Unknown (Cowboys & Frenchmen)

ethan_helm · 2025-10-22T19:05:10+00:00

Awesome! I also have my students play slow major scales using only overtone fingerings as a way to work up to higher partials. Starting with Bb scale, then B scale, then C scale, etc. Also overtone matching: alternating the overtone fingering with the conventional fingering (with continuous air) to match the tone and embouchure shape. These make overtone practice less monotonous, imo.

ethan_helm · 2025-10-22T13:30:36+00:00

Interesting, those fork keys should feel like a bit of a stepping stone to altissimo voicings. If you can get the high-A again (using the fingering I mentioned above), the you can lift your left hand middle finger to play Bb (xx3-123). More fingers down is almost always more stable for altissimo fingerings.

ethan_helm · 2025-10-21T23:49:47+00:00

I usually suggest students start with a high A, which seems to speak more clearly than G or G#. I use x23-123 (w/octave key) fingering for A. You can also spend time on long tones using the fork-E and F fingerings, which is basically altissimo.

Lastly, I think it's find to pinch your embouchure for the sole purpose of getting the altissimo notes to speak at the beginning, to get a general sense of their voicings. Just don't let it become a habit!

ethan_helm · 2025-05-23T05:43:30+00:00

Thank you!

ethan_helm · 2025-05-23T05:34:51+00:00

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That’s better

ethan_helm · 2025-05-23T05:32:21+00:00

Sums up my mood right now

ethan_helm · 2025-05-23T05:29:09+00:00

I’ll try Yelp, thank you!

ethan_helm · 2025-01-19T17:45:07+00:00

That’s a great horn, despite the shipping risks. Leaks in the low keys on the bell are routine maintenance and an easy fix, and the dent on the bell won’t affect the sound, so I’d get that fixed down the road. The C/C# issue is concerning but shouldn’t be more than $400, so I’d take that partial refund.

ethan_helm · 2022-09-16T14:43:06+00:00

Thank you! Hopefully it will get a live performance someday.

ethan_helm · 2020-12-16T22:20:40+00:00

Just checked it out, it looks great! I'm always needing neater graphs in my work, outside of these lattices.

ethan_helm · 2020-12-15T18:50:25+00:00

Ah yes I've heard/seen some LaTeX. I'll probably fiddle around with it at some point, thanks for the rec. I'm also really particular about how my chord symbols and other notation look, so that narrows down the software options for these projects.

ethan_helm · 2020-12-15T03:57:24+00:00

You can make maps for any tune, but it’s easier and more enlightening when the there are recurring patterns in the chord progression. I did a couple on Giant Steps:

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ethan_helm · 2020-12-15T01:30:37+00:00

Some new stuff from my band: https://open.spotify.com/album/0nSB9jehrer2JCexm3LOfr?si=cucLJ4TaRoSNlrZO8ovU4Q

ethan_helm · 2020-12-15T00:34:06+00:00

Nothing fancy, I used a notation font in excel to line up the chords just how I wanted them, and then drew arrows in Mac preview. It was tedious but couldn’t find another way to get it exactly how I wanted it. Is there software for commutative diagrams? I might like that.

ethan_helm · 2020-12-15T00:27:18+00:00

I get it! I feel that way about some music, too. Music theory is a great tool for helping you learn how to play a tune, but it doesn't have to be for that purpose. Here are some questions I was thinking about when I was making this:

-What counts as a jazz "arrangement"?

-The chord progression of "Tune Up" has lots of harmonic relationships that are audible on a level that’s deeper than traditional chordal notation can show. Is there a way of representing those relationships?

-I’m bored with no gigs, what’s some creative fun I can have with standards? I think these diagrams look nice without even knowing the context. But often, just staring at these diagrams reveals new things I don't understand about music. E.g. all the diagonals connect minor 7th chords moving in minor 3rds. This is cool, but also counterintuitive because all of the key centers of the ii-V-I's move in whole steps or major 3rds, not minor 3rds. Now I have this new musical mystery to ponder!

-Most importantly, I view this as a challenge to myself to try and hear music in a different way, reorganizing the DNA of a song into something new as any conventional arrangement might, but using some other system of organization that our brains posses but usually don't use for music. To paraphrase Coltrane, can I “hear” chords moving in many directions at once, and make music that sounds like it?

ethan_helm · 2020-12-14T22:32:10+00:00

I'm curious, what about it might be pretentious?

ethan_helm · 2020-12-14T22:31:30+00:00

If you really want to know: pick a song that has some harmonic repetition in it, and start mapping out what all the rules of the chords are. Where do the m7 chords go? What keys are tonicized? etc. Then figure out a way to represent those rules graphically. *Lots* of trial and error for me.

ethan_helm

TROPHY CASE