Ask Robin Eubanks

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by millsy

Hey Robin, I was wondering if there was a way to obtain lead sheets or any form of sheet music for any of your tunes (like Metamorphos and Get 2 It), or is it off to the old drawing board to transcribe the tunes by ear? Thanks for any help, keep up the amazing playing and writing!

- Andrew Mills

Hello Andrew,

I should start selling sheet music of my compositions within the next 2 weeks.
I've been trying to set this up for a while and it looks like it will finally happen.

Thanks for asking,

-Robin

[Danny]

Hi Robin,

I've been trying to transcribe Dave Holland's tune 'Prime Directive' (your solos on that tune, especially on 'Extended Play' are amazing - that five-minute duet with Chris Potter is just phenomenal, you both seem to pick up on absolutely everything the other one does), and can't work out what the chords are in the middle bit (where it moves away from the bass riff). I've got Csus69 (i.e. C with no 3rd or 7th) for three bars, then Csus69/G for three, but this is almost certainly wrong.

Also, when going into the middle section for the first time, on the live recording, and on 'Prime Directive', it seems like there is a bar of 2 at the beginning, and another bar of two at the end, so it all adds up - it could be written exclusively in 4, but it sounds like this bar of two is there. Is this written on the chart, or is that just Billy Kilson messing with my mind again?

My band is already playing 'Looking up', but the bass player isn't great, and is having trouble locking into the 7. Dave is just such a great composer, I can see us playing more and more of his compositions, providing my transcribing skills are up to scratch.

Thanks in advance,

Danny

[Matt Rivers]

Robin,

Great new site. Love the setup.

Also was pleasantly surprised to see your podcasts! Will check those out for sure. Think you could record a personal one with a "kick my a**" message? I could listen to it whenever I'm sounding like a little.....well, you know.

Hope to catch you sometime this summer in the states.

-Matt

[Jackson_H]

Hi Robin,

I've been thinking about scales and their modes lately and was wondering the way you teach them?

I've been trying to change my mind set so that I think of a scale an it's modes as one scale. To get more used to this I've started practicing them starting at the lowest note of that scale I can and playing up the scale as high as I can.

So if I were soloing over Dm7, instead of thinking to myself that I'm playing a D dorian scale I'd think to myself that I'm playing the Cmaj scale but emphasizing some of the key notes the F(b3) and the C(b7).

In this way I'm hoping that in time it will make me much more comfortable with each scale as in reality I'm still only playing the one scale.

I hope I've been clear in what I've been saying...

-Jackson

[Liza]

hi

[Liza]

Hi Robin,

I wanted to ask you where you give lessons or if you give lessons.
I'm playing trombone and I love your music. I love to hear the Dave Holland Quintet on 'Prime Directive'.
I play the first tune "looking up" with my band but it’s very difficult for me, specially the bass line. Do you remember playing that tune? Did you play the bass line with trigger? That jump from low E to middle D is quite hard for me in that tempo, because my trombone dosen’t have a trigger.

I hope you haven't too much post to answer.

Best Wishes,
Liza

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Danny

Hi Robin,

I've been trying to transcribe Dave Holland's tune 'Prime Directive' (your solos on that tune, especially on 'Extended Play' are amazing - that five-minute duet with Chris Potter is just phenomenal, you both seem to pick up on absolutely everything the other one does), and can't work out what the chords are in the middle bit (where it moves away from the bass riff). I've got Csus69 (i.e. C with no 3rd or 7th) for three bars, then Csus69/G for three, but this is almost certainly wrong.

Also, when going into the middle section for the first time, on the live recording, and on 'Prime Directive', it seems like there is a bar of 2 at the beginning, and another bar of two at the end, so it all adds up - it could be written exclusively in 4, but it sounds like this bar of two is there. Is this written on the chart, or is that just Billy Kilson messing with my mind again?

My band is already playing 'Looking up', but the bass player isn't great, and is having trouble locking into the 7. Dave is just such a great composer, I can see us playing more and more of his compositions, providing my transcribing skills are up to scratch.

Thanks in advance,

Danny

Hi Danny,

I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to your post. We just finshed our European tour and now I'm home and have time to answer the several posts to this thread.

The chords to the middle section is:
Cmaj7/A to Bbmaj/C and Gmaj7/E to Fmaj7/G

I'm a bit confused about the middle section you're referring to.
Your question makes more sense to me if I count differently.
It sounds like you're counting the piece in a fast 4/4 consisting of 3 bar phrases. I can then understand the bar of 2 you're referring to.
I'm not sure how it was written because we don't use the written music for it anymore, but I count it in a slow 6/4. Anyway, the meter is consistent and doesn't change. If you listen to the bass line you can hear how it doesn't change when that section comes up.

If you have anymore questions... just ask.

-Robin

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Matt Rivers

Robin,

Great new site. Love the setup.

Also was pleasantly surprised to see your podcasts! Will check those out for sure. Think you could record a personal one with a "kick my a**" message? I could listen to it whenever I'm sounding like a little.....well, you know.

Hope to catch you sometime this summer in the states.

-Matt

Hey Matt,

Good to hear from you! I just finished another school year at your Alma Mater. Sounds like you could use a little encouragement. We can ALL use some of that from time to time. If you like, feel free to give me a call and we can discuss it, like old times.

-Robin

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Jackson_H

Hi Robin,

I've been thinking about scales and their modes lately and was wondering the way you teach them?

I've been trying to change my mind set so that I think of a scale an it's modes as one scale. To get more used to this I've started practicing them starting at the lowest note of that scale I can and playing up the scale as high as I can.

So if I were soloing over Dm7, instead of thinking to myself that I'm playing a D dorian scale I'd think to myself that I'm playing the Cmaj scale but emphasizing some of the key notes the F(b3) and the C(b7).

In this way I'm hoping that in time it will make me much more comfortable with each scale as in reality I'm still only playing the one scale.

I hope I've been clear in what I've been saying...

-Jackson

Hello Jackson,

To be honest I don't teach modes that much because I don't deal with them directly when I'm playing. I'm obviously playing in a mode or modes when I improvise but I'm not thinking of them at all. I'm just relating to the harmonic sound I hear and trying to navigate ideas through those chords and their alterations. I'm not thinking of a mixolydian when I see or hear a Dominant 7 chord (V7) or dorian when I hear a minor7 chord.
I think it is something I would like to study and deal with becuase I think it can only help me to organize things better.

I like the way you seem to be approaching them, using the parent scale.
How would you go about "emphasising some of the key notes", when you're playing the different modes?

-Robin

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Liza

Hi Robin,

I wanted to ask you where you give lessons or if you give lessons.
I'm playing trombone and I love your music. I love to hear the Dave Holland Quintet on 'Prime Directive'.
I play the first tune "looking up" with my band but it’s very difficult for me, specially the bass line. Do you remember playing that tune? Did you play the bass line with trigger? That jump from low E to middle D is quite hard for me in that tempo, because my trombone dosen’t have a trigger.

I hope you haven't too much post to answer.

Best Wishes,
Liza

Hello Liza,

I see you're from Portugal. I played a concert in Oporto, Portugal on Saturday night, My 13th. It was the last performance of our tour.
I teach at the Oberlin College Conservatory near Cleveland, Ohio.
I sometimes teach private lesson from my home, near New York City.

The first track on the cd is Prime Directive not Looking Up. I think you're talking about Prime Directive, with the low E up to D, bass line.
Anyway, I play it both with the trigger and open. I do it both ways. It obviously easier with the trigger, but I like to force myself NOT to use the trigger all the time, just to keep in shape in case I find myself without one sometime :-)

-Robin

[Jackson_H]

Originally Posted by Robin Eubanks

Hello Jackson,

To be honest I don't teach modes that much because I don't deal with them directly when I'm playing. I'm obviously playing in a mode or modes when I improvise but I'm not thinking of them at all. I'm just relating to the harmonic sound I hear and trying to navigate ideas through those chords and their alterations. I'm not thinking of a mixolydian when I see or hear a Dominant 7 chord (V7) or dorian when I hear a minor7 chord.
I think it is something I would like to study and deal with becuase I think it can only help me to organize things better.

I like the way you seem to be approaching them, using the parent scale.
How would you go about "emphasising some of the key notes", when you're playing the different modes?

-Robin

Hi Robin,

Maybe emphasise wasn't the correct word. What I ment was that I'd like to try an be aware of the chord under what I am playing. So for a major chord I wouldn't hang around the 4th unless I was going for a dischorded kind of sound. And for a dominant 7th chord I may play the min 7th and the maj 3rd so as to outline the chord in my solo as well.

Keeping in mind however that for each bar of a dominant 7 chord I'm not always going to play one of or both the min 7th and the maj 3rd everytime. Just depends on where I'm going I guess.

Hope this clarified my thoughts...

-Jackson

[Liza]

Hi Robin,
thanks for your reply. I have been checking your Website and couldn't find the concert on the 13 of may i would have loved to come.
dont you have newsletters?
Because I would really like to see you live some day!

Jazzy wishes
Liza

[Mike Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Liza

Hi Robin,
thanks for your reply. I have been checking your Website and couldn't find the concert on the 13 of may i would have loved to come.
dont you have newsletters?
Because I would really like to see you live some day!

Jazzy wishes
Liza

Lisa;

Robin keeps an up to date concert itinarary at his website www.robineubanks.com

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz

Lisa;

Robin keeps an up to date concert itinarary at his website www.robineubanks.com

Hi Mike,

Actually, you are both correct. I DO keep an "up to date" itinerary on my website: http://www.robineubanks.com/ but the gig in Oporto, Portugal was added while we were on tour in Europe. I never added the extra gig on my website.

It's almost 5am here in New York City and I'm here at the Grand Opening of the Apple store on Fifth Avenue.. It's VERY busy at 5am. Only in New York!!

This new store will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Very convenient if you live in NYC.

-Robin

[mke]

Originally Posted by Robin Eubanks

This new store will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Very convenient if you live in NYC.

Really? What Apple product could you possibly need to buy in the middle of the night?

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by mke

Really? What Apple product could you possibly need to buy in the middle of the night?

I have NO idea how or why the store is open 24/7/365, but we will see.
I was at the Apple store at 5am because they were giving away a new computer every hour for the first 24 hours. I figured I would have a better chance at winning the hourly drawing, if I went in the middle of the night...... I didn't win.

I think this new store will be one of their main repair centers. I could see some use for that if I have a deadline and run into computer problems late at night. It has happened before. Plus I can get to the Fifth Ave. store in 15 minutes.
I had similar questions about other Apple products and policies but many of them proved to work very well for them.

Robin

[mke]

Okay, for repairs, in NYC, I can understand. I'm not such a big fan of 24 hour service culture, though.

[Jeff Albert]

Originally Posted by mke

Okay, for repairs, in NYC, I can understand. I'm not such a big fan of 24 hour service culture, though.

I don't mind it. The choice to stop and get something on the way home from a gig, is a choice I'd like to have. Of course, if I was the guy working in the store at 3AM, I doubt that I would feel the same way.

I love 24 hour grocery stores. When I was single I did my best food shopping in the middle of the night. They come in handy for pregnant wife cravings as well.

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by mke

Okay, for repairs, in NYC, I can understand. I'm not such a big fan of 24 hour service culture, though.

I like 24 hour service or I should say I love having the option of using a 24 hour service. It's a drag not being able to get things late at night , IF you want it. What don't you like about it Mke, or is it a foreign concept to Belgium?

I remember a month ago when I was walking around Paris at 2am, starving, looking for something to eat.

-Robin

[mke]

Originally Posted by Robin Eubanks

What don't you like about it Mke, or is it a foreign concept to Belgium?

It doesn't seem right, somehow, to make people work in stores at 3AM. I guess people already do in shipping and transport industries, though. But it seems to be a degradation of social conditions. Kind of like having stores open on sunday. Sure, it's practical for the consumer, but should that be the only consideration?

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by mke

It doesn't seem right, somehow, to make people work in stores at 3AM. I guess people already do in shipping and transport industries, though. But it seems to be a degradation of social conditions. Kind of like having stores open on sunday. Sure, it's practical for the consumer, but should that be the only consideration?

The first stores I remember being open 24hrs. were the Korean markets, in my neighborhood. Korean immigrants got loans to open convenience stores. Many of their family members worked in the store. It was great to be able to get food and otther items by walking down to the corner, any time of night. As a musican I routinely went to bed 3-4am.

I don''t equate it with lowered social conditions.
They just provided a service when no one else was and they did good business because they were the only stores open.

On another subject, have you checked out my myspace page yet?
http://www.myspace.com/robineubanks

-Robin

[mke]

I don't have a really thought-out position on the issue, but it just seems to me that there'll always be someone desperate enough to stand in a store at all hours, but I doubt that it often accompanies good overall living conditions.

I don't think you'd mentioned your MySpace page yet. Little typo in your URL: http://www.myspace.com/robineubanks

I'll check them out the EB3 mp3s tonight, especially as I've never heard that band.

A question about the comments: do you reply to them? As a non-member, it always seems like half a conversation.

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by mke

I don't have a really thought-out position on the issue, but it just seems to me that there'll always be someone desperate enough to stand in a store at all hours, but I doubt that it often accompanies good overall living conditions.

I don't think you'd mentioned your MySpace page yet. Little typo in your URL: http://www.myspace.com/robineubanks

Hey Mke,

Working overnite is not a job I'd like to do but hopefully we appreciate the fact that someone is doing it or many of the goods and services we have would not be available to most of us. One of my brothers, is a manager at a Target store. They are a major retail chain here in the U.S. He worked for about 2 years going to work from 1am until 9am. He hated the hours but he was the new manager and got the bad time slot. He's on regular hours now.

Thanks for pointing out my typo. I was wondering why the link didn't work :-)

Yeah, a great deal of the "comments" on Myspace can be rhetorical but sometimes people reply. You can also reply with a private message so the reply would not be apparent to the public. Myspace is an interesting phenomena. I think they have about 73 million members worldwide and it's free!

-Robin

[Jackson_H]

Originally Posted by Robin Eubanks

I'm just relating to the harmonic sound I hear and trying to navigate ideas through those chords and their alterations. I'm not thinking of a mixolydian when I see or hear a Dominant 7 chord (V7) or dorian when I hear a minor7 chord.

Hi Robin,

When you say that are you saying that you primarily improvise by ear and use the chord changes more like a brief guide?

-Jackson

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Jackson_H

Hi Robin,

When you say that are you saying that you primarily improvise by ear and use the chord changes more like a brief guide?

-Jackson

I'd say it's a combination most of the time, but at my best I think it is by ear or I should say, by ideas. One idea or phrase leads me to the next thing that I play. Sometimes I sing in my mind and play what I'm singing.

-Robin

[Eric Bowman]

Hi Robin,

I’m a trombonist myself and am now trying to find my own unique style after learning how to copy the styles of the masters. I just wanted to know how you set yourself apart from other musicians earlier in you career. Because I feel that if I’m going to make it as a musician, I need to do something new and unique like what you and the Dave Holland Quintet have done. I listened to your podcast with the interview of Dave. What he had to say about incorporating culture into the music and the globalization of jazz interested me. However, growing up in Michigan and listening to straight ahead jazz growing up doesn’t really offer anything for me to work with. I play in a quintet and we simply read standards out of the real book for our gigs (not that there's anything wrong with that). Whenever I try to write a tune, I accidentally recall a tune I’ve already heard, write it down, and then later realize It’s not mine. I thought I wrote “September Song” for about a week. How do you go about composing and where do you get your ideas from?
Also, I’m approaching my senior year of high school and I’m starting to think about college for music…any recommendations?
I realize you’re very busy so I won’t feel bad if you only get to a couple of my questions or none at all. Thanks

-Eric

[John P. Cooper]

Originally Posted by mke

It doesn't seem right, somehow, to make people work in stores at 3AM. I guess people already do in shipping and transport industries, though. But it seems to be a degradation of social conditions. Kind of like having stores open on sunday. Sure, it's practical for the consumer, but should that be the only consideration?

This is an interesting spin off topic.

Growing up on Long Island in the 1960s, many so called "blue laws" were still in place, observed and enforced. Most stores were closed on Sundays.

The big shopping mall I worked in closed at 6 pm (!!!) every night except Wednesday night and one other night when they closed at 9:30 pm.

Retail is a poor enough career without having to work 'til all hours of the day and night or dealing with split shifts.

Social conditions and life situations are affected.

We have become a nation that is focused on commerce.

It was really nice to be able to go home at 6 pm, the day over and the evening to be called your own.

Many employers now don't really give a damn about the shifts or hours their employees work. Trader Joe's is a great example. They run 24 hour shifts even though they are not open 24 hours. Sure, it's great if you want to work swing or graveyard shifts, but most people don't.

What does Trader Joe's do? They schedule their employees really tightly. Your shift can end at midnight, but you have to be back at work at 8 am. What kind of life is that? Legally, all they have to give you off is 8 hours between shifts, but, morally and in other ways, it is wrong. You have to drive home, you have to eat and relax and maybe spend some time with your family and attend to some business and hobbies...and you still need to sleep...you still need the time to unwind and get to sleep, then you have to be up again, prepare for work, drive there and begin your next shift. A nightmare. And all in 8 hours???

The worst inconvenience of the old "blue laws" was you could not get everything you wanted on a moment's notice. You might actually have to remember to buy it the day before or wait 'til the day after to get something.

In a pinch, you could borrow something you needed from a friend or neighbor.

Anyway...I always have had mixed feelings about the 24/7 'buy and sell' culture that has taken over our lives.

[Robin Eubanks]

Hi John,

Thanks for participating and posting.
I never knew anything about the labor side of this issue.
It sounds like it can be a big problem for those who choose to work those jobs.

As was mentioned in the text you quoted and responded to, people have been working overnight shifts for a long time in certain jobs. By the way, we also have Sunday "blue laws" where I liive. On the consumer end it is nice to have the option of going to buy something at 3am, if I want or need it.

For instance, I did a gig tonight. I didn't have anything to eat all night. Now all of the stores in my area are closed and I didn't have time to go shopping before the gig. I wish I could find some place to get some food now. I have to wait until tomorrow, but I'm starving now! That's one thing I miss about living in Brooklyn, although, in general, I definitely prefer where I live now. It is an interesting subject to debate, but I think 24/7 is here to stay for a while. Apple just opened a 24/7/365 computer store in Manhattan!!

-Robin

[Robin Eubanks]

Originally Posted by Eric Bowman

Hi Robin,

I’m a trombonist myself and am now trying to find my own unique style after learning how to copy the styles of the masters. I just wanted to know how you set yourself apart from other musicians earlier in you career. Because I feel that if I’m going to make it as a musician, I need to do something new and unique like what you and the Dave Holland Quintet have done. I listened to your podcast with the interview of Dave. What he had to say about incorporating culture into the music and the globalization of jazz interested me. However, growing up in Michigan and listening to straight ahead jazz growing up doesn’t really offer anything for me to work with. I play in a quintet and we simply read standards out of the real book for our gigs (not that there's anything wrong with that). Whenever I try to write a tune, I accidentally recall a tune I’ve already heard, write it down, and then later realize It’s not mine. I thought I wrote “September Song” for about a week. How do you go about composing and where do you get your ideas from?
Also, I’m approaching my senior year of high school and I’m starting to think about college for music…any recommendations?
I realize you’re very busy so I won’t feel bad if you only get to a couple of my questions or none at all. Thanks

-Eric

Hi Eric,

Welcome to our thread and thanks for posting.
To begin answering your questions, I think it's VERY important to be yourself. You can't just go out and force yourself to be "new and unique". I know jazz players who did nothing but play standards for years. Now they're trying to play funk because they feel it's in vogue and they think they might make more money. It doesn't sound sincere when they play it. Instead of trying to make yourself sound unique, you need to realize that you're already unique.
Everyone is!
You're still very young, you have plenty of time.
You need to spend some time understanding and discovering who you are and what is unique about your life.
I grew up listening to funk, rock and r & b music. Once I discovered jazz, I went through the necessary stage of copying the masters. I was living in Slide Hampton's house. Me and my brother Kevin. At a certain point I realized I would never sound like Slide or JJ Johnson and decided, instead of trying to sound like them, I should try sounding like me. My big problem was, who was I?
I went on a process of self discovery. I became a Buddhist, which helped me understand my life much better. I decided to re-investigate the music I grew up with and combine it with the jazz music that I loved. I started playing and composing jazz based funk songs, which were frequently in odd time signatures. I met some other musicians to play that music with and I was well on my way of establishing a style that reflected MY life more than it did the lives of JJ and Slide.
That is a brief explanation of my journey, a journey I'm still experiencing, by the way. You have to find yours. Find out what is unique about your life. What is your karma? It may take time, but you're still in high school, so there is no rush.
But I think it is important to begin the process and I think your asking the question was one of the first steps.
As far as schools go, I know Oberlin the best. Have you considered it? I think the program we have is getting better and better. There are obviously others, of course :-)

Anyway, I'll try to respond to whatever you ask here.
Thanks again,

-Robin

[Gary Sisco]

Hi, Robin. I always preferred to work second shift when I've had to have a "day job." It fit my natural rhythm more than working days, never having been a particularly motivated guy mornings. In Burlington, there was a 24/7 Kinko's that was open even on Christmas. That came in very handy for a guy like me who was both an activist and someone who produced or put on shows, to be able to go use the copying facilities after work (meaning in that case after 10 pm) and not have to deal with any waiting for a machine or what have you.

Working the graveyard shift is a bitch, though, for sure. You get way out of wack with the rest of the planet.