Making Music Magazine by Making Music Magazine

Making Music BETTER LIVING THROUGH RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING速

Steps to Perfect Practice

Jan/Feb 10 Getting physical Get into better shape— physically and musically.

Turn it down How to select a practice amp.

practice like a pro

7 16 22 36

12 20 28

Make the most our of your practice time with these nine easy steps.

Features Accordion craze

LOVE NOTES

An accordion orchestra that plays everything from ethnic music to rock ‘n’ roll classics.

Discover how the love interests of master composers influenced their music.

Taking Care of Business Bands of co-workers compete at the Battle of the Corporate Bands.

sheet music Tips for selecting and buying sheet music.

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The Bryan brothers Twin brothers and tennis doubles champs make music off the courts.

column Shannon Price on challenging yourself by trying a new instrument.

Departments 6 LETTERS 8 VIBES 20 FORTE 37 TUNED IN

44 COVERED 47 DESTINATION 48 IN THE SPOTLIGHT 52 HARMONY

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Making Music

january/february 2009 | Vol. 6, Issue 1

Editor-in-Chief Antoinette Follett afollett@MakingMusicMag.com Editor Cherie Yurco cyurco@MakingMusicMag.com

By Antoinette Follett n Having more energy and staying active are two of the many benefits of playing a musical instrument, so why not take advantage? If you think about it, there aren’t too many musicians who look like Meatloaf and there’s a good reason why.

Staff WriterS Jackie Saunders Meredith Laing Jason Borisoff Adam D’Arpino Patty Hodapp

This month, tennis doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan are on the cover, sharing how they always make time for music, even when they are traveling the world for tournaments. These dynamic twins bring along a keyboard and a guitar to jam in their hotel rooms. Both tennis and music are hobbies that can be continued well into the later years, and the Bryan Brothers are a great example of how music and exercise complement each other.

Art Director Lisa A. Mergler-Santoro

Just in time to kick off New Year’s resolutions, the article “Let’s Get Physical”, explains how maintaining an exercise regimen can actually help you to be a better musician and get the most out of music. If you hate the thought of entering a gym, try something fun like walking with a friend, cross-country skiing, taking a dance class, or whatever you like, as long as it gets your heart pumping. One thing many Making Music readers write to us about is their desire to make more time for practice and to figure out the best way to capitalize on the precious practice time they do have. “Making Every Moment Count” provides nine helpful hints to more efficient practice. And if you want to challenge yourself even more, check Shannon Price’s article on “Musical Cousins” to find a new instrument that complements what you’re playing now. Though the year is young, the deadline to register for Fortune Corporate Battle of the Bands (March 31) is just around the corner. Last fall, I co-judged the finals at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. “Taking Care of Business” highlights the stories of some of the competition finalists who work together by day and jam together by night. Why not gather up a group of musicians from your office and enter the 2010 competition? Every New Year is a chance to set new goals with your instruments, so I hope you use the fresh year to take your music to new heights. Let me know what you would like to read about in Making Music this year by e-mailing me at afollett@makingmusicmag.com.

Graphic Intern Ron Rabideau Photo Credits Richard Mulye Chuck Wainwright music consultant Stephen Laifer 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 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 © 2009 Bentley-Hall, Inc.

On the Cover Brothers Mike and Bob Bryan were encouraged to play music from an early age by their father who taught them classic rock songs. Their first love being tennis, the identical twins are winning tennis doubles tournaments when they aren’t jamming together in hotel rooms or in their music room.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

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.

BETTER LIVING THROUGH RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING®

A CAPPELLA n I decided to follow my latest whim to learn to play the violin. As

a senior with time on my hands, I felt the need to put these hands to good use. When I inquired about lessons from a local music store, I mentioned that I was a senior. Would that matter? I was assured they had two 90-year-olds already taking lessons. Heck, I’m not that old yet, so I registered before I aged any further. My hubby, Ken, accompanied me to my first lesson. As I looked around the waiting room, I noticed all the young parents with their children. No wonder my teacher walked by me three times before she realized the grey-haired lady was her new pupil. She was barely older than my grandson. A great deal of patience was required to get me through the first class. I received my first piece: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!” As it is one of the first nursery rhymes one teaches a toddler, I wondered if this was the start of my second childhood. Furthermore, the note at the bottom of the piece instructed: “At this point, it is important for the children to sing the Twinkle theme …” No way. It was bad enough Ken had to suffer what he called my “violent practices,” without having the further torture of my high-pitched voice and lack of singing ability. The raptures I aim to obtain from playing more intricate classical pieces are way in the future. My first goal is to be able to play anything that sounds something like a tune. Deep down, I yearn to play the haunting melody from the opening of Fiddler on the Roof. Naturally, my elderly state precludes me from actually clamoring onto the roof. However, I could become the fiddler in my house. My aspiration is to play for the pure pleasure of being able to transport myself to the level where I can experience the ecstasy of performing some of those fine pieces, a goal worth working towards. Of course, it would be nice if my melodies wafted through the house and spread the joy that I hope to produce for the pleasure of my husband, children, and grandchildren. In the meantime I have my hands full trying to master the instrument. Read Penny Heneke’s entire story at: www.MakingMusicMag. com/staccato/heneke.html

Staccato

RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING INSIGHT

COUNTING IN: harmonica Tempo, in beats per minute, of the world’s fastest harmonica player, Nicky Shane, when playing “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Year the modern harmonica was invented. Number of competitors in the Asian Pacific Harmonica Festival, held last year in Hangzhou, China. Length in centimeters of Hohner’s smallest harmonica, “The Little Lady.”

285

1829 >>1500 >>

Play It Safe n Playing intensively for long periods can cause musicians

to forget about body alignment, putting them at risk for back pain and other muscular-skeletal problems. Think like an athlete and break long practice sessions down into a series of high intensity/challenging and low intensity/fun “workouts.” Don’t assume that the longer you practice the more you are learning. In fact, you may get more out of woodshedding if you break one hour’s worth into 15 or 20 minute sessions spread throughout the week.

One Minute Practice Tip If you need to work on your singing posture or holding your instrument or accessory, such as a cello bow or drum sticks, consider practicing in front of the mirror.

www.MakingMusicMag.com

letters The Beat Goes On

New Beginnings

n I found your magazine yesterday

n I am a very new subscriber who had never heard of your magazine until I attended the AARP Convention in Las Vegas this past week. I took a 30-minute guitar lesson and loved it!

in my doctor’s office of all places! As someone who is active as a teacher and facilitator for recreational music making, I was delighted to see your publication and will begin recommending it to the people I work with. I’m a percussionist and music educator, as well as an ethnomusicologist. I teach guided music improvisation through Music for People and facilitate two annual drumming retreats for women. I also do the fall WomenDrum retreat, which is going into its 13th year. Women from all walks of life attend. We’ve had women as young as age 13, and as old as 86, over the years. It’s the kind of thing your readership would certainly enjoy. Many thanks for putting out such a useful magazine. Sally Childs-Helton Indianapolis, Indiana

Sharpen Those Skills n Please keep up with the articles on beginner’s skills on the keyboard. I would especially love to learn to play chords and how to count.

Roslyn Gold Floral Park, New York

It’s All Grand n I always said that I wanted to just

So Far, So Good n I am enjoying Making Music so far

and I’m only part way through the magazine. I direct a church handbell/ chimes choir. At age 78, I loved reading about the intergenerational music groups. Gloria J. Burke Tucson, Arizona

Easy on the Brain n I love the scales examples, tabs, and notations. I think this helps the brain relate the two styles. I enjoy this magazine best because every article keeps it simple. There is no overkill on technique, which so many music magazines do. The print is well spaced and easy to read.

Melinda Muse Plano, Texas

George Kennett Avenue, Maryland

play music when I retired and I’ve been granted that blessing. I played piano from the age of four and fiddled around with guitar in my young years, but put it aside. After I was 55, I started playing hammered dulcimer, then fiddle, then autoharp, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, psaltery, bass, and a few other things. I just got back a 12-string guitar I gave away 10 years ago and I am playing that again. I’m on staff at two music stores teaching some of the above, and I teach from my home as well. I play out professionally, belong to dulcimer clubs, and compete nationally on autoharp. (Haven’t won yet, but I will eventually!) I have a string band, Nine Pound Hammer, and I have also organized an all-woman group called the Pickin’ Chicks. I will celebrate my 65th birthday in a few weeks, and life is grand. Mary-Jo “MJ” Ward Dayton, Ohio

We appreciate comments and suggestions. We encourage you 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.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Tales of Love and Heartbreak from Historyís Great Composers n The master composers left such a great legacy through music that it’s easy to forget that they had lives outside symphonies and sonatas. Not only are their love stories sweet, and sometimes scandalous, but they also give us insight into their celebrated music.

BY MEREDITH LAING

Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck

Johannes Brahms and Agathe von Siebold

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Constanze Weber

Classical music’s most legendary couple met when 20-year-old Robert moved into the Wieck home in 1830 to study piano with 11-year-old Clara’s father. Although Schumann aspired to be a concert pianist, he also found a talent for composing. One of his earliest pieces was Impromptus on a Theme by Clara Wieck, written in 1833.

When Clara Schumann was widowed in 1856, she turned to close friend Johannes Brahms for support. Although they always maintained that their relationship was purely platonic, gossip and speculation was endless.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first fell in love, not with Constanze Weber, but with her sister Aloysia, whom he met in Mannheim in 1779, while traveling and searching for work. Aloysia, however, did not return his feelings and soon married someone else.

Clara and Robert’s friendship blossomed into romance, and in 1835, they first kissed on the steps outside of the Wieck home. Robert soon asked for Clara’s hand in marriage, but her father refused, breaking off all relations with his former student and sending his daughter, one of the most prominent pianists of the day, away on a concert tour. The two wrote to each other secretly and Robert continued to compose music inspired by Clara. Of his Fantasy in C major for Piano, he wrote to her, “I think the first movement is more impassioned than anything I have ever written—it is a deep lament for you.” Of his 1838 piano piece, Kreisleriana, he wrote, “You’ll smile when you discover yourself there.” After an intense court battle, Robert and Clara finally married September 12, 1840. In the joyful year following their wedding, Robert had an outpouring of creative energy, composing more than 140 pieces.

Johannes and Clara spent the summer of 1858 in Göttingen with friends, and it was there that Johannes met and fell in love with the soprano singer Agathe von Siebold. The two stayed in touch past the summer through mutual friends, and Johannes planned to visit over the New Year holiday. When he arrived in Göttingen, he realized that he would be expected to propose. He did, but the 25-year-old Johannes later panicked and broke off the engagement. He was tormented by his decision, writing to Agathe, “I love you! I must see you again! But I cannot be bound! Write and tell me if I should come again to enfold you in my arms, to kiss you, to tell you I love you!” She, however, refused to see him, and Johannes turned to music to cope with his feelings. Between 1858 and 1860, he wrote three sets of songs for soprano voice for Agathe, and his 1864 Sextet in G major is based on the letters of her name: A G A H E (H being the German name for the note Bb). This was no coincidence; Johannes confided to a friend, “By this work, I have freed myself of my last love.”

Two years later, Wolfgang and the Weber family both found themselves living in Vienna. Wolfgang moved into the Weber home as a boarder, claiming that he would only be there for one week or so. As it turned out, he became interested in Aloysia’s younger sister Constanze. Wolfgang stayed far past the one week, but when it became apparent that he was courting Constanze, he was kicked out immediately. Nevertheless, he continued to pursue her, and the two were married in 1782. After composing his Fantasy and Fugue that same year, Mozart wrote in a letter to his sister, “My dear Constanze is really the cause of this fugue’s coming into the world … As she has often heard me play fugues out of my head, she asked me if I had ever written any down, and when I said I had not, she scolded me roundly … and never ceased to entreat me until I wrote down a fugue for her.” Influenced by his “most beloved little wife,” fugues are seen in some of Mozart’s best known works, such as The Magic Flute and Symphony No. 41. www.MakingMusicMag.com

Vibes MUSIC & HEALTH NEWS

Music, the Miracle Worker n Music is a valuable tool for stress reduction and

assistance in healing, according to Dr. Barry Bittman, CEO of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute. Bittman recently spoke at Lincoln Center’s “Music and the Brain” symposium where he discussed how music is a great stress reducer for everyone—even people who don’t consider themselves musically inclined. Bittman researches DNA-level altering stress biology for individuals. He says that responses are all different. “Frankly, we were surprised, not only by the distinctly individualized nature of the human stress response, but also by the positive impact playing an instrument had at the molecular level,” says Bittman. With more and more studies coming out every month about the power of music to heal and reduce stress, this phenomenon will continue to be researched and discussed.

John Lennon wrote “Good Morning, Good Morning,” after hearing a Corn Flakes commercial. ❱❱ Pain-Free Piano n Fred Karpoff ’s story started like many others who take up their instrument with gusto—maybe too much gusto. He overdid it and injured himself to a point that his music career was threatened, but he was fortunate enough to get the help that he needed. Mentors like pianist Yoheved Kaplinsky, in addition to the Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method, helped him discover ways to employ whole-body techniques and thereby improve his skills, while decreasing the risk of injury.

Today, Karpoff performs on stages around the world and teaches piano at the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University, where he is committed to sharing the techniques that helped him return to his music. With award-winning filmmaker Richard Breyer, Karpoff produced a six-part DVD series and workbook that demonstrate whole-body techniques that are central to his teaching and performing. Already, amateur and professional pianists across the globe are using the series, which was released earlier this year. The series, 3-D Piano (3-dpiano.com), uses an innovative, interactive approach. In essence, the viewer joins Professor Karpoff in his studio and receives individual tutorials. “Our intention was to share a healthful, effective approach to the magic of music,” says Karpoff.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

❱❱ One Super Sing-a-Long Most people take voice lessons one on one with a teacher and a piano, but Sweet Adelines International, one of the world’s largest singing organizations for women, held a 10-minute “group” lesson in late October with 6,651 participants, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest singing lesson. The record-setting event coincided with the 63rd annual International Convention and Competition held at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Sweet Adelines members are women who excel in singing barbershop harmony. Music Professional and past Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champion Peggy Gram led the lesson by demonstrating techniques for integrating the voice into the art form. “It was inspiring to demonstrate our unique style of music to thousands of singers from around the globe. While obtaining the world record is terrific, what’s even more important is that it allowed us the opportunity to show how rewarding it is to sing barbershop harmony,” says Gram.

Music Makes for Happy Feet n An initiative called the “Fun Theory” by Volkswagen Swe-

den and an ad agency in Stockholm, encouraged 66% more people to take the stairs in Stockholm’s Odenplan subway station than the escalator. The stairs in the station were outfitted to look and sound like piano keys as people walked up and down them. Formerly lazy subway passengers, enchanted and intrigued by the piano stairs, began taking the once-avoided steps in droves. A dog even tried his paws on the ivory steps with his owner. To see a video of this musical experiment, visit www.youtube. com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw.

❱❱ A CELLULAR SYMPHONY Just when you thought your phone could do it all, a musician and a team of cell phone gurus programmed 1,000 Nokias to deliver 2,000 text messages in 40 seconds to mimic Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Using 52 ringtones and 2,000 text messages, the end result sounds close to the original symphonic masterpiece, complete with bass drums and cymbals crashing at the end. First, a team of 15 cellphone network programmers, along with musician Jol Mulholland of New Zealand, found 1,000 cellphones, complete with their chargers and SIM cards. They then created a cataloguing system and arranged them on a vertical metal grid against a wall. Mulholland was in charge of the music portion and recorded some ringtones from professional musicians playing violin, cymbals, or horns. In order for the messages to travel in the time they were intended, a network engineer from Vodafone chose a time between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in Auckland, New Zealand, when the network was the least busy. To see a video of Jol Mulholland and his cellphone symphony, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3nSoEhY8SM.

www.MakingMusicMag.com

Vibes ❱❱ Put Your Music

Where Your Mouth Is The 10th annual Human Beatbox Battle was recently held at the SaintDenis Hip-Hop Festival in a suburb of Paris, where French beatboxers from around the country showcased their musical mouths.

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti holds the world record for most curtain calls:

165

Performers were judged on stage presence as well as technical and musical ability. Beatboxing is the art of mimicking musical instruments and beats with the human mouth. Modern vocal percussion or beatboxing is heard in American hip-hop music of the ’80s and ’90s, but the idea goes all the way back to those earliest jazz musicians and scat singers who made up words such as “doot,” “wawp,” “bapadoo,” and many others, imitating the sounds of common instruments in their music. Going even further back, it is thought that French troubadours in the late 1400s and 1500s, known as traveling minstrels, would interchange short sharp notes with melodies, making it sound like a whole band was playing with them to give the music more depth.

All that Jazz n A recently released documentary about jazz education

and training for high school students, CHOPS, follows the lives of several music students from around the country as they prepare for and perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival. The film was made to raise awareness and funds for high school music and arts programs. For music teachers who want their students to get revved up about jazz, a special education edition with lesson plans is available. Duke Ellington—one of America’s greatest composers— and his music, are featured throughout the film, which chronicles aspiring jazz musicians on their journey to compete in what is called “the Superbowl of high school jazz band competitions.” See a video clip of 1,000 jazz band hopefuls at the website: chopsthemovie.com/

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Learn from video tips and techniques, gear demonstrations, and inspiring stories from musicians like you. Find music related gifts, back issues and so much more! Visit us today.

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Vibes

Let’s Get Physical

Stop Making Excuses, Get Off Your Couch, and See How Staying Active Actually Makes You a Better Musician By JACKIE SAUNDERS

A little good, old-fashioned sweat and heart-pumping action is good for your overall health, especially if you’re a musician. Anne Roos, 52, of South Lake Tahoe, California, is a Celtic harp player who has been performing at weddings and private functions for the past 25 years. A few years into her performing schedule, Roos hit a point where she felt she needed to start a regular, physical routine.

“Exercise was not something I had been doing all the time,” says Roos, who began to exercise more consistently about 18 years ago.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

“There came a point I needed to lose some weight and get more physically active,” she says. “It’s hard to be heavier and performing; it doesn’t feel good.” Several aspects of her wedding business were difficult when Roos wasn’t active. Simple things like moving the harp and equipment around, playing several gigs in one day, and switching songs at the last minute for a fickle bride or groom, were physically exhausting. “When I play a wedding I can’t be exhausted; I have to sit down and put a smile on my face,” says Roos. “I need to be sharp and I think it’s harder to be that way when I am sedentary and not taking care of myself.” Now, Roos goes to the gym three days a week, working on her upper body, lower

body, and core. She works with a personal trainer for weight lifting and takes two, two-hour karate classes each week to help with mental alertness and balance. Roos says that working with a trainer was especially beneficial for her since she had been in a car accident and wanted to make sure her body and spine were properly aligned during exercises. “A lot of musicians suffer from back problems so a trainer can help by showing safe exercises,” says Roos. Dr. William J. Dawson, a retired orthopedic surgeon and bassoon player from Glenview, Illinois, who sometimes plays with a New Horizons band, says there are many reasons why recreational musicians should have a regular exercise routine. “Exercise can help musicians preserve the skills they already have, help them

continue to make music in their later years, and improve general health,” says Dawson, whose practice was affiliated with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “It is also beneficial to wind musicians for maintaining breathing capacity.” While many people probably wouldn’t compare the physical prowess of a bassoon or cello player with a track star or basketball player, musicians are athletes. “Some people may call musicians ‘small muscle’ athletes for their use of hands and upper extremities,” says Dawson. “It takes significant athletic competence to make music through repetitive movements for hours at a time.” Just like with any new exercise program, it is important to consult your physician and get a physical exam. Unless your physician is trained in exercise physiology or sports medicine, it is wise to consult a personal trainer who can tailor a program to suit your needs, says Dr. Dawson.

In case you still need some motivation, here are some reasons to hit the treadmill or pick up some weights: Longer Practice and Jam Sessions. Exercise helps with endurance. By building upon muscular, respiratory, and cardiopulmonary capabilities, your ability to play more and longer will also improve. Improved Flexibility. “This is an area that is so often forgotten but as we age, our joints tend to get stiffer and muscles get tighter so we gradually lose some flexibility,” says Dawson. “It is very important to stretch before and after exercise to regain muscle tendon flexibility.” Maintain a Healthy Weight. Sort of a no-brainer, but exercising burns calories, builds muscle mass and tone, and makes you look and feel great. It also gives you a boost in energy so you can tackle a new difficult song you have been thinking about trying.

Robust Immune System. Getting knocked out with a bad cold or flu takes you away from valuable music time. Studies show a moderate exercise routine helps stave off illness. During moderate exercise immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. Although the immune system returns to normal after an exercise session, regular physical activity seems to make these changes last longer. Helps Clear the Mind. “There is some evidence that exercise helps maintain a better mental outlook and has a positive effect on the brain,” says Dawson. It also helps ease feelings of stress and anxiety. A healthy physical romp can help you get your concentration back. It’s fun! Going to the gym and running marathons certainly aren’t for everyone. Find something you enjoy doing. Try taking a dance class, riding a bike, swimming, walking—whatever makes you happy and gets your heart rate up.

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Vibes You take music seriously, to the point of perfectionism. The polished sound you are known for requires precision. Violinists may come across as being elitist, while violists are quick to be defensive about their status and importance. This year, humble yourself by learning something new, such as fiddling techniques. Or, step outside of your comfort zone and become better acquainted with some nonstring players.

You’ve never been the quiet type. You know what you want and aren’t afraid to go after it. Some may be put off by your outgoing nature, but that doesn’t bother you; you’re happy with your flashy, loud self. Your confidence makes you a natural leader, but be sure to lead by listening to others, as well, and be willing to adjust for the good of the group as a whole.

FLUTE, PICCOLO You are spirited and vivacious— the life of the party. You move at a fast pace. With your knack for lightening a mood, people are naturally attracted to you. Though your sound is light, airy, and flirtatious, there is actually a great amount of depth behind it. Try to slow down, so others can get to know and appreciate the more relaxed and expressive you as well.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 2010 JANUARY/FEBRUARY

HIGH BRASS

c i s a u

Others depend on you constantly without even realizing it. You are generous and don’t ask for much in return—just be sure you’re not being taken for granted. You are the sturdy foundation of any ensemble you play with, and without that foundation, the group would crumble. This year, seek out new solo repertoire to feed your creativity and showcase your talent.

LOW BRASS

You have a powerful influence over everyone you meet. Your soothing sounds are a source of comfort for others, but they also make it easy for you to get your way. Your sophistication, combined with selfconfidence and a tendency to work alone, could cause others to see you as conceited. Prove them wrong by pairing up with other instruments: flute or violin will blend nicely and won’t overpower you.

VIOLIN, VIOLA

HARP

sco

ACOUSTIC GUITAR, UKE, BANJO, MANDOLIN You are free-spirited and don’t like to do things by the book. Whether you are improvising over a chord progression, or writing poetic lyrics to a song, you need the freedom to express yourself. You’ve already proven your artistry: now it’s time to perfect your technique to let that creativity shine through even more.

PIANO, KEYBOARD, ORGAN Your strongest trait is your ability to adapt to situations. Comfortable with many styles of music and ensembles, you move in and out of any group with ease. At the same time, shifting around so much makes you sometimes wonder where you really belong. Try to find your own voice by putting together a permanent group—maybe a piano trio, with violin and cello.

What does 2010 hold in store for you and your instrument? Have you ever noticed that people’s personality traits sometimes influence which instrument they gravitate towards? See if that holds true for you with this musical take on traditional astrological horoscopes, complete with words of wisdom for the coming year. Making Music predicts great things for you and your instrument in 2010!

PERCUSSION You are able to get people motivated and on track. Your energy and snappy personality are infectious. Consistent and reliable, others admire your ability to juggle many things at once while remaining levelheaded. While your enthusiasm is great, be careful not to overpower others. Sometimes, a gentle nudge is just as effective in keeping everyone together as an in-yourface approach.

ELECTRIC GUITAR, ELECTRIC BASS Electric guitarists are aggressive, bold, and edgy, and not afraid to voice an opinion. This year, try to explore your more sensitive side by stepping outside of the limelight for a change. Electric bassists are more gentle and sometimes shy. Don’t be afraid to show the real you by jumping on center stage every once in a while.

ACCORDION You are quirky, unique, and never afraid to be yourself, but you also have an appreciation for tradition. Your lack of inhibition makes you a natural entertainer, but you sometimes worry that you aren’t taken seriously enough. Try thinking outside of your typical repertoire and transcribing classical pieces or rock songs to fit your instrument. It will be a new challenge, and will show off your versatility.

SAX, CLARINET, OB0E You are well rounded and easy going, yet ready to jazz things up on occasion. Sometimes subtle and mysterious, sometimes warm and inviting, you have a multifaceted personality. Your sound is pure, and others admire that, whether they’re following you in a solo or relying on you for tuning. This year, team up with fellow wind players in a small ensemble to explore the different tone colors you can produce.

STRING BASS, CELLO Sensitive and rational, you seem to get along with everyone. Your warm, mellow sound balances out more intense higher-pitched instruments, but can also blend beautifully with other low-range instruments. When you do get a moment in the spotlight, be confident in your abilities and don’t hold anything back. Remember, you deserve to be noticed!

www.MakingMusicMag.com www.MakingMusicMag.com

Aeroroot from Frontier Natural Products of Norway, Iowa.

Taking

Slump from Oceanside Glasstile of Carlsbad, California.

Care

Business Corporate life and rock music seems like an unlikely combo.

The S.A.P.’s from Johnson & Johnson of Morristown, New Jersey

But these days, being part of office culture doesn’t always mean swapping in a guitar case for a briefcase. Increasingly, the office is a place where talented musicians come together and start rock bands. Many companies are even encouraging employees to form bands, aware that making music helps workers bond and stay motivated, creative, and focused. .

Roland’s Stones from Chevron of Pascagoula, Mississippi.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Strat 5 from Healthways of Nashville, Tennessee.

Since 2001, the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands has celebrated rock ‘n’ rollers with nine-to-fives, and brought the best of the best together to compete at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, every October. Breaking the Slump

Healthy Dose of Rock

One group fresh off an appearance at the 2009 Battle of the Corporate Bands is Slump, a sextet of Oceanside Glasstile employees from Carlsbad, California. “We started the band almost as a joke,” says Johnny Marckx, 39, bassist and executive vice president at Oceanside. Slump initially played tongue-in-cheek parodies of classic rock songs at customer seminars, with lyrics adapted to relate to their products. For example, instead of “My Sharona,” they sang “My Corona,” due to the numerous recycled Corona bottles used in their glass tile.

Working suit-and-tie jobs is usually viewed as an obstacle for musicians trying to pull a band together. But for employees of Healthways, a disease management company based in Franklin, Tennessee, the office has been a musical blessing. “They give us a place to play right here and the office assists with expenses to get us to events,” says Director of Finance David Lakey, 55, who sings and plays guitar in corporate band Strat 5. “One day a week we get together for a couple hours to jam, polish, and have fun,” he says.

Since forming 10 years ago, Slump has expanded its repertoire and played gigs at trade shows and rock clubs around the country. Marckx feels that the mixed musical tastes of group members help keep the set lists interesting. “The range of styles goes from fun rock ‘n’ roll to reggae to funk,” he says. “We really mix it up.”

Lakey notes that Strat 5 has been an important stress reliever for him and his bandmates. “It’s a great way to get together and blow off steam,” he says. Also, because his bandmates bring a wide range of musical tastes to the group, Strat 5 has helped Lakey improve his musical chops and become well-versed in new genres. “To learn how to play country licks was a bit of a stretch for me,” he says. “But it’s been great because I’m building my skill set.”

Slump’s varied set at the Battle of the Corporate Bands, which included funky covers of The White Stripes and The Black Eyed Peas, helped the group land third place. But for Marckx, the event was more about camaraderie than competition. “Everyone was very supportive of each other,” he says. “I feel like it was everyone getting to live their brief fantasy of being in the spotlight.” In addition to letting employees “get the yeah, yeahs out,” Marckx feels that the band is an important tool for building friendship within the office. “Among bandmates there’s a respect and support that goes beyond what you find among peers in a normal work setting. Playing in a band creates a certain human appreciation,” he says. “Plus, it’s just a really fun hobby.”

For Healthways Reporting Manager Mark Paul, a guitarist and vocalist for the band who’s in his 50s, there are several parallels between being successful in a band and being successful in the office. “It’s a team effort, and you can always get better at working with a team,” says Paul. “You realize it’s not all about one person. That’s what makes music sound good, and that’s also what makes teams accomplish goals.” Strat 5 formed in 2005 when the Healthways’ CEO commissioned the group’s first performance at a company party. The gig was a success, and the band has since played at other corporate events and health summits, including the World

by adam D’arpino

Health Conference in Washington, D.C., and at the 2009 Battle of the Corporate Bands, where they took first place. Lakey found performing at the Rock Hall for the competition both exhilarating and demanding. “I had to pull off into a corner and really make sure I was focused,” he says. “But when we hit the stage, we opened up on that first song and immediately felt comfortable, excited, and confident. There was a gelling that happened for us.”

Band on Campus For corporate bands facing busy work schedules, getting everyone in the same room to rehearse can be a challenge. This is the case for The S.A.P.’s, a Skillman, New Jersey, group comprised of self-described Johnson & Johnson “IT geeks.” “It’s very rare to have a practice where everybody’s there, so it ends up being two or three people at a time,” says Bob DeVoe, 47, who sings and plays bass for The S.A.P.’s. The group tries to get together as much as they can, often reserving practice space on the Johnson & Johnson campus, but when drummer Matt Meyer was deployed to Los Angeles a year ago, it forced The S.A.P.’s to find a creative solution to keep the band together. “We had Matt record his drums tracks and send them as MP3s,” says guitarist Dave Tsien, 45. “My iPod became known as ‘Virtual Matt.’” Like Strat 5, The S.A.P.’s originally formed to perform one corporate gig— an awards banquet for the Johnson & Johnson IT department—and it kept rolling from there. “They asked us to help break the ice, so we called ourselves ‘The Icebreakers.’ We played ‘Hey Jude’ and pulled if off great,” says vocalist Kim Mulvaney, 47.

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Since The S.A.P.’s’ first performance, they’ve played various corporate gigs, including a three-hour performance at the Ben Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. “That was cool because they brought us over on our own bus,” says Mulvaney. The S.A.P.’s placed second in the year’s Battle of the Corporate Bands, but for Mulvaney, just being on stage at the Rock Hall was a dream come true. “I don’t think I’ve gotten nervous performing since fourth grade summer music school, but it was really overwhelming,” she says. “I looked out off the stage and thought: holy mackerel, I’m standing on the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I’m singing. There were no words.” In addition to letting the band members briefly live out their rock star dreams, playing with The S.A.P.’s has allowed them to take their minds off work, nurture their creative sides, and get to know one another in a less formal setting. “You get to explore a side of you that you don’t always get to pay attention to,” says DeVoe. “Having the opportunity to be in a band helps you to be more of a complete person.” ADAM D’ARPINO IS A GRAD STUDENT IN ARTS JOURNALISM AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. WHEN HE’S NOT WRITING FOR MAKING MUSIC, HE SPENDS HIS FREE TIME WRITING SONGS, PLAYING GUITAR, AND METICULOUSLY ORGANIZING HIS iTUNES.

Think your company band has what is takes to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? The Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands is currently searching for talent to participate in their 10th annual competition to be held in Cleveland October 1-2, 2010. With the partnership of international music products association NAMM, this event has been elevated in stature and further supports the value of recreational music making, particularly in the workplace, where music fosters creativity, teamwork, discipline, commitment, and focus. And more importantly, this event is a benefit that helps to support education programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For more information about the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands, visit the website: rockhall.com/fortunebattle.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

“Among bandmates there’s a respect and support that goes beyond what you find among peers in a normal work setting.”

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Forte MUSIC HOW-TO’S HOW-TO’S MUSIC

Don’t Wake the Neighbors!

Practice amps are a quieter, smaller, and less expensive alternative to loud, heavy gigging amps

ll aspiring electric guitarists know the feeling: you take one look at that big, beautiful Marshall stack at your local music shop, and suddenly you are transported to a massive arena, ripping a screaming rock guitar solo in front of 50,000 adoring fans. As romantic as all that seems, taking home one of those behemoths would most likely result in enraged neighbors and/or shattered windows.

january/february 2010

by jason Borisoff For those of us who have postponed our rock ‘n’ roll lifestyles indefinitely, loud Marshall stacks and Mesa Boogies are simply not practical for woodshedding at home. At a fraction of the size and cost of their big brothers, practice amps are an important tool for both novice and seasoned players. While they aren’t loud enough to use in noisy bars and concert

arenas, these little guys work great for quiet home practice, jams, and sometimes even small coffee shop gigs. There is an abundance of practice amps on the market designed to meet a wide variety of needs. Here are some basic things to take into consideration as you begin to narrow down the choices.

Watt’s in a Practice Amp? The main difference between a practice amp and a larger, louder amp is wattage. Generally speaking, the more wattage an amp has, the more powerful and louder it is going to be. Practice amps can range from two watts to 25 watts of power, with guitar and keyboard amps averaging 10 watts to 15 watts. Bass amps require more power to produce low frequencies, and therefore will have more wattage, around 15 watts to 25 watts. Since practice amps have less power than larger amps, they use smaller speakers. A single 10-inch speaker is about as big as they get, with smaller models sporting eight-inch and even five-inch speakers. In general, the larger or heavier the speaker, the more bass frequencies you will hear, especially at higher volumes.

Fender Super Champ XD Super Champ XD is an updated version of the popular Fender Champ from the ’60s. This unit falls on the larger end of the practice amp spectrum. It has 15 watts of tube power, a single 10-inch speaker, and weighs 24 pounds. It also features on-board effects and a line output jack.

More wattage and bigger speakers means louder and better tone, but it also means a bigger and heavier amp. Practice amps generally can range in weight from seven pounds to 25 pounds, and come in many shapes and sizes. If you plan on toting your amp around a lot, you may want to consider a smaller, lighter amp, for the sake of your back.

Tube or Solid State? Tube technology was the norm in amps up until the late ’60s and ’70s, when modern solid state technology came of age. Despite their higher cost, maintenance, and weight, many players still swear by tube amps for their warm, vintage sound and unique distortion. Solid state amps tend to be more rugged and affordable. Since they generally sound more tinny and sterile, when compared to tube amps, most solid state units feature onboard digital amp modeling and effects processors that allow you to dial in a wide variety of tones. Solid state amps almost always feature headphone jacks for silent practice, as well.

Peavey Max 158 Peavey Max 158 is a popular bass practice amp. It has 15 watts driving a heavy-duty eight-inch speaker, and weighs 20 pounds. Peavey’s patented TransTube Technology emulates warm tube amp tones, and a three-band EQ allows more control over tone.

Which Amp Is for You? The correct amp is ultimately a personal choice. You should always try out the amp before buying it. Research a few different models that have features to suit your needs, then head down to your local music shop with your instrument to test the chemistry between it and the amplifier. Bringing along a trusted musician friend is always a good idea as a source of sound advice (no pun intended). Don’t be afraid to put the amp through its paces. Make sure you can easily dial in a variety of tones that you are happy with. If the amp has on-board effects, try them all and decide which ones, if any, you would likely use. Pick up the amp and walk around with it to gauge its portability. If possible, request a soundproof booth and find out how loud the amp gets before it starts distorting. Ruggedness is difficult to check in the store, as it is generally considered inappropriate to roughhouse the merchandise. Instead, buy from a store that has a good return policy. That way you can return the amp, not only if it is defective, but also if you are unhappy with its performance in the real world.

Roland Micro Cube Micro Cube is a highly portable, lightweight, solid-state unit that runs on batteries. Weighing only seven pounds, it’s perfect for students and those on the go. It has two watts of power, a five-inch speaker, on-board amp modeling, and effects processors. It’s suitable for electric and acoustic guitar, keyboard, and vocals.

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Mike and Bob Bryan spend many hours in the practice room of the Camarillo, California, home, where they use music to unwind from tennis.

Band of Brothers

Tennis Doubles Champs and identical twins Mike and Bob Bryan combine a passion for music with a love of the game BY jackie Saunders

january/february 2010

There’s no denying that twins have a special bond. They can finish each other sentences, have a good idea what the other is thinking, and have been known to sense if something bad happens to their sibling, even if they are miles apart. Brothers Mike and Bob Bryan are no exception to the twin clichés and folklore. n Born two minutes apart, with Mike being the older of the two, the brothers do just about everything together—that includes winning seven men’s doubles Grand Slam titles, a bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, sharing the top doubles team spot on the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour, and playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band. The Bryan Brothers Band, featuring friend and vocalist David Baron, officially formed in 2008, but the two tennis champs have been playing music since their childhood. There was plenty of encouragement for both tennis and music from parents Wayne and Kathy, who owned a tennis club in Camarillo, California, and were both professional tennis players. “My dad didn’t let us watch TV. He took it right out of the house. So when we got home from tennis, we had a lot of time to practice,” says Mike. Wayne, who had played with a few members of the Beach Boys when they were all students at Hawthorne High School, taught his sons to play their instruments—Mike the drums and Bob the keyboard. Musical education from Wayne consisted of learning hundreds of classic rock songs like “Johnny B. Goode,” “My Girl,” and “Louie Louie,” which Mike and Bob memorized without really understanding music theory. “My dad wanted us to have fun with music and build a passion for it,” says Mike. “He taught us how to play songs right off the bat, which was cool for us.” Wayne played local street fairs, where he would call his sons up on stage, asking if they wanted to play a kid’s song like “Jingle Bells.” “No,” Mike and Bob would reply, “We want to play rock ‘n’ roll.” This little music act planted the seed, which later grew to a lifelong dedication to music and the formation of the Bryan Brothers Band, despite the extreme time commitment they had already made to their professional tennis careers. “Tennis is still number one right now and we devote most of our energy to doing that, but we have a music room in our house and we spend four to

five hours a day in there,” says Mike. “It really helps take our minds off the stress of tennis and is a great complement to our lives,” In college at Stanford University, the brothers continued on track to a professional tennis career and also started filling in the gaps of their music education by learning more about reading music and theory. Equipped with a better understand of music fundamentals, the Bryan brothers continue to play music every day, and even bring their instruments on the road—40 weeks out of the year—when they compete in tennis tournaments. The instruments provide a respite from the physical side of tennis and bring a little bit of home abroad. Mike brings a travel guitar that he plays around with and Bob brings a little keyboard along, plus recording equipment to capture any song ideas that may arise from their regular jam sessions. “It’s fun to do it together,” says Mike. “We are our own little band. We can make pretty good music for just two guys.” While the two-person band was working for the brothers, at a certain point, they realized they needed a vocalist and guitar player, which is where David Baron came in. The brothers met Baron at a tennis tournament, where Baron had a gig on the grounds. They invited him to come over and jam with them. Eventually, the trio ended up writing and recording four original songs for their album Let It Rip. The songs incorporate elements of the brothers’ lives, which includes a lot of court jargon. However, the themes are universal—subjects like love, perseverance, and taking chances. All three members of the group contribute equally to the creative process. Mike says writing sessions involve a lot of “ping-ponging” ideas off one another. Although the Bryan Brothers Band is starting to play more gigs, like the Mercury Lounge in New York City, and the famous Viper Room in Hollywood, Mike and Bob still appreciate how relaxing playing a musical instrument is. “My brother and I are close,” says Bob. “It’s an activity that’s fun and I enjoy that bonding time. It’s fun getting lost in something besides tennis. I can play music all night and not be tired.” www.MakingMusicMag.com

Posters of music icons like The Doors and Dave Matthews Band, alongside tennis photos, t-shirts, and memorabilia, cover the walls in the brothers’ music room in their Mediterranean-style villa in Camarillo, close to their childhood home. The room, filled with keyboards, drum kits, and mikes, is where the brothers spend hours winding down from tennis practice, by playing their instruments. Music, like sports, requires a certain element of cohesion and harmony between players and the Bryan brothers’ wordless communication on the court demonstrates their uncanny ability to read what the other one will do. This type of unspoken mental connection helps their music too. “Just from being with Bob my whole life we have this great communication so I know what he’s thinking,” says Mike. “We need that on the court; reacting and anticipating works the same for music.” The connection between the sport of tennis and playing music is a strong one for the twins. Even though they find music the more relaxing of the two, both activities bring a lot excitement to their lives. “I think both of them give us that adrenaline rush,” says Bob of tennis and music. “When you’re in front of the crowd on the court or on stage you get a rush, which is a lot of fun. With both you hit a point where everything is clicking and you’re not having to think too much—it’s flowing and it’s just beautiful.” Mike and Bob, 31, hope to continue their professional tennis careers as long as they are healthy and winning. Although tennis is one of those sports people can play into their twilight years, the level that the Bryan brothers compete at won’t be feasible forever. “We are so physical on the court, pounding our bodies, so it takes hours in the music room to regenerate,” says Mike. “Tennis is physical and music is creative and relaxing, so we can do it forever. That’s the beauty of music for us—it’s a great thing to have in our lives.” Jackie Saunders took tennis lessons when she was in elementary school and still made time for her piano practice, even though her schedule was packed.

Bob Bryan (above) takes a break from the keyboards to play the congas. Mike Bryan (right) keeps things light-hearted in the music room.

january/february 2010

Promoting the Rhythm of Music

Remo D. Belli Behind the Nameplate

emo D. Belli, founder and CEO of Remo, Inc., is staunch supporter of recreational music and its benefits. He says, “Music is not only essential for its beauty; it is essential to human health.” Belli began playing drums professionally at age 16, and after serving in the Navy during World War II, moved to Hollywood, California, where he performed with many leading musicians of the day. He was also co-owner of the shop Drum City and even gave drum lessons to Mae West and Little Ricky. Belli’s relentless pursuit of excellence drove him and chemist Sam Muchnick to develop an innovative synthetic drumhead made of DuPont Mylar, which became Weatherking. The material provided uniform pitch, tone, consistency, endurance, and weather resistance, and eventually was adopted by every leading drum manufacturer. This invention led to the founding of Remo, Inc. Through the years, Belli has been involved with many music-related nonprofit organizations. In 1963, he founded the Percussive Arts Society with several like-minded musicians to promote percussion education, research, performance, and appreciation throughout the world. He’s also worked with the International Association for Jazz Education, the National Association for Music Education, Youth in the Arts, and many other causes.

A passionate believer in the health benefits of drumming, Belli’s Remo Recreational Music Center in North Hollywood promotes music education, health, and community through

free drum circles, workshops, and concerts. Through his work with the American Music Therapy Association, he established HealthRHYTHMS at Remo in 2000 to promote and research therapeutic drumming. Belli’s dedication to music has been honored by many organizations. Most recently he was recognized by the Smithsonian Institute’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. www.MakingMusicMag.com www.MakingMusicMag.com

25 25

Forte

? k r o W

How s e it o D

Alternative tunings for guitar to a piece of music I liked on the radio; I’d tune to bird songs and the landscape I was sitting in … “ —Joni Mitchell.

While open tuning is great for playing slide guitar, these alternative tunings can be used to reinvigorate familiar chord shapes and picking patterns, too.

Not every guitarist is as esoteric, or as talented, as Mitchell, who is as well-known for her alternative guitar tunings as for the beautiful, exotic ballads she wrote with them.

Remember, if you retune your guitar, you are entering a whole new world that may take a little time to get used to. But the investigation can be worth it.

Still, Mitchell’s quote highlights the spirit of exploration and the joie de vivre that comes with alternative tunings.

Or to paraphrase David Crosby, when you first tune that low E down to a D, you’ll be hooked, and “from that day on, you’re a lost soul.”

n “I’d tune to the numbers in a date; I’d tune

Slide and blues guitarists will already be familiar with open tunings—in which a guitar’s strings are tuned to a major chord— but it’s worth all guitarists investigating at least a few of the more common alternates, if only to play the songs of Mitchell, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, John Fahey, Nick Drake, and other greats who have used them. In the tunings shown, Making Music indicates the number of frets—or half-steps— you must tune each string down from its standard tuning note. Each fret on a guitar is a half-step, or semi-tone, apart (the first fret of the bottom E string on a standard tuned guitar is F, for instance). Therefore, there’s little chance you will break a string when retuning, and there should be no need to buy heavier gauge strings.

january/february 2010

DOUBLE DROPPED D TUNING 3 From standard tuning:

SEMI-TONE TUNING

From standard tuning: 1—1—1—1—1—1

Used by: Jimi Hendrix Preferred for a number of reasons: to make bending strings easier, to accompany a saxophone, or to better suit a singer’s vocal range.

E A D

LUTE TUNING

A D

G a

DROPPED D TUNING

Used by: Neil Young A cross between open G (DGDGBD) and Dropped D, you can use standard chord shapes on the middle four strings and play open G blues licks with the top three strings.

From standard tuning:

2 —0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0

Used by: David Crosby A good tuning for rock as power chords can be fretted easily on the lower three strings. Play the low D and A open to accompany songs in the key of D.

STANDARD TUNING

D G

From standard tuning: 0—0—0—1—0—0

Used by: John Renbourn/Pentangle Often employed by classical guitar composers, this is the tuning on which standard tuning is based. Another good one for fingerstyle guitarists to explore.

2—0—0—0—0—2

E DAD GAD TUNING

From standard tuning: 2—0—0—0—2—2

Used by: Jimmy Page/ Led Zeppelin Popularized by British folk pioneer Davey Graham, this is a good tuning for fingerstyle guitarists to explore interesting melodies accompanied by open strings.

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Forte

Steps to Efficient Practicing

By Meredith Laing

Have a goal.

Structure your practice session around goals rather than a set time frame. Although you might have a general idea of how much time you have available to practice, you need a more specific plan than “I’m going to practice until 6:00 p.m.” Instead, decide exactly what you want to accomplish and how you’ll go about it. If you continually set and meet goals, you’ll stay motivated and productive.

Break it down.

If there are several different issues to work out within one section of music, be sure to separate them. Pianists and drummers, for example, can work on the right and left hands separately. String and guitar players can separate bowing or picking technique from left hand technique by bowing or picking open strings before adding in the notes. Similarly, wind players can break down a difficult passage by first tonguing a difficult rhythm on a single note. In the long run, things will come together more quickly and you won’t become frustrated, if you’re patient and avoid the temptation to tackle everything at once.

Take it slow.

When learning new music, always start well below the final tempo; half-speed is good as a general rule. If you play through things too fast, too soon, you’ll ingrain bad habits into your muscle memory that will be difficult and time-consuming to unlearn. Use a metronome to keep your pace steady. Then, once you can play accurately at a slow tempo, gradually increase the speed, one metronome click at a time.

Isolate issues.

Too often, people want to simply play their music start to finish, but this is an extremely inefficient way to practice. Really, it’s not necessary to play straight through your repertoire until a couple weeks prior to the performance. Until then, isolate very small sections. If you’re working on something like dynamics or phrasing, you might take a couple of measures at a time. If you’re working on intonation, you might take just two notes at a time. It may seem like a slower way to work, but you’re actually getting a lot more accomplished than you would by playing larger chunks.

january/february 2010

Of course you love spending time with your instrument, but let’s face it: between work, errands, family, and friends, most of us don’t have schedules that allow us to practice for hours each day. But what if you could make more progress in less time? Interested? Here are some tips for practicing like a pro. n

The

New Consumer

Reference to Buying a Piano

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once you’ve isolated a tricky section of music, repetition is key. Clearly, the more times you play something, the more likely it is to stick, so aim for perfection every time. Think of it this way: let’s say you’ve played something incorrectly nine times, and then on the tenth time, you play it right. At that point, you might think, okay, I’ve got it, and move on to something else. But unfortunately, the problem will likely sneak back the next time you play, since your brain and muscles are still more used to the incorrect way. Instead, practice the section until you can repeat it at least 10 times correctly. That way, you won’t be starting from scratch again the next day.

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Make it harder than it is.

If you use little tricks to make your music temporarily more difficult to play, it will feel simple later on. For example, if you’re having trouble keeping a passage of eighth notes steady and even, try altering the rhythm. Instead of playing straight eighths, change the rhythm to alternating dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes. You’ll feel how much easier it is when you return to the straight rhythm. For fast moving notes, try working up to a speed a few notches above the final performance tempo. Then, when you bring it back down, it will feel nice and relaxed. If you usually read from sheet music, try memorizing difficult sections. When you put the music back in front of you, you’ll find that you barely need it.

. . . the standard consumer reference in the piano business for more than 20 years

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Listen.

It might seem obvious, but sometimes people forget one of the most important parts of music making: MMad09.indd listening. If you catch your mind wandering or shutting down, concentrate on visualizing exactly how you want each note to sound. Then, if that doesn’t match what you’re hearing, brainstorm what you can do to fix it. Mindless practicing is a waste of your time; always keep your mind and your ears active and engaged.

9/17/09 2:37 PM

Get a second opinion.

Without a teacher, conductor, or someone else to give you feedback, you might have a hard time critiquing yourself. In that case, you’re simply playing through your music without making significant progress. Try recording yourself. When you listen back, you’re guaranteed to hear things that you didn’t notice before. Also, try practicing in front of a mirror to catch problems with your posture and set-up.

Time it right.

It’s a good idea to practice soon after a lesson or rehearsal, when any problems that need to be worked out are still fresh in your mind. But at the same time, don’t try to practice after a stressful day or if you’re exhausted; you’ll just be miserable and unproductive. It’s much better to start fresh, when you’re relaxed and focused, than to worry about skipping a day or two. Meredith Laing learned efficient practicing habits from her violinprofessor, Jim Krehbiel, whom she studied with as a music performance major At Syracuse University.

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Forte clip ‘n’ save

ReRouted On a road trip, there may not always be a direct route from point A to point B. The same goes for music: it’s not as simple as starting at the beginning of a piece and playing straight through to the end. Sometimes the music instructs you to repeat entire sections, take alternate endings, or even end the piece right in the middle of the page.

When this happens, you may feel like you are in foreign territory, since musical directions are not printed in English, but use a combination of symbols and Italian abbreviations. This guide will help you decode your musical roadmap, so you’ll never have to stop to ask for directions again! Note: The examples shown are brief. In printed music these directions are used to avoid rewriting long sections of music. Da capo means “from the beginning.” In music, this is abbreviated D.C., and can be followed by al fine or al coda. Dal signo means “from the sign,” and is abbreviated D.S. Like a da capo direction, it can be followed by either al fine or al coda.

january/february 2010

D.C. al fine tells you to return to the beginning and play until you see the word fine. In Italian, fine means “end,” and indicates that the piece is finished. Play measures one through eight, then return to the beginning, and end after measure four.



D.C. al coda tells you to return to the beginning of the piece and continue until you see the coda sign: . Then, skip toward the end of the piece (or section) until you find another coda sign, which shows you where to start playing again. Coda means “tail,” and accordingly, is a small bit of additional music that ends the piece or section of the piece. Play measures one through eight. Repeat measures one through four. Then, skip to the second coda sign and play the last four measures (nine through 12) of the piece.

D.S al fine tells you to return to the  sign found earlier in the music. You then play until you come to the fine, which ends the piece. Play measures one through eight, return to measure three, and end after measure four.

D.S. al coda tells you to return to the “sign and then (as you might be able to predict by now) play until you come to the coda sign. Then, skip down to the second coda sign at the end to finish the piece or section.



Play measures one through eight, then return to measure three. Play measures three and four, and then skip to the coda at measure nine. End by playing the four-measure coda.

sharpsandflats guitar

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n Don’t run before you can walk. The secret to playing well quickly is to first play well s-l-o-w-l-y. If you can’t play that lick perfectly at 60 bpm, you have no business playing it at 200 bpm.

Darryl Roberts, Las Vegas, Nevada

general n Focus on what you need to work on. The natural urge is to avoid practicing the things that need to be worked on. Pinpoint a certain concept that needs work, and then (1) analyze it, (2) practice it over and over. Perhaps write in words on paper what your weaknesses are, and keep reminding yourself to try and improve on that area.

Jacob Stickney, Seattle, Washington

SAXOPHONE n Practice with your eyes closed or in the dark. There is little better test of memory and accuracy. Practicing without sight heightens the other senses, allowing you to concentrate on listening to the sound and feeling your body’s actions.

Laurie Stras, Southampton, England

MOUNTAIN DULCIMER n Practice adding an introduction or ending to a tune. Intros

prepare listeners for what follows, establishing tempo and mood. To add one, play the last phrase of the song before starting the first measure of a tune. For a nice ending, play the last few measures of the tune twice. Kerry Coates, Capitan, New Mexico

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.

Get one year (6 issues) of Making Music for just $16.95. That’s less than $2.83 per issue. Back Issues Available 800-724-9700 ext. 116 www.makingmusicmag.com/offer1 www.MakingMusicMag.com

A Jolly Good Bellow This lively California accordion orchestra performs at the White House and international competitions. By jackie saunders n º When the Martin Music Center Accordion Orchestra is preparing for a performance, like the Coupe Mondiale competition in New Zealand, it holds 7 a.m. practices on Saturday mornings. Students scurry to their seats with their accordions, like a game of musical chairs, hoping they aren’t the last one standing. “We make practices fun,” says Sandy Martin, who founded the Martin Music Center with her husband, Randall, in 1981. “Whoever arrives last at practice has to bring doughnuts for the group on the next Saturday.”

The Martin Music Center, located in Fullerton, California, is like a second home to the accordion and piano students who take lessons there, especially the ones who are lucky and talented enough to participate in the accordion orchestra, which has held its regular practices every Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

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for the past 25 years. The center has been affectionately called “The Miracle on Orangethorpe Avenue,” because no matter how old a student is, he or she always seems to want to return. “It’s a difficult group to get into and a difficult group to leave,” says Sandy Martin of the prestigious accordion orchestra. “All the kids have been here since they were really little; they don’t want to leave. We talk to each other about our problems, on Halloween we go trick or treating together, and we attend each others’ birthday and Christmas parties. It’s really a family group. It’s the sort of place you come back to if you’re home for a week visiting.” Sandy and Randall Martin have a passion for the accordion. With three invitations to play at the White House, a Kennedy Center performance, and a trip to New Zealand for the Coupe Mondiale, a premier international accordion festival and competition, the Martin Music Center Accordion Orchestra is a top notch group. It features 18 players from ages 11 to their early 40s. “The philosophy of our group is to motivate and encourage,” says Martin, whose husband is the director of the group. “Randy goes about teaching in a clinical way. He knows how he wants a piece played, and will spend a couple hours perfecting six measures, so he won’t have to go back and reteach it.” Although the orchestra plays plenty of traditional and ethnic accordion fare like polkas, French waltzes, Italian tunes, and classical concertos, they also play crowd-pleasing American band and folk favorites like “Orange Blossom Special” and “The Trolley Song.” When the group performed in New Zealand in the 2009 Coupe Mondiale this past summer, they even played rock ‘n’ roll classics like “Johnny B. Goode,” “Twist and Shout,” and “Jailhouse Rock.” “In New Zealand, they thought us Yanks were marvelous,” says Martin. “They couldn’t believe we played rock on the accordion.” The thing that Martin says draws so many people to the accordion is the variety of sounds it can produce. All of the separate parts played in a traditional orchestra can be heard when the accordion orchestra plays. “I enjoy the diverseness of the instrument,” says concertmistress Michele Damien, 34, who is an elementary school teacher. “People like to pigeonhole the accordion for ethnic polkas, but we can play so many types of pieces from traditional ethnic songs to rock n’ roll. There are a lot of different flavors and that’s what the accordion is about.” Damien has been taking accordion lessons at Martin Music since age nine and joined the orchestra soon after she began. She met her husband Larry, also an orchestra member, through the matchmaking of Sandy, who had them play plenty of polka duets when they were in high school. One of the highlights for the Damiens was when the group was first invited by President Clinton to the White House to perform at a Christmas party in 1993. Hillary asked that the group stay

“In New Zealand, they thought us Yanks were marvelous,” says Martin. “They couldn’t believe we played rock on the accordion.” later to play for the health care committee, including Senator Ted Kennedy and his family. The audience requested “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” three times. In 1995, the Clintons asked the group to return and play for an informal Secret Service Christmas party. The group was such a hit playing in the East Room, that it became too crowded and the Secret Service had to break things up. “That was noisy,” says Martin. “It was a fun party. We played the Lion King theme, ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King.’” After the 9/11 attacks, White House security was so beefed up that, for the orchestra’s 2003 visit, the Bush administration requested the group leave their accordions at home as a security measure. “I remember the Secret Service asked, ‘Could you bring your choir instead?’” says Martin. “We didn’t really have one, but the group was so talented, I called my husband and said, ‘Our group isn’t playing, but we are going to sing instead.’ We only had eight weeks to put together a choral group, but orchestra members brought their musical abilities learned from the accordion and they sounded great.” Although the group has a talent for expanding musicianship on the accordion, the Martin Music Center Orchestra is really all about fun and being a second family to the students. The orchestra thrives on its diversity: they have three law students, an engineer, a math major, school athletes, and a teacher. “Even preparation leading up to the trips is so much fun,” says Damien. “The rehearsals and spending the time together brings us even closer.” Another reason the group is so special to Martin is the dedication the parents have to helping their children pursue a passion for music. “Seeing children take music lessons with a purpose and a goal in mind, like the orchestra, is just thrilling,” says Martin. “It’s been wonderful to create this unusual and excellent sound from the accordion—it’s been the love of our lives and the work of our lifetime.” www.MakingMusicMag.com

Forte

Quick Tips

Recent Top Sellers FOR Piano:

Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel, arranged by Robert Schultz, Alfred Music Publishing FOR Guitar:

Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, Alfred Music Publishing Vocal solo:

The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Hal Leonard Corporation Rock:

100 Years by Five for Fighting, Hal Leonard Corporation Pop:

You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban, Hal Leonard Corporation Country:

Love Story by Taylor Swift, Hal Leonard Corporation Christian:

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me, Hal Leonard Corporation As reported on sheetmusicplus.com

january/february 2010

for choosing sheet music by Adam D’Arpino

Quality sheet music is important for any level of musician trying to add to their repertoire. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, sheet music helps shape how you learn, perform, and understand a piece.

There’s currently more sheet music being printed than ever before, so whatever type of music you’re looking for, it’s probably out there. For more popular pieces, there are often dozens of arrangements. But with so many options, purchasing sheet music can be overwhelming. We enlisted the help of two experts, Keith Cerny, CEO of Sheet Music Plus, and Fabrizio Ferrari, president of Virtual Sheet Music, to help get some quick tips for finding the music.

“easy” options are Okay. If you’re new to reading music, you might find that some sheet music is outside of your skill level. Thankfully, for most instruments, there are easy versions of many pieces. An easy version allows beginners to learn simplified arrangements of well-known pieces of music. For piano, another popular way to learn pieces easily is by using a “fake book.” Fake books usually include only chord names and a notated melody. They were originally created for professional musicians who wanted more freedom to interpret a piece or learn it quickly, but they have become popular for beginners looking for an easier way to play recognizable music.

Know your skill level. Many publishers and distributors grade the difficulty of pieces and include a description of the criteria for their grading system. “[At sheetmusicplus. com] we have sheet music arranged on a multipoint scale to give customers a sense of how hard it would be to play,” says Keith Cerny. However, if you’re more comfortable simply looking at a piece of sheet music to decide if it’s at your skill level, most online retailers include a preview option, which allows customers to view the first page or two of a piece. publishers offer different advantages. For more advanced musicians, the level of editing offered by a publisher can be very important. Some publishers offer “Urtext editions,” meaning the publishers have consulted a composer’s original manuscript in order to make sure their edition is as close to the original as possible. However, some musicians are willing to compromise absolute accuracy for convenience. “Some people prefer more heavily edited editions so that all the fingerings are worked through for them,” says Cerny.

Multimedia packs can add value. It’s now common for publishers to offer CDs and DVDs with sheet music. “Music books for children and young adults often have DVDs, which might include play along tracks both with their part and without it. That’s a popular format for learners,” says Cerny. Even if you’re a more advanced player, a CD or DVD accompaniment is still a valuable learning tool, especially if you’re practicing alone but want the sensation of performing with other instruments. consider Digital options. Downloads of digital sheet music can save you time and shipping costs. Websites like virtualsheetmusic.com also offer self-published classical sheet music downloads with MP3 and MIDI accompaniments. These digital audio accompaniments work similarly to the CD and DVD accompaniments. “If you download one of our MP3 accompaniment files, you get three versions: one with just piano accompaniment, one with a metronome, and another version with a metronome but 20% slower,” says Fabrizio Ferrari. Also, if you’re an iPhone or iPod Touch owner, virtualsheetmusic. com recently created an application that allows users to access sheet music on a phone. www.MakingMusicMag.com

Musical Cousins

Try a New Instrument by Shannon Price

Need a challenge? Do you feel like you are in a “rut” with your current musical instrument? Are looking for new musical ideas? Why not try another instrument that is musically “close” (like musical cousins) to the one you play now?

What motivated this idea is that the lead guitarist in my band, Walter, has started to learn to play the lap steel guitar. It’s close enough to guitar that he feels like he’s not in totally new instrument territory, but different enough that he’s really learning an entirely new skill set: different tunings and playing techniques, using a lap/pedal steel bar. This has given Walter a fun song-learning boost. He’s relearning old songs using the new instrument and putting entirely new twists on those songs. He’s also learning new ones that are not guitar-featured songs (e.g., “Steel Guitar Rag,” “Hula Blues”). In searching around for resources to learn more about the lap steel guitar he encountered an entirely new set of lap, pedal, and dobro instrument virtuosos—Tom Morrell, Bob Bozman, Herb Remington, and others. They’ve definitely broadened Walter’s musical horizons, in addition to, as Walter puts it, “Broadening the opening of my mouth when my jaw drops open in response to their incredible playing!” Trying a new instrument that’s similar to the one you currently play, is a way to energize/revitalize your musical experiences. Lessons are always available and you may open new brain pathways! Most of all, you can have fun and challenge yourself. Get together with friends and family form ensembles and you may also spark their interest in learning something new. When you start a second instrument the groundwork for theory, ear learning, dynamics, etc. is already in place, so if the second instrument is closely related to the first you have a pretty good head start. Finger position, bowing technique, and/or breath control will carry over to your new musical adventure. Music is something you can do just for you, while sharing music opens gates of communication and the thrill of life in general. Playing music, or being a part of anything musical, can give you a new attitude and make your life better every day. Talk about dynamics!

When deciding on a new instrument look for those with similar tunings and/or finger positions. Listed here are some possible partner instruments.

guitar

lap steel guitar, dobro, pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, or ukulele

saxophone

clarinet, flute, oboe, or other woodwind instruments, or harmonica

trumpet trombone violin electric bass piano

So what’s next for Walter? He can play just about anything he sets out to learn; I think I’m going to suggest bagpipes!

timpani

Shannon Price coordinates Weekend Warriors recreational music programs at West Music in Coralville, Iowa.

recorder

january/february 2010

French horn or tuba euphonium cello, viola, or mandolin upright bass, cello organ, accordion, or xylophone steel drum ocarina or harmonica

Tuned In fender

Reissue

gibson

❱❱ The ’57 Fender Stratocaster featured a one-piece maple V-shaped neck that was abandoned the following year. Its reissue is an exact replica of this rare and highly sought-after instrument. Details include unique ’57/’62 pickups, three-way switching (five-way switch kit included), beveled pickup magnets, ashtray bridge cover, and single-ply pickguard. It is priced at a small fraction of what an original would sell for at an auction. TRY THIS: 1957 Fender Stratocaster

❱❱ A major design overhaul to the Les Paul, including a thinner, double cutaway body, a lower neck joint for easier access to higher frets, and a thinner neck resulted in the birth of the popular SG in 1961. SG, which stands for “solid guitar,” remains one of the most enduring designs in electric guitar history. Details include solid mahogany body, slim, tapered neck, trapezoid inlays, and two ’57 Classic pickups. TRY THIS: 1961 Gibson SG Reissue

gretsch ❱❱ Check out that chrome Bigsby Tremelo tailpiece! In the hands of players like Eddie Duane, Brian Setzer, and of course, Mister Guitar himself, the great Chet Atkins, Gretsch guitars have come to represent the rockabilly branch of classic rock ‘n’ roll from the ’50s and beyond. These guitars are decked out with the artists’ personal modifications. TRY THIS: 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins G6120W

What’s in a Reissue? n So, you’ve always dreamed of owning a vintage Stratocaster, like the one Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock, or an old Gibson Les Paul, like the one innovative guitarist Jimmy Paige played in the ‘60s. Then, you take a look at the price tag of some of these instruments and realize that convincing your spouse to take out a second mortgage is out of the question. Even if you can shell out the big bucks for one of these relics, you would think twice about bringing it with you to a jam session. Enter classic reissue guitars. Fender and Gibson have been reproducing some of your favorite vintage instruments since the early ‘80s, and now many others have followed suit. Built to exact specifications of some of the most innovative and popular designs of the ’50s and ‘60s, they are a practical way to enjoy a piece of guitar history, without tapping into your home’s equity. If you are already a vintage ax collector, you can have that classic sound and feel at your gigs, while leaving your precious collectables safely at home. Today there are many classic reissue guitars on the market, including Fender’s ’57 Stratocaster, a favorite among many guitar enthusiasts for its unique V-shaped neck. Among Gibson’s reproductions is a ’61 SG, modeled after the popular Les Paul, in the first year of the enduring design’s production. Gretsch, producers of popular arch-top electrics in the ‘50s, offers many vintage reissues, among them Chet Atkins models. Companies like Rickenbacker, Danelectro, Harmony, and Kay are also producing classic reissues. Even if your favorite year or model of instrument is not currently being reproduced, chances are it was at one time. As you begin to look for a used reissue, however, be sure to find a genuine product. The charm of these classic reissues is that they are built exactly to vintage specs by the original manufacturer. There are many inferior knockoffs circulating around the Internet and in some shops, so before pulling out your wallet, contact the original manufacturer to be sure that you are getting everything you bargained for. As a general rule of thumb, if the price seems too good to be genuine, it probably isn’t. www.MakingMusicMag.com www.MakingMusicMag.com

Tuned In

For more products visit www.MakingMusicMag.com/tunedin

Mac the Riff ❱❱ Keep your hands on the neck, not on the mouse. Designed specifically for Macintosh audio programs like GarageBand, Logic, and MainStage, the Apogee GiO guitar interface offers hands-free access to record functions and effect presets within the software. Color-coded buttons allow you to toggle through effects and amp simulators, while record function buttons let you navigate through your home studio project, all without touching the mouse. This sleek device is powered by USB and requires no separate power adapters. MSRP: $395

Award-Winning Keyboard ❱❱ Yamaha’s S90 XS 88-key keyboard synthesizer has a concert grand sound and feel, yet is compact enough for convenient travel. Extensive computer music features include the ability to plug in a USB device or thumb drive and record your performances as audio data. A Performance Creator feature is fast and easy to use, allowing you to layer tracks and hear your creations played back. You can also plug in and record from a microphone or other electronic instrument. Controls are designed for intuitive operation, and some can be used in real-time to tweak the sound as you play. It’s no surprise S90 XS was chosen “best in show” at last summer’s NAMM show. MSRP: $3,799

Liquid Smooth ❱❱ The “T” Model from Liquid Metal Guitars has a smooth, solid aluminum body, a hard rock maple neck, and an ebony fretboard, and is protected with a new scratch-resistant clear coat. The guitar is built with a Black TUSQ XL nut from Graph Tech Guitar Labs, which is infused with Teflon for self-lubrication. This revolutionary technology brings out hidden harmonics in the tone and helps to keep strings in tune. Graph Tech’s String Saver saddles use Teflon, uniquely combined with other materials, to spread the stress of vibration over a greater portion of the sting to reduce breakage and provide a clearer tone. MSRP: $2,995

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Elevating Practice ❱❱ Superscope Technologies has added Elevation music practice software to its line of technology for musicians. Elevation allows you to alter recorded music to make it easier to learn. Functions include changing tempos without affecting key, changing key without affecting tempo, setting loop points either by ear or by sight, recording with an accompaniment, EQ control, and turning down vocal tracks. Elevation accepts WAV, AIFF, MP3, and WMA file formats. MSRP: $179

Facile Fingering ❱❱ Piano Mate is an easy way for anyone to get started on the piano, or to connect the dots between reading melody lines and figuring out where they fall on a piano or keyboard. Piano Mate sits directly above the keys, but does not connect to the instrument, making it easy to use and remove. Flashing lights indicate which keys to press for left-hand, righthand, or both-hand play. The tempo is adjustable and a built-in metronome helps you keep the beat. Piano Mate comes with a three-year warranty. Eight popular songs are preinstalled and three additional cartridges and songbooks are included. MSRP: $249

Pocket-Sized Recording ❱❱ Forging ahead with Tascam’s legendary PortaStudio concept is the DP-04 Digital PocketStudio. Record up to two simultaneous tracks of CD quality digital audio with the built-in stereo condenser microphone, or connect your own mike or instruments via two inputs. If you use up its four audio tracks, you can bounce them all down to one track and continue overdubbing layers. Mixing is intuitive with real knobs, and final mixes can be sent to your computer via USB port for file sharing and CD duplication. MSRP: $279

www.MakingMusicMag.com

Tuned In

by jason Borisoff and michael Masucci

Here are some ways of adding an analog vibe to digital recordings. n Analog recording has been a dying art for some time, replaced by the cheaper, easier, and more accessible system of digital recording. The functionality of a multi-million dollar analog studio of 30 years ago can be easily matched by a simple digital project studio consisting of a computer, software, software interface, and some microphones.

Even with all these incredible technological advances, there is a warm feel associated with analog recordings that digital systems have a difficulty reproducing. Fortunately, the recording industry is hip to this problem, and has been hard at work creating a host of products geared towards adding that missing ingredient to digital recordings. However, before you whip out your credit card for some new recording toys, take a minute to reflect on the following: The recording market is saturated with unbelievable products at unbelievable prices, but sometimes these deals actually are too good to be true. It is wise to do your homework before committing to a purchase to be sure that you are getting the best balance between quality, affordability, and necessity with your particular recording goals in mind. Detailed here are a few products you might want to look into.

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One of the easiest and most flexible ways to add warmth is right from your recording software. Most programs, like ProTools, Cubase, and Sonar, include built-in amp modeling, effects, and dynamic processing (like EQ and compressors) that are based on analog systems. If these features still don’t give you the sound you want, then you can research plug-ins that work directly with your recording software to give more warmth. The options are practically limitless. To the right are two popular plug-ins.

If you’re the type of person who isn’t convinced by software recreations of analog gear, then you may want to look to a preamp to alter the sound before it enters your computer. Preamps are an important piece of recording gear, especially for microphones, and it is crucial that you get the best you can afford. They boost the signals from the instruments, and they also often include an array of effects and dynamics features. Look at what’s available from companies like PreSonus and ART (Applied Research and Technology). There are a wide range of features and prices, including these two models.

This is an example of a software plug-in that is modeled after a historic piece of gear. This particular program reproduces a 1980s British Console Buss Compressor, with some added features to give the user more flexibility. MSRP starts at $200.

The AmpliTube is a one-stop shop for classic amp and stomp box sounds. It has 20,000 different amp configurations, and 32 stomp boxes and rack effects, all based on vintage and modern equipment. This is a very powerful tool for the home studio engineer. MSRP is $400.

This preamp is in a higher cost bracket, but it performs at an incredibly high level and has a multitude of tools, effects, and quality features. The PreSonus has a Class A tube preamplifier (12AX7 vacuum tube). The VCA compressor offers gain, attack, threshold, and ratio controls. Three-band Parametric EQ gives universal control of all the frequencies within tracks so you can check the highs, mids, and lows of each recorded track, and then set it to get the sound you want. The 12AX7 tube preamplifier has a dual control gain and tube drive, which gives the user more range in finding sound. MSRP is $360.

This preamp is jam-packed with attributes and is relatively inexpensive and easy to use. As a microphone preamp, the V3 offers presets for most instruments and acts as a direct box for instruments that require direct plugging. Its tube provides quality “warmth” and feel, with significantly low noise, and it can be used with any digital multitrack recorder or computer. The standard features—clip LED, +48v phantom power, a +20dB switch, an analog VU meter, 12AX7a Tube, phase reverse, and phantom power for vocals—are great additions considering the affordability of the product. MSRP is $95.

www.MakingMusicMag.com

Accents ew musicians have been given credit for practically inventing a genre of music as much as guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt. That’s quite an accomplishment for a man who grew up in gypsy encampments surrounding Paris and who, as a young man, lost the use of two fretting fingers when they were badly burned in a fire.

n Reinhardt never learned to read music, but by the time he died at the age of 43, he was such an accomplished musician and composer that others have emulated his music for generations.

Gypsy jazz (or jazz Manouche) blends French Sinti (Gypsy) music with American hot jazz. What quickly spread to become a worldwide phenomenon during the 1930s and 1940s, began when Reinhardt jammed with violinist Stéphane Grappelli in what would become La Quintette du Hot Club de France. The two, influenced by the jazz recordings of artists like Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, molded their own style from the traditional music they had played from childhood. The original gypsy jazz was played acoustically, without drums. A percussive rhythm called “la pompe” was played on acoustic guitar, accompanying solos were played on another guitar and violin. There was often a bass in the

lineup, and by the 1940s, bands also included drums and clarinet. Most gypsy jazz guitarists play some version of the Selmer-Maccaferri model that Reinhardt himself played. It had a slightly arched top and back, a characteristically shaped soundhole, cutaway body, and distinctive sound. Selmer no longer makes guitars, but many luthiers make similar models. The light steel strings are typically played forcefully with a heavy pick to yield a piercing sound that easily cuts through the rhythm section. In the gypsy jazz tradition melodies are highly improvised. Reinhardt himself was said to never play a solo the same way twice. Gypsy jazz has a distinctly dark and modal sound and has it’s own set of standards such as “Minor Swing” and “Melodie Au Crepuscule.” However, today’s ensembles often adapt other songs to the style.

By cherie Yurco

january/february 2010

Resources: Learn to Play Django-Style Gypsy Jazz Guitar—These instructional DVDs by Paul Mehling teach gypsy jazz guitar basics. Lesson one, Rhythm, starts with basic four-to-the-bar comping and take you through a variety of accompaniment ideas. Lesson two covers soloing and improvisational leads.

Django Reinhardt: The Definitive Collection—Authentic transcriptions in notes and TAB for 20 of Django Reinhardt’s most famous songs, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’”; “Belleville”; “Daphne”; “Dinah”; “Dinette”; “Djangology”; “Honeysuckle Rose,” and “Minor Swing.”

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Covered RESOURCES

The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963 n The Early Years of the Les

Paul Legacy: 1915-1963 documents the formative years of the Renaissance music man. Les Paul was an early pioneer of multi-track recording and a prolific artist with a visionary approach that revolutionized the guitar. The book has full-color photos throughout. A second volume, The Modern Era of the Les Paul Legacy 1968-2009, is also available from Hal Leonard Corporation.

How to Make Your Band Sound Great n For any band, learning to play together well is an essential skill that needs to be developed. There can be countless internal conflicts, as well as issues of sound, arrangement, and stage presence. Author, experienced producer, and engineer Bobby Owsinski covers it all using tips and tricks employed by top-bill stars from Billy Gibbons to Mick Taylor to Jackson Browne. This book will show you how to make your group tighter, and more dynamic, with improved recording sessions and live shows that are more exciting and memorable.

How to Make Your Band Sound Great, by Bobby Owsinski, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2009.

The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 19151963, by Robb Lawrence, Hal Leonard Corporation, New York, NY, 2008.

Keyboard Presents: The Best of the ’80s n From the swelling synths of Depeche Mode to the dance-friendly grooves of Thomas Dolby, much of the music of the 1980s is 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.

january/february 2010

The Jazz Singer’s Guidebook: A Course in Jazz Harmony and Scat Singing for the Serious Jazz Vocalist n This clear, step-by-step approach is designed to help

singers improve their grasp of jazz harmony and gain more control of the music they sing. The Jazz Singer’s Guidebook covers the basics of accompanying yourself on piano, writing good lead sheets, music structure, improvisation, embellishments, melody variations, scat solos, and more. An included CD contains 41 examples from the book. The Jazz Singer’s Guidebook: A Course in Jazz Harmony and Scat Singing for the Serious Jazz Vocalist, by David Berkman, Sher Music, Petaluma, CA, 2009.

Stuff Good Players Should Know n This ser ies of books from Hal Leonard Corporation is designed to take playing from ordinary to extraordinary though all-encompassing book-CD combinations for various instruments. Included are tips on performing, recording, instruments, equipment, soloing, music theory, and more.

Stuff Good Piano Players Should Know presents styles such as rock, pop, jazz, blues, classical, and more, through demonstrations of authentic piano and keyboard parts appropriate to each genre. The accompanying CD includes many of the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s examples performed on a variety of piano/electric piano instruments. Some examples are recorded in a full band setting to hear how important concepts fit in with other instruments and ensembles. The bass Stuff book covers acoustic and electric instruments, and includes tips on grooves, fills, soloing, instrument care and maintenance, and more. Authentic demonstrations cover genres from rock to jazz to R&B to funk. An accompanying CD includes many examples from the book, performed both in solo bass format and in a full band setting. Stuff Good Guitar Players Should Know contains more than 100 tips to improve your guitar playing. Subjects covered include riffs, fills, soloing, fingerpicking, the Nashville number system, transposing, guitar maintenance, and more. An included CD contains 56 tracks with more than 125 audio examples in genres from rock to blues to country, performed both on solo guitar and with a full band. Also available from Hal Leonard are Stuff Good Synth Players Should Know and Stuff Good Drummers Should Know. Stuff Good Piano PlayersShouldKnow, by Mark Harrison; Stuff Good Bass Players Should Know, by Glenn Letsch; Stuff Good Guitar Players Should Know, by Wolf Marshall, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.

www.MakingMusicMag.com

Covered Mastering the Tables of Time: Volume 1 Introducing the Standard Timetable n In this method book professional drummer David Stanoch combines the foundations of rhythm and trapset drumming by using a common system to assimilate the disciplines of timekeeping, coordination, rudiments, polyrhythms, and musical phrasing. Mastering the Tables of Time is designed for all players, from beginner to advanced, interested in developing a musical foundation with crystal clear focus. The book was honored as #1 Method Book in the 2009 Modern Drummer Readers Poll.

Mastering the Tables of Time: Volume 1 Introducing the Standard Timetable, by David Stanoch, Rhythmelodic Music, Minnetonka, MN, 2008.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Fiddle n You’re no idiot; you know there’s skill involved in learning to play the fiddle. However, you also don’t want to go through the rigorous training of a classical violinist. This book and 90-minute DVD set will help you get started. It includes: helpful tips on selecting the right fiddle; step-bystep instructions on holding a fiddle and bow; illustrated fingerboard charts; 80 practice tunes; and an exploration of popular fiddle styles.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Fiddle, by Ellery Klein, Penguin Group, New York, NY, 2008.

january/february 2010

Classic Electrics: A Visual History of Great Guitars n Since the 1930s electric

guitars have been embedded in our culture as icons of jazz, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll music. This richly illustrated guide is an exploration of the best solid-body and semi-acoustic guitars of the past. Guitar historian and author Walter Carter features 350-plus guitars through photos, descriptions, and specifications. The book’s small profile makes it an ideal and easily transportable gift for experts and novices alike. Classic Electrics: A Visual History of Great Guitars, by Walter Carter, Jawbone, Berkeley, CA, 2008.

Mastering Music at Home: How to Master Your Recordings for CD and Web Distribution n Just a few years ago almost every audio recording session

took place in a commercial studio with professional engineers and producers using specialized and costly equipment. Today, artists at all levels are working in their home and project studios, doing their own recording and production. The final step in producing a professional quality recording is mastering and Mastering Music at Home will show you how to do it. Mastering Music at Home: How to Master Your Recordings for CD and Web Distribution, by Mitch Gallagher, Thomson Course Technology, Boston, MA, 2008.

Destination

n It’s difficult to find someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota, or the Twin Cities area who has not been touched in some way by the MacPhail Center for Music and few organizations have had a longer and more positive influence on their community. The center boasts a 102-year history and a student body of more than 8,200, aged from six weeks to senior citizens.

William S. MacPhail, an original member of the Minneapolis Symphony, first established the MacPhail School of Violin in 1907. Initial offerings included music history and harmony classes, but because of its popularity, classes quickly expanded and it was moved to a four-story facility and renamed the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art. Soon, the school began offering college degrees and its faculty grew to more than 100, serving a student body of 3,000. When William S. MacPhail died in 1966, his family gifted the college to the University of Minnesota, where it became the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts. During its tenure with the univer-

sity, the school established revolutionary programs for young children, including the nation’s first Suzuki program. Eventually, the University of Minnesota decided to dissolve its relationships with programs that did not primarily serve college students, so MacPhail became an independent, nonprofit organization in 1994. Today MacPhail Center for Music remains a leader in music education with a faculty of teaching artists more than 170 strong, in more than 50 separate teaching locations, in addition to its main downtown Minneapolis facility. Instruction is offered on 35 different instruments and in styles from jazz to classical to world music. In an effort to bring music to the entire Tw i n C i t i e s a n d Greater Minneapolis community, MacPhail offers day and evening adult programs and brings music education to community partners, from day care centers and schools to retirement facilities. Other programs aimed at

enriching the community through music include small recitals, master classes, ticketed performances, music therapy, summer camps for adults and children, and jazz education. Since 2004, adult programs have increased by 20% and welcomed visitors from around the country to master classes and camps. “No matter the age or artistic background, we all have music in us,” says Paul Babcock, MacPhail Center for Music president and chief operating officer. “As an adult it is never too late to start learning music or come back to something you began as a child. The rewards are far greater than simply learning how to play. It stimulates new ways of thinking and approaching the world around us. It reconnects us socially. And it can be one of the most rewarding and energizing ways to take us away from the many demands of everyday life, inspiring a whole new energy and spirit.” If you are visiting the Twin Cities area, you can phone the center (612-321-0100) to arrange a tour of its new state-of-the-art facility, which opened January 2008. The new building includes studio spaces, a music media lab, and the stunning Antonello Hall (pictured above), known for its outstanding acoustics. www.MakingMusicMag.com

inthe spotlight n Michael Rees, 48, senior account manager at Lake City Radio in Warsaw, Indiana, has been playing guitar since age 10. He grew up in Chicago, and later Indiana, and while in high school, he played in several bands and studied guitar with Scott Madden.

After graduation, Rees passed an audition and spent four years traveling the US as a guitarist with the 661st Air Force Band in Dayton, Ohio, performing for two years each with its rock band and its 16-piece stage band. “Following my enlistment I considered several options, including moving to Nashville or attending Berklee College of Music. I also missed my family and friends, so I went home to Indiana to plan my next step,” explains Rees. “I chose radio because being an announcer allowed me to be around music.” While attending Columbia School of Broadcasting, Rees performed in clubs throughout Northern Indiana with the Coupe De Ville band.

GEARGuide

After graduating from Columbia, Rees worked for 10 years as a radio announcer, including seven years as the morning show host for WRSW AM and FM. Rees and his wife, Peggy, who is a singer and pianist, have performed locally as a duo. Today they are both members of Joe’s Garage, a talented group of musicians that plays an eclectic variety of music. Guitar: Eric Clapton Signature Model Stratocaster

with Lace Sensor pickups and mid-range boost. “It always stays in tune and plays and sounds like butter … silky smooth.” AMP: Fender Deluxe Hot Rod Deville. “It has a beautiful clean sound, but also has a solid lead sound, which I augment with a variety of effects pedals.”

Rees also plays electric, acoustic, and bass guitar in a praise band at the First United Methodist Church in Warsaw, Indiana, where he also works with the youth praise team. He’s recorded numerous original songs over the years, and looks forward to recording and promoting his two most recent songs. A proud member of the Kiwanis, Rees takes part in fundraising activities to benefit the local Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, among others.

january/february 2010

michaelrees

Who are your musical influences?

I grew up listening to The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, Boston, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and all the classic rock artists of the time. In the ’80s, favorites included Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Tower of Power, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen. Stevie Ray Vaughan is a longtime favorite, and Christian rock has become a favorite in recent years. I learned a lot about music from two talented friends: keyboardists Terry Baker and Kent Garno. Why do you continue to make music?

Music is simply a joy! It is a God given talent; I love to play music that glorifies Him. And, making music is relaxing and fun. How do you continue to learn?

Through tablature in magazines, instructional videos, listening to innovative artists, and playing with good musicians, which is a constant learning process. What benefits have you found to making music?

It is a great stress reliever, and something my wife and I enjoy doing together. It is also a much-needed creative outlet. How do you make time for music in your life?

With a fun but demanding job, free time is precious, so I make sure to schedule time for music in the evenings and on the weekends. What advice do you have for someone getting back into music later in life?

If you are getting back into music, you still have a love and passion for it, and that’s the key. Whatever level you achieve, music is a pleasure and a blessing, so enjoy using your talents! What is your best memory of making music?

Recording a demo in Cincinnati with the Air Force Band, recording my own songs, playing gigs with my wife, jamming with my best friend in our band and receiving a standing ovation in a packed high school auditorium, and playing with the Air Force Band at a community 4th of July celebration in Richmond, Indiana. Nothing beats those special moments when the band is really clicking!

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My true story of Perfect Pitch by David-Lucas Burge

T ALL STARTED when I was in ninth grade as a sort

of teenage rivalry . . . I’d slave at the piano for five hours daily. Linda practiced far less.Yet somehow she always shined as the star performer at our school. It was frustrating. What does she have that I don’t? I’d wonder. Linda’s best friend, Sheryl, bragged on and on to me, adding more fuel to my fire. “You could never be as good as Linda,” she would taunt. “Linda’s got Perfect Pitch.” “What’s Perfect Pitch?” I asked. Sheryl gloated about Linda’s uncanny abilities: how she could name exact notes and chords—all BY EAR; how she could sing any tone—from memory alone; how she could play songs—after just hearing them; the list went on and on . . . My heart sank. Her EAR is the secret to her success I thought. How could I ever hope to compete with her? But it bothered me. Did she really have Perfect Pitch? How could she know notes and chords just by hearing them? It seemed impossible. Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore. So one day I marched right up to Linda and asked her point-blank if she had Perfect Pitch. “Yes,” she nodded aloofly. But Perfect Pitch was too good to believe. I rudely pressed, “Can I test you sometime?” “OK,” she replied.

Now she would eat her words . . . My plot was ingeniously simple . . . When Linda least suspected, I walked right up and

challenged her to name tones for me—by ear. I made her stand so she could not see the piano keyboard. I made sure other classmates could not help her. I set up everything perfectly so I could expose her Perfect Pitch claims as a ridiculous joke. With silent apprehension, I selected a tone to play. (She’ll never guess F � , I thought.) I had barely touched the key. “F � ,” she said. I was astonished. I played another tone. “C,” she announced, not stopping to think. Frantically, I played more tones, skipping here and there all over the keyboard. But somehow she knew the pitch each time. She was AMAZING. “Sing an E �,” I demanded, determined to mess her up. She sang a tone. I checked her on the keyboard— and she was right on! Now I started to boil. I called out more tones, trying hard to make them increasingly difficult. But each note she sang perfectly on pitch. I was totally boggled. “How in the world do you “How in the world do you do it?” I blurted. do it?” I blurted. I was totally “I don’t know,” she boggled. (age 14, 9th grade) sighed. And that was all I could get out of her! The dazzle of Perfect Pitch hit me like a ton of bricks. I was dizzy with disbelief. Yet from then on, I knew that Perfect Pitch was real.

I couldn’t figure it out . . .

“How does she DO it?” I kept asking myself. On the other hand, why can’t everyone recognize and sing tones by ear? Then it dawned on me. People call themselves musicians, yet they can’t tell a C from a C � ? Or A major from F major?! That’s as strange as a portrait painter who can’t name the colors of paint on his palette. It all seemed so odd and contradictory. Humiliated and puzzled, I went home to work on this problem. At age 14, this was a hard nut to crack. You can be sure I tried it out for myself. With a little sweet-talking, I got my three brothers and two sisters to play piano tones for me—so I could try to name them by ear. But it always turned into a messy guessing game I just couldn’t win. Day after day I tried to learn those freaking tones. I would hammer a note over and over to make it stick in my head. But hours later I would remember it a half step flat. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recognize or remember any of the tones by ear. They all sounded the same after awhile; how were you supposed to know which was which—just by listening? I would have done anything to have an ear like Linda. But now I realized it was way beyond my reach. So after weeks of work, I finally gave up.

Then it happened . . . It was like a miracle . . . a twist of fate . . . like finding the lost Holy Grail . . . Once I stopped straining my ear, I started to listen NATURALLY. Then the simple secret to Perfect Pitch jumped right into my lap. Curiously, I began to notice faint “colors” within the tones. Not visual colors, but colors of pitch, colors of

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Oh, you must be wondering: whatever happened with sound. They had always been there. But this was the Linda? I’ll have to backtrack . . . first time I had ever really “let go”—and listened—to Flashback to my senior year of high school. I discover these subtle differences. was nearly 18. In these three-and-a-half years with Soon—to my own disbelief—I too could name the tones by ear! It was simple. I could hear how F � sounds Perfect Pitch, my piano teacher insisted I had made ten one way, while B � has a totally different sound—sort of years of progress. And I had. But my youthful ambition wasn’t satisfied. I needed one more like “hearing” red and blue! thing: to beat Linda. Now was my final chance. The realization struck me: THIS IS PERFECT The University of Delaware hosts a performing PITCH! This is how Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart music festival each could mentally hear spring, complete with their masterpieces Join musicians around the world judges and awards. To —and know tones, chords, and keys who have already discovered the my horror, they schedme that year as —all by ear! to . uled the grand finale. It was almost For 29 years, we’ve received letters The fated day childish—I felt sure from musicians in 120 countries: arrived. Linda gave her that anyone could � “Wow! It really worked. I feel like a new musician. I am usual sterling perforunlock their own very proud I could achieve something of this caliber.” J.M., mance. She would be Perfect Pitch with percussion � “Someone played a D major chord and I recogtough to match, let this simple secret of nized it straight away. S.C., bass � “Thanks...I developed a full alone surpass. But my “Color Hearing.” Perfect Pitch in just two weeks! It just happened like a miracle.” turn finally came, and Bursting with B.B., guitar/piano � “It is wonderful. I can truly hear the differences in the color of the tones.” D.P., student � “I heard I went for it. excitement, I told my the differences on the initial playing, which did in fact surprise Slinking to the best friend, Ann me. It is a breakthrough.” J.H., student � “It’s so simple it’s stage, I sat down and (a flutist). ridiculous. M.P., guitar � “I’m able to play things I hear in my played my heart out She laughed at me. head. Before, I could barely do it.” J.W., keyboards � “I hear a with selections from “You have to be born song on the radio and I know what they’re doing. My improviBeethoven, Chopin, with Perfect Pitch,” sations have improved. I feel more in control.” I.B., bass guitar � “It feels like I’m singing and playing MY notes instead of and Ravel. The she asserted. “You somebody else’s—like music is more ‘my own.’ L.H., voice/ can’t develop it.” applause was overguitar � “What a boost for children’s musical education! R.P., “You don’t underwhelming. music teacher � “I can identify tones and keys just by hearing stand how Perfect Afterwards, I them and sing tones at will. When I hear music now it has Pitch works,” I counscoured the bulletin much more definition, form and substance. I don’t just tered. I sat her down board for our grades. passively listen anymore, but actively listen to detail.” M.U., bass and showed her how Linda received an A. � “Although I was skeptical at first, I am now awed.” R.H., sax � “It’s like hearing in a whole new dimension.” L.S., guitar to listen. Timidly, she This was no surprise. � “I started crying and laughing all at the same time. J.S., confessed that she Then I saw that music educator � “I wish I could have had this 30 years ago!” too could hear the I had scored an A+. R.B., voice � “This is absolutely what I had been searching for.” pitch colors. With Sweet victory was D.F., piano � “Mr. Burge—you’ve changed my life!” T.B., this jump start, Ann music to my ears, mine student � “Learn it or be left behind.” P.S., student . . . soon realized she at last! —D.L.B. also had gained Perfect Pitch. We became instant celebrities. Classmates loved to Now it’s YOUR turn! call out tones for us to magically sing from thin air. or 29 years now, musicians around the globe have They played chords for us to name by ear. They quizzed proven the simple methods that David-Lucas Burge us on what key a song was in. stumbled upon as a teenager (plus research at two leadEveryone was fascinated with our “supernatural” ing universities—see www.PerfectPitch.com/research). powers, yet to Ann and me, it was just normal. Now you can hear it for yourself! It’s easy and fun— Way back then, I never dreamed I would later cause and guaranteed to work for YOU—regardless of your such a stir in the academic world. But when I entered instrument, your playing style, or your current ability. college and started to explain my discoveries, professors Order your own Perfect Pitch® Ear Training laughed at me. SuperCourse and listen to the first CD. We promise “You must be born with Perfect Pitch,” they’d say. you will immediately hear the Perfect Pitch colors that “You can’t develop it!” David-Lucas starts you on—or return the course for a I would listen politely. Then I’d reveal the simple full prompt refund (you’ve got our 29-year word on it). secret—so they could hear it for themselves. You can even check out your progress at no risk. You You’d be surprised how fast they changed their tune! must notice immediate and dramatic advancements in In college, my so-called “perfect ear” allowed me to 1) your ear, 2) your playing and singing, and 3) your skip over two required music theory courses. Perfect enjoyment of music, or return your course for a full Pitch made everything easier—my ability to perform, prompt refund, no questions asked. compose, arrange, transpose, improvise, and even Imagine the talents that Perfect Pitch can open up sight-read (because—without looking at the keyin YOU to advance your playing, your singing, your own board—you know you’re playing the correct tones). creativity and confidence. Then again, how will you ever And because my ears were open, music sounded know unless you listen for yourself? There’s no risk. richer. I learned that music is truly a HEARING art. Order your course now and HEAR IT for YOURSELF!

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What are your musical resolutions for 2010? n I want to find more time to practice

my cello, and to attend more concerts (though I may have to clone myself). I have little time to practice and am a complete beginner, but when I sit and practice the rest of the world goes away and I love those times. I also want to learn music theory so I can understand more when I go to lectures and master classes, like the one at N.E.C. with Alfred Brendel that I attended a few weeks ago. I would love to be able to look at a score and hear the notes in my head, instead of having to find some sort of instrument to play them. I also want to find the money to have more lessons and to attend the SummerKeys music camp again this summer. There I played the cello, listened to others, took classes, played duets with a chamber partner, from 7 a.m. until bedtime. That was more than great. Leslie A. Miller Boston, Massachusetts n I started out on alto sax only because

my band would not allow males to play clarinet. I’ve always had a deep love for the sound of the clarinet, and if I wasn’t working full-time and keeping a household intact, I would love to be able to afford to take jazz lessons so I can become some what like Benny Goodman. Next year, I hope to find some of his solo pieces written out, and eventually, locate a jazz band in need of a clarinetist. Hopefully I can also get over my fear of playing in front of people. Drakie Jordan Atlanta, Georgia

n For the past year, Ecos De Puerto Rico, an 11-person cuatro (Puerto Rican folk guitar) group, has been playing together. This November, we presented our first concert of traditional music from Puerto Rico and Latin America. It was totally sold out three weeks before the event and the reception that our music got from the public was overwhelming. We’ve also been invited by the San Antonio Opera to play in the theater lobby prior to a benefit concert by José Feliciano.

Our goals, wishes, and hopes for next year are to continue bringing the island’s traditional music to a larger community through out the US. Luis Torres San Antonio, Texas n As a “newbie” to playing music, I

can’t help but have many resolutions. I started playing bass with some friends a little over two years ago and it has grown into a Friday night ritual. I believe we can be called a band at this point. While I wish I had a better understanding of music theory and that all my scales and modes were memorized, I would really like to play a gig this year. I feel at my best when I have someone to play for.

n This has been a watershed year for me musically. After too many years of playing solo, I’ve returned to making music with as many new people as I can meet. Your magazine is partly responsible for the resurgence in my musical energy.

The year 2010 will see me even more fully engaged with the amateur music scene here in Portland, one of the best cities in the US for seeing, hearing, and being immersed in a plethora of musical choices. John Brookshier Portland, Oregon

My most memorable and favorite moments have been when our practice sessions transitioned into impromptu parties. I find no better satisfaction than when I hear a boisterous “whoo-hoo!” at the end of a song. So while I feel there is so much to learn about music, my only real resolution is to keep playing!

n My musical resolution for 2010 is to have the classical saxophone quartet I started six weeks ago perform at least six times. My target audience is the retirement communities where we feel we can make a contribution to the lives of others. And my personal goal is to perform the Creston Saxophone Sonata in the summer student recital at the music school where I am studying.

Scott Aldrich Spring Hill, Florida

Louis Sinoff Natick, Massachusetts

What music making experience are you most proud of? Send your comments to Harmony@MakingMusicMag.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY january/february2010 2010

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