Ray Riendeau Archives - Page 2

Secret Society is an all-star 18-piece big band led by composer Darcy James Argue. This is not the usual music you think of when you hear the words “big band”. Darcy mixes minimalism, contemporary classical, indie rock and jazz styles. The music has great complexity and beauty and I really enjoy all the musical styles and how Darcy blends them...

In case you missed them, here are the top headlines from No Treble, for the week of October 12th. Lessons Jon Burr’s Pivots in Chord Inversions Evan Kepner’s Fingering Strategies for the Upright Bass Columns & Features Ask Damian Erskine: Reading Scenarios Ray’s Raving About… Kenny Werner’s “Effortless Mastery” Our Player Spotlight is on Mantis Evar We’re thrilled to welcome...

Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner is a book I never keep far from my reach and I recommend to EVERYONE. The subtitle to this book is “Liberating The Master Musician Within”. Although the applications of this book could benefit to any profession it is so refreshing to have something like this written by a musicians perspective. Kenny Werner is a...

Konnakol is the comprehensive language of rhythm which allows the composition, performance or communication of rhythms in any style. Konnakol uses syllables that are aimed at optimizing vocal performance and allow you to create seemingly endless amounts rhythms. Konnakol is something I’ve studied for many years now. Whereas Western music puts more emphasis on harmony, Eastern musicians start with rhythm...

Eldar Djangirov’s CD, Virtue, has been spinning in my car for weeks now. I unfortunately had never heard of Eldar until reading a review about this new CD and when I checked it out I was instantly a fan. At first I was drawn by his amazing technique and angular lines but the deeper I got into the music I...

Evan Kepner takes us through his first in a 2-parter lesson, Thinking in Minor. Don’t miss Jon Burr’s incredibly popular lesson on Learning Tunes Quickly. Ray Riendeau is raving about… NPR. Our Player in the Spotlight is Steve Uccello. Damian Erskine covers Target Notes in his latest installment of Ask Damian Erskine. Videos Linley Marthe: Solo at New Morning Marco...

In case you missed it, here are some of the most popular features from last week (September 6th through 12th). Jon Burr latest lesson covers the all important task of practicing chord changes. Damian Erskine answers a reader on the topic of a light vs. a hard touch. Evan Kepner provides a beginner’s guide to getting radio airplay. Bassist Darren...

As a player/teacher I have collected many books over the years, in fact I have two big bins in my garage full of various music books of all kinds. There are a hand full of books though that I find myself coming back to time and time again for reading studies, concepts and inspiration. One such book is Modal &...

This week’s rave is all about the social networking site, Twitter. For musicians “networking” has always played a big part in our lives. It helps us share information, ideas and hopefully get’s us gigs (lol). I have to say I’m really impressed with the bass community as a whole and one look at a site like Twitter shows how we...

Janek Gwizdala is a very accomplished bass player who’s skills have him wearing many hats as a musician. He has played with some of the most respected players in the business and rightfully so. Janek is one of my personal favorites because he has a way of playing what feels right for whatever musical situation he is in, not to...

The latest CD by bassist Tony Grey, called Chasing Shadows, is something I’ve been spinning for months. If you have not heard this guy play, do yourself a favor and check him out! The CD to me is a perfect blend of musicality with some insane playing. I really love the writing and how every song has cool twists and...

Check out Ray Riendeau and his trio burn it up on Charlie Parker’s Donna Lee and Au Privave! The other members of the trio are Dan Tomlinson on drums and Steve Culp on piano. The performance took place at Arizona State University’s Bass Festival, in March 2009.