Christopher KingActor/Composer/Music Director

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Had an amazing Birthday yesterday!

On to Magee auditions today!

Bye Now

Just checking in and letting everyone know I’m going to be Music Directing a cute musical called “A Year with Frog and Toad”  In Chilliwack BC.  It’s with a lovely fine arts program out there called CSOPA (Chilliwack School of Performing Arts)  The artistic director is a friend of mine Andrew Smith, who is the husband of Sarah Rogers, who was the director of Anything Goes I did at TUTS this summer.  It’s going up in January and currently I’m in rehearsals with the kids on Monday Nights.  I’ll let you know how it’s going as I go.  Cute kids and lots of talent.  Come out and see it at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.  A beautiful theatre, new and up to date.

LA Stage Times Logo

After one of my posts about a “Theatre Code of Ethics” that I wrote a while back, I was contacted by a writer from the blog LAStagetimes.com asking for a follow-up comment.  I wrote him back and he has published an article of his own about the subject and the “Code” Please have a read of it.  Here is the direct link.  I think it’s a great article and bring up some great points.  Hope you all have a read.  Let me know what you think.

Just found out about this amazing piece of FREE software.  Finally software developers are figuring out and creating software that fills a gap in the current market.  As an professional musician/actor that is constantly in the digital world, creating audio and video files I have always had a need to convert files from one kind to another.  There have always been work-a-rounds and specific programs to do just audio, or one to do video, but often they are seperate programs and conversion is not really what these programs were intended for.  This made the process rather cumbersome and time consuming.

Today on Lifehacker.com the answer looks like it might finally be here.  Adapter by Macroplant.com.  It is marketed as a fully FREEWARE video converter, but it does much more. This from their site:

” It converts avi, saves flash .flv, crops video and more! It even works with audio and image files so you can convert wav to mp3 and transform jpg files! This tiny freeware program lets you quickly and easily change any file type to any other file type.”

Click here to go to product page

It’s in beta at the moment, but after getting my hands on it today, it’s clear it has a lot going for it.  The interface is clean and functional, it looks simple enough for anyone to use.

Besides the easy drag and drop functionality of the interface, it offers adding files and also has the option to download flash video files from a direct URL and convert them.  You can also preview your files as they are being converted, giving you the chance to see the progress.

It’s for Mac and PC in a small package size for quick download and install.  And finally the the point of the program – to convert – is brought into full beauty when you see what files is handles.

Adapter works with:
3g2, 3gp, 4xm, RoQ, ac3, alaw, asf, asf_stream, au, audio_dice, avi, crc, daud, dc1394, s, dv, dv1394, dvd, ea, ffm, film_cpk, flic, flv, gif, h261, h263, h264, idcin, image, image2, image2pipe, imagepipe, ipmovie, m4v, matroska, mjpeg, mmf, mov, mov, mp4, m4a, 3gp, 3g2, mp2, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpeg1video, mpeg2video, mpegts, mpegvideo, mpjpeg, mulaw, nsv, null, nut, ogg, psp, psxstr, rawvideo, redir, rm, rtp, rtsp, s16be, s16le, s8, sdp, shn, sol, svcd, swf, u16be, u16le, u8, vcd, video4linux, vmd, vob, wav, wc3movie, wsaud, wsvqa, yuv4mpegpipe

Check it out.  I know this will be a program that I will be using all the time.

Here is a promo video for Anything Goes at TUTS this summer.  I make a small contribution talking about Cole Porter.  Take a look and come and see Theatre Under the Stars in Vancouver, BC this summer.

Forscore 2 -  Sheet music reader for iPad – $4.99 at the app store.

From the moment I heard the iPad was coming, I knew what app I wanted to have.  I’m a musician and I have a need to take sheet music with me when I go to a gig or a rehearsal.  So when I finally won an iPad (thanks to an online contest through The Golf Channel) I started my search for a sheet music reader/organizer.  After doing a little research I decided to check out forScore.

I had a few basic criteria that I needed to have in this app.

1. It must be able to import and store PDFs
2. I must be able to turn pages easily and conveniently
3. There must not be any delay when loading pages
4. I want to be able to mark, highlight, and cut pages

Forscore does all of these things and more.  I knew after I opened the program and was lead through the quick tutorial that this was the right program for my needs.  Not only did it do all the things I wanted, it also includes a few features I didn’t even think of.

One of the best features is the ability to import and add your own bookmarks to PDFs.  Most music books and scores are huge PDFs sometime containing more then 300 pages.  This feature is endlessly useful to have to get to the important places fast. Jump to a song or page and do it quickly.  Forscore makes it easy. Along the same lines, they have included a quick scan slider at the bottom where you can quickly slide your finger left or right and jump to pages anywhere in a large document.

Another useful and well thought out feature is the annotation function which lets you mark or highlight any part of the sheet.  You can indicate cuts or jumps, highlight difficult passages.  It has a list of common music symbols that you can stamp onto any part of the score.  You can make text boxes and pinch zoom any area.  It’s a function that sets this product ahead of any others on the market currently.

Another great use for this program is one that I didn’t think about until I started using it was the simple fact that it isn’t just for sheet music.  It opens any kind of PDF.  I have used it for scripts and books, any document that you want to keep in your collection.  With the ability to import from multiple programs including other iPad apps, it’s so easy to get started with your collection.

It’s maybe a little expensive at $4.99 for some users, if you are a musician and serious about leaving all your books at home, it’s the best choice.  Gone are my days of having someone ask me if I have a particular song and having to search through all my books to find it.  I can simply enter the song into the search bar and have it come up in seconds.  I would recommend this app to any serious musician.

A few other features that are definite pros:

Edit and add metadata to PDFs, so you can search and organize your collection.
Metronome, with option to turn pages automatically after a set amount of bars.
Clear and functional way to turn pages.
Share PDFs simultaneously with other forScore iPad users over bluetooth.
Constant improvements – it looks like the team of people that develop this product are always looking to improve it.

Check out their website for more information and cool accessories.

http://www.forscoreapp.com/

Here is a link to my other love… tech/nerd stuff. I am planning on doing some app reviews and such. And my good friend Steve Dotto of Dotto Tech http://dottotech.com/, had me in to his studio to chat about Garage band for the iPad. And here is an article about Guitar World’s iPad app: Guitar Lick of the Day.

Check out the streaming podcast of this show here

Here is the article:

As a musician I’m always on the lookout for truly useful music apps for mobile devices.  Since I recently got my iPad, I’ve been searching more often.  I play piano and guitar, and on my last search I came across what seemed like a good idea: Guitar World’s Lick of the Day.

Most guitarist are familiar with Guitar World, it’s a magazine that’s been around for many years and has had a pretty good following since it’s inception.  As a guitar player I’ve looked for books and online info about how to play and imitate famous guitar player’s style and licks , but haven’t had a lot of luck having everything I want in one place.

This app has it.

First it’s easy to navigate, and functional, no clutter or messy ads.  When you choose a guitar lick you want to learn from the left navigation window, a video begins to play showing a professional guitar player talk about the lick you are about to learn. They then continue to play the lick in real time on screen.  After one time through the lick full speed to give you an idea of what you are getting yourself into, the instructor, then slows down the lick step by step, with a close up on the finger work and guitar neck. While the video is playing a corresponding animation of a guitar neck and guitar TAB follow to show you what strings and frets to be playing. This makes the lesson complete and through.

There are different levels of difficulty from beginner to advanced as well as many styles of licks to choose from.  As for the look of the screen there is a menu of the latest licks on the left hand side, the video window on the right with the corresponding TAB, and neck animation underneath.  After you watch the video, you can then switch the animation from “Video Mode” to “Practice Mode”  and play along with the animation in whatever tempo/speed you can handle.  There are quite a few free licks to get you hooked, and more “sponsored” licks, where you sit through a short plug about a particular product before the instructor continues.  They also offer a subscription option so you can pay for more licks monthly.  I was very impressed by the professional look and video integration in this app.

As someone who is looking for functional, useful music apps, this one will stay on my iPad for a long time.  With more licks coming every few weeks, it keeps my interest to stay and see what Guitar World challenge they have for me next.

http://www.agilepartners.com/apps/lickoftheday/

A friend posted this on Facebook and I thought it was very well written.  It’s something I think I will pass on to younger aspiring students and actors I come across in my career.  Have a read:

This is a direct lift from this fantastic blog LA Stage Times which has more info and background on this article if you follow the link

Foreword to the Code
“A part of the great tradition of the theatre is the code of ethics which belong to every worker in the theatre. This code is not a superstition, nor a dogma, nor a ritual which is enforced by tribunals; it is an attitude toward your vocation, your fellow workers, your audiences and yourself. It is a kind of self-discipline which does not rob you of your invaluable individualism.
“Those of you who have been in show business know the full connotation of these precepts. Those of you who are new to show business will soon learn. The Circle Players, since its founding in 1945, has always striven to stand for the finest in theatre, and it will continue to do so. Therefore, it is with the sincere purpose of continued dedication to the great traditions of the theatre that these items are here presented.”

The “rules” follow:

1. I shall never miss a performance.
2. I shall play every performance with energy, enthusiasm and to the best of my ability regardless of size of audience, personal illness, bad weather, accident, or even death in my family.
3. I shall forego all social activities which interfere with rehearsals or any other scheduled work at the theatre, and I shall always be on time.
4. I shall never make a curtain late by my failure to be ready on time.
5. I shall never miss an entrance.
6. I shall never leave the theatre building or the stage area until I have completed my performance, unless I am specifically excused by the stage manager; curtain calls are a part of the show.
7. I shall not let the comments of friends, relatives or critics change any phase of my work without proper consultation; I shall not change lines, business, lights, properties, settings or costumes or any phase of the production without consultation with and permission of my director or producer or their agents, and I shall inform all people concerned.
8. I shall forego the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.
9. I shall remember my business is to create illusion; therefore, I shall not break the illusion by appearing in costume and makeup off-stage or outside the theatre.
10. I shall accept my director’s and producer’s advice and counsel in the spirit in which it is given, for they can see the production as a whole and my work from the front.
11. I shall never “put on an act” while viewing other artists’ work as a member of an audience, nor shall I make caustic criticism from jealousy or for the sake of being smart.
12. I shall respect the play and the playwright and, remembering that “a work of art is not a work of art until it is finished,” I shall not condemn a play while it is in rehearsal.
13. I shall not spread rumor or gossip which is malicious and tends to reflect discredit on my show, the theatre, or any personnel connected with them-either to people inside or outside the group.
14. Since I respect the theatre in which I work, I shall do my best to keep it looking clean, orderly and attractive regardless of whether I am specifically assigned to such work or not.
15. I shall handle stage properties and costumes with care for I know they are part of the tools of my trade and are a vital part of the physical production.
16. I shall follow rules of courtesy, deportment and common decency applicable in all walks of life (and especially in a business in close contact with the public) when I am in the theatre, and I shall observe the rules and regulations of any specific theatre where I work.
17. I shall never lose my enthusiasm for theatre because of disappointments.
In addition, the document continued:
“I understand that membership in the Circle Theatre entitles me to the privilege of working, when I am so assigned, in any of the phases of a production, including: props, lights, sound, construction, house management, box office, publicity and stage managing-as well as acting. I realize it is possible I may not be cast in a part for many months, but I will not allow this to dampen my enthusiasm or desire to work, since I realize without my willingness to do all other phases of theatre work, there would be no theatre for me to act in.”
All members of the Circle Theatre were required to sign this document. And they must have-because the theatre, and the group into which it evolved, was successful for many years.

Last night I had the first orchestra rehearsals for Theatre Under the Stars production of Anything Goes.  Fantastic group of people, I’m looking forward to working with all of them.  This show we are using a smaller arrangement of the orchestration so I only have 13 people in the pit this year.  I am recording some of the rehearsals I’ll post some of the good ones soon.

Get your tickets!

www.tuts.ca

Here is a great video of the Beaumont cast of “Anything Goes” from the 1987 Tony awards. The fabulous Patti Lupone playing Reno. Just to give you a taste of the show.