Friday, June 26, 2009

A sad day for music

It was sad to see Farrah Fawcett lose her long and strenuous battle against cancer yesterday. I was shocked later in the day when I heard of the death of Michael Jackson. My first reaction was disbelief. Surely, he wasn't done yet. He just booked 50 shows in London. They were all sold out and the king of pop was going to do what he does best, perform his music.

When I realized that the news story was real I felt sad. Sad about the loss of a true and great artist that has influenced music and all of us in so many ways. There are few people who had such a huge impact on music as we know it today. Michael wrote and published such ground-breaking songs in the 80s that changed the musical landscape forever. His greatest hits are timeless and I cannot say that about many artists from the past 30 years.

My thoughts are with both Michael's and Farrah's families. Every death is a tremendous loss.

Unfortunately, in recent times Michael was more in the spotlight for his alleged behavior with children. To this day I don't know if any of it is true or not and I leave this to others to judge. What I know is that Michael had a rough childhood and he probably never had the chance to work through issues that were caused by that. But when it comes to celebrities, everyone is fair game in our society and every action in the public and private life will be observed through a magnifying glass until it is distorted.

Let's remember one of the greatest musicians of the late 20th century, the king of pop for his musical legacy. It lives on through all of us, especially the ones growing up during his years of fame.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Clarification

Yesterday I received a comment from Dave Grossman on my metronome blog and I wanted to thank Dave for reading my blog, contemplating the contents and taking the time to comment. One of my goals is to have a discussion with readers and appreciate the input.

I wanted to clarify a few points regarding the metronome issue. Many musicians and music educators believe in metronomes and the value thereof. I don't have a problem with that. My personal issue is that people put too much emphasis on the use of metronomes. I find it interesting that the supporters of metronomes in musical education constantly ask for proof that metronomes aren't effective in learning and developing an inner time source.

Personally, I believe that no one will be able to prove the effectiveness of metronomes in a positive or negative way unless scientific studies are conducted. Since this question is really not of the greatest importance there will never be funding available to conduct such a study. In the meantime we can look at results from different music schools that heavily utilize metronomes or condemn them. But the results of such comparisons are always flawed since the students at these schools have different backgrounds in their music education prior to taking lessons.

What Jeff Berlin reports from his Players school (and this is reported as well by review boards) is that he sees great improvement and success rates with his students. This is great for him and the method he employs. Undoubtedly there are other schools worldwide that reach similar results even though they use metronomes during lessons.

Another issue raised is that it is vitally important for aspiring musicians today to be able to play with a click track. What you would accomplish by practicing with a metronome is exactly that, being able to play with a click track. However, if you practice your instrument and develop a good sense of time by doing so, you will automatically be able to play with a click track. You don't have to dedicate time to learn playing with a click track.

When I first read about Jeff's outspoken opinion about metronomes I reacted similar to most musicians, surely he can't be serious! A metronome was something every musician would have in their home and use when they saw fit. I also overlooked the subtle statement that the metronome simply doesn't contribute to the improvement of the internal sense of time in Jeff's opinion until he explained that to me. Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of statements is easy and widespread. After Jeff's explanation I started to think about my own development on the guitar for the past 25+ years. I was quite surprised when I came to the following conclusion:

When I started learning to play guitar in 1982 I received classic guitar lessons. My teachers over the next 10 years did not use a metronome during lessons or advised me to do so. I must have done some good practicing because in the late 80s I even made it to State championships.

I bought my first electric guitar in 1986 and taught myself Blues and improvisation through books and listening to records. In 1989 I went to a popular music school to take electric guitar lessons and participate in band and studio workshops. During the studio workshops we would record tracks with a click and the results good. At the time, I never even thought that playing with a click would impose a challenge. I didn't experience any. If you know your instrument, the material you play and you developed a good sense of time you will be able to play with a click.

It wasn't until I started college in 1992 that I experienced lessons with metronomes. However, these were not individual lessons but groups with bass, piano and guitar for example. Overall, I can say I never used a metronome much, I never even thought about it much in the first place.

What surprises me is that no matter how progressive musicians are in developing their own art they tend to be quite conservative in their views on teaching and slow in adapting new methods. Just because a majority of people does things a certain way doesn't mean it's the right way or the best way. If you create good and positive results with your method, I am happy for you and can only encourage you to carry on. If another method causes you to reflect on your method and incorporate changes I encourage you as well. To me life is not black and white or right and wrong. And the majority doesn't always get it right.

To be perfectly clear, I don't condemn metronomes. They have never been important to me. I don't believe that they help develop ones sense of time or speed up the process. Learning music and an instrument takes time, practice and focus. There are millions of people in the world over the course of history and today that learned playing in time without ever using a metronome.

Monday, June 22, 2009

A lesson in music

When people hear that I play guitar quite a few times they asked me for lessons. I usually respond that I don't give lessons. This does not mean that I won't be posting instructional videos for everyone's pleasure and entertainment at some point. I might just do that. There are a number of reasons why I don't sit down and teach.

It is very hard to keep a steady income going with a private practice and positions at music schools are rare and not very well paid. Also, a network of contacts is necessary but by moving from country to country and continent to continent it is hard to establish one. I have created an online network with people from all over the world but that hardly counts for my immediate environment.

My main interest is music and most students are looking for quick lessons on the instrument. This sounds snobbish and arrogant but it is not. Just like there are kindergarten teachers and college professors there are people that like to teach others the first steps on an instrument or broaden the mind of an advanced player. Also, this doesn't mean that I'm the greatest player and guitar guru. But I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the musical field.

If you want to learn to play guitar mainly to play Metallica riffs I would like to join you and play those riffs with you but I wouldn't have much to teach you. One of the most important things to do for you is to listen and in this case transcribe the music you want to play.

It is important for beginners to learn about theory but to many it is boring and in the case above the student won't benefit from it. In other words I would be driving my Metallica fan student away by introducing material that he/she is not interested in.

Once the student decides that just playing Metallica is not enough it gets interesting. Now I could provide further reaching information that would help the student develop their own musicality. Unfortunately, this brings me back to the first point where in the end not enough students would be left to have a successful teaching practice.

At this point there are too many things in my life that I barely have time for and I cannot shell out a couple of hours a night to give just a few lessons. Lessons take preparation time. I do engage in information exchange and embrace every conversation when people have questions or asking for my opinion.

The most important thing for the aspiring player are a set of good ears, an open mind and the conviction to dive into one of the greatest adventures which is called music. Learn to read, learn to listen, learn the theory and practice. It works.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The power of YouTube

You can say many things about YouTube. It's a tool, it's a nuisance, it's old, it's new, it's fun, it's annoying and the list goes on and on. What attracts my attention is the vast supply of music related videos. These can be music videos, concerts or other presentations. While others are posting or looking for new hilarious videos or the latest events on video I dive in to look for footage from bands, recent and especially past.

It is a goldmine. I am seriously surprised by what footage is out there. Videos from concerts in an age where there were only few video cameras around, and the ones available were expensive, huge and heavy. I've been wishing for years I could see a Tubes show from the 70s and I already gave up hope that they would ever release a DVD from their "What do you want from live" tour just for old times sake and sentimentalists like me. Thanks to YouTube I didn't have to look much further and found a wealth clips. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Fee Waybill entertaining live and it was even better than I expected.

Although I did see Living Colour and the 24-7 Spyz live I was happy to enjoy a few minutes of their shows and music videos.

Just recently I stumbled upon a gem that I had never dreamed of finding. A video released by Mind over 4. It is a music video and is a rapid-fire onslaught on your eyes. The bits and pieces of the band members playing are mere second fragments and it is quite tough to get the full impression but it's better than nothing.



Unfortunately, Mind over 4 never reached the success and acclaim that I thought they deserved. Maybe their music is too difficult to categorize or for some too difficult to digest. Either way, in the late 80s when hair metal ruled the world these four individuals proceeded to make music without compromises that oozed creativity. It is rare that artists express themselves so completely in disregard of commercial success. I'm still hoping for more material or maybe a reunion show to experience the energy.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Anybody can play guitar

It's funny when I talk to people and tell them that I am a musician and play guitar everyone and their cousin plays guitar or can find another instrument they used to play in high school or band. I understand that by abiding by the laws of conversation this comes from the deeper sense of trying to find a common ground. Everybody should have played or tried an instrument at some point in their life. Music helps children develop skills and forms an outlet of energy and feelings for everyone. If you've read prior posts you are already familiar with my findings that adults play instruments for many different reasons ranging from recreation to business.

I often wonder why people stop playing instruments and making music. Most often I hear the lack of time as a reason or the interest in other hobbies. Although I believe that there are so many things in this world that are interesting and we generally only scratch the surface of what we try, I also believe in balance. Picking up an instrument every once in a while can be a welcome change of pace from going to the gym for the eighth time this week. Another reason I hear quite often is that people were not making progress or developing the skills they desired.

There can be a couple of reasons for the failure of reaching ones goals. First and foremost you need to practice. If you don't practice you will not see any improvements. Music doesn't give instant gratification and by sitting down for half an hour today you are not a stellar player tomorrow. You need to be aware of the hard work and commitment it takes to make music and improve instrumental skills.

Let's assume for a moment that you practice diligently. Do you have the right expectations? Do you have a clear image what you want to accomplish? Do you listen to music, listen to people that do what you are trying to achieve? Seriously, I have met quite a few people that I taught in my life that never listened to anything they wanted to play. I had students that wanted to go to college to study music. They wanted to play Jazz. Jazz is quite a big umbrella of styles so I was interested in their preference. Someone said Be-Bop and others just insisted on Jazz. When I asked about artists they listened to I got a blank stare. Others knew a few names to throw out there but when I inquired about albums or songs they listened to I got the same reaction. You cannot learn music if you don't listen. Listening to the charts does not help you develop skills and an ear for Jazz or Blues.

There is another reason why people quit playing their instruments. It's the teachers. Not every city has a music school. Not every primary school has a music class. While most of the teachers in music school have at least a degree and some knowledge of their instrument, a lot of people take lessons from individuals who offer music lessons. I am not saying that either one is bad. There are good individual teachers and good teachers in school. But there are also the bad and the ugly ones. There are teachers that push their own agendas instead of listening to students’ needs and desires. There are teachers that don't know how to teach or don't know how to play.

A good lesson should be driven by two forces: The basic knowledge about music that the teacher has to offer to the student and the goal of the student. No good teacher says my student only wants to play Metallica so that's what we do. If the student only wants to play Metallica he doesn't need a teacher, should go home and start practicing by listening to Metallica as I mentioned above. If the student wants to learn more about music and the instrument and the teacher has them practice scales in all 12 keys all day long the student will go home and quit playing.

A good teacher will offer their students insights on music and their instruments. They will offer practices to understand harmony, melody and rhythm. They will teach tonality and techniques. If you follow these simple rules you will actually have fun learning, playing and on the other side teaching. It is a win-win situation.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Final words on Idol (this season)

Two weeks after the finale of season 8 of American Idol I cannot resist offering up my thoughts on the season one last time. The truth is that Idol plays quite a significant role in today's entertainment industry. It doesn't only touch the music industry or television but also the internet and especially the blogosphere. While the music industry is changing rapidly, Idol has become one of the few opportunities for discovery of talent. Backed by this huge financial machine 19 entertainment can actually do what record companies used to do, invest in little known talent. Some make it and some don't but the losses of the flops are still more than re-gained by the sales of the stars.

Did you notice how many actual stars perform during the results shows? I thought this last year already; apparently Idol is the place to be. Some artists are there because the show can afford them and their presence brings in more viewers. Others are likely very inclined to show up to boost their popularity.

What about the contestants? I was very pleased to see an actual singer on the show this year. A person with talent, skills and actual training. What made Adam even more attractive in my mind (and turned me on to the show to see him perform or what he would do the next time) was his experience as a performer and the knowledge of what he was capable of. He never took on a song that he couldn't do or didn't achieve the effect that he intended to. This is even more impressive than his vocal technique. No other contestant has brought a great performance and arrangement every single week no matter what style in the history of the show. I watched a few of his performances back and get chills over and over again when I hear melodies developing and being executed in perfection. Also, while watching interviews I just noticed what a genuinely nice guy and open book Adam is. There's nothing fake about him that so many people accuse him of. The guy likes to perform. He likes to sing, dress up and stand in the spotlight. He also likes music and doesn't pay any disrespect.

What about the voting? Every year there are complaints about the voting being rigged and something fishy going on. Get over it. Conspiracy theories are everywhere, in politics, sports and entertainment. I am not surprised that the majority of viewers voted for the "conservative" candidate in the finale. I think he won for that reason and that reason only. Was he original? Not really. The toned down, half acoustic style has been exploited for a while now. None of the arrangements were really original. I wish Kris good luck in his future endeavors.

Did Adam get robbed? No. Adam made the best out of his appearance on Idol. The only person getting robbed was Alexis. When she had to leave prior to the TOP 10 it became clear that no one votes on talent. She was singing the TOP 4 under the table (with the exception of Adam) but her image didn't work with the public. This girl has music running in her veins and she has the skills to express it.

Let's see what the producers come up with next year to keep the number of viewers up and the buzz about the show going. I'll bring the popcorn.