Making Music BETTER LIVING THROUGH RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING速
Women Who Shaped muSic hiStory
Easy Tips for Sight reading DiscovEr the anatomy of a Drum kiT
www.MakingMusicMag.com March/April 2010
He AD? plays the piano... “Having a cup of coffee, blowing a cigar and writing some music on a piano is a very subtle and beautiful thing. It’s a give and take with your higher self. But it’s hard to really get it until you do it yourself and find out.”
Robert Downey Jr. Actor
www.wannaplaymusic.com
Mar/April 10 Body Mapping
14
How body awareness can help you play better.
music smarts
16
Business leaders who say their early musical training was key.
The traps
24
7 18 24 35
20
The anatomy and history of the modern drum kit.
At First Sight
In The Studio & Playing out
22
Tricks and tips for the sight reading phobic.
When Jon Glicksman returned to playing keyboard, he discovered a unique way to perform and learn new music.
How sweet the sound
midi madness
Atlanta church choir wins $30,000 and “Best in the Nation” title.
40
An introduction to MIDI technology and gear.
Leading Ladies A salute to female music trailblazers who worked their way to the limelight.
column Scott Houston teaches you how to learn a new tune and make it your own.
Departments 6 LETTERS 9 VIBES 20 FORTE 36 TUNED IN
43 COVERED 46 DESTINATION 47 IN THE SPOTLIGHT 52 HARMONY
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Making Music
MARCH/APRIL 2010 | VoL. 6, Issue 2
edItoR-In-CHIef Antoinette Follett afollett@MakingMusicMag.com edItoR Cherie Yurco cyurco@MakingMusicMag.com
By ANTOINETTE FOLLETT n In the past few months, many Making Music readers have written about their new musical goals for 2010. This issue focuses on ways to learn or try something new with music that isn’t necessarily mastering a difficult piece or improving your technique. Look over the articles this month for ways you can explore musical experiences outside your normal routine, whether it is attending a symphony concert or trying your hand at composing. You can even start your own jam group. See our suggestions for finding fellow musicians on page 8.
stAff WRIteRs Jackie Saunders Meredith Laing Jason Borisoff
In honor of National Women’s History Month in March, Making Music has an article about leading ladies of music who had to work their way to the top. Before Blondie, Debbie Harry brewed coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and handed out drinks as a cocktail waitress, and Patti Smith stacked books at a bookstore. These are some starter jobs we can all relate to.
MusIC ConsuLtAnt Stephen Laifer
For the drummers out there, Making Music is teaming up with Roland to give away this V-Drum Lite HD1 electronic kit. Answer some trivia questions at MakingMusicMag.com for your chance to win. If you have aches and pains when playing, you may be moving incorrectly. In this issue’s Vibes section, we introduce the concept of body mapping—an important tool for musicians who want to get a grasp on how their bodies are meant to move, which can result in improved playing, less injury, and bigger sound.
ARt dIReCtoR Lisa A. Mergler-Santoro GRAPHIC InteRns Ron Rabideau Kim Venuti PHoto CRedIts Chuck Wainwright
MARketInG dIReCtoR Honore Stockley honore@MakingMusicMag.com Web/MARketInG MAnAGeR Richard Mulye richard@MakingMusicMag.com AdVeRtIsInG MAnAGeR Krista Galster kgalster@MakingMusicMag.com subsCRIPtIon CooRdInAtoR Andrea Fragassi afragassi@MakingMusicMag.com
Enter to Win!
See details on page 6
Keep expanding your musical horizons and drop me a line with your feedback and suggestions at afollett@makingmusicmag.com.
PubLIsHeR Bentley-Hall, Inc. 120 Walton St., Ste. 300 Syracuse, NY 13202 315-422-4488 315-422-3837 fax www.MakingMusicMag.com subscriptions–1 Year: USA: $30; Canada: $60; All Other Foreign: $105 US Funds Only. Circulation and subscriptions, phone: 315-422-4488 ext. 116. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Making Music; 221 Walton St., Ste. 200; Syracuse, NY 13202 Nationally distributed by Rider Circulation Services Phone: 323-344-1200. Online: www.gorcs.com Making Music, Issn (1552-2946), is published six times annually. Making Music is a registered trademark of Bentley-Hall Publishing. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 Bentley-Hall, Inc.
On the COver Self-employed business consultant Michelle Lester, 41, of Baldwinsville, New York, gives the drums a try. Michelle usually plays the flute, while her son Jack, 9, is the real drummer in the family. Her daughter Sarah, 13, plays the piano.
The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission from the publisher. The views expressed in Making Music are those of their respective contributors and are not necessarily those of its publisher, editor, or staff. All advertising material is subject to publisher’s approval. All materials intended for publication should be directed to Making Music; 120 Walton St., Ste. 300; Syracuse, NY 13202; fax: 315-422-3837 or e-mail: afollett@MakingMusicMag.com. Making Music assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited articles, photographs, or art.
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MARCH/APRIL 2010
BETTER LIVING THROUGH RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING®
A CAPPELLA n While I have had many “warm, fuzzy” experiences in my life as
a teacher and musician, I think the feeling I had last spring was the best yet. I watched a 70-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy “high five” each other in a rehearsal because they both played the musical passage correctly. These two musicians didn’t know each other, really, other than the name introduction that they had done five minutes before, and the strong bond of both being tenor saxophonists. It didn’t matter that they were generations apart in age. The instrument was their link, and it was a strong link; strong enough to give me and each of them a very profound, positive, warm, fuzzy experience. This scenario was just one of many wonderful moments for the senior citizens in my community band, and students in a middle school band, when the directors of the two ensembles planned a “generations concert” in Denton, Texas. The rehearsals and concert were musically fun, but even more important, the experience fostered mutual respect across the musicians in the two groups. Both the older musicians and the younger students noted each other’s dedication, talent, and spirit. Some of the older musicians were in their first year of playing an instrument, and others had been playing their instruments for much longer than the students had been alive. This concept of lifelong learning and music making was profound for the young musicians. The youngsters were amazed that they were sitting next to retired doctors, pilots, housewives, teachers, and university professors—all who sincerely wanted to learn music as part of their lives. What a strong message for music education to provide. Read debbie Rohwer’s entire story at www.MakingMusicMag. com/staccato/rohwer.html.
Staccato
recreaTIonal muSIc maKIng InSIghT
COUNTING IN: Songs by the Number Sweet: “The Six Teens”
U2: “One”
Meatloaf: “Two out of the Three Ain’t Bad”
Neneh Cherry: “Seven Seconds”
The Commodores: “Three Times a Lady”
The Beatles: “Eight Days a Week”
Crowded House: “Four Seasons in One Day”
The Temptations: “Cloud Nine” Led Zeppelin: “Ten Years Gone”
David Bowie: “Five Years”
DID yOU KNOw? n Some version of the harmonica has been around
since 1000 BC in China, where pocket-sized instruments, called sheng, were crafted from reed and bamboo pipes. A similar instrument was introduced in Europe in the 18th century, and 100 years later, European instrument makers began experimenting with instruments using metal reeds, instead of the wooden ones used in the Chinese sheng. There is some controversy as to who actually invented the modern harmonica, but around 1820, a young instrument maker named Christian Friedrich Buschmann created a harmonica-like instrument with metal reeds, called “The Aura.” Several years later, a European named Richter designed an instrument tuned the same as the current diatonic harmonica.
“
I messed around with the harmonica ... but I was 13 before I got a good note out of it.” —Muddy Waters www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Back Beat
Make a djembé
letters Many Happy Returns
Sax Man
n I was very impressed by your maga maga-
n Great magazine! Great articles! I started sax in school in 1964. I also studied under Henry Mancini at music camp in 1967. I have been playing all styles of music ever since. Keep up the good work!
zine. My husband and I are both “week “weekend warriors” and after 35 years of not being in bands, we are now back at it. We are loving our new band of old times— it is great fun. I am looking forward to more issues of Making Music. Charlene Mattingley Louisville, Kentucky
Scott Carlton Chicago, Illinois
Never Too Late to Learn n I’m 83 years old and would like to
learn how to play the guitar. I would like some suggestions to make this easy as a new hobby. Julio R. Diaz Chicago, Illinois
Enter to Win!
Remember Those Roots n Regarding the article “Dulcet Tones” in the November/December 2009 issue, I would like to point out that the ancestry of the Appalachian dulcimer is contested. Although it appeared in areas of heavy Scotch settlement, the mountain dulcimer has been more convincingly linked to folk zithers like the German scheitholt (or scheitholz), by the studies of Appalachian State’s Ralph Lee Smith.
Find out what you’ve missed. Get back issues of Making Music magazine, renew your subscription, or give a gift subscription. It’s easy to do, online at www.Making MusicMag.com
There is an existing specimen in Pennsylvania from 1788. Many Germanspeaking immigrants who arrived in Philadelphia in the 1700s took the Great Wagon Road through the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cumberland, and Shenandoah Valleys, spreading across Virginia and North Carolina. Don’t overlook my German speakers, please! Ross Kimberlin Nashville, Tennessee
Making Music and Roland have teamed up to give away this Roland V-Drum Lite HD-1 kit. To enter to win, simply visit the Making Music website and answer some simple trivia questions. The contest ends May 15, 2010. One winner will receive this kit valued at $899, plus some extra goodies from Making Music and Roland.
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We appreciate comments and suggestions, and we encourage readers to send them to us via our website (www.MakingMusicMag.com), by e-mailing afollett@MakingMusicMag.com, or by writing to: Making Music; 120 Walton Street, Ste. 300; Syracuse, NY 13202-1211.
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I’m h e t h t i w
band
Keyboardist connects with musicians to play in New York City clubs by Jackie SaunderS
Jon Glicksman, 56, loves jamming and performing with fellow recreational musicians from the Musician’s Club in New York City. The club, based in a space called The Studio in midtown Manhattan, hosts nine rooms that bands can rent for rehearsals. Members can also sign up for weekly jam sessions with fellow musicians. Glicksman, a keyboardist, guitarist, and special education teacher in South Bronx, particularly enjoys the workshop aspect of membership. For a fee, a group of five or six musicians get together, practice a 45-minute set for a total of about 10 hours, and then perform at a club like The Bitter End on Bleecker Street or Rebel near Penn Station. n
“The musicians involved in the workshop invite their friends, families, and colleagues to see them play at these long-standing night clubs,” says Glicksman, who was one of the early members of the club. “It’s really cool. I’ve played with construction workers, IllustratIon by kIm venutI www.MakingMusicMag.com
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a cardiologist, and people who work at the Fulton Fish Market. It attracts many different types of people.”
group, we’ve stretched ourselves too far, but it always comes together and everybody gets into the groove,” he says.
Glicksman has been playing the piano since he was six years old. Picking up the guitar in high school, he began his “garage band” phase and played at high school dances and the senior prom. When he wasn’t jamming with friends, he played along to records in his spare time.
Various workshops have given Glicksman the opportunity to expand as a musician. In a “British invasion” performance, Glicksman sang with a British accent. During another performance, he played the conga drums to a Santana song, and at a zydeco Cajun workshop, he played an accordion that had been passed down through his family. “Where else am I going to be able to do these kinds of things?” says Glicksman.
Once Glicksman went to college and later began his career and family, music fell to the wayside. It wasn’t until his 40s that Glicksman, a resident of Suffern, New York, felt the desire to return to music and jam with similar-minded recreational musicians. He discovered The Studio when he ran into owner Bob Elliott, while looking for rehearsal space to rent in New York City. “I loved the whole idea of a place to go and meet other people similar to myself, on a similar level of playing,” says Glicksman. “It was great to find a place to jam with other people live and then play onstage. You get so much better as a musician when you play live with other people; there’s no pressure, but just enough [incentive] to push you a little bit further with your instrument.” A workshop at The Studio begins when a club member posts an ad looking for fellow musicians to collaborate on a specific project. Glicksman loves playing Motown and R&B on the keyboards, so that was the focus of his first workshop. To familiarize the musicians who signed up with the music of The Supremes and Etta James, Glicksman burned CDs for each band member and printed out chord charts. “At the beginning of a new workshop meeting I always say, ‘We are five strangers that have to sound tight, like we’ve been playing for 20 years, including three European tours and a tour in Australia,’” says Glicksman. “We are amateurs but we do look at it like it’s a show; we want people to be entertained.” Although the workshop groups only have eight to 10 hours of practice spread out over a few rehearsals, Glicksman says he’s never had a bad show. Maybe once in every 25 or 30 shows a song fell apart at the end, but no one noticed. “Sometimes I get a little nervous playing with people who have never played out before. If the material is difficult, I think maybe, as a
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Workshop showcase gigs coordinated by The Studio are easy for the musicians involved, since a Studio technician sets up the provided instruments—drum sets, keyboards, and percussion, like shakers and tambourines—with amplifiers and mikes. Guitarists and bassists generally bring their own instruments. All the musicians have to do is prepare and show up. The Studio also keeps a tech on standby, just in case technical problems arise during the show. “The Studio provides double keyboards that allow players to use the piano and organ, as well as horn or string parts simultaneously,” says Glicksman who often plays horn melodies with the right hand and changes the piano chords with the left. “I can get those bigger band sounds for Motown and R&B songs. I really encourage other keyboard players to try them out.” One of the most special aspects of the showcase workshops, for Glicksman, is how a group of relative strangers can put together a cohesive band in only 10 hours of rehearsal time. “The challenge of running a workshop is bringing together five or six people, who for the most part, don’t know each other or the songs they are going to play,” says Glicksman. “In literally 10 hours we are onstage. You can tell some people are nervous wrecks because they’ve never been onstage before, but after a great set, they are elated. It’s wonderful to walk them through it and see them come out on the other side.” jACkIe sAundeRs WAS dELIGHTEd TO FINd OUT THAT JON GLICKSMAN IS FROM HER HOMETOWN OF SUFFERN, NEW YORK, ANd SHE HOPES TO SEE ONE OF HIS GROUPS PERFORM.
Meet Your
Musical Matches
There are plenty of ways to find like-minded musicians who are into a specific genre, like ’60s rock or folk tunes, for weekly or monthly jam sessions. Here are some resources for locating and assembling a group:
craIgSlIST Most commun ities have esta bb lished some so rt of presence on this free, loca l classifieds si te. Find the “Com munity” listing in the top left co rner and click on the word “Mus icia ca n b ro w se p ns.” Here you os ts b y p eo p le seeking potent ial bandmates , or someone to ja m with from tim e to time. Or yo u can set up yo ur own posting to find musicia ns who want to pl ay in a Led Ze ppelin or blues jam a preliminary m group. Set up eeting in a publ ic place, like a co ffe find a neutral ve e shop, then nue, like a com munity center , to play at.
om meeTuP.c
ode your zip c typing in ly (use p in m g si in y B interest e ’r u o y t a ia usic ns,” and wh like “jam,” “m se local s rm te h searc row yo u c a n b ’t “jazz,” etc.) near you. If you don s p u a c r, you n music gro looking fo e ’r u o y t a see wh . own group start your
a loc al mu
SIc ShoP
What better pl ace to find ot her reccreational mus icians than yo ur home base for gear? Ask a store em ployee if you can post a flyer and chec k if the store has a room you can use fo sessions. You w r ill probably have jam to pay for the room, but of regular part if you find a group icipants, you ca n split the cost.
Vibes muSIc & healTh newS
❱❱ The Da Vinci chorD Until recently, Leonardo da Vinci’s clavi-viola (or harpsichordviola) existed only in his sketches. The keyboard and bowed string hybrid instrument, which was designed but never built in the Renaissance man’s day, has now been assembled. To see a replica of the musical creation da Vinci thought up more than 500 years ago, one can visit The Discovery Times Square Exposition exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop,” in New York City. Edoardo Zanon, who recreated the instrument based on da Vinci’s sketches, says the artist was looking to combine the sustained notes of string instruments with the capacity for one musician to play simultaneously moving lines and chords. Heard for the first time in early December, the harpsichord viola is about the size of a child’s piano and weighs 33 pounds. It is made from materials that da Vinci would have used—wooden pegs, gear, and twine. Strapped to the chest of the player by a leather harness, a lever on the harpsichord-viola is attached to a leg to propel the instrument’s motor, while pressing on a key causes the bow to move. This design frees both hands to play the keyboard, so the player could have marched in court processions.
1964
The year Pete Townshend of The Who accidently smashed his Rickenbacker onstage in a London venue, unwittingly starting a rocker trend.
Because of the primitive materials used to make the instrument, the motor causes quite a racket. Industrial designers hope to also make an electrical version that is less noisy.
Sing Until the Cows Come Home n Ice cream maker Frank Frederick of Lancashire, England, is resurrecting the
secret, century-old gelato recipe that has been passed down through the family for generations—singing to the cows before milking. Frederick’s grandfather, Antonio Federici, believed music helped the cows produce creamier milk. Last summer Frederick invited Italian tenor Marcello Bedoni to serenade his Friesian cows at Cockshotts Farm near Clitheroe, Lancashire, in a series of concerts where the bovine bunch heard “Amore ti vieta,” by Umberto Giordano, and “E lucevan le stelle,” by Giacomo Puccini. “The cows will enjoy the recital and this will be reflected in the quality of the milk they produce for us. The passion of the music will be reflected in the product,” says Frederick. Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, dairy adviser to the National Farmers’ Union says, “Soothing sounds or music can reduce stress and induce relaxation and a healthy, contented cow is likely to produce more milk, and anything that enhances that can only be a good thing.”
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Listen While You Work n Many people with office jobs enjoy listening to their
tunes through headphones to drown out noise or make the time pass, but surgeons actually use music to help them relax and concentrate during complicated procedures. During a routine colorectal surgery, Dr. Claudius Conrad, a senior surgical resident at Massachusetts General Hospital prefers the music of Bach, whose fugues and preludes reflect the methodical steps of the procedure. Conrad, also an accomplished pianist, is testing how listening to music during a surgery affects the surgeons, patients, and also relatives in the waiting room.
❱❱ The complainT
DeparTmenT is now open There are plenty of things to gripe about: endless housework, lack of sleep, and tax season, but a group of 100 Tokyo residents used their complaints for something positive. Composer Okuchi Shunsuke took a pile of complaints and turned them into a song. Then, almost 80 of the whiners, along with an accordion, a bass cello, and a tambourine performed the song around various sites in Tokyo. The complaints choir is a trend that started in Finland, where the word for a group of simultaneous complainers is valitskuoro (or complaints choir). In 2005, Oliver KochtaKalleinen and his wife, Tellervo Kalleinen, visual artists in Helsinki, put together the world’s first complaints choir in Birmingham, England, with the help of arts organizations from England and Finland. The couple worked with the Tokyo complaints choir last year and have worked with other choirs around the world. Perfect pipes are not a requirement for the complaints choir. “If you demand a certain amount of singing skills, that excludes a lot of people,” says Kochta-Kalleinen. “Anyone who has a complaint should be able to take part.” Despite the negativity of the complaints, participants in complaints choirs have a hard time disguising happiness during their performances. Kochta-Kalleinen says the topics of complaints are unique to the cultures of certain places. For example, in Tokyo, work-related complaints are common (“I cannot say no to work on holidays”), in Helsinki, complaints about mobile phones are the norm (“My friend likes his mobile phone more than he likes me”), and in Russia, complaints were indicative of “deep existential trauma” (“Why are we always dissatisfied with something?” or “Why do we keep loving when love is so painful?”). Singing in a group has a way of transforming the negative to the positive. Kochta-Kalleinen says, regardless of the complaint or who is singing, the ability to sing in a group is a cathartic activity.
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“We are already using music, but not in a standard protocol fashion,” says Conrad. “How can we make it a tool of everyday practice?” The study was also intended to show whether music could improve the results of the surgery and if it could be used as a medical treatment. Music and medicine have been intertwined since 4,000 BC, where descriptions of music therapy were found in Mesopotamian writings. In 1994 a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that surgeons’ speed and accuracy improved in a math test when they chose their own music to listen to. In Conrad’s study, he created tasks for surgeons on a computer simulator of surgeries that involve a small incision. Conrad tested eight expert surgeons under varying sound conditions—silence, Mozart, German folk music, death metal music, and chaotic, stressful noise. Conrad found that the death metal mix increased the time it took for the surgeons to complete the tasks, but accuracy was not affected when compared to silence. When listening to Mozart, the surgeons’ speed varied, but their accuracy improved when compared to performing in silence. Although this was a preliminary study, Conrad says the study suggests that even the best surgeons are not immune to stressful noises and distractions. He hopes to follow up and learn how music affects people’s ability to accomplish a task.
%FTJHOFE BOE JOTUSVDUFE CZ DFSUJĂŞFE UFBDIFST BOE QSPGFTTJPOBM BSUT FEVDBUPST 4NBMM DMBTTFT XJUI B NBYJNVN UP TUVEFOU UFBDIFS SBUJP
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Vibes ❱❱ Back to Biology According to a pair of studies by Duke University neuroscientists, there is a powerful biological link between human music and speech. The two new studies showed that the most common musical scales used throughout the centuries were those that came closest to mimicking the sound and physics of the human voice. People respond emotionally to music because music sounds like the emotions heard in everyday speech. Sad and happy speech can be categorized in major and minor intervals, just like music from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. This explains why composers use minor chords to express melancholy and major chords to relate glee. The study also suggests that a main reason humans like and appreciate music is because it sounds like speech. “Our appreciation of music is a happy byproduct of the biological advantages of speech and our need to understand its emotional content,” says Dale Purves, professor of neurobiology at Duke. To study the emotional content of music, the Duke research team collected a treasure trove of major and minor melodies from 1,000 classical music compositions and 6,000 folk songs and analyzed their tonal qualities. Then they compared them with human speech. Although there are millions of scales that could be used to divide the octave, most music is divided into the five- and seven-note scales, which closest match the harmonic series of tones produced by people.
A Chance of a Lifetime n If America’s got talent, then high school math teacher
Chance McKinney is one reason why. Fans chose McKinney, a singer/songwriter from Mukilteo, Washington, as the winner of Country Music Television’s (CMT) fourth annual Music City Madness competition for his ballad “Be Real.” The competition is a nationwide search for the best unsigned country act. The winner receives a trip to Nashville to record an episode of the CMT.com web performance series, CMT Studio 330 Sessions, a private audition for The Valory Music Co. label executives, and a chance to meet country superstar Reba McEntire. McKinney’s high school statistics and trigonometry students were surprised to learn their teacher had a side career as a country music singer. McKinney has opened for big country music acts like Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, and George Strait when those artists toured in the Northwest.
Break that Record n On August 14, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New
York City, Sir James Galway and the National Flute Association broke the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Flute Ensemble with 1,989 flutists. The massive ensemble surpassed the previous record of 1,975 flutists set one month earlier in China. The event was part of the National Flute Association’s 2009 Convention, at which Galway was honored with the NFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Galway led the massive ensemble, which performed a 10-minute piece, Galway Fantasie, written by David Overton. Besides Galway, six other conductors helped lead the group with the music displayed on plasma screens throughout the room. Elliott Forrest, Peabody Award winning host on WQXR and Gail Wein, music journalist, served as witnesses. Flute groups around the world, including groups in Bordeaux, France, and Australia, played at the same time in support of the effort.
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MARCH/APRIL 2010
❱❱ Music Fights Depression If you pick up your guitar and strum a few chords every day, or are otherwise involved in the arts, chances are you are happier than those who don’t play a musical instrument or participate in the arts. A survey conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology studied almost 50,000 individuals from varying socio-economic backgrounds in Norway and found that there is a positive correlation between participation in the arts and self-perceived health for men and women. “For men, there is also a positive relationship between cultural participation and depression—in that there is less depression among men who participate in cultural activities—although this is not true for women,” says Professor Jostein Holmen, a researcher in the experiment. What surprised Holmen the most was that, despite a person’s socio-economic status—manual laborer, teacher, or the CFO of a bank—those who participate in music or the arts experienced a positive effect on their sense of health and well-being. The studies were controlled for socioeconomic status, chronic illness, smoking, and alcohol habits. Holmen noticed that participation in culture, music, and the arts seemed to protect people from feelings of depression, but not necessarily anxiety.
“
I love to hear a choir.
I like the teamwork. It makes me feel optimistic about the human race when I see them cooperating like that. — Paul McCartney
The researchers hope the results of this study will encourage politicians to find other ways to provide preventative health care.
Music and Munchies Feed the Soul n The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s after-
school music program, OrchKids, recently partnered with East Side Entrees to hand out complimentary nutritious dinners for 60 days to the growing musicians that participate. The partnership is poised to spread awareness about federally funded after-school programs that provide food.
After school sessions are held four days a week from 3:30-6:00 p.m., starting with a hearty meal. The rest of the night includes classroom instruction, group lessons, and tutoring assistance. OrchKids also take frequent field trips to local arts organizations and attend Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts.
OrchKids is a year-long program for youngsters from kindergarten to 2nd grade, designed to create social change and assist promising young musicians in the Baltimore City neighborhoods. The program provides music instruction, instruments, and mentorship for free to Baltimore’s neediest children.
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Vibes
Use body mapping to understand how your body should move to avoid music-related injuries
BY JACKIE SAUNdERS
Perhaps you don’t understand your body as well as you think. The way you hold your guitar or press the keys on the keyboard is simply a matter of habit. You never thought much about why you move your arms the way you do, or whether or not your posture or breathing is correct when playing an instrument. Body mapping, an offshoot of the Alexander Technique, is the perception and understanding of your own body-shape and size, how and where your joints move, and how the body functions. If your body map is incorrect, there is an inconsistency between your perception and your actual body, resulting in awkward, tense movement, misuse, and injury. n
William Conable, a professor of cello at the Ohio State University School of Music, first used body mapping in the 1970s. Conable noticed that many of his students had a false notion of how their bodies were designed to move and he created body mapping as a way to correct these misconceptions. “One of the most common mismappings is our cultural notion that one should sit up straight to achieve good posture,” says Jennifer Johnson, a violinist and Andover educator from New Foundland, who teaches a course on body mapping. “This leads people to overarch the lumbar region of the spine and pull the shoulders back in a military position; this is not what we are speaking of when someone is on balance.” Johnson explains that the right kind of posture is balancing the body’s weight centered on the hip joints by positioning the torso slightly forward when sitting or standing.
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An integral part of body mapping is understanding the body’s core and how large the actual spine is. “Many people are unaware that the spine is so large and so deeply set into the center of the body,” says Johnson. “If you don’t use it for support, you can end up with a posture disease or relaxation slump, where the spine is in a C-shaped curve.” Problems are common for musicians who have to lift their arms to play, like violinists and woodwind players. Johnson says these types of musicians tend to raise arms with a tilt in the spine, or strain their spine for the movement. “Lifting the arms independent from the spine is liberating and a lot of back pain disappears,” say Johnson. For pianists and guitarists, a common problem is the way they turn their hands from palm up to palm down. Johnson says one cause of elbow or wrist pain is that many people use the bones on the pinky side of the arm to turn from palm up to palm down, when they should use the radial bone, on the thumb side. “When someone turns palm down with the incorrect bone, the ulna, it leads to the hand being caught off to the side in an unnatural way,” says Johnson. With months of persistence in changing this technique, many of Johnson’s students have cleared up tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. A common mismapping for drummers and percussionists is what Johnson refers to as the “relaxation disease.” Slouching causes the spine to curve so the balance is not focused on the core. “A music teacher may say a percussionist is too tense and that she should relax, which can lead to hunching the shoulders and slouching,” says Johnson. “It’s all a matter of balancing our bony structure and mapping the spine correctly to see how large and long it is and how it supports and lengthens us.” The benefits of body mapping can be instantaneous. Johnson performs demonstrations at chamber music festivals where she brings musicians onstage and has them play a portion of a piece before and after they learn about their body map. “We get them more balanced around the core of the spine and almost immediately, two or three people experience bigger sound because their arms are released from chronic contraction,” says Johnson. “The balance will extend the arms’ length putting more weight into the instrument, which translates into a change in the amount of depth and tone and the audience can hear.” Body mapping also helps people who have other musical limitations that they are resigned to live with. “Maybe they weren’t able to move through a difficult passage because they were trying to turn the wrong bone or creating tension,” says Johnson. “Although body mapping helps provide freedom from pain and injury, it can also lift those limitations.” TO FINd A TEACHER OR BOdY MAPPING COURSE, VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.BOdYMAP.ORG/TEACHERS. BOOKS LIKE WHAT EVERY MUSICIAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BODY (ANdOVER PRESS, 2000) BY BARBARA ANd BENJAMIN CONABLE, ARE HELPFUL RESOURCES. THERE ARE OTHER TITLES FOR SPECIFIC TYPES OF MUSICIANS AT WWW.ANdOVERPRESSONLINE.COM.
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WHAT WE
LeARn
FROM MusIC How Early Music Training Can Lead to Success BY CHERIE YURCO
Proponents of recreational music and music education have long hailed the benefits of music in unleashing and retaining the brain’s power and vitality in young and old alike. However, Businessman and Author Craig M. Cortello says that music can also lead to success in the business world. 16 16
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he musical training/success link made Cortello, an outspoken proponent of music education, ponder why music programs are often the first to feel budget cuts in public schools. This disparity led to his book, Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music (La Dolce Vita Publishing, 2009). “There are scores of ex-athletes who give speeches regarding the parallels between playing sports and business success, and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of funding for sports programs,” he says. “I felt it was time to tell the music education/ business success correlation story.”
According to Cortello, the benefits that successful businesspeople got from music, in childhood as well as in adulthood, include building self-esteem and confidence; learning how to collaborate; leadership, salesmanship, and branding skills; creativity and innovation; willingness to take a risk; discipline; and realizing the value of fundamentals, individuality, and passion.
Confidence and Self-Esteem Genevieve Thiers, 31, is a Chicago opera singer who has also founded two companies—in 2001, the highly successful online babysitting referral service Sittercity.com, plus her own nonprofit opera company, OperaModa, in 2004. She thanks her business success in large part to her opera training, explaining that once you learn to channel energy and direct power when you’re in front of people singing, it’s not something you forget. “Entrepreneur was essentially a musical term [centuries ago],” adds Thiers. “It was the name that was applied to a musical producer. The two of them are very linked. I wouldn’t be anything like the way I am if I wasn’t singing.” Being a performer, she says, also toughens your skin, making you open to risk-taking. “You’ll just go up to anyone or start anything or make any phone call or go in front of anybody because you’ve got that strength behind you,” she says, adding that the ability to dismiss rejection translates into salesmanship. “The only way to exercise creativity is to have so many challenges thrown at you that you have to work your way around them.”
Discipline of Practice The discipline of regular practice regimens also served Thiers well in her other endeavors. “The rigorous discipline that you come up with in any kind of musician atmosphere translates very, very well into the real world,” she says. Jimmy A. Palmer, former regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency Region 4: Southeast, agrees: “There is discipline that comes with anybody who is serious about playing an instrument. You have to just work at it.” Palmer, now in his 60s, grew up in rural east central Mississippi, surrounded by music. His father played guitar, fiddle, and French harp (harmonica), and his grandmother played piano. He began playing ukulele at age four, and when he was 10, he received his first guitar. Palmer also helped fill out the marching band and stage band during high school, playing saxophone and clarinet. “I can say, without any hesitation or doubt, that my own personal musical odyssey has been a huge part of my personal and career development,” he says. “Every time you play, you build your own confidence knowing that you can do certain things and do them well.”
Music in the Workplace As Palmer moved up the ladder in his career, he feels his ability to foster relationships through music only enhanced his reputation as a leader. When he was in the Mississippi Governor’s office, he suggested a musical program for a holiday observance. “I said, ‘Governor, I’d bet we could find people here in the capital building that can sing,’” explains Palmer. When Palmer sent out a general invitation the huge response surprised him. Later at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, he formed a band as an outreach initiative. “I wanted people to see environmental regulators in a different light; that we are human,” he explains. Not only did the band far exceed his expectations in terms of talent and outreach, but it was a great escape from the environmental world as well. For Dr. H. Steven Sims, director of the Chicago Institute for Voice Care, his chosen profession is a seamless extension of his passion for singing. Now 43 years old,
Sims began singing at age five and also plays piano, trombone, and bassoon. When Sims was a high school senior he had to decide between attending West Virginia University on a band scholarship or a career in medicine. “That was when Annie Lennox had vocal cord surgery, and I became aware of that,” he says. “I said, ‘Oh there’s surgery where you can operate on a singer.’ That was my epiphany.” He says that the structured approach to practice served him well in achieving long-term goals like his medical degree. “Putting time in to get a result, having a vision, deciding what you want to do in life, and laying out a plan—the practice really helped long term,” he says. Playing in a band also led him to work well with a team. “It teaches you to learn how your part has to fit into other peoples’ parts,” he says. “You have to be completely sensitive to everything going on around you so that the outcome can be its best. Mastering that makes you better in whatever you do in life.”
Performance Under Pressure Sims says that overcoming stage fright helped him later to handle the emotional pressure of working as a surgeon. “Courage is not the absence of fear,” he explains. “Courage is realizing your fear and going ahead and doing what you should do. That experience helped me in terms of training me, when I got a little nervous, to use that energy to perfect my performance rather than fall apart.” Regardless of all the career benefits, the professionals featured in Cortello’s book can’t imagine not having music in their lives. “Even now, sitting down at the piano, playing something, and singing something is complete catharsis,” says Sims. “It’s a way of making an emotional connection to the self. It’s integral.” “Music in its own right is important culturally,” he adds. “Having that background in music helps you to present yourself as someone who understands lots of things about the world.” For more information and to order the book Everything We Needed to Know About Business We Learned Playing Music (La Dolce vita publishing, 2009), by Craig Cortello, visit the Website www.ldv-enterprises.com. www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Lift Every oice and
ing
The Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir Earns Title
“Best Church Choir in America” n When
Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir Director Brandon Frazier submitted an audition tape to the organizers of the Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound church choir competition last year, he received a rejection e-mail. “They told us we weren’t selected and there were just too many entries,” says Frazier, whose choir had competed the previous year. “The very next day we received a phone call that another choir had backed out and we were asked to perform.”
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Judges for the event included award-winning gospel artists Marvin Sapp, Dorinda Clark-Cole, as well as Donald Lawrence, who acted as emcee. Christian singer-songwriter Lisa KimmeyWinans co-hosted. To perform in the How Sweet the Sound regionals in Atlanta, Frazier had to select four songs from a list of 100 that the competition organizers sent. One of the songs Frazier chose was “Anthem of Praise,” by Richard Smallwood, a song his choir performed regularly and had already mastered. Competing against 10 other church choirs, the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir beefed up their rehearsal schedule the month between the regional competition and the grand finale held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Usually, the choir practices on Sundays early in the morning before the 10:15 a.m. service and an hour before the 4:15 p.m. service. The choir added four extra practices before the finale performance. During those rehearsals, Frazier took a no nonsense approach. After a prayer, the choir got straight to work on vocal warm-ups and then practiced the music. Frazier made sure all the singers stayed focused and engaged. Frazier’s passion and dedication to choir directing started as a young boy, when he joined the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church choir as a 12-year-old alto. “I started singing before my voice changed,” says Frazier, laughing. “Ever since I was a boy, I loved attending and observing choir rehearsals in my free time. I thought that was fun.” Now a tenor, Frazier’s love and interest in choir directing has blossomed into a full-time position at his childhood church. Ten years ago, Frazier’s pastor asked him to start filling in part-time when the choir director was out of town. Within a few years, the position became permanent. The prize money from the competition will go into recording the choir’s first album, which Frazier says he is in the early stages of planning. On top of the excitement of winning the competition, the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir traveled to New York City during the December holidays and performed on Good Morning America as well as Fox & Friends. The choir also made a guest appearance at the 2010 gospel music Stellar Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, with Donald Lawrence. Besides major appearances on national television, the choir has been asked to sing at other local churches and various events in Atlanta. Although traveling with such a large group can be challenging, it is still a fun experience for the singers. Choir members range from age 17 to their early 60s. Nathan Roland, the choir’s longest standing member, has been singing with the group for 30 years, since he was 18. Roland
has known Frazier since he was six years old and he is married Frazier’s aunt. Roland has good memories of watching Frazier grow up from the kid who sang in the Christmas plays to the choir leader he is today. Traveling to New York City for TV appearances was exciting for Roland who had never been there before. He even got to ice skate in Central Park, fulfilling a lifelong dream. “It was quite an adventure for me; in the South we roller skate,” says Roland, 48, a commercial and industrial electrician. “It was also very cool being on TV,” he says, summing up the choir’s experience. “It was a blessing to be able to see the effects on the people in the studio when we sang; it was great to minister to them.”
T hink your church choir has what it takes?
Fortunately for Frazier, that last minute opportunity to compete resulted in his 63-member church choir winning the title of “Best Church Choir in America,” the $30,000 grand prize, as well as the V Cast People’s Choice Award and an additional $5,000 last November. “It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience to participate and to win,” says Frazier. “I am still taking it in. It’s an amazing feeling and has already opened so many doors for our church choir.”
How Sweet the Sound is traveling to 14 cities, including Newark, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Jacksonville, for the 2010 competition and concerts. To enter your praise team, register at: howsweetthesound.com by 11:59 p.m., May 17. Things you’ll need: 1) The name, address, and phone number of your church. 2) The religious organization’s federal tax I.D. 3) A 30-second to three-minute recorded choir performance from the competition song list.
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snare (or side) drum
A double-sided drum, the bottom head of which has a “snare” stretched across it to create a buzzing sound when the drum is hit. Made from wire today, older snares were made of catgut.
HISTORY: The snare drum has its origins in 15th century
MUSIC HOW-TO’S HOW-TO’S MUSIC
Switzerland. There, it was called a tabor and was used to accompany a pipe (the “fife”) in military bands.
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A cymbal with a turned-up rim that makes it look “inside out.” This shape gives a sound described as “trash,” although large China cymbals are more gong-like.
what’s that
sound? ANATOMY OF A DRUM KIT n “It is great to watch the trap-drummer,” wrote music critic Strickland Gillilan in The Indianapolis Star in 1914. “One would think he kept a junk store and had gone crazy.” In 1914, the “traps”—short for “contraption”—was a new and curious musical phenomenon. The demands of keeping time in an early 20th century jazz band had led to the creation of the drum kit. As early as the 1890s, drummers in New Orleans were putting the snare, bass drum, and cymbals of a marching band together in a contraption for the stage, so that one drummer could play them all. American inventors did their part, providing the bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand, and an array of different-sounding cymbals. The drum kit is an American invention, and like America, it is a melting pot, bringing together drums and cymbals from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The traps were soon popularized by inventive and virtuoso drummers. Gene Krupa and Jo Jones were followed by Max Roach and Elvin Jones in jazz, before rock drummers such as Keith Moon of The Who and Neil Peart of Rush made drumming a theatrical performance with their monster kits. But however many bells and whistles a drummer adds, any modern kit employs a standard mix of drums and cymbals. They can be found in this six-shell custom kit by DW Drums, with Zildjian cymbals and Remo drum heads. To learn more about the history of drums, read The Drum Book by Geoff Nicholls (Backbeat Books, 1997).
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China Cymbal
HISTORY: Along with Turkey, China has been associated with bell and cymbal making for hundreds of years. In fact, records indicate cymbals were a feature of the Chinese court orchestra at Peking in the 4th century.
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hi-hat
A pair of cymbals attached to a medal stand that are crashed together with a foot pedal. Played with both the feet and with sticks, it is most often used to keep time. Other hi-hat techniques include playing the cymbals half-opened to produce a “sizzle” sound or kicking them against each other to produce a “splash” sound.
HISTORY:
The modern hi-hat began as simply two “low” cymbals, one tied to a drummer’s shoe, and another that sat on the floor. Drummers Gene Krupa and Papa Jo Jones and cymbal smith Armand Zildjian are credited with creating the modern “high” cymbal mechanism.
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Crash/splash Cymbals
A crash cymbal produces a sharp, medium-duration sound—the “crash”—while the “splash” of the smaller splash cymbal designates a higher-pitched sound with very quick decay.
HISTORY:
Again, it’s the collaboration between Krupa and Zildjian that can be credited with the advent of the modern crash and splash cymbals. In the 1930s, Krupa asked Zildjian to develop thinner cymbals from heavier marching cymbals the company had been making.
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tom-toms
Cylindrical drums, either with one or two heads, mounted in front of the drummer. They are used for “fills” that accent the time-keeping work of the snare, bass drum, hi-hat, and ride cymbals.
HISTORY:
Added to drum kits in the 1920s, the first toms were crude, with heads tacked onto shells making tuning difficult. Toms have their origin in the traditional cylindrical drums of Native Americans and Africans.
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Ride Cymbal
A larger, heavier cymbal that has a distinct “ping” sound, when played with sticks. Used to keep time, as an alternative to playing the hi-hat, its name comes from the phrase “to ride the rhythm.” Sometimes loose rivets are attached to the cymbal to produce a “sizzle” sound.
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HISTORY: The ride cymbal is yet another result of Zildjian’s collaboration with the emergent drummers of the jazz era. The cymbal became popular with bebop drummers such as Buddy Rich, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones.
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4
Floor Toms
These larger toms are usually set on the floor with three or four legs holding them up. Most kits feature one floor tom, although, following ’60s rock drummers such as Ginger Baker, many modern drummers add a second floor tom.
3 5
HISTORY: Again, drummers have to thank Gene
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Krupa for the floor tom and its placement. Originally, he set his floor tom between his two bass drums, to the left of his snare, before moving it to its current right-hand position. 2 8
B ass (or Kick) Drum
A large drum placed on the floor and usually played with the right foot using a bass drum pedal to work the mallet. Some drummers use two bass drums or a pedal with two mallets to play double bass drum patterns on one drum.
1
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HISTORY:
It’s a descendant of bass drums used by orchestras and marching bands, which were introduced to the West in the 14th century, and for some time were known as “Turkish drums.”
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B ass Drum Pedal
A foot-operated pedal that holds mallets to play the bass drum. It is played either with the toes, the heel, or with a heel-toe action.
HISTORY:
The invention of the modern bass drum pedal is credited to German drummer William F. Ludwig. He improved on earlier versions, asking a cabinetmaker in 1908 to craft a wooden pedal that could withstand the rigors of jazz drumming.
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Right at First Sight Learn to Love Sight Reading By Meredith Laing
You’re finishing up a great rehearsal when one of your bandmates announces that he’s finished writing a new song and has the parts ready for everyone. You’re psyched—you can’t wait to get home and start working on the new music. You’ll practice hard all week and be ready to rock it at your next rehearsal.
n
But your bandmate has a different idea. Excited to finally hear his song played live, he suggests a quick read-though. Suddenly, your heart starts to beat as loud as the drums in your band. You hate sight reading. But not wanting to be the one to break up the jam, you agree and try to play it cool. You fumble your way through the notes, but eventually lose your place during a tricky run. With no idea where you are, you start to sheepishly guess at chords, waiting for the song to end and hoping that the rest of the band isn’t listening too closely. If this scenario sounds all too familiar, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, many musicians see sight reading as their biggest musical weakness and think that there isn’t much they can do to change that. But while you obviously can’t practice the music before you’ve seen it, you can practice the sight reading process. All you need to do is pick up a short piece of music you’ve never played before—something a little below your normal playing level, to start—and read it through, start to finish. It’ll be tempting to fix mistakes along the way, but force yourself to just keep going, no matter what happens. Along with this type of practice, the tips that follow will help you get things right—or at least better—at first sight. Then, you can relax and let the percussion (not your pounding heart!) keep the beat the next time you’re faced with a brand new piece of music.
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Look Ahead Just because it’s sight reading doesn’t mean you have to go in completely blind. Take a moment to glance over the music. Note the meter, key signature, and tempo, as well as any changes in these things throughout the music. Find any potential trouble spots and, if you have time, mark in fingerings or beats as needed. You should also try to keep your eyes moving forward while you’re playing. This gives you an extra moment to prepare for those trouble spots, and the chance to recognize scales, arpeggios, or other familiar patterns coming up in the music. Your mind should always be one step ahead of your fingers in anticipation of what’s next.
Feel the Flow When it comes to sight reading, correct rhythm is more important than correct notes. Many people instinctively slow down when they come to something that is difficult to play, but correct, in-tune notes are worthless if they come in the wrong place. Instead of falling behind or scrambling through haphazardly, simplify complicated passages. This way, you’ll at least hear the basic chord progressions. Keep in time by playing only the notes that fall on the beats, or even just on the downbeats—whatever you need to do to be able to stay with the rest of the group and eventually get back on track when things ease up. To work on this on your own, practice sight reading with a metronome.
Stop and Smell the Roses In other words, pay attention to the details, such as dynamics, phrasing, articulation, and bowing markings, as much as possible. You might think this would make things more complicated, but these details are what make the music make sense—and the more it makes sense to you, the easier it will be to play. Playing musically will also encourage other members of your ensemble to listen more carefully, which is something that will always help sight reading go more smoothly.
Hear It in Your Head The hardest thing about sight reading is playing without any idea of what the music is supposed to sound like, so just imagine how much easier things would be if you could look at the page and already hear the notes in your head. One of the easiest ways to learn to do this is to think about music in terms of solfège syllables—do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do—which represent the notes of any major scale. This will train your ear to recognize interval relationships in music. To practice using solfège, take any simple, familiar song and figure out how to sing it with the correct syllables. (Hint: the last note of the song is almost always “do.”) Once you get the hang of it, take an unfamiliar piece and try to sight sing it using solfège before you play.
Taste Sweet Success One of the quickest tricks to becoming a better sight reader is simply to relax and be confident. If you’re constantly worrying about making a mistake, you’re more likely to make one. Besides, when you hesitate and try to hear what other people are playing first, you’re already behind. You will probably be pleasantly surprised at how well you do if you just go for it and play out with confidence. At the very worst, you’ll hear more clearly where your mistakes are and have a better idea of what you need to work on later. www.MakingMusicMag.com
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SHe WorkS Hard for tHe Money FeMALe MusICIAns wHo PAId tHeIR dues At eveRydAy jobs beFoRe RoCkIng FuLL-tIMe
By Meredith Laing
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Making Music looks back on some of the ladies who led the way in music.
Marian Anderson is first black singer to perform at Metropolitan Opera House.
1955 1960 24
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Patsy Cline lands record deal and records her standard “I Fall to Pieces.”
Janis Joplin makes debut with band Big Brother and the Holding Company.
Karen Carpenter and brother Richard Carpenter earn spot on charts with “Ticket to Ride.”
1965 1970
hile some bands might get plucked up by a record company and move into the limelight before ever setting foot in the “real world,” most stories of rock ‘n’ roll stardom don’t start like a fairy tale. The music careers of these three women—some of rock’s greatest icons—started as little more than daydreams at decidedly unglamorous day jobs. But luckily for us, and for the history of rock, their music eventually moved from the back seat to front and center. Famous for breaking barriers for other aspiring female rockers, there’s no doubt that these leading ladies were always meant to work the stage. Their stories of moving out of the nine-to-five world and into the spotlight are inspirational for anyone with a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy.
PaTTI SMITH Bookstore to Booked Tours “You have to kick doors open yourself,” said the “godmother of punk,” Patti Smith, in an interview with The Guardian in 2007. “When people come up to me and say, ‘Patti, nobody wants to hear my CD and I don’t have enough money for equipment,’ I say, ‘Well, get a job, y’know?’ That’s what I did.” Smith grew up in New Jersey and got a job in a factory when she was 16 years old. She continued to work there for about
three years after graduating high school. Then in 1967, Smith moved to New York City, where she painted, wrote poetry, and worked in a bookstore. Smith always saw poetic and political ideas as being at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll, and when she felt that rock music was moving away from that direction, she decided to take it upon herself to do something about it. One afternoon, she held a poetry reading at a church in the Lower East Side, with guitar accompaniment provided by future guitarist of the Patti Smith Group, Lenny Kaye. This performance was the beginning of what
would become Smith’s signature style, which she describes as “three-chord rock combined with the power of the word.” By 1974, Smith left her bookstore job to form the Patti Smith Group, but she recalls that she expected to dabble in music for a little while and then return to work. Instead, her band was signed to Arista Records in 1975 and released the album, Horses, the same year. The influential debut is still considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Tours of the US and Europe followed soon after, and confirmed Smith’s status as a leader of the punk movement in rock music. Thirty-five years later, Smith has recorded over a dozen albums and is still giving concerts. Interestingly enough, she’s also back in bookstores, giving a book tour to promote her recently released autobiographical book, Just Kids.
PaT BenaTar Bank Teller to Record Seller Before she was making millions of her own, Pat Benatar was handling check deposits and counting out cash for the folks of Richmond, Virginia. Far from having a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle back then, Benatar, the daughter of an opera singer, went on to become the first female artist to have a music video aired on MTV.
Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders debut album, Pretenders, enters British chart at number one. Aretha Franklin wins 10th Grammy for “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”
1975 1980
Carole King is inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tina Turner wins three Grammys for What’s Love Got to Do with It.
1985 1990 www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Benatar grew up on Long Island, where she studied classical voice, sang in church choirs, and participated in musical theater. Her strict parents tried to keep her away from rock music, but Benatar remembers spending her after school hours with a transistor radio, listening to The Rolling Stones. Although she was accepted to The Juilliard School as a voice major, Benatar instead spent a year at SUNY Stony Brook studying health education, and then left school to marry her high school sweetheart, Dennis Benatar. Dennis was stationed in the Army in Richmond, and for more than three years, Benatar put music aside and worked there as a bank teller. Eventually, she couldn’t ignore her draw to music and decided to leave her job. Benatar began working as a singing waitress at a local restaurant, but her big break came when she traveled to New York City to sing in a comedy club on amateur night. Her performance caught the attention of the club owner, who would later become her manager. Benatar and her husband soon moved back to New York City, where she became a regular performer at the club. After a few years playing gigs and sending out demo tapes, she landed a record deal in 1978. Benatar admits that her classical training and lack of experience in rock music restricted her a bit, at first, but she eventu-
Reba McEntire is first woman in 15 years named Entertainer of the Year at Academy of Country Music Awards.
ally learned to let loose. “That’s the only way to sing rock—from your gut level feelings,” Benatar said in a 1981 interview with The Boston Globe. She turned out to be right: she won the Grammy award for Best Female Rock Performance for an unprecedented four years in a row, from 1980 to 1983, and is one of the top-selling female artists of all time.
DeBBIe Harry
Call Backs to Call Me
Although she always had her platinum blonde hair, Blondie’s lead singer, Debbie Harry, didn’t always have such a glamorous line of work. Harry graduated with her Associate of Arts degree from Centenary College in 1965 and moved to New York City, where she spent most of her 20s working odd jobs. She worked as a cocktail waitress, fried donuts and brewed coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts, and spent about a year as a secretary for BBC Radio’s New York City office. Harry traded in her telephone receiver for a microphone in the early ’70s when she began singing with a folk rock group, The Wind in the Willows, and later with the girl group The Stilettos. In the mid ’70s, she and Chris Stein, backing guitarist for The Stilettos, formed their own group, which they called Blondie. It soon became clear that Harry had found her permanent gig. Blondie became a regular act at trendsetting clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas
City, and the band released a couple of albums. But it was their third album, Parallel Lines, which brought the group international success. Influenced by different popular genres of the day, including disco, punk, and new wave, they created a distinctive sound and put out chart-topping hits like “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” and “The Tide is High.” In 1999, Harry set a Guinness World Record as the Oldest Female Singer to Reach number one in the UK chart with her single, “Maria.” With a highly anticipated Blondie album due out this year, it’s easy to see that Harry’s fans are not going anywhere. However, in a 2007 interview with Time Out London, Harry claims that she would be just as happy singing for only a few people as she is performing for sold-out crowds. “I’m absolutely certain that the love that comes back at you from an audience is one of the things that keeps you going— totally,” she says in the interview. “But you can always play music, irrespective of your age or the size of your audience.” Knowing that’s true, it’s pretty safe to assume that these influential rockers could never turn back to their days behind bookshelves, bank counters, and typewriters. MEREDITH LAING, a CLaSSiCaLLy trained ViOLiniSt, iS nOW thinKing aBOUt trying OUt the eLeCtriC ViOLin.
Beyoncé wins six Grammys—the most ever at one time for a female artist.
Mariah Carey named Billboard’s most successful artist of the ’90s and bestselling female artist of all time. Cher finishes three-year farewell tour with final performance at Hollywood Bowl.
1995 2000 2005 2010 26
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Forte
Spice Thing ThingS Up
Take Any Song from So-So to So Good
Begin with an easy tune, or if inspiration strikes, you can come up with your own melody. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is shown below in G major. 1.
1.
Now, try changing the key from major to minor. This example 2. uses E minor, which has the same key signature as G major. In E minor, the last note of the song will be an E, and from there, you can work backwards to find the new notes. If you play through 1.the example below, you’ll hear how much a simple key change 2.affects the mood of the music. 3.
2.
The next variation returns to G major, but the meter and rhythms are changed. The new 6/8 time signature and swinging rhythms 1. 4 give the song a dance-like feel. Some ornamentation notes are included in the last few measures. Just by adding a few “neighboring” pitches—notes above or below the original pitch—and an arpeggio at the end, the music becomes more interesting. 3.
3.
4
By Meredith Laing
If you’ve never composed a note in your life, but have a craving to create some music of your own, learning to write variations on an easy melody is a practically foolproof place to start. A “variation” changes one or more elements of the original theme to create new, but related, musical material. Think of it like cooking: depending on the spices or sauces you use, you can take a basic dish in many different directions. Similarly, variations on a tune can change the whole “flavor” of the music.
2.
n
Pianist Margo Guryan experimented with that idea in her book and CD The Chopsticks Variations. Starting with the popular piano staple that practically everyone has learned how to play at one point or another, Guryan was able to create everything from soft, lullaby-like music to boogiewoogie blues. “Chopsticks is basically two chords, so that left a lot of room for imagination,” she says. Being able to write variations is useful for budding songwriters, musicians who want a wider variety of songs to play without increasing the difficulty level, and musicians who want to add a personal touch to popular songs. “Start out with easier things, like changing the key signature, or shortening and lengthening certain notes,” suggests Guryan. “Those things will lead you immediately into other ideas.”
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This last variation is the most drastically different, because the melody is actually changed, through an “inversion.” (It sounds more complicated than it is!) Wherever the notes in the original 3. melody go up, the notes in the inversion will go down, and viceversa. The example below starts on C, but you can experiment with different starting pitches and key signatures. Notice how two notes are added to the last measure to make the ending feel more resolved; variations are meant to get you thinking creatively, so use your instincts and go with what sounds good to you. 4 4
If you want to work beyond the melody, you can try testing different chord progressions, or moving the melody to the bass line and writing new notes over it. The only real rule for writing variations is that the new music should relate in some way to the original melody. Beyond that, you can let your imagination run wild. “There are so many ways that you can fool around with the music and come up with something neat,” Guryan says. Plus, just think of how rewarding it will be to be able to play something that you created yourself!
sharpsandflats GEnERAL n Strengthen the mechanisms that play the instrument
and then get out of the way and let the music play through you, from the heart. Music played from the heart will touch people, whereas music that is played by technique alone, may certainly impress it’s listeners, but it will not move them. Tony Franklin, Los Angeles, California
TRoMBonE n Always keep the chest up and out for proper breathing. When you do this, all of the other elements of correct playing posture—feet flat on the floor, sitting straight and on the edge of your chair, shoulders back and down, and relaxed face to the horizon—fall into place.
Norlan Bewley, Dayton, Ohio
BASS GUITAR n Although it is necessary to practice scales, practice doesn’t
have to consist of nothing else. Find a song with a bass line you would love to play and learn it. Make practice a daily routine. Keep it interesting and try to structure it: 10 minutes for scales, 20 minutes learning a new song or a riff. Vikki Alexander, Witney Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
PIAno n Have you gone over and over a tough spot? Try starting at the last beat. Play it. Now move backwards to the previous beat. Play it alone; then play the two beats together. Keep slowly moving backwards. By thinking about the beats differently, you can sidestep the pattern your brain was creating.
Kimberly Luker, Port Angeles, Washington
HOw dO YOu pRacTIce? Sharps & Flats are quick and easy practice ideas for all instruments and playing levels. Do you have a tip, trick, or piece of advice (in 150 words or less) that you’d like to share with Making Music’s readers? We’d love to hear it! Send us an e-mail at afollett@MakingMusicMag.com. www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Power Drum song Military members find rhythm in a drum circle
M
By jackie Saunders
ilitary life is stressful. Deployment, long periods of separation from family, and adjusting upon return to civilian life, are all concerns that are unique to members of the military and the people who patiently wait for them. Music therapists are finding ways to help these families make connections, communicate, and have a good time with their fellow coworkers in the armed forces. Tiffany Wyndham, music therapist and director of development and communications for Resounding Joy, a nonprofit organization that promotes emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being through supportive music, uses drum circles to help soldiers around Southern California. Her friendship with a retired Marine who served in Desert Storm is one reason that this type of music therapy is important to Wyndham. “Through this deep friendship I came to realize how important it was to support members of our military in any way possible,” says Wyndham. “As music is a powerful modality, I and others like me, can use our training to support members of the military through the use of music in various therapeutic ways.” In September of 2008, Wyndham and other drum circle facilitators with Resounding Joy were invited to lead drum
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circles at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, in San Diego County. The drum circles were held during the base’s 4th Annual Patriotic Rally Barbecue and Car Show. Resounding Joy facilitators worked with marines in the School of Infantry who had just completed basic training. “Drums are very powerful instruments,” says Wyndham. “A drum circle can be likened to the way marines work and understand each other in the field. Working as a team and communicating, sometimes nonverbally, make drum circles a natural fit for these marines. The drums are also very masculine, rhythmical, and primal in a lot of ways.” Besides providing a platform for illustrating teamwork and camaraderie, Wyndham says research shows that drumming
“It’s stressful for every deployment ... drum circles provide an outlet other than talk-based briefings to deal with the emotions.” and music actually provide a stimulant for endorphin release, which is a natural pain killer. The Gate Control Theory of Pain, which suggests a person cannot actively think about pain while engaged in another activity, is one reason Wyndham believes drum circles also help military members who are dealing with an injury. “When you tap on a surface and make music with a drum, you are interrupting or slowing those pain signals,” she says. During the barbecue, almost 3,000 marines filtered in and out of the 20- to 25-minute drum circle slots. “The drumming was so powerful, you could hear it across the parking lot,” says Wyndham. She observed a noticeable difference in the actions and emotions of the people in the drum circle. Drummers became more aware of each other, appreciating the unique sound. There was increased eye contact and evidence of improved self-esteem among the marines. Some got up and danced, embraced each other, laughed, and shouted. “People in the military are trained not to express emotions in their work, which is stress inducing,” says Wyndham. “In a drum circle, their emotions can be expressed in a safe environment through drumming, which is a great release.” Wyndham likes to use a variety of drums with different tones, timbres, and sounds. The drum circles at Camp Pendleton featured bass drums, djembés, tubanos, Native American drums, and small hand percussion instruments like maracas, claves, and bells. Facilitators often use a cowbell to cut through the sounds of the other percussion instruments and maintain the beat.
very young families on their first deployment. Drum circles provide tools and an outlet other than talk-based briefings to deal with the emotions.” Else wanted to work with military families because she, along with her music therapy colleagues, observed a growing need for coping mechanisms during these transitional periods. “The military offers lots of good information and resources for the family members, but nobody that we found has done a program using music therapy, music, and creative arts,” says Else. During the drum circles, a lot of military families weren’t sure of what to expect. By the time they walked out of the door, Else says she saw a shift in their attitudes. Families were communicating more and said they wanted to return. “One of the great things about drum circles is that they are accessible to individuals of all ages and anyone can participate or lead,” says Else. “A six-year-old of a parent returning from deployment can lead and then can shift roles so the returning parent leads. The drumming gives them a context for discussion about issues of transition and how to cope.” Major themes of drum circles for military personnel are increased communication and bonding. Because teamwork is essential to being a soldier, drum circles are effective tools to facilitate these group relationships. “It motivates them and enhances group cohesion,” explains Wyndham. “You don’t need language. Music is the universal language.”
Resounding Joy is seeking more opportunities to work with military members and their families. “The experience with the School of Infantry, organized by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, simply solidified my resolve to continue to pursue this type of outreach,” says Wyndham. One music therapist who has worked with military families with young children is American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Consultant Barbara Else. She received a grant from AMTA and from music products association NAMM to work with military families at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Else facilitated drum circles for families where one parent was deploying, redeploying, or returning from active duty. “Lots of these families already have a sense of what to anticipate, but they never get used to it,” says Else. “It’s stressful for every deployment, from the most experienced families to the www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Forte Most orchestras have at least three different concert series: classics, pops, and family. Choose a concert series for each of the following people based on their descriptions.
➊
“I want to expose my grandchildren, ages three and five, to classical music.”
➋
“For me, a perfect weekend would include tickets to a Broadway musical.”
➌
“I’m learning the piano, and I’m inspired by professional pianists.”
After you’ve decided on a concert to attend, more confusion can arise before you’ve even taken your seat. Answer the following questions about concert preparation.
➍
What should you wear to the concert? A) A tuxedo or gown B) Dressy casual attire C) Jeans and a T-shirt
➎
What should you know about the music on the concert program beforehand? A) You should only plan to attend concerts that include pieces you already know and like.
By Meredith Laing
B) You should do a little reading about the music or listen to some recordings.
What do The Who, Neil Diamond, Deep Purple, Dave Matthews Band, and Sting have in common? They’re just a few of the many musical artists who have been influenced by symphonic music.
C) You don’t need know anything about the music before showing up to the concert.
n
Maybe, like them, you’ve already discovered how much symphonic music rocks. Maybe you even have a nice little stack of Beethoven and Brahms in your CD collection. Or maybe you’ve heard classical music you liked here and there, but don’t know a concerto from a symphony, or the concertmaster from the conductor (more on that later!). No matter where you fall on the spectrum of classical music knowledge, an evening at a symphony concert is something every musician can enjoy. But with uncertainty about everything from which type of concert to attend to when to applaud, many people are deterred from ever setting foot in a concert hall. Here’s a crash course to bring out closet classical music lovers.
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➏
When should you arrive to the concert? A) Twenty to 30 minutes beforehand B) Five to 10 minutes beforehand C) Fashionably late
Some of the terms you’ll run into at a symphony concert are understandably puzzling. Label each of the following statements True or False.
➐ ➑ ➒
A philharmonic orchestra is the same thing as a symphony orchestra. The concertmaster is the person who plays the tuning note for the orchestra. A concerto is a piece that features an instrumental soloist playing with the orchestra.
At the symphony, it’s not necessarily time to applaud when the music stops. Answer the following question and explain.
➓
Is it ever acceptable to clap between movements, or sections, of a piece?
➀ Family series. These concerts are designed for
children. They’re held during the day and run about an hour—half the length of most symphony concerts. They might tell a story through music with a narrator, or explore different orchestral instruments. With music by master composers, they’re enjoyable for adults, too.
➁
PoPs series. If you love movie soundtracks and whistle show tunes, pops concerts are for you. They feature the best of Hollywood and Broadway, and often include vocal soloists.
➂
ClassiCs series. Classics concerts are a great source of inspiration for musicians of all abilities and genres. A concert that includes a soloist on your instrument would be a great one to attend.
➃
aNsWer B. Most concert halls don’t have specific dress codes, so you might see everything from sneakers to stilettos, but the majority of people settle somewhere in between. Slacks or a skirt, with a nice shirt or blouse, are appropriate attire.
➄
aNsWer C. Even if you have some favorite pieces, try to be open to discovering new music. You might find it interesting to read some background information or to listen to some of the pieces beforehand, but it’s not necessary. All you need is an open mind and open ears!
➅
aNsWer a. Unlike many other concerts, symphony concerts don’t have opening acts and begin right on time. Arriving at least 20 minutes in advance gives you time to find your seat and settle in, turn off your cell phone, and read the program notes. (If you do arrive late, never, ever, enter the concert hall in the middle of a piece!)
➆
True. A symphony orchestra and a philharmonic orchestra are the same thing—just two different names.
➇ False. The concertmaster is the principal, or first
chair, violinist. The conductor primarily leads the orchestra, but the concertmaster also helps to lead through body language. He or she has several other responsibilities, including cueing the principal oboist to play the tuning note.
➈
True. In a concerto, the orchestra basically acts as the accompaniment for a soloist, who is the star. Some top soloists travel around the world to perform with different orchestras.
➉ someTimes. Together, the different movements create the entire piece, so it is usually best not to break them up with applause. However, after a lively, virtuosic movement of a concerto, it’s sometimes appropriate to show enthusiasm for the soloist with brief applause.
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Forte clip ‘n’ save
Get Into the Mode Beyond Basic Scales
If you’re having trouble figuring out what key a piece of music is in, the reason could be that it’s not in a key at all—it might be in a mode. The modern modes evolved from the music system of the early Greeks, who believed that different modes could affect a person’s mood and even personality. n
Each mode also has its own distinctive character: Ionian mode is really just another name for a major key. It’s generally cheery sounding, and is found in lots of popular music—everything from nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” Dorian mode feels unresolved, making it sound melancholy. It can be heard in The Beatles’ song “Eleanor Rigby.”
There are seven modes used in Western music today, including the modal equivalents of major and minor keys. Each has its own unique pattern of whole steps (w) and half steps (h).
Phrygian mode, sometimes called the “Spanish mode,” has an ethnic feel to it and is often used in jazz music, such as Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta.” Lydian mode is like an upside-down version of a major scale, so it sounds dreamy and mysterious. Used in the theme song to the cartoon The Jetsons, it helps to evoke a futuristic feel.
Luckily, you don’t have to memorize seven different patterns—there’s an easier way. The pattern of each mode, when started on a certain pitch, will fall on the white keys of the piano. In other words, you can find an example of each mode by starting on the corresponding note shown in the chart below and playing all natural notes (without sharps or flats).
Mixolydian mode is quite similar to the major scale, so it’s stable feeling. It’s heard in lots of rock songs, including The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Aeolian mode uses the same notes as the natural minor scale, and is usually associated with a feeling of sadness. Although it’s not as common in popular music as harmonic minor, it can be found in songs like “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. and the children’s song “The Ants Go Marching.”
You can then transpose any of these modal scales to start on any pitch. Just be sure to retain the correct pattern of whole steps and half steps. For example, when starting on D, Dorian mode uses all natural notes, but Dorian mode starting on G uses the following pitches: G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
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Locrian mode is so unusual sounding that it’s rarely used. The March from Shostakovich’s Three Fantastic Dances is one of the only examples of music written entirely in Locrian mode.
Starting Pitch
Mode Name
Using natural notes
Interval Pattern
Ionian (major)
C
w-w-h-w-w-w-h
Dorian
D
w-h-w-w-w-h-w
Phrygian
E
h-w-w-w-h-w-w
Lydian
F
w-w-w-h-w-w-h
Mixolydian
G
w-w-h-w-w-h-w
Aeolian (natural minor)
A
w-h-w-w-h-w-w
Locrian
B
h-w-w-h-w-w-w
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Step up a “Ladder” to Build a New Tune by Scott Houston n For those of you who have never seen
my TV show, nor know anything about the style of piano playing I teach, here is my life’s work in a nutshell: to get as many warm bodies as humanly possible off the sidelines and into the game of recreational music making on keyboard instruments. I do that by eliminating one of the biggest bottlenecks beginning players face, which is becoming a good enough note reader to play interesting sounding music using fully-notated, traditional grand staff scores. Instead, I espouse using the type of notation that pros use when playing all styles of nonclassical music—lead sheets. Lead sheets consist only of a single note melody line in the treble clef, with chord symbols above the staff. They give you the important things you need to know about a tune, the melody and the harmony, yet they do it while tossing aside about 90% of the difficulty of reading fully notated sheet music. Only one note at a time, no bass clef to worry about—you get the picture. However, removing most of the notation also removes an arranger’s explicit directions on how to play the tune. The reality is that, in most nonclassical sheet music, an arranger (not the composer) put in the notes you see. They probably used the information found in a lead sheet (or they figured out their own lead sheet
by ear) to tell them the “DNA” (melody and harmony) of the song. They then “fleshed out” that information to their own liking and explicitly notated it in the full grand staff notation typical of piano sheet music. The beauty of reading lead sheets as opposed to fully notated sheet music is that you are free to make your own arrangement of a tune. It turns the exercise more into creating your own version of a tune and less into reproducing someone else’s idea of a tune. But aye, there’s the rub … what to create? For many people addicted to playing only what is written, stepping into the abyss of “make it up yourself ” is terribly daunting. My suggestion is to use what I call a “ladder” approach to build a nice version of a tune. It is the way I approach teaching tunes on my 1-on-1 Series DVDs and it has helped thousands of people get started in this style. Although it is way beyond the scope of this article to get into those steps in detail, hopefully slicing up the entire task of playing a tune into more definable goals will give you a mental “ladder” of your own to begin climbing. Have fun! SCOTT HOUSTON IS HOST OF THE PBS SHOW THE PIANO GUY. LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS PIANO METHOD AT WWW.SCOTTHOUSTON. COM OR WWW.PLAYPIANOINAFLASH.COM.
Here are the steps to move “up the ladder” one rung at a time, at your own pace:
Learn the one-note-at-a-time
melody line with your right hand.
Learn the basic root position chords with your left hand.
Put them together—simple
melody with root position chords, while playing one chord for every chord symbol in the lead sheet.
Stay with basic chords, but start to “noodle” with the melody line to make it sound more authentic. Break free from playing verbatim what is notated.
Start to embellish the left
hand by playing some patterns, but sticking to only chord tones. Break the chords up in some way.
Begin splitting chords be
tween both hands by playing more chord tones in your right hand beneath the melody line.
Think about adding stylisti
cally appropriate “tips and tricks” for a more professional, authentic sound.
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Tuned In sinGle coil ❱❱ These were the first pickups to emerge in the ’30s. Today, they are still quite common on guitars like Fender’s Stratocastor and Telecaster. They have a thin, clear, bright sound favored by many rock and blues musicians, like Eric Clapton and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. tRy tHIs: Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups for Stratocastor
Humbucker ❱❱ Traditional single coil pickups are extremely sensitive to outside interference, and can hum and buzz to the sounds of your home’s electrical wiring or your computer monitor. Double coil “humbuckers” were introduced in the 1950s to address this problem. By using two balanced coils, outside interference issues are eliminated. Another consequence of the double coil pickup is a fatter, darker, and dirtier sound, favored by blues and jazz musicians, like B.B. King. tRy tHIs: DiMarzio Air Zone DP 192 Humbucker
Active electronics ❱❱ With active electronic pickups, signals from the coil are sent through an onboard preamplifier and EQ, for more output and tone control, plus virtually noise-free operation. But, some guitarists regard the tone as sterile, and the need for an external power source and modifications needed for installation can be deal-breakers. tRy tHIs: EMG-89 Split Coil Humbucking Active
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Pickup Your Sound n If you are like most guitarists, you’re probably on a never ending search to squeeze every last bit of tone you can from your instrument. Pickups are a great way to do this, and can make a huge difference in the sound and response of a guitar. When confronted with all of the pickup brands and models, however, it can be a little daunting. Get a grip on the basics below, and then check out some of these popular “pickup-grades.” Invented in the 1930s to help guitarists be heard in big jazz orchestras, basic pickups consist of a magnet coiled in very thin copper wire, and a cable to carry the signal to an amplifier. As the metal string vibrates over the pickup, it creates fluctuations in the electromagnetic field surrounding the coil. When this happens, pulses of electricity are created that are then sent down the cable and into your amplifier. Seems simple enough, right? Within this simple concept, there is the possibility for endless tonal variations. Different core material, the number of coil winds, the position of the pickup on the instrument, and the distance from the pickup to the strings are just some of the many variables that can affect the overall tone and feel of a pickup. In general, though, the more coil windings a pickup has, the more output, or “hotter,” it will be. Less coil windings means a brighter, cleaner sound. Further adding to the complexity of choosing a pickup is the fact that most stores won’t take one back once it’s been soldered into your guitar. The Internet can provide a great resource in the form of peer review forums. Read what others have to say about particular pickups to help make an informed decision. Another idea is to research your favorite guitarists’ set ups to see which pickups they use. After you’ve purchased a pickup, it’s a good idea to have a qualified guitar repairman install it. It’s also advisable to buy retrofit pickups that will install with minimal or no modifications to your guitar. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to buy a new pick guard, or have your guitar routed to accommodate bigger pickups or active electronics. Once installed, it’s important to take some tweaking time with your new pickup to find the “sweet spot.” Most pickups have adjustment screws that allow you to easily raise or lower them, which changes the distance from the magnet to the strings. If the pickup is too close to the strings, excess magnetic force can actually deaden the tone and kill sustain. If the pickup is too low, it will not send a strong enough signal to the amp, and the tone will be weak. Adjusting pickups to the right height is not difficult, and usually requires simple tools. Then, plug it in and enjoy your axe’s new tone!
Tuned In
For more products visit www.MakingMusicMag.com/tunedin
Is That a Sax in Your Pocket? ❱❱ You’ll be happy to see—and hear—the Xaphoon Pocket Sax, a durable and more affordable version of the original Xaphoon Bamboo Sax. The size of a standard recorder, Pocket Sax produces a low, rich, and full sound that defies its small dimensions. Tuned in the key of C, it has a two-octave range and can play all of the notes of the chromatic scale. Its tone falls somewhere between that of a saxophone and a clarinet. The pocket sax comes with a tenor saxophone reed, a sax-like mouthpiece, and detailed instructions. It is made of sturdy ABS plastic and is available in black, cobalt blue, ruby red, or emerald green. The pocket sax is perfect for musicians who want an instrument at their fingertips, for whenever inspiration strikes. MSRP: starting at $85
Stingray Strings ❱❱ Wood Violins has updated the popular Stingray electric violin with two brand new models, the Stingray SV4 and SV5. The SV4 is a fretless four-string design, while the SV5 is a fretless fivestring design. These violins, made of poplar, are lightweight with powerful bridge piezo pickup, so you’ll be ready for some serious rocking. They are available in brilliant metallic red or black finish, and come with a case, bow, and rosin. This instrument truly lives up to its nickname, the “Stradivarius of electric violins.”
A Mike You’ll Like ❱❱ This new handheld microphone comes in the Samson Technologies Q2U recording pack, along with HP20 headphones, Cakewalk music creator software, a desktop stand, and a mike clip. The high-quality mike is well-suited for both live performance and recording. With USB input/output and XLR output controlled by an on/off switch, it’s simple to record a gig or open mike night straight to a laptop. You won’t compromise sound quality for convenience, either. Cardioid pickup, the 16-bit A/D converter, and 48 kHz sampling rate, provide clear, detailed sound reproduction. MSRP: $89
MSRP: Starting at $599
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Tuned In
For more products visit www.MakingMusicMag.com/tunedin
Just in Case ❱❱ Designed to meet Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Air Transport Association (ATA) standards, the GPE Classic ATA guitar case joins Gator Case’s line built for music makers who love to travel. Nearly indestructible, its outer shell is made of military grade polyethylene with surface mounted impact diversion, a TSA-approved locking center latch, as well as an ergonomic handle for easy transportation. Even in the most strenuous conditions, your guitar will be safe in the case’s protective neck cradle and crushed velvet interior with universal-fit EPS protective foam. Your guitar can now come along safely, wherever your travels take you. MSRP: $279
Beam Me Up ❱❱ The Beamz interactive music system provides a radically different and exciting way of making music that’s fun for everyone. Just pass your hand through any of the six laser beams to make musical sounds that are never out of tune or off-key. Each beam is easily customized to sound like a different instrument via a specially designed software component that loads into your computer. The software also allows you to play along with favorite songs and to create new ones of your own. MSRP: $199
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Classy Casio ❱❱ Hitting stores in April, Casio’s newest Celviano models, AP-620, AP-420, and AP-220, are perfectly suited for beginning and advanced musicians. With Tri-Sensor scaled hammer action, 128-note polyphony, and superior dynamic range, these digital pianos give you the performance and feel of a grand piano. Making it an even more convincing replica of the acoustic grand, is the Resonance Effect feature, which simulates the sound of dampers being released off the strings by the sustain pedal. The new Duet Mode allows both student and teacher to play simultaneously in the same dynamic range, and is ideal for the learning musician. Putting the icing on the cake, the advanced technology of the Celviano models is wrapped up in a refined, elegant, and lightweight cabinet design. MSRP: STARTING AT $899
Blowin’ in the Wind
A Perfect Pad
❱❱ Anyone who has performed outside when it’s windy knows what a distraction it can be to keep your music on the stand. MusicMaide Music Stand Clip is a simple, hassle-free solution to this problem. Simply slide the transparent clip onto the shelf of any music stand to secure your sheet music and books against even the most persistent breezes, while still easily turning pages. MSRP: $5
❱❱ Yamaha introduces their most powerful and intuitive percussion pad yet. The DTX-MULTI 12 Electronic Percussion Pad has 12 touch-sensitive, responsive pads, contained in a compact 13.5-inch by 12.5-inch unit. The well-designed layout ensures that you’ll hit the right pad every time. The DTX-MULTI 12 comes with 1,249 drum, percussion, and other sound effects, and you can also create and store your own sounds and samples. USB MIDI and memory device ports allow for easy computer connection. The percussion pad includes a built-in sequencer, preset loops, professional quality effects, five-band EQ, and 64-note polyphony. MSRP: $899
www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Tuned In
M I D I
Madness
Making Your Music High-Tech with MIDI Instruments by Jason borisoff n MIDI can be a great tool to enhance
the composing and performing experience for any musician. However, it is easy to become overwhelmed trying to filter through all the information and gear available. But, with a little bit of patience and some relatively inexpensive tools, it’s actually simple to get started. MIDI, which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a special digital language used to record music. The most important concept to understand with MIDI is that, unlike traditional audio recording, it does not capture the sound of your instrument, but rather your performance. As you play your MIDI instrument, it creates “events,” using a series of ones and zeros. These MIDI events represent several performance-related actions, such as rhythm (when you press a key), pitch (which key you press), velocity (how hard you hit the key), and duration (when you let off the key). It also records
knob and wheel adjustments during your performance. But remember, no sound is recorded, only your physical performance actions. To make use of this MIDI language, you need a few high tech, but relatively affordable, tools. The most important item is an instrument with MIDI capabilities. While keyboards are the most common to be equipped with MIDI, a wide variety of other instruments now have it—guitars, basses, wind instruments, drums, and many more. Next, you will need a computer with some sort of MIDI software and an interface of some sort to get the MIDI signal from your instrument into your computer. There are many different options here, including internal sound cards, external interfaces, and USB connections on many newer devices. There are countless ways to use MIDI, but the most common for musicians is recording and live performance. Here’s how it works: raw MIDI data goes from your instrument through the interface
MOTU Fastlane USB n The MOTU Fastlane is a simple and dependable MIDI interface. Simply connect any MIDI instrument to Fastlane, then connect to your Mac or PC via USB, and you’re ready to go. Fastlane supports up to 32 simultaneous channels of MIDI data and is compatible with virtually all computers and sequencing software.
MSRP: $79 (Motu.com)
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and into your computer, where it is recorded and arranged (or sequenced), in time by your MIDI software (or sequencer). Now, using your sequencer, your performance can be altered in any number of ways, including fixing performance errors, adding more notes, adding effects, changing the tempo, and even changing the instrument. For live performance, musicians can use MIDI to create music loops, either prerecorded or improvised phrases (or samples), that they can arrange at will to create a full sounding live performance. Getting into MIDI can seem overwhelming, but if you start small and do your homework, you will be a master in no time. Instead of trying to utilize all of the seemingly endless possibilities, figure out one or two ways that MIDI can help your music making process and branch out from there. Tweakheadz.com is an excellent resource if you’re interested in digging deeper into the high-tech world of MIDI.
M-Audio Axiom 25 Midi Controller n Enter the world of MIDI controllers. Don’t let its toy-like appearance fool you; this is an extremely versatile tool for any musician. This MIDI controller is designed to interact with software via USB port to create a natural and intuitive electronic performance. Some of the features include semi-weighted keys, assignable drum trigger pads and rotary encoders, and virtually limitless programming options. MSRP: $240 (m-audio.com)
Yamaha DD55 7-Pad MIDI Drum System n This electronic drum pad is perfect for drummers
who are ready to experiment with MIDI performance. The DD55 features MIDI input and output, velocity response, and the ability to play or play backup to 32 voices at one time. It features 174 voices altogether, assignable to any of the seven pads. MSRP: $300 (yamahadrums.com)
Akai EWI 4000S n The Akai EWI (Electric Wind Instrument) 4000S is a
giant leap in the evolution of wind instruments. Sound is generated by an analog modeling synthesizer and a built–in sound module. Musicians can plug a wireless MIDI or audio set up into its base to move freely. Breath, vibrato, glide time, and bend width controls are easily accessible and totally adjustable. Plus, the included software lets you edit, customize, store, and recall sounds. MSRP: $999 (akaipro.com)
Roland GR-20 Guitar Synth n Roland’s innovative GR-20 MIDI guitar system turns your axe
into a MIDI synth machine. An included GK-3 divided pickup installs on any steel string guitar, with no modifications, and delivers a whole universe of new sounds. Dial in awesome effects, swirling synth tones, or even make your guitar sound like an entire string section. With the intuitive and easy to use GR-20 stomp box, possibilities are limitless. There is also a model for bass. MSRP: $799 (rolandus.com)
www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Accents
by cherie yurco
T
he seeds of conjunto, which means group in Spanish, were first planted when German and Bohemian immigrants in search of farmland and freedom arrived in the southern part of Texas in the mid-1800s. They brought along their musical traditions and accordions, and built large dance halls. Though the Europeans and native Mexicans didn’t mix and rarely danced together, the Mexican people listened to the music and were drawn to its energy. Pioneers of conjunto, like Patricio Jimenez, watched the European musicians play, copied the oompah beat of the waltzes and polka, and played them faster and wilder with indigenous aponga rhythms. The music gradually departed from its roots, becoming a genre in itself that was adopted by the Tex-Mex working class. As conjunto evolved, the bajo sexto,, a guitar-like instrument with 12 strings in six double courses, and contrabajo,, a string bass known locally also as el tololoche, accompanied accordions. At first conjunto was purely instrumental dance music, but gradually lyrics were added and corridos (or ballads), telling legends of heros or villains, and love stories, became popular variations. Conjunto also evolved as it was passed down through generations. Accordionist Narciso Martínez, often referred to as “the father of conjunto,” was the first artist to successfully record the genre, along with bajo sexto player Santiago Almeida. Martínez made hundreds of conjunto recordings, beginning in 1936. Meanwhile, Patricio Jimenez passed the tradition on to his son, Santiago Jimenez, who also eventually recorded it.
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The music also spread south of the Texas border where it is called norteño, which means “north.” In recent years corridos honoring drug lords (narcocorridos) have become popular in Mexico, and the recording of corridos is now outlawed in that country. Today, conjunto has moved well beyond its humble beginnings as a working-class genre. It is popular around the world. Conjuntos like Los Tigres del Norte, Ramon Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte, and Los Huracanes del Norte draw tens of thousands to concerts and sell millions of recordings. Patricio’s grandson, Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, has performed the music all over the US and Europe, in Japan, Australia, and with musicians from The Rolling Stones to Linda Ronstadt and Dwight Yoakam. To listen to traditional conjunto music and learn more about its history visit the University of Texas at Austin library website: www.lib.utexas.edu/benson/border/.
Covered RESOURCES
The Drum Recording Handbook n A drummer can make
or break a band, and a muddled or poorly recorded kit can kill a stellar song. You may think you need a lot of high-end equipment to get great drum recordings, but authors Bobby Owsinski and Dennis Moody explain how to get the right sound, even with inexpensive gear. They share their decades of professional experience through numerous tips and tricks to create a one-stop, step-by-step manual with an included instructional DVD.
The “Real Easy” Ear Training Book: A Guide to Hearing the Chord Changes n Regardless of whether you are a player, composer, or educator, and no matter your genre or instrument, this book will help you to develop your ability to hear chord changes. Learning to trust your ear is challenging, but the skill will eventually give you great personal satisfaction and confidence, increasing your musicianship. This book takes you step-by-step through learning to hear the bass line in the major key, gradually adding major and minor triads, and investigating how the melody provides harmonic clues to determining chord changes. It references more than 150 songs from all styles and genres.
THe “ReAL eASy” eAR TRAINING book: A beGINNING/ INTeRMeDIATe GuIDe To HeARING THe CHoRD CHANGeS, by Roberta Radley, Sher Music Company, Petaluma, CA, 2008.
THe DRuM ReCoRDING HANDbook, by Bobby Owsinski and Dennis Moody, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.
Bass Player Presents: The Fretless Bass n An electric bass guitar with its frets removed is one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in music. From the jazz genius of Jaco Pastorius and the fun, punk abandon of Les Claypool to the rock of Jack Bruce and Sting, the fretless holds a legacy of its own. The Fretless Bass features the very best interviews, lessons, and gear in one compilation. It gives you insight into the instrument’s innovators and will help you to discover your own fretless voice.
bASS PLAyeR PReSeNTS: THe fReTLeSS bASS, edited by Chris Jisi, Backbeat Books, New York, NY, 2008.
Janos Starker “King of Cellists”: The Making of an Artist n Hungarian-born cello virtuoso Janos Starker has been called one of the most significant musicians of the 20th century. This book, written by Starker protégé Joyce Geeting, tells the story of this private man who touched the lives of cellists all over the world. It unveils the secrets behind his remarkable, impeccable playing, as well as the keys to his success as a teacher. Also included are a list of Starker’s recordings that are available from iTunes, plus a CD of the author performing Jewish cello music.
JANoS STARkeR “kING of CeLLISTS”: THe MAkING of AN ARTIST, by Joyce Geeting, Chamber Music Plus Publishing, Los Angeles, CA, 2008.
www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Covered Guerrilla Home Recording: How to Get Great Sound from Any Studio
Teach Yourself to Play Guitar: A Quick and Easy Introduction for Beginners
n You don’t need to
n Have you always
wanted to learn to play guitar? Whether you want to learn acoustic or electric guitar, with this beginner’s book there’s no reason to delay. It covers all the basics, like guitar anatomy, hand and finger placement, posture, tuning, strumming, and picking, as well as a concise overview on how to read and interpret chord charts, tab, and rhythm notation. No previous music reading knowledge is needed. The text also introduces the basics of power chords, open-position chords, single-note patterns (scales, fills, arpeggios), and barre chords. Easyto-interpret diagrams and photos enhance the written instruction. A CD includes music examples for each section, in a variety of genres. TeACH youRSeLf To PLAy GuITAR: A QuICk AND eASy INTRoDuCTIoN foR beGINNeRS, by David M. Brewster, by Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.
spend $10,000 on new gear to get a professional sounding recording; this book may be all you need. In fact, Author Karl Coryat says it doesn’t matter how weird or cheap your gear is. He breaks down the process, showing you how to think in terms of three simple dimensions of sound—dynamics, frequency content, and pan position—and then explains, step-by-step, how to achieve amazingly clean recordings with maximum impact. He covers recording live with a few mikes, making instruments sound crisp and distinct, creating drum loops and sequences, and common mistakes to avoid. You’ll also find tips on how to sharpen your ear. GueRILLA HoMe ReCoRDING: How To GeT GReAT SouND fRoM ANy STuDIo (No MATTeR How weIRD oR CHeAP youR GeAR IS), by Karl Coryat, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.
Rock Band Play-Along Series n Rock Band video games have inspired many players to pick up a
real instrument. The Rock Band and Rock Band 2 Play-Along series from Hal Leonard Corporation make it easy to learn the songs that made the video game a hit. These guides are available in a variety of instruments: guitar, bass, drums, alto and tenor sax, trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, trombone, and more. Players listen to an included CD to hear how their part should sound, and then play along using the backing tracks. In most cases lyrics are also included for reference. RoCk bAND PLAy-ALoNG SeRIeS, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2007-2009.
❱❱ See Something you like?
o order these books online through MakingMusicMag.com/covered or call Music Dispatch (800) 637-2852. mention ad code mm5 when ordering.
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Guitar Identification: A Reference for Dating Guitars Made by Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, and Martin n There is a glut of reissue axes hitting the market and dubious dealers sometimes try to pass off shoddy reproductions as the real deal. This indispensable guide is seen by many luthiers and collectors as the final word on vintage axes made by the four biggest manufacturers. It is fully illustrated with numerous details of key pieces of hardware, wood grain patterns, bridge shapes, makes, styles, and many other relevant attributes for accurate dating and authentication. This new and revised edition includes serial numbers and specs for models through 2007.
Guitar Identification: A Reference for Dating Guitars Made by Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, and Martin (4th Edition), by A. R. Duchossoir, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.
Keyboard Presents: The Best of the ’80s Artists, Instruments, and Techniques n From the swelling synths of Depeche Mode to the dance-friendly grooves of Thomas Dolby, much of the music of the 1980s was dominated by keyboard. This book contains an incredible array of Q&A interviews with the era’s most innovative artists, including Chick Corea, Kraftwerk, Howard Jones, Human League, Bruce Hornsby, Herbie Hancock, David Foster, and more, uncovering their stories, secret formulas, gear, and production tricks.
Keyboard Presents: The Best of the ’80s, edited by Ernie Rideout, Stephen Fortner, and Michael Gallant, Backbeat Books, Milwaukee, WI, 2008. www.MakingMusicMag.com
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Destination
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM: A Musical Melting Pot by cherie yurco
When the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) opens April 24th in Phoenix, Arizona, it will be the first truly global instrument museum in the world, boasting exhibits of instruments from every country and telling the compelling story of how music expresses the differences and commonalities of the world’s cultures.
n
The founder of the museum is Robert Ulrich, former Target CEO. The avid music lover and frequent museum visitor wanted to create a new museum to celebrate the rich diversity of music and culture. “Our team has made enormous strides toward creating a museum like no other, where guests will see and hear how people everywhere share their experiences through music,” says Ulrich. The museum’s curatorial team scoured the world to collect more than 13,000 instruments, which are highlighted in five regional Geo-Galleries: Africa and the Middle East; Asia & Oceania; Europe; Latin America and Caribbean; and United States/Canada. Additionally, an Artist Gallery features famous musical instruments linked to world-renowned musicians and music innovators like John Lennon’s Steinway upright, which he used to compose “Imagine” and other songs, and a 1926 Syrian oud made by luthier Antun Nahat, which was owned and played for many years by Palestinian master musician Simon Shaheen.
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Because of Ulrich’s concerns about keeping the museum guest-friendly, the instruments are not displayed behind glass and the Experience Gallery offers visitors a hands-on opportunity to play and hear a wide range of instruments. A window even allows the public to watch instrument maintenance and repair going on in the Conservation Lab. Ulrich also envisions MIM as a place where world music history will be made. A 299-seat performance theater with state of the art acoustics will host performances, as well as films and seminars about music traditions. There is a cutting-edge recording studio to document memorable performances and historic encounters between celebrated world musicians and musical instruments. Truly a multimedia experience, MIM guests may wear wireless headsets as they walk through the museum and learn about the instruments. As visitors approach a display, they hear the instruments—ranging from a full Indonesian gamelan orchestra to a massive early 20th century Decap Dance Organ containing actual instruments played by internal mechanisms. Photographs and videos allow immersion in each musical culture. Museum admission is set low to allow as much accessibility as possible. Adult admission is $15 with discounts for seniors and children. For more information and a schedule of upcoming events visit the museum’s website: www. themim.org.
inthe spotlight
davidfinch
n David Finch, 50, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was introduced
to music as a child. “Growing up, my mom was an incredible singer, and she still is,” he says. As a youngster, Finch followed her example and joined his church choir. He enjoyed music so much that he continued singing, and also played trumpet and baritone throughout middle and high school.
GEARGuide
Finch is now president and CEO of ATCOM Business Telecom Solutions, a communication solutions provider and an industry leader in business telecommunications, with expertise in Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Who are your musical influences?
First and foremost, my mother is my musical inspiration. In junior high, I was influenced by the southern rock bands of the ’70s—The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Charlie Daniels Band. Later, I got acquainted with country music, and George Jones, Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Kris Kristofferson. Anything Americana, roots American, or alternative country is an influence to me.
Thanks to Finch’s energy and focus, ATCOM was ranked one of North Carolina’s top small businesses in 2008 and 2009 by Business Leader magazine. The company has also twice received recognition as one of North Carolina’s Top 50 Technology Companies.
It’s all about the creative process. It’s just another outlet. Also, I continue because of everything I learn from it.
“As an entrepreneur, I put my heart, soul, and spirit into my work,” Finch explains. “I have a passion for it, and because of that passion, coming to work each day is not a job—it’s something I love.”
I learn through other musicians, and the members of the Dune Dogs. I also learn from listening to music that I don’t regularly listen to. Keeping my mind open to all types of music helps me learn and grow.
While his company grew, Finch temporarily put music aside. Then, after turning 40, he returned to playing. “I truly never realized how much I missed it until I got back into it,” he says. “By getting back into making music, I reconnected with the
Making music keeps my mind sharp. It invokes the spirit and keeps the flame burning.
harp Mike: 520DX Green Bullet. “I run the
Green Bullet through a Holmes Harp Commander III harmonica pre-amp for ‘crunchy’ blues tone through a PA system without hauling around an amplifier.” Harmonicas: Hohner Special
20s. “Special 20s give me the best sound for crossing over from blues to country to rock ‘n’ roll.” spirit.” Today, Finch performs with the band The Dune Dogs, lending vocals and playing harmonica. Conceived and delivered on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, in 2002, the group offers a rural blend of hard-core country and southern rock ‘n’ roll. “Music and business fall hand in hand for me—they are both about getting the creative juices flowing,” says Finch. “Music taught me that building a company is less about leading an army into battle and more about cooking a gumbo.”
Why do you continue to make music?
How do you continue to learn?
What benefits have you found to making music?
How do you make time for music in your life?
Music is a priority in my life. Many people get bogged down on busy work—things that are not a priority in their lives. I only spend time on things that are a priority, among them, my family, my business, and music. What advice do you have for someone getting back into music later in life?
Realize how much of an important outlet music is. You truly never realize how much you missed it until you get back into it. Another piece of advice is to not take it too seriously. The reason most people love music, in the first place, is because it is fun. Hold on to the joy you get from the music. What is your best memory of making music?
My best memory of making music is the fellowship of the band. When it all comes together and you’re doing a show, there is no greater joy. Being in the zone with your bandmates is a very spiritual experience. www.MakingMusicMag.com
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want to improve your playing? Learn from video tips and techniques, gear demonstrations, and inspiring stories from musicians like you.
www.MakingMusicMag.com Free Videos Online ! Visit us to day.
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An adult piano camp in the beautiful Monadnock Region of Southern New Hampshire. Daily private lessons, master classes, lectures, concerts, ensemble playing, workshops and unlimited practice time. Classical, contemporary jazz and swing/stride.
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❱❱
Classical Guitar Lessons Online www.burgosguitar.com
Protect your two most valuable assets Custom fit hearing protection designed for musicians Contact your local hearing care professional and ask for Westone by name, or visit
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list your camp or music product/service here. Affordable advertising rates. Contact krista galster: (800) 724-9700 ext. 101, or kgalster@makingmusicmag.com www.MakingMusicMag.com
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What music making experience are you most proud of? n The musical experiences that I’m most proud of happen every time—or nearly every time—I challenge myself to push my current musical/technical envelope and then pull it off.
frets with the knuckle of his left hand pinky, letting go to make the one chord. We took the guitar up to the spinal cord floor and I taught several more lessons.
I had three of these opportunities in a row this past weekend and will have another new one tomorrow! As a musician, these opportunities are available constantly in the company of the great musicians I work with. To succeed, I come from my clearest, most-connected “center,” using the many resources available to me.
Later that summer, together with Bob Radocy, I developed a prosthesis adapter for amputees, which allows them to strum and pick with an anatomical hand.
Some of my most enjoyable moments came playing lead guitar in the backing band for ’60s star Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits! Larry Newcomb New York, New York n I’m a guitar teacher and one of my
specialties is teaching total beginners using a short cut capo. This capo makes it possible for them to learn and play several chords in about a minute or two. I put the method to the test when I scored a grant from the Club Passim Iguana Fund and set off to teach at several VA hospitals. The first workshop for occupational therapists went pretty well. Then came the moment of truth: Gary—a spinal cord patient in his 50s, unable to grip with either hand—rolled into the room in his electric wheelchair and the OTs all held their breath. I set the short cut capo covering the ninth fret and put the guitar face-up in his lap. He strummed with the pinky and ring fingers of his right hand, and then fretted the 5th and 7th
Randall Williams Bath, Maine n I am most proud of my participation in the New Horizons Concert Band and the Kaleidoscope Orchestra, both sponsored by the Eastman Community Music School in Rochester, New York.
It really helps you develop as a musician to be in quality ensembles with professional directors who are able to guide your musical development. I started the oboe two years ago at age 61 (after not having played an instrument since graduating from high school). I played clarinet then, but always wanted to play the oboe. I am also studying with a wonderful doctoral student of oboe at the Eastman School of Music. Beverly Maville-Letter Rochester, New York n I am not an accomplished musician by any stretch of the imagination but I am, however, very proud of my ability to find that great sense of peace from playing a piece of music such as “Claire de Lune” or “Somewhere in Time.” I am also a cancer survivor who just passed a four-year mark of remission. To me, music heals the soul and gives a sense
of control over portions of my life that at times seems so chaotic and stressful. My next accomplishment will be reaching the five-year remission mark and having a party. And yes, even though I am not very good, I will play a song for my loving wife. William Brown Clinton, Connecticut n I have long had an interest and love of
music from around the globe. Unsure of how to pursue ethnomusicology as a career, I put it in the back of my mind for many years. I had a friend teach me French, I took a year of Arabic at school, attended conferences, took cultural studies classes, and wrote papers. My dreams slowly faded when I received many school rejection letters. My ethnomusicology dream had begun to fade until Bowling Green State University in Ohio accepted me. I am proud to say that I am now attending Bowling Green for my master’s in ethnomusicology. Dana Acee Bowling Green, Ohio
What’s your favorite music gadget and how do you use it? Send your comments to Harmony@MakingMusicMag.com
52
march/April MARCH/APRIL2010 2010
Why let the kids have all the fun? 1-800-451-5939 x229 or www.lowrey.com
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