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 the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Process 
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Post the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Process
Hey guys,

I think about the Stick a whole lot of the time, and play when I can, but to make money I manage distance learning for a medium-sized school district. I was watching a STEM-based event (Science Technology Engineering Math), and the presenter flashed a chart on the screen, which I copied as soon as I saw it. It's called the Engineering Design Process, and it is a circle of things you do to get something built and working, into the hands of your intended users. But when I looked at it I thought "How does this not apply to writing or arranging Stick pieces?"
R


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Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:12 am
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
Now that y'all can see the chart, I wanted to add a few things.

I've been working on Ted Greene's arrangement of Greensleaves, which is a hard chart to play, as it's in four voices, and I've chosen to do it two notes on the bass side and two on the treble. So it didn't shart improving very much until I started sharing it - that is, playing it for others, and noting where the piece just fell apart. It's given me some insight into improving my practice technique. I'm not done working on it - it may take a year, but it's slowly getting better, and I play it for others every chance I get.

Step 1: Imagine (it's circular but you can start there): I saw a video on Youtube of Ted Greene playing, and wanted to play like that.

Step 2: Plan: I bought a Ted Greene book (this is was titled Chord Chemistry) and found the Greensleaves arrangement. I began figuring out each chord - no familiar shapes here, with two in the bass and two in the treble. And I had to overlap some voices - it wasn't a straight SATB kind of thing.

Step 3: Create: I was playing so badly I had to chart out each chord on graph paper, but eventually I had my arrangement in tablature. I changed up some chords to avoid parallel fifths (I went to music school once upon a time) or to fill out a moment or two.

Step 4: Improve: Then I had to start playing chords in larger and larger groups. This took weeks. Finally I was able to get through the whole thing.

Step 5: Share: Then I started playing it for my jam buddies, and my work crew, and I SUCKED. I came away from those performances feeling like a practice room musician. Wow. Back to Step 4. I began playing the hands independently, something I'd never done on the piano. It helped a lot.

Step 6: Ask: Well, I'm sharing this with y'all. Maybe y'all have some ideas for playing four voices at once?

Thanks,
R


Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:26 am
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
...dear rodan07

...to help with some ideas for playing 4 part arrangements it's best to know the
arrangement itself. The idea how to realize them on the stick depends of...

...but I think you're already on a very good track while you posted:
rodan07 wrote:
...and I've chosen to do it two notes on the bass side and two on the treble. ...


Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:42 am
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
Thanks, this is a very interesting thread. I approach things a lot like that all day as a software developer and teacher. I think applying this approach to learning music is great and I try to. For us amateurs the circle can take a long time as we can't share as much as we'd like to.

As to your question about playing four voices I will have to reveal myself as a bit of a contrarian to common Stick wisdom. I use a mirrored 4ths tuning now and I'm finding it a lot better for things like multiple voices. Of course it's possible in more standard tunings, I've just found it easier and more satisfying in all 4ths. This probably doesn't help you much though, sorry.

Ted Greene was one of my heroes when I played guitar and I love that arrangement. I think I'm going to track it down and see if I can do it, too. Maybe I'll try his "Summertime" first.

-Eric

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Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:46 am
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
Hey guys, thanks for the replies!

I'm not going to mirrored 4ths. I'm just too old and cussed. I've thought about it over the years, esp. ten years ago when I was struggling with a Bach chorale. Actually back then I was playing with my bass strings up a fifth, but I was still tuned in fifths like a regular ten-string.

Also, now that I'm using my thumb on the bass side, I can play minor thirds, major seconds, and minor seconds easily, on most of the neck, so that objection doesn't apply very much.

Still I can see how an all-fourths tuning would be great, esp. if it was like a Stick Bass, where everything's in one orientation.

R


Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:05 pm
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
The idea for two notes on one side, vs. two notes on the other, is that I have five fingers on each side, so the possibilities of navigating two moving voices on each side are really good, as I'm using five fingers on the bass side and five on the right (well, I'm not using my right thumb on this arrangement).

So, passing tones while holding other notes, moving thirds, and sixths, octaves, ornamentation, are all enhanced this way. This is my idea.

And it's hard! I don't have any handy three-note shapes to do mental shorthand on a chord. I'm using Baritone Melody, transposed down a step, so I'm thinking like a Bb musician. I'm hoping that this mental mountain climbing I'm doing will one day smooth out into level plains.

R


Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:12 pm
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
rodan07 wrote:
I'm not going to mirrored 4ths. I'm just too old and cussed.R

Heh, I didn't expect you to. I just want to bring up the subject once in a while as the tuning offers some very interesting approaches to playing. It does really require a 12-stringed instrument, though, and it's not for everyone.

-Eric

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Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:25 pm
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
Ted Greene was a master. I was fortunate to live near him and besides having and studying Chord Chemistry since the mid 70s,I took a few music lessons from him. I still listen to his only record "Solo Guitar" at least once a week and if you don't have it you should. It's a great in depth study of counterpoint moving voices and key modulations which he does so elegantly you'll sometimes not realize he's done it. His playing has influenced my playing on guitar,mandolin pedal steel and now Stick. He has a few acolytes who've managed to carry on a lot of how he approached playing music and one of them is Tim Lerch.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkxYAbfEO-U[/youtube]


Fri Nov 13, 2015 2:20 pm
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
rodan07 wrote:
...I'm not going to mirrored 4ths....


...Yes, of course I wouldn't do this too... just look at the million different tunigs
of the guitar. A tuning that makes all things easy, can't exist...


rodan07 wrote:
...So, passing tones while holding other notes, moving thirds, and sixths, octaves, ornamentation, are all enhanced this way. This is my idea.
...


...Same thing is done with the four part chorals from J.S.Bach on piano:
Soprano and Alto played with the right hand, Tenor and Bass with the left....

...and on the stick you can easy change the assignment of your hands to the
different voices, ex. Soprano and Tenor on the right and Alto and Bass on the left, or
Soprano and Bass on the right and Tenor and Alto on the left and so on...
....and switch beetween all this possibilities from chord to chord...you can't do this on
piano :!: :!: :!: ....


Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:47 am
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Post Re: the Stick, STEM education, & the Engineering Design Proc
Yes! I've seen Tim Lerch videos! A great disciple of Mr. Greene.

Just go to tedgreene.com and you'll get more material in five minutes than you can master in six months.

R


Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:29 pm
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