Nils Rurack

You might have read the story about Wal-Mart refusing to sell Green Day's latest CD 21st Century Breakdown if they don't release a clean version without "objectionable content". Wow, that is a big pill to swallow. I can't even begin to tell you what a diversity of feelings that evoked in me from anger to frustration. I applaud Green Day for sticking to their guns and taking a pass on Wal-Mart. My wife and I used to make fun of Green Day in the heyday of pop-punk. Whenever a song would play on the radio or TV we would say: "sounds like Green Day to me". Although I am still not a fan of their music I have to give them kudos for not being afraid to speak out about current issues. My concerns in this matter come from the interpretive nature of the topic. A retail store can sell whatever they want to sell. An artist can create art freely unless they violate other's rights. There is art, especially in music, which is not suitable for all audiences. I agree...

Playing music is one of the best things you can do in this world. There are hundreds of reasons why you would want to play an instrument. You like to play for yourself and enjoy the music or you prefer to play with others and have fun together. You can play to relax or because you're curious. One of the interesting aspects of making music is that there is always something new to learn. As you're practicing and learning you are becoming better and more proficient, but with every step you take and every level you reach new doors and passages are opening up. In this day and age there is a conflict between the rising expectation of instant gratification and the study and practicing of skills. When I look around me I see more and more people acting results driven instead of purpose driven. While I would be the first person to acknowledge that we need both ways to succeed in our quest through life I noticed that there is no balance between them anymore. I am afraid and think it is a ...

So far, I have refrained from using this service to promote my personal activities. Today I will make an exception. It has been 4 months since I changed hosting providers and for the past 4 months I had only a placeholder page up at my website . Yesterday I finally uploaded a working site with informational material about myself and music samples to listen to. It's nothing fancy, just a few simple html pages. I still haven't gotten the hang of it and probably never will but the result is presentable. Also, I didn't put too mush time into it since there is so much else to do. Think about all the music I need to write and record, music I need to promote, kids I need to raise and last but not least my day job. I hope you will enjoy visiting my site and come back often as the content is dynamic. For the media sections I use youtube for videos and reverbnation as music-players. The blog links to this page and the bio pages are faily static until I have some great news to report....

Jeff Berlin is a great bass player. He is also a great teacher and engages in discussion with his friends, fans and students. Another characteristic that I like is that he is very opinionated and not afraid to issue his thoughts. In his words it is a waste of time to use a metronome when practicing your instrument because it doesn't help making you play better. You will reach the same level of proficiency by practicing without a metronome. Also, if you know how to play your instrument, you should be able to tune your instrument. Those are some powerful statements and they usually force many responses (especially from people that use these tools). In order to fully comprehend the message behind these statements I am going to introduce two scenarios that need clearly distinguished between: 1. Making music or learning an instrument 2. Making money with music or playing an instrument When I interpret Jeff's statements I immediately think about the first case. When learning or makin...

Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball and I could see what the future holds. The development of digital recording equipment and interfaces has occurred and continues to occur at such a rapid pace that it is sometimes hard to keep up. Technologies come and go, some work together and others are incompatible. One of my goals in my home studio is that I'm trying to create a better sound with every song I write and record. Also, I like to have a studio that is expandable and flexible. When I first started out recording my music I used a 4-track tape recorder with an Atari to create midi tracks. A Roland soundcanvas served as my only source of sounds. Granted, this was 20 years ago and sounded like crap. By the time I was able to upgrade my studio in the mid 90's there was a whole different world out there with hard disk recorders, Macintosh had long ago replaced Atari and samplers offered great audio capabilities and realistic sounding instruments. I chose a setup with my Mac at the...

In the ever changing landscape of the music business it is a constant struggle to stay afloat as an artist. As it has become easier for the individual to promote and distribute digital media it has become increasingly difficult to make a living in music. With a greater number of free downloads than ever before and the decline of physical CD sales artists now not only need to be marketing specialists but also continuously find new revenue streams. At this point it is almost necessary to have a business plan in place. Basically, you should answer a few simple questions for yourself to avoid wasting time and energy on a lot of endeavors with little return (if any). Who are your fans? Know who is interested in the type of music you play. Are there specific age groups or genders that like what you do? What can you do to appeal to your fans even more? How can you reach your fans and grow your fan base? Do you have a website, a mailing list, do you play live shows, and is your music played by...

In previous posts I have talked about musical expression when playing an instrument or singing. I tried to explain the basic components of a song and shared the vision of one of my favorite guitar players, Scott Henderson. When playing any style of music you need to know your basics like the rhythm, the harmonic and the melodic structures. To elevate your playing and add your interpretation to a song you utilize dynamics, phrasing and timing among others. There is one characteristic however that falls outside of all these categories. It's the tone. The tone is part of your actual instrumental skills. Yet at the same time it is probably the most personal touch in your play. The tone comes before the sound. It is what comes out of your fingers (or your throat when singing). Even drummers, who usually play without physical contact, create the tone with their body in the way they use their arms, hands and feet and the force and technique they apply when hitting the drums. Why is tone ...

Everyone has their own little favorite things. The special something that makes life easier, makes your work easier or is simply best suited for the job. The runner has the shoes that are the most comfortable for the foot, the graphic designer has Photoshop on their Macintosh and the mechanic swears by WD-40. Musicians like me have their own little pet peeves and favorite items that they can't do without anymore. Just imagine all the different things you're using on a daily basis. If I look at my studio, I see guitars of course and amps, an electric piano, a sampler, a Mac, a mixer, microphones and all kinds of other guitar gear. It is a collection of artifacts from the last 25 years. Some of my equipment is so vitally important to what I do that I could hardly live without it (or would have to spend a lot of money). As technology progresses and everything is getting bigger, better and cheaper some older products fall off the wagon. They didn't generate the revenue that was...

Every once in a while you listen to a CD or an album that has it all. It stays with you for years and you can listen to it almost at any time. One of those albums that has this effect on me is Strength in Numbers from the 24-7 Spyz . The Spyz are a Heavy Metal Soul crossover band from New York that started out in the late 80s. The driving forces behind the band are Jimi Hazel on guitars (and nowadays on vocals) and Rick Skatore on bass guitar. Initially, the band released a couple of albums with P. Fluid on vocals and Anthony Johnson on drums. The music on both albums was very diverse from straight up metal to soul and r&b type ballads. When Anthony Johnson and P. Fluid left the band, Joel Maitoza and Jeff Brodnax joined the band. Their label released the EP Harder Than You first to measure their marketability. Since they received a lot of praise they proceeded with the release of the full album Strength in Numbers. Strength in Numbers will rock your socks off. I have owned the CD ...

The internet offers endless possibilities. You can find everything. You can offer and promote everything easier than ever. The main impact of the internet is change. Change of the way we think, change of the way we do things and change to existing structures and processes. With change and the availability of an abundance of resources comes confusion. There are many areas where change and confusion have shaken things up, broken down barriers and created new opportunities. In the music industry the effects of the emerging new technology have been felt deeply. I have been thinking and reading about the state of the industry a lot lately. There is a wealth of opportunities for musicians. It is easier than ever to reach fans and sell music. It is easier to collaborate with others without being physically in the same location. There is a whole new market of licensing opportunities for online content. On the other hand, there are so many services and platforms that the artist can easily get o...

As much as I love music, I am obsessed with sound as well. It's like a compulsive disorder. When I listen to music sound plays an important role to complete the experience. Although I wouldn't go as far as the fanatic that will still argue ten years from now that the analog sound from vinyl beats digital quality by a mile any day there are huge differences in today's recordings. Sound can be affected on many levels. There are instruments with their specific sound, the mixture of instruments and sounds in a band, recording equipment, media and finally the broadcasting or amplification system. The end result, a combination of all of the above, can only be as good as the weakest individual link. You can have the highest quality recording on your disc of choice; if you listen to it through a pair of cardboard speakers it will sound abominable. You can have the latest high-end hifi surround sound system, if the studio used crappy microphones it will not sound good. I have to mak...