Saturday, January 9, 2010
15 MINUTE MAGIC
Guitar students of mine often ask me h get out of a rut. To be stuck in a rut is frustrating but not necessarily a bad thing. Staying in touch with things you know is good as long as you are learning some new things along the way. A great way to get out of a rut is to practice something new every day. There are so many things that we don't know or understand that it is easy to pick something. And by the way, 15 minutes with some new concept is all you need to do. For example, maybe work on the first four bars of Giant Steps, learn a new scale or arpeggio, solo over an odd time signature, solo exclusively with wide intervals, learn that harmonized harmonic minor scale that you have been putting off forever, etc. There are so many things to do! I promise you, if you do this even for one month, you will see how much it benefits you. You will look forward to this time every day! This 15 minute concept is one of those things that most of us know we should do but never seem to get around to doing. Trust me - just do it!
From: Central PA Friends Of Jazz Newsletter (Mar/Apr issue 2010)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
DIZZY QUOTE
"Some people think of a note, then attach a rhythm to it. Some people think of a rhythm, then attach a note to it."
-- DIZZY GILLESPIE
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER
This article is about being true to yourself as an artist by recognizing that you have something unique to offer. This sounds like something that should be very obvious but there are many things that can obscure this truth and therefore hold us back from being our best creative selves.
One of the easiest traps to get caught in is what I call the strongest man syndrome, a very prevalent mindset these days. Many people think that whoever can play the fastest or play the most notes is the best just like the person who lifts the most weight is recognized as the strongest (the best). This type of thinking does not apply to music and the arts in general. For example, how could we possibly compare (and therefore determine a winner) the sparse minimalism of guitarist Bill Frisell to the dense sheets of sound of guitarist Allan Holdsworth? They are both GREAT players and yet so vastly different. They are incomparable.
Another trap that we can succumb to is the ego trap. When thinking of the ego, we often think of the classic scenario of someone who has an over-inflated view of themselves (just one example of the ego). But the ego can mean many things including such subtleties as getting very nervous when you recognize other musicians in the audience or getting upset at yourself if you play a bad note. The list can go on and on! These situations will inhibit the music. True are/performance has nothing to do with the ego. For those of you, who are musicians, think about some of your best performances. Those performances were times when you were of NO MIND, you were in the zone. The ego was on the sidelines! Like a friend of mine says, IF THE MUSIC IS GOING TO FLOW, THE EGO HAS GOT TO GO.
Believe in YOUR concept of music. However you play is how you play! Celebrate in that uniqueness. If you truly believe in your approach to music it will translate to the audience. Remember too that no matter how well you play, there will be people who just do not like the way you play. To them, maybe you play too inside, or too outside, or maybe they just do not relate to the way you phrase things or maybe they just can not stand your note choices! Man it could be anything ya know? Tastes and opinions vary and always will. Just by recognizing this reality can make us feel a whole lot better about our personal musical vision.
Every year that goes by, as we continue to work on our craft, we get closer to total acceptance. We get closer to being at peace with ourselves. We connect with our true selves and play our best when we are at peace.
From: Central PA Friends Of Jazz Newsletter (Jan/Feb issue 2010)
Friday, February 4, 2011
COMPOSITION MASTER CLASS
COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES MASTER CLASS NOW AVAILABLE
This class deals with "off the path", avant garde compositional concepts. If your writing needs a jump
start, these techniques will do it for you! AVAILABLE AT: www.mikesmasterclasses.com
Sunday, February 13, 2011
CHARLES IVES QUOTE
"STAND UP AND TAKE YOUR DISSONANCE LIKE A MAN" -- Charles Ives
Now you gotta love that!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
GREAT QUOTE!
This is an awesome quote from jazz drummer, Phil Haynes:
"If people are being cautious, they are unlikely to be brilliant! Aha, experiences
don't happen when you are being cautious."