Evening Rehearsal at the Wilsons

A Tuning the Air Journal

Monday January 25, 2010 – Evening Rehearsal at the Wilsons

We were 10 in the circle tonight. Chris and Meleah still out of town. Greg and Joel were conducting a Games for Democracy event.

We had no firm agenda. I began the rehearsal by initiating a bit of circulation, clockwise using the note of your choice.

Taylor stepped forward with an arrangement he is working on of the “Neptune” movement from The Planets. This was more or less a “proof of concept” exploration, so we simply learned a few bars from various sections of the piece, so that he could determine if the approach he is taking with the arrangement is going to work, and where other strategies might be employed. Very beautiful stuff, and I suggested that we do this again on Saturday, when we will be rehearsing in the Great Hall at Fremont Abbey.

After a short break, we came back and worked on a variation on Bob’s work with improvised circulations through chord changes. For this we used a little 4-bar standard jazz progression: basically I-VI7-II-V7, in the form of C maj7-C#º7-D min7-Db7. After reviewing the notes in each of these chords, we moved to 1 bar on each chord, in a 7-note/1 rest pattern (“Tyger, tyger…”). This took us to nearly the end of the rehearsal. One more free circulation, this one counterclockwise.

After rehearsal, a short respite with glasses of wine raised to toast Bob and Jaxie’s 14th wedding anniversary.