If you are following me on Twitter, you already know that I’m going to Dougie MacLean concert Thursday, March 19 in Denver. Bought the ticket this morning after pondering over whether to go or not. Couldn’t think of any reason not to go and many on why I should. What’s my point, you ask? I would have normally talked myself out of going and then regretted it later. But that was the old me. I’m now practicing my guitar new years resolutions by expanding my boundaries in my guitar life; not only with playing but listening to new music and seeing more concerts. There is something about live music that gets my blood flowing and keeps my motivated to become better at my instrument every day. If it does me good, I guess I should do it more. What are you trying to expand your guitar/musical life?
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Last Wednesday, I was able to to see Bruce Cockburn and Joan Osborne for a taping of etown radio, a two hour show featuring great music and interviews with both Cockburn and Osborne. Bruce’s Set Slow Down Fast Pacing The Cage Interview with host Nick Forster (Joan Osborne Played Her Set) If a Tree Falls Beautiful Creatures Jerusalem Poker The City is Hungry Bruce walks out on stage with a new hairstyle; grown long and pulled back to a pony tail, samurai style. He made a joke that he needed to put a bone in his hair to complete the look. Bruce played two small sets with an interview placed in the middle. Nick Forster (etown host) asked Bruce questions about his accomplishments, influences and intentions regarding songwriting. A common theme in Bruce’s answers was that he didn’t want to look back but just live in the moment. He said, at one point, his greatest achievement was being on “this stage at this time.” His performance of Jerusalem Poker was incredible. It never ceases to amaze me how he can keep that thumb going while he plays the ridiculously hard solo for that song. His last selection was a new …
By Hercules Castro: Remember when alternative music was actually an alternative to popular music? As “alternative music” grew in popularity, by merit of terminology, one would have expected the label to change to “popular music”. But it did not. Nirvana, for example, was one of the most popular acts in the world, but they were still labeled “alternative”. Go figure. Now when someone refers to “alternative music”, I have no idea what they are talking about. Along these lines is the phrase “Thinking outside of the box”. There was a time when this meant to think differently, more originally, from a fresher perspective. These days, it has become more of a catchphrase. It seems that everyone is thinking outside of the box. So if we want some different, fresh and original thinking, maybe we should get back in the box. I thought that would be an amusing introduction to this entry, although tying the two together will be a stretch, at best. Today’s topic is two-tiered. First, I’d like to talk about stepping out of your comfort zone, which I guess could qualify as “out of the box” thinking. Second, I’d like to talk about use of the pentatonic scale …
One of the many talents of Leonard Bernstein’s was his ability to explain/have a discussion about the complexities of music to anyone. You didn’t need to have a degree in music to get what he was saying. All you needed was the love for music and the desire to learn more. Below is a clip from The Unanswered Question – Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein. In this clip Bernstein discusses what might Beethoven might have been feeling or what story he might want to convey when writing the piece featured on the clip. After watching this, I had a different/deeper appreciation for the music. So I ask you, what feeling are you trying to convey when you write a song? More to that, what feelings do you think a songwriter is sharing when you play his/her song? Think about that next time you play, you might find a new, maybe better way to approach a song.
About a year ago, I spent an evening Jamming with a friend. It’s a time that I look forward too because our sessions are usually great; the kind that give you chills. No chills that night. I sucked it up, big time. I was devastated by the thought that I didn’t play up to my ability and practiced even more to make sure that this didn’t happen again. About a month ago, I met again with my friend and we broke out the guitars and played. Success!!! We both got into that zone where you couldn’t make out whose guitar was whose and the melodies and chords filled the room. This is one of the reason why I play, for moments like this. I spent many days thinking about what was different between the two sessions. What I came to realize was the success came from me staying true to my ability as a guitarist instead of trying to match my friends style. He and I have played together for 20+ years and know each others ways very well. We can anticipate each others progressions and ideas in while playing. It’s a beautiful ting. As guitarists, we are two sides …
