Reviews for Time Transformation

The average rating for Time Transformation based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-10-10 00:00:00 Paul Sobel Presentation The comments on presentation I made in my review of Volume 1 of this Method apply equally well to Volume 2, so I shall not repeat them. Content The preliminary explanation of signs is missing from Volume 2. I presume that anyone buying Volume 2 is expected to have obtained the other first ' which is borne out by the fact that the examples for both volumes are contained on the CD that comes with Volume 1. Techniques addressed include arpeggios, tremolo, picado and alzapúa. As before, the coverage is detailed and thorough; in particular, Lucía's technique of playing picado from the middle joint of the finger (rather than the large joint) is described: "If it is played differently ' it's just not Flamenco" (tell it to Sabicas). The music is supplied throughout in both staff notation, and tablature with time values. I did find a few fairly self-evident misprints, e.g. the arrow directions in the Alzapúa III exercise (p.59) are wrong, although correct in the previous one. Triplet is once confused with triad (p.57). The sole place I found the text confusing was in the description of bulerías rhythm (p.39). To quote: "Many players count 1·2·3·4·5·6·7·8·9·10·11·12· which you will also find in most guitar methods. Someone invented this way of counting a long time ago, and many others just copied it without questioning it. It is not really wrong, but it isn't the best way either, because on the one hand, most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1 [...] It is much easier to start on the accented 12 and to notate the whole the whole thing with alternating time signatures." This gives the impression that the stated way of counting was invented by some long-forgotten flamenco loony; but of course, it is, and as far as anyone knows has always been, the standard and logical way of counting soleares. The explanation given obscures the vital connection between the two rhythms. In point of fact, it is bulerías that were invented by a loony ' specifically, by the 19th-century singer El Loco Mateo (according to legend), as a way of finishing his soleares. It may indeed be "much easier to start on the accented 12". But the example in the book labels beat 12 as beat 1, which I have never heard a flamenco do. I've found it useful to tell people that they should regard the numbers as the names of the beats, so that beat 12 is still beat 12 even if it is first. (The author does indeed switch back to conventional numbering later). It's true, too, that "most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1", but some do: and some start on beat 9½! In short, while it may be best on balance to notate starting on beat 12, the rationale given is suspect, and it has disadvantages as well as advantages. The book continues with full-fledged versions of soleá, alegrías, bulerías, tarantas and tangos. They have the advantage of being attractive and very flamenco-sounding, but still within reach of students with only moderate technique. Next there is a catalogue of styles, including some pretty obscure ones, with a few brief musical examples. Finally, there is a short history of Flamenco, from antiquity to the present day, and a bibliography. The history is well written and not just a regurgitation of other accounts; although I was a trifle startled to learn (p.122) that: "The Thirty Years' War, the Spanish wars of succession, the War of Independence started by NAPOLEON, the Civil war under FRANCO and the transition to democracy in 1976 were of no cultural importance, compared with the former history of the country." Summary As previously mentioned, the English throughout both books is generally very good, the use of German-style quotation marks being trivial. However, there may well be those interested in Flamenco ' especially classical guitarists ' who as yet speak no Spanish, and so I feel obliged to quibble over the use of Spanish terms where accepted English ones exist: in particular, the consistent use of Spanish note-names, and terms like modo dórico for Phrygian mode. This said, the author's explanations, both visual and textual, are very clear. However, I have several reservations about what is not explained. What they boil down to is that this is, by itself, nowhere near an adequate flamenco guitar method. The omissions are understandable: the size and price would be quadrupled if all the relevant material were to be described in the same detail. If the title were Modern Flamenco Guitar Technique, then these two books and DVDs would fulfill their function very admirably, and on that basis I recommend them. Disclosure I received a free copy of this item for review.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-10-02 00:00:00 Bart Redwine If you like modernist classical music, you may be baffled by the claims of some musical conservatives that serialism or Schoenberg's free atonality are just so much noise. Even entire books have been dedicated to castigating the pieces I and my peers enjoy greatly, like Henry Pleasant's dodgy classic THE AGONY OF MODERN MUSIC. But in defense of "20th century music with a popularity problem" comes THE PLEASURE OF MODERNIST MUSIC: Listening, Meaning, Intention, Ideology, edited by Arved Ashby. It collects 15 papers which discuss how modernist music can be a fun/touching/moving/thought-provoking experience. I didn't read all the papers here, so I'll just comment on a few. Greg Sandow contributes two papers where he feels that excessive analysis gets in the way of just enjoying the music. Even Milton Babbit is great fun, he claims, if you just get past the dry programme notes. William Bolcom hopes that we're finally past the stage where we either have to strive for newness at all costs or trash mid-century modernism -- let's just enjoy what we like. Richard Toop's "Informal Reflections on Simple Information and Listening" tries to undo some of the hyperbole around modern composition by noting that so much of the structure remains intelligible if one just pays attention. Even if the peculiars of twelve-tone rows pass by too fast or too squished by multiple voices and chords, even Stockhausen's ultra-abstract Klavierstuecke have a perceivable form that a sincere ear can latch on to. Andrew Mead's "One Man's Signal is Another Man's Noise" is a personal account of his joy in discovering Milton Babbitt, even as his father shook his head in disapproval. Jonathan W. Bernard's "The 'Modernization' of Rock & Roll, 1965-75" charts a heady time when even popular music was exploring weird new sounds. If you've ever listened to late '60s psychedelia or Miles Davis' thick fusion, with all its revelations and surprises, and wonder how the human race could pass from that to disco, Bernard's is an interesting paper. This is an academic text, not one meant to convince a mass audience that this kind of music is for them. Even if eggheads like myself absorb its arguments, they might not be all that useful in turning friends on to the wonders of 20th century modernism. Still, some many of the observations here resonated with me and helped me clarify my feelings about this repertoire, so at the very least THE PLEASURE OF MODERN MUSIC can help one formulate an apology for their tastes.