I've been working on a side project book called "Music Theory for the Ukulelist" over the past couple of weeks. It is amazing how much I find myself knowing and how many little gaps I've got. It's been a great exercise for myself.
The book is hopefully going to be available for PDF by Christmas. Before then, I'm using it as the basis for a workshop series I'm doing for a local community ed class. It will be my second full class I've done for them (the first being beginner ukulele).
I enjoy doing those classes because it really puts me into my place as a musician to learn exactly what I'm talking about. Students will keep you humble and will make you prove it sometimes.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Time Keeps Slipping...
Things have slowed down for me musically. Much much more than I want them to. Between family and work I'm finding myself trying to carve out a half hour here and there to really dive in. Some days I have the time, but I've so stressed or worn out that it doesn't much matter.
I'm thankful that I have a routine that I can push through as a minimum goal. It consists of major scales in five positions on the neck played linearly, in thirds, and five notes up four down. Add to that an arpeggio exercise that I learned a couple years ago plus working on a triad pairs lesson from Matt Warnock and I can get about fifteen minutes in. I'll usually fill in another fifteen on a song or two just to get it a solid half hour.
I'm hoping to get some free time in the next couple weeks where I can record a video or two and get that up. Just something to remind the world I'm still here and I'm still creating. I did one on vacation and it was great. I want to chase that a bit.
~Danny
I'm thankful that I have a routine that I can push through as a minimum goal. It consists of major scales in five positions on the neck played linearly, in thirds, and five notes up four down. Add to that an arpeggio exercise that I learned a couple years ago plus working on a triad pairs lesson from Matt Warnock and I can get about fifteen minutes in. I'll usually fill in another fifteen on a song or two just to get it a solid half hour.
I'm hoping to get some free time in the next couple weeks where I can record a video or two and get that up. Just something to remind the world I'm still here and I'm still creating. I did one on vacation and it was great. I want to chase that a bit.
~Danny
Monday, May 23, 2016
Slow Progress
Today's Total: 20 hours 9 minutes
I can remember a time about five years ago where getting 3 hours a day in playing and practice time was easy. A buddy of mine has at one point logged closer to 8 hours a day average. However, being that I'm a stay at home dad with a kid that just learned to crawl... I'm averaging 45 minutes a day so far.
The trick I'm finding is trying to look in between activities to get more time in. Even if that is just running a scale up and down and then playing through the changes of a random tune. Really, content isn't my problem. It's freedom.
I figure to reach the goal in two years (May 6, 2018), I would need to average about an hour and a half each day. That actually puts me ahead a little. I think I actually got 1.36 hours as my number. Either way, I'm half way to my average goal which means I have a lot of catching up to do.
The good news is that I've recently hit a streak of booking gigs. Adding a 2 hour gig into my mix hear and there makes a huge difference! Plus, I work a couple days a week at my church and I hadn't gotten to focus on music while there the last couple of weeks. Starting this week, that will change a lot.
There is a lot to be hopeful for. I'll be making it eventually!
I can remember a time about five years ago where getting 3 hours a day in playing and practice time was easy. A buddy of mine has at one point logged closer to 8 hours a day average. However, being that I'm a stay at home dad with a kid that just learned to crawl... I'm averaging 45 minutes a day so far.
The trick I'm finding is trying to look in between activities to get more time in. Even if that is just running a scale up and down and then playing through the changes of a random tune. Really, content isn't my problem. It's freedom.
I figure to reach the goal in two years (May 6, 2018), I would need to average about an hour and a half each day. That actually puts me ahead a little. I think I actually got 1.36 hours as my number. Either way, I'm half way to my average goal which means I have a lot of catching up to do.
The good news is that I've recently hit a streak of booking gigs. Adding a 2 hour gig into my mix hear and there makes a huge difference! Plus, I work a couple days a week at my church and I hadn't gotten to focus on music while there the last couple of weeks. Starting this week, that will change a lot.
There is a lot to be hopeful for. I'll be making it eventually!
Monday, May 9, 2016
The Thousand Hour Project
For a couple of years now I had heard this rather new adage that mastery of anything comes at about ten thousand hours. The idea is basically that if you spend ten thousand hours of concentrated study on a subject, then by default you have mastered it. It's a great idea and definitely a way to give some sort of quantifiable idiom to mastery.
But, I don't necessarily believe it.
Still, the challenge of getting ten thousand hours gets at me. If you break that down, that is 416.66 days. Over a year straight of playing before you are a master at your musical instrument. When you put in all the other things in life like family, food, sleep, church, video games, movies, driving, etc, etc... That sort of commitment and achievement is sort of awesome!
Doing a small amount of research as I am writing this post, I came across someone who is working on 10,000 hours towards golf mastery. Apparently, this guy quit his job and devoted himself to it. I can't tell if I'm inspired or skeptical. Either way, I'm not alone on my quest.
For me, I can't see myself getting more than about a an hour to two hours each day of practice and play time. I would wrap any time on the fretboard as counting for this because I try earnestly to be learning even in a performance situation. I don't believe you can ever not be learning. So, at 2 hours a day, it should take me 5,000 days to achieve. That's 13 years. Damn.
But what about just a thousand hours? I mean, I've already been playing music since 1992. I've got a lot of back time to look at. Now, we are just talking 500 days. Even though I see 13 years as obtainable, just under two is much more palatable.
So, there is my first goal... Log 1,000 hours of play time. Once I've accomplished that, we'll see what is next.
But, I don't necessarily believe it.
Still, the challenge of getting ten thousand hours gets at me. If you break that down, that is 416.66 days. Over a year straight of playing before you are a master at your musical instrument. When you put in all the other things in life like family, food, sleep, church, video games, movies, driving, etc, etc... That sort of commitment and achievement is sort of awesome!
Doing a small amount of research as I am writing this post, I came across someone who is working on 10,000 hours towards golf mastery. Apparently, this guy quit his job and devoted himself to it. I can't tell if I'm inspired or skeptical. Either way, I'm not alone on my quest.
For me, I can't see myself getting more than about a an hour to two hours each day of practice and play time. I would wrap any time on the fretboard as counting for this because I try earnestly to be learning even in a performance situation. I don't believe you can ever not be learning. So, at 2 hours a day, it should take me 5,000 days to achieve. That's 13 years. Damn.
But what about just a thousand hours? I mean, I've already been playing music since 1992. I've got a lot of back time to look at. Now, we are just talking 500 days. Even though I see 13 years as obtainable, just under two is much more palatable.
So, there is my first goal... Log 1,000 hours of play time. Once I've accomplished that, we'll see what is next.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Wearing It Down
One of my goals in music is to have a guitar that is worn out. I want the finish rubbed off of the neck, holes where the pick guard should be, refretted a dozen times, divots in the fretboard... All of that.
But, I want to come by it naturally.
I know a few players who have worn their instruments through like this. And it speaks to so many things not only within the culture of music but also to the individual.
A hundred plus years ago when the average family didn't have electronic entertainment in the house they almost always had some sort of musical instrument. For rich folk, that may have been several instruments including a piano. For poorer folks, you know the salt-of-the-earth types, that was more likely a fretted instrument like a guitar or a banjo. If you were a particularly musical bunch, each family member might have their own instrument. Each evening after supper was over, families would gather in a parlor or on a front porch and play music. Neighbors would sometimes join in.
This is the origin of folk, blues, country, and nearly every other vernacular style of music. Barn dances would be played by these same musicians once or twice a month. People participated in their music.
Now, Sears catalogs aside, there wasn't much for gear heads back in those days. Mostly, once you got an instrument you had that instrument for life. If you were particularly good, you might upgrade once or twice, but mostly you would play the same one for the duration. That nightly picking for an hour or more took it's toll and most musicians had instruments that had worn patches all over. These instruments had character. They were authentic.
For me, I have already started to see the signs of wear on some of my instruments and I am delighted by it. Nowadays we seem to look at that as a reason to replace. Ironically, some people take the flip side and pay extra for a brand new guitar that is "weathered" or "road worn".
But again, I'm looking forward to the music that happened to make my guitar wear down. I see the scratches and the dents or chips in the finish and remember when they happened. I see the uneven frets and realize I've played too long low on the neck. I see the buckle rash and think I should lose a few pounds.
All in all, I like the character my instruments are becoming.
But, I want to come by it naturally.
I know a few players who have worn their instruments through like this. And it speaks to so many things not only within the culture of music but also to the individual.
A hundred plus years ago when the average family didn't have electronic entertainment in the house they almost always had some sort of musical instrument. For rich folk, that may have been several instruments including a piano. For poorer folks, you know the salt-of-the-earth types, that was more likely a fretted instrument like a guitar or a banjo. If you were a particularly musical bunch, each family member might have their own instrument. Each evening after supper was over, families would gather in a parlor or on a front porch and play music. Neighbors would sometimes join in.
This is the origin of folk, blues, country, and nearly every other vernacular style of music. Barn dances would be played by these same musicians once or twice a month. People participated in their music.
Now, Sears catalogs aside, there wasn't much for gear heads back in those days. Mostly, once you got an instrument you had that instrument for life. If you were particularly good, you might upgrade once or twice, but mostly you would play the same one for the duration. That nightly picking for an hour or more took it's toll and most musicians had instruments that had worn patches all over. These instruments had character. They were authentic.
For me, I have already started to see the signs of wear on some of my instruments and I am delighted by it. Nowadays we seem to look at that as a reason to replace. Ironically, some people take the flip side and pay extra for a brand new guitar that is "weathered" or "road worn".
But again, I'm looking forward to the music that happened to make my guitar wear down. I see the scratches and the dents or chips in the finish and remember when they happened. I see the uneven frets and realize I've played too long low on the neck. I see the buckle rash and think I should lose a few pounds.
All in all, I like the character my instruments are becoming.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Allan Reuss
I'm reposting a bit here because I feel it is warranted. A buddy of mine, Ed, clued me into taking a look at Jonathan Stout's video on Allen Reuss's chord soloing style. Here is the original blog for context:
http://www.campusfive.com/swingguitarblog/2014/9/29/video-lesson-allan-reuss-style-chord-melody-soloing.html
It doesn't matter if you are playing guitar or uke for this method since much of the soloing happens off the top two strings. The approach is the same. Try some of what Jonathan does out for yourself!
http://www.campusfive.com/swingguitarblog/2014/9/29/video-lesson-allan-reuss-style-chord-melody-soloing.html
It doesn't matter if you are playing guitar or uke for this method since much of the soloing happens off the top two strings. The approach is the same. Try some of what Jonathan does out for yourself!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Ukulele, Guitar, and Music Notation Software
I cleaned out one of my music folders today. The one that I use primarily for beginner uke workshops. I recycled about two pounds of paper. I feel bad about the waste, but it's kind of what happens when you are a uke instructor. People constantly "give" you more and more music. Most of which is either not good for what you are doing or has a lot of errors.
The plus side is that now the folder is clean again and only contains what I use to teach. The next step is a further redesign of the course (which I've already sketched out). This will put me in front of the computer making lead sheets and chord diagrams along with writing out exercises and organizing things that way.
Just as an FYI, I thought it would be good to describe what I use for all this mess. The unfortunate thing is that most software for music is expensive. I would love to own a copy of Sibelius or another high end notation software, but I'd also like to pay off debt, feed my family, and put gas in my car. I have cobbled together a modest collection of software that does about 90% of what I want.
Neck Diagrams
This is a great software that isn't crazy expensive. It does a few things like designing page layouts and helping to create books of music work. What it excels at (and is about the only good thing out there for) is making neck diagrams and charts. The biggest downside is that it has no notation or tabbing ability. But, you can easily import images of tab and notation and organize it on the page.
Noteflight.com
Noteflight.com is such an awesome community notation website. It is a very powerful tool for creating notation music charts. Lots of variables to make layout look good. It is limited in some of the layout and that there is no ukulele tablature nor is there any chord diagrams. But, you can sign up for a free version to get you started or pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.
Guitar Pro 6
This is probably the best compromise between the need for chord diagrams in a score, music notation, tablature, and multiple instruments. It's extremely powerful and rather easy to use compared to some of the other notation softwares out there. And it doesn't break the bank by comparison. Sure, it's limited (just like everything is). The biggest negatives are in text size of lyrics and the slash notation not being available in the standard notation (minor pet peeve of mine). Overall, though, it's great.
If there are any developers out there that want to make a musician happy, here are a few things that lack in most software that I really wish I had:
There are more out there, but for the most part, this is what I use. Add in the occasional use of word processing software and image software and that makes up the majority of my creative music suite. And I got all of mine for much less than the $500 price tag of the big notation softwares.
The plus side is that now the folder is clean again and only contains what I use to teach. The next step is a further redesign of the course (which I've already sketched out). This will put me in front of the computer making lead sheets and chord diagrams along with writing out exercises and organizing things that way.
Just as an FYI, I thought it would be good to describe what I use for all this mess. The unfortunate thing is that most software for music is expensive. I would love to own a copy of Sibelius or another high end notation software, but I'd also like to pay off debt, feed my family, and put gas in my car. I have cobbled together a modest collection of software that does about 90% of what I want.
Neck Diagrams
This is a great software that isn't crazy expensive. It does a few things like designing page layouts and helping to create books of music work. What it excels at (and is about the only good thing out there for) is making neck diagrams and charts. The biggest downside is that it has no notation or tabbing ability. But, you can easily import images of tab and notation and organize it on the page.Noteflight.com
Noteflight.com is such an awesome community notation website. It is a very powerful tool for creating notation music charts. Lots of variables to make layout look good. It is limited in some of the layout and that there is no ukulele tablature nor is there any chord diagrams. But, you can sign up for a free version to get you started or pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.Guitar Pro 6
This is probably the best compromise between the need for chord diagrams in a score, music notation, tablature, and multiple instruments. It's extremely powerful and rather easy to use compared to some of the other notation softwares out there. And it doesn't break the bank by comparison. Sure, it's limited (just like everything is). The biggest negatives are in text size of lyrics and the slash notation not being available in the standard notation (minor pet peeve of mine). Overall, though, it's great.Things I Would Like
If there are any developers out there that want to make a musician happy, here are a few things that lack in most software that I really wish I had:
- Ability to take notation with chords and lyrics and create a lyrics and chords only lead sheet. I think this is a feature in some software, but it is very lacking in most.
- Drag and drop stuff around. Let me tell you where I want to put that chord diagram!!!
- Line by line exporting. It would make it so much easier to write a music book if I could just export a line at a time to a small image file.
- Fully customizable tablature. Some do this, most limit to guitar and/or bass. Even when you have customization in some, it's limited to some "standard" tunings.
- Capo ability. We all use them, let me notate it.
There are more out there, but for the most part, this is what I use. Add in the occasional use of word processing software and image software and that makes up the majority of my creative music suite. And I got all of mine for much less than the $500 price tag of the big notation softwares.
Monday, January 12, 2015
FAI Winter Music Camp is Coming!
Don't forget to get yourself signed up for the Folk Alliance International Winter Music Camp and Conference coming up this February!
More details are available at www.folk.org
More details are available at www.folk.org
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Should You Learn to Read and Write Music?
Go out to a guitar or ukulele forum right now and post this question. Wait about an hour and look at the responses... I'm betting that you have just started a forum war. Half with say you should, while the other will say you shouldn't. Both opinions will likely not answer the question for you. And, at the end of the day, you will still struggle with the question in your own head.
So, here's my take:
I've never met a musician who learned to read and write music who said it was a waste of time. This is true of all instrumentalists: guitar, ukulele, piano, trumpet, accordion, etc. It has always been a rewarding pursuit.
That said, to be proficient at it, you will have a lot of work ahead of you.
Why it's a good idea:
Basically, it boils down to communication. If you cannot effectively communicate your musical ideas to other musicians (or to your future self), then you are setting your music up to fail. reading and writing music is how we communicate "off instrument". Words don't work for us.
Think about it like music is a foreign language, like Italian. You can listen to tapes and learn to speak the Italian, but as soon as you are reading the menu at a cafe in Venice you are going to be at a loss because you never learned how to read those words properly. Sure, you might stumble through it, but there will be a loss in translation.
Music is no different. You can listen and learn how to play a tune, but as soon as you are trying to get your point across to other musicians off instrument, you're lost.
Amateur vs. Professional
Obviously, in the guitar and ukulele world (and many other fretted instruments) there is clearly no emphasis on reading music efficiently. We are only really expected to read chord symbols and lyrics off of a chord sheet and that's about it. And that is totally fine. There is NOTHING wrong with being an amateur musician. Keep it simple and keep it fun. That's the point!
But, if you are a budding professional musician, then you need to dedicate yourself to understanding the craft. Sure, you can play "All the Things You Are" with a beautifully crafted chord melody and bass line. However, can you communicate what you are doing so the rest of your band can understand where to come in?
Maybe you intend on being a soloist your entire musical career... That's fine too. Nothing wrong with that. But, as many musicians will agree, your future self is very forgetful. Having a way to document how you did something makes remembering it later as easy as reading.
In the long term, learning to read and write music is a great skill. If you only get into it a little as an amateur musician, that's fine. But, as you work your way towards being a musician of professional quality, it is essential that you can communicate with other musicians.
~Danny
P.S.: There is another reason you should learn to read music: money. There are literally thousands of musicians out there that are trying to get noticed. Being able to read off of a piece of sheet music will get you noticed. Getting noticed gets you hired! I've had a few jobs that came to me because I could read and the other guy couldn't (these were musicals). It is worth it!
So, here's my take:
I've never met a musician who learned to read and write music who said it was a waste of time. This is true of all instrumentalists: guitar, ukulele, piano, trumpet, accordion, etc. It has always been a rewarding pursuit.
That said, to be proficient at it, you will have a lot of work ahead of you.
Why it's a good idea:
Basically, it boils down to communication. If you cannot effectively communicate your musical ideas to other musicians (or to your future self), then you are setting your music up to fail. reading and writing music is how we communicate "off instrument". Words don't work for us.
Think about it like music is a foreign language, like Italian. You can listen to tapes and learn to speak the Italian, but as soon as you are reading the menu at a cafe in Venice you are going to be at a loss because you never learned how to read those words properly. Sure, you might stumble through it, but there will be a loss in translation.
Music is no different. You can listen and learn how to play a tune, but as soon as you are trying to get your point across to other musicians off instrument, you're lost.
Amateur vs. Professional
Obviously, in the guitar and ukulele world (and many other fretted instruments) there is clearly no emphasis on reading music efficiently. We are only really expected to read chord symbols and lyrics off of a chord sheet and that's about it. And that is totally fine. There is NOTHING wrong with being an amateur musician. Keep it simple and keep it fun. That's the point!
But, if you are a budding professional musician, then you need to dedicate yourself to understanding the craft. Sure, you can play "All the Things You Are" with a beautifully crafted chord melody and bass line. However, can you communicate what you are doing so the rest of your band can understand where to come in?
Maybe you intend on being a soloist your entire musical career... That's fine too. Nothing wrong with that. But, as many musicians will agree, your future self is very forgetful. Having a way to document how you did something makes remembering it later as easy as reading.
In the long term, learning to read and write music is a great skill. If you only get into it a little as an amateur musician, that's fine. But, as you work your way towards being a musician of professional quality, it is essential that you can communicate with other musicians.
~Danny
P.S.: There is another reason you should learn to read music: money. There are literally thousands of musicians out there that are trying to get noticed. Being able to read off of a piece of sheet music will get you noticed. Getting noticed gets you hired! I've had a few jobs that came to me because I could read and the other guy couldn't (these were musicals). It is worth it!
Friday, August 8, 2014
Albums Are Hard Work
In the last few weeks I've embarked on the long project of producing my first album. From the get go this has been a hard work affair. Kind of funny that all I wanted was a debut album and I'm spending tons of time trying to work out tiny details.
Luckily, I know a bunch of folks who have been there before and have given me a little nudge in the right direction. That coupled with a few online resources (such as DiskMaker.com) and I'm a little amazed that the complicated process is actually started to see some traction as it moves out of the planning phases.
Let me briefly outline the process as I've been working through it:
Planning
- This is the figuring out of almost every thematic detail of the album.
- The biggest parts of planning aren't actually in the artistic realm at all.
- You have to come up with a generally specific (oxymoron?) budget to get funding.
- You have to figure out how you are getting that funding (Kickstarter.com).
- You have to figure up a timeline for music prep, recording, art, photos, and pressing.
- You have to figure out debut and release stuff.
Music Prep
- I'm not here officially yet, but I'm already working it.
- Picking tunes you are covering.
- Picking and writing original tunes.
- Arranging all of those tunes and picking your favorites.
- Hiring musicians to fill in the background.
Recording
- Home or in studio?
- How long do you need?
- Who is mixing?
- Who is mastering?
Pressing
- Art
- How many CDs?
- Downloads? If so, how many?
- Licensing. Even originals need to be copyrighted!
- Getting all the ducks in a row and to the pressing company.
Release
- Who is getting a copy off the bat?
- Party?
- Local release?
- Online release?
Within all of that are little details too like putting youtube vids together to support crowdsourcing (I'm still working on that... It's been a long ass week!), brainstorming, throwing ideas at other people and having them handed back to you with a look of "really?" on their face, etc.
In the end, I'm hoping the first album is at least a small success. If nothing else, the goal is to get a discography started for myself so that when people ask what I do, I can literally show them.
More to come as crowdsourcing and youtube videos go up. Keep posted!
~Danny
Luckily, I know a bunch of folks who have been there before and have given me a little nudge in the right direction. That coupled with a few online resources (such as DiskMaker.com) and I'm a little amazed that the complicated process is actually started to see some traction as it moves out of the planning phases.
Let me briefly outline the process as I've been working through it:
Planning
- This is the figuring out of almost every thematic detail of the album.
- The biggest parts of planning aren't actually in the artistic realm at all.
- You have to come up with a generally specific (oxymoron?) budget to get funding.
- You have to figure out how you are getting that funding (Kickstarter.com).
- You have to figure up a timeline for music prep, recording, art, photos, and pressing.
- You have to figure out debut and release stuff.
Music Prep
- I'm not here officially yet, but I'm already working it.
- Picking tunes you are covering.
- Picking and writing original tunes.
- Arranging all of those tunes and picking your favorites.
- Hiring musicians to fill in the background.
Recording
- Home or in studio?
- How long do you need?
- Who is mixing?
- Who is mastering?
Pressing
- Art
- How many CDs?
- Downloads? If so, how many?
- Licensing. Even originals need to be copyrighted!
- Getting all the ducks in a row and to the pressing company.
Release
- Who is getting a copy off the bat?
- Party?
- Local release?
- Online release?
Within all of that are little details too like putting youtube vids together to support crowdsourcing (I'm still working on that... It's been a long ass week!), brainstorming, throwing ideas at other people and having them handed back to you with a look of "really?" on their face, etc.
In the end, I'm hoping the first album is at least a small success. If nothing else, the goal is to get a discography started for myself so that when people ask what I do, I can literally show them.
More to come as crowdsourcing and youtube videos go up. Keep posted!
~Danny
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Laying Some Ground Work
I found out recently that I'm being invited back to the Folk Alliance's Winter Music Camp this year. It was one of the most awesome music experiences I have ever had last year and I am extremely excited to get to work with Mark Ruben and his team again.
During last year's event, I was encourage by Mark, Pops Bayless, Guy Forsyth, and countless others to take advantage of the conference that happens along side the camp. The conference is basically a place where the artists and the industry can get together and make those crucial relationships that enable music to be what it is.
There is a trade show floor where everything from promotion companies and CD companies (like CD Maker) to string makers (like D'Addario) and instrument makers (like Nechville Banjos) can work directly with artists and novices. There are jam sessions happening in every hallway or public (or private) space in the hotel. There is a keynote speaker and tons of music industry info passed out.
But what makes the event special for the artists is the showcases.
Showcases are an opportunity for artists to play their music for a wide array of people including promoters, club owners, other musicians, and just plan fans. The goal of which is to get yourself know as a performer and get more gigs.
Last year, the showcase was the single most suggested thing that everyone seemed to tell me I had to do. As much as I trust that advice, I am extremely glad I didn't. Why? Because I would have been in way over my head. I had no album, no promotional material, barely even a website. Hell, I wasn't really even settling into a genre yet!
But this year... This year I'm going whole hog.
I've got a lot of goals I need to accomplish between now and then, but basically they boil down to one overarching goal to help get the most out of a showcase: I need to release an album.
I won't go into everything that I need to do to make this happen just yet. Lord knows I will be putting my experience out here for everyone to live along with. But already without even laying down a single track I am getting the feeling that this may be one of the biggest projects I have ever undertaken.
Here is my short list of to-dos and dailies:
- Write music everyday
- Record something everyday
- Pick 10 songs (5 originals, 5 standards) to put on the album
- Get album art created
- Photo shoot (for website, showcase flyers, and album)
- License songs (copyright mine, get rights to standards)
- Record album (pro studio or home studio?)
- Produce the actual CDs (mix, master, buy)
- Merch, Merch, Merch
As you can see, there is a lot and within each of those is a whole ball of questions to be answered. How do we eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
~Danny
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Being Humbled by My Own Equipment
 |
| I know, the picture is flipped... |
Then, I put it up on the bench for a different issue altogether (added a strap button; no big whoop). On the bench in the light, I noticed something looked wrong about the "B" and high "E" strings. After putting the calipers to it, I figured out I had swapped those two in the last (first) restring... a month ago.
I went a month with this issue and never once thought that I had done something wrong. Now it all makes sense, but I was really getting unhappy with playing the guitar. Boy am I embarrassed!
It just goes to show you that no matter how much experience we have, we still make really obvious mistakes and it might take a completely different perspective to understand what went wrong.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Brown Out, Light Bulb Comes On
Music accomplishments seem to come from nowhere. Tonight (Tuesday night) I was sitting at my church waiting for the ukulele jam I host to start. I was early, no one was around, and a brownout hits the church. Dark, holding my uke, Mary (Kala Tenor), in the basement and I can't see. After a minute of fumbling my way towards the light, I end up sitting on the steps in front of a door waiting a few minutes for the lights to decide to come back on.
Screw it, I'm here by myself, let's do something weird to practice. I start playing "Exactly Like You", one of my favorite tunes, and working out a solo. I've long noticed how I can sub in notes not in the regular key (I play ELY in C major) to create some cool tension in the solo. However, some of the talk about modal improvisation was really lost on me. I'd taken a couple workshops and woodshedded modes for hours, but I just never got it to click.
The lights came on... About that time, I decided to play a solo over the A section using all seven of the modes of C one at a time. This is going to sound abstract if you aren't familiar with the modal system, so here is a quick overview:
Modes are just the major scale starting in different places:
You can also keep them all with the relative same starting note (they'll just be in a different major key):
If you are really paying attention, you will notice that there are only five different shapes/fingerings here. That is the part of the point, you can go a long way only using those five shapes for soloing.
Now, back to the light coming on...
I played "ELY" while using each of these shapes (one at a time). So, I only used notes from these shapes. Some sounded great, others sounded good occasionally, some I just couldn't make it sound good. But, the effect was tremendous to me. Each of the different modes had it's own flavor and each left me feeling a different way about the mood of the tune (even when that wasn't the most pleasant sound throughout).
A next step for me was trying to play different shapes over different chords, but still thinking about it being a mode of C.
For instance, the A section of "ELY" is:
(You could add a turn around at the end if you wanted...)
Over the C major chords, I played either a major/ionian shape or a dorian. Over the D7 I played lydian and over the G7 I played mixolydian. This is by no means a set in stone approach, but it gave me a new way of toying with the solos I was developing.
In swing, solos have to hint or reflect the melody. If we get to far off of that, the listeners (and in many cases, the dancers) get lost and we don't want to loose them. The idea I'm playing with above is a little departed from the basic melody, but when you look at the melody of "ELY", you find that in many points along the tune it follows much of the same ideas. In fact, I kept finding myself resolving to melody notes as I worked through my newly crafted solos.
Now, I want to fast forward to around 8:00 as we were doing our jam. My ukulele group is light on soloists. Most of the players are strummers and they like to sing along if they know the words. (And let me be absolutely clear that there is nothing wrong with that.) So, I am often the one who gets called to take a solo when it comes around. And when we played the great Hank Williams tune "You're Cheatin' Heart", I was chompin' at the bit to get my solo in.
It was rough at first as I started straight in on the new idea and didn't let the melody in. Once I did, I started jumping off for just little fills on long holds. Before I knew it, I was in and out of modes quick, using all of my fretboard, and generally playing one of the funnest solos I've improvised in a long time. All in the key of A (which I hadn't tackled yet; remember "ELY" is in C)!
So here is the conclusion: Melodies are the hardy soup base for solos. But the spices and hardy stuff comes from knowing how to use those scales. So, practice both and do things that seem weird at first. It will eventually turn on the light.
Screw it, I'm here by myself, let's do something weird to practice. I start playing "Exactly Like You", one of my favorite tunes, and working out a solo. I've long noticed how I can sub in notes not in the regular key (I play ELY in C major) to create some cool tension in the solo. However, some of the talk about modal improvisation was really lost on me. I'd taken a couple workshops and woodshedded modes for hours, but I just never got it to click.
The lights came on... About that time, I decided to play a solo over the A section using all seven of the modes of C one at a time. This is going to sound abstract if you aren't familiar with the modal system, so here is a quick overview:
Modes are just the major scale starting in different places:
| C | Major/Ionian | C D E F G A B |
| D | Dorian | D E F G A B C |
| E | Phrygian | E F G A B C D |
| F | Lydian | F G A B C D E |
| G | Mixolydian | G A B C D E F |
| A | Aeolian | A B C D E F G |
| B | Locrian | B C D E F G A |
| C | Major/Ionian | C D E F G A B |
| C | Dorian | C D Eb F G A Bb |
| C | Phrygian | C Db Eb F G Ab Bb |
| C | Lydian | C D E F# G A B |
| C | Mixolydian | C D E F G A Bb |
| C | Aeolian | C D Eb F G Ab Bb |
| C | Locrian | C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb |
That is the theory anyway, I have trouble thinking all of that nonsense, though when I play. I learned long ago to think about it instead in terms of the numbers. Basically, 1 is major, 2 is dorian, 3 is Phrygian, etc. That and look at it on the fretboard in a certain way. Let me show you what I mean:
If you are really paying attention, you will notice that there are only five different shapes/fingerings here. That is the part of the point, you can go a long way only using those five shapes for soloing.
Now, back to the light coming on...
I played "ELY" while using each of these shapes (one at a time). So, I only used notes from these shapes. Some sounded great, others sounded good occasionally, some I just couldn't make it sound good. But, the effect was tremendous to me. Each of the different modes had it's own flavor and each left me feeling a different way about the mood of the tune (even when that wasn't the most pleasant sound throughout).
A next step for me was trying to play different shapes over different chords, but still thinking about it being a mode of C.
For instance, the A section of "ELY" is:
| | C / / / | | C / / / | | D7 / / / | | D7 / / / | | G7 / / / | | G7 / / / | | C / / / | | C / / / | |
(You could add a turn around at the end if you wanted...)
Over the C major chords, I played either a major/ionian shape or a dorian. Over the D7 I played lydian and over the G7 I played mixolydian. This is by no means a set in stone approach, but it gave me a new way of toying with the solos I was developing.
In swing, solos have to hint or reflect the melody. If we get to far off of that, the listeners (and in many cases, the dancers) get lost and we don't want to loose them. The idea I'm playing with above is a little departed from the basic melody, but when you look at the melody of "ELY", you find that in many points along the tune it follows much of the same ideas. In fact, I kept finding myself resolving to melody notes as I worked through my newly crafted solos.
Now, I want to fast forward to around 8:00 as we were doing our jam. My ukulele group is light on soloists. Most of the players are strummers and they like to sing along if they know the words. (And let me be absolutely clear that there is nothing wrong with that.) So, I am often the one who gets called to take a solo when it comes around. And when we played the great Hank Williams tune "You're Cheatin' Heart", I was chompin' at the bit to get my solo in.
It was rough at first as I started straight in on the new idea and didn't let the melody in. Once I did, I started jumping off for just little fills on long holds. Before I knew it, I was in and out of modes quick, using all of my fretboard, and generally playing one of the funnest solos I've improvised in a long time. All in the key of A (which I hadn't tackled yet; remember "ELY" is in C)!
So here is the conclusion: Melodies are the hardy soup base for solos. But the spices and hardy stuff comes from knowing how to use those scales. So, practice both and do things that seem weird at first. It will eventually turn on the light.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Public Displays of Music
You should play in public more often. I don't care the venue, but grab your acoustic (or electric if you want) instrument and go to a public space and play. In fact, don't even busk, just play.
By the way, busking means playing publicly for money. Think of the guy a the local shopping plaza who brought his guitar and opens his case to accept money and tips. Panhandling is asking for money without any performance (aside from the made up story about your car breaking down and needing to get uptown to go to court). There is a lot of feud between cities and musicians about the difference between busking and panhandling. I've been on the wrong side of that a time or two. Personally, I believe all city laws limiting the scope of acoustic busking inhibit my constitutional rights to free speech and freedom to assemble. But, again, I'm not trying to get too political here.
Why should you play in public? Because you need the experience of feeling like every eye is on you while you play music. It can be a rush, but it is usually intimidating. It is much better to get this out of the way in an informal situation than to be forced into confronting it first time on a paying gig.
Secondly, the world needs more good music. I understand that many of us are not confident in our abilities and that there are probably some "musicians" who wouldn't qualify for the adjective "good". But still, most musicians are pretty good. If you can play an hours worth of a set without stopping, then go for it.
Lastly, you just need to be outside more. Being outside does a lot for your mood and health. We are just now figuring this out in modern medicine, but we are designed to live outside. Aside form that, music is great medicine too.
So, go have a public display of music.
~Danny
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Your Own Style
At a certain point, you go from trying to learn to play a genre to learning to play tunes. Really, this is the true way of it. If you want to play Wes Montgomery, start playing his tunes. If you want to be Bob Wills, learn Bob Wills' music.
But style is everything. These players that came before you who defined a genre or sub genre have their own influences, but ultimately at one point stopped covering their heros and started playing like themselves. This is where so many get lost. Either they jump too late onto their own style or they never do it at all.
Almost never do we jump too early onto our own style. Because we are constantly influence by our surroundings, developing our own way of speaking through our music is never something we can start too early on.
To use the bandwagon analogy again, if you get on the wagon early, you are still on the wagon. Too late, you've missed.
Conclusion: Stop covering. Play tunes they way you play them. Add all your experience and influences up and give the sum over to your instrument.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
The 13 People you meet in the Community Musical's Pit Orchestra:
This is a response to a Facebook post I saw about this blog:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/chelsea-fagan/2014/03/the-13-people-you-meet-at-community-theatre/
As you may know, I work every year in the pit orchestra at my local community theater (notice where I put the 'r' there; that's the way it's spelled!). Enjoy.
1. Director (who isn't in charge of music): She would like to have a say in the 90 cuts that litter the rehearsal room floor, but the "Music" Director just doesn't need another dance number to prepare for.
2. Pianist: She's the one who goes to every audition, rehearsal, and staging. She also has played more notes by the end of the show than many of the actors will ever sing.
3. Veteran: This person has played in every single production since the theater group started. His/Her notes are likely still etched on the music from the first run of Oliver.
4. New Family: This is the young couple with possibly one on the way that swear up and down both of them will still participate when the baby comes... We'll see...
5. Bass Player: He's a high schooler who's mother knows the director and the director was desperate. He can read music, but would rather someone just yell out what key they're in.
6. The Handle Bar: He is either a trombone player or a tuba player. Somehow, out of every bit of improbability, he looks good. Like the star of a cigarette commercial from the '80s good.
7. Mr./Mrs. Infinite Wisdom: Sometimes this is the same as the Handle Bar. No matter what is happening in the music or in politics of the musical, they have an overly wise and insightful comment that makes everyone stop and think...awkwardly.
8. The I-Play-Everything: This person usually is a woodwind player. They play flute, clarinet, some clarinet no one has heard of, and anything else they can lug into the pit. It isn't uncommon for them to play one instrument while another lies in their lap.
9. The Guitar Player: They never played a anything more than chords before this show. Now, taped to every other page is hand written guitar tab. They also forget to look at the conductor for the majority of the show.
10. The Percussionist: This is not the trap set player. They bring as a minimum three large timpani, at least one xylophone, and four bags stuffed full of noisemakers, some of which were found at a kitchen store.
11. The Setup/Teardown Person: This person, regardless of any personal life, comes two hours early, setups up everyone's chair and stand (somehow correctly), lays out the cables for mic'ing and stand lights, and then after the show stays two more hours to make sure everything is put back correctly. We love this person. We pick up their check at the after party.
12. The High Schooler: She (and it always is a she) is the flute player (and it always is a flute player) who came because she wanted the extra line on her college application. Now, she might be looking at how much her flute will go for on craigslist.
13. The Reader: Their part has 57 measures of rest in each of the 38 songs in the book. They brought along in their gig bag a mystery trilogy. By the last night of shows, they are about to finish their stories... again.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/chelsea-fagan/2014/03/the-13-people-you-meet-at-community-theatre/
As you may know, I work every year in the pit orchestra at my local community theater (notice where I put the 'r' there; that's the way it's spelled!). Enjoy.
1. Director (who isn't in charge of music): She would like to have a say in the 90 cuts that litter the rehearsal room floor, but the "Music" Director just doesn't need another dance number to prepare for.
2. Pianist: She's the one who goes to every audition, rehearsal, and staging. She also has played more notes by the end of the show than many of the actors will ever sing.
3. Veteran: This person has played in every single production since the theater group started. His/Her notes are likely still etched on the music from the first run of Oliver.
4. New Family: This is the young couple with possibly one on the way that swear up and down both of them will still participate when the baby comes... We'll see...
5. Bass Player: He's a high schooler who's mother knows the director and the director was desperate. He can read music, but would rather someone just yell out what key they're in.
6. The Handle Bar: He is either a trombone player or a tuba player. Somehow, out of every bit of improbability, he looks good. Like the star of a cigarette commercial from the '80s good.
7. Mr./Mrs. Infinite Wisdom: Sometimes this is the same as the Handle Bar. No matter what is happening in the music or in politics of the musical, they have an overly wise and insightful comment that makes everyone stop and think...awkwardly.
8. The I-Play-Everything: This person usually is a woodwind player. They play flute, clarinet, some clarinet no one has heard of, and anything else they can lug into the pit. It isn't uncommon for them to play one instrument while another lies in their lap.
9. The Guitar Player: They never played a anything more than chords before this show. Now, taped to every other page is hand written guitar tab. They also forget to look at the conductor for the majority of the show.
10. The Percussionist: This is not the trap set player. They bring as a minimum three large timpani, at least one xylophone, and four bags stuffed full of noisemakers, some of which were found at a kitchen store.
11. The Setup/Teardown Person: This person, regardless of any personal life, comes two hours early, setups up everyone's chair and stand (somehow correctly), lays out the cables for mic'ing and stand lights, and then after the show stays two more hours to make sure everything is put back correctly. We love this person. We pick up their check at the after party.
12. The High Schooler: She (and it always is a she) is the flute player (and it always is a flute player) who came because she wanted the extra line on her college application. Now, she might be looking at how much her flute will go for on craigslist.
13. The Reader: Their part has 57 measures of rest in each of the 38 songs in the book. They brought along in their gig bag a mystery trilogy. By the last night of shows, they are about to finish their stories... again.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Lent Writing Challenge 1 of 40
So, in addition to multiple other personal things I'm doing for Lent this year, I've also decided to challenge myself in song writing. I've never really done much song writing before. But, I've always wanted to. In order to jump start myself a bit, I'm going to do 40 songs, 1 a day, through Lent. Since today is Ash Wednesday, I've started early. Take a listen:
Copyright 2014 by Danny Fowler
Copyright 2014 by Danny Fowler
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Guitar vs. Ukulele: Personal Reflection
A week ago I spent Wednesday through Sunday at my first national music event: The Folk Alliance International Winter Music Camp and Conference. I can't tell you how much of a blast I had. Not only did I learn a ton, but I felt like a very respected member of the teaching staff for the camp. Tons of friendships and contacts were made, and a new step in my career was made.
Over the last week since then I have had two out of three gigs and tons of time trying to absorb the many notes that I took that week and made since. I've already logged something close to thirty (that's 30) hours this week in music between playing, practicing, and writing. In all of this, I have also been reflecting a lot.
In particular, I've been reflecting on my time spent on guitar vs. my time spent on ukulele.
Honestly, I love both instruments, but as a musician I am constantly forced to do two things very well: Play my instrument and create an image.
I can play both guitar and ukulele well, but ukulele comes much more naturally to me. It seems like everything from rhythm to melodies lay out in a much more logical way. Which is crazy, I know, given how similar the instruments are.
As for image... Well, let me just say that one of my favorite gigs, Headrush, talks more about my ukulele music than about my guitar. Even my mom likes my ukulele more than my guitar.
I don't want you to get the idea that I'm giving up guitar for ukulele. Far from it. My work at my church alone will keep me playing guitar quite a bit every week. Add in the musicals I do and the fact that I just really like playing jazz guitar, and I'll be keeping up with it.
But, as my forte performance instrument... I've decided to finish the Koolaide and go full on with ukulele. I'll be focusing more time on that instrument and working more and more on the arrangements for my gigs. I'll also be doing some recording and notation which I will share with my blog here. The end goal: Building my brand as a ukulele player.
~Danny
Over the last week since then I have had two out of three gigs and tons of time trying to absorb the many notes that I took that week and made since. I've already logged something close to thirty (that's 30) hours this week in music between playing, practicing, and writing. In all of this, I have also been reflecting a lot.
In particular, I've been reflecting on my time spent on guitar vs. my time spent on ukulele.
Honestly, I love both instruments, but as a musician I am constantly forced to do two things very well: Play my instrument and create an image.
I can play both guitar and ukulele well, but ukulele comes much more naturally to me. It seems like everything from rhythm to melodies lay out in a much more logical way. Which is crazy, I know, given how similar the instruments are.
As for image... Well, let me just say that one of my favorite gigs, Headrush, talks more about my ukulele music than about my guitar. Even my mom likes my ukulele more than my guitar.
I don't want you to get the idea that I'm giving up guitar for ukulele. Far from it. My work at my church alone will keep me playing guitar quite a bit every week. Add in the musicals I do and the fact that I just really like playing jazz guitar, and I'll be keeping up with it.
But, as my forte performance instrument... I've decided to finish the Koolaide and go full on with ukulele. I'll be focusing more time on that instrument and working more and more on the arrangements for my gigs. I'll also be doing some recording and notation which I will share with my blog here. The end goal: Building my brand as a ukulele player.
~Danny
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Finger Nails
Most guitar and ukulele musicians realize that nail care is a part of being a good musician. However, very few of us play often enough to need to think beyond just keeping yourself well groomed. I know of a several musicians that keep a nail care kit that has a clipper and a file in their case or gig bag.
But what happens when you play a lot?
Well, by a lot I mean two or more hours a day, every day. That is close to what I average. Some days, it seems more like I will get a four hour day in. This can be rough on your nails.
The way I strum ukuleles is by using the top of my index finger for down strums (and the pad for up). Even on nylon strings this can wear down a finger nail quickly. In addition, I noticed recently that when I play guitar, I tend to graze that same nail across the top of the strings even when I am using a pick!
It is because of this that I started asking the wonderful ladies in my life about nail care. Guys, you won't believe the amount of good info the ladies have on nail care. It's kind of impressive! After this "research", I've come up with a few habits that guitarists and ukuleleists should have when it comes to nail care:
The 4 Nail Care Habits of Effective Musicians
Other Tips
A lot of players use the press on type of acrylic nails. Everything I have read about them makes me cringe. The talk is that your nail will eventually get a fungus and fall off. I'm guessing you don't want that.
If you really need the longer finger nails for picking (and some do), my advice is to go to a salon and tell them you are a guitarist/ukuleleist and that you need only one hand (or so many fingers) done with gels. Gels will last a while. Once you are used to them, you can probably invest in the equipment (lamp, applicator, etc) to do them at home.
Of course, all of this is for your right (picking) hand. For your left hand, the best thing is to keep them short and clean. I've had students before who had longer finger nails and liked getting them done up. Hell, Dolly Parton performed with strangely long nails! But, you aren't Dolly Parton. Odds are, if you have longer nails, they are getting in the way. Make the sacrifice and cut 'em down. You'll thank me later.
~Danny
But what happens when you play a lot?
Well, by a lot I mean two or more hours a day, every day. That is close to what I average. Some days, it seems more like I will get a four hour day in. This can be rough on your nails.
The way I strum ukuleles is by using the top of my index finger for down strums (and the pad for up). Even on nylon strings this can wear down a finger nail quickly. In addition, I noticed recently that when I play guitar, I tend to graze that same nail across the top of the strings even when I am using a pick!
It is because of this that I started asking the wonderful ladies in my life about nail care. Guys, you won't believe the amount of good info the ladies have on nail care. It's kind of impressive! After this "research", I've come up with a few habits that guitarists and ukuleleists should have when it comes to nail care:
The 4 Nail Care Habits of Effective Musicians
- 1. Moisturize - You'd be surprised how much just keeping your hands well moisturized will help with your nail health.
- 2. Vitamin E - Using a nail specific vitamin E application will keep the nail bed healthy and strong.
- 3. Trim Them Often - Everyone's nails grow at different speeds. If you are like me, you should plan on trimming them weekly, not just when the "need it".
- 4. Hard as Nails - Lastly, when you find out that you have a nail that gets worn more than the others, use a product called Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon. It will keep them hard and won't wear off near as much as the nail itself.
Other Tips
A lot of players use the press on type of acrylic nails. Everything I have read about them makes me cringe. The talk is that your nail will eventually get a fungus and fall off. I'm guessing you don't want that.
If you really need the longer finger nails for picking (and some do), my advice is to go to a salon and tell them you are a guitarist/ukuleleist and that you need only one hand (or so many fingers) done with gels. Gels will last a while. Once you are used to them, you can probably invest in the equipment (lamp, applicator, etc) to do them at home.
Of course, all of this is for your right (picking) hand. For your left hand, the best thing is to keep them short and clean. I've had students before who had longer finger nails and liked getting them done up. Hell, Dolly Parton performed with strangely long nails! But, you aren't Dolly Parton. Odds are, if you have longer nails, they are getting in the way. Make the sacrifice and cut 'em down. You'll thank me later.
~Danny
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Folk Alliance Music Camp: Getting Closer
As I've been getting closer to the February Music Camp, I've been refining my Swing Guitar Lesson and getting more and more excited. Then, the other day I get in contact with one of the organizers and discover that not only will I be giving a workshop on Swing Guitar, but I will also be doing one on Swing Ukulele (as well as leading a few Ukulele jams).
No details are set yet, but I've already had to send in a synopsis of each lesson. The trick was, I'm don't really have the Ukulele workshop written yet!!!
Now, I'm scrambling a little to get my draft finished so I can iron it out.
The cool thing is, I've never really thought about Swing Ukulele the same way I do Swing Guitar. Because of the regular repertoire inherent in the Ukulele culture, which is very saturated with swing tunes as much as it is with folk and classic rock, I've always felt Swing Ukulele was sort of a natural part of any Ukulele player's repertoire.
But, now I'm really looking at it. I'm breaking down what I do already and what I find myself working on in this genre. What I'm finding is that there really are some differences between just playing Ukulele and playing Swing Ukulele. What is even more astounding to me is the amount of differences I've finding between Swing Guitar and Swing Ukulele!
Eventually, I'll post a lot of my findings and ultimately my lesson here. But for now, I think I need to concentrate on writing and polishing both lessons and getting ready for the upcoming awesomeness of the Folk Alliance Music Camp!
~Danny
No details are set yet, but I've already had to send in a synopsis of each lesson. The trick was, I'm don't really have the Ukulele workshop written yet!!!
Now, I'm scrambling a little to get my draft finished so I can iron it out.
The cool thing is, I've never really thought about Swing Ukulele the same way I do Swing Guitar. Because of the regular repertoire inherent in the Ukulele culture, which is very saturated with swing tunes as much as it is with folk and classic rock, I've always felt Swing Ukulele was sort of a natural part of any Ukulele player's repertoire.
But, now I'm really looking at it. I'm breaking down what I do already and what I find myself working on in this genre. What I'm finding is that there really are some differences between just playing Ukulele and playing Swing Ukulele. What is even more astounding to me is the amount of differences I've finding between Swing Guitar and Swing Ukulele!
Eventually, I'll post a lot of my findings and ultimately my lesson here. But for now, I think I need to concentrate on writing and polishing both lessons and getting ready for the upcoming awesomeness of the Folk Alliance Music Camp!
~Danny
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