There is wonderful place in the live version of the U2 song Party Girl were the Edge plays a bum note and Bono yells out “Guitar hero”. Far from blowing the song it makes it, straight away the audience is involved, the Edge is maybe a wee bit embarrassed but this is live and scary, buckle up for the ride.
Is lip syncing a big deal; well in the great scheme of things probably not. Does it really matter if the show is pre-recorded? Probably not. Do most of the folks in the audience care? Probably not. Will it stop them having a big night out? Again probably not. Will they be changed and moved on the inside?...Probably not.
It depends on what you think music is, never before has there been such a proliferation of sound. There is hardly a place in the Western world were the sound of music or machines are not over saturating our senses. Music has become the infill in our brain, silence has been banished. We have become inured to the super slick photo shopped package, and maybe find the real thing a bit thin on the ground.
Then enter the Gladiator. When a singer or musician steps up and lays it down in real time there is always danger. They might fail, sing out of tune, be hit by nerves, or we may all be embarrassed. It could be a let down... we don’t want a let down.
But with their courage and talent the live musician opens the possibility of the never before heard. We may just feel something not felt before. We may be moved and changed in ways not anticipated. And in a strange mysterious way the audience and the player are connected.
When I was a young guy I went one evening and listened to a huge choir sing in an old wooden church in Auckland New Zealand, not my usual fare, but my mates wanted me to tag along. I could not tell you now what they sang but I remember this fresh sparkling feeling, and I can see the singers standing in front of me and the air alive and full of diamonds. After the concert and we went back to our old rented house in the city, and for a long time I couldn’t even go inside, I just stood in the music and looked at the stars.
You can’t buy the moment again, but I have felt different moments. Some guitarist or singer or trumpet player up on the tight rope maybe they’ll fall but they might even fly. Does it matter? Well it depends on what moves you, when the production is so tight there is no room for failure, it is probably true we are in no danger of magic either.
G’day,
There is nothing quite like music in the moment. Visit Music And your Brain at or check out http://muzoflighta.info for more inspiration. Thanks for reading ...James.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The World’s Greatest Guitarist who is it? And the World’s Best Lick What is it?
You only have to have read one or two guitar magazines in your whole life to realize this is a burning and very enduring question. It can divide a room of people faster than saying “Man United” in a Liverpool pub.
If I was courageous enough (and I’m not convinced I am) to boldly proclaim in the earshot of a large group of guitarists, Jimi Hendrix was the greatest, most innovative musician of all time. A strange phenomenon would take place. About half of those present would loudly shout, right on man, tell it like it is. The rest, almost unable to contain there genuine horror, would spring to the honour of the true champion. What planet have you been living on, have you not heard...
If you have ever read some magazine’s list, of the 100 best licks of all time, and your favourite 10 which you know really are the best, either languish at the bottom or have been banished to outer darkness. Then you understand the above conundrum. And what is far more pressing, who’s right?
The problem is probably best observed standing in the stands at a football match, the strange tribal divide, the temporary loathing, and the weird delicious identifying with the winner.
Well it turns out that maybe everyone is right. And that is no real surprise. Because while we are all looking for the lick that sends a shiver down our spine, we all have spines in particular. I love hearing that lovely 9th harmony with its hinting at dissonance, you might be pulled in by funky off beat, and then sometimes, and these are the best times we all see it together. What a concert. What a jamb.
It is important even in the moment when we are just loving what some great guitarist is laying down, that we are not tempted to live our life vicariously neglecting our own expression or thinking it is somehow lesser. Taking the bull by the horns or the guitar by the neck is much harder than watching someone else take the bull by the horns. But the horn grabber knows things the non grabber only imagines. If you are a beginner all inspired just starting out, or been at it a while and feeling slightly bogged. Grab that mythical beast and get going. Learn new stuff make your palette large. And have a ball doing it not just watching it. Oh and good luck.
If I was courageous enough (and I’m not convinced I am) to boldly proclaim in the earshot of a large group of guitarists, Jimi Hendrix was the greatest, most innovative musician of all time. A strange phenomenon would take place. About half of those present would loudly shout, right on man, tell it like it is. The rest, almost unable to contain there genuine horror, would spring to the honour of the true champion. What planet have you been living on, have you not heard...
If you have ever read some magazine’s list, of the 100 best licks of all time, and your favourite 10 which you know really are the best, either languish at the bottom or have been banished to outer darkness. Then you understand the above conundrum. And what is far more pressing, who’s right?
The problem is probably best observed standing in the stands at a football match, the strange tribal divide, the temporary loathing, and the weird delicious identifying with the winner.
Well it turns out that maybe everyone is right. And that is no real surprise. Because while we are all looking for the lick that sends a shiver down our spine, we all have spines in particular. I love hearing that lovely 9th harmony with its hinting at dissonance, you might be pulled in by funky off beat, and then sometimes, and these are the best times we all see it together. What a concert. What a jamb.
It is important even in the moment when we are just loving what some great guitarist is laying down, that we are not tempted to live our life vicariously neglecting our own expression or thinking it is somehow lesser. Taking the bull by the horns or the guitar by the neck is much harder than watching someone else take the bull by the horns. But the horn grabber knows things the non grabber only imagines. If you are a beginner all inspired just starting out, or been at it a while and feeling slightly bogged. Grab that mythical beast and get going. Learn new stuff make your palette large. And have a ball doing it not just watching it. Oh and good luck.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Left Handed Guitar Players Help For Lefties
Creative juice seems to be very when represented when it comes to lefties. Think Mozart, Beethoven, Michelangelo. So why does the lefty guitarist need a wee bit of help. What is their problem?
Some of the most creative people of all time were known to be left handed. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Einstein, Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Bach one could go on and on. But when it comes to Guitarists there is a problem...Which way round does this thing go.
If you are right handed this may have never blipped on the radar of your mind. You have been surrounded by right-handed players playing right-handed guitars. Everything in the universe is just as it should be; Shops are full of your kind of instrument they knew you were coming. All is peace in the valley.
Not so for our creative genius lefty he or she has to make a monumental decision before the starters flag falls, which way around do I stick the pointy end? And as it turns out there are good reasons either way. Life has this funny habit of not doing what it’s told, and going in a straight line.
At the risk of sounding a bit philosophical, the best way to approach your decision is to see it as series of creative opportunities. You can be like Bob Geldof and play left-handed but with right handed guitar, strings upside down. This has the advantage of giving you a different style, and when you visit your mates you can still play their guitar, the down side is it may limit your speed and technique latter on. (Ask Bob)
You can take the Hendrix approach and just turn the strings around on a right-hand guitar. Looks cool and the only downside is unless your guitar playing mates are all lefty too, you got to travel with your instrument man. (No biggie when you’re keen.)
But the option that gets my attention is the lefty playing right-handed on a conventionally strung axe. This speaks of new territory and strange possibilities. And this is something muso’s are always on the hunt for. Who wants to sound like everybody else? You don’t have to look far for some inspiring examples. How does Gary Moore sound, or Duane Allman, Paul Simon, Mark knopfler. (Bunch of duds.) The big pro’s on this approach are a thundering fret hand, and no shortage of guitars to pick up. The main con is you will have to work hard at least initially on you strumming technique.
It should also be kept in mind that way we hold the guitar today was inherited from classical playing, when finger picking, not pick playing was the only approach in town. So today we are at least free to experiment.
My advice if you are a lefty starting out wether young or mature. Give both left and right playing a try and see how you feel. Keeping in mind both methods will feel awkward at the start. But it is not a life sentence and certainly no waste of time. For my money the most important part is getting underway. Especially if you have a few years on the metaphorical clock. Don’t procrastinate, an old guy said to me one time “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it”
In the end there is no right and wrong approach just your choice. All the best for your musical endeavours. Make a noise, you’ll be glad you did.
Check out these great resources http://muzoflight.info/ for the young guys and dolls, and http://muzoflighta.info/ for the people setting out a bit latter. Good luck and don’t be afraid to have a go you’ve got nothing to lose. Thanks for reading.
Some of the most creative people of all time were known to be left handed. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Einstein, Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Bach one could go on and on. But when it comes to Guitarists there is a problem...Which way round does this thing go.
If you are right handed this may have never blipped on the radar of your mind. You have been surrounded by right-handed players playing right-handed guitars. Everything in the universe is just as it should be; Shops are full of your kind of instrument they knew you were coming. All is peace in the valley.
Not so for our creative genius lefty he or she has to make a monumental decision before the starters flag falls, which way around do I stick the pointy end? And as it turns out there are good reasons either way. Life has this funny habit of not doing what it’s told, and going in a straight line.
At the risk of sounding a bit philosophical, the best way to approach your decision is to see it as series of creative opportunities. You can be like Bob Geldof and play left-handed but with right handed guitar, strings upside down. This has the advantage of giving you a different style, and when you visit your mates you can still play their guitar, the down side is it may limit your speed and technique latter on. (Ask Bob)
You can take the Hendrix approach and just turn the strings around on a right-hand guitar. Looks cool and the only downside is unless your guitar playing mates are all lefty too, you got to travel with your instrument man. (No biggie when you’re keen.)
But the option that gets my attention is the lefty playing right-handed on a conventionally strung axe. This speaks of new territory and strange possibilities. And this is something muso’s are always on the hunt for. Who wants to sound like everybody else? You don’t have to look far for some inspiring examples. How does Gary Moore sound, or Duane Allman, Paul Simon, Mark knopfler. (Bunch of duds.) The big pro’s on this approach are a thundering fret hand, and no shortage of guitars to pick up. The main con is you will have to work hard at least initially on you strumming technique.
It should also be kept in mind that way we hold the guitar today was inherited from classical playing, when finger picking, not pick playing was the only approach in town. So today we are at least free to experiment.
My advice if you are a lefty starting out wether young or mature. Give both left and right playing a try and see how you feel. Keeping in mind both methods will feel awkward at the start. But it is not a life sentence and certainly no waste of time. For my money the most important part is getting underway. Especially if you have a few years on the metaphorical clock. Don’t procrastinate, an old guy said to me one time “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it”
In the end there is no right and wrong approach just your choice. All the best for your musical endeavours. Make a noise, you’ll be glad you did.
Check out these great resources http://muzoflight.info/ for the young guys and dolls, and http://muzoflighta.info/ for the people setting out a bit latter. Good luck and don’t be afraid to have a go you’ve got nothing to lose. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Adult Guitar Players It’s Almost Never Too Late To Learn
Many people have a dream of learning the guitar but imagine that the moment has passed. Well it almost certainly has not! And the benefits are a good deal bigger than banging out a tune.
The statement you can do whatever you want in life sounds really funky and uplifting, unfortunately it is just as much fantasy at 70 as it was at 17. But let’s not waste good panic just yet the truth is actually so much better. You have gifts and perspectives that are uniquely you, and for the muzo this means there is potential for each player to have their own voice.
Your brain is probably the most complex thing it the known universe. It is certainly not a computer even though there is a modern propensity to draw this analogy. An interface between mind and body only hints at the wonder between our ears. The fun thing for us as budding musicians or teachers or artists, linguists or whatever is that the brain is plastic. Not so much hardwired as loose and living, with an ability to learn new things virtually till we die.
I have lost track of the times I have sat with my guitar feeling frustrated, not able to get some line of music, only to come back an hour or a day latter and bang I’ve got it. So what happened? Something wonderful as it turns out, I gave my brain the chance to grow these strange new connections I’m not as thick as I thought! But it gets better, the next similar trick I try to grab is easier and the next easier again. Like building a road after the hard work of excavation has been done, now the traffic really flows.
So where does that leave our aspiring maestro. Well... ready to start. If this is a new project for you be patient, watch yourself learn. Don’t worry if at first it takes time to blow out the cobwebs. Think of this as brain training, and it is. It will sharpen you in other areas not just music, like any exercise the whole you will cash in.
OK. Back to my first perhaps provocative line. We don’t need another Hendrix or Segovia you will do just fine. The sound you make is the one you are best equipped for, and in truth no one will ever do it just like you or you like them. Take your time ten minutes practice a day yields much better learning results than say one 2 hour block once a week. But if your 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 and wish you could play, get cracking make a start, that’s the hard part. There’s about 4000 weeks in a life and none to lose. I personally prefer learning mostly on my own for some a teacher is an asset. Take your learning seriously and you will be thrilled and amazed maybe not the next Jimmy page but man, a much richer person. And the thing you always wished you did, you did. And good luck. For more info Click here or go to http://muzoflight.info/
The statement you can do whatever you want in life sounds really funky and uplifting, unfortunately it is just as much fantasy at 70 as it was at 17. But let’s not waste good panic just yet the truth is actually so much better. You have gifts and perspectives that are uniquely you, and for the muzo this means there is potential for each player to have their own voice.
Your brain is probably the most complex thing it the known universe. It is certainly not a computer even though there is a modern propensity to draw this analogy. An interface between mind and body only hints at the wonder between our ears. The fun thing for us as budding musicians or teachers or artists, linguists or whatever is that the brain is plastic. Not so much hardwired as loose and living, with an ability to learn new things virtually till we die.
I have lost track of the times I have sat with my guitar feeling frustrated, not able to get some line of music, only to come back an hour or a day latter and bang I’ve got it. So what happened? Something wonderful as it turns out, I gave my brain the chance to grow these strange new connections I’m not as thick as I thought! But it gets better, the next similar trick I try to grab is easier and the next easier again. Like building a road after the hard work of excavation has been done, now the traffic really flows.
So where does that leave our aspiring maestro. Well... ready to start. If this is a new project for you be patient, watch yourself learn. Don’t worry if at first it takes time to blow out the cobwebs. Think of this as brain training, and it is. It will sharpen you in other areas not just music, like any exercise the whole you will cash in.
OK. Back to my first perhaps provocative line. We don’t need another Hendrix or Segovia you will do just fine. The sound you make is the one you are best equipped for, and in truth no one will ever do it just like you or you like them. Take your time ten minutes practice a day yields much better learning results than say one 2 hour block once a week. But if your 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 and wish you could play, get cracking make a start, that’s the hard part. There’s about 4000 weeks in a life and none to lose. I personally prefer learning mostly on my own for some a teacher is an asset. Take your learning seriously and you will be thrilled and amazed maybe not the next Jimmy page but man, a much richer person. And the thing you always wished you did, you did. And good luck. For more info Click here or go to http://muzoflight.info/
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