Yesterday I went to the first rehearsal of the year for the
Harvey Mudd College Gamelan, along with 7 students and two profs. In 1997 I played in the Pomona College Gamelan for a semester, but this one is different in that we read music instead of learning by rote. I thought that might be easier, but it actually isn't, at least at first. I have to learn which notes are which on the various instruments instead of just calling them by a number name. I started out on an instrument reading bass clef and then tried one out in treble.
I am a little slow on posting about the HMC Gamelan concert I attended over a week ago. On the program - Lou Harrison, John Cage and Bill Alves. Bill teaches at HMC and composes for gamelan (and other instruments), often accompanied by visual media. The second half of the concert showcased one of his newest works.
Yesterday I went to the first rehearsal of the year for the Harvey Mudd College Gamelan, along with 7 students and two profs. In 1997 I played in the Pomona College Gamelan for a semester, but this one is different in that we read music instead of learning by rote. I thought that might be easier, but it actually isn't, at least at first. I have to learn which notes are which on the various instruments instead of just calling them by a number name. I started out on an instrument reading bass clef and then tried one out in treble.
