Advantages of Learning Music
May 20, 2006 Music Articles
Q: Why learning music is one of the best thing you could do in your life? Apply the priceless elements you learnt in music in your daily life, your studies, your career, your family, and your every thing! It helps in shaping you into a better person.
1) Visualization / Interpretation
In order to play good music, a student will have to learn to read notes, musical symbols, be able to write and understand musical notations. He must learn to interpret a song with feelings, approach the song with the correct mood, and deliver it like what it is felt in his heart. This skill will sharpen a person’s ability in executing procedures such as interpreting languages and logicalities.
2) Discipline / Determination
Playing music requires great deal of discipline. A successful musician must go through long, some times tiring, but ENJOYABLE journey in order to be where he wants to be. Routine practice, research, performing, analyzing, listening, these are the paths that a musician has to go through. It takes perception and discipline, and that shapes up a well-organized person indirectly.
3) Self Confidence
A music performer being able to coordinate his / her limps in playing wonderful music instill tremendous amount of confidence. It’s like wow, I can’t believe I can really do it at the first place. The first time you hold the drum sticks, you think they are cool, after years of practice, your drum sticks will think you are cool. How can I say? It’s a BIG, and I mean HUGE accomplishment. All successful musicians believe their songs could blow your mind away.
4) Team Work
One of the best thing you gain in playing music is the way you work with people around you, how you dissolve yourself into the society, how you survive in this dog-eat-dog world. Ha, am I going to far? Playing solo in a band does not make you a super-hero, you have to click well with all your members, understand them, like you can see through their feelings with superman’s infra-vision. It’s like a few members delivering a piece of music with one heart. Even if you are a solo acoustic guitarist, you have to coordinate well with your stage master, the sound man, the event organizer. Everything is about getting on with people. And off course, if you are a student in a music institution, group performances and recitals are such unique and priceless experience for you in team-building.
5) Patience
Musicians were not made overnight. You have to really walk down the path steadily with a clear mind and slowly, topping it up with consistency of countless hours of practice. Learn to be more patient, taking everything step by step. Give and take also plays a part here, when you play in a band, be considerate and always be patient with your members who are working up the ladder where you are standing higher than them. It will pay off at the end of the day.
6) Memory
Playing music definitely helps to build your short-term (if not long term) memory, both visual, and aural. We perform our pieces without looking at the scores, and for sure we will deliver our best in our bands on stage without staring at the score too. If you can memorise thousands of notes and lyrics in so many of your songs, then put it into good use in your academic or career too.
7) Ability to Solve
One of the most important skills you can gain from learning music is the ability to solve. Huh? So I thought learning music is about solving problems? No. What I mean is by learning music, one will indirectly develop problem-solving skill. How? In order to make your songs sound nicer, with more vivid colours and directions, not to mention to shape it up with your own style or taste, you have to learn harmony, the theory of music and apply them in your songs. In fact, it’s better than mathematics, because you get to modify your answers the way you want it to be.
Art Appreciation
This is one of the most abstract yet valuable skills you can get from taking music lessons. For example, before you enter your drum class, all you know is to hit and crash all those drum skins. After some time, you know how to enjoy various beats, how to express your mood, how to groove your body and soul to the drum beat, how to play the drum in accordance with your heart beat and feeling… ha, these are all which could NOT be taught in a text book. I have piano students who did not like jazz but only commercial radio-friendly pop numbers, as they learn, they started to appreciate and understand more. To tell you the truth, now he has his own jazz compositions.
I can go on for endless advantages in learning music, but to sum it up, learning music is better than sitting at mamak stall whole night smoking; leaning music is better than grabbing a stolen bike and racing on the road and get yourself killed; learning music is better than staring at your computer screen playing endless hours of DOTA or O2jam; learning music is better than poking with your snooker stick holding a beer can in the other hand; learning music is better than…..
References:
TEN-YEAR STUDY SHOWS MUSIC IMPROVES TEST SCORES:
UCLA professor, Dr. James Catterall, led an analysis of a U.S. Department of Education database. Called NELLs88, the database was used to track more than 25,000 students over a period of ten years. The study showed that students involved in music generally tested higher than those who had no music involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams. The study also noted that the musicians scored higher, no matter what socio-economic group was being studied.
Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997.
Interview: Stephen Barber
Jan 8, 2005 Music Articles
Compiled and additional editing by michael.
Interview with Stephen Barber
-World reknown composer
-Grammy Awards winner
-Co-wrote tracks and played synthesizer for Eric Johnson in “Ah Via Musicom”
-The keyboard player who you see playing with Eric in the G3 concert
1. From reading your bio, it is easy to see that you were destined for the music business. Although there are many talented people in the field of music, so many do not reach the level that you have in your profession. What would you credit as having been one of the most beneficial relationships/experiences that provided you the necessary skills to help you attain your level of success?
Every musician has a different story. From my personal experience,the most beneficial relationship was playing all over creation in rock / pop bands. It offered a creative freedom to experiment, to discover how to make music though trial and error, creative discoveries through accidents, the alchemy of what gives the desire to simply make more music. It also was extremely beneficial in the development of a very crucial relationship – and that is the relationship between the performer and the audience.
2. Of course, hard work and practice is an obvious requirement for any musician to “make it” in the music business, but there are many who are left to find work outside of the field, simply to pay the bills. You are indeed, one of the fortunate few that can rely upon your work in music as your full time employment. I know many will be interested to read what you might suggest to those who would like to work as a full time musician but don’t know where to start. Reality bites! Let’s get real. What are the chances for that to happen and what would you suggest to our readers that are needing a “golden opportunity”?
If one thinks about ratios regarding ” what my chances are of making it in the music business ” it is like trying to catch a tsunami in a bucket. The industry is all too overwhelming. The nature of the business is a giant casino.
TO START : First, learn the mechanics of music, whether it is spinning a turntable, or the dynamics of playing trumpet, piano, etc. If it happens to be a orchestral instrument….learn to read…learn technique…learn to improvise…to open the possibilities of being recognized as a master of one’s craft.It builds self confidence and self control. This is very important!
Second, engage with your colleagues and to your listeners….produce music …play music to an audience as much as possible. You are going to learn more from your failures than from your triumphs. Do NOT be afraid to make mistakes. Rest assured, you will be making them the rest of your life. Get use to it.
Third, do not deny that this is a business. It is an art as well, but never forget that this is going determine how you are going to be earning a living. Read about the industry, whether it be magazines or books. Familiarize one’s self who are your competitors. Fourth, the odds of luck to come your way will often be in a city where the action is. In the U.S. it is NYC, LA, Nashville. not that one has to be in the big city to get the break…..It makes since that closer that one is to the industry, the chances render to be in ones favor of a break to occur.
3. What is your background and experience in music? What was your first clue that music was to be your destiny in life? Do you have musical parents? What role, if any, did your parents play in helping you reach your goals?
My background in music is very diverse, both academic and from the streets.. I knew that I was going to be a musician in my very early years….definitively by 12 years old and even much earlier now looking at the whole arc. My family on both sides loved music. My mother was a very fine pianist and got her degree in piano from the University of Texas. Her family was very musical : pianists, violinist,songwriters. On my father’s side there were musicians, as well. My grandmother was an organist and an archivist of old 78’s LP’s. She introduced me to Ragtime Music….the likes of the ” Dill Pickle Rag ” and Shape Note Music. My parents and extended family were very supportive with my musical endeavors.Music was considered to be very healthy source of happiness. I was very lucky.
4. Do you have a technique that you can share with readers that you attribute to your attaining your success? Is there such a thing as a self made musician or is being musical simply a gift that one is born with?
This can be answered in very few statements…LUCK and VERY HARD WORK !! The musicians that you have to fear are the ones that are gifted and with a fierce work ethic. This is what New York City gave to me. There was a quote by Thomas Edison and although I have forgotten the percentages it was something like 6% inspiration and 94% perspiration………I would add that there is a pinch of luck thrown in to the caldron, as well.
5. What would you consider a “Key Contact” and how important is it in the process of becoming a full-time musician? How did you make the necessary “key contacts” in the music business.
There again, it is getting ones self out there…Meeting the people in the business is a very important element. Familiarize yourself with the people that can facilitate problems for you when and if they should occur. As I have said before, this IS a business. This element determines how the key contacts are made. One can learn a great deal from the work force that make the music machine work.
In closing:
When one has both feet in the game of making music. There will be times of exuberance and times of adversity. Under times where there is a tremendous wave of resistance do not forget to remember WHY you originally picked up your instrument…to play music…to produce joy and fulfillment for yourself and the ones listening…..the ones who pay for a ticket to listen.The ones that want that note to make them feel that nirvana is taking off on the 2 o’clock plane.
DO NOT EVER FORGET !!
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ABOUT STEPHEN……
Stephen Barber has received commissions from the Meridian Arts Ensemble, the Czech Radio Orchestra, the Folk and State Ensembles of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the American Boys Choir, and chamber musicians from the New York Philharmonic, and the London Sinfonia.
Barber received a 1984 BBC Wild Screen Award for best score for “Islands of the Fire Goddess,” produced by the BBC/National Geographic series “The Natural World” and the PBS series “Nature.” He was the staff composer for Shelly Duvall’s Showtime Network production “Faerie Tale Theater.” His score for “The Three Little Pigs” received an ACE nomination for best score, and the series was honored with a 1985 Peabody Award.
He first studied formal composition with Russell Riepe at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. While absorbing the works of 20th Century composers such as Ives, Barber, Penderecki, Messiaen, Berio, and Crumb, he has remained close to the country, folk, jazz, and rock music around him and which influences part of Barber’s own eclectic musical style. While in college, he was a founding member of The Electromagnets, a legendary Austin art jazz-rock group that Frank Zappa once described as “a Mahavishnu Orchestra with a sense of humor.”
In the spring of 1977, Barber left the Electromagnets to compose classical music in New York City. With a recommendation from Gideon Waldrop, Dean of the Julliard School, Barber worked with the renowned composer John Corigliano. For three years, the two met for intensive lessons and conversations. In many ways, Barber’s music springs from the same musical passions and shared appreciation for the opus of American music, both popular and classical, as Corigliano’s. His compositions, based on personal experience, are accessible without being simplistic and, although distinct, are fundamentally American in style, arising organically to help make the complexities of our culture intelligible and more human.
Barber has composed, arranged, produced, and performed for recordings and concerts of Josef Zawinul, Willie Nelson, Jubilant Sykes, the Vancouver String Orchestra, Shawn Colvin, Me’Shell Ngegeocello, Salif Keita, ZZ Top, Trakia Folk Ensemble, Keith Richards, Natalie Merchant, David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Eric Johnson, Steps Ahead, Ute Lemper, Chris Whitley, Alejandro Escovedo, Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren, Jennifer Warnes and Harry Belafonte (with the London Symphony Orchestra). As recording engineer assistant to Louise De Lafuente, Barber helped record the 1988 New York Philharmonic tour of Russia.
He continues ongoing recording projects with Keith Richards and has formed working relationships with several members of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio, and has assisted as creative director for a recording with the Vienna Philharmonic written by Joe Zawinul.
Practice Hints for all Musicians
Jan 4, 2005 Music Articles
1. “Genius is the ability to avoid work by doing it right at the first time.”
2. “Think ten times, play once.”
3. Plan, play, criticise. Stop, look, listen.
4. Practice exactly as you intend to perform. The way you sound in the practice room is the way you will sound on stage. P/S: Guitarist or Bassist should practice with their straps on rather then just casually rest the guitar on their laps while playing at home. It has much different when you hang your guitar over your shoulder standing on stage compared to what you are doing at home.
5. Always have a definite aim before repeating a phase. Afterwards is too late.
6. Aim to have your teacher not tell you anything about a work at the next lesson that he has already said.
7. Practice slowly. If you could play it up to tempo perfectly, you probably would not need to practice it.
8. Be persistent. Never give up.
9. At the end of each practice session, ask yourself with regard to each work practiced, “What did I accomplish today on this work?
10. It is not good to think as a perfectionist because it is impossible to be perfect, the main point is to strive for greatness, improve yourself everyday.
Efficient Practice for Piano Players
Dec 14, 2004 Music Articles
SEVEN SUGGESTIONS TO HELP PROMOTE EFFICIENT PRACTICE FOR PIANO PLAYER
p/s: Can be applied on other instruments too.
1. Practice dynamics backwards. Begin first with the peak of the phrase and work on the diminuendo.
2. Practice phrasing over the bar-line. Count 2-3-4-1 or use similarly the wording “and-go-to-here”
3. Begin at the end of technically difficult passage or a run. Then add on groupings or sections before one by one until the student plays the entire passage.
4. Practice crecendos to the climax by imagining that one is adding onion-skins of souund. The same technique may be used in practising from the climax through the diminuendo.
5. Isolate and practice all sudden changes in a work to be sure that they are not luke-warm.
6. Remember to use “delayed continuity” as a practice technique. Go through the procedure of plan, play, criticise with each phrase.
7. Use the “sandwich method” of practice to be able to play a work or spot perfectly the first time.
First, practice the difficult spots of a work. Then, play something else. Now return to the work and play it giving yourself only one chance. If necessary, repeat this procedure several times during a single practise session.”
Using a capo
Nov 9, 2004 Music Articles
A capo is a clamp that you can use on different frets of the guitar to change the pitch of the open strings. Each fret on the guitar is a half step, therefore if you put a capo on the 1st fret, all of the open strings will sound a half step higher that normal. This makes changing the key of a song very easy.
For example, if you have a song in the key of G with the chords G, C, and D, you could change the song into the key of A without having to relearn it. You would just put a capo on the 2nd fret, and play the chord shapes G, C, and D. These chord shapes will now sound a whole step higher. They will sound like the chords A, D and E.
When learning more about using a capo, there are 2 basic ideas to understand. Chord shape, and chord sound.
No matter what fret you have the capo on, when you play a G chord shape, in your mind you will always think of it as a G chord. This is a G chord shape. If you were to capo the guitar at the 2nd fret and play a G chord shape, then the chord sound would be that of an A chord.
This is the main idea of using a capo. You are using familiar, maybe even easier chord shapes to get the chord sound of less familiar, more difficult chords. If you have a Bb chord in a song, you could put the capo at the 1st fret, and play an A chord shape. But you will get a Bb chord sound.
A capo is even more helpful when you need to play open string melodious lines in higher / lower keys than the originals (Ex: Beyond’s Amani intro, Bon Jovi’s Someday I’ll Be Satruday Night, RHCP’s Californication) As you don’t have to fret them until your fingers bleed.
Gb Major scale?
Dec 8, 2003 Music Articles
I found answer to the Gb major scale shown as: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb I thought that there was no such thing as a Cb note, shouldn’t that be a B instead?
Answer
Actually there is a Cb, it just sounds exactly like a B. In a Gb major scale it is written as a Cb When you are spelling a Gb major scale you would not want to write it like this (Gb Ab Bb B Db Eb F Gb), you want every letter represented. So instead of B, you would write Cb Also if you look at the F# major scale ( F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#) there is an E# for the same reason. When a note sounds the same but is spelled different, the notes are called enharmonic (same note just called two different names). This is the same for C# Db, F# Gb etc., they are the exact same note, just written differently. What name you call a note by depends on the context. For example a Gb major and F# major scale are really just the same notes but they are “spelled” different. Most of the time when you are playing, or just naming notes on the fretboard there is not a good reason to call a note Cb,B#,Fb, or E#. But in music theory, in the context of specific chords and scales, it makes a difference.
In a major scale, all seven notes are represented by a different alphabet, example:
C major
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C D E F G A B
C# major
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
Note that in C# major, you can not change the last note of B# to be written as C, because this will make the alphabet C appears twice in the scale, and theoretically, it is wrong.
Better to start off on acoustic than elec guitar?
Oct 22, 2003 Music Articles
One of my younger female guitar student, Hui Fenn asked this: I have my mum’s old acoustic to start out with, and I heard that if you learn acoustic first, then electric is a lot easier. Is that true?
Answer:
That famous tale that has been passed down from old to young from generation to generation. “You should start on an acoustic guitar, then it will be easier to play the electric.”
Well in one sense this is true. The acoustic guitar is a little harder to play because it is harder to press the strings down. After playing the acoustic guitar for a while, an electric guitar will be a lot easier to play. That much is true. If you already have an acoustic guitar (and it is an OK guitar) then that is good to start on. That way, you can see if you are going to stick with it and practice. But……. if it is a piece of crap and the strings are 1 inch above the fretboard and rusty, how long do you think you will stick with it. When asked this question by parents who are signing their kids up for guitar lessons, I say It is easier to play an electric guitar, and the electric guitar is used more in the music. For these 2 reasons alone student will stick with it more often. In addition, electric guitar techniques are more advanced and offers more rooms for creativities compared to the acoustic. While acoustic does have its own unique finger style, chicken picking, comping and so on, I still think it is good to start off with an electric. BUT, with the presence of an acoustic around you, you are always encouraged to practice on it to build on your fingers’ strength.
How to be a better musician? (part 3)
Aug 12, 2003 Music Articles
How to be a Better Musician (Part 3)
Tip 11. “Plug and Play” or “Plug and Pray”
Throught out the years, I have seen hundreds of bands’ performances, one thing I noticed is most bands have something in common: “plug and pray”. They go on stage, plug the cables in the amps, and start jamming. How can you get a balance overall sound when
you do not try out the volume and tone of each instrument incorporate with the whole band. The nightmare comes when the audience only can hear the guitar or bass, or maybe can’t hear the guitar solo at all because the keyboard is way too loud. I would recommend all my students to do a simple sound check (maybe 8 bars) before they start their performance,
i) Clean Check
Guitars play undistorted and keyboard play some soft voice like piano or strings, bass playing half notes (2 counts) all instruments play on the same chord. Ex: A major.
ii) Band Check
The drummer plays on beat, Ex: 8 beat rhythm, guitar on power chords (distorted), bass playing quarter notes (1 count). Ensure everyone on stage is able to listen to all instruments played.
P/S: Guitarist should ensure their clean volume level and distorted level are balanced to avoid sudden boost or lost of loudness.
Tip 12. There Is No End To Learning
It never hurts to broaden your scope, no matter how great a player you already are or how much you think you have already learned, or how popular you are, continue to learn does not hurt. I once came across a piano player who discussed some music topics with me in a coffee shop, (he is a regular performer in some cafes) he was telling me wished he knew more about jazz theory, so I recommended him to a teacher in Penang, he refused to take lessons because his mentality was “if i would start taking lessons, people will know I am not good enough and is actually a student of some one”. Well, I didn’t have anything else to say after that.
I can frankly tell everyone here I am still learning, there is no end to learning, I learn everyday from anyone who is better than me, even my students are my teachers, surprise?? Some of my students have suggested me on teaching methods which suit them better and that really improved my teaching styles too.
Opening your mind to other styles and techniques makes you better, more well-equiptmusician. A great teacher can inspire and enable you to develop as a creative, exciting player.
Tip 13. Learn It Today, Play It Today
It is very important to understand how repetition in the memory process works, below statement is a result from Professor Herman Ebbinghaus’s research:
Music or a message read or heard only once is 66% forgotten within 24 hours and is practically out of mind in 30 days.
Music or a message read or heard several times a day for 8 days is virtually memorized; at the end of 30 days the memory retains 90% of the message.
Hence, I always encourage my students to revise what they learnt on a particular day immediately after they have gone back.
Tip 14. Apply The Things You Learn In Real-Life Playing
It feels good to render your favourite licks in the studio, Ex: intro to “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, riffs of “Enter Sandman”, licks of “Smoke On The Water”. However, will this benefit you on your own playing?? This is a BIG question because many people outside rate guitarists by watching them what songs can they play, or what solo can they imitate. My guitarist (Suan) likes Malmsteen a lot, and I’m very influenced by Nuno, so we put a lot of thier stuff in our songs, exactly the same riffs. Then one day Suan asked me, if people listen to Uglymen’s music with Malmsteen’s element, why not they listen to Malmsteen directly since Malmsteen plays100 times better ???!!
You should learn more licks, but try to improvise their style to your own style. Make your songs and playing unique. You can copy the styles of others, but not note-by note in your own song, cause that won’t take you too far off the mark.
Tip 15. Play, Play, Play, and Play More
As I always say, you practice at home very often will not bring you to the same level as some one who practice and jam often. Join a band, group a band, play with somebody. Playing at home only get you so far — it’s imperative that you play out as soon as you are capable of doing so. Familiarize yourself with as many real-life musical situations as possible. Attend jam sessions. Take less-than-ideal gigs or low-profile performance, or FREE performance, don’t think of where you gonna perform or how much you are being paid on a particular gig, JUST FOR THE EXPERIENCE SAKE. It’s the experience that counts.
Some bands got carried off when they have achieved some status, ego will come in place then. I have come across some bands which think they are too good or think themselves as a commodity that they MUST NOT play at not-so-pleasant venues. Not to mention there was one band who demanded sponsorship from an event organiser for their expenses on accommodation and transport just because they think they are professionals….. and you know what happened at the end.
Uglymen played in many many unpaid gigs, but we enjoyed a lot, we learnt new things, made new friends and cherished every moment of it.
Tip 16. Love and Passion
Love what you do and do what you love.
“The one thing every musician should know is that above all else, their true love of music will always be their best reward.” – - – Steve Vai.
Good luck and all the best!
How to be a better musician? (part 2)
Aug 11, 2003 Music Articles
How to be a Better Musician (Part 2)
Tip 6. Practice What You Don’t Know, Not Those You Already Know
Playing something we have already mastered may sound good and pleasing to the ear, but we may not progress fro there if we do not practice stuff which are new to us. I remember there was a guitar student in Penang who has learnt the Yngwie-style sweep picking, he was very excited and play it everyday until one day he almost forgot the major & minor pentatnonic scales. He can play sweep-picking very well, full stop! When I have time to practice, I always try to play some stuff which I have never play before, exploring some exotic scales and some weird sounding solos, or at least brush up stuff which I have played but not well-polished yet.
Tip 7. Learn As Many Melodies As You Can
As it says above, learn as many melodies as you can, no matter you like or not. Not only does learning melodies to tunes increase your repertoire (the number of songs which you can perform well), subconsciously, it also gives you an incredibly distinct edge in developing your phrasing . At the end of the day, you should be able to duplicate any melody you hear. I have some students who never wanted to try out playing stuff which they listened. So, I have to spoon-feed every single solo they want to play. But, a very simple question: “How long they want to learn the guitar, eternally? Because once they wish to play a new song, they will come back to me. My advice to all aspiring guitarist is: practice learning melodies in these ways:
-Listen to how an artist (singer / or solo instrument) interpret melodies and try to mimic their phrasing on the guitar.
-Try to play back any melody you hear, be it a kiddy’s song, Ke Ren Lai, Rasa Sayang, or even a TV commercial that catches your attention.
-Always learn a melody on more than one place on the guitar neck, You want to play the melody, not ahve the melody playing you!
Tip 8. Learn To Love The Theory of Music
I believe many guitarist outside there likes to play a lot… without the knowledge of music theory. They play what they feel is best and copy sweet phrases from solos. But the knowledge of theory will help you build your own style, create own identity, thus opening more styles and different feels in your playing. It really doesn’t hurt to know some of the basics, I always make my students learn at least to the minimum of Grade 3 (Royal School standard) music of theory. Knowing a little basic theory will help you with your songwriting and your ability to intuitively come up with rhythm parts. Once you master the music theory, you should be able to work around any chord progression on any key. And once you understand it, you shouldn’t think about it and just play.
Tip 9. Play With Feel
No one likes to play with a band member who has a bad time. Many people struggle on timing, but when they can play accurately, then the feel must come in. “Feel” means the ability to lock in with the rhythm section and produce an overall track that grooves, that make the listener feels good.
Tip 10. Don’t Backstab Your Members
Some people really like to gossip a lot, and to a worse extend, some can complain about their own band members to outsiders. If your band, or you have a problem with your band, speak out and discuss on the best solution. DO NOT complain things you dislike, example: your band member ’s attitude, style or any related issue. This will only bring down your band’s reputation and the band soon lose its respect from others. I had an experience of problem within my own band, there was one member who always doesn’t show up during practice and we (my band) eventually had a meeting and released him from the band. We solved the situation peacefully.
How to be a better musician? (part 1)
Aug 6, 2003 Music Articles
How to be a Better Musician
Tip 1. Humble & Don’t Be Stupid
Every band wants a member with good attitude who will play their parts correctly no matter it’s a heavy duty guitar solo or just a tiny percussion instrument. Always be sincere and humble with your members, it doesn’t matter how good you are, arrogant and ignorant members always get the boot! I always remind myself this as I have seen many fine guitar players booted out from their bands.
Tip 2. On Time
Since I started my first band in 1993, I have noticed one of the main reasons for members to get sacked is “LATE”! Punctuality is extremely important. Some average bands are well-welcomed by pubs and discos because of their reliability and commitment to being on time is exceptional. Remember, if a member from a 5-piece-band is late for 10 minutes, that member would have wasted everyone’s 10 minutes, thus totaling 40 minutes! In addition, studio rental does not come cheap, right?
Tip 3. Hang Out With Other Musicians
The more you publicise yourself, the higher the opportunity to get contacts and gigs or to be hired. You have to be seen and heard often. How can anyone recommend you if they never see you play or don’t know who you are? Befriend other musicians, know them, get together with them, have a drink, a game, be friendly and liked by others, present yourself to other musicians with a good and eternal first impression.
Tip 4. Dumb and Dumber
When you are jemming, whether live or in the studio, do not play in your own world, you should listen and interact with other band members you are playing with, play as a whole, not a solo guitar hero, do not play too loud when someone else is soloing, don’t be a dumb fool to play aloud thinking you can impress the whole band by overshadowing them. I have seen many bands which have a very outstanding guitarist or vocalist, but too bad they were in their own world and instead of lifting the band, the band gone one-sided heavy.
Tip 5. The Faster the Better?
Many musicians especially guitarist have the mentality of “the faster I play, the more people will think how good I am”. This is a BIG mistake and you may end up playing meaningless crappy stuff on your guitar. I often asked my guitar student, “what is your definition of a good guitarist?” Majority of them answered the fastest guitarist is the best, as they are inimitable by other guitarist. Well, can anyone copy the tone of Eric Johnson, make the guitar screams like Steve Vai does, or make your guitar sing like Stevie Ray’s? The bottom line is if you are playing fast without purpose, then you will kill the song, even worse, you will lose your fine touch on the fret board and maybe playing without any feel at all. A sweet note can make a song comes alive. So, delete the above phrase from your mind now.