Back in the City

We're back in the City, only for a bit. It's the week of the Columbia commencement festivities and Edna's getting her degree (actually she's gotten it but we're attending the ceremonies). The City's fantastic if a little overwhelming. It's great just to ride the subway again and hear the screeching of cars, the crazy honking, the incessant siren calls, all the filth and sludge from garbage left out too long. It's just great. I haven't had much time for myself, cause Edna's parents are here to and in-between Edna wanting to meet friends and having to bring her parents around, I've become the de facto arranger of things. It's nice though, to re-visit Chinatown and all the food places that we used to love (and still do). I managed to sneak in a visit to Labyrinth Books, and pay one of my Oral examiners a visit, but that was about all. We're leaving soon, to slow old Lansing. So ...

Swing Time

Here's something that I've been practicing pretty religiously. It's a swing / Jazz version of that traditional tune "My Grandfather's Clock". I'll say right off the bat that it isn't a very good play through because my fingers are still having lots of trouble wrapping themselves around the jazz positions smoothly. Also, I think the recording doesn't do justice to the walking bass of the arrangement, which is really a crucial component of the piece.

Grandfather's Clock

For those out there interested, this arrangement can be downloaded free from this website. It's by Mark Hanson, who is a superb musician and author of really fantastic finger-style instruction books. His playing is masterly without being showy, and trying to do the things that he does without a second-thought is pretty darn difficult. If you've been playing guitar for a while and want to get into more interesting stuff, here's a great resource. Anyway, check out the free tab on his page!

Mark Hanson Tab