Uphill Both Ways - Vibraphone Solo

Between work and the holidays, I've had a hard time finding time to prepare more music. My original plan was to try to release something every month, but I've not been able to keep to that schedule. Hopefully, there won't be such a long time between this one and the next release.

This is a more recent composition that I've been playing around with it for a couple of years. I had a difficult time writing it down because I don't always play it the same way twice. The tune is kind of catchy. My teenage daughter likes it. If you listen to the recording, you will notice that I am closing the tune with a blues chorus that is not on the sheet music. This is how I've been playing it lately, but feel free to put your own twist on it.

If you get a chance to play the piece yourself, please add a comment or send me an email. I'd love to hear about it.

This music is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial United States license. See this post for more license information.

Download Uphill Both Ways sheet music

Blubee - Vibraphone Solo

According to the notes on my original manuscript, I wrote this in July of 1984 which is shortly after I completed my Master's of Music. It is a simple ballad that I usual play with a slow motor. The improvisation is optional. I'm not sure what the significance of the name is. I guess it made sense when I wrote it.

You can listen to my recorded version to get an idea of the tune. If you get a chance to play the piece yourself, please add a comment or send me an email. I'd love to hear about it.

This music is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial United States license. See this post for more license information.

Download Bluebee sheet music

April Blues

I wrote this during my first year of teaching.  It was a rough year since I followed a guy who was extremely popular with all of the students and parents.  Being fresh out of college and not having a clue didn't help.  By this time, I had decided to go to grad school and wasn't sure band directing was what I thought it would be.  The tune is just a simple riff on a B-flat blues that I still enjoy playing.

Again, I am still learning the manuscript software.  I used the lead sheet template and ended up with no clef, key signature or time signature on the 2nd and 3rd lines.  The key should be B-flat throughout.

I recorded a short version that you can download and listen to.  The recording will confirm my amateur status, so be kind in your comments.  I'm working on embedding the music in the blog, but I have to work around Blogger's limitations. See the link at the bottom of the post.

If you get a chance to play it, please add a comment or send me an email.  I'd love to hear about it.

This music is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial United States license.  See this post for more license information.

UPDATE: Music track is now embedded. You can listen without downloading.



Download April Blues sheet music

First Piece - the not so dark knight

Today, I am releasing the first piece of music via this blog.  It is a short percussion ensemble piece called Ode To Batman.  The piece uses bells, vibraphone, marimba and drumset.  While in grad school at Wichita State, I organized a percussion ensemble to play some pieces, mostly for entertainment.  The group was called Marimba, Toms and Vibes (yes, MTV).  We performed at recital hours and actually did a couple of gigs on campus at Dr. J. C. Combs' request.  At the time that I wrote this, I was listening to some music that involved different rhythmic interplay.  The Talkin Heads' Speaking In Tongues and Tom Tom Club's Close To The Bone are couple of albums that come to mind.  This is a simple piece that has some of that same rhythmic device going on.  The ensemble starts slow and funky and suddenly moves to double time.  The double time section reminds me of the old 1960's Batman TV show, thus the name.

Please be patient with the manuscript.  I am learning to use the software and have not worked out all of the kinks.  The drumset line is blank because I cannot get the software to let me enter anything on that line of the score.  However, the drums should be playing throughout!  The vibe solo should cover as many measures as needed.

This music is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Comercial United States license.  See this post for more license information.

Download Ode To Batman

Creative Commons License

If you download the PDF of one of my pieces, you will notice a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the music: "This work released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License".  What this means is that when performing a composition by me that is released with this license, I must be given proper attribution and the piece cannot be performed if a profit will be made from the performance.  So what is proper attribution?  I should be listed as the composer and the URL for More Than 3 Chords (morethan3chords.blogspot.com) should also be listed.  A couple of examples:

Example 1 -
         Ode To Batman...............................Ed Woodward
                                     (morethan3chords.blogspot.com)
Example 2 -
         Ode To Batman...............................Ed Woodward*
         ...
         ...
         * morethan3chords.blogspot.com

As long as these 2 pieces of information are included and associated with each other, I am happy.  There are more details at Creative Commons.  I am not that interested in making money off my music, but I am also not interested in someone else making money from my creative work.  Basically, give me proper attribution and you are free to use, change and distribute my music for noncommercial purposes.  If you do use my music, I would love to hear about it and hear your performance.

Why another blog?

Why does the world need another blog?  I'm not sure the world needs this blog, but I do.  I was a percussion major and earned a bachelor's and a master's in music.  I love to play and used to practice for 6 to 8 hours a day.  After I graduated with my master's, I spent a few years as a band director at various high schools and middle schools.  I always enjoyed the students, but the pay and upper management of any school district can suck the life out of a teacher.  At 1 am, on an un-air-conditioned school bus riding home from an away football game, I decided this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  Luckily, my school district had purchased the band a computer that I really enjoyed working on.  After I little research, I enrolled in a programming 101 course and went on to get a master's in computer science.  Soon I was changing careers to software development.  When I made the change, I was so burned out on music that I went cold turkey. I wanted nothing to do with it.  My focus was on building my programming career.  A couple of years ago, my wife gave me an MP3 player so I could listen to podcasts during my commute.  Next thing I knew I was ripping my old CDs so I could listen to them again.  For the first time in 10 years, I was getting interested in music again.  Programming is a very creative exercise.  Programmers are given what is basically a blueprint and it is up to them to make it a reality.  It is like improvisation except the results are more concrete since they are saved as part of a computer program.  In my current job, I am doing some very important work, but it does not have the creative component programming does.  This blog will hopefully replace some of the creativity I miss.  Over the years, I have written various pieces for solo vibraphone and percussion ensemble and decided to do something with these.  I plan on releasing them with a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution license.  This will make them free to download and use as long as you do not make money on a performance or recording and give me proper attribution.  I'll explain this further in a future post.  The exercise of preparing the music, recording it and sharing it that will bring me happiness.  If others enjoy my music, that will be a huge bonus.