Guitar Etude Series - Etude #1

Hello All,

It's been far too long since I've updated my blog and I am ready to jump back into it. I've been playing a lot with my group and traveling some too. Most recently I went on a 4 day retreat with my band in upstate New York where we wrote new music for our forthcoming album. We left with 7 new songs and I'm so grateful for the band's amazing energy along with the support of our wonderful host, Tony Falco. I will write more soon about the music we've been working as well as hopefully post some samples. Stay tuned!

So I finally started a project I've been thinking about for several years now. I've begun writing a series of guitar etudes, which are pieces specifically designed to be explorations of a variety of concepts or technical aspect of the guitar that I am curious about. In addition to writing the pieces, I am also posting videos of me playing them. In the periods where I don't have a new etude, I will try to post a video of a solo guitar piece of some sort, whether it be a standard or free. I'm really excited about this project and look forward to seeing where it takes me!

Here is my first installment, etude #1:

Hope you enjoy!

Listening Walk - Live In Mannheim

Lil Darlin - Live In Dusseldorf

Lessons from the road

Life is full of surprises, and touring is certainly no exception. This is the story of a magical broken saxophone.

On Wednesday, 15 minutes before our scheduled performance at Munich's Carl Orff Saal, my saxophone stand's loose leg (that I should have tightened long ago) gave way, sending my horn came crashing to the ground, bringing about a stunned silence to all in the green room. I felt the panic rising up from my stomach, my head swelling with anxiety….what was I going to do? I needed time to figure this out, but there was none, and as they say, "the show must go on." The was simply not playable. Gradually, with the help of the guys, I helped myself come into my body’s awareness and began breathing, allowing the situation to unfold.

Without my knowing, a drummer named Ole who plays in the Ulita Knaus group on the bill with us for this tour called a friend of his, Ulrich. Ulrich happened to live 5 minutes away, happened to be a tenor player, and happened to be just leaving his apartment and was able to grab his saxophone. I met Ulrich at the entrance to the theater, gratefully accepted his saxophone with barely time for a handshake and quickly entered the stage and played the show. Ulrich gave me the number to Max Frei, a repairman in town, but what were the odds I’d get my horn fixed before our flight at noon the next day?

Max Frei happened to work 10 minutes from our hotel, and just so happened to be an early riser according to Ulrich, and so I rose groggily at 6:45 a.m. to start making phone calls. Luckily Frei was there, and I arrived at the shop at 7:45 to enter a beautiful workshop with a wood-burning stove, and was offered coffee and a relaxing smile, knowing immediately that I was in good hands. For the next 90 minutes, I received meticulous attention from a master technician. Not only did he negotiate his fee down from the 80Euros I offered, but also his wife (who I had spoken to earlier at home) called to make sure I arrived at the shop safely and that everything was okay. Then, Max cut a page out of his phone book to make sure I had a map of the area around my hotel, and insisted I take his metro card to take the subway back to my hotel! I was rendered speechless by how this person had treated me like not like a stranger or even an unfortunate soul who he would help for a buck, but as a dear friend.

Last night (Thursday night), I finished playing a concert with Julian and co. in Düsseldorf riding on a wave of euphoric gratitude resulting from this incredible experience, aware of how little control I had over these events. The only thing I could even remotely control was my own relationship to the unfolding situation, making sure not to let panic, anxiety, or ill will towards the situation affect the very people who were so kindly reaching out to me. These acts of kindness, from Ole’s phone call, to my friends’ compassion, to Max Frei’s and Ulrich’s generosity, may seem obvious or small to others, but to me they add up to something very significant. Every moment of every day, opportunities are there for generosity and gratitude to bear their wonderful fruits. We can be the giver and the receiver of these energies. Tonight, I was the receiver and now my opportunity to give through music feels as real as ever. The rest of the tour is upon me and I do not intend to waste a single note! Thank you for reading!

- Dan Blake, 1/22/10

New Year's Eve Contra Dance

Well, I did it.....I went to my first contra dance! I've been hearing about contra dance for a few years now, how it is kind of a New England institution and that the music is great and has direct links to Bluegrass, Celtic, and Old Time fiddle music. So I've been curious for a long time and on New Year's Eve, a contradance was being held in Concord, MA and I went with my friends who are really experienced with contradance and were kind (and patient) enough to walk me through the night.

Here is a brief description I found online:

"Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) refers to several partnered folk dance styles, sometimes described as New England folk dance, in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length."

Contra dances were fashionable in the United States until the early to mid-19th century, when they were supplanted in popularity by square dances (such as the quadrille and lancers) and couple dances (such as the waltz and polk

By the late 19th century, square dances too had fallen out of favor, except in rural areas. When squares were revived (around 1925 to 1940, depending on the region), contra dances were generally not included. In the 1930s and 1940s, contra dances appear to have been done only in small towns in widely scattered parts of northeastern North America, such as Ohio, the Maritime provinces of Canada, and particularly northern New England."

I loved it. The only issue I had was that of getting pretty dizzy with all the spins. But once I kind of had a sense of what the next step/move was, I didn't feel like the inertia made me as dizzy. Also, for the record, I totally failed at square dancing......I was dos-a-dos-ing when we were supposed to be gypsy-ing and allemande-ing when everyone else was promenading. It was a mess. But a good mess.

These are some photos I took of the night...

My Current Musical Obsession......Part 1

Swåp - "Mosquito Hunter"

My friends Fiona and Mia were talking about this record over the weekend and I was lucky enough to get my hands on it. It's totally blowing my mind.

Have any of you scene this band live? I'm on a mission to see them live and one day play hopefully play with them.

My biggest question for them is how do they write? Their pieces are so intricate and beautifully connected, always with a strong and powerful through line. And they all play their instruments in a unique and virtuosic way. Super inspiring!!! I'm hoping to start learning some of their songs in the coming weeks. Maybe I'll work up some of their songs with the group too!

YEA SWÅP!!!!

Songs For Show With Mark O'Connor & John Patitucci

Next week I begin rehearsals for a run of three nights at the Blue Note with Mark O'Connor and John Patitucci. I am thrilled about the idea of this group and I'm so excited to see what we come up with in the rehearsals, as we haven't played together as a unit before. So my job right now is to write out and arrange any of my songs that I'd like to bring to the table.

Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Motor Minder

2. Ode To Elvin

3. Songlines (new song that I haven't yet finished but might be great for this configuration)

4. Clarity (old version or new?)

5. Greylighting (my new/first fiddle tune!)

6. Move (from the Red Norvo songbook)

This is only my preliminary list but I'll keep working on it. What kind of songs do you think would sound good for violin, bass, and guitar? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!