For the past two months, Stance on Dance has been focusing on ballet with perspectives from various dance artists and the occasional Bunion knocking famous ballets. To close all this ballet hullabaloo, let’s rock out to Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird.

Starting at measure 206 from the finale of the Firebird suite:

Once, at a heavy metal concert with a friend of mine, we were chatting between a set change when the subject of the Firebird Suite came up. My friend, having played the piece in an orchestra once before, said about it: “Yeah, that was easily the loudest and most intense moment of my life!”

That was the day I fell in love with “classical” music. So sit back and fall in love with this sweet suite.

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In music, triplets are three beats compacted into two!

Imagine two car lanes with three cars riding abreast down those lanes. Dangerous in driving. Dangerous in MUSIC. Dangerously AWESOME!!!

I have always held an affinity towards phrases with triplets. I can feel them, disrupting my heartbeat, making me inhale when it comes time to exhale. They send me spinning out of control!

Three is a simple yet powerful and unique number. Triangles, the foundation of personal assessment (mental, physical, emotional/spiritual) The Holy Trinity, Rock-Paper-Scissors… and let’s not forget it makes a great climax for any song!

Listen: Semi-Charmed Life

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Measure 3

This song is written and originally performed by Smokey Robinson. After listening to the Jackson 5 cover of this song however, it makes the original seem superfluous in a way.

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Just like how AC/DC  once came back  – In Black – Measure the Music is back… so, hi again!

This song is too broke for a third chord and even the guitar solo isn’t much. Hell, it’s introduced in measure 65 by a single note for only 8 measures. They don’t use much to deliver a lot.

“No, I ain’t doin’ much

Doin’ nothing means a lot to me”

-Bon Scott (Downpayment Blues)

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“Wig in a Box” from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, measure 31

This months selection is a very special one to me. I just finished performing in this musical 101 times since December. The repetition came with a whole spectrum of purposes, surprises and emotions.

This measure was possibly my most anticipated measure and I approached it with refreshed energy time and time again. I think the song is very fitting as well: as this song suggests, after experiencing the same things over and over you have to get up and do it again.

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As a hint I’ll give you the measure from the American folk classic!

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This month I am sharing with you a song I wrote 10 years ago.
It has no title, but was always referred to as “The Pretty Song.” I wrote it as a study in operating and elaborating harmonies within a key (E major). It was my catalyst for breaking apart and distorting harmonies in the music that I later came to write as not “pretty.”

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Around measure 57 of this two guitar arrangement of “1 x 0 (Um A Zero)” by Raphael Rabello & Dino 7 Cordas,  the 1st Guitar plays this part of the melody:

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Measure 74 of Spanish classical guitarist and composer Fernando Sor’s “Estudio (Study) #17”

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In measure 66, Al and Jaz deliver harmonies to jettison the listener into a new world of feeling , of wonder, of life!

A haiku to ring in 2013:

January- New!

Every moment red letter.

To a whole new world!

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