Modernizing String Ensembleswith Electric Instruments, Pickups, MIDI Synthesis
and Published Charts:
Contemporary String Education!
by Reva and John Kuzmich, Jr.: http://www.kuzmich.com
with Guest Consulting Engineer, Brad Slate of Sweetwater Music: http://mer-ka-ba.com/violinexamples
and
Guest Jazz Cellist, Buffi Jacobs of the University of North Texas
Clinicians
- John Kuzmich, Jr.: Nationally known music educator, jazz educator, computer music technologist, distance learning and web development educator for 33+ years with a Ph.D. degree in music and over 240 articles published in national/international music educator journals. Past senior editor of the following national/international music education journals:
Jazz Educators Journal, The Instrumentalist and the American Suzuki Journal.
Presently, he is a senior columnist with the
Jazz Educators Journal ("Survey of New Teaching Materials" and "Watch Out" columns
and with the School Band & Orchestra magazine ("Music Technology" and "Creating A Web Presence" columns). To contact by e-mail,
jkuzmich@jeffco.k12.co.us
- Reva Kuzmich:
Music scholarship senior applied violin major at the University of North Texas with additional expertise in string jazz and sound synthesis and as a certified Suzuki Violin Teacher. Co-founder of the first jazz string ensemble at the University of North Texas in 1998.
To contract by e-mail, princessreva@hotmail.com
- Buffi Jacobs
is an extrordinaire jazz cellist and Director of the University of North Texas Jazz Strings Project. To contact by e-mail,
Cello007@aol.com.
- Brad Slate:
Brad has been playing acoustic violin for over 20 years and electric/MIDI violin for over 10 years. He has played professionally in ensembles ranging from symphonies to nationally touring rock/fusion bands and has performed with artists such as Stephane Grapelli and Darol Anger. He is currently a sales engineer and audio consultant for Sweetwater Sound of Fort Wayne, Indiana focusing on system design and integration for both studio and live applications. You can contact him at:
800-222-4700, ext. 1326 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST and/or by e-mail,
brad_slate@sweetwater.com
2001 Texas Music Educators Conference in San Antonio, Texas
February 10, 2001 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Workshop Presentation - A Philosophy for 21st Century String Education:
- 21st Century String Educator: A New Focus for String Education with "wire" choir and alarming trends that traditional string education is basically a 2000 year old white European men played by econonomically advantaged suburbanites in the U.S.A.
- "Wire Choir" A New Focus for String Education: School Band & Orchestra magazine, March/April, 1998, pp. 38-41.
- "Wire Choir" Part Two: A New Focus for String Education, School Band & Orchestra magazine, May/June, 1998, pp. 44-48.
- Meet John Kuzmich, Jr.: A Music Educator For A String Revolution!,
http://www.kuzmich.com/zeta_bio.html
- Where to Start? Start with electric pickups and/or Electric Instruments.
- Guidelines for students regarding the selection of amplification equipment for strings.
- Selected Manufacturer List of Electric Pickups, String Instrument and Special Effects
Processor
- String Amplification Resources: Pickups and Instruments, Jazz Educators Journal, November, 1998, pp. 63, 65-67.
- Analog Special Effects: phrase looping, harmonizers, straight EQ, Loop Delay, Heavy,
Plex Delay, Warp Fifths, Phase Delay, Wailing lead, Shimmer, Pad, octave down, Phase Comp, Reverb Pool,
Quasars and much more. http://www.lightbubble.com/bowed/effects.htm
- MIDI Synthesis: Synthony II with 480 sounds and 11 drum kits that are General MIDI compatible with 11 reverbs,
11 choruses and 42 variations that can be freely combined and simultaneously implemented. In essence, a freely
editable drum sequencer. URL: http://www.zetamusic.com
and http://www.zetamusic.com/products/index.htm
- Computer MIDI applications in substitute for MIDI keyboards: ear theory, notation, sequencing, accompaniment
generators, etc.
- Recommendations of Special Effects Equipment:
http://www.kuzmich.com/handouts/Special_Effects.html
- Novice User:
- Intermediate Users:
- Advanced Users:
-
Special Effects Processors That Rock and Swing as Programmed and Customized
- Boss VF-1 24-Bit Multiple Effects Processor. Contains 200 preset patches and allows the users
to create 200 user patches.
- Roland FC-200 MIDI Foot Controller. Offers four modes.
- Program Change Mode in which you can use the pedals to send any of 128 Program Change messages.
- Control Change Mode in which you send the Control Changes messages assigned to the pedals to enhance the
expressiveness of a performance.
- Note Mode in which you can use the pedals as a pedal keyboard to send the Note messages assigned to the pedals.
- Exclusive Mode in which you can operate other equipment that accepts SysEx messages sent from the
FC-200.
- "Web-based" Demonstrations!
Catch the Magic of Electrified Sound with Brad Slate, Consultating Artist from Sweetwater Music at his web site:
http://mer-ka-ba.com/violinexamples and
http://www.sweetwater.com
- Do's and Don't for Setting Up and Customizing Patches on a Special Effects Processor by Brad Slate of Sweetwater
Music:
- Special Tips for Setting Up Patches with Electric Strings and Special Effects Processors
Discography of Selected Contemporary String Artists!
Special assistance by Darol Anger. http://www.
kuzmich.com/handouts/String_Discography.html
Integrating Electric Instruments with Traditional String
Ensembles and Beyond! - What is Contemporary Music? Jazz, Dixieland, Ragtime, boogie woogie,
swing, bebop, cool jazz, fusion, bluegrass, country, Klezmer, Latin, Blues, funk, and many stylistic forms of rock (pop,
lite, medium and heavy metal, reggae, Milly Pop, Miami Rock, Shuffle Rock, fusion and much more).
- Integrating strings into a jazz program! The simple solution is to use Bb violins and Eb violas by tuning down a
whole-step.
- Use amplified strings via electric pickups and/or electric string instruments.
- Teach improvisation concepts and strings players can certainly catch the "spirit" of the contemporary music idiom,
including the "swing" feel.
- "Wire" choir music is basically string quartet plus rhythm section. For reviews of
published literature, please go to: Wire Choir Can Be Electrifying! Part 2, Jazz Educators Journal,
November, 1995, pp. 59-63 and
http://www.kuzmich.com/handouts/String_Publishers.html
Funding ideas for charts, instruments, and equipment by Buffi Jacobs.
Publishers of Contemporary String Music:
- http://www.kuzmich.com/handouts/String_Publishers.html
- Summer Jazz String Workshops
- "Live" Demonstrations by Reva Kuzmich and Buffi Jacobs with Sibelius, Finale 2001, Jamey Aebersold play-alongs,
and Band-In-A-Box! Catch the Magic of Electrified Sounds with Electronic Instruments, Pickups and Special Effects Processors!
Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
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© 1997 John Kuzmich, Jr - All Rights Reserved
Last Modified February, 2001 To contact John send an email to jkuzmich@jeffco.k12.co.us
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