For Orchestra!

Always give your best. I came across this video (below) by Srikumar Rao about being Happy. This concept is simple, we are born happy. But everything around us has taught us to be unhappy. You have to find what excites you, what drives you, and what make you passionate.

This video is everything I talk about with people. I remember seeing a video by Nalts and he said something like this: “When choosing to be happy, you have to be in control of it yourself, because if you find your happiness by what other people think, then you’re leaving that lever for them. And you have to be in control of that lever”. This mindset changed my perception of life, and my confidence.

Happiness to me is bringing back the orchestra, raising money for music education, taking risks, and continuing to do For Orchestra. It’s an idea I thought about every day. Music Lessons were never my forte. I wasn’t happy, and so I did something about it. You can’t concentrate on the outcome of things, because that’s out of your control. You can only concentrate on doing your best every day.

My very intelligent and hardworking friend Shira Lazar, once asked what’s a good thing to think about with the new year now that we’re entering a new decade. I had said that instead of looking back at the past year of what you’ve accomplished, perhaps you should think about the future.

After those words left me, I began to think of how powerful that is. Because nothing is more exciting then the future. And that should make us all happy.

“You know you can’t keep letting it get you down”

The lyrics in this piece are amazing. A good arrangement isn’t only about the music you hear, it’s about the lyrics you feel. So this week is OK GO, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out:

Preview!     Buy It!

[Songs Archive]

OK GO is also known for their treadmill music video, but they actually first came on to the scene in 2002 out of Chicago.

I love the lyrics in this piece. Ironically, today was a horrible day, and I kept remembering the lyrics “when tomorrow comes.” Life is about struggle, and learning as you grow. Perhaps one of the most important things you can learn is to relax, and to wonder “in 10 years, will you remember today’s negativity.”

I wanted this arrangement to perfectly mimic the video, which was so wonderfully done. In fact, I would have loved to have been part of it, looked like an awesome experience.

My arrangement started with the xylaphone, which was in the original recording, which then built to the full orchestra performing the first chorus. I bring in violin pizzicato to create the continual sense of “tension and release”, and utilize the orchestra chimes to play the vibraphone part that Damien Kulash plays for the chorus. For the final chorus I made sure to have the violins play the xlaphone part from the original recording, which gives it the triumphant feel I was looking for. Quite fitting, because the OK GO video, in itself, is a true achievement!

Check out OK Go’s new album “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky” here

Awesome job by James Frost, Syyn Labs, OK Go and Mindshare. Produced by Shirley Moyers. Can’t wait until the next creation!

“Take me on / I’ll be gone in a day or two”

Regarded as one of the most memorable music videos ever, ‘Take on Me’ didn’t just introduce us to new video techniques, but is also one of the most memorable songs of all time. I couldn’t wait to arrange this amazing piece for orchestra, and so here it is:

Preview!     Buy It!

[Songs Archive]

This song by Aha is one of only a handful of others I couldn’t wait to do. The video is absolutely gorgeous, and “Take On Me” has lyrics that inspire.

I kept thinking about the words “I’ll be gone in a day or two”, and how this composition, to me, is about wanting something, and going after it. To go through life, it’s important to remember the words “one day we’ll all be dead” – because it’s that mindset that makes you want something, and go after it. Dreams are meant to be chased, and lived. We all have our own purpose in life, and they are things that we should ‘take on’ and fight for them

The thought that things are worth having and chasing after makes sense when you consider that we may all be gone in a day or two. Its the only thing that is constant. The more things change the more they stay the same, because one thing is for certain – that if it scares you, then do it. Because we’re not here forever, and if you’re passionate about something, then it’s worth fighting for.

A few years ago, I made the promise of always “going with the flow” and continually trying new things. It was something my friend Justin had preached to me one night, and I thank him for it. As a musician, I always gravitated towards the more eccentric things anyway. I felt like we all should. The other day was Purim, which is a much celebrated Jewish day, and when I was invited to check it out, I couldn’t wait.

I saw a bunch of stuff, lots of cowboy hats, and even a girl wearing the Twister board game as her costume. The people were awesome, I was with a cool group of friends, the venue was very relaxed, and the music was completely different:

Littlefield in NYC was hosting a good Purim party, and I was excited to attend my first one. The music was awesome, but I was surprised that it wasn’t purely a Hasidic Jewish band performing. In the picture above you can see there were Ratchets, Djembe, and a horn without any valves. Not sure what the name of that would be. Oh and there was also a Contrabass Tuba player.

At one point in the night, the entire 14 member band came into the crowd and performed their instruments as everyone danced around them. Then they made us get low against the floor, and slowly rose us to our feet. It was similar to the Danza Fiesta event I attended earlier last month. It was abig group performance. No one really “watched the band” – it was more like they were “performing” with them

And one of my Facebook followers told me about “Chag Purim Sameach” which is the equivalent to saying “Happy Holidays” – very cool!

So what’s this have to do with the orchestra? Well, nothing directly, but I liked experiencing new music, new people, and new events. We all should. For Orchestra started from an idea of trying something new, and I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere.

“I hope it’s gonna make you notice / Someone like me”

I first heard about Kings of Leon about a year ago, but it wasn’t until recently that my friend Katie introduced me to them more in depth. I heard this composition, the lyrics, the drum beat, and was hooked. So I’m thrilled to have arranged it this week:

Preview!     Buy It!

[Songs Archive]

We’re all looking for something. We’re looking for our friends, people who understand us, a career we’re crazy about, and somebody to love us back. Sometimes it can feel like a lonely world, and we’ve all been there. We could use somebody to help us along the way, listen to us, hold our hand, and be a part of who we are and our lives.

Life is a learning process. It is something that brings us joy, understanding, desperation, growth, passion, and thought. I feel these lyrics capture our cries to be wanted. This piece speaks volumes, and each musician has a key role that I love in this piece:

1.) Keeping the drums out in the first verse. It builds tension, and allows the piece to grow rather than hitting it’s climactic moment too soon.

2.) The bass line in the second verse. It s perfect syncopated passage that compliments the drum pattern. Breaking away from simple ‘whole notes’ created a sense of movement, and freshness.

3.) The lyrics “Someone like you and all you know and how you speak” leading into the second half of the first verse. It hints at the lyric that enters the chorus, and creates uniformity throughout the piece.

4.) The guitar part underneath the last chorus.

This carefully crafted composition allowed the flutes to introduce the verse perfectly while the trumpets performed the chorus. Last week when I arranged the Foo Fighters, I was told I didn’t bring out Dave Grohl’s drums enough – so I was happy to bring them out more here.

Congrats to KOL on their role at the 2010 Grammy Awards. I hope I was able to capture the beauty of this piece within the orchestra.