It's a Digital World:
Rule It By Modernizing String Ensembles
With Electric Instruments, Pickups, MIDI Synthesis and Published
Charts!
by Reva Kuzmich.: http://www.kuzmich.com
and John Kuzmich, Jr.: http://www.kuzmich.com
with Guest Consulting Engineer, Brad Slate of Sweetwater
Music: http://mer-ka-ba.com/violinexamples
2001 IAJE International Jazz Conference in New York
City, January 13, 2001
2001 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim on January 17,
2001
2001 MENC Eastern Regional Conference
in Pittsburgh on March 3, 2001
2002 Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago,
Illinois, December 18, 2002
2003 Arizona Music Educators Conference in Phoenix,
Arizona, February 1, 2003
2003 MENC Northwest Regional Conference in Portland,
Oregon, February 14, 2003
2004 ASTA National Conference in Dallas on March
12, 2004
Clinicians
- Reva Kuzmich: Zeta electric/MIDI violin clinician. Pursuing a master's
degree in string pedagogy at Arizona State University with additional expertise
in jazz. sound synthesis, fiddling, and a certified Suzuki violin teacher.
Co-founder of the first jazz string ensemble at the University of North Texas
in 1998. 2002 Bachelor of Music degree in applied violin from the University
of North Texas. Presenting electric/MIDI string clinics at the 2003 MENC Northwest
Conference in Portland, Oregon, 2003 International Association of Jazz Educators
Conference in Toronto, Canada and the 2003 Arizona Music Educators Conference
in Phoenix, Arizona, and a 30+ day workshop/concert tour of Australia in June/July,
2003 in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane. Available for electric/MIDI
string clinics and solo appearances with your orchestra and jazz programs.
Special arrangements provided by Dr. Franz Roehmann, Professor Emeritus at
the University of Colorado - Denver and Mr. Hiro Morozumi, jazz studies master's
degree candidate at the University of North Texas. Contract by e-mail, at
<Reva.Kuzmich@asu.edu>.
- 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
- Brad Slate: Brad has been playing acoustic violin for over 20 years
and electric/MIDI violin for over 12 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
- A Philosophy for 21st Century String Education with Multiplicity
of Contemporary Musical Styles!
- Contemporary styles for strings
- 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 and how to start with electric pickups and/or Electric Instruments.
- Electric Violin Music Demonstrations
- 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.
Publishers of Contemporary String Music:
Summer Jazz String Workshops
"Live" Demonstrations by Reva Kuzmich with Sibelius, Finale
2003, 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.
Reva Performances on-line at: http://www.kuzmich.com/performances.html
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Kuzmich, Jr. Home Page
© 1997 John Kuzmich, Jr - All Rights Reserved
Last Modified December, 2002
To contact John send an email to
jkuzmich@jeffco.k12.co.us
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