaneous treble clef sound happening.  This is especially true for A Moda da tal Anquinha.  

For Pirulito que Bate Bate there is a sequence of double stops at the end of one section that doesn't quite translate in an interesting way when played on the tenor banjo.  I've been experimenting with playing a little melodic run in its place.  At least part of this melodic run is based on a transposition of something that is happening elsewhere in the piece, so that may be why it seems to fit.

Eventually I would like to learn more of these Brazilian Children's Songs, or go back to the Brazilian Fantasy: Bach in Brazil piece that sparked this interest in the first place.  For now I'm enjoying making two-part fiddle tunes out of Pirulito and Anquinha.  Here are my takes on them as of this morning.

Anquinha

Pirulito

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Six Bill Frisell Tunes on Tenor Banjo

Bill Frisell with Lucy (photo by Monica Frisell)

Over the last two months I've started to play a half dozen new tunes that are either Bill Frisell compositions or closely related to him.  I'm always looking for unusual new tunes to play - simple, distinctive melodic pieces that would be enjoyable to interpret on tenor banjo.  The selections below were all recorded on the couch in my living room in a span of about 30 minutes starting at about 8:30 this morning (July 30, 2016).  I love to get up early on a Saturday morning and start playing banjo.  This is what I would have been doing anyway. I just happened to have a recorder going this time so that these could be documented.

The tune that really got me interested in attempting some Bill Frisell stuff is We All Love Neil Young from Bill's Big Sur album.  I was instantly drawn to the melody and it seemed like I was almost able to play the notes the first time I ever tried.  I later had some help figuring out a couple of the pesky bits.  I don't have good, consistent timing here because I'm just playing it solo and I'd rather just play it than pause for the beats that are supposed to be there.  This melody shows up in other places on the Big Sur album.  Song for Lana Weeks for example.

Next is I Am Not A Farmer from the Disfarmer album.  This is another great example of a very simple - very Frisell like - melody.  It's actually quite similar to We All Love Neil Young.  If you listen to the Disfarmer album all the way through, this melody shows up multiple times under different names.  I struggle with what to do with the B-part since it's so sparse.  On the actual recording there's what amounts to a 3rd part that is just an E-minor chord for a few measures.  I don't really know how to make that work in a solo arrangement, so I just skip that sequence and make it an AA/BB tune.

The 3rd tune I recorded this morning is Uele, which I think is an African (Congolese) children's song.  The full title might be Uele Moliba Makasi.  There's a video of a Bill Frisell concert from the Barbican Theater in London 2/29/2004 featuring Djelimady Tounkara, Greg Leisz, Jenny Scheinman and Sidiki Camara where they play this tune. That's where I heard it. I don't think it's on any officially released Frisell recordings.  What I play is a loose, evolving interpretation of it that comes out different every time.

Speaking of Jenny Scheinman and Sidiki Camara -- Jenny Scheinman has a tune she wrote called Song for Sidiki which I'm assuming must be for djembe player Sidiki Camara.  Scheinman is a frequent collaborator with Bill Frisell and Song for Sidiki is one they often play together.  All of these tunes so far, and especially Song for Sidiki, are exactly what I'm looking for right now.  Relatively simple in structure, with a cool A part and (sometimes) a weird but even cooler B-part.

Bill Frisell has a tune on his Blues Dream album called Pretty Stars Were Made to Shine that is so traditional in its melody and chords that when played as a fiddle tune it sounds just like an old folk song that you can't quite place. Almost too standard. It sorta reminds me of Sweet Sunny South or maybe Uncloudy Day. I was fooling around with it, trying to decide if I liked it enough to add it to my repertoire, and as part of this experimentation played it in A-minor instead of A-major.  I instantly liked it better in A-minor.  It all of a sudden sounds more Middle-Eastern or something.  It's basically just a one-part tune. I would love to find a B-part for it but I haven't yet.  In this recording I toggle between major and minor (which gives it the impression of a two-part tune), and then I add an ending tag inspired by the end of Pretty Flowers Were Made for Blooming, its sister-song from the Blues Dream album.

Perhaps the most difficult Bill Frisell tune I've attempted so far is one of his earlier compositions - Amarillo Barbados.  I like it because it's got a funky Caribbean feel to the A-part, paired with an odd, almost Camper Van Beethoven-ish B-part.  I changed the key for this to make the notes easier to reach.  I wasn't expecting to be able to record this today.  Usually I make too many flubs to get all the way through, but I managed to somewhat capture it one take despite being constantly on the verge of collapse the whole time!

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Road Trip: Coastal Oregon to Coastal California (Depoe Bay to Big Sur)

I'm planning an ambitious, six day coastal road trip (US-101 to CA-1) that starts in Portland, OR and ends in the Los Angeles area.  I've been to sporadic places along the California coast but never to Oregon so this should be quite an adventure.  Departing from the Portland airport (about 90 miles inland) and then taking the most coastal route via Depoe Bay, OR, the journey is about 1,100 miles, not including side trips.

Below are my notes regarding many places of interest along the way - mostly scenic, recreational attractions that are not that far off the Pacific Coast Highway.  Because of time constraints, we are not going to start as far north as Astoria, OR so this itinerary omits Oregon's North Coast (Astoria, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Tillamook).  The places of interest listed below begin just north of Depoe Bay, OR near the top of Oregon's Central coast and run through Big Sur, CA.  The 300 miles from Big Sur to Los Angeles haven't been covered in any detail because we'll mostly be driving that day without much time for stopping.

Depoe Bay, OR

Day One - Portland Airport (PDX) to Depoe Bay, OR via OR-18 W.
The point of this day is simply about getting from the airport to the coast!  Google Maps say it's approximately 115 miles (2.5 hours) via OR-18 West.  The coastal places of interest begin around US-101 mile 125 (about 12 miles south of Lincoln City).  Of special note - I was able to include mile markers for all of the sites in Oregon because that information is provided in the Oregon Coastal Access Guide by Kenn Oberrecht - a book I highly recommend.

U.S. 101 mile 124.8 - Fogarty Creek Recreation Area
Trail with wooden bridges along creek and under highway to scenic cove and beach with tide pools.
A spouting horn south of the beach shoots jets of water skyward during incoming tides.

U.S. 101 mile 126.1 - Boiler Bay Scenic Viewpoint
If low tide, descend short rough trail to see tide pools.
During high tide waves crash into shore creating salty mist.

U.S. 101 mile 127.2 to 127.5 - Depoe Bay Promenade
Stone seawall and sidewalk with spouting horns that can shoot water 60 feet high.
Depoe Bay - world's smallest navigable harbor; whale watching capital of Oregon.

Cape Perpetua Lookout Station

Day Two - Depoe Bay, OR to Port Orford, OR (160+ miles)
This day is all about getting acquainted with the wild Oregon coastline and perhaps getting in a short hike or two.  Towns along the way include Yachats, Florence and Bandon.

U.S. 101 mile 129.5 - Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint
Overlook with views of ocean waves and Whale Cove to the north.

U.S. 101 mile 131.2 - Cape Foulweather and Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint
Viewpoint 500 feet above the ocean.
Views (south) of Otter Crest, Devils Punch Bowl and Yaquina Head.
The Lookout gift shop.

U.S. 101 mile 132.4 - Otter Rock, north junction (Devils Punch Bowl)
Hollow rock formation that resembles a giant punch bowl.
Stairway to Beverly Beach south of the Punch Bowl.

U.S. 101 mile 137.6 - Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Turn west off highway on Lighthouse Drive (1-mile drive off Highway 101).
Some of the best views and photo opportunities on the central coast.
Tallest lighthouse in Oregon at the tip of the promontory.

U.S. 101 mile 138.3 - Northwest Ocean View Drive
Residential street that parallels highway along the ocean.
Rejoins Highway 101 at mile 141.3.
Good way to avoid Highway 101 traffic through Newport town center.
Leads to Agate Beach, Nye Beach, and Donald A. Davis City Park.

U.S. 101 mile 148.9 - Ona Beach State Park
Short trail to beach.

U.S. 101 mile 163.3 to 165.6 - Yachats
Village of Yachats (pronounced YAH-hahts) with a beach like surface of the moon.

U.S. 101 mile 166.9 - Cape Perpetua Scenic Area (Devils Churn Viewpoint)
Hike trail down to water's edge to 800 overlook to see incoming waves.

U.S. 101 mile 167 - Cape Perpetua Day Use (800 foot high overlook)
Turn east on Klickitat Ridge Road, go .8 mile, then north (left) on Forest Service Road 5553, which leads to the day use parking lot. An overlook stands 803 feet above sea level with view of 65 miles of coastline.
A short trail leads west from the overlook to a stone lookout called the West Shelter.

U.S. 101 mile 168.4 - Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint
Day-use area with benches overlooking ocean and access to beach and tide pools.

U.S. 101 mile 175.6 - Carl G. Washburn Memorial State Park
Hobbit Trail - winds 0.4 mile through dense forest to three-mile long beach.

U.S. 101 mile 178.8 to 179.1 - Heceta Head Viewpoint
Three small turnouts lean west off the highway.
One of the best viewpoints on the entire West Coast.

U.S. 101 mile 190.7 - Florence Old Town
Riverside town of Florence.  Waterfront Depot restaurant.

U.S. 101 mile 222.3 - John Dellenback Dunes Trailhead
One-mile interpretive loop trail through forest to dunes.
Five-mile beach route marked with blue-banded posts.

U.S. 101 mile 232.3 - Viewpoint
Small parking area with views of North Slough, Haynes Inlet, and Coos Bay.

U.S. 101 mile 233.2 - Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge
5,305 foot masterpiece by Oregon's premier bridge builder, completed in 1936.
Sidewalks on both sides of bridge provide platform to see and photograph from.
Highest point of bridge is said to have great view of Coos Bay.

U.S. 101 mile 259.2 - Bullards Beach State Park
The park road skirts the north bank of the lower Coquille River and ends 2.8 miles from Highway 101 at the Coquille River Lighthouse.

U.S. 101 mile 262 - Bandon
Old Town Bandon - shops, galleries, restaurants, including Winter River Books and Gallery.

U.S. 101 mile 262.5 - Beach Loop Road (Face Rock)
Scenic road that leads to beaches, trails, park and Face Rock, a basalt monolith that resembles the face of a woman gazing skyward.
The Beach Loop Road rejoins 101 at mile 277.6.

U.S. 101 mile 296.4 - Cape Blanco
Westernmost point on the Oregon coast. 5 mile drive off Highway 101 to Cape Blanco State Park and Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor

Day Three - Port Orford, OR to Trinidad, CA (140+ miles)
The fifty mile stretch from Port Orford to Brookings is said to be the most scenic portion of the Oregon Coast.  This day's drive also enters into the Redwood Forests across the border into California.  I don't have mile marker info for California, but I believe everything is still listed in a North to South order.

U.S. 101 mile 299.8 to 301.8 - Port Orford (Battle Rock)
One of the most beautiful natural harbors on the West Coast.
Port Orford Heads State Park - view of Port Orford's natural harbor, rocky shoreline and 1,756 foot high Humbug Mountain.
Mile 301.4 - Battle Rock Wayfinding Point.

U.S. 101 mile 334.8 - Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor
Parking lot and viewpoint more than 200 feet above the ocean.  On clear days visibility extends north to Humbug Mountain.

U.S. 101 mile 337.3 - Myers Creek Beach at Pistol River State Park
Mile-long beach at Myers Creek with sea stacks and monoliths.

U.S. 101 mile 344.1 to 353.3 - Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
Twelve mile stretch of Highway 101 along forested coastline overlooking pocket beaches, cliffs, islands, sea stacks and rock formations.  The most scenic part of Highway 101.
Mile 344.6 or 344.8 - Arch Rock Viewpoint.
Mile 345 - Spruce Island Viewpoint.
Mile 345.9 - Natural Bridges Cove Viewpoint.
Mile 347.8 - Thomas Creek Bridge - highest bridge in Oregon.
Mile 348.4 - Indian Sands Viewpoint.
Mile 349.2 - Whaleshead Beach.
Mile 351.2 - House Rock Viewpoint.
Mile 351.9 - Cape Ferrelo Viewpoint.

U.S. 101 mile 355.7 - Harris Beach State Recreation Area
Craggy rock formations and evergreen forest with views of Bird Island (AKA Goat Island) off shore.

CALIFORNIA!

Clifford Kamph Memorial Park - 2 miles South of Oregon border.
On a bluff overlooking beach.

Crescent City
Brother Jonathan Park and Vista Point  at Pebble Beach Drive and 9th Street.
Point St. George - end of Washington Blvd. Cliffs and steep trail to beach.
Battery Point Lighthouse - located on an island just north of Crescent City Harbor.

Crescent Beach Overlook
Cliffside platform at South end of Enderts Beach road with trail to Enderts Beach.

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway - Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
(About 5 miles south of Klamath.)
5-mile alternative to 101 with roadside pullouts and paths into the forest.
Big Tree Wayside - walk up to the 304 feet tall "Big Tree" on a short loop trail.

Gold Bluffs Beach - Access via Davison Road, three miles north of Orick.
Fern Canyon Trail - end of Davison Road near Gold Bluffs Beach.  Water streams down 50 foot walls draped in ferns.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail - South end of Redwoods National Park.
1.4 mile loop where redwoods and fir create cathedral like canopy.

Patrick's Point State Park
The Rim Trail follows a route along the ocean bluff.
Wedding Rock.

Trinidad State Beach College Cove Parking Area - one mile North of Trinidad town.

Avenue of the Giants

Day Four - Trinidad, CA to Jenner, CA (250+ miles)
By now dramatic coastlines, beautiful beaches, craggy rocks and massive trees should be old hat so I'm hoping we can cover more ground this day - hence this challenging 250 mile leg of the journey.

Avenue of the Giants - 20 mile alternative to 101 between Scotia and Garberville
Founders Grove Nature Loop Trail (mile 20.5 on Avenue of the Giants) - easy half-mile trail, big trees up close.

Garberville
Benbow Inn restaurant with patio overlooking water.

Legget - Junction of US-101 and CA-1.  Leave 101 to get on CA-1.
Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree

South Kibesillch Gulch View Area - overlook at mile post 71.95, south of Westport.

Mackerricher Park - pristine stretch of coastline just north of Fort Bragg.

Fort Bragg - Windsong Used Books and The Bookstore Vinyl Cafe

Pomo Bluffs Park - just south of Noyo River Bridge
Views of Noyo River mouth from atop bluff.

Jug Handle State Park Natural Reserve

Sandy cove beach and short hike to unusual pygmy forest trail.

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park - 300 acre nature preserve 2 miles North of Mendocino.

Mendocino
Picturesque artsy village.
Mendocino Headlands State Park - Cypress Grove and Portuguese Beach.

Mendocino Bay Overlook - views from South of Mendocino town from grassy bluff.

Van Damme State Park - 3 miles south of Mendocino
Pygmy Forest - .25 mile loop trail of stunted cypress and pine off Little River Road.

Point Arena Cove - end of Iversen Ave./Port Rd., 1 mile west of CA-1.

Jenner, CA - where Russian River meets the Pacific.

Bixby Bridge - Big Sur

Day Five - Jenner, CA to Big Sur, CA (220+ miles)
Unfortunately we don't have time to include an overnight in San Francisco, but thankfully I've been there a couple times before.  This day's mission is to get through the congestion of the Bay Area and stay on the coast through idyllic Santa Cruz, Monterey and Carmel-By-the-Sea to finally arrive at the grand destination that is Big Sur!

San Francisco
CA-1 does not run along coast in San Francisco.  To stay along the coast take the Great Highway to CA-35 (Skyline Boulevard).  The Great Highway starts at the western end of Geary Avenue (Point Lobos Ave.) and follows beach past the San Francisco Zoo.  When it hits Skyline Blvd. (CA-35) take CA-35 for five miles where it meets CA-1.

Monterey - old fisherman's wharf.

17-Mile Drive - Enter at Pacific Grove Gate and exit at Carmel Gate.
Famous scenic drive. Toll is charged for entry.
Lone Cypress, beaches at Spanish Bay, many turnouts, Pebble Beach golf course, Bird Rock and Seal Rock (seals and sea lions).

Rocky Creek Bridge - half mile north of Bixby Creek Bridge
Similar but smaller than Bixby Bridge.

Bixby Creek Bridge - 11 miles north of Big Sur Village
713 foot long bridge built in 1932.  There's a pull off on the North side.
260 foot high bridge.

Big Sur - Rugged coast between Carmel and San Simeon.  CA-1 twists around mountains and clings to rocky cliffs.

Morro Rock

Day Six - Big Sur, CA to South Pasadena, CA (300+ miles)
Due to the long, demanding drive from Big Sur to the Los Angeles area (not recommended to do in one day) I've only listed a couple sights along the way.  I'm not making it a plan to seek out and stop at the typical tourist attractions along this route - I know I am leaving out a lot of interesting places during this stretch -  but may explore random sites more spontaneously this day if time and interest allows.  Although, I have listed the Morro Rock because that sounds interesting.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (11 mi. S. of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park)
Overlook trail leads to observation deck with views of McWay Falls.
Park east of CA-1 and cross under the roadway on the Waterfall Trail.

Morro Bay (110 miles south of Big Sur)
Morro Rock - W. end of Coleman Drive.
580 foot high "Gibraltar of the Pacific".

There you have it.  These notes are mostly so that I have a customized online place that I can refer to along the way, but it may be of interest to others as well.  In addition to the Oregon Coastal Access Guide mentioned above, I also used the books Coastal California Access Guide, Moon Coastal Oregon and Moon Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip to gather the notes for this trip.  If you're looking for one book that covers it all, that may be Moon Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip by Victoriah Arsenian.

Five Favorite Instruments of Mine (That Aren't Tenor Banjo)

I play music for fun as a hobby. The instrument I use to do so is the 4-string tenor banjo. In my case I tune it GDAE (low to high) which is one octave lower than a mandolin/violin. The tenor banjo allows me to pluck instrumental melodies to songs or tunes, similar to what someone is doing when they are whistling. Each evening around the house, during the same free time that someone else might choose to watch TV or play Pokemon, I play my musical instrument of choice: the tenor banjo.

Despite being my favorite instrument to play (and the only instrument I play), I wouldn't necessarily say that tenor banjo is my favorite instrument. In fact, I can think of at least 5 other instruments that I would place ahead of it, even though I don't play any of them. These include...

Marimba

The marimba is a tuned percussion instrument with wooden bars laid out in a similar way to a piano keyboard. The wooden bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators suspended underneath the bars amplify their sound. The marimba was developed in Central America and is the national instrument of Guatemala. It is like a xylophone although it is pitched an octave lower and produces a richer sound.

Why I Haven't Played the Marimba Yet: Cost, size and playing style. I haven't done a whole lot of research but beginner/student level marimbas seem to start at over $1,000. That's a pretty steep investment. Also, marimbas are pretty big and would take up a lot of room in the house. I don't really have the space for one. My last excuse is that the proper playing style involves holding more than one mallet in each hand and I don't really see myself wanting to do that. I'd probably just want to hold one mallet per hand and try to bang out single-line melodies. I might still get one in the next year or two.

Melodica
The melodica is a free-reed instrument similar to the pump organ and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole, allowing air to flow through a reed. It produces sound only exhaling into not inhaling. Melodicas have a rectangular shape and they are held with one hand (a handle is located underneath most of the instruments) while the keyboard is played with the other hand. The keyboard is usually two or three octaves long. Melodicas are small, light, and portable, and inexpensive. The modern form of the instrument was invented by Hohner in the 1950s.

Why I Haven't Played Melodica Yet: This is simple...spit! Although I like the sound of a melodica I don't want to play any instrument that you have to use your mouth to play because the idea that moisture gathers into the instrument is just unappealing to me. This probably also rules out another favorite of mine, the clarinet.

Appalachian Dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer (or mountain dulcimer) is a member of the zither family. The dulcimer has a drone similar to the bagpipe, reminiscent of the early settlers of the Appalachians whose music helped shaped the beginnings of bluegrass and early country music. The hourglass shaped body extends the length of the fingerboard and its fretting is generally diatonic. It was originally used as an instrument to accompany ballad singing. Traditional players use a wooden noter, or dowel, to fret single melody notes, while others prefer the more modern approach of chording as both accompaniment and lead. It is unrelated to the hammered dulcimer.

Why I Haven't Played Dulcimer Yet: Tuning limitations. Due to the diatonic fret pattern and various tunings the dulcimer isn't versatile enough to cover every possible melody or scale. From what I understand the most common tuning facilitates playing in the Ionian mode, and then you have to re-tune and/or use a capo to play in other modes. I don't want to play any instrument that you have to re-tune for certain keys, etc.

The Upright Bass (AKA "Double Bass")
The acoustic upright bass is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the violin (or viol?) family, but it is tuned in 4ths rather than 5ths like the violin, viola and cello. The bass is used in a range of genres, such as classical, jazz, rock, blues, tango, bluegrass. You're probably familiar with it already so I don't need to go into much detail. When I think of upright bass players I think of people like Charles Mingus, Chris Wood, Mark Schatz and Stephan Crump.

Why I Haven't Played Upright Bass Yet: Well, they take up a lot of room and I suspect that they are expensive. But the main reason is that the bass is an accompaniment instrument and I simply like playing lead melodies. I would like to perhaps get a bass some day to learn more about harmony and chord theory, but I probably wouldn't choose an upright bass simply because of its size. I would probably go with a shorter scaled electric bass just to learn the concept of bass playing.

The Electric Guitar
Do I even need to describe the electric guitar? We all know what it is. It's a guitar that uses a magnetic pickup to convert the vibration of the plucked strings into electrical impulses that can be heard when the guitar is plugged into an amplifier. The electric guitar was invented invented in the early 1930s and quickly adopted by jazz guitarists who sought to be able to be heard in big band ensembles. During the 1950s and 1960s, the electric guitar became the most important instrument in pop music, serving as a major component in the development of electric blues, rock and more. I was going to make the last instrument on this list the accordion, but most of my favorite musicians are electric guitar players (Jerry Garcia, Trey Anastasio, Bill Frisell, Mary Halvorson, Dean Ween, Derek Bailey) so it would be disingenuous not to include electric guitar in the top five.

Why I Have't Played Electric Guitar Yet: I dunno, too common? (I actually did have a left-handed electric guitar once). The guitar checks all the boxes in terms of versatility and repertoire but for some reason I'm not drawn to it as an instrument I want to play for my own enjoyment. Any melody I can whistle can be played on the guitar in any key. However, I can also do that same thing on my chosen instrument, the tenor banjo, and still feel like I'm doing something fairly original (AKA self-indulgent). There are just too many awesome guitar players. I would feel like a poser if trying to play it. The bar has been set too high. If you played guitar there would be constant reminders of how you're not ever going to be as good as Hendrix or Zappa or Jerry. Whereas with tenor banjo I can play whatever I want on it and feel like I'm the only person in the world doing it. I've never once questioned the decision to play tenor banjo even though I'm always wondering what to play on it.

Honorable mention instruments: accordion, clarinet and steel guitar.

  

Bill Frisell: An Anthology - Song Book

Until this past weekend I didn’t know there was a published book of Bill Frisell compositions but there is! It’s called Bill Frisell: An Anthology. If I had known about this book prior to now I would have bought it years ago. Soon I will have a copy though.

An Anthology was first published in 2001 so it only includes Frisell's work up through that year’s Blues Dream album, but it still contains over 80 pieces dating all the way back to Throughout from 1983’s In Line. Other tunes include Amarillo Barbados, Lookout for Hope, Rag, Strange Meeting, Egg Radio, Verona, Monroe, Poem for Eva and Ron Carter. The full contents are below.

In the preface Frisell says “I’d rather not try to explain too much about how any of this music might be approached, but let the notes speak for themselves. When I’ve played these pieces over the years with my various groups, they’ve been a jumping off place – hopefully with something new happening each time. There’s no real set way to approach them. I hope that anyone else playing them will try to find her own way – changing the tempo, orchestration, whatever. They’re not really meant to be played just like the record. I hope the music in this book will be of interest not only to guitar players. Some of it was written with guitar in mind, but much of it is presented like a score and could be arranged in any number of ways, for any instrument(s).”

On writing, Frisell says, “I’m not a fisherman, but writing for me is something like what I imagine fishing to be. There’s this huge ocean of music surrounding us, moving by us all the time, and if we’re patient, quiet, and sit there long enough, a melody will come along”.

Bill Frisell: An Anthology contents 1 of 2

Bill Frisell: An Anthology contents 2 of 2

Recently I’ve been trying to play along with some of Frisell’s more approachable single-line melodies, such as We All Love Neil Young/Song for Lana Weeks from Big Sur and Farmer/I Am Not A Farmer/Small Town from Disfarmer. Hopefully we are due for An Anthology Volume 2 because arguably Bill’s best work has come in the 15 years since this initial collection was published.

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