~ about the author jacmuse ~

~ the stars aligned, so must pass the word ... ~

About Jacmuse. Loving music from the beginning and numbers, symbols and math too, my studies in music over the five decades or so now have brought me many joyous discoveries, friendships, challenges and created a place for me in many communities, bringing folks together with the musical arts in sharing a collaborative, creative spirit.

By combining a formal BA college level study of Euro Bach, Coltrane jazz theory / jazz guitar together with a basic timeline through the eras, this e-book builds a step by step theoretical understanding of how the now ancient pitches and rhythms have evolved to become the musical resource that has created our vast centuries collection of AmerAfroAsiaEuroLatin songs, through all our styles and genres, as each new generation of artists has come along. The 'math of this music' is included too; how our pitches are tuned and instruments are built enabling future generations to recreate the sounds of Americana.

Jacmuse mentors. In the real world of learning how to play jazz guitar and associated music theory, by interacting with accomplished jazz artists, in one lesson picking up one advanced idea of fretboard / music theory / chops can blossom into years of semesters of study to get this new idea fully under the fingers.

For example, while taking weekly lessons with Dr. Miller, I learned about the 'tritone substitute chord' in the last minutes of a college rehearsal (all while packing up or instruments) from trombonist Kirk Lamberti. In a casual mention of 'ever try Db7 instead of G7', a portal into a next valence of jazz harmony, its chord progressions and chord substitutions, and their abilities to swing in new ways, was a complete kaboom for me and happened in a just few minutes.

A next step of the 'tritone sub' became finding its placement within the 'V7b9' magics and the fully diminished 7th color and properties. These 'theories' I learned first hand in a lesson with Paul Asbell. In what took Asbell a few minutes to impart and me to write down turned the 'tritone sub' theory into a 'theory key' that unlocks the entire jazz harmony universe till about 1960, when the late 50's modal thing bumped into "Giant Steps" and the diatonic modal system merged with its evolving modal pentatonics system creating the 'outside' (non diatonic) improvisations; motifs, melodies, permutations and harmonies, of the early 60s jazz / rock fusion that is still widely sounded today's modern jazz language.

A third example of a Jacmuse reference would be taking a piano lesson with jazz and reggae pianist Alex Chadsey of Seattle, while on tour here in Alaska with his band 'Duende Libre', and from this one lesson came the 'time' concept of 'forward motion' in phrasing, and knowledge of the book, Forward Motion, written by Hal Garper. This book's knowledge energized a paradigm shift for me that continues to challenge and evolve my signature.

So topical reference links to Jacmuse from throughout this e-book means that the information under discussion came firsthand from colleagues and touring artists that I took a lesson with or a chance to talk to, who had advanced knowledge of jazz / music theory probably found today in a book somewhere. That our music theory machinations, their pitch combinations and sequences will always balance out to a perfect closure, is a sort of self proving reference on its own, at least for those so curiously inclined to work out the pitches to conclusion. So while a 'Jacmuse reference' is a sort of 'take my word for it', in today's modern web based fact checking, double checking anything in this e-book is probably just a few clicks away. Cool ?

So a wee bit of a theory idea, such as the three theory ideas aforementioned, when placed into a practical application as in a song, opens a potentially broad and ever extending pathway for exploration providing us deeper insight into the analysis of the music of any artist we want a better understanding of. For all through the ages now we all at some point in our own development emulate the music of contemporary or historical artists we dig, showing the ways, which in turn provides an initial basis to create and ever advance our own thing.

About those stars ... university training. The stars aligned for author JacMuse back in the early 80's as I was able to attend formal university for music and art in upstate New York, SUNY at Plattsburgh. As a novice blues player, with very little music schooling, it was the warm welcoming into the arts by faculty and friends in a wintery January, that inspires my passion and payback to by writing this 'mentor to learner' style prose in ways that the story of music history and theory were brought to me.

Thus, in honor to all artists and peoples that would also call the Myers Fine Arts a home away from home, and an additional four decades of further study, shedding, gigging, research, explorations and mentoring, I've reconstructed the academic basics of a 'Bachelor of Arts' degree in a multidimensional e-book primer for those looking to fulfill their own musical and artistic dreams through further academic studies and professional career development.

Myers Fine Arts, Plattsburgh, New York

At S.U.N.Y Plattsburgh, as an art major, my own curriculum became history, theory, jazz guitar and performance. The music of Bach and Coltrane became the bookends to my studies. They bookend this e-book too. While this work is intended for musicians who may also aspire for a university learning opportunity, it opens equally for all who seek knowledge of music.

Formal teacher training / UAA. I was further stoked to write music-ed curriculum by taking formal teaching training at UAA Alaska / Fine Arts Building, in Anchorage. In one class, we discussed the possibilities of writing curriculum with the new web based, interactive technology that was just then emerging into the mainstream. In my case, this allowed for any music 'theory' musings to be written out in standard notation that could now be aurally heard through playback on a computer's speakers. Voila ! A three dimensional BA level music theory e-book, that we can study both 'by ear' and reading notation opens the knowledge door for all :)

UAA Fine Arts, Anchorage, Alaska

The writing of this book. To write such a book, including pathways for both mentor guided dialogue and also self directed discovery by curiosity through study, becomes possible in part thanks to the 'perfect closure' we can apply to many of our components and theories. For example, think of the piano keys and how they loop our 12 pitches into multiple octaves on a standard piano, always coming back to a same begin point; a closed looping of the pitches.

When broadly applied to the musical components, these 'loops of pitches' create; the scales, arpeggios, chords, forms and rhythms, knowing that the structural 'perfect closure' principles insure that our theory queries balance out; by always looping back to whatever point we started. With this closure we know our music theory 'math' is solid golden and with continuing 'closures', a self directing curious learner will be able to accelerate their learning.

'Closure' applies to music's elements too, there's just 12 unique letter name pitches, only need 7 to complete the diatonic scale, the 5 in between are blue notes to jazz it all up. So for some learners getting a complete story of what's available happens quickly, then their own work begins to decide what is needed to create the art that's in their heart. So theory 'closure' also 'accelerates' one's own learning, to better focus in on skills needed to express, and get on to the 'what if' questions often demanded by artists as art is created.

Music and math. An early love of all things numbers as a kid at Shubert School, this public school pictured below, helped later in life in untangling the theory relationships between the musical notes and our basic numbers of intervals, cycles of pitches and key centers.

Shubert School, Baldwin, New York

For example, the letters of a 'C' major scale can in theory be represented by numbers too;

'C D E F G A B C' becomes '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8'

The 'movable one' arrives. And we use the numbers to help count our histories in years, measure pitch interval distances and create set in stone labels each one, the half step (1/2) / whole step (1) formulas for scales and modes; the unparalleled musical chord kaboom with the tuning solution to the 12th root of 2, 1.0594631. There's One through Seven of numerical chord progressions, the diatonic '3 and 3', numbered color tones of 7th's and 9th's and beyond for blues and jazz chords, interval cycles that close, and all the '1 2 3 4' syncopations, accents and cycles of our beginning rhythms and subdivisions of time.

So there's just a lot of numerical ways into music theory. And as it is for so many fields of study, that a love of numbers can become the catalyst for a lifelong journey of discovery and learning about music, empowering us to see numerical coincidence and magics at near every step along the way, often prompting even of grander schemes and curiosities to pursue.

This e-book. With hyperlinked vocabulary words to describe and label 2500 years worth of musical arts components, that today is still represented by 1000 year old notation symbols, within linked to mp.3 audio playback of the written music, the new 'tech' brings this 'music / math theory' story together into an audio theory e-book for both readers and 'by ear' artists.

Rather evolutionary in regards to the music education curriculum available up to the 1980's, we can learn a music word such as 'arpeggio', hear what it sounds like, see what it looks like in 1000 year old symbols and then explore the various ways it's knit into our Americana styles and genres. On the flip side, we when see written music from any era, we have a way into hearing its story. For all music was once new.

For all interested in music. This three dimensional presentation of ideas creates a wide inclusiveness for all learners and all lovers of all musics. That one's own curiosity finds a way in, and once engaged, linked topical discussions reveal pathways to explore through the history, the organizations and systems of pitches, that we have all shared in common for the last couple of millennia. Add in a e-mentor or two of private or formal school learning centers, to bounce ideas off of and check our work, and in this e-book we've potentially a global reach to a universe of knowledge through musical art.

A love of reading and books. Beyond super lucky that in elementary school I learned how to read the written word in English. I later dabbled in French too, and there got some new word syllable rhythm magic that I think turned out to rhythmically swing just fine, also got the lid beret :) So all along in my own studies, books have been a foundation, with a love to read of most anything.

Here's a couple of stacks of music theory and history books that influenced my writing of this book. Bach to Coltrane, East to West and North to South, the spiritual energies of love in the written word that moves the arts forward as the new generations come along.

Karma Helix 1995, on stage at UAA. A collection of songs I wrote for the seven chakras, colors included and all based on releasing the energy as we move from our red root on through yellow, to orange, to green, to blue, to violet and our indigo purple crown. Once song for each chakra color which combine together and bring the joy of living a musical life.

1 / root	2 / sacral	3 / solar	4 / heart	5 / throat	6 / 3rd eye	7 / crown

~ here performing in the recital hall of the building pictured just above ~

Karma Helix band featuring;

Jacmuse / guitar

Bob Andrews / bass

Chuck Henman / drums

Sandra Calvillo / Muse of percussion

~

additional compositions

an e-book

guitar book to print

all instruments book to print

~

SalmonFest Alaska 2023. Jacmuse/bass (note Ampeg SVT amp at right :) all smiles all around after show performing with "HarpDaddy & Back Country Mojo" featuring Ms Maddy Smith.

HarpDaddy Crew ~ Summer Tour 2023. From left; Ben Heller guitar, Pete Gates drums, Madeline Smith vocals, Darren 'HarpDaddy Smith' vocals & harmonica, JacMuse bass.