Re: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[Christopher Smith]

Kind of like Duke Ellington writing players' names on parts instead  
of instruments (picked up by other band writers as well. I have  
played parts marked Dave Bargeron and been inspired to play like I  
imagine that trombonist would sound on the part. Successfully? well,  
you know...)


I was more than a little flattered to play some charts by Andrew  
Homzy recently with my own name written on the part. Wow, so he wants  
MY special touch...


I am just imagining some trombonist fifty years from now confronted  
by a part with my name on it. I'm not exactly Tricky Sam Nanton,  
Lawrence Brown or Juan Tizol, so there won't be reams of recorded  
material out there for reference. What the heck is he going to do? Or  
even what instrument is he going to play it on, with no other  
indication?


I think that's more the mystery behind the Mike Fisher staff.

8-)

Christopher


On Jun 28, 2009, at 8:32 PM, Chuck Israels wrote:

Almost surely, this is an indication that "Mike Fisher" should play  
this part, and that John had a sound in mind that he was sure he  
could get out of whatever Mike would be playing.  This is not  
mysterious.


Chuck


On Jun 28, 2009, at 4:23 PM, Blake Richardson wrote:

I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic  
Park" and

I've come across something I've never seen before.

One of the cues (originally titled "Preparing to Meet the Monster"  
and
titled "Eye to Eye" on the soundtrack album) has four percussion  
lines.

Three are notated simply "Percussion" and the fourth is notated "Mike
Fisher". I assume that it's some kind of rarely used percussion  
instrument
named after the guy who invented it, like the mark tree, which was  
named

after its inventor, Mark Stevens.

I did a Google search on "Mike Fisher" and "musical instrument"  
and the only

thing I came up with that's even close is a guy named Mike Fisher who
specializes in electronic/synthesizer music, which doesn't exactly  
seem to

fit in this context.

The actual music written for "Mike Fisher" looks like something  
that would
be typical of a bongo drum line and the composer has notated  
"jungle feel"
beneath the staff, so I'm guessing it's some kind of drum but I'm  
at a loss
as what exactly it's supposed to be. (The recording isn't much  
help, either,
because there are a lot of different drums and other percussion  
playing at

that point and I can't tell one from the other.)

I suppose it doesn't really matter in terms of transcribing the  
score. I can

notate it just as it's written but my curiosity is bothering me.

So basically my question is, has anyone out there heard of a  
percussion

instrument called "Mike Fisher"?


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Re: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[John Howell]

At 7:23 PM -0400 6/28/09, Blake Richardson wrote:

I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic Park" and
I've come across something I've never seen before.

So basically my question is, has anyone out there heard of a percussion
instrument called "Mike Fisher"?


I deliberately haven't read the other responses that are coming in 
yet, but I'd make a wild guess.  I'd be very surprised if Mike Fisher 
wasn't a specific player and if Williams hadn't specified that he be 
contracted for the session because John knew perfectly well that he 
could improvise better than he could write.  Wouldn't be the first 
time that's been done, and certainly won't be the last.


But I've been wrong before!

John


--
John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music
Virginia Tech Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411  Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:john.how...@vt.edu)
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html

"We never play anything the same way once."  Shelly Manne's definition
of jazz musicians.
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Re: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[Carl Dershem]

Blake Richardson wrote:

I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic Park" and
I've come across something I've never seen before.

One of the cues (originally titled "Preparing to Meet the Monster" and
titled "Eye to Eye" on the soundtrack album) has four percussion lines.
Three are notated simply "Percussion" and the fourth is notated "Mike
Fisher". I assume that it's some kind of rarely used percussion instrument
named after the guy who invented it, like the mark tree, which was named
after its inventor, Mark Stevens.

I did a Google search on "Mike Fisher" and "musical instrument" and the only
thing I came up with that's even close is a guy named Mike Fisher who
specializes in electronic/synthesizer music, which doesn't exactly seem to
fit in this context.

The actual music written for "Mike Fisher" looks like something that would
be typical of a bongo drum line and the composer has notated "jungle feel"
beneath the staff, so I'm guessing it's some kind of drum but I'm at a loss
as what exactly it's supposed to be. (The recording isn't much help, either,
because there are a lot of different drums and other percussion playing at
that point and I can't tell one from the other.)

I suppose it doesn't really matter in terms of transcribing the score. I can
notate it just as it's written but my curiosity is bothering me.

So basically my question is, has anyone out there heard of a percussion
instrument called "Mike Fisher"?


Mike is a studio musician and percussionist.  His facebook page is at 
 , which 
means you can send him a message and ask precisely what he did on the 
soundtrack of that film.  He does a lot of movie work, and is one of 
those guys that is asked for by name, because his 'touch' is exactly 
what a composer wants.


cd
--
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dershem/#
http://members.cox.net/dershem
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Re: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[Chuck Israels]

Almost surely, this is an indication that "Mike Fisher" should play  
this part, and that John had a sound in mind that he was sure he could  
get out of whatever Mike would be playing.  This is not mysterious.


Chuck


On Jun 28, 2009, at 4:23 PM, Blake Richardson wrote:

I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic Park"  
and

I've come across something I've never seen before.

One of the cues (originally titled "Preparing to Meet the Monster" and
titled "Eye to Eye" on the soundtrack album) has four percussion  
lines.

Three are notated simply "Percussion" and the fourth is notated "Mike
Fisher". I assume that it's some kind of rarely used percussion  
instrument
named after the guy who invented it, like the mark tree, which was  
named

after its inventor, Mark Stevens.

I did a Google search on "Mike Fisher" and "musical instrument" and  
the only

thing I came up with that's even close is a guy named Mike Fisher who
specializes in electronic/synthesizer music, which doesn't exactly  
seem to

fit in this context.

The actual music written for "Mike Fisher" looks like something that  
would
be typical of a bongo drum line and the composer has notated "jungle  
feel"
beneath the staff, so I'm guessing it's some kind of drum but I'm at  
a loss
as what exactly it's supposed to be. (The recording isn't much help,  
either,
because there are a lot of different drums and other percussion  
playing at

that point and I can't tell one from the other.)

I suppose it doesn't really matter in terms of transcribing the  
score. I can

notate it just as it's written but my curiosity is bothering me.

So basically my question is, has anyone out there heard of a  
percussion

instrument called "Mike Fisher"?


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Chuck Israels
230 North Garden Terrace
Bellingham, WA 98225-5836
phone (360) 671-3402
fax (360) 676-6055
www.chuckisraels.com

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RE: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[James Gilbert]

According to Wikipedia "Mike Fisher" is a percussionist and studio musician
in Malibu, CA. Maybe John Williams wrote the part with that percussionist in
mind? (Although I do like the idea of an instrument by that name). The
internet movie database has him listed, including a number of films where he
has been credited as a percussionist but Jurassic Park isn't one of them. 

James Gilbert

> -Original Message-
> From: finale-boun...@shsu.edu [mailto:finale-boun...@shsu.edu] On
> Behalf Of Blake Richardson
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 7:24 PM
> To: finale@shsu.edu
> Subject: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?
> 
> I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic Park"
> and
> I've come across something I've never seen before.
>... 
> Three are notated simply "Percussion" and the fourth is notated "Mike
> Fisher". I assume that it's some kind of rarely used percussion
...
> So basically my question is, has anyone out there heard of a percussion
> instrument called "Mike Fisher"?

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Re: [Finale] What's a "Mike Fisher"?

[Noel Stoutenburg]

Blake Richardson wrote:

I'm transcribing John Williams' handwritten score to "Jurassic Park" and
I've come across something I've never seen before.

One of the cues (originally titled "Preparing to Meet the Monster" and
titled "Eye to Eye" on the soundtrack album) has four percussion lines.
Three are notated simply "Percussion" and the fourth is notated "Mike
Fisher". I assume that it's some kind of rarely used percussion instrument
named after the guy who invented it, like the mark tree, which was named
after its inventor, Mark Stevens.

I did a Google search on "Mike Fisher" and "musical instrument" and the only
thing I came up with that's even close is a guy named Mike Fisher who
specializes in electronic/synthesizer music, which doesn't exactly seem to
fit in this context.


Maybe "Mike Fisher" isn't a "what", but a "who".  Doing a search using 
my favorite search engine, using the parameters of "Mike Fisher" and 
"percussionist", I found the first items returned linked to a musician 
whose discography includes a wide variety of work, including a number of 
film soundtracks, though Jurassic Park is not mentioned


ns
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