Ben Geyer
@bengeyer.bsky.social
Music theorist, jazz musician, aspiring pop producer. Reformer of music curricula. Free textbook at bengeyer.com. Cooking & Mixology. Sports (Pats, #bbn, Canes); video games. Pioneer Valley.
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Ben Geyer
@bengeyer.bsky.social
· Jul 17
Don't miss the newest SMT-V by @bengeyer.bsky.social — it's a fabulous exploration of what it means to improvise and how that impacts harmony and the ontology of jazz tunes. I was so grateful to be a part of shepherding this video from conception to completion.
vimeo.com/1039031010
vimeo.com/1039031010
SMT-V 11.4 "Improvising the Changes in a Miles Davis Rhythm Section," by Ben Geyer
Individual musicians can make different chord choices in each pass through a tune’s form. This variability sometimes results in harmonic disagreement between…
vimeo.com
Really happy to see this video article published. Thanks to @theorymeg.bsky.social for her incredible feedback and encouragement throughout!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Ben's video article is SMT-V at its finest! Watch if you enjoy jazz, music theory, lucid and persuasive interpretation of what musicians do in real time ... it's just great!
July 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Ben's video article is SMT-V at its finest! Watch if you enjoy jazz, music theory, lucid and persuasive interpretation of what musicians do in real time ... it's just great!
Really happy to see this video article published. Thanks to @theorymeg.bsky.social for her incredible feedback and encouragement throughout!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
Don't miss the newest SMT-V by @bengeyer.bsky.social — it's a fabulous exploration of what it means to improvise and how that impacts harmony and the ontology of jazz tunes. I was so grateful to be a part of shepherding this video from conception to completion.
vimeo.com/1039031010
vimeo.com/1039031010
SMT-V 11.4 "Improvising the Changes in a Miles Davis Rhythm Section," by Ben Geyer
Individual musicians can make different chord choices in each pass through a tune’s form. This variability sometimes results in harmonic disagreement between…
vimeo.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Really happy to see this video article published. Thanks to @theorymeg.bsky.social for her incredible feedback and encouragement throughout!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
This is public-facing scholarship but I still wanted to raise some serious questions about the way jazz theory is done. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm trying to get in touch with David Miller, a saxophonist based in London who developed standardrepertoire.com. Is there anyone who could by any chance facilitate an introduction or share contact information?
Jazz Standard Repertoire
standardrepertoire.com
July 9, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I'm trying to get in touch with David Miller, a saxophonist based in London who developed standardrepertoire.com. Is there anyone who could by any chance facilitate an introduction or share contact information?
I haven't listened to the Miles Davis second quintet in a while (big mistake). Sometimes you start to think, could it really be as good as what I remember of it? Listening to ESP and the answer is, yes, it's that good, it's as good as any music ever made.
February 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
I haven't listened to the Miles Davis second quintet in a while (big mistake). Sometimes you start to think, could it really be as good as what I remember of it? Listening to ESP and the answer is, yes, it's that good, it's as good as any music ever made.
Recently discovered that the easiest way to add a table in Word is to type it out with tabs to separate columns, select it, and choose "convert text to table"... in case that will add years onto anyone else's life.
February 5, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Recently discovered that the easiest way to add a table in Word is to type it out with tabs to separate columns, select it, and choose "convert text to table"... in case that will add years onto anyone else's life.
Repeatiatrician (n) - someone who teaches music to children
February 4, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Repeatiatrician (n) - someone who teaches music to children
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Six years ago today, the Institute for Composer Diversity was launched, and in celebration of its birthday, we're (finally) launching our Chamber Database! 16K+ total works with 9K+ by women composers and 8.7K+ by composers of color and searchable by over 200 instruments…Enjoy!
Chamber Search — Institute for Composer Diversity
This Chamber Search page lets you search for music for 1-9+ performers by composers from historically excluded groups.
www.composerdiversity.com
January 28, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Six years ago today, the Institute for Composer Diversity was launched, and in celebration of its birthday, we're (finally) launching our Chamber Database! 16K+ total works with 9K+ by women composers and 8.7K+ by composers of color and searchable by over 200 instruments…Enjoy!
Why do I always get galaxy brain over things like "what is a scale degree" and "when is a note an object, element, class, or type?"
Come on, Geyer, it's a 2-day review of fundamentals 🤦♂️
Come on, Geyer, it's a 2-day review of fundamentals 🤦♂️
January 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Why do I always get galaxy brain over things like "what is a scale degree" and "when is a note an object, element, class, or type?"
Come on, Geyer, it's a 2-day review of fundamentals 🤦♂️
Come on, Geyer, it's a 2-day review of fundamentals 🤦♂️
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Deep thanks to David Adler at JazzTimes for including my album in this round-up of releases from January.
"There’s a restraint at work, a gentleness of timbre, even when the improvisation heats up and a groove starts to kick in."
jazztimes.com/blog/new-5-t...
"There’s a restraint at work, a gentleness of timbre, even when the improvisation heats up and a groove starts to kick in."
jazztimes.com/blog/new-5-t...
New 5: Top Jazz Releases, January 2025 - JazzTimes
Carl Allen, Tippin’ (Cellar Live/La Reserve) It’s a bit “if you have to ask,” but here goes, a working definition of Tippin’: It’s when a … Read More "New 5: Top Jazz Releases, January 2025"
jazztimes.com
January 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Deep thanks to David Adler at JazzTimes for including my album in this round-up of releases from January.
"There’s a restraint at work, a gentleness of timbre, even when the improvisation heats up and a groove starts to kick in."
jazztimes.com/blog/new-5-t...
"There’s a restraint at work, a gentleness of timbre, even when the improvisation heats up and a groove starts to kick in."
jazztimes.com/blog/new-5-t...
Reposted by Ben Geyer
I’ll be returning to the Bay Area soon to sing an opera about a young Japanese American family incarcerated by the U.S. government during WWII. 🧵 secure-tickets.berkeley.edu/26079?fbclid...
January 21, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I’ll be returning to the Bay Area soon to sing an opera about a young Japanese American family incarcerated by the U.S. government during WWII. 🧵 secure-tickets.berkeley.edu/26079?fbclid...
Reposted by Ben Geyer
(1/3) Here are some clips from our workshop sessions this past weekend for Speaking Towards One Another, using wearable tech to generate sound with sign language! Here, Yuki is triggering sound as she completes the sign for "chain".
January 20, 2025 at 11:37 AM
(1/3) Here are some clips from our workshop sessions this past weekend for Speaking Towards One Another, using wearable tech to generate sound with sign language! Here, Yuki is triggering sound as she completes the sign for "chain".
I've heard creative as a noun for a person, obviously, but I just heard it used as a noun for creative products. As in, "what was your approach to the creative?"
January 16, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I've heard creative as a noun for a person, obviously, but I just heard it used as a noun for creative products. As in, "what was your approach to the creative?"
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Highly recommend this reflective essay from Temple Prof. Seth Bruggeman. It captures the central challenge of teaching today in a system that over time has become entirely transactional, and then suddenly technology that could satisfy the transaction arrived. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
A crisis of trust in the classroom (opinion)
The work of teaching has never been harder, Seth C. Bruggeman writes.
www.insidehighered.com
January 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Highly recommend this reflective essay from Temple Prof. Seth Bruggeman. It captures the central challenge of teaching today in a system that over time has become entirely transactional, and then suddenly technology that could satisfy the transaction arrived. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Really grateful to Chris Ingalls at PopMatters @popmatters.bsky.social for reviewing my latest album.
"An unsettling and revelatory work, a sort of “alternate universe” chamber jazz album."
www.popmatters.com/will-mason-q...
"An unsettling and revelatory work, a sort of “alternate universe” chamber jazz album."
www.popmatters.com/will-mason-q...
Will Mason Quartet's Glorious Celebration of Microtonal Chamber Jazz » PopMatters
Drummer and composer Will Mason used modernist paintings, poetry, and compositions as chief influences on this hypnotic new album.
www.popmatters.com
January 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Really grateful to Chris Ingalls at PopMatters @popmatters.bsky.social for reviewing my latest album.
"An unsettling and revelatory work, a sort of “alternate universe” chamber jazz album."
www.popmatters.com/will-mason-q...
"An unsettling and revelatory work, a sort of “alternate universe” chamber jazz album."
www.popmatters.com/will-mason-q...
Reposted by Ben Geyer
It was your eyes that saw the colour, your brain that interpreted it, your heart that felt its beauty.
You didn't love it because they're the Blue Artist, but because you were always a person who could love the sky. 4/
You didn't love it because they're the Blue Artist, but because you were always a person who could love the sky. 4/
January 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
It was your eyes that saw the colour, your brain that interpreted it, your heart that felt its beauty.
You didn't love it because they're the Blue Artist, but because you were always a person who could love the sky. 4/
You didn't love it because they're the Blue Artist, but because you were always a person who could love the sky. 4/
This is a super cool visualization of song popularity over time but there’s no explanation of where they get the numbers. Does anyone know how this would work?
youtu.be/KX9olRGGiBc?...
youtu.be/KX9olRGGiBc?...
Most Popular Songs by Female Singers on Spotify by Weekly Streams 2016-2024
YouTube video by LadyGagaLove
youtu.be
January 3, 2025 at 10:14 PM
This is a super cool visualization of song popularity over time but there’s no explanation of where they get the numbers. Does anyone know how this would work?
youtu.be/KX9olRGGiBc?...
youtu.be/KX9olRGGiBc?...
Learned a new word. Hypostatization: the claim that "this is a thing"
December 30, 2024 at 12:31 PM
Learned a new word. Hypostatization: the claim that "this is a thing"
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Bought a copy of @amaler.bsky.social 's book, Seeing Voices, and it's mind-blowing. So well written, describes the history & innovations of sign-language music, and sheds new light on music theory, voice theory, language embodiment, and intersections of art forms. 🎶🧏🏻♀️✨ global.oup.com/academic/pro...
December 28, 2024 at 11:50 AM
Bought a copy of @amaler.bsky.social 's book, Seeing Voices, and it's mind-blowing. So well written, describes the history & innovations of sign-language music, and sheds new light on music theory, voice theory, language embodiment, and intersections of art forms. 🎶🧏🏻♀️✨ global.oup.com/academic/pro...
The bridge to "Always Be My Baby" comes in at just about the golden ratio - 159:257 in seconds, or 6.187. Take from that what you will.
December 26, 2024 at 12:36 PM
The bridge to "Always Be My Baby" comes in at just about the golden ratio - 159:257 in seconds, or 6.187. Take from that what you will.
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Writing is an act of rebellion.
Writing is an act of creation.
Writing is an act of salvation.
Writing is an act of exploration.
Writing is an act of emotion.
Writing is an act of confession.
Writing is an act of speculation.
Writing is an act of reflection.
Keep writing.
Writing is an act of creation.
Writing is an act of salvation.
Writing is an act of exploration.
Writing is an act of emotion.
Writing is an act of confession.
Writing is an act of speculation.
Writing is an act of reflection.
Keep writing.
December 16, 2024 at 8:08 PM
Writing is an act of rebellion.
Writing is an act of creation.
Writing is an act of salvation.
Writing is an act of exploration.
Writing is an act of emotion.
Writing is an act of confession.
Writing is an act of speculation.
Writing is an act of reflection.
Keep writing.
Writing is an act of creation.
Writing is an act of salvation.
Writing is an act of exploration.
Writing is an act of emotion.
Writing is an act of confession.
Writing is an act of speculation.
Writing is an act of reflection.
Keep writing.
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Book Published!
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies
Really hoping this one will change the conversation in music industry studies. Check it out!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies
Really hoping this one will change the conversation in music industry studies. Check it out!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies
This book brings together scholars and professionals from around the globe to re-imagine a less exploitative, more socially just music industry.
link.springer.com
September 29, 2024 at 7:19 PM
Book Published!
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies
Really hoping this one will change the conversation in music industry studies. Check it out!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Music Industry Studies
Really hoping this one will change the conversation in music industry studies. Check it out!
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Ben Geyer
New article on segregation in orchestras just dropped
Racism on Trial in U.S. Symphony Orchestras | Journal of the Society for American Music | Cambridge Core
Racism on Trial in U.S. Symphony Orchestras
www.cambridge.org
December 15, 2024 at 5:48 AM
New article on segregation in orchestras just dropped
I've been animated! I teach my students to move their hands as a kinesthetic to identify operations on intervals caused by accidentals - grow, shrink, or shift. This student was taking an exam in the library when other people saw her moving her hands, and thought she was doing magic.
December 13, 2024 at 12:24 PM
I've been animated! I teach my students to move their hands as a kinesthetic to identify operations on intervals caused by accidentals - grow, shrink, or shift. This student was taking an exam in the library when other people saw her moving her hands, and thought she was doing magic.
Reposted by Ben Geyer
Friends, some fun news: my next album is coming out on January 10 on New Focus Recordings and the pre-order link is now live. The band includes Anna Webber, DeVon Russell Gray, and Daniel Fisher-Lochhead, plus me on drums. Lots more info on bandcamp: newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/hemloc...
Hemlocks, Peacocks, by Will Mason Quartet
7 track album
newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com
December 10, 2024 at 8:25 PM
Friends, some fun news: my next album is coming out on January 10 on New Focus Recordings and the pre-order link is now live. The band includes Anna Webber, DeVon Russell Gray, and Daniel Fisher-Lochhead, plus me on drums. Lots more info on bandcamp: newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/hemloc...