Todd Ferris Mosby

 

Concert Clinic

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The Concert Clinic combines performance of select pieces followed by an open discussion of the technical, compositional, stylistic, performance and arrangement considerations used to present each work.
A Concert Clinic of Mosby Solo Guitar Music demonstrates creative and interesting ways to present an instrumental solo guitar performance and keep it engaging through out a set. 
A Concert Clinic of Mosby Trio or Group Music demonstrates the creative dynamics each instrument brings to the ensemble as well as its individual role as a live performance stage member. 
Composition, arranging songs for live performance, special effects for guitar, pedal board signal routing, use of acoustic vs electric instruments, stage movement and positioning and creating a set list are some of the topics presented for discussion.  
 
Music Program
The Concert Clinic program runs from 1hr. - 1 1/2hrs. in an educational performance discussion format. A concert will be followed by clinic which will combine techniques and concepts to be discussed. 

Song writing
Arranging songs for live performance
Stage positioning
Roles of each band member
Pedal Board signal routing
Special EFX - Guitar, Bass, Drums
Stylistic considerations - Rock, Jazz, Bossa, Folk
Developing Instrumental technique
The Concert Clinic is a way to bring performance and education together in a dynamic setting. It offers students the value of education through entertainment and interaction. Mosby has authored four Guitar Method Books and held positions at two universities. He has performed locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and has scored music for a variety of ensemble and instrumental groupings.

East West Crossroads - Lecture Demonstration


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The Cross Roads lecture demonstration is targeted towards students of classical, jazz, world and popular music. Instrumentalists, composers, songwriters, music ethnologists and improvisors on any instrument will learn about an ancient heritage once shared and the impact it has on music today. 

 

East West Cross Roads lecture demonstrates the improvisational and compositional similarities and differences between the Eastern and Western music cultures. A standard jazz tune and popular rag are used as models to introduce aspects of improvisation and composition common to both cultures.  

 

What You Will Learn:

    The connection of North Indian Raga Music to the Trubadours, Early Renaissance, Celtic Music, European Gypsy Music, the Blues, Bluegrass and Jazz. 

    The notes of as rag vs the notes of a chord scale. 

    Counting tals vs counting fours.

    How to perform using rag concepts in on one tonal center for an extended period with meaning, direction and content.

    How to perform using rag concepts in parallel motion over a jazz standard with meaning, direction and content.Voicing modal chords in the context of a rag. 

    Compositional forms for the vs jazz standard.

    Similarities of the alap and jhor to the jazz rubato and playing time.

    Imrat guitar design and performance technique.

 

Mosby is one of a handful of musicians capable of translating the East West connection to a wide ranging audience. His years of private study with Ustadt Imrat Khan, a living legend of Classical North Indian music, as well as performances with him have given Todd a unique insight into the workings of this ancient music. As the personal guest lecturer of Ustadt Imrat Khan at Washington University for over six years, Mosby was able deliver a lecture and demonstration which the students found engaging, educational and entertaining.

 

 

Currently he is a Professor of Guitar at Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo.
He has authored four books for guitar and has written articles on music history and its relation to Eastern music and philosophy. 

Guitar Techniques For Songwriters


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    Guitar Techniques for Songwriters clinic takes the songwriters basic set of guitar chords and demonstrates how they can be used to expand a songs potential. Harmonic rhythm, chord substitution, color tones, song form and text coloring are some of the topics covered. 

     

    Guitar Techniques For Songwriters covers the history of songwriting in America. It fills in the gaps and missing information to offer a complete set of tools for the aspiring, performing songwriter/guitarist. 


    What You Will Learn:
     

    Why most popular songs use only Eight basic chords as the building blocks for songs.


    Basic Scales, why you need to know them them. 


    Modern Chord substitution and why you need it.


    The Eight Open-Position Chords.


    Adding color tones to your chords.


    Support the textBuilding the melody.


    Building the song form Paint by Chords, harmonic rhythm formulas for writing songs.


    Mosby is a  veteran world class musician, author of four Guitar Method books, personal guitar coach, and professor of Guitar at Maryville University and has been a guest lecturer at Washington University, Fontbonne College, Maryville University among others. He brings the highest standards of music and professionalism to every situation. 

Pentatonics For Guitar

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Exploring the Pentatonic Scale, Basic Variations and Chordal Accompaniment. The pentatonic scale is the most natural scale to be played on guitar. It is the only scale on guitar which has an even picking picking pattern making one of the fastest and easiest to play and learn.

This workshop not only looks at pentatonic scale development and its use in ancient Indian ragas and standard blues forms, it also expands the students concept by superimposing the scale over related and nonrelated chord changes. Compositional and song writing aspects are also covered.

Course Outline

A) Open Fingering – E minor

B) Moveable Minor Fingering Root on 1st Finger - Explained

  • a. Ascending chromatically
  • b. Ascending Whole step
  • c. Ascending Minor 3rd

C) Chord Accompaniment

  • a. Minor 7th
  • b. Dominant 7th
  • c. Major 7th

D) Chromatic Exercise inside the Pentatonic

  • a. 4 Finger Ascending Pattern – straight/repeated
  • b. 4 Finger Descending Pattern – straight/repeated

E) Variation 1 - Blues Scale – Fingering/Use Explained

  • a. Ascending chromatically
  • b. Ascending Whole step
  • c. Ascending Minor 3rd

F) Variaton 2 - Color Tone Scale – Fingering & Use explained

  • a. Ascending chromatically
  • b. Ascending Whole step
  • c. Ascending Minor 3rd

G) Chord Patterns and Applied Concepts

  • a. Interchanging Scales over one chord
  • b. Note Numbers Names & Function to chord
  • c. Developing Ideas thru moveable Form
     i. Theme & Variation
    ii. Question & Answer


 

Bossa Nova For Guitar

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The Bossa Nova Clinic is for the intermediate to advanced student. This music is characterized by certain chord voicings and rhythms particular to the guitar. This clinic introduces the 6 Basic Bossa Nova Chord forms for guitar along with the proper right hand Bossa Nova rhythm technique. 

This workshop explores the sounds and techniques needed to start exploring this amazing music and define its characteristics. 

 

Course Outline

A) Chords Rt on the 5th string

  • a. Major 9 Chord
  • b. Dominant 9 Chord
  • c. Minor 9 Chord
  • d. Related Chord Scales 

i. major, minor, dominant


B) Chords Rt on the 6th string

  • a. Major 7 Chord
  • b. Dominant 7 Chord 
  • c. Minor 7 Chord 
  • d. Related Scales 

i. Major, minor, dominant


C) Chord Exercise

  • a. Ascend chromatically
  • b. Ascend whole step
  • d. Cycle 4

D) Bossa Nova Rhythm, Right hand Technique

  • a. Right Hand Technique
  • b. Static Bass
  • Moving Bass


E) Applied Music

  • a. Bossa Nova Common Chord Patterns
  • b. How Insensitive

 

Mosby has written many compositions in the Bossa Nova style which have been used successfully for film, television, concert stage and for singers as well. Bossa can swing hard if done properly and the techniques presented are rooted in the traditions of Jao Gilberto and Antonio Jobim, the fathers of Bossa. 

Fundamentals For Guitar

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Fundamentals For Guitar Clinic is designed to teach beginning, intermediate and advanced students the difficult task of mapping all natural notes on the fingerboard quickly and easily. 

Techniques for assessing bass line movement, chord quality and application to figuring out chord progressions and musical lines are some of the topics covered.

Course Outline

A) Mapping The Fingerboard

  • a. Musical Alphabet on Guitar
  • b. Natural notes on all 6 strings 
  • c. The 12th fret and beyond
  • d. Ascending/Descending Exercise

 

B) Power chords

  • a. Root on 6th string
  • b. Root on 5th string

 

C) Barre chords

  • a. Major, Minor Root on 6th string
  • b. Major, Minor Root on 5th string

 

D) Chord Exercise

  • a. Ascending The Natural Scale
          i. Root on 6th string
          ii. Root on 5th string
  • b. Ascending chromatically
  • c. Ascending whole step
  • e. Cycle 4

 

D) Applied Music

  • a. How to learn a tune rapidly using Power chords
  • b. Common Chord Patterns

 

Mosby draws on years of teaching experience to simplify and organize learning in a way which is easy to understand yet challenging enough to offer years of exploration.