There are musicians who are more than comfortable remaining anonymous. You know, happy to hide behind their guitars or keyboards and be sidemen to the stars of today or tomorrow. Then there are those that have grandiose aspirations of stardom, adoration and limelight. And then there are those who have a driving desire and need to say something original artistically, to express themselves and to communicate that expression to an audience, be it a small niche market or wider demographic.

Those falling into the first category can make a living, albeit fairly modest as a general rule. Those falling into the second category often live in a little bit of a dream world and, depending on their tenacity and ‘smart’ skills, usually end up disappointed because the focus is set on the destination rather than the journey. The third category usually reap the rewards of the second category gaining all the success and limelight, but as a result of focusing on their art rather than the shallow and flighty end of the musician’s world. These are usually the most fascinating people too, because they generally have a little mystery about them and because they actually possess what most entertainers really want; sincere and dedicated talent!

But there are also those that are in the early stages of artistic development who are still learning their craft, and open to influences. Possibly they will become great artists in the future, possibly not. It will be a question of choices and consequences, and doors opened and opportunities taken advantage of – or not. Life certainly will take you places.

But for those that do have aspirations of artistry and expression, then I firmly believe you must have qualities that others do not have. As an artist I believe one must stand out from the heard in order to be heard. It is so easy to make a record these days. One no longer needs to have the luxury of a recording contract in order to stand on a pedestal and say I am an artist – buy my record! With home studios costing one 16th of the price they did ten years ago and with software programs that do it all, you can churn out albums by the dozen if you put your mind to it. And many do.

However, just because you can, why would you? – is my question. Just for fun? OK, valid I suppose. But Isn’t it better to spend that time and energy searching relentlessly for something unique and different? God knows record companies are releasing enough crap by the hour, even signed artists are now under the impression they have got something to offer. Maybe they have, but for the most part I don’t think so (as public reaction and their soundscans will attest!)

Perhaps I am being extremely unfair, but I think too many artists do not realize that they have a responsibility to say something profoundly unique, certainly if they expect any kind of career longevity. We live in a world where musicians spend their lives emulating their heroes; singers spend their lives emulating Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and so on. Rock guitarists spend their lives emulating Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige, Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen. Jazz guitarists are proud emulators of Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Wes Montgomery. Saxophone players worship Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Michael Brecker. And so on…

Before I go on I have to say that emulating heroes is absolutely imperative in your formative years as musicians. You simply MUST listen to the greats, past and present. One has to have a strong grounding and musical knowledge and one simply cannot get there without listening. However, way too many ‘artists’ cannot get passed this stage. They need to have peer approval, have to know that other respected musicians around them recognize them and applaud their abilities. Often all this takes place subconsciously.

This ‘peer approval’ is a stage of development that is also important. Every musician goes through it at some point. It is absolutely natural, but I firmly believe that to become a great artist, you have to move beyond that stage and look inward. I always liken it those wedding band singers, who despite having an honorable and justifiable (and in some cases envious) career, they are all too often the ‘performing monkeys’. They are often fine vocalists but at the end of the day they are seeking approval and applause and not communicating or expressing anything artistic. They certainly know how to entertain but do they know how to intrigue? It’s a huge gap. Nothing remotely subtle about it as far as I am concerned.

The real communicating artists seek unique expression. They are not interested anymore in sounding like their heroes. They have moved past that, now searching constantly, developing and refining their own unique voice. Look at any of the true giants of yesterday and today. Yes you can hear their references, but they also have their own strong identity. At some point during their development something bigger than them took over. The chances are they knew it at the time and took advantage of it and made an extra effort to really hone that uniqueness.

Finding that unique inner voice might not be as easy for some. I think it starts by recognizing your technical weaknesses. It is often those weaknesses that ultimately end up becoming your artistic strengths. Let’s face it, if you were able to play the guitar technically perfect, at all speeds, meticulously so every note that came out was totally clean and audible, would this be ultimately interesting to an audience? Yes it might be very clever and impressive, but for how long could you listen to an album where every phrase felt like you were having your teeth drilled!!?

Wes Montgomery played with his thumb because he kept dropping his pick, ultimately enabling him to become the greatest and most influential jazz guitarist of all time. BB King has about three licks in his entire blues repertoire. Does anyone NOT know BB King when they hear him? Thelonius Monk refused to conform to traditional piano techniques and musical ideas. He simply HAD to play music the way he heard it in his head. He made such a bold musical statement during his time that he is emulated the world over and revered by the greatest musicians living today.

Technical shortcomings can be the very essence of your unique artistry. Now, should those shortcomings get in the way of what you need to say musically then those weaknesses might need to be turned around so they don’t restrict what you hear in your head.

Remember, the true artist simply communicates from within. All other extraneous thoughts, influences and distractions need to fall by the wayside. The minute a lick or a phrase that your hero played or sung (and made famous) ends up on your record – watch out! You might be in trouble. Absolutely steal from your heroes, but just remember that real artistry is about what YOU have to say, not what your heroes have already said before, and have possibly said better.

Push yourself to the max and search for that truly unique quality within. After all, that next great talent we are all so desperately waiting for might just be you!

Chris Standring is a contemporary jazz recording artist who performs throughout the USA and Europe regularly. He has enjoyed much radio airplay with several albums, opening up a busy touring schedule. His music appears on many compilation CDs also. For more info on Chris’ popular home study jazz guitar course go to http://www.PlayJazzGuitar.com

Visit him on the web at http://www.chrisstandring.com

1. Look at the page you are about to learn and make mental notes of all the new music.

2. Break this material into small sections. i.e. (One measure or two measures or a Phrase)

3. Focus completely on the first of these small sections and allow all the details to register clearly in your mind. For example you may ask yourself what octaves, what rhythm, what fingering etc. Try to picture in your mind how you are going to play the section, then when you have an absolutely clear mental image of the section of music, PLAY THROUGH ONCE SLOWLY.

4. Try to associate this new material to something which you are familiar, for instance it may remind you of some song you have heard, etc.

5. Now, turn away from the music and PRACTICE REMEMBERING what you saw. Try to avoid taking a second look at the music. Go ahead and practice the entire section of music entirely from memory.

6. Always practice new material very slowly at first and gradually build up to a faster tempo this may take a week to reach a desired tempo. Use a metronome to help build up to tempo.

7. Once you have mastered the first small section, put down your instrument and take a short break for longer sections take a longer break.

8. When you have mastered all the small sections then start stringing them together by playing the piece from start to finish. Do not stop if you make a mistake, keep on playing through to the end. Afterwards, go back and clear up any problem spots individually. Refuse to go over and over things you already know.

Repeat this process on any music or sections of music you are learning EXACTLY and include the rest period. Immediately begin to look for places to apply what you have learned. Always be on the lookout for new ways to use what you know.

Dennis St Germain is a jazz musician located in Eugene Oregon. Currently he is playing in two bands, Ritmo de la Noche a Latin Jazz band as well as Calango a Brazilian Dance music band. If you want to learn an instrument or become a better musician visit http://www.music-lessons-on-dvd.com

I?m just too busy

Most people assume that you will need hours of free time every week set aside for lengthy practicing to get any good. This idea is a complete fiction- in fact I would say about 5 minutes each day is fine at first (and if you don?t have 5 minutes per day to spare, I don?t believe you!). If you book lessons with a teacher, you will be committing some time at least each week to concentrate on learning, which may even be enough at first.. Don?t kid yourself you?ll be less busy in three months time because if you don?t start learning now you probably never will.

I work shifts/ long hours so I can?t fit time for lessons in

Many teachers will offer lessons in the daytime, evenings and weekends- so you should be able to find something that suits you- just call up some local teachers and ask when they have spaces in their schedule. There are also a good number of online courses for most instruments. Or you could buy a ?Teach Yourself Book? and take it from there.

Lessons are too expensive

Again, you could start off teaching yourself from a book- but not all lessons are as expensive as you might think. I teach in groups, which keeps the cost down for the individual, and also turns lessons into a social activity. Find out if there are any teachers in your area who do this.

I?m too old

Your definitely never too old to learn a musical instrument! In fact I?ve found adults of all ages learn much faster than young children initially. Learning new cognitive skills has even been found to have great health benefits.

?I won?t be able to learn?

Well, I?ve never met anyone incapable of learning to play yet! Obviously people have different standards and ?natural? abilities, they?ll learn at different rates. But everyone will be able to play to some degree. The best thing is to ask yourself what you want to achieve? and then just go for it.

?I?ll never be any good, so what?s the point in starting now?

This depends what you mean by good. OK, I admit if your 57 and never played a note in your life theirs no chance of you becoming a virtuoso after ten lessons. But is that really why you secretly want to learn your chosen instrument? How about learning just for the sheer achievement of acquiring a new skill. Or being able to pick out a few carols at Christmas. Or finally write down and record that song that?s been going round in your head your whole life. These are all achievable goals you could reach after learning an instrument for just a short time. And does it even matter if your any ?good? if you really enjoy playing?

?I?ve been told I?m tone-deaf and so I can?t learn?

The short answer to this is, your almost certainly not. Tone deafness is a very rare and specific condition, and music lessons should help improve your listening skills.

?I don?t think any teachers will be interested in taking on an older learner?

Most teachers I know (including myself) really enjoy teaching adults because they have made the decision to have lessons themselves and appreciate lessons so much more than children who are learning all the time. Maybe your children are having lessons, why not ask their teacher if they could teach you as well? I?m sure they would be pleased to, or at least recommend another teacher with vacancies.

?I?d love to learn again- but I hated my lessons when I was younger?

A lot of adults have horror stories about severe piano teachers rapping their knuckles with rulers for making mistakes, and punishing them for not practicing 30 minutes a day. Luckily, there aren?t many (any?) people like that around anymore. Please don?t let a bad experience from the past stop you from achieving what you want today. Find a teacher, let them know what you want to achieve and I?m sure they will be pleased to help. If you don?t enjoy their lessons, let them know why- music lessons should be enjoyable, and as an adult you will be the one in control, with your teacher there to help you.

?I?ve heard learning to read music is really hard??

Learning to read music is really very straightforward. And some teachers might be happy for you to play by ear. There?s a lot of advice on reading music, on the web which can get you started.

I hope none of these excuses are holding you back from becoming a musician! Good luck in learning to play your chosen instrument.

Polly Powell runs a keyboard and piano teaching studio in North Somerset, UK. Visit the website for further information on music lessons http://www.kweststudios.co.uk

In this book, Betty Edwards tried to teach you how to see differently. She reasoned that once you could look at something with the eyes of an artist, you would be able to create like an artist. A simple idea, yet one that has helped many draw.

I wondered how this might also apply to music. Music is, at it’s best, a right-brain activity. That is, the thinking left hemisphere is dormant while the intuitive right side is engaged in creative processes.

So how then can we play piano on the right-side of the brain? The answer has to do with trusting ourselves. Once we sit down to play, we must allow ourselves the freedom to play ANYTHING that comes to the fore. If that anything is doodling and making nonsense noises, then that is what we must do.

Once we allow ourselves the freedom to play anything, we are sending a message to the creative right hemisphere. We are saying, OK, I’m giving in to whatever. I’ll just play what I want. Now, once you can do this, PLAYING AROUND WITH CHORDS BECOMES AN EASY MATTER because you have given yourself permission to mess up.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

What I needed was for someone to help me TRUST MY OWN INTUITION and act as a mentor guiding me to my desired goal, which at that time, was to create my own music.

Think of a visual artist as an example. This artist may be able to understand and apply different techniques to create a pleasing work of art, but the art itself won’t have that special X factor that only comes when an artist fully trusts their own intuition.

Intuition is the most confusing thing for someone without it to develop. That’s because they’ve had a long time not trusting in themselves and their own unique talent and ability.

Nothing is more important for without the ability to trust yourself, you really won’t be able to hear the intuitive voice that is always present and is always willing to guide you – if you let it.

The first step to accomplish this trust in yourself is to switch from a product oriented attitude to a process oriented one. You must let go of the need to produce something that is good or bad. Instead, allow for mistakes and experimentation. Improvise and start out by using simple means. A few chords, a scale, some brief instruction are all that is required.

You must be able to play! Children trust themselves and their power of intuition without exception. They haven’t learned how not to. I like to use the analogy of finger-painting as an example of this.

Put finger-paints and paper in front of a child and watch what happens. They can’t wait to get started in exploring this world of color and form. They’re not concerned with good or bad. What they are concerned with is pure joy. And this comes from their ability to suspend judgement and just play!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Knowing the notes on your guitar fretboard is an essential skill. Here are a FEW of the benefits that you’ll gain if you have fantastic guitarfretboard knowledge

• You’ll learn how to apply music theory to the guitar much more quickly. In my opinion there’s no point learning music theory if you can’t PLAY it!

• Your creativity will increase. You’ll be able to think of new and unique ways of playing chords and scales. If you don’t know the notes on the guitar fretboard, you’ll be stuck playing the same chord and scale fingerings that everyone uses.

• You’ll become a better musician. Great musicians don’t just think in terms of chord shapes or scale fingerings. They think in terms of notes.

• You’ll save yourself hundreds (if not thousands!) of hours of frustration. By knowing the notes on the fretboard you’ll be able to understand, learn and memorize things faster.

  Pretty powerful benefits right?

  Sohow do we know if our note knowledge is good enough?

  Here’s a great way of finding out

  Note Knowledge Test:

  Step 1:
  Please turn on your metronome and set it to 120 beats-per-minute.

  Step 2:
  Decide on a note that you will work on.

  Step 3:
  Find that note on the thickest string in all possible locations. (One note location per click of the metronome).

  Step 4:
  Without pausing, repeat the process on all the other strings.

  Step 5:
  Repeat steps 2-4 for all the other notes.

  How did you go? Did you find it hard or easy?

  If you couldn’t do it easily, then you have some work to do. I would recommend setting aside 10 minutes a day to work on memorizing the notes of the fretboard. Within a few short weeks, you should have it nailed. Good luck!

  Craig Bassett (The Guitar Solutions Expert) is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author who lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

  To get a free high-quality lesson e-mailed to you once a month, please go to: http://www.Pentatonic-Guitar-Lessons.com

  More articles at articles host

  ]]> http://htyradio.com/a-guitar-lesson-to-help-you-test-your-note-knowledge/feed/ 0 http://htyradio.com/learning-piano-without-years-of-lessons-aj/ http://htyradio.com/learning-piano-without-years-of-lessons-aj/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:00:47 +0000 Music Radio So, you want to learn the piano. But you don’t want to spend years learning how to read music.

  That’s understandable. Learning piano doesn’t have to be the hard chore so many believe it to be. In fact, it can be quite easy IF YOU START BY LEARNING CHORDS!

  For example, in the lesson Reflections in Water, available below, we have four chords and a scale to create music with. We don’t need to read music and we don’t need piano tabs either. All we need is to learn how to finger one chord position and play the C Major scale. Then we can use these materials to create music with.

  Learning piano this way is infinitely easier (and more rewarding!) than learning how to note read because we create it ourselves!

  Once we have the chords under our fingers, we can explore the piano in a way that may never have been possible for you before. Many piano students don’t believe they have talent or skill to improvise but this is simply not true. All that is required is the desire to try it. Once students jump in the water, they can’t wait to take a swim and then they’re hooked!

  Learning piano without years of lessons is not difficult. All it takes is the ability to learn a few chords and then experiment with them.

  Now, if learning classical repertoire is your goal, then of course you’re going to have to learn how to read music. But reading music is not necessary in order to play the piano. Learning chords is!

  Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

  ]]> http://htyradio.com/learning-piano-without-years-of-lessons-aj/feed/ 0 http://htyradio.com/jazz-as-a-language-cl-what-the-improviser-does/ http://htyradio.com/jazz-as-a-language-cl-what-the-improviser-does/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:00:52 +0000 Music Radio Jazz is a language. Its practitioners are public speakers. Think of what happens when one learns to speak English, Korean or Japanese, for example. The process is the same as when learning jazz. You learn by listening and picking up figures of speech, then you learn to use them in your own personal manner to make statements by putting them together in paragraphs and sentences to tell your story.

  If you were to speak publicly, you would want to know the story well (in this case the tune or composition), and you would want to know the vocabulary. You would practice telling the story, work out the rough parts, and then learn how to vary the story in a variety of ways, for example, short vs. long versions, different introductions, and endings, substitute words and phrases, rhythms, moods and pacing, and so on.

  As with public speakers such as politicians, you get all kinds of jazz performer: those who are insincere, those who are slick, those who are brilliant and have their own voices and styles, those who are spontaneous, those who use easy to understand vocabulary (soft jazz), those who use complex language (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), those who are mediocre, and those who deliver a memorized or prompted (written) statement.

  You get the comparison, so contemplate it in every aspect and you’ll understand. The only difference between an extemporaneous art form such as jazz and the spoken language is the fact that you can’t use it for such practical purposes as ordering a cup of coffee.

  The Fastest and Easiest Ways to Learn Improvisation:

  ByrneJazz Improvisation Books

  ByrneJazz Online Lessons

  ]]> http://htyradio.com/jazz-as-a-language-cl-what-the-improviser-does/feed/ 0 http://htyradio.com/guitar-players-palm-muting-builds-a-strong-right-hand/ http://htyradio.com/guitar-players-palm-muting-builds-a-strong-right-hand/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:00:43 +0000 Music Radio Playing guitar requires a technique that is uniquely different from an instrument such as piano. Think about this for example, you can drop a roll of quarters on a piano and get a clean crisp sound out of the keys. The guitar requires a little more finesse with both hands in order to get notes to sound (other than the open strings). Most beginning guitar players focus most of their attention on the left hand (or fretting hand for you lefties), and rightly so. The left hand needs to learn the grid pattern of the fretboard ? where the notes are, where to hold your thumb, how much to squeeze down etc. For the most part, their right hand just holds a pick and swipes away at the strings with little regard to control.

  A strong right hand is essential to becoming a complete guitarist. The right hand is the key factor in controlling dynamics, tempo, and clarity. If you want to increase your right hand control and accuracy, practice scales, arpeggios and chord rhythms with palm muting. By palm muting, you are ?training? your right hand to be where you want it to be at all times. Make sure each note comes out equal. Don?t go so fast that you can?t hear each note clearly, you may be over-muting or not muting enough. It may be tricky at first, but stick to it.

  Here are some ideas to get you started. First, keep in mind that there are no rules in playing music or guitar. However, as my students know, I do create ?temporary rules? for the sake of developing certain techniques or theory knowledge. So, for now, let?s make alternate picking a temporary rule. Downbeats will get down-picks, and upbeats will get up-picks when playing eighth notes. When playing sixteenth notes, the first sixteenth gets a down-pick, two is up, three is down and four is up. Discover different rhythmic variations of eighths and sixteenths, use strict alternate picking and of course palm mute all of your notes. Palm muting should sound like the notes are muffled, not choked off.

  This practice strategy is great for acoustic as well as electric players. Work palm muting into your daily practice schedule for at least 14 practice days. When done properly, you will start to notice a great improvement in your overall dexterity!

  John Maurice Doyle is a top Elite Performance and Guitar Coach in Los Angeles, California. His clients have included A list Hollywood celebrities, international rock stars, and hundreds of pro artists. He is the owner of Green Monster Music and creator of the internationally acclaimed Monster Guitar Method interactive guitar instructional DVD series. Visit http://www.greenmonstermusic.com and download your free guitar lesson and listen to his Guitar Monster Podcasts (also available on iTunes).

  http://www.greenmonstermusic.com

  ]]> http://htyradio.com/guitar-players-palm-muting-builds-a-strong-right-hand/feed/ 0 http://htyradio.com/the-joy-of-spontaneous-expression/ http://htyradio.com/the-joy-of-spontaneous-expression/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:00:40 +0000 Music Radio Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put it on paper. The excitement of it all came from the feeling that you were an explorer, looking into uncharted territories of your own creative source.

  Now music can be that way too! All that is necessary is to understand that you don’t need any special talent or ability to create music with. Two chords are enough to begin experiencing the joy of spontaneous expression. In the lesson Oriental Sunrise we have 2 chords to play around with. And two chords are more than enough to create with

  The problem that most adults have is the ability to relinquish control. They want to be able to make decisions and direct the music to where they want it to go. And of course, they lose the ability to create. Why? Because they believe they must make decisions as to what notes to play, what chords, how fast, etc. It can be very threatening for some to allow for mistakes.

  Many adults feel that they must be perfect. But it is this perfectionism that destroys the spirit and stops any creative impetus dead in its tracks. The solution to all of this is to remember the finger-painting child within each of us. Each of us knows intuitively what colors call to us the most. The key is to be able to trust that intuition, and let it guide you!

  Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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