Here are some tips on how to narrow down your list of potential band members.

1. Determine their level of commitment. You want a musician that is in the same commitment level as the rest of the band. Is the band a full-time thing or are you just jamming on occasions for fun on weekends? Musicians with a high level of commitment are always good but they can discouraged if the rest of the band is lazy and only wants to play at minimal times. Figure out how often the band should get together to play and then find musicians that can commit to that schedule.

2. Technical abilities versus diversity. While technical abilities are important, there should be a good balance between music diversification as well. Anyone can pick up a guitar and shred like Yngwie Malmsteen with proper amount of practice picking the same notes over and over, but not everyone can play with such feel as Jimmi Hendrix.

3. The right musician should enjoy playing the same music style as the rest of the band members.

4. Compatibility with personality. Playing in a band is about having fun and you should be able to get along with all your band members off-stage. Generally speaking, you might get along with people within your age group better, so that might be something to consider when choosing musicians.

5. Open-minded to other music genres. While this may not apply to every band, it might be good to consider if your band ever decides to change its musical direction.

6. Band playing experience. Typically, the more band playing experience the better. There is a difference between self-taught musicians that practice at home by themselves and musicians that learn through others by playing in bands. Musicians with no band experience might have trouble with following songs since they are used to playing at home to album CD’s. In addition, if your band ever plans on performing live gigs, inexperienced musicians might have stage freight.

7. Enthusiasm. Does the musician take the band seriously enough to prioritize it? Does the musician contribute to the band musically? Enthusiasm is shown if the they contribute a lot of ideas into the songs and take some extra to practice at home as well. If the musician is always running late to practices, does not contribute and only plays what they’re told to play, then chances are he/she is not very committed to the band.

Kenny Auyoung: Webmaster @ http://www.getmeaband.com – Looking for a band? Search through our directory of musicians to find band members in your local area.

Who am I?…Who do I want to be?…Who do I sound like?…Who would I want to be like? These are all legitimate questions, and ones that should be asked. Every one has strengths, and weaknesses. We all have our differences. We all have different goals, and the way we want to achieve them.

To find ones self as a person is a great achievement. To find ones self as a person, and a great soloist is a great Blessing. To find ones self as a person…as a great soloist…and to want to share that with the rest of the world is a most honored desire.

It’s not a fact of being proud. No, it’s not a fact of being better than any, and everyone else. It’s not the fact of being able to do more than anyone else, or being in a class of It’s me, and there’s no one else. No…it’s not about any of these things.

Rather, it is knowing that you have something to offer. Knowing that you have something that may help someone. Knowing that it is not only a blessing that you are you, and you know that you are you. But,…knowing that you are blessed so that you may be a blessing to all of the rest of the world.

So…just who are you? how will you perfect your talent? What will you do with your talent? Will you use it to wage war? Or,…will you use it to make peace? Will you think of the fact that any one of your performances just may save a persons life? Or, will you give a darn, and only think you are IT…and there is no reason for you to care?

Finding ones self is not an easy thing. No, it’s not easy at all. It takes a lot of heart, and a lot of grit. It takes a lot of commitment, a lot of patience and endurance. It takes giving ones self completely over to the tools, and ways of perfection. You will have to go through the refining fire. Hours upon hours of epetitiveness, and drudgery. You will need the focus of a microscope. You must have the intense burning desire of a perfectionist.

The mountain in front of you must be just another movable object, and the wide valley just another attainable space. The goal here is to be that great soloist,…that great musician,…that great artist,…that great instrumentalist,…That great vocalist. The goal is to find that person inside of you. The goal is to find, and perfect that talent you have been blessed with. To search your innermost being,…to probe deep in your bowels,…to travel the deep relmes of the mind. To find that spark and turn it into a super nova! To reach beyond the pain,…beyond the wall,… to go beyond perfection. To reach the point where your music is that exact mirror of your soul.

The only lasting way to attain this level that I know of is,…Practice!Practice!Practice!, and Practice some more! If you can see the end result that is possible, if you could just taste the sweetness of what it is like to move the hearts of thousands,…if you could know what it is like to pour music out of your deepest parts until tears uncontrolably flow,…If you could only feel what it must be like to perform for the Creator Himself! To capture the power of the elements,…to hold the secrets of the universe.

I am not kidding, nor am I just writing empty words. I know these things are possible,…I know these things are attainable,…and, I have tasted it.

There are millions of musicians, millions of artists, and millions apon millions of vocalists, and instrumentalists. The fact in todays world is that to many of us no longer have the desire to find out just who we are. Too many of us no longer have the patience to find ourselves. We dont want to spend the time to perfect our talents. And sadly,…We dont give a care about sharing what we are,…who we are,…why we are,…and do not want to help, or give of ourselves to help our fellow man. Yes, there are some who do care, and give of themselves, and give their talent freely from their hearts,…but not enough. Not enough of us.

Too many people have that desire for what I call Quaker Oats Music. Too many people want to do everything Quick,…Fast,…and IN A Hurry! Well, fast is not always better, and, haste does make waste.

My desire for this article is to encourage those who want to find themselves. To touch those who do want to spend the time. To thank those who are giving of themselves until there is almost nothing left,…then they replenish themselves, and give some more. To encourage the young ones who are just starting out. It takes time Bro Dont give up,…just keep going until you reach what ever goal you have set for yourself, and then go the seven miles further. There is absolutely nothing wrong with practicing,…nothing at all. It is an utmost necessity. No,…you dont need drugs to attain this perfection. The energy is within you,…all you need do is tap the source. That source is deep within your innermost being. Look for it,…Yearn for it,…Desire it!

In closing: If I could do only one thing right, let it be music that inspires people to do the right things.

Patrick is a blind, jazz saxophonist, his intense, improvive style of playing is both soothing, and captivating to the listener. Patrick owns, and operates a Texas based recording studio: Curse Buster Sound. You can hear, and contact Patrick at: http://www.cursebustersound.com

Peaceful Solution Character Education Program: http://www.peacefulsolution.com

CurseBuster Market Place: http://rocketstart.com/Brown2/default.cfm

My response: maniacal laughter.

Teens, let us hear the wise old violin teacher preaching a holy sermon from atop a glorious mountain of experience: Teaching music isn’t a luxurious life of sleeping in late, illuminating the unquestioning minds of flocking prodigies through 30-minute jam sessions and writing off all your music gear and fast food meals come tax time. Lord have mercy on our souls.

Simply put, teaching music is weekly customer service, with occasional late night support calls when the instrument falls out of tune or the player is struggling. A teacher is dealing with customers who are exploring new ground, hence requiring lessons in the first place, and is responsible for helping advance them into musicians who no longer require our services.

Sounds easy, except that the most trying aspect of customer service is, oddly enough, the customer. The human collective is a random grab-bag of mixed egos and inhibitions, fears and potential, attitudes and limitations. Even the ideal customer, who listens closely, asks exactly the right questions and retains everything they have ever been taught, cannot master music in an afternoon. (At least we teachers have a semblance of job security).

Music, a vast system of pitch, velocity and rhythm that can take a lifetime to understand, has been further complicated with pedagogy. There are more styles to teach violin than there are ways to cook an egg. Each method claims theirs is the most effective way to master the instrument, they have countless scientific studies to prove it and please enter your credit card number here.

A teacher has to weed through the dogmatic hype and come out with a cohesive teaching concept that jives with their own approach to playing and learning. They also have to understand their instrument inside and out, keeping in mind a clear idea how and when to introduce new concepts as to not overwhelm the student. After carefully formulating a perfect lesson plan, the teacher will then scrap it all and reinvent their method when it inevitably doesn’t fit the student’s learning style.

A good teacher is not locked into one method or way of explaining ideas. Instead they receive feedback from the player and interpret it into a lesson that will make an impact.

What makes the most impact, you ask? Repetition. Repetition. Then you do it again. Detach yourself from how many times you’ve played “Fur Elise” or corrected that particular eighth note. There are pin-sized holes in my eardrums from “Twinkle Twinkle” and I develop an itchy rash prior to our annual Christmas recital, but I’ve found a Zen peace in accepting my fate.

I see each lesson as a new chapter in the life of a musician I am helping along. With experience, lessons have developed their own rhythm and my teaching days swoop past me.

The repetition can get to some people, like the crusty old piano teacher, the one everyone seems to have had as a child, who wielded a nasty ruler for discipling unwanted notes. I knew a guy in high school who whacked his violin students on the head with his bow whenever he, the teacher, became frustrated.

A teacher cannot crack when the student plays the wrong note for the hundredth time, so impatient musicians must carefully consider their suitability as teachers. “Penny whistle teacher needed: Psychopaths with Intermittent Explosive Disorder need not apply.”

Instead of whopping students with a pernambuco stick with hair, my aforementioned colleague could have channeled his infinite aggression into another enjoyable branch in the music industry, such as fending off broken beer bottles at the country bar or smashing double-neck guitars for screaming mobs at GM Place. Last I heard he’s still teaching at the music store, but has invested in a heavy carbon bow and a cocktail of barbiturates.

Once a player has established that teaching is a good direction to take and they have passed all the inkblot exams without incident, he or she needs to lay down a teaching foundation. Selecting a method book to use is one thing, but the teacher needs to develop a mission statement and their goals in teaching.

My mission focuses on two words: Inspiration and Encouragement. My goals include “music as a life experience” and sharing my love for violin among friends. The mission statement and goals serve as a guide whenever I am faced with a decision or problem in my work, it’s sort of an operations manual for my business. And that’s what teaching music really is: a business.

I urge all musicians who plan to make their music more than a hobby to take business classes on marketing and promotion, finances and taxes, and business plans. Learn to promote yourself because no one will know who you are if you just sit at home chatting on MSN. Keep good financial records so you are prepared for tax season. There are far too many exceptional musicians, performers and teachers who are stuck on the dole or playing for the coming and going liquor store clientèle due to poor business practices.

You don’t have to be a marketing whiz or a lawyer, though your mother would prefer such a career change so she can have her basement back. Just learn enough to keep yourself out of trouble with the tax man and to maintain a full compliment of paying, regular students. For more guidance I suggest the book “Making Money Teaching Music” by David and Barbara Newsam, available for a free read through the Okanagan Library system.

It seems to be an oxymoron, but it is possible to make money teaching music! So teenage musicians, nod your head, say “yes Rhiannon,” and do exactly everything I have ordained in the article above, then watch the money pour into your bank account.

Hallelujah!

And try not to spend it all at the music store filling the blank slots in your gear rack.

Amen.

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years. She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s Music Teacher Magazine.

Rhiannon (age 29, she’s not really old) has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host, school orchestra music arranger and music columnist in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her comittment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies. http://www.fiddleheads.ca provides a rich resource of information on her school, violin, products for sale and more.

Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society. http://www.violinsociety.ca She dedicates much of her time to community music projects and helping young musicians.

Make absolutely sure of your location. Don?t blithely trust the funeral home, and don?t trust driving-direction map web sites. I?ve looked up an obscure cemetery on the Internet, knew the directions given were incorrect, and did some more checking. At the appointed time I was at graveside; the hearse and limousine ended up in front of an antique store downtown. Make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to negotiate traffic, road construction, lane closures, accidents, detours, etc., and still arrive with plenty of time to tune up and get ready. Most cemeteries will have a marquee at the main entrance and signposts with the decedent?s name directing you to the gravesite. I know of one that?s color-coded (?Smith: blue?, with blue arrows for the Smith funeral). Some municipal cemeteries might not have anything at all. If there?s no signage and no office or caretaker, look for the guys with a backhoe; they?ll know who?s being interred where today.

If you?re piping at a National cemetery, they are often very busy and working on strict timelines. You may be restricted to one or possibly two tunes; no twenty minute piobaireachds. Check in at the main gate; they can tell you where your funeral cort?ge will form up. You can ask to be allowed to precede the cort?ge to join the honor guard at the site; maybe they?ll let you, maybe they won?t. Tune up as best as you can at the main entrance, because you?ll have no chance to do so on site. Tune to a ?cold? reed; so that when you first strike in you?re in tune with no warm-up. Clear the area as soon as possible afterwards, as there?s usually another funeral cort?ge lined up ready and waiting to go right behind yours.

Dress like you?re going to a funeral. Brush your coat, shine your shoes, and polish your brass. The funeral director and their associates will all be in coats and ties, the officiant will be in a coat and tie (or collar), most if not all of the male mourners will be in coats and ties. Shirtsleeves will be interpreted by many (quite possibly including the family) as indicative of a lack of respect. The funeral director will most certainly see it this way, and when it comes to opportunities for repeat business, you can bet that they will take that into account. If it?s a long drive to the cemetery or church, consider wearing a pair of shorts and put on your kilt upon arrival; your pleats will be much more presentable. Don?t wear a Prince Charlie & bow tie unless the rest of the funeral party is in tuxedos and evening gowns.

Remember; absolutely nobody in the funeral party wants to hear you tune; you must be as fully tuned up as you ever will be well before the flower car arrives. Tune up in the environment where you will be playing, after your pipes have had a chance to acclimate. Here in Florida, the heat and humidity outdoors will sharpen the heck out of my chanter, so there?s no sense even trying to tune until it?s reached ambient temperature. Obviously, you need to get to the gravesite with plenty enough time for this to occur; driving to the cemetery with the A/C off and the windows down helps speed this process. Tune quickly to a ?cold? reed; essentially mimicking the conditions under which you will play. If you warm up with a few sets first before tuning and then set your pipes aside to await your cue, your drones will be very sharp to your chanter when you strike in to perform before your audience. Try to avoid playing inside an air-conditioned church and then again outside at the gravesite; the radical change in temperature and humidity will positively wreck your tuning. When I play a Catholic church service where I won?t be invited to pipe during mass, I pipe the casket in from the hearse, then my pipes and I sit outside on a bench until mass is over, when I pipe the casket back out again. Yes, it?s hot, but at least my pipes are still relatively in tune.

If I’m contracted to pipe, I pipe; rain or shine. If it was considered important enough by the family to arrange for a piper at the graveside, it should damn well be important enough to me to ensure that their loved one is properly memorialized in accordance to their wishes to the best of my ability, regardless of weather. I oil my drones twice a year and use only waxed hemp; my tuning slides have a layer of Teflon tape over the hemp as well. I play them almost every day (if nothing else it keeps the moisture content of the wood stable) and I’ve never had a joint swell or lock up on me. I use a polypenco chanter on rainy days; cane chanter reeds can go quite flat in a heavy rain, so you may have to screw it in accordingly. If I lived in an area where playing in the rain was more frequently an issue, I?d consider a plastic Clanrye chanter reed for my wet weather chanter; what they lack in tone would be more than compensated for in this situation by stable tuning. You may also need to open up your drone reeds a bit, as they may tend to shut off in the rain, especially inverted bass reeds. A good Inverness coat is an absolute necessity; for standing in the mud I wear a pair of cheap (but well polished) second-hand thrift-store wingtips instead of my expensive bulled-up ghillies, and rather than risk one of my expensive tailor-made wool kilts I’ve a cheap EBay ?foul weather? kilt to wear on nasty days outdoors (they can only see a flash of the apron when wearing a greatcoat anyway). Towel off your drones once you?re back in the car, and thoroughly swab out and dry off everything when you get home, then leave everything disassembled to air-dry. If you?ve a zipper bag, open it up, and remove any water trap or moisture control gear. Do not under any circumstances use a hair dryer or heater to quickly dry your pipes; the rapid change in moisture content and temperature will result in uneven forces of expansion and contraction that can split your drones into kindling! Hang up your kilt & jacket to air-dry thoroughly before putting them away; putting them in a dark closet even slightly damp is a sure-fire recipe for mold.

When it?s not raining it?s very hot here; uncover, leave your coat off until the last minute, stay in the shade as much as possible, and keep well hydrated. I look for a spot about 20-30 paces away from the gravesite at about a 45o angle from the mourners where I can be plainly seen, preferably to the opposite side of the lectern (if any), and preferably under the shade of a tree. Don?t stand behind the mourners, or on the far side of the casket. Always play facing the casket and funeral party.

Once you?ve scouted your position, wait where you can see the entrance and keep a sharp eye out; around here the first vehicle you see will usually be a flower car/service car/van carrying the flowers, usually preceding the funeral cort?ge by (hopefully) at least 5-10 minutes. Now?s the time to put on your coat, straighten your tie, and get in position. From this moment onward, you are actively engaged in one of the must solemn events in a family?s life; the final farewell to someone?s beloved child, parent, sister or brother. Whatever you do in the next fifteen or twenty minutes those family members will remember for years to come; you?ve got just one chance to get it right. Respect, courtesy, and consideration must be reflected in every aspect of your speech, demeanor, and deportment from the very first moment you sight the funeral cort?ge entering the cemetery until you?re in your alone in car and well past it?s gates on your journey home, or you simply don?t belong there.

In this part of the country, the first car to pull in is almost always the ?lead car?; a sedan with an amber light bar on top, carrying the funeral director and possibly the clergy. When there?s no lead car, the first one in the procession will be the hearse. I stand by the roadside at attention, a couple of yards towards the entrance to the cemetery from the cemetery truck (the cart for the casket, where the back of the hearse will stop), and lower my drones as the hearse passes (keep an eye out for the cort?ge taking a route through the cemetery you didn?t expect, and adapt accordingly. An American hearse is about 21 feet long, and they?ll avoid making sharp turns). If the hearse is flying American flags and/or the casket is draped in an American flag, place your hand over your heart as it passes. The immediate family will be directly behind the hearse in the limousine and will plainly see whether or not you render proper respect.

Immediately go over and briefly coordinate with the officiant. All they want to know is what you?re going to play and when. Whenever possible, I use liturgical names for tunes; for instance, ?Go Silent Friend? instead of ?Danny Boy?. Semantics, I know, but it makes ministers and particularly priests happy; people with whom I?d like to foster a good working relationship; again, it?s a matter of respect. On some occasions, it may help to ensure that the family?s wishes are carried out without some ecclesiastic debate over what constitutes ?proper? liturgical music. I ask the officiant, when they have completed their committal service, to please turn and nod to me when they?re ready for the hymn (like it or not, usually ?Amazing Grace?). Remember; you?re probably out of earshot and won?t be able to hear when the benediction?s over, so you?ll need a visual cue of some sort. I ask the funeral director to do precisely the same thing, just in case. Funeral or wedding, playing solo is different than playing in a band. Always start off on the first note of the tune; do not sound an E ?pick-up? note like you do in a band setting. Also, funerary marches are played much slower than normal, about 60 beats per minute, so take care not to rush and run away with it.

My typical funeral service starts immediately as the funeral party exits their vehicles with a processional to the gravesite, usually a lament. If the gravesite is any distance from the hearse, I?ll usually lead the casket and pallbearers, detouring off to my pre-selected site once I reach the graveside. The casket will be rolled or carried feet first, and set with the feet towards the east. On a mechanical lowering device, you?ll see a stop at one end of the rollers; that?s where the foot goes, and the casket will be loaded from the other end. Once reaching the gravesite, try to keep watch out of the corner of your eye, and plan your route to stay out of the way of the casket team. Practice slow marching to tunes like ?Going Home? or ?Foggy Dew? (?I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say?); not only does it add an air of formality and ceremony; it?ll help you maintain the proper tempo. However, if it?s raining or they?re carrying a particularly heavy casket, walk, or you?re likely to be bypassed or run over. Similar to weddings, practice cutting a processional short with a proper d?nouement so the officiant can get on with the service once everyone?s seated. I usually remain at pipes up, watching the officiant carefully for signs that they?re about to conclude their service. Pay attention; do not under any circumstances miss your cue!

If the casket is flag draped and they haven?t an honor guard, I offer beforehand to pipe ?Taps? for them. I ask the funeral director to have their attendants raise the flag over the casket, at attention with eyes front. When the flag comes taut, that?s my visual cue to pipe ?Taps?. This is almost invariably the very last part of the committal ceremony, after the service and hymn (if any). I personally think ?Taps? sounds best piped very simply with a minimum of embellishment; no need to guild the lily. Also, the way you may of heard it in the movies isn?t the way it?s played in the military; practice matching the timing of a recording of a military bugler. If I?ve not been asked to pipe a retreat or recessional, I come to pipes down and parade rest, and remain until the funeral party has begun to disperse; do not race off and jump in your car. If the family and not the funeral home contracted me, I do my best not to let the funeral director get away without some of my business cards in their pocket.

tampabaypiper.com

The year was 1801, the man was Ludwig van Beethoven and his concept was finally realized in 1995 with the public acceptance of the Internet.

As a violinist and violin teacher I know exactly how frustrated dear Ludwig felt. Before the Internet I too was frustrated with the limited learning resources available to my students and me. Sheet music and books were expensive, any obscure information was near impossible to unearth and researching meant hours probing through dusty outdated library books. Most difficult, however, was living in rural Canada with no connection to other violinists, big city music groups or current ideas floating around the global music scene.

Apparently other musicians felt the same way and used the Internet as a tool to overcome these and many other obstacles. Web sites, file transfer systems, message boards and music forums, software and other technologies improved communication between musicians, thus creating an advanced global music community.

To start I used online encyclopedias for research projects and concert program notes, but soon learned to use other tools. I learned to use the web to locate song lyrics and quotations, such as the one by Beethoven. If the words or lyrics aren’t in English I use an online tool that automatically translates them for me!

The availability of music on the internet is stunning! You can download any song your heart desires in MP3 format within seconds. This area of the internet has become controversial as the record companies want us to pay for the music and peer to peer protocol violates copyright laws. Don’t want to ripp off the artists and break the law? For only $1 per tune you can legally download all the music you like from sites like puretracks.

As for sheet music, thousands of sites offer a similar pay-and-use system where you can download a wide range of titles. Can’t find the sheet music you’re looking for? Search for MIDI files (music reproduced digitally) then input them into a music notation application (computer program for writing music) that automatically turns it into sheet music.

Using the one of many sheet music writing programs available on the Internet I can create a song, edit it to suit the player’s skill level, add a harmony, include the lyrics and have it printed within 10 minutes. The best part, other than the cost, is the editability. I can make any changes to the music I want, such as changing the key, with ease. No more writing the music out by hand either. Beethoven would have appreciated that.

One of my favourite things to do online is to download professional quality images of violins, musicians and composers for my newsletters and publications. Using such photos improves the projects I work on and is far cheaper than hiring a graphic artist. The search for good photos has been made easier with the invention of image searches, which scour millions of web pages and catalogue the images. During a recent image search I was completely stunned to find photos of myself playing violin! Small world.

As a teacher I am always furthering my education and training. I use the Internet as a source for enhancing my violin technique and knowledge and for sharing ideas with other musicians. If I can’t find what I’m looking for I can post the query on a bulletin board for another musician to answer. Recently I saw comments on such a site by a former symphony conductor of mine regarding Saint Saens’ 3rd Symphony. I was surprised to bump into someone I know on a worldwide system with millions of users. Small world.

The ‘net has become the world’s largest shopping centre with millions of dollars working through the system each day. I enjoy using the internet to research instruments, accessories and music books and keep up on what products are available for myself and my business. Gone are the days of being convinced by a sales rep that his product is the best.

I check musician’s forums and read feedback on any of the products I am considering before I buy. I also shop and sell online using tools such as Ebay and a mutitude of E-commerce solutions. My business attracts buyers from around the world: a huge improvement on being limited to my local market.

Beethoven once said, Music is the soil in that the spirit lives, thinks and invents. It’s been over 200 years since dear Ludwig invented his art warehouse and musicians are finally reaping the benefits of such a music exchange.

For me the creation of the Internet has enhanced and improved the way I enjoy music. More importantly it has helped me feel like a part of a wonderfully vast music community: a community visualized by Beethoven himself.

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of events promoter, classical music radio host and school orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her comittment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies. http://www.fiddleheads.ca provides a rich resource of information on her school, violin, products for sale and her many writings.

Rhiannon is Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society http://www.violinsociety.ca She dedicates much of her time to community music projects and helping young musicians in financial need.

Rhiannon currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s Music Teacher Magazine. Writing allows her to be a creative smart-ass and to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

More articles at articles host

Take some time to do this visualisation. It will only take a few minutes, but you can go on for as long as you want. Think about your performance, and imagine yourself performing somewhere. Now step back from that performance but remain in the venue. Look around, and absorb the setting, the area, the smell, the sounds, the size, the facilities. Is that the type of venue you want to be performing in?

Remember that a venue is very important. You may be so desperate to perform so you could just play anywhere, but what about performing when you?d really enjoy it?

Get a piece of paper and scribble down exactly how you want the venue to be, and what sort of venue you want. Then, from today, make a point to keep that list with you and read it over at several points in a day. Keep it safe with you, and keep it in the back of your mind when you?re doing something. Although you?re not focussing on it fully, it?s still there. Keep it there.

If you do this, you?ll begin to see all kinds of beautiful and superb venues in areas that you are in every day, but you just don’t open your eyes to it. You?ll immediately be attracted to it and may even work on getting yourself a gig there.

Remember, the Universal Law Of Attraction brings to you whatever you desire as long as you really get clear and decrease your resistance!

Kavit Haria is the Musicians’ Coach – a life coach for musicians. He is well-known worldwide in the music industry for his ability to work with musicians and help them achieve the results they wish to in their lives. Sign up to his free fortnightly newsletter at http://www.coachkavit.com

The guitar, like most instruments, is best mastered if the learner starts young. It can be quite an easy instrument if the budding musician just wants to learn a few songs to entertain friends and family, but it can also be mastered as a professional instrument, and a good guitarist can really make those strings talk. In fact, for a talented and dedicated player the guitar becomes and extension to their arms.

I?ve been teaching the guitar for many years now and one of my more recent students was a 57 year old coal minor with fingers like bananas. He told me that he and a few of his buddies wanted to form a band called the Coal Minors (what else!). I just cannot believe his progress. In just 6 month starting from scratch, he has mastered bar chords, scales, and even written a couple of impressive songs with the chords G, C, D, DM, and E. It just goes to show that if you are committed, anything is possible at any age. Reg, and the Coal Minors are due to perform at their next work?s function and I can?t wait to see them.

It?s also important to note that you do not need to be able to read music to play the guitar well. If I?ve read my music history right neither the Beatles, nor Jimmy Hendrix could read a note, yet their guitar playing did them proud.

Learning the guitar is like anything we achieve in life, and that is you will only succeed with patience and persistence. Out of 100 students, I would guess that only a very small percentage continues playing this wonderful instrument throughout their life.

I play guitar because it gives me great pleasure. You can never stop learning new skills and improving your playing techniques no matter who you are. It?s also a great instrument to take traveling with you. Anyone with a guitar slung over their back will have instant friends wherever they go. And finally, a beautiful guitar is very ornamental. Sit a guitar on an upright stand and place it strategically in any room, and it will do wonders for the d?cor.

Lee Kiley is a proficient writer and webmaster for InstructHow dot com where he writes on such issues as How to Talk to Girls in the 21 st Century! and How To Make Money Fast. He also has many other ?How to? related pieces on the site.

I?m quite pleased to say that the online newsletters are one of the most important mediums through which you can keep in touch with everyone, and of course, is the cheapest and cost-effective way of doing so.

There are so many newsletter providers online that can help you for free or for a small fee. The one I recommend is Constant Contact, because it lets you send unlimited emails free to up to 50 members, and then you pay a fee when it increased in number.

It?s also important to define what the newsletter will convey to your fans. Will it be about you as an artist? Will it be based around your band? Will you mention other acts or items in there? Also define its frequency. How often will you send it out? Every week? Every fortnight? Every month? It doesn?t matter what you choose, but ensuring you stick to it is important, as people tend to look out for it if they enjoy it! And they will enjoy it!

Also think about the content when planning. How much will you put in it? Will you use images, and if so, what kind? Will you store past issues in a way that people can access it? Will you feature advertisements?

The main thing for me to convey here is to keep it realistic, simple and write in a tone that is friendly and understandable. Its important to ask for feedback now and again, and perhaps feature comments from your fans now again. Give your articles some kick too!

Instead of your regular two eyes! Get four! Once you?ve written it, get someone to proofread it so that it?s to a good level. Better to have people know that you?ve put effort, and not just doing it because you have to.

Getting a newsletter done is a real simple job! Really 

If you can?t do it, or haven?t got the time, get your manager to do it. Or someone else at least, but do it! It?s really important and it builds relationships and trust with your audience.

The next important thing then is to actually have people to send your online newsletters too. Start small, and grow organically ? that?s my secret! Add all your family and friends onto your newsletter list. Then wherever you go, whomever you see, wherever you perform, have a mailing list form/chart that people can fill it out should they wish to so that they can keep up to date with your work. Don?t force it, but let it flow out of you.

If you want some more help in really getting your newsletter to catching and sales quality so that you are making some passive revenue this way, get in touch with us to see how you can better your newsletter.

? Kavit Haria, The Musicians? Coach

Kavit Haria is The Musicians’ Coach. Kavit is the director of InnerRhythm, a company that prides on providing success solutions for musicians worldwide. Kavit sends out a musician development newsletter to over 2000 musicians in 16 countries every fortnight to help them achieve their desired results. Sign up now and experience the huge benefits from www.innerrhythm.org

That sounds a bit silly, but it seems to me that that is what?s happening to the popular song these days. People buy single songs for .99? or rip one or two tracks from a CD to load up their iPods. Then they categorize them so that they have songs for sunny days, rainy days, break-up days, and laundry days. The songs become a commodity and random fodder for our daily soundtrack. And don?t even get me started on ring tones!

It?s not all the fault of the consumer either. Songwriters are lured by the possible exposure and money they can earn from a commercial endorsement or the placement of one of their songs on a WB network show. And like these shows, the music is getting predictable and boring; they say the same things in the same ways with the same musical approach. I listen to these songs and I just say – So What? -

Thus I?ve come to create a whole new category of pop music called, in my book, ?So What Music?. The songs are well played, the singers, for the most part are ok, and there is nothing really ?wrong? with the songs except that I?ve heard them before in some guise or another. I?m an XM Satellite radio subscriber and as I bounce around the twenty or so channels that offer popular songs of some style or another I realize that there really are not a lot of signed artists that offer something ?new?. Perhaps that?s why they are signed – oooh I?m being cynical – maybe, but it does seem that the bigger acts are the ones that appeal to the middle. And, I guess there?s nothing wrong with that, it?s been happening since pop music became pop music, but? So What?

When I was a kid I went to the Kresge?s dime store and bought 45?s for 75? and traded those around with my friends, but I also bought albums (when I had the cash). The albums I bought usually had an arc to them and I would listen to the first side and then want to turn over to the other side to hear how the thing ended. Born To Run is a prime example and I can?t listen to just the song Born To Run without humming She?s the One right after it. It?s the next chapter in the story. These albums had songs that had depth and imagery and the albums themselves had an arc to them that demanded that I listen to the entire CD.

So who is doing this these days? If you take a listen to this week?s podcast I feel that the three artists that are spotlighted do and I can name a few signed artists like Elvis Costello, Springsteen, and an up and coming favorite of mine Ryan Adams. We as discriminating listeners have to wade through a lot of mish-mash to get to the real good stuff. But it?s well worth the search and hopefully this podcast is a good place to jump off.

Darryl

Darryl Gregory is the host of Unsigned Underground, a monthly podcast that is all about the independent musician. Darryl also reviews unsigned CDs on his blog Unsigned Music Reviews. Darryl is a freelance musician, teacher and owner of Blue Cave Studios in Connecticut.

1.Read sheet music: Being able to play from any piece of sheet music. Well it may be hard to play BUT you can read it!

2.Be able to transpose: Say you are playing a piece from the sheet music you can now read but you think it sounds too high or too low, or just not right. Well now you can move it into a new key and play at a better singing.

3.Be able to modulate: You will be able to, with a few quick moves of the fingers, move your music into a new key with a succession of notes so pleasing to the ear it will bring a smile to your listeners faces.

4.It will increase your skill in improvising: Enough said.

5.Knowing music theory will help you recreate the sounds you enjoy in your favorite songs. Those fabulous chord progressions. The parts that give a song that certain sound. Gospel, Contemporary etc.

To learn music theory you dont have to become a scholar on the subject. Just at least learn the basics. Getting a good music theory book and spending a few minutes a day reading from it and doing any included exercises can jump start your music playing.

K Quinn is a church pianist and guitarist for her church. Having picked up music late in life she is the site proprieter at http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us Tips, tools, and recommendations for a church musician.

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