One of the things I have to consider when I’m doing my weekly lesson planning is how each student will handle what I’m going to present in their lesson, or more specifically, how will they deal with the “hard parts” of an exercise or song. Because more than anything, I want them to succeed and feel good about their playing. That’s one of the main reasons they come to me for guitar lessons and I’ve never forgotten that simple but oh so important fact.
0 Comments
One of my online friends who has been following my ramblings for quite a few years often sends me thought provoking ideas for this blog, which are much appreciated. I’ve never met Tony O. as he is a half a world away in Australia but I do consider him a friend and I hope one day we’ll actually be able to sit down together and do some playing. Tony is blessed to have a wide range of music-playing friends, both in organized groups and at yearly events where many guitarists gather for song-swapping, impromptu sessions of variable size and other cool events. I am jealous! What he is doing is often referred to as a jam session.
Making music with others is one of the true joys of being alive, as far as I’m concerned. But to the uninitiated it can be a bit daunting if not downright scary. In the last couple of years I’ve been doing more casual musical get-togethers than I have in a long time and I’ve noticed a few things that often are the difference between having a great time and disappointment on both a personal and observational level. Tony was nice enough to send me a long email with details about his experiences and we both came to the same conclusion almost simultaneously (as much as something can be simultaneous via email anyway!): Having fun and also learning something at a jam session would be a great idea for a blog entry. So, here goes… What is absolutely essential is “checking your ego at the door.” This does NOT mean denigrating your own ability. We all know what we know; whether or not that is important in a larger sense as we approach unrehearsed musical encounters is really up to the participant but I do know this: I’ve seen plenty of recreational guitarists who know a dozen or so chords and a couple of serviceable strumming patterns have a grand time playing with much more experienced players with wider musical vocabularies. How can this be? First of all, don’t expect to know every song that will be played. More on song ideas to bring to jam sessions later, but for now, just expect to “go with the flow.” In most modern popular music - folk, country, blues, Americana, singer/songwriter, rock - the overall form of songs is hardly ever very complicated. For a song to be popular it needs to be repetitive and fairly predictable. It also is pretty easy to identify elements in a song you’ve never heard that remind you of a song you HAVE heard and played. This is why it’s sometimes a good idea to just listen to the first verse or so before you dive in. If you can identify chord sequences before jumping in you have a head start on being able to play it when the next verse or chorus comes around. But wait….I’m getting ahead of myself. Time to back up. Finding open jam sessions can be a chore; word of mouth works from time to time but I think being pro-active is a better strategy. This is an instance where we can utilize social media to a very positive end. In my area there are many Facebook groups that offer information on music gatherings of like-minded players, beginners, more experienced players who welcome players with a wide range of abilities, fans of a particular musical genre and more. In most cases those groups welcome new members and by asking a few questions you will most likely find regular gatherings at places like community centers, churches, libraries, parks (when the weather is decent), cafes and restaurants on “off” nights. You could even start a Facebook group under the heading of something like “Thursday Night Jams at (fill in the blank)” - you’ll be amazed at the response. So, let’s say you’ve found what seems to be a friendly and chill open jam and you decide to try it out. What’s the first thing you should do when sitting down to play, regardless of how many players there may be? Tune up!!! In this modern age of inexpensive digital tuners there is absolutely no reason to play an out-of-tune guitar. Nothing will drive your new music mates crazier than someone whose guitar is painfully out of tune. Take your time tuning. It doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect - very few guitars ever are for an extended period of time - but this is one element of playing with others that you DO have control over. Now, the biggie. What to play, song-wise. Some players I’ve known have expressed their surprise at how many songs are repeated session after session at established jam sessions. This is because popular sessions often attract the same players week after week or month after month and some of them only know a handful of songs. This is not a bad thing; those songs tend to be “ice breakers,” tunes that most everyone knows and can play reasonably well. Depending upon how long a session lasts, as it progresses some participants will begin throwing out lesser known songs and I think this is where the real fun starts. It’s a great way to discover new songs (and the artists who created them). Hearing new songs played by people who are more or less on your level is way more impactful than hearing a new song on the radio or streamed on some streaming service. If a new-to-you song is played without studio production values there is a huge psychological benefit. Hey, you say to yourself. I really like that song and wow - it doesn’t look that hard to play at all! Taken a step further, this becomes a great way to make new friends by asking the person who brought the song to the session if they could show it to you. In most cases, showing up at a jam session and hanging back to just quietly play along is perfectly fine. But after hanging back for a session or two, to be a true participant you should do your best to get up the courage to “call a song.” It does NOT have to be anything fancy, just something reasonably well known that has not been played. Classic country tunes are great for doing this. “Three chords and the Truth” as Willie famously said, and the vast majority of the participants will know them. Some sessions have a defined structure, i.e., participants can lead two or three songs before another person calls them. But understand that you are under no obligation whatsoever to call a song or songs. Some people never do and always have a wonderful time. So….take a chance! Get out there and attend a jam session if you can. My dear friend Frank K. joined one a few years ago in his small town in Pennsylvania and he has told me many times that it was and is nothing short of a rebirth in his enjoyment of music. His experience can be yours, too. Go for it!! Peace & good music, Gene Remember me? I’m the guitar guy who used to be pretty prompt with new blog posts. For various reasons with outright laziness being at the top of the list, I ask your forgiveness. I WILL be better about checking in here in the future, promise! And as always I welcome your input, ideas, comments, disagreements, anything that is guitar and/or music related. I’d also sincerely appreciate you recommending my blog and my site to your friends and relations. It’s a bit daunting to think back through my musical adventures since I last posted but a few stick out in my mind. The one that has been the most gratifying is a tweak in my overall outlook on playing music with others. That tweak has produced some musical moments I will never forget. This may sound a bit strange or even somewhat egotistical but if you are a professional musician one of the unwritten laws is that you should always endeavor to play with musicians who are on your “level,” whatever the heck that means. Why? Because playing with those types will help you progress and challenge you to be more analytical about your playing. It is also a great way to add to your repertoire and maybe learn some new tricks or approaches to stuff you already know. This does happen, for sure. Nothing like a bit of a slap musically speaking to regain your focus and switch off the autopilot that sometimes controls your playing. I’ve written in the past about the relative merits of the conjunction of ego and ability and how it affects what you play and even how you conduct your life on a larger level. I think for the most part ego gratification is NOT a good thing when it comes to playing music with others. It’s almost always men who let their ego rule how they approach playing any musical instrument. No surprise there, ladies. Right? Some of the best musicians I know or have played with - the truly great ones - are universally modest about their music and ability. They are always ready to listen to their others and in their world, there are no stupid questions. But in my experience anyway, go back one tier to those who are very, very good but not great and you’ll sometimes find this is where ego can overwhelm whatever skill they may possess. I strongly suspect this is the way it’s always been. Those second-tier players are easy to spot. They are disdainful of anyone who uses anything less than the very best guitar money can buy. They watch and listen to other musicians with a thinly disguised smirk on their faces. Now, how does this affect me? Well, in recent years it all has to do with not showcasing my own abilities, such as they are, to other players. In the last couple of years I’ve witnessed or taken part in some wonderfully gratifying music-making with players who may have only known a few chords; some were even severely challenged while trying to tune up. I’m totally embarrassed to say this but there was a time not so long ago that I would have viewed playing with these types of guitarists as a total waste of time. But as Hank sang: “I saw the Light.” What changed? Well, for one thing I’ve finally understood - and accepted - a really basic fact. Recreational players want to play songs they are familiar with. And if they’re fortunate enough to have friends or loved ones who encourage their musical passion….even better! Some of the questions I always ask new students is are: How important was music in a general sense in their families as they were growing up? Did they play any other instruments at a young age? Did their parents or other relations? I absolutely believe the answers to those questions play a much, much bigger part than they might realize in how they approach music and their capacity to learn. These days I only teach adults; just why this is has a somewhat complicated answer that is worthy of a blog post all by itself, so for now I’ll hold onto that and dig into it in a later post. I often get raw beginners who will say something to the effect of: “No, in my house it was all about sports. There just wasn’t the time to devote to learning to play a musical instrument. There was always another practice or game to be part of and to my parents (especially my dad) the idea of missing one of those things was unconscionable. Spending a half-hour trying to subdue a clarinet or a trumpet that seemed to only want to emit high volume squeaks can be very discouraging. And emptying the “spit valve” was downright disgusting!” There are certainly thousands upon thousands of people who did (and still do) manage to combine competitive team sports with the serious study of a musical instrument. Do they have some personal super-power I failed to realize? A dear friend of mine from way back in my college days was here for a visit recently along with his wife. Frank and I have maintained a close and wonderful friendship for all those years. He is truly a lover of music and has played mandolin for decades. In the last few years he has focused on harmonica and his skills have advanced very quickly. Frank is a member of a weekly jam session in his small town in the hills in Pennsylvania and he absolutely LOVES being able to play with others, regardless of the music that is played. He has told me time and time again just how important that experience is to him. New friendships have developed and both he and his wife Darlene have gotten to know people who they may not have met if not for the shared musical experience. Over the years he’s been playing with those folks he makes it very clear that he might have given up on playing music if not for his group. I love seeing him so happy when he plays. Oh, and one more thing. Frank is blind. Last month I went out to Wyoming for my annual trout fishing trip. I always stay at the wonderful Copperline Lodge in Saratoga. The fishing, scenery and vibe there are beyond amazing. But every year one aspect of my trips has become more and more important and gratifying. My friend and owner of the Lodge, Dan Pont and I play together every evening in the main room and Dan has about a half-dozen instruments hanging on the wall. Guests are encouraged to take one down and join in. You never know who will take part but the joy of playing together is palpable. In fact, our nightly little jam sessions have become the highlight of my times at the Lodge. I will continue to make the journey out there as long as I can. Closer to home, about a year or so ago a local guitarist and his wife (mandolin and fiddle are her instruments, which she plays very well) developed an open mic night at a local bar/restaurant. Its popularity grew very quickly. So much so in fact that a week or so ago the final open mic was held - the place has been sold and apparently the new owners don’t want it to happen anymore. Manny and Linda are searching for a new location so all is not lost. Well, last week Manny welcomed just about everyone who lives locally and have played “Manny’s Open Mic” over the last year to come on down for The Last Waltz - and show up they did! My grandchildren were visiting and almost eight-year old Clara and I knew we HAD to take part. She and I have been performing together since she was a little over 3 years old, and if there is one thing that Clara loves more than anything else, it is performing. Dance classes, singing along with every song her mom puts on the car radio, drama, you name it, she is truly remarkable (said the overindulgent and proud Papa) and her younger sister Adeline has a remarkably good ear. Clara and I did one of Manny’s open mics last winter and she was a huge hit. So much so that according to what Manny told me later, seeing Clara’s performance helped his own granddaughter get up the nerve to play a few songs on her flute and recorder. She too was a big hit. I had texted Manny earlier that we were hoping to do a couple songs and after viewing the assembled masses outside and inside he was kind enough to put us second on the list of performers, which judging by the number of guitar cases being bumped through the audience was a very good thing. Manny’s granddaughter and a few of her friends went on first. The days of Clara and I doing “The Itsy-bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus” are long gone. Her mom (our daughter Joanna) texted me about a month ago that Clara had heard and would love to do a song called “Clara Bow” for obvious reasons. That song is by……Taylor Swift (!). Now, I respect TS for all she’s done but I don’t often (OK, never) receive requests for her songs but hey, if my Clara wants to do a TS song, so it shall be! We rehearsed it many times before its debut. Not that Clara needed much rehearsal; as with an astounding number of songs she had memorized the lyrics after listening to the original twice (!!). We opened with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” which we’ve done many times and then went into “Clara Bow.” She absolutely nailed it. The reaction of the listeners was enthusiastic, to say the least. And the smile on her face is forever burned into my memory. Thanks Manny, you helped this old guitar banger and his precious granddaughter have a moment neither of us will ever forget. What is the point here? All the above were “life lessons” for me, important parts of my rediscovery of just why I play music. It’s the music itself of course and the way it makes me feel and being able to observe the joy it brings others as they create music, regardless of how simple and unadorned it may be. But more than anything it’s the way music helps us connect as human beings in this troubled world. I can’t think of anything else that does this in such a wonderful way. Peace & good music, Gene A few weeks or so ago I received another email from my buddy in Australia, Tony Obermeit. Tony and I became acquainted a few years ago when he found this site and sent along some very complimentary comments about it, especially the blog section. I love getting comments - and not just the complimentary ones! - and before long we had a great back-and-forth exchange of ideas that continues to this day.
Right now, Tony and his wife are on an epic year-long journey around the entire circumference of his home country, pulling a trailer and stopping at some incredible places along the way judging by the pictures I see on Facebook. I am jealous! I think everyone here in the U.S. should attempt such a thing; this country has some truly spectacular areas that sadly, most people will not make the effort to see. I’ve been blessed to experience a lot of them and it has definitely helped shape my perspective on so many things. Sorry for the digression from today’s topic, which is what Tony and I call “The Zone.” Since I’ve known Tony via the wonders of email (we have never met in person but I so hope to some day!) I’ve watched him progress from raw beginner to an accomplished guitar player. It’s been very cool to observe from afar. I’ve said here and to my students, other musicians and friends that I so wish I could do my first year or two all over again. After getting past the initial couple of months of frustration and pain the joy of discovery overtakes almost anything else. What can I do this week that I couldn’t do last week? Oh…so THAT’S why you use this finger on that chord instead of the one I’ve been using! And so much more… But after almost 60 years of playing the guitar and teaching for close to 50 of those years, I must measure my progress in terms of: What can I do this YEAR that I couldn’t do last year??! Part of that, probably the major part is some degree of laziness on my part. Surely, not practicing as much as I should is a huge factor and having my head up my @ss about what constitutes “good” music vs. bad held me back for an embarrassingly long time. However, about 30 or so years ago I found myself entering The Zone from time to time and that was and is wonderful! The Zone is, put simply, a state of mind where one can completely relax and just kind of let things happen, sometimes very creative things that would not reveal themselves otherwise. Once experienced, it is frustrating to be outside of The Zone. So what follows is a basic outline of how you can find it and hopefully enter it more often than not. It starts with knowing a song or piece of music as perfectly as you possibly can. Easy for me to say, right? Here’s the thing: playing and memorizing some very basic and fundimentally uncomplicated songs is the way to go because if you are confident in your version of a song, even simple ones, the door is open to relaxation, even bliss. But to boil it down even more, what is the definition of musical relaxation? There are always conflicting circumstances that will battle your quest for musical relaxation and there is no question that ego enters into the equation. For me, being relaxed when I play - and definitely when I perform - starts with physical comfort. Little things like how comfortable is the chair I’m using? I use a folding guitar player’s stool made by On-Stage, model DT7500, which has a padded seat and a foot rest bar about 12 inches from the floor that allows me to rest a foot on it (the leg which supports the guitar). It also has an open, padded circular holder for the neck of the guitar that extends from beneath the seat and padded supports for the guitar body that fold down, which means I can leave a guitar stand home - one less thing to carry to gigs. I am 5’10” tall and this stool (the third one I’ve owned) is just right in terms of height, plus it is light weight and folds down to being almost flat for easy transport. I do miss having a back rest though (like the less portable stools in my studio) and I have my eye on a stool made by Gator that does have one, plus what appears to be better padding. So, from the get-go I know I will be comfortable in a sitting/playing position. Another essential is having my guitar as easy to play as possible. That means keeping the action adjusted to where I like it but also optimizing the “feel” of it. I absolutely hate sticky-feeling guitars! That is always an issue in the summer when it’s hot and humid here on Cape Cod. I pay special attention to the back side of the neck because I absolutely MUST be able to move smoothly from one area of the neck to another. I am a big fan of the remarkable products made by Music Nomad (you can see them in the Guitars, Amps and Ukulele section of this site) and before I play I always apply some of the cleaner/polish to the back of the neck and using a dry cloth, rub it into the neck and thoroughly buff it off. So, assuming those physical aspects of being comfortable and relaxed are taken care of, I can get into the music. Depending upon the circumstances (a gig, playing with friends or by myself in the studio) I ALWAYS begin with a fairly simple and uncomplicated piece of music. It is a dead-certain reality that if I start with something harder and mess it up, that unpleasantness will affect a lot that comes later. This is where the dreaded ego factors rear their ugly heads. I want to play as best as I can - we all do - but somewhere in the back of my mind I remember playing a complex song to perfection, and man, did that feel good! I want that experience again! But the likelihood of that happening right from the start is slim, at best. Then my ego leads to frustration and that too can keep me out of The Zone. So: keep things simple from the very first note! The last thing I’ll address is very simple and very much overlooked by 95% of the musicians I’ve seen. Take a few deep breaths before launching into your first piece of music. That allows your “musical brain” to focus. My guitar hero, the British jazz guitarist Martin Taylor makes a point to do some simple yoga right before he performs if time allows and I can understand why. Sooner or later, you WILL find The Zone, I promise! It is that point where you are totally relaxed and at the same time, totally focused. Because focused you must be!! Allowing yourself to go into auto-pilot mode will lead to disaster. And for me anyway, those disasters can snowball into more and even worse ones. Playing the guitar can be a hugely positive and life-changing experience and for most of us….it is! If you always remember to “be your own best friend” and push back your ego The Zone will always be within reach. Peace & good music, Gene No matter what the future holds I will always have a soft place in my heart for Key West. Over trips to that town and extended stays in the area for the last 15 years I’ve come to love the quirky character - and characters! - in that southernmost outpost of the continental U.S. I don’t know of any other place that has so much live music ranging from the single performer with a guitar (or in one instance, a keyboard; more on that person later!) to full bands and plenty of duos and trios. Make no mistake: in almost all instances that live music is available in bars and a few restaurants but sometimes there are concerts in larger venues. I’ve heard the full range of musical abilities over those many years, ranging from guys who barely knew a half dozen chords, all played with the only strum pattern the player knows to absolute world-class musicians. I’ve tried to stick with an attitude I worked to embrace a decade or so ago: Hey, the guy has a gig, God bless him and good luck. Back in my younger days I was just the opposite. If a player was just plain awful I would quickly finish my drink and move on down the road. The change in attitude was brought about by not focusing on the player as much but by watching the audience. If people were buying food and drink and appeared to be having a good time, the player was doing his or her job so who was I to cast dispersion on their efforts? I usually succeed in holding onto that outlook these days although it might not seem that way after you finish this blog entry but please believe me, I wish only good things for ANYONE I hear performing. (One of the good things might be learning a few new chords, ha!) This April I spent four weeks in town with my wife Kathy. We had some family and friends visit during that time, which was great because sharing experiences is an integral part of vacationing in my opinion. The spots we frequented for live music were, in no particular order: Two Friends, Blue Parrot, Little Room Jazz Bar, Smokin’ Tuna, El Meson de Pepe’s and Schooner Wharf. We totally ignored the places that are on most Key West visitor’s check list, especially the bars on what I call Vomit Corner on Duval Street (for obvious reasons): Sloppy Joe’s, Irish Kevin’s, Capt. Tony’s, others… Loud, loud guitar bangers who make it a point to spice up their acts by dropping the f-bomb as often as possible. In many cases the sound of the house PA systems actually hurt my ears. But hey, those places are always filled at night so who’s to say they are doing anything wrong? We also heard lots of music while walking Duval and nearby streets and occasionally we would stop to listen for a little while. Sometimes we heard performers I might want to hear more of, but the places were either packed or the music was just too loud for my old ears. And then there is the subject of repertoire. It must be some kind of secret law that your set lists are required to lean heavily on the Holy Key West Music Triumvirate: John Mellencamp, Bob Seger and most importantly, Tom Petty. If you’re playing a place that encourages sing-alongs, “Take Me Home, Country Road” is an absolute must with “Sweet Caroline” a close second. But hey, defaulting to my attitude described earlier, listeners appeared to be having a great time so score one for the guitar banger! Look, I totally know that playing in a rowdy bar is about as far away from a concert experience as it possibly could be. If playing Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” with the immortal line “So let’s get to the point, let’s roll another joint!” pumps up the crowd (who will surely be thirstier after singing along), again, the performer has fulfilled his mission. On the other end of the spectrum are the upper tier musicians who play regularly in Key West. The best of the best in my opinion is a keyboard player named Ericson Holt. I discovered him about ten years ago playing in the best “adult” bar in town, Little Room Jazz Club. That room has a nice stage, excellent acoustics and most of the musicians they book are very talented. Despite the name, the Little Room features not only jazz but sometimes blues and Ericson’s bluesy, weathered voice, phenomenal playing (closer to New Orleans style than straight ahead blues), great originals plus tastefully rendered covers make him an absolute must if you are a music lover and are going to visit Key West. He has a new CD available called “99 Degrees” and it’s great. Recently, Ericson won four of the top six awards in the inaugural Key West Music Awards and they were richly deserved. He is also one cool guy without trying to be and over those ten years of hearing him dozens and dozens of times (sometimes as a soloist, sometimes with his regular drummer Mick Kilgos) I’ve come to know him quite well. To my mind, he is the definition of a super talented work-a-day professional musician: approachable, dedicated to his music and performing it, and keeping a gig schedule that would burn out a lesser talent. Buy his CDs, download his music, or better yet buy them from him at one of his many shows. You will not be disappointed, promise! A few of the single guitarist/singers I heard were close to Ericson in the ways I just mentioned. And a few of the bands I heard were very good also. Live music is supported in Key West on a level that is extremely rare and I will miss that scene as this most likely will be my last visit to that town that holds so many great memories. The reason I say that this will be the last time is quite simple. The prices of everything in Key West - especially accommodations - has risen to unheard-of, borderline absurd levels. Yes, it’s likely KW is not alone in this but the difference between what was available a few years ago and now reached the tipping point for me. There are many thousands of rooms available in the town including hotels, condos, guest houses and short-term apartments and houses but a new vibe - greed - has crept in to the equation. I understand that accommodation providers will always price their offerings at what the market will bear and there seemed to be no lack of visitors in town, even at the back end of prime tourist season. Slick restaurants seem to pop up at an ever-increasing rate and posh resorts line the waterfront in some areas of town. Speaking with locals you hear the same story again and again: I have to work three jobs to cover my expenses. I don’t know how much longer I can stay here… One has to wonder if Key West as I’ve known it is quickly disappearing. Back when I started visiting, the unofficial town motto was: Keep Key West Weird! There is a serious possibility that the changes in Key West will destroy the very reasons people wanted to go there in the first place. But you still have time, if your pockets are deep. You can still go to the free Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square and watch the jugglers and acrobats. You can still find great half-price apps and drinks at many places to keep your food bills down. And you can still find some great music at the places I mentioned above. So, go. And if you do and make a point to catch Ericson Holt at one of the many places he plays, tell him Gene says hi, and that he misses you killing “New Coat of Paint.” Peace & good music, Gene After a long, long hiatus from blog entries I thought I’d proceed. It’s time. For those of you who have been faithful readers over the ten-plus years I’ve been posting stuff here, my sincerest apologies for being lax. I’ll try to explain just why.
As some of you know, for a number of years in the early 2000s I was the editor of a fishing and boating magazine and television show here in New England called On The Water. Fishing is a close third in my passions right behind my family and music. Having the opportunity to solicit, write and edit fishing stories, take part in television production, hold seminars at fishing shows, write guide books and interact with readers, writers and characters in that world was a blast…..for a while, anyway. It’s not worth getting into why I chose to leave that world (not the actual fishing part, I still do that on almost a daily basis!) but one of the main reasons was I found that essentially I was reading and editing the same story over and over and over. Some might say I was not enough of a hard-ass with the writers; I should have pushed them harder to produce more interesting and unique content for the magazine. But frankly, most stories about fishing tend to be the same with slightly different spins on well-known subjects. Also, advertising prerogatives began to overshadow editorial content. I was a dinosaur I guess… Thinly disguised “adver-torial” stories began to dominate magazine content (not just in fishing magazines, I might add) with the blessing of publishers, something that was abhorrent to me. Time to move on. At the same time, music was calling me back. I never really was away from it, how could I be? My whole family on my dad’s side were professional musicians back many, many generations. My brother John had a wonderful career in symphonic classical music and he still teaches and performs from time to time. I think I did a pretty fair job of handing down my love of music to my son and daughter. And I’m blessed to be married to a lady who understands the hold that music has on me. This blog is nothing more than an outlet for me to document things I’ve learned over the close to 60 years (!!!) I’ve been playing the guitar. Observations, hints, experiences, victories and defeats, they’re all here for anyone to see. It’s therapeutic - yes! - but I hope I’ve tweaked curiosity in my faithful readers and also contributed to some extent to their understanding and ability. Which brings me around to why you haven’t heard from me for quite a while. Sometimes what I’ve posted is nothing more than random snippets of information and observations. Whenever possible I try to go into the writing of a post with a general outline in my head and a fairly clear idea of what I want to put across. I always welcome comments and suggestions. But…I don’t want to be like some of those so-called “outdoor writers” that I used to deal with at On The Water and just rehash subjects with tiny differences in subject matter. If I don’t have anything to say that will be of interest to my readers, I just wait until something that I hope will be interesting comes to mind. Sometimes that takes quite a while! So - again - sorry for my lapse in posting blog entries for the last few months and I sincerely hope you enjoy them. So, if you’re still with me, here goes. I’ll file it under something like “Music heard and played in Florida, 2022.” Our first month was spent in Sarasota. It was our second time staying there for a month and we have come to really love that small city; the options for activities are many and often surprising. One of the best was a classical guitar concert by Peruvian-born guitarist Jorge Caballero and it was absolutely phenomenal. We had great seats thanks to a friend from Falmouth who subscribes to the seasonal concert series put on by Guitar Sarasota, a very active classical guitar society who sponsor five concerts every winter and early spring. My knowledge of current classical guitar masters is almost nil, something that is truly embarrassing. My last full concert of classical guitar music took place at Boston’s Symphony Hall in the mid 1970s, by the legendary Segovia, who passed away soon after. It was fantastic, one of my life-list concerts that I treasure. Jorge Caballero is known for his transcriptions of full symphonic works by composers such as Claude Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov. His physical technique was mind-blowing. I swear, his fingers appeared to be 12 inches long and he took on some pieces that would never be even attempted by anyone less than a master-level guitarist. His concert was in two parts and he concluded the first part with a piece called Capriccio Diabolico (Omaggio a Paganini) by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Before he started that piece he said to the audience, “Wish me luck on this one!” You hear this sometimes from musicians of all genres and I always take that statement with a grain of salt as it often means: Listen to this really, really hard piece I’m about to play. I can play it really well and I want you to know how good I really am! But in this case, I had the feeling he really meant it. It is a monster piece requiring everything a master classical guitarist can muster and Jorge totally owned it, although I thought I heard a sigh of relief when he reached the end! I am looking into buying tickets for Guitar Sarasota concerts for next March and April when we will return for a full two months. Also in Sarasota, we went to a great funky bar/showroom called the Blue Rooster that is designed as a New Orleans-style food and music venue. The food was authentic and tasty and the 6-piece ‘80s style funk-rock band playing that night was GREAT! There is nothing like a great band with horns. Sadly, soon after we left Sarasota the place closed for good as the 71-year-old owner wanted to step away from the business. We’ll just have to some other places for music and there are many of them in and near the city. I may even try to pick up some gigs there. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the Sarasota area that feature a wide range of music. It was gratifying to find that almost all the places we passed or heard about do not take the easy way out and default to karaoke in place of live music as often seems to be the case up North. In Part 2 I’ll get into the music scene (and other observations) in Key West where we spent the second month of our Florida adventure. Yes, it was fun as always in that town but things are changing quickly there, and in many cases not for the good. I’ll get that post up in the next few days, promise! And again, thanks for hanging in with me. Peace & Good Music, Gene II know you’re doing your best to keep everything in perspective regarding the seemingly endless bad news about the virus. My family sure is, but it’s so, so hard when we are bombarded with more and more bad news. And while we have managed to avoid all the various mutations and variations with new ones showing up on what seems a weekly basis I don’t know how much longer we can keep it from touching us. Various news outlets sometimes seem to be competing to break the news of a new variant on the horizon. This disgusts me.
We long for the good old days - which in fact were only about 2 ½ years ago - and feel helpless. We wonder if we’ll ever be able to gather as we once did without exposing our loved ones and ourselves to this scourge. But hey, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. In the music world I often see much more hopeful information, thank goodness. Yes, performances have been curtailed, postponed or cancelled but innovative players have found ways to generate at least a fraction of the income they once enjoyed, playing in smaller venues, online concert events and even house concerts. From a listener’s point of view this is often quite wonderful; only a couple short years ago there was often no way you could be “up close and personal” with well-known musicians at the top of their game. My experiences over the last 2 ½ years have mirrored what all professional musicians are dealing with albeit on a much more modest scale. Thank goodness - no, thank you Kathy Hickey, owner of the Daily Brew and all my loyal students - I’ve managed to stay afloat. Sad to say, this latest variant has already cost me well over $500 due to cancelled lessons (but I do sincerely thank the students who did not want to risk exposing me to the virus) and apparently we still have not reached the peak of new cases on a day to day basis here on Cape Cod. At the same time, I have heard of and experienced many wonderful moments. Here are a few. Overall, students I presently have and a few who used to take lessons and I have stayed in touch with have reported that playing their guitars has taken them to a deeper love of music and playing during these troubled times. For a few minutes of hours a person can mentally push away the relentless bad news and focus on something that truly does soothe the soul. I feel that way too. I have seen my tip glass that I set out at the Daily Brew fill up faster and with larger bills. And more than a few times customers have sincerely thanked me for being there; in many cases my playing has been the first contact with live music they’ve had since the start of the pandemic and they are grateful that I’m there. When someone expresses those feelings I feel true joy regardless if they leave a tip or not. This is NOT taken as an ego boost; hopefully, I moved past that many years ago. Knowing that my playing has touched someone is one of the primary reasons I’ve continued playing at the Brew for the last twelve years. Maybe it’s because I am fortunate enough to live a wonderful small New England town but I have seen and heard of many, many kind gestures by strangers that might never have happened in “normal” times. From things like “paying it forward” in the line at a doughnut shop (paying for the order of a person who is next in line at the take-out window). Being much more aware of the needs of our neighbors and making their days more tolerable - I am blessed to have a next door neighbor who was kind enough to do just that: run an extension cord over from their whole-house generator after a severe storm we had couple months ago. Doing things for a person in need with absolutely no thoughts of being paid to do it, sometimes even anonymously. Learning patience with the understanding that no one’s job is as it was before. Most of us are still in the early stages of accepting the outcome of a task and how long it may take but I see a positive step in that direction. We had become used to almost instant gratification in every aspect of our lives, but was that really such a great thing? If we have to wait a bit for something we might have bought on a whim, critical thinking comes into play much more often. And to my mind anyway, that critical thinking can save us a lot of money. I know this to be true because a beautiful Epiphone Riviera (out of stock just about everywhere) that popped up in a Facebook ad does NOT live with me! The importance of kindness in our every-day lives used to be something that was easy to overlook, for me anyway. Kindness and compassion are appreciated on a much deeper level these days, for both parties involved. I see it almost every day in totally unexpected ways. I am not saying that “treat others as you would have them treat you” is something brand new…far from it. Many people have lived by The Golden Rule for their entire lives. All I’m saying is that I just think more of us are living it now. Conversely, there are many people who are angry and filled with rage that Covid has taken away many things they enjoyed; some came to the conclusion that it is just a nefarious plot and has to be ignored or defied even if it puts friends and loved ones at risk. I have come to my own conclusion regarding those people and it goes like this: Be prepared to accept the results of your decisions. But I want to wrap this up on the positive side. Rejoice in small but wonderful things, in fact, look for them. Or better yet, be a positive force in all you do, no matter how difficult that may be. Share your music or let it be a balm for you alone. But whatever you do, be part of the solution. Peace & good music, Gene Another one of those kind of random blog entries today. Observations, opinions, questions, guesses, yup….they’re all here and as usual I welcome the same from you.
I did something a week ago Sunday evening that I haven’t done in more than two years: went to an actual semi-big deal show in Boston! I’ve had the tickets for almost two years. But the show was postponed twice in that time and f’n Ticketmaster refused to refund so I’d gotten to the point that I was going to kiss that $140 (two tickets) goodbye. But then, about two months ago they announced it was on. Yeah! The show (when I booked it) was a couple of acts that I’ve been wanting to see live for decades: Hot Tuna (Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy, original members of the Jefferson Airplane but now much better known for their acoustic work on old and new blues) and the David Grisman Trio. Grisman, along with the late great Tony Rice pretty much invented the style that is now known as “Newgrass,” the melding of traditional bluegrass and hot jazz. Grisman is an amazing mandolin player, to say the least. However, a week or so before the concert it was announced that Grisman was being replaced by David Bromberg. Although Bromberg is well respected as one of the founding fathers of the Greenwich Village folk scene back in the 60s I was never much of a fan. I felt then - and still do - that his playing was average at best and his singing voice is pretty hard to take for very long, for me anyway. But hey, I had the tickets so it was time to cross that invisible barrier of the Cape Cod Canal (if you live here, you understand) and head up to Boston. I went with my old playing partner Andy, who is even more reticent to cross the Canal than I am so this was something like a revolutionary act for a couple over the hill hippie types. The show was at a wonderful venue that I knew of but had never visited, the Wilbur Theater in downtown Boston. A classic old small theater, there are no bad seats, drinks are served and the crowd at the Wilbur was comprised of oldsters like us so we felt right at home. Bromberg and his four-piece band opened the show and it was immediately apparent that age and experience are not a guarantee of anything like progress (!). But hey, the crowd seemed to appreciate him so who am I to say? Anyway, their set was mercifully short. Then it was time for Jorma and Jack. Disappointment #2. No acoustic guitars in sight; this would be an all-electric show. Now, I respect them on many levels: their almost telepathic musical communication, monster chops and just to be in the presence of legendary players from the glory years of Hippiedom was great. But - I really wanted to hear Jorma play the acoustic blues for which he is more famous in the last 50 years than he even may have been for his electric stuff. After about a half dozen aimless jams with a drummer, Andy and I kind of looked at each other and nodded. That’s enough. We left. Was it worth going? Yeah, most likely if only to check off another item on the list of “normal” things that we have all craved for the last two years. I picked up three new students in the last couple of weeks, all adults of the usual sort who seem to seek me out (and for which I am very grateful!): folks who played the guitar a bit in their younger days but put it down for along time, decades even. But then they think: Hey, I have the time now. I should get back into guitar playing. I love those types of students! They are eager to expand their limited repertoire and are hungry for knowledge and want to do things the “right” way. What I’ve always found interesting about these types of student is that almost without exception their roadblocks are hardly ever the physical act of playing the guitar; their obstacle is rhythm. We dive right into that from the first lesson, because without an understanding of the basic rhythmic concepts and how to apply them, nothing sounds right. It’s really not their fault of course. Most people have never approached rhythm from a conceptual point of view….it’s supposed to just happen without much thought. Sure, most people can tap their foot in time to a song but beyond simple clapping to a beat their hands have never been the vessel from which rhythmic variations flow. And intellectualizing two different approaches to rhythm, one with each hand is a challenge to say the least, and often very frustrating. But here’s the part that is always gratifying for me. Once I get them COUNT beats, sometimes even out loud, there is almost always a moment of clarity and I love seeing their expressions change as they realize just how important rhythm really is and how to apply it, resulting in even simple songs sounding “right.”. In all three cases with those new students that was exactly what happened. I know all three of them will be very successful in their journey into playing the guitar. There is a very animated discussion going on right now on one of the online guitar forums related to the need/necessity/legitimacy of using printed lyrics with chord changes while performing. This has been hashed through before on all the forums and the players seem to fall into two camps: the ones who have always used “cheat sheets” (as their detractors call their big, bulking notebooks on music stands, front and center as they perform) and those who think using any form of printed lyric/chord sheets are cheating at best and a sign of a rank amateur at worst. I have been in both camps. For decades when performing in everything from 11-piece bands to doing a single I would never even consider using cheat sheets. I absolutely believed that doing so told the audience that you were not serious enough about your craft to memorize your music. The result in those days was usually pretty good, although I certainly forgot lyrics from time to time. If memory serves (ha!) I think there was a time that I could instantly recall both lyrics and chords to well over 100 songs. Then about ten or so years ago I found that the ol’ memory banks didn’t open quite as quickly as they once did and I began using a 3-ring binder notebook with lyric sheets and chords. Better results, for sure, but that quickly and easily became something of a crutch. Plus, it was one more thing to schlep to my shows. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that it looked just…..cheesy. So after reading some comment on this on a couple of forums I invested in an IPad and subscribed to a service called OnSong where you can save those chord/lyric sheets and easily recall them via a Bluetooth-enabled foot peddle that - and this is HUGELY important - changes pages! There was a bit of a learning curve in terms of how to save the documents; it is very important to select a readable font that is large enough to read quickly and easily (I use 16pt. Arial) and of course remember to always recharge the tablet and pedal regularly. After some experimentation I settled on a specially designed tablet holder on a mic stand to keep my IPad at the perfect height and angle. I am absolutely convinced this it totally legit in terms of my overall presentation, too. I now see many, many musicians using tablets this way wherever I go. Yes, it is one more piece of gear that I have to worry about but being able to relax and not worry about lyrics and chord changes is more than worth it. Defeating my overloaded but sometimes hard to access memory and ever weakening eyesight is a small triumph I embrace, regardless of the lack-of-coolness on display! If you would like to know more about my set-up and tricks to use it efficiently without glitches, just drop me a line or two via my Contact page. Peace & good music, Gene It’s been quite a while since I posted an entry that was purely about technique so I thought this might be a good time. Most of this stuff I’ve written about before but these tips are always worth a reminder from time to time, not just for my students but for myself, too.
Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm. It is the foundation upon which you build your musical house and sad to say, 90% of my students since I began teaching over 50 years ago have experienced issues with keeping a steady beat. Rhythm is the single most challenging aspect of playing, even with experienced players. Why is this? Simply because most people have never really thought about it. Most everyone can tap their foot in time with a song and they can clap with a beat but using the fingers and hands in ways that have to change frequently while keeping a steady beat is often quite frustrating. Here are some general tips regarding “locking in” the beat. Some may find them easy; some may find them excruciatingly difficult and frustrating, at first anyway. But they are absolutely vital. The first big mistake I see almost always is a student diving into a song without first internalizing the beat. Counting off a measure or two before playing is the best solution. There are very good reasons why a conductor of an orchestra uses his or her hands or perhaps a baton to count out a measure before the players begin. Same thing with a band in which the drummer clicks his sticks together for a measure before the band starts playing. The purpose is for every player to feel the beat before they start playing. When a player does NOT do that they are instantly requiring their “musical brain” to find the feel and tempo of the song. That will work some of the time, especially if the song has been practiced a lot and is not too difficult. More often than not though, it takes a few seconds or maybe more to be locked in. If you are playing with someone else it might take even longer for both players to be in sync. The second most common fault I see is not be prepared for the first chord change and the ones that come after that. Anticipating the change is absolutely vital – and that change will usually be upon you very, very quickly. Being ready bookends with the idea of having your eyes “grab” not just one chord but a sequence. Almost all songs in the varied world of American popular music include chord sequences that are repeated many times of the course of the song. This is why I urge my students to separate out those sequences (once they’ve been identified) and practice JUST that sequence before trying to play a piece beginning to end. There are usually a few of these repetitive sequences so identify them and practice them individually, then begin the process of assembling the song. This is much, much better than dealing with a song on a chord-to-chord basis. Doing that often leads to making the same mistakes over and over and your mistakes take up residence in your musical brain. When that happens – even if you know you’re not supposed to stop at a difficult change – you then have to clear that mistake from your brain, a process that is often much more difficult than breaking the song down into sets of chords that are repeated. The basic idea that repetition alone will solve problems hardly ever works. Of course, the first few times you play a brand-new song you MUST deal with it on a chord-to-chord basis; after all, you’ve never seen it written out before even if the song itself is very, very familiar. But as soon as is humanly possible, identify and work on those repeating sequences, then begin the task of putting the whole song together. Always remember that a song played way slower than it should be – but with a rock-solid, steady beat – will ultimately allow you to bring that song “up to tempo” much sooner than playing easy parts fast and harder parts slowly. I know a painfully slow but steady beat is not as gratifying as speeding up the easy parts but that all-important steady beat for the entire song will yield better results, sooner. So – how do we deal with the minutia that makes hard parts hard? You must identify WHY that change is difficult and more often than not, one finger on your fretting hand is slowing you down. And guess what? It’s hardly ever your pinkie (finger #4) although most people would guess that one is the culprit. In 90% of the cases it is your ring finger (#3). That finger is the most difficult to control due to the simple fact that you hardly ever use it all by itself in every-day life; usually some other finger or fingers help it out. But on the guitar we must teach it to work on its own, arch, and apply significant downward pressure. One of the most basic concepts I teach is identifying what I refer to as the “problem finger.” In virtually all cases, if you find yourself still setting up a chord after considerable practice rather than placing the fingers down all at once, the LAST finger you place down is the culprit in a blown chord change. What you must do to break the habit of setting up a chord and entirely focus on that problem finger before you attempt the rapid change. Don’t worry about the other fingers, practice moving the problem finger down first, then fill in the rest. This is the first step in breaking the bad habit and the muscle memory that goes along with it. Complicating this procedure is the fact that the angle and distance that problem finger must move is variable, depending upon which chord you are playing before the change. The goal of course is to place the fingers down all at once, not numerically with the problem finger hanging you up. Just spend some time practicing moving from the previous chord to the problematic one with your entire focus on the bad guy finger. You will conquer that change much sooner, promise!! Another tendency I see quite often is wiggly fingers (!). A player will get to the approximate shape of the chord, often landing almost perfectly but for some reason they don’t believe it, and continue to wiggle the fingers around. They are not pressing down hard enough to get the clear, clean tone they are seeking and somehow some part of their brain wants confirmation they are in fact in the right place before they apply the right amount of pressure. So here’s deal: you must take a chance, commit to where you are and instantly press down hard!! I call it “jumping into the change” and what it requires is an acceptance that yes, you will make some mistakes and a finger or fingers may end up on the wrong string, overlap the fret (dull tone is the result of that) or a finger may touch an adjacent string. It can be maddening, but look at it this way. What you are doing by making an aggressive planting of the fingertip – no wiggling!! – is locating the problem or problems with that particular chord. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know what it is; you only know that something is not right and you try to wiggle your way to the best place. That wiggling very quickly becomes a habit, one that is very hard to break. So - go for it! If you make a mistake, know this: you were going to make that mistake anyway and probably on a frequent basis. Re-focus! As you prepare for that change do your best to remember what worked and didn’t work in previous attempts. One final thing. Rejoice in small victories. If after a solid week or two of working on a song it’s not perfect, just….better, you are on the right track. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it! Peace & good music, Gene IIf playing almost every weekend for more than twelve years at the wonderful Daily Brew Café has taught me anything, it’s taught me to be prepared. I’m thinking I’ll break this down into two categories: my performance, and the listeners’ reactions relative to how prepared I am. Because not being prepared will be noticed, that I can guarantee!
Now, I realize some reading this have no intention or desire to play in front of anyone beyond their immediate family (and maybe not even them). Which is just fine; the reactions of others are really not the way you should gauge your results or the quality of your music, and in the end, just who is it you’re playing for? If you immediately say, “why, myself or course!” you are on the right track. With that in mind, first I’ll delve into the nuts and bolts of being prepared and how that plays a huge part in the way a performing guitarist is perceived by the audience. The reactions the player can expect to get are variable enough from the get-go, so why start with battling the perception the guy with the guitar looks like he doesn’t know what he’s doing? I’ve seen many supposedly professional guitarists spend way too much time fiddling and diddling with their gear before they play a note. To anyone watching, such a waste of their attention may prove to be fatal no matter how accomplished the player might be. Do a thorough inspection of your gear and of course a very brief sound check well before you intend to start your show. Even with a simple set-up like I use (plugged in guitar, small amp, a few pedals to tweak the sound; a mic, capo, tuner, picks and the all-important bottle of water close at hand) there are always details that must be double checked well before I play. Doing so gives me a few minutes to relax and confirm the first few tunes I’ll be playing. How important is it to know what tunes you’ll be playing? For me, very important. I’ve played with some excellent musicians who abhor set lists, viewing them as an exercise that stifles creativity. Well, I guess that can be true to a point. In spite of having set lists - especially when I’m playing with one of my students at the Brew - there must be some leeway. Fulfilling requests if at all possible is one time you should always stray from a set list; it’s the best way I know to get the listeners on your side. But NOT having a set list or at least a list of your songs in view (with things such as capo settings) often leads to uncomfortable gaps between songs. DO….NOT….WASTE….TIME…..BETWEEN….SONGS!!! In my opinion, that is the number one shortcoming of most bands and single performers I see. In casual settings that are not anything like a “real” concert the attention of the listener can slip away very quickly. And it can be really, really hard to get it back. Talking to the audience between songs is another thing altogether and these days it is something of a lost art, sad to say. The best performers I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear - both seasoned and sometimes very well known, down to the local guy banging out some tunes, all of them know that there is no better way to establish a connection. Don’t overdo it, though. Random banter can be fun but the people listening want to hear more music! In conclusion regarding audience perception, really the best way to seem like you know what you’re doing - even if you don’t….a little anyway…. is to do your best to give off a positive vibe. The listeners are on your side and if you look like you’re having a good time, they will too. It’s really as simple as that. Don’t ever, ever apologize for mistakes. Make light of them if you can, or just pretend they didn’t happen. Now, on to the question of how the performer stays prepared to ensure he or she looks like they know what they are doing. You must expect mysterious glitches will happen, even if you didn’t change a thing during and after your previous gig. This is why I normally bring along two of everything, within reason of course. The more electronics you use, the better the chances something will go wrong. It’s almost always something mundane and basic: a connecting cord that suddenly decides to quit carrying a signal; a power cord that you didn’t connect or didn’t push hard enough into a socket; a digital tuner that needs a new battery (remember how you said you were going to change that after your last gig?). The most well-known glitch that goes back to the days - OK, centuries - before any electronics were even in existence: a broken string. Although I don’t have that happen very often these days because I change my strings frequently and don’t strum as hard as I once did, it still rattles me because it’s so shocking when it happens. It was doubly bad when I played an electric guitar about 50% of the time when I was performing with bands because the difference in tension on the neck on an electric guitar when a string breaks knocks most of the other strings totally out of tune. So the choice was: keep going and hope no one noticed how out of tune I sounded or finish the song ASAP and get right to the string change. Little side note here. Always always, always, have a spare set of strings close at hand, maybe a pair of needle nose pliers too. Seasoned players know how to take that in stride and if you can, chat up the audience while you’re changing the string. I’ve mentioned this before in this space, but one of the most remarkable things I ever witnessed happened when I was playing with a singer/songwriter and we were at Passim in Cambridge, opening for the legendary Tom Rush. It was my first time playing that very, very prestigious club and I could tell a hundred stories about the five nights we played there but they are for another time. Almost at the start of a song, Tom broke a string. He finished the song without batting an eye but the dangling string was obvious to everyone in attendance. Without any fanfare, Tom took a new string out of his case and went through the process, all the while telling the jokes he is famous for and never letting on he was doing anything out of the ordinary. And then he did the most remarkable thing: he tuned up again while STILL joking with the crowd and then immediately launched into his next song! Remember - this was well before the days of digital tuners clipped on the headstock; he had to do it completely by ear. It blew me away and when I mentioned it to him after the show he just smiled and said something like: yeah, I’ve had to do that a few times. (!) He was…..prepared. And the audience appreciated it, even if they didn’t know it, if that makes any sense. Looking like you are in control 100% of the time is vital if you want to be perceived as a professional, even if you’re not! Peace & good music, Gene |
Archives
September 2024
Categories |