One of the mantras my students hear is, “Music is a language. It’s not like a language. It is a language.” It’s easy to consider the idea of music as a language as metaphorical, but I contend that it is quite literal.… Continue Reading
Let me begin by stating that I love tablature. I use it a lot, both in practice and in my lessons. When I have an idea for a lick, I often write it down on tablature paper. Sometimes I compose… Continue Reading
Eric at jazzadvice.com has written a pretty solid article on why jazz musicians shouldn’t rely too heavily on the Real Book. Read it here. I’ll follow up with some of my own thoughts: Real Book Origins and Use The Real… Continue Reading
2016 has been brutal for music fans. Today, we add the artist usually known as Prince to the list of recently departed pop music greats. Prince’s impact was certainly felt by all fans of rock and pop music: Not only… Continue Reading
Today, we lost a Beatle. As brilliant as the four official members were, we hold their work in such high regard largely because of George Martin’s contributions. He involved himself with their creative process, introducing them to new sounds and helping… Continue Reading
I recently encountered a lengthy article detailing the history of famous rock musicians’ involvement with the occult. Read it here: Devil Music: A History of the Occult in Rock & Roll It’s no secret that rock artists have used occult themes in… Continue Reading
No One’s Listening. Why? Jazz can be as sophisticated as classical music, but with a beat. This gives jazz the potential to capture the interest of “casual” listeners, i.e. those who usually opt for less challenging (threatening?) popular styles, while… Continue Reading
Craig Havighurst recently posted an article at Cuepoint titled The Devaluation of Music: It’s Worse Than You Think. In the article, he explains how he feels “starving artists” have been affected negatively by circumstances beyond piracy and streaming royalties. As I have done with another… Continue Reading
My friends at TakeLessons have posted an article titled “5 Tips on How to Get Your Child to Practice Piano,” which I think applies to any instrument. The problem with practice is that is can seem like work. When it… Continue Reading