Become an Insider
Get a free gift....
and get to know me
RSS
Here is the Camelot Orchestra
This was the first time I have played in an orchestra for a musical (aka a pit orchestra), and it was probably the most challenging playing I have done so far. We played in the dark (with stand lights). There were many key, tempo and meter changes. There were many “cuts” from the original score, which made reading the music a bit messy. There were over 60 pages of music to learn. The music and the cast must be in sync every moment, so watching the director constantly was a must. So, all in all, it was a great learning experience for me and a lot of fun getting to watch the show and get to know some of the cast and orchestra and crew. And it was a great story and show. Especially the impromptu marriage proposal by one of the crew to Queen Guinevere during one of the curtain calls! (nope, she didn’t run away with Lancelot after all…..)
Here’s the orchestra. You can guess where I am in the photo below.
April Update
On top of Camelot, I also play double bass in a community orchestra, the Evergreen Community Orchestra, and we have been preparing for our spring concerts working on music from Mozart, Schubert, Ravel, Debussy, and more! Those concerts are scheduled for Friday, June 5th at 7:00 pm and Tuesday, June 9th at 7:00 pm. The name used to be “Music Hall Community Orchestra” but was recently changed and the web URLs are still waiting updates to the new name.
After this, and I don’t want to let the kittens out of the bag too soon, I do have a new recording project that I have begun, and like all recording projects they seem to take on a life of their own. I may begin with a certain concept in my mind of what the finished project will be like, but once I start actually working on putting it together new ideas bubble to my mind and I end up in a different place than where I planned. It’s a bit of a fun adventure. So, stay tuned for more.
Thoughts on Success
In my new journey of discovering and learning the upright bass, or string bass, or double bass, or bass fiddle, or whatever you want to call it, I came across a gentleman by the name of John Clayton. John is a grammy nominated bassist, composer and conductor who as a teenager studied bass with the legendary Ray Brown. On John’s website I discovered a booklet that he has made available called the “self management book”, which I think is awesome as I know that I need an ongoing dose of self-managment to keep me on track. If you are interested you can download a copy of the booklet from John’s “Learn” page on his site.
The last page in the book, titled “Thoughts” contains a collection of many of those motivational quotes that I think we have all heard during our lives. Because they are so good and deserve to be seen often I am republishing them below.
Thoughts
- If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams and endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. –THOREAU
- The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making dreams come true.
- DO IT NOW. You become successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.
- RISK. You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
- Success is a journey, NOT a destination.
- Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your mind off your goals.
- ATTITUDE. If it is to be, it is up to me.
- EXCELLENCE. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra.
- EXCELLENCE can be obtained if you…
- Risk more than others think is safe.
- Dream more than others think is practical.
- Expect more than others think is possible.
- SUCCESS. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will. –VINCE LOMBARDI
- PERSISTENCE. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. –CALVIN COOLIDGE
Puget Sound
A Quick Intro to Christopher J.
I am Chris Hartzog and this is my website, Christopher J. Music. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the Seattle, Washington area.
I’ve loved music as long as I can remember. During many years of being a special needs parent to a very high needs child with autism, I started playing guitar again and started writing music. And through that experience I learned that music not only transcends languages, it also transcends disabilities.
Today my music covers a variety of styles and instruments from folk to blues/jazz, and classical to pop-rock. I am a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass (electric and upright), ukulele, keyboards, and a singer and songwriter. I also enjoy playing classical music on the double bass with my local community symphony orchestra. And, I write, arrange, record and produce songs and put them on this website for people to download and hopefully share and enjoy.
Some Music
Go to the music store page for a complete catalog.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Some Videos
Some Photos
Some pictures and stuff
