Expanding Horizons

I mentioned in my last blog post that I am listening to 25 different pieces of music to be able to identify them on the Music History midterm.  I notice a difference in how I listen to music.  At first it was difficult for me to distinguish many of the various composers and pieces from each other.  I think that by practicing listening and learning about the evolution and history of music and by listening to the music of the great composers, I am better able to differentiate the composers and their works.

In my Harmony class we are learning the structure of music and how to arrange an accompaniment for a melody.  Right now we are writing chorale-style harmony, which is four parts:  soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.  This is already useful for me because I am learning to play hymns for church.  Since I am just learning to play hymns, I am writing some hymn accompaniments that are relatively easy for me to play.  Knowing the harmonic structure and the voice-leading rules help with this task.

In Jazz piano, our exam had three parts.  The first part was to play an arrangement of a jazz tune that was composed by our teacher, Dr. Karel Lidral.  The second part was to play an accompaniment to a jazz piece from a lead sheet; i.e., to play an accompaniment from reading the changes (jazz terminology for the chord progressions).  This was the hardest part for me, because I have to think about the root, third, fifth, and seventh of the chords all at once and decide how to play them.  I have made a lot of progress, but I have a long way to go before I could actually comp (jazz terminology for accompany) a jazz tune directly from a lead sheet.  The third part of the exam was to play an accompaniment that I had written previously as an assignment. 

The Sight Singing and Ear Training exam had four parts.  The first was a set of complex rhythms with different rhythms in each hand.  The second and third parts were singing from tenor clef (C is on the second line from the top of the staff) with a complimentary melody played on the piano by the teacher.  For the fourth part, I had to sing a piece of music written in tenor clef that I had never seen before.  In addition to knowing how to recognize and sing intervals, I am learning the structure of the primary chords in the key.

With midterm exams finished, I began the two-week spring break.  The adventure began in Cardington, Ohio with a visit to my son and his family, including my three grandchildren.  I enjoy getting more in touch with their lives since my last visit in early January.