Category: News

Notreble.com on Bach Shapes II for bass clef.

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The bass clef books are in stock! Notreble.com was nice enough to write up the new book:

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2021/07/24/jon-de-lucia-publishes-bach-shapes-ii-for-bass/

I now have all of the books below available for bass clef! Now I just need to buy a bass. Enjoy!

Summer Workshop Series!

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I’ve decided to do three more free Zoom workshops this summer, on the books and more. The first one will be July 5, a Monday at 11am. As always, recordings will be shared after the event so you don’t need to be there in real time, but I would love it if you were! Sign up for the first workshop is here:

https://deft-writer-1464.ck.page/a60728a86a

We’ll discuss working on Bach Shapes II with doubles, namely the clarinet, but this will include general ideas on practicing the material. Please do send questions in advance as well!

In other news, Bach Shapes II Bass Clef is almost finished and will be available in print and digital by July 20th!

Bach Shapes Etudes ebook up for Preorder Now!

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In my first year of Berklee, there was an eccentric piano player that lived down the hall in the dorms who was obsessed with Bach. I didn’t get it at the time, and I remember saying to him that “Bach just sounds like a bunch of predictable sequences” or something like that. 20 years later I’m putting out a bunch of books on Bach sequences. Anyway!

The new book covers are almost done,

and the books are up for preorder now at jondelucia.com/shop. You can also still buy the original Bach Shapes print edition for only $10, though you may have to purchase them separately from any preorders, due to the way the system is set up. The Etudes books are going to be officially out on Bach’s (updated) birthday of March 31st. It will be his 336th birthday, 3+3+6 = 12 etudes. They include playalong audio, recorded by a great NYC band, that will be linked to once you download the book.

There are 7 pages of analysis, breaking down which shapes were used to construct the etudes.

10 of the 12 are based on standard progressions. They are:

  • All The The Things You Are
  • Just You, Just Me
  • Autumn Leaves
  • Love Me or Leave Me
  • Gone With The Wind
  • Just Friends
  • All of Me
  • How Deep is the Ocean?
  • Lady Bird
  • Indiana (Donna Lee)

Some preliminary feedback:

“I really like these!”

“the chord outlining in the melody and the way leaps between octaves are incorporated, make it super helpful for practicing finger evenness and center-of-pitch clarity”

“yeah man”

And some recent performances by friends:

Preorder here:

Workshop III: Bach Loops plus sale on physical merchandise.

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Well, after ten years we are moving to a new place. I’ve amassed quite a bit of stuff over the years and now would be a great time to pick up a print edition of Bach Shapes One, or any of my CD releases, at up to half off. This is also to clear the way for the FIVE, count ’em, FIVE new releases coming out this spring, starting with Bach Shapes: The Etudes on March 31st in four transpositions. More on that later!

Next bit of news, I am going to do my next Zoom workshop on Friday March 12, from noon to 1:30 EST. Sign up below by scrolling down to the calendar, clicking on the date, then time. Register to get a recording even if you can’t make it. Some feedback from the last two sessions:

“There are precious little tidbits in these videos”

“That was fun! It’s inspiring to hear your analysis”

“I really get a lot from these talks”

It’s great to be able to interact and take questions. The topic for this meeting will be Technical Practice. To discuss this I’m going to be referring to a chapter in the new book called “Bach Loops.” These are short looping technically challenging parts, directly out of Bach’s music and sometimes altered. I will address:

  • Outlining, the methods of teacher Abby Whiteside, which I discuss here: Jazz Ideas 6: Outlining
  • Inclusive intervals, ways to approach wide intervals
  • Releasing tension through repetition
  • How I practice this in my daily routine
  • Doubling on clarinet and/or flute
  • Basic image, imagining the music before you play it
  • Whatever else comes up!

Registering will also get you a discount code to use towards the new books, which will be available very soon!


Sign up open for the next Zoom Workshop and Paul Desmond Analysis

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Well we had a great time on Friday in the Zoom session. Here is a short outtake of a few spots:

I’d like to try the next one on February 25 at 11am EST. This time on writing jazz lines with Bach’s Shapes. Topics will include:

  • voice leading, adapting Bach’s sensibilities to jazz line building
  • bebop language
  • use of tensions and “color” notes
  • doubling on flute, clarinet and saxophone
  • phrasing
  • polyrhythm and irregular phrase lengths

Same system, donation based, $10-20 sliding scale. We’ll talk about ideas in the new book, or just about playing in general. You’ll get the recording afterwards and you’ll have plenty of chances to ask questions. The class will run 1.5 hours again. Sign up below!

 
And if you’re here for the PDF of Paul Desmond’s “Wintersong” solo, here it is!