Is anyone doing the Campfire Challenge?

Cool, yes I intend to do it again next month. I’ll also try to apply the same principles on my other instruments. I think it would be a good navigation practice to try to get the same sounds and feeling on for example guitar.

@mem I was already thinking that I’d probably try with Chapman Stick in place of keyboard…

Excellent, I’d love to hear how that is for you. The popMatics stuff is very much geared up for piano keyboard, with the key/tonal centre chosen to make it easier for first-timers to navigate the keyboard (ie using Gb and mainly black keys for the scale) but I’m sure we can find equivalents on other instruments.

It seems likely @mem. With an isomorphic instrument (e.g. P4 guitar) all keys are equal - given enough frets & strings in the direction you want to go! :wink:

On Chapman Stick I’ve taken yet another step away from the usual ‘reciprocal’ tunings (i.e. bass in descending 5ths/,melody in ascending 4ths). I’m still using the same strings as when I mentioned that I’d moved to a 'mirrored 4ths 'tuning (i.e. bass in descending 4ths/,melody in ascending 4ths), but I’ve swapped sides (known as playing ‘uncrossed’) and both sets now use ascending 4ths (i.e. melody in ascending 4ths/bass in ascending 4ths).

On a 12 string it’s a bit like having a 6 string bass for the left hand and a (lower tuned) long scale P4 guitar for the right hand.

C#2F#2B2 E3 A3 D4      B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 C3

I’m still working on refining the action on the bass side.

Yes, the challenge is geared towards learning to orientate yourself on the piano. So starting off with easy to find black keys makes sense. But getting the sounds and relationships in you head/ear you are encouraged to try to find the same feelings in different locations/keys. Will be a challenge, when I’m ready.

What’s your reasons for changing things up? Is it ease of navigation, easier to find/reach notes and/or intervals?

It’s a bit like choosing P4 over standard guitar tuning, but with more ‘dimensions’ available to consider.

I’m looking for the tuning & arrangement that I feel at home with. I was much happier with the 4ths on both sides that Mirrored gave me compared to 5ths plus 4ths. I’m even happier with the layout (physical & mental) that parallel gives me compared to mirrored.

Some people feel that mirrored suits them better since the hands are effectively mirrored too (so same, but mirrored, ‘hand shapes’ for same combinations of notes), but I seem to be happier with the parallel.

To an extent I think some of the choices may depend on what you wish to play, i.e. some chord shapes may be more comfortable with mirrored bass, but bass lines seem to fit more comfortably with parallel?

And of course we all have different hands too!

Thats interesting, I’ve settled on a tuning gor my tenor guitar of GDAD, which I find fits under my fingers and suits the type of music I like to play, mainly the keys of D, G and A. I an get ice ringing string sounds or can get closed chord shapes easily.

@mem I figure that we hope to spend a lot of time with these instruments so if adjustability is available we might as well use it to tailor the instrument to what suits. :smiley:

@mem A thing that came up in the IFR Jazz Study Group made me realise I’d missed out on mentioning the word ‘ergonomics’ in my ‘Why uncrossed parallel 4ths’ post, though I did write “And of course we all have different hands too!

The uncrossed parallel 4ths arrangement literally provides a better combination of angles and thus seems better suited to my body/arms/hands/fingers, as well as to my mental images, so win win. :slight_smile:

There is another Campfire Challenge starting up over at popMatics on Monday. I’ll be doing it again as I got a lot out of it last time, in fact I’ve continued to post daily 5 min practices since the last one. So, successfully established a regular habit, which wasn’t hard, as I was playing something pretty much every day, but it got me back to playing piano, which is fun.

I’m partway there…
I did the initial request & received the welcome email a few days ago, but I’ve not had time to watch the ‘the short videos’ or complete the sign up process.

It came as a surprise that I’d need to download an app in order to join.

If I get time to get that done over the weekend I’ll likley be in, but if I don’t then not this month.

PS. The washing machine broke down this morning & I’ve no idea how much time dealing with that will absorb…

Oh no :open_mouth:

I guess you mean the Discord app. I already had this as I was using it for something else. It’s not so bad to use, they use for all their course content I think, and it allows you to chat to the tutors and other participants.

Yes @mem. Just watched the video. The, I’m sure intended to be reassuring, comment “It’s just like Facebook” gave me a chuckle as that’s maybe not the best way to make it seem attractive to folk who avoid FB, but hey, I already know I’m in a minority. LOL!

Off to download now…

I share your dislike of Facebook, and Twitter, Instagram etc etc. And trying hard to avoid Zoom, but sometimes I’ve relented, when its something I’d really like to watch. I keep details I give them to the absolute minimum, and have set up separate email accounts.

Stay safe!

We can but try. :slight_smile:
I’m in. Just posted a comment on #april-signup-campfire.

My username is not DavidW, or anything at all like that. I’m trying out a new one…

PS. Much happier now I’ve found out how to

  1. Stop Discord starting automatically at startup (Discord Settings => Windows Settings => System Startup Behaviour)
  2. Shut it down completely when I’m not using it (find the discord icon in the systray/notifications area, RightClick, Quit discord)

They don’t make it easy… :wink:

I’ve now completed my first Challenge. Unless something gets in the way I hope to do another next month. One of the biggest takeaways for me (in addition to it being a fun exercise) is that for the last 14 days (10 ‘course’ days, plus the 2 weekends) I’ve made a recording, each typically about 5m long.

Recording is one of those “I know it’s good for me, but…” things that I have very rarely got around to actually doing. I’ll try to keep it up now. Time will tell.

Great, glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it. I got into the recording habit too, and kept it up between challenges too. Was away from piano for the second week of this month’s one but will get back into it now I’m back home.

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No wstarted my second pass though. This time I’m probably goig to stay with one instrument (Chapman Stick) throughout. Last time I alternated days between Chapman Stick & Linnstrument.

This time I’m trying to provide a substitute for the use of keyboard sustain pedal that popMATICS recommend, by using a ‘swell’ delay Unlike the keyboard sustain the swell only holds while the string is held, so I’m also using a low root drone tone to provide a unity fill (by playing a note on the Linnstrument, with a setting that gives infinite sustain). I’m not sure what I’ll do with the drone when we reach the day where we bring in a pause…

I really like basic idea of the Campfire challenge, which is essentially an unaccompanied free improvisation exercise. I also like the “mistakes burn in the fire” idea. :slight_smile:

I’m go over being averse to using backing tracks when I did @Jelske 's Melodic Improviation course. :D), but unaccompanied free improvisation is a thing that very much appeals to me; not with the aim of entertaining or impressing others, rather simply to experience the joy of freely exploring ‘what next?’.

@mem I’ve been keeping up Campfire all this month (May) and have now signed up for my 3rd month now (June).

I think I have the basic habit for this (i.e. doing & recording an improv every day), but I found I still got something extra from the ‘classes’ in the 2nd month & suspect I will do so again on a 3rd run through?