The Danforth Music Hall is quite the fixture in my neighbourhood. It’s been around since the 1919 and originally called “Allen’s Danforth theatre”.
It had it’s hey day back when Vaudeville acts where all the rage! It changed it’s concept and purpose a number of times and eventually was called the “Century” but kept it’s distinctive beauty intact.
They’ve just renovated this gem on “The Danforth“, known by the locals, and is fully up and running. They have underwent extensive renovations from top to bottom that reflects it original Grandeur. New state of the art sound/lighting system, new seats that are wider (now that’s worth it weight in gold in itself), updated lobby/washrooms and bar area!
This is the kind of jewel that you pass everyday and say to yourself, ” I gotta get in there some day!”. Well, hopefully I will not have to wait that long.
I just went to their site and found a treasure trove of musical talent that is just screaming out to me to go see! Besides, there is tons of parking and seconds away from the subway.
These are a few of my choices that have caught my eye!
Rick Wakeman, the man is a musical genius and machine when it comes to the keyboard (Tony, you gotta see this guy to believe him)
Stephan Stills, now this is a guy you want to go camping with, imagine the sing songs around the fire! (Stevie my favorite brother-in-law, keep this date open)
Rickie Lee Jones, she would be a nice addition to one of my backyard parties. (Jon, will we see you there?)
Just to name a few! My eyes are on Rick Wakeman.
Their site is easy to navigate plus there are some video’s of the artists in their “Events” section, just in case you want to refresh your memory of who they are.
So if your in my neck of the woods, check out this Grand Old Lady and hope to see you there on Aug. 17th/07 when Mr. Wakeman is playing.
Keep on Jammin’
I wanted to learn the guitar and even bought one. It was very expensive at that time. Unfortunately, I never gotten the hang of it despite taking up lessons. Maybe my fingers are short? :-p
You know “The Artist”, maybe the teacher that you had before should have been subconsciously aware of this problem while teaching you. The BEST TEACHERS show you HOW TO PLAY!
What I mean by this is that they should be looking at the r positioning of your hand BEHIND the fret board as well as in front. This shows a vested interest in your advancement as a player.
Most teachers just want to make a buck and don’t really care about their students.
Look at the back of the neck as your problem, NOT the front. Imagine a imaginary line right in the middle of back of the fret board. You should have your thumb running down that middle UNTIL you notice a problem in playing your chords on the front. Reposition your thumb, up or down, until it makes it easier to play the chord. Also, anticipate where you thumb should be, on that imaginary line, to make the transition easier for you and make your chord changes sound seamless!
MOST IMPORTANTLY, slow down the chord changing/progressions that you are making! Practice them so slowly that people may think that your a little simple! Look at how your fingers move. Take it apart, piece by piece. When changing chords, put one finger down at a time until you have them almost rolling effect from the bottom of the frets up. This will force you to look at your mechanics.
One more thing, video your playing of the song. Seriously, this will also force you to look at your finger positioning from a different angle. It is so valuable that you will not believe it until you see it, it works. I have done this in the past, especially when I started to play VERY DIFFICULT pieces!
OR, why don’t you get a “student guitar”. This is a guitar that is made specifically for guitar players with smaller hands. Don’t let the “student guitar” label embarrass you at all! It just shows that you WANT to learn/play properly! Bet your teachers never told you that, did they?
There ya go, you learn a new thing everyday!
Keep on Jammin’ (remember grass hopper, there is never such a thing as a problem, only a solution!)
Hey Chris,
Thanks for the long explanation. You know, I never thought of video taping myself. I read that if we are learning to sing or dance then we have to look at ourself at the mirror to spot our mistakes, but I think video taping should be all the more effective.
However, as I grow older, my fingers are getting stiffer, especially with so much typing (blogging)!! Gah!
Hey, The Artist, it also works for lawyers who practice in front of a mirror to watch their facial expressions and get the proper look they want. A old buddy of mine is one and he told me that yes it does work for them.
I will post my first on-line lesson next, which I have not done before on site. You are the one who is finally pushing me to do so, thank you for the push!
I can’t believe that your so called guitar teacher never taught you any of this stuff! Where are you?
Keep on Jammin’
Your online guitar lessons would be great but I have already sold off my guitar years ago *oops*
I’m in Malaysia, by the way. Half a world away from Canada 😀
Well what are you waiting for, go out there and grab yourself an axe!
We’re waiting …
Keep on Jammin’
haiya seriously, I don’t even have time to brush my hair anymore, how to make time for guitar lessons?
Ahh Artist …
Try to keep on Jammin’