GrooveWindow » music

Funk Groove #4 – First Video Posted

Jonathon — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:21:26 +0000

I was finally able to complete the first video for Funk Groove #4 and post it. Check it out on the dedicated Piano Funk Groove #4 Page.

The bad news — I’ll be traveling for the next two weeks, so I won’t be able to wrap up the other six videos until I get back.

The good news — they’re mostly done, except for final editing, so once I get back, I should be able to wrap them up quickly.

This is just the first of many series which I have queued up, and I’m using this one as a template for those to come. If you have comments, suggestions for improvements, etc. Send them in! I’ll have the chance to make changes in future series, so let your voice be heard!

New Youtube Channel

If you’ve been following my old channel on Youtube, you should know that I’m moving to a new channel, and all new videos will be posted there. If you’d like to keep up easily, subscribe to the new channel.

Talk to you all in a couple of weeks!

Funk Groove #4: Early Access to Support Files

Jonathon — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:47:41 +0000

I was reminded that there’s really no reason I can’t post the files which are already done as I continue to wrap up editing on the videos, so I’ve begun to do that.

Visit the Piano Funk Groove #4 page to download the sheet music and one of the MIDI files right away. As I finish editing and uploading the videos, I’ll be adding them to this same page, so keep an eye on it. I’m planning to have at least two of the videos up in the next couple of days.

You can also reach that page by following the link at the very top of the site.

MIDI File Testing – Feedback please?

Jonathon — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:32:41 +0000

Several people have requested a MIDI file of my recent cover of Tune 88. I put something together, and updated that post with a link to the MIDI file. However, I’m not exactly sure how you’re all planning to use it, so please try it out and give me some feedback. Is this the kind of thing you want (with bass/drums included)? I opened it in Synthesia (my MIDI file practice tool of choice) and it offered options for which tracks to play, etc. Seemed pretty good.

If you’re a MIDI file user, post some comments as to whether this format will work, or suggestions for changes. I want to provide MIDI files for all of the new groove tutorials — and I’d like to do them in the way which will be most helpful! Some questions to get the discussion started:

Include the bass/drum backing parts, or would rather just have the piano parts?
For the piano, does it help for me to split right/left hand into two channels (synthesia can show them in different colors if I do this)

Thanks!

GrooveWindow.com: Live and Socialized

Jonathon — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:01:53 +0000

(chicka chicka mow mow) imagine your favorite 1970’s wah-wah funk guitar sound there…

The ball’s starting to roll downhill now. I’ve moved my old aqua-web.com site to its new domain and everything seems to have gone smoothly. Please let me know if you’re having any login problems, etc.

If you’re into social networks, and that’s a more convenient way to keep up, feel free to follow me on Twitter or Facebook. The latest updates are over in the sidebar.

Funk Groove #4 is written, notated, MIDI-fied and the backing tracks are sounding pretty good. I’m shooting and editing now, and hope to have the full series posted before I leave at the end of July. As a teaser, here’s a little audio snippet of the ending.

Funk Groove #4 in Bb (Ending Snippet) by groovewindow

Finally, I’ve been toying with doing a weekly live broadcast on ustream. I’m not exactly sure what the format or content would be yet, but I believe I could pull it off.

What do you think? If you have thoughts, ideas, suggestions for what you’d like to see — post them in the comments. I think it might be a quicker way to get questions and issues you’re dealing with up and out into the airwaves.

ANNOUNCE: Changing to groovewindow.com soon

Jonathon — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:53:45 +0000

Greetings! Over the years, this site has morphed into mainly a music and piano related posts, so I’ve decided to move things to a more appropriate name:

www.groovewindow.com

I currently only have a placeholder there, but will be moving this site to that domain this coming weekend. If you have bookmarks to the site, be ready to update them, although I’ll be adding redirects such that you should be automatically redirected to the corresponding page on the new site when you try to visit here. If I do things correctly, nobody should need to create new accounts. Everything should simply move. Here’s hopin’ (crosses fingers).

I just didn’t want you to be surprised by the change :)

I hope to get the switch done this weekend (July 3/4) when I’m not grilling or watching fireworks…

Funk Rhodes Piano Groove: Tune 88

Jonathon — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:31:32 +0000

[UPDATE] Here’s a first cut at the requested MIDI file for this tune. I’ve not made one of these before (sheepish grin), so please comment. Is this what you’re looking for? Changes?

Hey, hey, hey! (spoken in my best “Fat Albert” voice)

I’m so excited about the new funk piano videos I’m working on! I’m to the point where music is written and most of the arrangements are in good shape, so I’m just about to start shooting. It’s been a while and I’ve forgotten how much work goes into getting the full tutorial series together. Writing, arranging, putting together sheet music and MIDI files (yes, the new series’ will have MIDI files so that you can download for practicing), not to mention shooting and editing.

At any rate, I needed a quick break from all that, just to play a little music, so I put together this cover of one of the very first funk piano tunes I learned: “Tune 88″ by Jeff Lorber.

Keep an eye on the site, because there will be a ton of new stuff and some big announcements coming soon. As they say on the hold lines: “your patience is appreciated.”

New Site Look and Mobile Support

Jonathon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:31:37 +0000

I’m pleased to announce a new look to the site as well as mobile support. You can now browse GrooveWindow from your phones. (I’m actually writing this post from my Android.)

New stuff coming soon. I’ve been excited to see a number of people pull off decent performances of the funk grooves and post videos of them to YouTube. Very cool to see. I’m looking forward to more! If you can play the funk grooves I’d encourage you to get a video and post it as a ‘video response.’

Stay tuned.

Things are about to get crazy!

Jonathon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:12:06 +0000

Wow! It’s been a long time!

No, wait. It’s been a ridiculously long time!

However, I’m now devoting a significant amount of my free time to getting a ton of new stuff ready, so hang in there. Exciting things are coming soon! We decided not to move, so at the moment, we’re still settled in good old Austin, Texas, and I’m making the time to put together some fresh stuff.

Here’s a quick little jam I threw together the other night to tide you over…

Stay tuned!

How to Play a Funk Groove 2 (Funk Groove in G) Early Rough Draft

Jonathon — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:38:01 +0000

I’ve been trying to get to this for a while, but it was never quiet enough in the house, or there was too much going on. I finally got a quick recording of this chart along with the backing track so you can get a feel for how it sounds with all the parts. I’m working on a set of free lessons that will break this (and the first funk groove in C, and the funk groove in F) down into pieces with tips on how to get the feel right, some practice techniques for getting the more technically challenging parts under your fingers, and some of the voicing and theory that makes it all work.

I’m eager for early feedback on how these lessons would benefit you the most, so don’t hesitate to either comment or contact me directly with any suggestions or requests for these upcoming series.

Sheet Music (PDF)

Backing 100 bpm

Backing 90 bpm

Backing 80 bpm

Backing 70 bpm

Check back (or subscribe to my youtube channel) for these upcoming series!

Lullaby for My Wife, No. 4

Jonathon — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:57:55 +0000

It has become a tradition for me to write a lullaby for my wife for Christmas. I keep hoping that one of these years, I’ll write something that comes close to conveying how important she is to me, but I always fail miserably. This year is no exception, but I do like the way this piece turned out. It also happens to be a lot of fun to play, with the way the middle voice rolls off the fingers passing back and forth from hand to hand. Here are some files for downloading, and a video of me playing it on my trusty Yamaha.