Analysis of Debussy Prelude No. 3 (Book 2) “La Puerta del Vino”
I Attempt From Love’s Sickness To Fly (Henry Purcell) – Feona Lee Jones
Feona Lee Jones (Alto) performance of “I Attempt From Love’s Sickness To Fly” by Henry Purcell. Accompanied on piano by Nayoung Jung.
Teaching & Performing – Genny & Feona
In this podcast, Genny and I discuss teaching and performing. Watch to find out more!
BLACK SABBATH – [Music & Frequency Podcast] – Mario & Feona
In this podcast, we deep dive into the music of Black Sabbath, looking at it from various angles. We discuss their influences, how they use timbre, melody, harmony, and rhythm to create their unique sound. Watch to find out more!
All Major Scale Fingerings for Piano – [Music Theory Mondays]
In this video I cover all the major scale fingerings for piano.
Microtonality in the Music of Harry Partch and Alex Wand – Alex & Feona
In this podcast, we discuss microtonality in the music of Harry Partch and Alex Wand. Watch to find out more! Find Alex: https://alexwand.bandcamp.com/ https://www.alexwand.com/
The Dimensions Dance [for Orchestra] – Feona Lee Jones
“The Dimensions Dance” is a piece for orchestra I wrote in 2021. I was heavily influenced by black and white/film noir soundtracks and many others (especially Bernard Herrmann, David Raksin, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Lisa Gerrard, Frank Zappa, Ligeti, John Carpenter, Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, Muddy Waters, etc.). Enjoy! *Contact me if you would like to purchase the full score: feonalee[at]gmail.com
Meet The Instructor
BJORK – Music & Frequency Podcast – Mario & Feona
Ancestors [Piece for Solo French Horn and Delay Pedal] – Feona Lee Jones
Program Notes: I composed Ancestors in 2021 for Rachel Boehl’s 2021 MM graduation recital at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. This commission was an opportunity to write for solo French Horn and delay pedal, and experiment with the sonic possibilities of the two elements. This piece is a tribute to our ancestors, whose histories are imprinted on us and teach us that we come from a long lineage of survivors. The structural sections of the work are a time and space traveling device that transports us across the world. For example, the use of multiphonics, where the player is singing into the horn while simultaneously playing a note, is reminiscent of the archaic ritual horn music of Tibet. Another example is of the whistling portamento in both the voice and horn, suggestive of the whistling languages of South Africa. This piece communicates how we are all connected to our ancestors. When we embrace, connect, dialogue with, and see ourselves as part of a greater familial and spiritual field of energy, we see the ancient wisdom that is deep within each of us. Even if we did not know our ancestors, we are connected to forces we may not understand. An essential part of our healing is connecting more deeply to our families of origin and challenging our familial stories, patterns, and beliefs. The music represents the dialogue with our ancestors and reconnecting with their DNA that resides deep within each of us. The French Horn and delay pedal combination enabled me to create the sound of an ensemble with just one instrument. With the delay pedal, I could create ripples of sound cascading onto itself, drone-like repeated notes and rhythms, canons layered upon each other, and delayed melodic and rhythmic gestures. I also discovered I could manipulate space and time by making some sounds sound closer or farther away. Ultimately, Ancestors is about telling one story about our connection to the past and how it has shaped us. It is about creating a dialogue with the greater familial and spiritual field of energy around us. We are biological storehouses––each are a result of our own unique lineage. By giving a voice to our ancestors’ panoramic, multidimensional view and letting their stories and voices be heard, we can embrace our families of origin and even challenge their paradigms and beliefs if they are no longer relevant. We are all cultural hybrids who have unique outlooks, and I want to honor our multicultural views and bring them to light since we are connected, all sharing this human existence on earth.
Evening of Classical Music and Wine (4-Hand Works by Schubert, Mozart, Ravel)
How We Prepare for Gigs – Tanya & Feona
At Land (1944) – Maya Deren (music by Feona Lee Jones)
I added my own music to Maya Deren’s silent experimental film, “At Land” to create my own twist on the narrative. Some parts of the film (ending) were omitted to leave the viewer to decide the meaning for themselves.
String Quartet was performed by: Tammie Dyer (Violin 1), Ilana Blumberg (Violin 2), Alexander Volonts (Viola), Rebecca Roudman (Cello), and recorded by: Jason Eckl.
At Land (1944) is a 15-minute silent experimental film written, directed by, and starring Maya Deren. It has a dream-like narrative in which a woman, played by Deren, is washed up on a beach and goes on a strange journey encountering other people and other versions of herself. Deren once said that the film is about the struggle to maintain one’s personal identity.
METALLICA – Harvester of Sorrow – Piano Cover (2018)
One of my subscribers on YouTube requested that I do a piano version of Metallica’s “Harvester of Sorrow.” It was not the easiest piece to play since on the guitar you can slide to certain notes and power chords are simple. On the piano, power chords have a larger reach which makes it difficult to execute as a fast tempo. Here is my version of this song. Enjoy!
My 208 Ensemble Video Statement
I created a video statement for 208 Ensemble’s call for Scores from underrepresented composers. In this video I share a little about myself, how I got started as a pianist and composer, my work as a composer, as well as a few things most people wouldn’t normally know about me.
Commission Details:
208 Ensemble is proud to introduce Avant-Garden, our flagship project designed to cultivate an accessible, collaborative environment for the performance of contemporary art and commission chamber music annually from emerging and
underrepresented composers.
Enjoy!
~Feona
Proper Posture and Hand Position at the Piano (For Beginners)
Wouldn’t it be nice to play piano and not have to think about getting carpal tunnel or any strain-related injury? Many people don’t realize that our posture at the piano can effect our body if we are not careful. In this lesson, I cover the proper posture and hand position while sitting at the piano. At the end I show two stretches I recommend to counteract sitting at the piano.
Treble and Bass Clef, G-Line, F-Line, and Middle C-Line Explained!
How do you find the notes on the staff? The treble clef and bass clef are two symbols commonly found at the beginning of every piece of music (written for piano). It is important to know these clefs as they tell you where your pitches are. And the names of notes on the lines and spaces change according to which clef is placed before them. Once you learn the treble and bass clefs, F line, G Line, and Middle C Line you can find any note on the staff!
Beginning Piano Lessons: Naming the Black Keys
In this lesson I will teach you how to find the names of the black keys on the piano.
In my previous video I covered the names of the white keys. You will need to know them as the names of the black keys are based off of the white keys.
When musicians talk about the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, they are referring to the natural notes or the white keys on the keyboard. Notes can be altered with the use of accidentals, which are known as sharps and flats. Accidentals are used to raise or lower the pitch of a tone.
Think of the black keys as having nicknames. Each black key has two names: it’s sharp name and its flat name depending on if we had to raise or lower the closest white key to get there.
A Sharp is a symbol that tells us to raise that note by a half step. A half step is the smallest step we can take on the piano going up or down.
If we take Middle C and raise it by a half step we get to this black key, which is known as C#. If we find D and go up a half step, we get to the black key known as D#. If we find F and go up a half step we arrive at F#, etc.
A Flat is a symbol that tells us to lower a note by a half step. If we take D and lower it a half step, we come to Db. If we find E and lower it a half step we arrive at Eb. If we find B and lower it a half step we arrive at Bb, etc.
Sometimes, you will run into a white key who’s nickname or enharmonic name is a sharp or flat name depending on how it is written. An example of this is Cb. Cb is actually B natural. Another example is E#. If we raise E by a half step, we get to the note F, which is sometimes written as E#. White notes written as sharp or flat notes show up depending on what scale you are playing in.
Now that you know how to name the sharp and flat name for each black keys, let’s practice naming enharmonic notes. When a black key has a sharp and flat name that are written differently but are actually the same note on the piano, they are called, enharmonic notes. C# and Db are enharmonic notes because they are written or spelled differently but are actually the same exact note on the piano.
Homework:
1) Pick a random black key and name it’s sharp name and flat name.
2) Find all the Sharp keys: A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, and G#
3) Find all the Flat keys: Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, and Gb
Beginning Piano Lessons: The Piano Key Names
In this lesson I will teach you about the names of the white keys on the piano.
Before we get into that, let’s talk briefly about the tuning system of the piano. This system is called “equal temperament” and its when an octave (like from one C to the next higher C) is divided it into 12 equal parts, making 12 evenly spaced pitches. This includes both white and black keys. The octaves on a piano are the only in-tune interval, while everything else is a little out of tune. The interval of a fifth is slightly flat, and the major thirds are slightly sharp.
Equal temperament allows us to play in any key and have everything sound proportionally the same. The drawback is that the intervals between the notes are not perfectly in tune but most normal people cannot tell the difference.
Pitch in music refers to the highness or lowness of a sound. When we go to the left on the piano, pitches go lower, and the frequency is smaller. When we go to the right, pitches on the piano go higher and they increase in frequency. Lower is to the left, higher is to the right. On my piano, which is a Concert Grand with 88 keys, I have 88 different pitches, which are arranged in a pattern of 12 notes—equally spaced—that repeat over and over again.
Pitches are named using the first 7 letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G which are the names of the 7 white keys on the keyboard.
Let’s look at keys: Black keys are arranged in groups of 2 and groups of 3. This helps identify the names of the white keys. If there were no black keys it would be impossible to know where you are on the piano.
The easiest note to find is Middle C. Locate the middle of your piano usually where the brand of piano is located. Find a group of two black keys and go down one half step from the left black key. This note is Middle C.
Let’s find all the C’s on the piano. All C’s look alike and there are 8 C’s total on an 88-key piano.
Which white key is one step lower than C ? What is one step before C in the music alphabet? B. Let’s find all the B’s on the piano
From C, we can find any other note on the piano.
Are there any shortcuts? Not really. In the end, you just have to keep practicing them until they are memorized.
Homework:
1) Find all A’s on piano, B’s, C’s, D’s, E’s, ‘s, G’s. It can help you memorize the notes if you say them out loud.
2) Name the notes in an octave going from A to A, B, to B, C to C, etc. Then try it backwards.
3) Start at lowest note on the piano and name all notes one by one going up and down
4) pick random notes and name them. Sometimes it’s easier of someone can randomly pick a note for you.
I was in Finland & Iceland for the last 2 months
Over the summer, I traveled to Finland with a couple of friends for the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which was incredible. For the Finns, music is as important as eating, drinking, and going to the sauna. Basically music is a BIG deal there. More operas are premiered in Finland than any other country in the world. House concerts were common and the musicians were the best I’ve heard.
The photo below was taken at the Gulf of Bothnia around 11pm. We were above the Arctic Circle so the sun set only for a few hours before rising again. It was like this my entire trip!
The second part of my trip was in Isafjordur, Iceland where I stayed for a composer residency where I worked on my opera. I got to spend all day at the piano at the music school. It was unbelievable how I could concentrate so deeply. There was no static like there is here in the USA (so many wifi signals destroying brain cells). In Iceland I had limited access to wifi and internet, which helped me be fully immersed in composing. There was also 23 hours of daylight. I found that I did not need much sleep. I would go to bed between 2am-4am and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to begin my day. I did this for several weeks and never felt burnt out. It was vacation. I felt I was able to access a deeper realm of consciousness there, that I have not been able to access in everyday life. It was definitely an experience I will never forget. So many beautiful memories and beautiful sightings were experienced. There is nothing else quite like Iceland.
