Tip of the Day

This New York Times article discusses practice time versus working memory capacity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/sorry-strivers-talent-m...

Many years ago I was "helping" at the end of a show to clean up... unplugging cables, rolling them up and such. An apprentice sound man came up to me and said, "ah man, not that way, my boss'll make me redo all of these cables when I get to the shop," and preceded to show me a way to roll cables so that they didn't get tangled. I've used it ever since... it works great!

Here's how you do it...

1) Hold the cable in your left hand. continue reading...

Today's tip comes courtesy of my student Justin, who has a love for all things rock! Below is the bagpipe part @ 1:30 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFd4MIa2eU).

Key: Bb

OPTION #1 - Bb Harmonica in 1st Position

Opening Bend = 3' 3 4+ (slur all notes)

Solo = 6+… 6 6+ 5 6+… 6 6+ 5 6+… 5 6+ 5 5+… / 5+ 5 6+… 6 6+ 5 6+… 6 6+ 5 6+… 5 6+ 5 5+… / Guitar, then 8'+ 8+ 10+, repeat this for a total of 4x / long held notes = 3' 3" 2, repeat for a total of 4x / Ending slides = 2 2" 2+ 1+

OPTION #2 - Eb Harmonica in 2nd Position

Opening Bend = 2" 2' 2 (slur all notes) continue reading...

Here are the items I suggest you have in your practice room to be successful. For more information, visit my videos on this subject in the new Blues Harmonica Fundamentals lesson on the site.

1) Comfortable Chair

2) Music Stand - Manhasset music stands are the industry standard
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/manhasset-m48-symphony-music-...

3) Device to slow down and loop music you’re working on - I recommend the Amazing Slow Downer
www.ronimusic.com

4) Metronome
For a hand-held unit, the Wittner MT60 is good. For an App, any will really do. continue reading...

How do you get ALL of the members of a band involved with a soloist? Here are two great tools a soloist can use… continue reading...

I just received an email from a former student asking questions about the Hohner 364... the 12-hole Low-C Harmonica (the 365 is a 14-hole). Though it no doubt looks really cool in pictures (it's big!), the untreated wood comb and larger body size is not comfortable. Now that the Hohner Thunderbird is out, you can get a Low-C in a standard body size. My first custom harmonica was from Richard Sleigh many years ago, and it was for a Low C Marine Band... again, so I could have a standard body size Low-C. continue reading...

Today's tip comes from the HarpSmith (aka, Kinya Pollard). Thanks Kinya!

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Hello Everyone. For those of you having a challenging time identifying the correct key signature and tempo to a song that you would like to solo over ... check this out!

A DJ friend of my recently turned me on to a terrific piece of software called, "Mixed in Key." It will analyze any song located on your computer, then identify both the key signature and tempo. continue reading...

“There is nothing more fatal for our musical sense than to allow ourselves—by the hour—to hear musical sounds without really listening to them.” Tobias Matthay, Pg 16, The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness By Gerald Klickstein

“Your creative capacity is determined by your musical and technical abilities, along with your available practice time. Your capacity will increase as your strength and skills grow. However, for you to make progress with basics such as on-stage confidence and ease of execution, your repertoire choices must be within your capacity. Musicians who pick unobtainable pieces foster destructive habits, such as anxiety and tension, and they miss out on learning how to present secure, poetic performances.” Pg 14, The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness By Gerald Klickstein

“As a general rule, rest 10 minutes of each hour that you spend in the practice room. Rest more if you’re working vigorously or adopting new techniques. A sensible practice-to-rest ratio, widely recommended by teachers and medical authorities, is to practice no more than 25-30 minutes before pausing for a 5-minute respite. Many musicians opt for more frequent breathers and rest 2-3 minutes every 15 minutes or so.” Pg 12, The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness By Gerald Klickstein