-- Classical music enthusiasts, this one's for you. Pandora classical music analyst Russell Johnson drops by to investigate the onward march toward atonality throughout the history of Western art music. From Renaissance times through Classical and Romantic periods onto Stravinsky and Schoenberg, the slider on the consonant-to-dissonant spectrum has edged ever more toward the dissonant. He plays examples on guitar and piano of different intervals, and talks about the frequency ratios attached to those intervals as well. (9 mins.) Less

-- Classical music enthusiasts, this one's for you. Pandora classical music analyst Russell Johnson drops by to investigate the onward march toward atonality throughout the history of Western art music. From Renaissance times through Classical and Romantic periods onto Stravinsky and Schoenberg, the slider on the consonant-to-dissonant spectrum has edged ever more toward the dissonant. He plays examples on guitar and piano of different intervals, and talks about the frequency ratios attached to those intervals as well. (9 mins.) Less

-- It's been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. If that is true, then let's look at the recording studio as if it's an architect's drafting table. Pandora music analyst Scott Pinkmountain pulls apart a song brick by brick, and we hear the thought processes that informed his decisions. From the drummer's British-style swing to the method they used to alter the piano's tone with a tissue box, we hear how "You Gave Me This" was constructed, layer by layer. (10 mins.) Less

sorry about deleting that last podcast, but here is some rain hitting a tin roof for you to listen to instead. Less

Improvised set by saxophonist Wally Shoup, guitarist Ed Petry, and percussionist Joshua Manchester. 1/5/8 Less

-- Modern American popular music all traces back to the blues in one way or another. Guitarist and Pandora senior music analyst Bob Coons swings by the studio to talk about the blues scale, a six-note (heptonic) sequence of tones that appears in countless tracks. It's a scale that changes the feel of any song in which it appears. We show how the scale is fluid, with bending pitches and blue notes, and Bob plays some blues-inspired passages to show this scale in action. Hop onto this link here to see images of string bends, to hear examples of songs that feature the scale, and for some great blues stations. Less

When over two-thirds of children can’t write well enough to keep up with the demands in the classroom, you have to wonder what is going on with writing instruction in the Nation’s classrooms. Handwriting, and the minimal instruction given in schools is only one part of the picture- getting an idea, transforming it into words, and then transcribing those words for others to see- are all involved. Add issues with grammar and syntax, and you begin to understand writing is to reading as calculus is to math- it requires you to bring all parts of the literacy puzzle into play, all at once, like an orchestra. If you want to understand why a child may struggle in writing, and how to figure out which part of the puzzle may be causing them problems, this two-part interview is for you. Dr. Steve Graham is a professor and the Currey Ingram chair in special education at Vanderbilt University . He's done extensive research into the development of writing in children and writing instruction. His interests goes beyond just handwriting and into the cognitive processes that go into transforming ideas into words and then into written text. He is the editor of Exceptional Children, and has cowritten many books, including the Handbook of Writing Research, Handbook of Learning Disabilities, Writing Better, and Making the Writing Process Work. He received a career research award from the Council for exceptional Children and Special Education Research Interest Group in the American Educational Research Association. His wife, Dr, Karen Harris, is just as impressive, serving as editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology, and President of the Division of Research for the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Graham was recently quoted in an article in Newsweek, discussing the importance of handwriting in the learning process, and he was kind enough to spend an hour with me, discussing all aspects of the writing process, as kids develop during the school years. Anyone who has a child who has struggled with any aspect of writing shouldn’t miss this two-part interview, covering the three major stages of the writing process, how to give appropriate feedback to kids learning how to write, and how handwriting has both reader and writer affects, impacting how a child is perceived and how his work is judged and graded by others. Click here to listen to Show #75- The Development of Writing with Steve Graham, Part I Less

When over two-thirds of children can’t write well enough to keep up with the demands in the classroom, you have to wonder what is going on with writing instruction in the Nation’s classrooms. Handwriting, and the minimal instruction given in schools is only one part of the picture- getting an idea, transforming it into words, and then transcribing those words for others to see- are all involved. Add issues with grammar and syntax, and you begin to understand writing is to reading as calculus is to math- it requires you to bring all parts of the literacy puzzle into play, all at once, like an orchestra. If you want to understand why a child may struggle in writing, and how to figure out which part of the puzzle may be causing them problems, this two-part interview is for you. Dr. Steve Graham is a professor and the Currey Ingram chair in special education at Vanderbilt University . He's done extensive research into the development of writing in children and writing instruction. His interests goes beyond just handwriting and into the cognitive processes that go into transforming ideas into words and then into written text. He is the editor of Exceptional Children, and has cowritten many books, including the Handbook of Writing Research, Handbook of Learning Disabilities, Writing Better, and Making the Writing Process Work. He received a career research award from the Council for exceptional Children and Special Education Research Interest Group in the American Educational Research Association. His wife, Dr, Karen Harris, is just as impressive, serving as editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology, and President of the Division of Research for the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Graham was recently quoted in an article in Newsweek, discussing the importance of handwriting in the learning process, and he was kind enough to spend an hour with me, discussing all aspects of the writing process, as kids develop during the school years. Anyone who has a child who has struggled with any aspect of writing shouldn’t miss this two-part interview, covering the three major stages of the writing process, how to give appropriate feedback to kids learning how to write, and how handwriting has both reader and writer affects, impacting how a child is perceived and how his work is judged and graded by others. Click here to listen to Show #75- The Development of Writing with Steve Graham, Part I Less

Jeb Bishop trombone, Jason Roebke bass, Joshua Manchester drums, Live at Hotti Biscotti Chicago 2007-10-07 Go to joshuamanchester.com to buy the whole album! Less

On the third installment, Nathan talks about the title track “Just Before Sunrise,” the wonderful duet “Feels Like Home ” (featuring Kristin Chenoweth) and the deeply profound Gene Scheer composition “Say Anything.” RECOMMENDED: “ JUST BEFORE SUNRISE” available @ Amazon and iTunes. FOR MORE INFORMATION: NathanGunn.com Less

During this set, beardtongue broke his bass drum pedal, lost 5 sticks, lost the hi-hat clutch while the stand rotated out of range, and knocked the snare drum off its stand by the time the performance was over. I hate to be that tommy aldridge kind of drummer who finishes off a solo by knocking everything over, but if there is one night in my life, and if ever a drumset wanted to be kicked around, it was my drumset last friday night. You can hear it a little bit. Less

I woke today having killed myself, having walked through an incline of boulders and desert plants and sand. In the same way that time within dreams grows instead of progresses, in the same way that the dream-choices manifest suddenly but smoothly (a parting of tall grasses revealing a ballroom) — I found myself committing suicide, having just taken pain killers. It was the right thing to do. But the drugs weren’t working so I pleaded with my friend to help me, to stab me in the side because I was too afraid of the physical pain. He refused at first, but I fought him, and maddened, he stabbed me and disappeared. I knew then that I had to leave, and wanted to. The earth was suddenly near and deep, and it became necessary to die watching the sky. So fatigued and dizzy, I stumbled out beneath bright trees, then into a mountainous boulder field, trying to find a high place to watch the twilight. There were large rocks I couldn’t climb or mantle. An anteater followed me, and though I tried to shoo him away, he was persistent and unafraid. A kind of monkey appeared and its small babies popped up from the sand. I was too weak to move any further and fell into the sand. The sun went behind translucent clouds and became an opalescent inscription, it careened to its setting. Regarding dreams of death, I have only been murdered before — woke startled and afraid, expecting to be shot by someone standing over me. Today though, I woke confused but calm, with a feeling that I had done some right thing. After writing all this, I opened a book I had never read: Perpetual Motion 1 You go to the mountains stretch in the light aquariums and wait — stillness turns in its well 2 I touch your face of rosewood and sap the last vanished yellow of sunset on the mountain the first cellular light of a flank 3 Walking up the mountain before an avalanche you’ll find the sandstone of the peak tattooed with waves The summit moves with the tide. — Mei-Mei Berssenbrudge from Summers Move with the Tide (1974) Less

On this special artist focus podcast, The Music of Masterworks features violinist Joshua Bell breaking down his work on the Academy-award winning film “The Red Violin” and the new John Corigliano album and composition “The Red Violin Concerto.” A recent amazon.com customer review … Five SPECTACULAR Stars!! A marvelous, dramatic live premier performance by the violinist and orchestra and a mesmerizingly adventurous performance by the violinist & pianist duo!! The last time they met, Grammy-award winning violin virtuoso Joshua Bell joined forces with the brilliant classical composer John Corigliano on the soundtrack to the François Gira film “The Red Violin” and it won an Academy Award. That 20 track soundtrack has been re-imagined by Mr Corigliano into a wonderful four movement composition called “The Red Violin Concerto” which is performed here brilliantly by Mr Bell, conductor Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The piece is dedicated to Mr Corigliano’s father. In addition, there is the five movement “Sonata for Violin and Piano” performed by Mr Bell and the amazing pianism of Jeremy Denk. The ‘Pieces De Resistance’, the best of the best, begin with the Red Violin Concerto’s ‘knock-out’ of a 16 minute multi-layered, multi-tempo “Chaconne” movement that runs the gamut of emotions from ethereal to intense, from arco to pizzacato, beautifully played by Joshua Bell and supported by Ms Alsop and the orchestra. A ‘Tour de Force’ in one movement! That’s followed by ‘castanet’-like accents, skittering notes, and a marvelous dissonant waltz in the second “Pianissimo Scherzo” movement with Mr Bell playing like a dervish, displaying a wonderful tone. And lastly, the thrilling ‘train ride’ of the final “Accelerando” movement with Bell playing hard, fast, and heartfelt amid orchestral cacophony full of surprises. The “Sonata for Violin and Piano” is almost a microcosm of the Concerto with beautiful themes, especially the plaintive “Lento”, taunt violin soliloquies, and technical bowed fireworks abounding. Joshua Bell, Ms Alsop and the orchestra, and Mr Denk are absolutely superb as is the composer Mr Corigliano. Kudos to all concerned!! My Highest Recommendation. Five HUGE Stars - Amazon.com - Sept. 2007 THE RED VIOLIN CONCERTO: Amazon.com | iTunes FOR MORE INFORMATION: JoshuaBell.com Less

St. Petersburg Noise artists SPIN and Mr. Fantastic combine to form the noise group The Uhhh. . . . which in turn were joined by Tampa musicians Dianna and Dave of Chiari Network, and myself on drumset. There is a loud feedback whine which I believe was intentional, so I left it in the recording. Less

-- Marimbist Matt Cannon meets up with host Kevin Seal to dive into quiet and loud, soft to screaming, gentle to gigantic, whispered to wailing, and the other ways one can describe the spectrum of dynamics. Matt shows how marimba is especially well-suited to dynamic playing, and the two gents show how pianissimo, fortissimo, and all points in between are employed in different kinds of music. (11 mins.) Click the "Continue reading" button below to hear examples of dynamics in the works of Radiohead, Bjork, Shirley Bassey, Sinead O'Connor, Sunny Day Real Estate and more, and to see photos of Matt at the marimba. Less

-- Classical Music Analyst Russell Johnson and host Kevin Seal talk about the harmonic primary colors. The chordal holy trinity. The triad of triads. In other words, they break down the three chords you hear most in blues, rock, country, and folk, which are the I-IV-V: the tonic, the subdominant, and the dominant. Find out why the rock mantra of "three chords and the truth" is so prevalent (and yep, it's these three chords they're talking about), and hear how these chords work together to create tension and resolution. (10 mins.) On the continuation page, listen to songs that share these chords, and see a list of the musical terms defined in this podcast. Less