RhythmArt Blog

Well, it’s been a busy week here at Summerglen/RhythmArt…

•  My drumset method book is almost done, I’m just doing some final tweaking/editing stuff before I send it off to the printers. One thing that I’ve resolved to do before sending it is to play through every exercise in the book to make sure they work. That’s turned out to be a challenge! I’m reminded that I originally came up with the concept to teach myself how to use a particular technique. Then I got caught up in writing it and never actually worked it out myself! Oh well, now’s my turn, I guess!
• Related to the book, I’m starting to get ideas together for my release party! It’s going to be sometime in late January ‘10 (I’m not going to add to the craziness of the holidays!) and will be held at 2112 Percussion in Raleigh. I’m thinking of structuring it like a drum clinic – I’ll be premiering some pieces, playing some of my recordings live, and of course, door prizes! Stay on the lookout for concrete info. as the new year approaches.
• Speaking of being on the lookout for info., a great way to do that is by signing up for my mailing list! I’ve put off having one for years and years, as I’m not really good at the communication side of things, but Reverb Nation has some tools that make it much easier to keep up with, so I’ve taken the plunge. If you’re interested in being on the list, there’s a sign-up form at the bottom of this post.
• On the composition front, I’ve been revisiting some of my notebooks to find some half-finished material from the past few years, and digging in to finish it up. I just got my new copy of Finale 2010, so notation is much easier than it has been in the past, and I also need some material to practice on, so everybody wins! I should have a pile of new/old pieces done by the end of the year.
• For new/NEW pieces, I’m working to get a new extended work for the Bodhisattva Percussion Group done by year’s end as well. This is going to be a piece that can be used as a background and guide for meditation, prayer, yoga, tai chi, etc. I’ll be having a live performance of the piece in a very unique setting next year, so get ready for that! And of course, I’m getting work done for the next Periculum release too, and should have some preview material ready soon.
• Speaking of Periculum (how do I keep coming up with these segues?), I’m going to be putting the whole SFABH cd on my MySpace player as a Christmas bonus. If you like it (and I’m sure you will), consider buying a copy from CD Baby or iTunes – those sales really help me to be able to provide all the free content on this site, so I really appreciate the support you’ve shown thus far!

OK, that’s it for now. It’s a cold, rainy night here in Raleigh, but we’re going to brave it for some Mexican food. Thanks for stopping by!