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Post subject: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update...)
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 11:21 pm
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Location: Houston, Texas
Hey folks, good to be back! I just wanted to drop in for another update. Finals are over, and I finally have such a thing as free time again.

On school:
I've just finished my third semester of college. I also just got a new degree plan (since there was no music related degree in existence when I enrolled). The good news is that I will be graduating with an Associates Degree in Music rather than general Arts, but the bad news is that some of the classes I took as part of my old degree plan no longer count towards the music one. Spanish and math? Yeah, I didn't need those. So instead of graduating after one more semester, I have three more to go. I was really angry about that at first, but it's probably for the best because it gives me more time to look for my next university.

Also, I've completed 37 credit hours now and I've still managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA! I've been accepted into two national honors societies, and it helps put me in line for better scholarships and pell grants.

On work:
I'm just teaching guitar lessons now to pay my tuition. I also have a steady church gig, at a church that lets me play slide guitar and cut loose on solos! Unfortunately I haven't had time during school for any blues gigs, but now I'm trying to hit as many jams as I can. I finally got a car too, which has freed me up to actually be able to get to gigs and jams whereas I couldn't before!

On music:
I'm still playing, just more in a jazz capacity for school. It takes up a huge amount of my practice time, and I haven't had near enough time for keeping it up with blues or songwriting. But the jazz stuff has actually really helped improve my playing in all other styles! I had a monstrous solo in my big band this year (three minutes long, weird time signatures, weird harmonic rhythm, weird key changes), but by working on that I feel way more confident soloing over chord changes that go beyond I IV V's now.

Here are some videos from my recent big band gig. I haven't shown these to anyone other than my teacher and my family, so it's a forum exclusive! :D

This one was the really tricky one. It's a little too academic for my taste, but it was my first time 100% improvising live over complex jazz changes.

http://youtu.be/5fw_wskqlKY

And this one is one that I really enjoyed playing over. It's basically just a blues, so it was way more in my comfort zone!

http://youtu.be/YqQAKX8qIxY

In other musical news, my tastes took a very strange turn over the last few months. I've discovered Scottish music! Particularly Scottish lute music, which had sort of the same affect on me as blues did when I first heard it. The similarity isn't a musical one of course, it's more in the feeling of it than the sound of it (if that makes any sense). It probably triggered some long-dormant gene or something. :lol: Anyway, I'm taking lessons from someone in Scotland now, via Skype, and learning all of these new-to-me songs on guitar. Just adding something new to the vocabulary, you know. The blues isn't going anywhere!

I've also been working on mandolin a lot lately. My brother is a banjo player, but he plays early American folk music instead of bluegrass. The one area we overlap each other in genres is Irish music, so I've actually been playing mandolin with him doing a bit of that. We're trying to get some videos recorded of us playing together too. I have a friend who plays upright bass, so there's talk of getting something together starring my brother in which I'd be switching from guitar to mandolin depending on song and style. I have another group of friends who want to get some sort of blues thing together too, so hopefully I'll be very busy jamming before school gets started up again!

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:53 am
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Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season to you and yours Texas !
Good to see your post, great update, you are busy doing good stuff and that is excellent Texas !
I liked the videos, thanks for posting :D

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:11 am
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Good to hear from you and especially that you are doing so well. Kudos on the 4.0 GPA!
I liked the big band clips and your solos - I agree that the first piece is a bit dry, but good practice nonetheless.
Best to you and for the Holidays.

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:38 am
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Nice, if you had held the guitar flat, I would have thought it was Wes Montgomery. That's really stretching your legs.
Thanks for posting the update. We're interested in how you're doing. The video I have on youtube of you at the Battle of the Blues contest is the second most active video I have (Joe Bonamassa w/ Dr. John, from the same show, edges you out). So we're not the only ones interested in keeping up with your endeavors.
Great job on the grade point average. Keep up the good work, it will pay off.

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:06 pm
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Glad to hear you are doing good. I really enjoyed your playing.
Kenny V


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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:20 pm
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Go Girl !!!

It's great to have you update your Forum Fans ! Loved your new playing and really happy you're hauling in that terrific GPA !!

Expected great things when you started and you've delivered in style!

Have a great Xmas Break and check-in again from time-to-time as the workload permits !

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:21 pm
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Congrats on the GPA! Much hard work goes into maintaining a 4.0, but we didn't doubt you could do it for even a minute.

I liked the videos and a nice way to catch up with where you're at in branching out with music. You are obviously discovering many new things and being exposed to many divergent genres, enjoy this time in your life!

Appreciate the update.

T2

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:53 pm
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Good to hear from you. Great job on the vids. Jazz gives me the headache. :lol: You are getting a wonderful, well rounded education. As far as the delay, I wouldn't worry. You are having the time of your life, aren't you? All the best in the future. :D


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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 5:42 am
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Your update is most interesting. Pleased to learn that you are doing so well academically. Never begrudge anything you learned as being useless....least of all, Spanish and Math in this day and age. Explore Scotch/Irish music as roots music for the evolution of what we call 'country'. You'll find the hows and whys of that most interesting from an historical perspective. Your two links were most exemplary of the gifts we already know you possess. Keep on truck'in and us in mind. Have a great holiday season, a safe, healthy and productive new year.

Doc :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:51 am
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You go, girl!

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:24 am
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Miami Mike wrote:
You go, girl!

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:lol: Claro que si!!

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Post subject: Re: Hello again, long time no see! (Another Rebecca update..
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:26 am
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Good to hear from you Rebecca. Thanks for the update...loved the videos. Keep up the good work.

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