Peter Erskine Joy Luck PlayAlong

[Lucas Ives]

Hey all,

I mentioned this in the last chatty, but wanted to throw out something more formal. My latest app project is a collaboration with HoD's very own erskoman, a play-along jazz project using the tunes from his New Trio record Joy Luck. The music is great, and I think it's different from other packages out there (both in terms of content and format). App Store link here:

Erskine Joy Luck PlayAlong

I'd love to hear what you guys think, questions/comments/criticism welcome. We hope you enjoy it!

Here's the blurb from Peter's site:

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Peter Erskine releases bargain PlayAlong app for entire rhythm section

The album “Joy Luck,” featuring my New Trio with Vardan Ovsepian on keyboards and Damian Erskine (my nephew) on electric bass, gets its title inspiration from Amy Tan’s epochal novel “Joy Luck Club.” This play-along “Joy Luck” compilation gets its inspiration from there being a need for a modern jazz-based trio “music minus one” offering that was

1. not dated-sounding
2. not overly-complicated
3. not “Fusion”-based … or loud
4. not too pricey

Plus good music that’s relevant to the playing challenges and issues that today’s students and professionals encounter every day in their musical lives.

This project is noteworthy for several reasons, one of them being that my recording work of the last several years has all been “live,” on-stage or in the recording studio, with no chance of removing the sound of the drums from the overall mix of the other instruments. “Joy Luck” was recorded in such a way that all three instruments enjoy sonic isolation, thus giving drummers, bassists, keyboard players or any aspiring soloist to become part of the band. The band tracks are mixed and constructed so that the music may be practiced to or performed for school recitals, juries or even in concert.

The best way to learn any piece of music is by ear. “Joy Luck” provides lead sheet charts, identical to what we used in the studio to make the album. There are also exhaustive transcriptions of the bass and drum parts and solos for study and emulation if desired.

Each tune is accompanied by PDF files of the charts, transcriptions, etc., in addition to multiple mix stems for customized use (click options including count-in only or for the entire duration of the tune. Note: it is very easy to use the click volume slider to change the relative volume of the click or to get rid of it completely during practice or performance!).

Where existing PlayAlong tracks @ iTunes sell for .99¢ per tune/per instrument, the Erskine Joy Luck PlayAlong app features eleven tunes with music-minus mix stems for drums, bass, piano and solos, all for $4.99. The Erskine Joy Luck PlayAlong app is now available on the App Store.

[moose]

I'm curious. Why have you restricted the market for this by making it a single mobile platform app?

And given that curious choice, why did you not use Jammit as the platform, which would at least have given you OSX desktop as an additional platform now, and whatever they choose to release in future too?

[Josiah]

Is there a way to just buy the tracks as mp3's or flac?

[Lucas Ives]

I'm curious. Why have you restricted the market for this by making it a single mobile platform app?

And given that curious choice, why did you not use Jammit as the platform, which would at least have given you OSX desktop as an additional platform now, and whatever they choose to release in future too?

Has to do with my amount of free time, my preferred development environment, Apple's nice sandboxing, and the fact that maintaining a bunch of low-level audio code on multiple platforms is not something I wanted to do. Happy to discuss over PM if you're truly interested in specifics. Don't know much about Jammit, but we're not really interested in involving any 3rd parties.

Josiah, the stems aren't currently available as separate audio files -- I take it you'd be interested? If it's something we hear a lot of cal for, we may chase it up.

[Da Chooch]

i bought it and am truly amazed! now if i could just follow any of the lead sheets. i was hoping there'd be lead sheet just for drums instead of a master sheet / piano / bass lead sheets but i'm sure if i was a learned musician w/ proper theory training it wouldn't be a problem. still - it is very impressive getting like 11 tunes and lead sheets with metronome on / off switch and the capability of music minus 3 instruments (bass, drums or piano) for only 4.99? you can't beat it. plus the ability to EMAIL yourself PDF's of all the charts? it is truly a monumental task especially at this low a price range. GREAT JOB Lucas & Erskoman!

[Jim Richman]

Android would be a good platform to get together, as it is lacking in the audio programs, but is more popular than iOS.