(Investigative
Journalism…)
A clarinet, an alto or three,
tenor, whistle and voice, the range of instrumentalists in attendance at Paul
Edis’ latest workshop session at the Lit & Phil, Newcastle . A note book (a scrap of paper) and
pen (purloined from Paddy Power), yes, this is Gumshoe Bebop filing copy to
Bebop Spoken Here’s news desk. What the Head Honcho (LL) will make of it is anyone’s guess.
Determined to get to the bottom
of this ‘ear training’ business, BSH’s gumshoe wasn’t going to take any
nonsense from anyone. Taking a look at their mugshots, yes, you’ve guessed
it…it was the usual suspects. Dr Edis entered the room carrying an unfamiliar
instrument case. The guy’s a piano player, right? What’s the matter with the
piano? He plays the piano, right? So, what’s going on? Nothing gets by Gumshoe
Bebop. An alto. Are you kidding? You’re a piano player, no fooling. It was an
alto saxophone. Nothing gets by Gumshoe Bebop…the alto player was stuck in
traffic.
Tonight said Edis, we’ll look
at ‘rhythm and meter’ (slow down, ‘rhythm’ takes a bit of spelling). A
metronome ticked and tocked, not a real metronome, you understand, but a
WyeiPhone, ticking and tocking. A lot of clapping started, some clapping in
their own time. Things were subdivided into three semi quavers, Handel’s Passacaglia intervened and it didn’t
help matters when there was talk of 12/8 and 9/8, triplets and a rhythmic pattern,
the hemiola. For further reading turn
to Wikipedia. A student wielding a liquorice stick gave it a go. Some time later the
student stopped saying: Is that wrong?
No, it’s far too good! Edis was
impressed.
More talk of beat displacement,
the Dorian mode and a blues scale. The students were making notes, extensive notes.
Hey! Free pens at Paddy Power. Gumshoe Bebop was about to ask the wise guy at
the front where the sax player was when the piano player – can you believe it,
the piano player! – blew the alto. Some things just ain’t fair. It was almost
time to hit the street, the janitor wanted to lock up and head over to the
joint across the road, grab a beer and watch the football.
This improvisation lark is a
funny business. As for training your ear, it don’t come easy. All this ‘one, two, three’ business, crotchets
and quavers…you gotta have a degree in Applied Mathematics!
Gumshoe Bebop
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