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You are here: Home / Archives for musician

Want To Learn To Be A Musician?

July 3, 2013 by Chris

A world without music, for some, is the equivalent to a book without text – it’s pointless, and it just doesn’t make sense. Music resides within almost everything we experience; from that featured in TV programs, advertisements, and movies, to the radio playing while at work, and singing nursery rhymes to our children.

As well as music being an unstoppable part of how people live, it can also be an intricate part of the life some people build. Music is relaxing, relatable and sometimes even used as a cheap substitute to therapy. But for some, it is not just how they live, it is considered who they are.

Being a musician

MusicianThere is a growth in the number of people, specifically young people, who aspire to be musicians. What better way for someone to earn a sufficient amount of money doing something that they love? A music skill is often seen to be God-given, a natural gift, and a destiny.

However, although some people have an unlearned talent, that by no means eliminates the concept of people learning a musical skill of some kind.

Music teaching is a rapidly growing industry. Tutors offer everything from teaching people to play musical instruments, teaching composition and music theory, vocal training, and song writing lessons, and sharing knowledge about the music industry and other relevant opportunities. Some tutor services specialize in specific teachings.

For example, Pro Music Tutor offers services for guitar and saxophone techniques. Tutorials, videos, and written theory are vastly available at a variety of costs, with a number of different teaching styles and learning techniques.

The benefits of learning music

MusicResearch on music education has shown a number of additional benefits to learning music. PBS addresses some of those benefits, and includes research that has found music education to facilitate learning of other subjects, tapping into a multiple skill set. Music is said to help a child’s language development, increase IQs, and result in higher test scores.

Music also allows people to learn about commitment, given that learning a musical skill, or practicing and developing any unlearned talent requires time and discipline.

She Knows acknowledges that learning music, specifically in tutor groups, also allows people to learn and develop social skills, as well as respect, patients, team work, and confidence. Benefits also include development on more personal levels, such as fostering creativity and expression through music.

Whether parents would like their children to academically excel, and feel as though music will contribute to that, or a teenager has a new found desire to be in a cool band, or even if an adult would like to meet new people in a choir or as part of an instrument learning experience, there is something for everyone.

Music covers a wide variety of services, such as guitar lessons, with sites like Pro Music Tutor even allowing you to go online and download lessons yourself, in addition to simply having a listening experience. Whatever the reason a person chooses to learn music, the opportunity to have fun exists. Outside of the fun and enjoyment are a number of additional benefits that are great bonuses added to music learning.

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Nidia Guerra loves music. Having experimented with a number of instruments, Nidia understands the discipline required to learn a music skill, and the benefits of doing so.




Filed Under: Music, musical instruments, Musicians, Practising Techniques Tagged With: Music, music skill, music tutor, musician, natural gift, teaching

How Can Ambitious Musicians Find Great Advice From Professionals?

July 1, 2013 by Chris

While becoming a success in any occupation is difficult, the music industry is notorious for being one of the toughest to ‘crack.’ Of course, the industry itself isn’t actually that tough anymore.

In the days before social media and polarizing television talent shows, becoming a success was dependent on someone at a record label listening to your tape, or having the good fortune to be playing a venue where someone with influence just happened to be having a drink that night.

Easier Yet More Difficult

GuitaristAlthough the various avenues to enter the music industry today make it easier to do so, it is also true that a career in the business can be much shorter than was the case when people had to do it the hard way. Yes, it might be easier to become known, but how will you endure?

How many of today’s artists do you honestly believe will have the longevity of a David Bowie or an Elton John?

If you’re an ambitious musician looking to boost your profile in the industry and set yourself up for a successful, long career, professional advice can go a long way. Where can you find it?

Social Media Interaction

While you might not want to simply log onto social media and start approaching successful artists with questions, you should keep an eye out for when they do online Q&A sessions, as many people will probably ask the sort of questions that you want to.

Sometimes, advice might be something simple, such as to keep practicing, never stop believing in yourself, and upload your music to YouTube and other sites. On other occasions you might receive some specific advice about a technique, or realize you’ve been doing something counterproductive to your hopes without realizing it.

Music Tutoringmusic tutor

Music tutors are a great source of information, and much of the time they will also be session musicians or otherwise play in a live band themselves.

Their knowledge will often go far beyond simply how to play an instrument, and they might be able to get you where you want to be. If you’re a musician looking to develop your skill set, then finding the best online guitar lessons, or those relevant to whatever instrument you play, can help. Sites such as Pro Music Tutor feature advice from world-famous musicians, and there’s probably no one better to ask for advice.

Find a Studio You Know Someone Uses

There are recording studios in towns and cities around the world. While hiring one of these might not always be particularly cheap, if you can find a studio that is used by a big artist, you’ll often find yourself with the opportunity to speak with someone and pick their brains about what you should be doing differently.

Many will even listen to you and help to develop your sound, but you shouldn’t take that for granted when you start seeking studio space.

Unearthing Music Advice

As well as pursuing these avenues, you should continue doing what you already do; practice regularly, expand your horizons, and try to secure gigs, even small ones, at whatever venues you possibly can.

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Nidia Guerra is a lifestyle consultant who works with clients from all occupations and demographics. Nidia currently has a large client base of ambitious musicians and sportspeople whom she is helping to pursue their life goals.

Filed Under: Musicians, Playing Styles Tagged With: Ambitious Musicians, career, Great Advice, instrument, music industry, Music Tutoring, musician, Professionals, recording studio, social media

Why I’d Rather Be A Session Guitarist Than Be In The Band

April 1, 2013 by Chris

Kids grow up wanting to be in a band.  They always have done, since music became a contemporary way of life, and they always will do. The reasons are obvious, too. Who wouldn’t want to become successful in a world where there is the potential for a party every night, or where thousands of people are screaming in appreciation of your skills.

Being a top musician, or having any job in the entertainment industry, means that your life consists of you being paid – sometimes very well, sometimes not so – to enjoy yourself. Not bad work, if you can get it, in a world where millions are miserable and stuck in the ‘rat race,’ going to their job on a daily basis, promising to themselves that they will change their lives, but never doing anything about it.

For me, though, it was never about the adulation, or the fame, or having myself plastered all over MTV. Being a session musician has always held far greater appeal that actually being front and centre of a band itself.

This is why.

Always at Work

Don’t get me wrong, being in a band is clearly a great gig – literally – but those who talk about the ‘price of fame’ aren’t just making it up. I’ve seen what those guys go through, and having people rush up to you with pieces of paper and magazines, and feeling like you have to sign everyone lest people take to Twitter and call you everything under the sun is not something that is particularly appealing to me, nor has it ever been.

I earn well enough and have everything I always wanted out of life. The difference is I can walk through an airport and no one has a clue who I am; just the way I like it.

The Way I’m Viewed

I’ve never felt comfortable with people feeling star struck around me. Admittedly, it has only happened on the odd occasion when an album recording had an invited audience, but afterwards I was the one leading the conversation!

For the most part, however, I’m just me, and people in those situations recognize that I’m just a normal person, not too different from them, and embrace me as such. I like to think that I haven’t got a lot of airs and graces and that I carry myself well, but I try to let other people be the judge of that.

No Criticism

If a band has a particular track or guitar riff on an album and people think it is rubbish, I don’t get any grief for it. Is there the feeling that I’m missing out when a record is critically acclaimed and goes multi-platinum around the world? In all honesty, there isn’t.

I do what I do out of love for music, not because I want to be the face of a generation. No, I don’t get the credit I maybe deserve, but at the same time I don’t have to face awkward questions or criticism, and calls for me to give up my profession.

For me, being a session musician beats lead guitar in a huge band any day of the week.

Karl is an online content writer and session guitarist, despite never having had a guitar lesson in his life. Karl has played guitar with a number of notable artists in studios across London.

Filed Under: Musicians, My experiences Tagged With: band, entertainment industry, fame, guitar, musician, Session Guitarist

Judas Priest guitarist’s final curtain call

April 22, 2011 by Chris

Judas Priest‘s K.K. Downing has finally made his final curtain call after 42 years with the band. He just wrote on his website that he decided to leave the band because of a breakdown in the working relationship between himself, the band and management.

Imagine playing in a band for 40 or more years, touring with and putting up with the same buddies and their little idiosyncrasies? I think that might just do it.

The thing that would bother me the most is performing the same old songs over and over again on tour. To this day I can’t for the life of me figure out how the Stones perform some of their standards after 49 years, 49 years! Some musicians might like to fall into the same old groove, playing a collection of their songs to death, but I certainly couldn’t.

Judas Priest plans on carrying on with their latest tour, Epitaph, even without one of it’s founding members. The band will insert another enthusiastic guitar player into the lineup. He is a 31 year old British born guitarist called Richie Faulkner.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K7CNzFhnCE

The one song that comes to mind when I hear the name Judas Priest is You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. It’s really an anthem song and the bands’ most popular tune. When the song first came out the only guy I remember freaking out over it was my good old buddy Barber! He loved playing it on bass and the enthusiasm on his face when he played will be etched in my mind forever.

So Keep on Jammin’ K.K. Downing!

Filed Under: Entertainment, Great Bands, Musicians, Video Tagged With: april 20 2011, band, Epitaph tour, founding member, guitarist, Judas Priest, k k downing, musician, quit, Richie Faulkner

Morrissey’s health scare onstage

October 25, 2009 by Chris

Steven Patrick Morrissey, the 50 year old ex-lead singer from the Smiths, was rushed to a British hospital around 9pm last night in the middle of performing a show at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon.

The 1000 audience members were taking in the Smith’s 1983 classic tune This Charming Man when his medical episode took place. He reportedly fell onto the stage, unconscious and was gingerly carried off by the stage crew.

Some at the show said he was looking strained and wincing while performing. Morrissey, who just happens to be doing a world tour, has already canceled a number of events this year due to an “unspecified illness”.

He was taken off to the nearby Great Western Hospital and there is still no word yet on his condition.

God speed in his recovery.

Keep on Jammin’


Filed Under: Concerts, Entertainment, Great Bands, Music, Video Tagged With: Great Western Hospital, Morrissey, morrissey collapses on stage, Music, musician, Oasis Leisure Centre, singer, Steven Patrick Morrissey, the Smiths, This Charming Man

Tom Cochrane at the Canadian Open

August 8, 2008 by Chris

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider were out of this world at the 2008 Canadian Open. They rekindled my love and deep appreciation for this band not only for their song writing ability but the level of musicianship to boot!

My wife’s brother called us a while ago and asked us if we wanted free tickets to the 2008 Canadian Open in Oakville (God bless this man). At first we were a little bit luke warm on the idea of watching a golf tournament, with the weather that we’ve been having here in southern Ontario this summer, until we found out that Tom Cochrane was playing a free show at the Canadian Open!

This guy is hands down my wife’s favorite band of all time. So with these tickets my wife had just received the best free tickets/concert that she ever could have asked for this year!

We arrived there right at the end of play that Saturday night to find out that nobody was around the stage at all! To say that this was our lucky day would be an understatement. The show had a general seating arrangement so we brought along our two seater foldable lawn chair just in case we could use it. With this in tow, we RAN to the front of the stage. I still couldn’t believe my eyes, nobody was there except the security guys! The beer tent was even around 50 feet behind us, mind you they were quite pricey but at that point who cared.

We were about 20 feet away from Tom Cochrane at worst and 15 feet at best throughout the show. He just rocked from the get go and just kept getting better as the set progressed.

Tom started out by singing Victory Day, then followed up with Big League, then Sinking like a Sunset. After that he did a song dedicated to his daughter Cody which I believe was called Northern Star, after that they did a slowed down version of Good Times, followed by Human Race, White Hot and Life is a Highway. They came back for an Encore and did Lunatic Fringe and ended with Boy inside the man.

The part of the show that I just couldn’t keep my mind off was the guitarist/slide/keyboardist named Ken Greer. The only thing that I will say about this guy was OMG, this guy is one !@#$%^& hell of a GREAT MUSICIAN! More to follow on this guy.

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider(Ken Greer), keep on Jammin’ for the love of GOD!

Filed Under: Concerts, Entertainment, Guitars, Music, Musicians, Playing Styles, Recreation, Songs to play, Video Tagged With: ability, appreciation, arrangement, band, brother, Canadian, concert, free ticket, golf, guitarist, Ken Greer, musician, Musicians, musicianship, Oakville, Open, Pengrowth Concert Series at The 19th Hole, Red Rider, Saturday, seating, southern Ontario, summer, Tom, Tom Cochrane, tournament, understatement, weather, wife

Just won tickets for Amos Lee

June 29, 2008 by Chris

I just won tickets for Amos Lee at the Danforth Music Hall on July 9th! A day after my birthday, thanx for the B.D. present! I know that signing up for e-news letters can certainly be a royal pan in the ass, but this time it was a great idea!

My wife opened the e-mail announcement the other day and thought it was just one of those weekly e-flyers with nothing really of any substance. Then after reading a few lines, she realized they were announcing winners for their weekly or monthly draw and my name was listed. It said that we could check out ANY of their summer shows on-line and then pick one!

amoslee1.jpgThey say that he has this minimalist approach to his song writing. His bio on the site sounds neat. It says that his shows are like going back in time when you use to listen to your older brothers record collection! The Music Hall also states that Amos’ influences are those of Neil Young, Stevie Wonder and John Prine all rolled up into one. I think that this guy is someone of future interest.

BTW, if you check out his MySpace site, check out ” Sweet Pea” it’s right back to the roots of guitar. It has a real nice Donovan or Leon Redbone feel to it … if your into that sort of music, I am big time!

 

amoslee2.jpg

So I’ll have to give my impressions on this guy on July 10th. I hope that you’ll all come back for my assessment of this guy and maybe you can put your 2 cents worth into it as well.

Here’s what other bloggers are saying about Amos Lee:

Amos Lee announces Last Days tour dates – When we first brought you news of Amos Lee’s third studio album Last Days at the Lodge, we also promised you tour dates. And we just learned the Philadelphian, who put down his elementary-school teacher chalk to be a full-time musician, …

Amos Lee-Last Days at the Lodge – It’s hard to argue with the success of a young artist like Amos Lee. His first two albums have sold nearly half a million copies and he has opened entire tours for such legends as Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Upon the release of the his …

Amos Lee – Street Corner Preacher – Shoutouts for the soft rock flavor of Jails & Bombs, the country taste of Ease Back, the jazzy smiles of Baby I Want You, and the deep soulful seasonings of Won’t Let Me Go. Thanks for the variety of eartastes! Amos Lee …

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Concerts, Entertainment, Great Bands, Guitars, Home and Lifestyle, Music, Musicians, Playing Styles, Recreation Tagged With: album, Amos, amos lee, Amos Lee - Street, Amos Lee-Last, approach, Artist, assessment, bob dylan, collection, Danforth, Donovan, guitar, john prine, Leon Redbone, Music, musician, Myspace, neil young, news, Philadelphian, record, release, studio, success, teacher, tour, Van Morrison, writing

Guitar World has a fantastic selection of guitar tabs

April 20, 2008 by Chris

In all honesty, good readership, when I first started to pick up my axe again after a huge break, I didn’t even think about using the internet to look up how to play tunes. Yes, what a rookie move. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until I started searching online that I began to use tabs at all!

I used to read music all the time no matter which instrument I was playing. So over the years I eventually drifted away from this method of playing and used my memory for most tunes. After a while there were far too many little parts that I had forgotten and it made me quit disappointed in my playing ability! Nowadays, I don’t know what I’d do without guitar tabs. They certainly make it easier to learn a new song!

Although I’ve only used a couple of sites in the past, this site, Guitar World, really stands out to me. Browsing through the site I soon realized that if I was either a beginner, or advanced player of most common instruments, this would be a website to seriously bookmark.

This is a fabulous site to use if you’re looking for some great tunes to add to your repertoire no matter what instrument you play!

I’m a huge Beatles nut from way back in the day so I decided to see what they had. I actually found some refreshing new ways to approach some old standbys that made a lot of sense in my mind. The Guitar World’s Beatles guitar tabs section is very impressive to say the least! The videos in this section were nice, and simple to understand, just the way I like them!

They had so many unique interpretations of how to play certain tunes that I just had to stop and think about where in the song could I squeeze them in. Besides, there is nothing better than having the ability to change up and improve songs when you’re playing live. Always remember that when playing live in front of other musicians, they will take apart everything you do on or off stage. If you add different approaches to a song, you make it that much more appealing to those in the know and they WILL be impressed!

Their nirvana guitar tabs category is a must check out area as well! The tabs here have that subtle differences that you’re looking for in order to keep the crowd attentive and wanting to hear more from ya.

This is a must site to see, I’ll guarantee you!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Guitars, Music, Musicians, Playing Styles, Recreation, Songs to play Tagged With: advanced, axe, Beatles, beatles guitar tabs, beatles tabs, beginner, Browsing, category, crowd, front, guitar, guitar world, how to, instrument, instruments, intermediate, jammin, learn, Live, memory, Music, musician, Musicians, new ways, nirvan, nirvana guitar tabs, nirvana tabs, perform, play, player, playing, repertoire, rookie, selection, sense, sound, stage, style, tablature guitar, Tabs, tabs beatles, tabs guitar, tabs nirvana, tabs section, technique, tunes, Video

So who is and isn’t a musician here

April 17, 2008 by Chris

I was just wondering to myself today about how many of you, my good readership, are musicians and who isn’t. I’d like to know for a number of reasons. No, this is not to embarrass anyone or start some kind of mid evil Inquisition folks.

It’s just to:

(1) to tailor topics.
(2) and concentrate on certain categories

Just a simple answer would do here folks, nothing earth shattering.

You could state “Musician” or “Non-Musician”. What instruments you play and maybe what type of gear you have. If your a “non-Musician”, then tell us what genre of music gets you going! If you have any interesting or entertaining events might be good for a laugh, I know we all have 1 or 2 of them up our sleeves!

So state your case and get back to us … we’re waiting!

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Culture, Electronics, Entertainment, General, Home and Lifestyle, Humor, Sales and Marketing, Shopping, Technology Tagged With: art, blog categories, blog topics, folk, genre, genre of music, informal survey, inquisition, instrument, instruments, interest, jammin, laugh, mid evil, Music, music genre, musicans, musician, Musicians, non-musicians, play, readership, simple answer, type, your interests

Taking Guitar Lessons

December 12, 2007 by Chris

If your a guitar player who thinks that he or she knows it all, then you should just skip this post! Also, this post is VERY LONG as well!

Every once in a long while I come across a guitar player who thinks that they know it all. I think that we’ve all met a person like this who fits the category? I understand that in order to be a great player you have to have this invincible attitude or ego to obtain these lofty goals but come on, you can’t know everything. There is always someone out there that knows something that you don’t.

In my younger days, there were moments when I had this type of footprint attached to my persona. Sometimes upon entering a Brantford music store some musicians put down what ever they were playing and looked at it as if they didn’t know what this thing was that they had in their hands. Sometimes at a party or other social event guitarists would not play while I was playing or afterwards for that matter. This I thought was good for my ego, but later on I realized that we all were doing was just cheating ourselves out of a learning experience. After not playing for many years, I started to understand this problem.

While living in a dorm/frat house I started to play with many levels of musicians. I realized that some had these guitarists were playing these great little progressions that I had never heard of before and it spurred on my thirst for more musical knowledge. I made great efforts to stunt my level of playing and let other people shine. This approach made others relax and play without intimidation.

Fast forward to today, I think that it is time for me to take lessons again, not to figure out songs/styles but for technique. I know proper positioning, how to change chords efficiently, but I could use some work on understanding progressions better.

Another area is finger picking.

My classical picking is now at the level of a hack, but I can achieve the action and dexterity that I need to pull off a song or style without any noticeable problems. The classical stance is something that I do not use to any great extent but it does come in handy once in a long while.The real problem is with my thumb drone or an alternating bass picking style. The easiest way to understand this is to imagine a piano. You have the left hand working the bass or lower notes and the right hand doing the phrasing/melody. In guitar, your thumb is the bass and the rest of your fingers are the right hand playing the phrasing/melody.

Bruce Cockburn is the master of this in my eyes! It’s almost impossible to pigeon toe his style into one word but this is one of his many fortes. The best example of this is one Going to the Country which I have been trying to finger out or master for many years. I wish that the intro to the song was there to introduce to you to what I mean about his playing ability.

So now I am toying with the idea of taking lessons at the 12th Fret by a gentleman call Dave Martin. He specializes in picking, he loves the some style of picking that I do and best of all he has the same length of fingers that I have. While talking to him, he told me that he has come up against the same playing/technique problems that I have so it would be nice to have someone who has similar issues in this area.

They charge around $22.50 a 1/2 hour so I’ll try him out for a bit and see how it works out! I’ll get back to you later on the results and besides, he probably knows something that I don’t!

Filed Under: Bruce Cockburn, Guitars, Home and Lifestyle, Musicians, Playing Styles, Recreation, Songs to play Tagged With: Brantford, Bruce Cockburn, chords, dexterity, dorm, finger picking, footprint, fret, guitar lessons, guitar lessons in Toronto, guitar player, guitarist, hack, house, how to, intimidation, Intro, learn, learning experience, lofty goals, Music, music store, musical, musical knowledge, musician, Musicians, noticeable problems, play, playing, playing guitar, progress, progression, progressions, taking guitar lessons, the 12th Fret, thirst, younger days

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