my practice regimen

So, since December I've tried to make more time to rehearse, and to make music in general.  I've only been partially successful- full time job or two, the kid; there are always plenty of excuses.

Haven't:
-practiced every day
-explore much notation beyond the warm-up excercise given me

But I have:
-practiced two to three nights a week
-had Q and James over to get them ready

...so not a total loss.  Gotta go daily on my own though.

and but also

....I always forget to include "Doreen", a tune that simply blows me away. Absent much of the usual Zappa smarm, I really love how straight-ahead and unrestrained this song is. I'm very surprised that it never got radio airplay. Ray's vocal is amazing.

Allow me to expound further.....

Two of Zappa's tunes that bear comparison are "Eat That Question" and "Regyptioan Strut". I can't be bothered to look up the players on the recordings of each tune (navigating the reissues and remasters is daunting), but the sound on these two tracks is very close....Frank's big jazz band. "Question" hits me more directly, its melody more accessible, whereas "Strut" feels a little more tossed together (although I really love the big chords- seems like Frank wanted to try every combination). Both of these tunes speak to me, and seem to do everything right that contemporaneous jazzrockfusion did wrong. Rather than testosterone-laden rockjazz like Al DiMeola's "Race with the Devil....", the Zappa tunes have the right balance of groove and jazz, frippery and crunch.