Honoring Ourselves…
I don’t produce music. I create it. I’m not in the manufacturing business. I’m an artist. A musical artist. That is my position. We need a state change in the
Music Improv Basics: Four Strategies For Playing Wrong Notes (properly!)
While it probably doesn’t seem like this would help – let’s face it – if you are unwilling to play a lot of wrong notes, you’re never going to learn how to do anything hard. It isn’t something that you can do safely, with the assurance that you will look good while trying to get good at it. You won’t look good. You won’t sound good — and the sooner you realize this, the sooner you will be able make real progress. …
Music Improv Basics: Eight Vital Things
This article discusses 8 important things to remember as improvising musicians – whether advanced or just getting started:
1. Your technique is probably miles ahead of your ability to think – This isn’t just true for classical players. I’ve known lots and lots (and lots) of jazz players who have let their technique run the show as opposed to their brains. Happens all the time… …
The Producer Series – Serving the Song
As a listener, most of us have had the experience of hearing the same song performed by several different artists—all of whom didn’t quite hit the mark. And then one day, some new artist comes along, records the very same song and…whoosh! It’s a drop dead smash.
One thing is very clear: it obviously was not the song that was the problem… …
Producer Series – Finding the Voice of the Artist
Any musical artist that is relevant to the world we live in today requires some point of view that is under-represented in that world. We don’t need 2 Princes, or 2 Madonnas. Remember, that a producer’s responsibility is to present the artist to the world in a way that makes their voice resonate within current thinking. We live in the world and the artist delivers a message to that world. This requires a balance between what is “expected” of an artist generically (talent, presentation, production, etc.) and the differentiation that makes that artist stand out from the crowd. …
The Passing of Maurice White
Honoring the vision and the result of the important musical and social influence that was accomplished by Maurice White and all the members of the group who anchored something larger than themselves… …