I have been thinking about writing an article on transcribing for quite some time now but whenever I have come to do it, it has proven almost as hard as transcribing itself!!

 

Transcribing is the act of writing down music that you hear.

 

Many musicians use this technique in order to learn songs, improve their ears and theoretical knowledge, find out how other musicians interpret music and a lot more.

 

Learning to transcribe and the act of transcribing can take a lot of time and patience but is worth every ounce of this for what it can deliver to your musicianship.

Finally, I am biting-the-bullet, so to speak – which is also the same way I feel when I set out on a transcription project – but it was an incident which brought me to this point.

 

Myself and another band member had to transcribe a song for the Band to perform, however, when we got together for rehearsal the results we came up with were completely different.

 

How could this be?  We both had ears, surely there was only one definitive answer to what was going on in this song.

 

I was perplexed until I got together with this person and realised we had heard the same thing but our approaches to transcribing were different.

 

He was right and I was right, we just had to put our work together to get a good chart.

 

Let me explain….

 

When I learned to transcribe the first thing I was taught to listen to was the bass line.

 

This is the most important part of working out what the harmony is doing because it provides you with the root note on which the rest of the chord is built.

 

In this blog, I have written about basic harmony, however, this is only the beginning of where chords can go and there are a myriad of different sounds and flavours you can add to them.

 

Also, as spoken about in this article, there are also some very common and repetitive harmonic progressions, so hearing the bass line also provides you with a clue to what the chords are going to be.

 

I am good at hearing bass lines, so my basic chords were correct.

 

The guitarist, who also transcribed, only transcribed his part, which was obviously based on the chords, but which didn’t necessarily give the correct root notes and chord names, therefore chordal notation for the other instruments (bass and piano) was incorrect.

 

What his transcription did provide me with, however, was the missing “flavours” of the chords, e.g. flat 9’s, sharp 11’s etc.

 

When we got together, I was able to improve upon the basic harmony of my chart by figuring his chords into mine.

 

When I explained to him what I had done and what he had done, he realised that it was important to notate chords based on the root notes and would do so from now on.

 

But because he had trained his ears, always to pick up on the “added” notes, he was quite easily able to get them, whereas I had more difficulty.

 

It was therefore a pleasure to work together to get the right answers.

 

So, the moral to this story is…. Well, there is a few morals:

 

• When transcribing, first listen to the bass line to gain the big picture of the harmonic structure of a song.

 

• When you have discrepancies with other musicians (such as the one described above), don’t jump to conclusions about the other’s musical ability.  Instead, find out their approach to transcribing and work it out together.

 

• Recognise your strengths and weaknesses and be open to sharing them.

 

• The more transcribing you do, the better you will get at it.

 

There are several ways you can go about transcribing music (as illustrated above).

 

Here are a few tips:

 

If you are a beginner at transcribing

 

Start by doing some ear training.  This means learning to hear a pitch and sing it or play it on your instrument.

 

There are a few programs out there to help you do this that you can research.  Meanwhile here are a couple to get you started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auralia

 

If your ears are happening

 

The next step is learning how to transcribe.

 

As I said, I always start out by working out:

 

1. The form of the song
2. The harmonic progressions (bass line!)
3. Then focus on the different instruments.

 

Start by choosing relatively easy songs.  You will get to know what these are as you experiment.

 

This website also has some good suggestions.

 

If you want more detailed transcriptions, i.e. written on the stave, you will need to learn how to notate music, and especially rhythm dictation.

 

This should really start with learning to read music, just the same way we learn to read and write our language.

 

Again, you will have to be patient with this process but the key is just to enjoy it.

 

Please refer to this article if you are a beginner and learning read music.

 

If you don’t want to learn to read and write music, you could always choose from a number of notation programs where you can play the music into the computer and it will notate it for you.

 

However, sometimes this notation isn’t as clear and simple as it could be so I would recommend you take it to someone who knows music and who can help you to edit it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to get the best results, it is important to realise how the Diary can help you, acknowledge ways it doesn’t help you, and adjust it to fit your needs.

 

In this Article I will outline the different ways teachers and students can use the Practice Diary.

 

The most important thing to remember is that the Diary is a flexible resource and that you can, and should, improve upon it so that it serves you in the best possible way.

 

Teachers

 

The main purpose of the Diary is to teach students how to practice music so that when the time comes for them to be independent from a teacher they know how to keep pursuing learning and playing by themselves.

 

The most important aspects of the Diary are that of reflective learning and making sure all aspects of music are getting the right amount of attention.

 

You will find that some students love using the Diary and they fill it in religiously while others barely look at it.

 

Whether your student fills in the Diary or not, it is still a useful resource in the lesson and just by keeping track of exercises and writing in it, your students will eventually come to see how it can support their learning… the information you give is better absorbed because they are hearing it and seeing it.

 

For some students, that’s all they need and they will remember what has been covered and find a rhythm in their practice that suits them.

 

What is important is that you use the Practice Diary to keep track of your students’ progress.

 

If they are reluctant to do the reflective work, spend the first part of the lesson discussing similar questions to the following:

 

• How do you feel about what you have or haven’t achieved?
• Are you excited about learning?   Do you feel demotivated?  Do you feel you are moving at a steady pace?
• What activities did you enjoy most this week?
• Which exercises were difficult or frustrating?
• Do you have any questions for your teacher regarding these?
• Are you experiencing any barriers toward playing music?
• If so, are they environmental or emotional or do they have something to do with your timetable?
• What could you do to overcome these barriers?

 

and simply write a paragraph for them in the space provided.  When you revise these reflections at the end of the Diary, they will see the benefit doing regular reflective work.

 

Another tactic is to get them to write in the reflective space, spending 5 – 10 minutes of the first part of the lesson doing this.

 

Just be sensitive to the literacy level of your student and always offer to help them.

 

It can be quite embarrassing for adults to have literacy problems, many do and many don’t admit it, so please bear this in mind when using the Diary with your students and support them as much as you can.

 

If your student simply doesn’t want to use the Diary, you use it to keep track of what you are currently doing in your lessons with them.

 

Circle exercises and write down comments during the lesson, so that in the next lesson it is easy to pick up where you left off.

 

This saves a lot of time trying to recall where you are with a certain student and if you have many students, using the Diary really makes teaching a lot easier and efficient.

 

Explain to your students that the more information they can provide for you (i.e. how much time they spent on exercises, how often they practiced, what they practiced, reflective work etc) the more you can guide and help them and the faster they will be able to learn and the more value-for-money they get.

 

This may encourage them to use the Diary.

 

You can also experiment with pre-planned practice schedules or discuss with them ideas they think would work best for them and keep track of these in the Diary.

 

Don’t be disheartened if this resource doesn’t get used the way you intend it to be.  Everyone is different and everyone has their own way of doing things.

 

Use the Diary to illustrate how each of your students learn and help them to realise what works best for them.

 

That way, they will have a lot more chance of success.

 

Students

 

I am a list kind of person, so the Diary works well for me.  I have used it for about five years now and will probably always use it because it helps me to:

 

• Understand how I best learn music.
• Keep track of ideas, practice times and pages of books or scales I am up to.
• Calculate how much time I have spent on my own music during the week.
• Problem solve.
• Reflect upon my progress and much more.

 

I know that a lot of people are not “list” people and never will be and that’s fine.

 

You can use the Diary any way you wish and it’s just really helpful for your teacher and you to work together using this resource, writing down goals, achievements and keeping track of what you are focusing on.

 

Just remember the more you guide your own learning, through reflective practice, the better your relationship to music and your teacher will be and the easier it will be for you to eventually become and independent learner.

 

The Diary isn’t meant to be a resource you have to use forever.

 

By using the Practice Diary for a period of time you will eventually develop the mindset you need to ensure your future learning encompasses all the aspects of music necessary for you to succeed.

 

Many people fail to continue with music because they don’t understand their own processes and have false expectations of themselves and the learning process.

 

This is why I developed the Diary.

 

• It tracks your motivation levels,
• Teaches you how you learn, and
• Gives you a realistic picture of what is happening for you in terms of your goals and what needs further work.

 

Don’t worry if the Diary in its current format doesn’t work for you, instead, think about what will help you to learn and try to put that into a useful format.

 

You may come up with a more brilliant version than what has been offered!

 

Remember, if you have any questions, please leave your comment below.

 

Comments don’t automatically go onto the blog, so if you are worried about confidentiality, you can just let me know that you would like me to answer your query personally.

 

 

 

 

This past few weeks has been interesting to say the least.

 

11/11/11 came and was an interesting event, filled with much love and hope for the Planet.

 

This week I saw a Tibetan music concert here in Byron, which consisted of four very different musicians combining in the spirit of a fund raising event.

 

I was curious to see the different energies of the group and in particular to see how one person was quite left of centre of the rest.

 

The finale was an improvisation piece that did not quite work, so that was very helpful to know that even free form flow needs some pre-play time to be sure that it will work.

 

Ok, well let’s stop right here as it’s a few days later and I have just come home from choir after doing exactly that – a free form flop!

 

I offered to do a rap part, but chickened out thinking that it was not authentic for me to be a homeboy and sang instead which was a complete flop.

 

I have all the excuses in the world, as it’s been a heck of a week, and today both the girls were home from school so no time to practice yadee yadee yarda…

 

Anyway, what I am realizing is that I’m at another fear barrier, so time to bust on through.

 

Here is a draft of the rap I am to work on this week.

 

 

Brothers and sistas I’m tellin you

That Change is a coming to all of you

Get ready to ride the giant wave of time

Listen up good people and you’ll be just fine

 

For you are never alone

For you are never alone

This ain’t no mistake, not a two dollar fake

Everything  is as one when your in your heart

Come now my brothers it is time to start.

 

Sistas when you are blue,

We will stay with you till you know that love is absolute and totally true

Put your hands up and get some

Put your hands up and have fun

We bring it to you.

 

Lean on me my brothers,

Lean on me my sistas,

I’ll be there when you need me, together we will be free.

 

Well that’s a rough draft, so will keep working on it.

 

Right now I’m headed to bed……

 

 

Lisa’s Reply

 

 

Hi Joanna

 

Good to read your latest reflection and you’ve brought up a couple of significant points.

 

It was interesting to hear your comments on the concert you saw and I think we came to the conclusion that the group just wasn’t as well rehearsed and as cohesive as they could have been, or should have been, to put on a concert, which is why it felt awkward.

 

And then you had that same experience.

 

Basically, we’ve only done the tiniest bit of rapping in our lesson, so it’s something you haven’t rehearsed enough to be comfortable to perform in front of others, which explains why you froze up.

 

I don’t think you have to be a “homeboy” to rap (because, you are right, you aren’t!) and it is important to be authentic.

 

What you have to find is how you rhyme and what you sound like.

 

I think the key to that would be to do recording with some beats…. We’ll do that next lesson.

 

That way, you will get to practice and become comfortable with yourself performing rhymes to beats.

 

Your choice to sing instead, when you “chickened out” of rapping was a negative experience for you because you were still in the feeling of defeat about not doing the rap and weren’t prepared in your body or your headspace to do a vocal improvisation.  That’s ok.

 

All this experience is fantastic and a very big part of learning music.  Therefore, it’s you can be grateful for this experience and that you are getting to do it in a safe environment.

 

So getting back to the rapping, I don’t think this is a “fear barrier” you are facing but rather a preparation barrier.

 

You mentioned you hadn’t had any time to practice and that would have something to do with the reason you were hesitant.  Let’s not forget that.

 

I know you are pretty fearless anyway and will always give things a shot which is a great asset to learning music, you just have to have your flops.  Everyone does!

 

I really like your draft of the lyrics you have written and I will make some suggestions of how to improve on them in the next lesson (if you haven’t already).

 

The lyrics do reflect you and have something to say and so are very much on the right track.

 

I look forward to seeing you on Monday!

There is no denying that the internet has made a huge difference to the way we hear, learn, publicise, sell and watch music.

 

After all, here you are, sharing my thoughts on music practice and learning, and hopefully gaining some useful knowledge.

 

YouTube has become a tool I use on a daily basis to help inform my teaching and illustrate various points for students.

 

I use it to help students to find good tutorial videos they can study at home to make practice more interesting, for resourcing useful information to accompany my articles and for sharing tutorial information with my blog audience, such as the videos that help to explain how to use the Practice Diary.

 

To me, YouTube is a virtual library where I can access information and entertainment on anything I need in the comfort of my own home.

 

However, for many other people, YouTube has become even more than that.

 

Here are some statistics illustrating the power of the “Tube”.

 

• YouTube began in February 2005.
• By December it had 8 million views a day.
• By July 2006 that figure rose to 100 million views per day and 65,000 vids. being uploaded per day.
• By October 2008, 15 hours of video was being uploaded every minute.
• October 2009 1 billion views per day.
• May 2010 2 billion views per day.
• Today, the average person spends 15 minutes per day on YouTube.
• It’s international (22 countries have localised it).

(www.website-monitoring.com/blog/2010/05/17/youtube-facts-and-figures-history-statistics)

 

Anyone can upload a video on YouTube and instantly access this mind-boggling potential audience.

 

Let’s have a look at some of the musical success stories of YouTube:

 

Probably the most successful musical YouTube story is that of Justin Bieber.

 

No, I’m not a fan but you have to admit that from watching this, the boy’s got talent.

This video currently has over 36 million views.

 

After he was spotted here by a talent scout, he was introduced to Usher and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Meanwhile, here’s someone who has a remarkable ability, was spotted  on YouTube and is now touring his music around the world.

 

Check out the updated version…  Same song, but better video quality.

 

And lastly, someone with a different approach to the YouTube video, Dondria.

 

This is what she’s up to now.

So, if you are interested in uploading a video featuring you and your music, what would be some of the key points you need to think about?

 

Don’t Get Fancy

 

I think one of the most striking things about all these first YouTube videos was that there was no major production in them.

 

This is probably one of the key points a talent scout is aware of because a basic, not-so-great quality video shows the absolute truth about the performers ability.

 

I always tell my singers to record themselves on the lowest-tech equipment they can find because if you can make yourself sound good on that, you can sound good on anything!

 

When researching this article I found it so refreshing to see the raw talent of these artists because straight away, their authenticity shone through.

 

Be Yourself

 

So, this is the next thing you need to consider when capturing yourself for YouTube and that is simply to be yourself and let your personality shine through.

 

All these performers were doing just that which is another quality the scout will be looking for.

 

Make Sure You Know Your Material

 

Sometimes when I visit one of the forums on learning music, there are singers who have put their performances on YouTube wanting criticism.

 

The one criticism that comes up almost always is that they don’t know their material well enough.

 

This should be the number one consideration when you are presenting yourself and your music in any way to the world.

 

The least you should do in order to come across as professional, is to know the song.

 

Really, this does seem obvious but you’d be surprised and although I am tempted to post an example right here, I don’t want to single out any one person.

 

Be Aware

 

Lastly, be aware that there are talent scouts out there, most likely sifting through the millions of videos uploaded onto YouTube every day, right now!

 

This gives you a great opportunity to get noticed and perhaps even signed (if that’s what you want) but it also means you may only get one chance for that attention.

 

Therefore, post your video with the knowledge you have done your absolute best in the performance.

 

If you haven’t done as much as you could have done and you know you can do better then wait until you have captured something you are happy with.

 

 

We need our bodies to play music and we train our bodies to play music, the same way athletes do.

 

Doesn’t it therefore make sense that the fitter our bodies, the easier, better and more enjoyable it will be to play music?

 

Unfortunately, fitness is something that many musicians don’t take into account.

 

It is understandable that practice and gigs take priority in a busy musician’s life and sometimes there may not be room for thinking about exercise.

 

But let’s have a look at the benefits to be gained if physical fitness becomes part of your music-training regime.  They include:

 

• Injury prevention
• Reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes (high risk for those who don’t exercise)
• Increased muscle fibre
• Increased blood vessels
• Increased endurance and
• Better performance.

 

Injury prevention

 

Long hours of sitting or standing in the practice room can cause injury, especially through incorrect posture.

 

In this article we looked at the importance of maintaining good posture.

 

A big part of this is core strength.  For it is the abdominal muscles that have a big part to play in supporting weight so that stress isn’t transferred to the skeleton, particularly the spine, which can be injured as a result.

 

When you think about what kind of exercise to do in order to prevent injury, it’s best to concentrate on the muscles you use least.

 

“most musicians do not use the shoulder muscles that squeeze their shoulder blades together much, but in contrast use their arms in front of them for many hours, so eventually the shoulders can become rounded forwards and risk pinching the rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder joint itself.” http://musiced.about.com

 

It’s therefore best to choose exercises that will concentrate on strengthening the muscles between the shoulder blades rather than focussing on the chest muscles.

 

Heart disease and diabetes

 

These are two illnesses are becoming ever more prevalent in our society as we move around less and consume food which is not nutritionally balanced.

Heart disease is actually caused by a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries of the heart.  These deposits calcify and can eventually constrict the flow of blood to the heart and deprive it from oxygen.

 

This can cause at least, shortness of breath and at worst, death.

 

Please watch this short video in order to gain more insight into this problem and how to prevent it.

Diabetes is a disease we have all heard about but some of you may not really understand what it is.

 

This short video explains this disease, how to detect it, treat it and prevent it.

 

Exercise that increases the heart rate is great for preventing both of these diseases.

 

Strengthening exercise such as push ups, sit ups (especially beneficial for wind players and singers) and exercises using weights increases the size of the muscle fibres which in turn helps them to store products such as glycogen and oxygen which is an important fuel for muscles.

 

When we perform cardio exercise together with endurance and strengthening exercises it also increases blood vessels in the forearms and hands.

 

This increase of blood vessels helps to transport fuels such as glycogen to the muscles we use to play our instrument and results in better performance.

 

“As part of my PhD studies, I ran exercise classes for university level music students.

 

There were two groups of students, one doing training with higher weights and less repeats of each exercise, while the other group did lower weights and higher repeats of each exercise.

 

Exercises were focused on ‘core’ strength muscles including spinal postural muscles, abdominal muscles, shoulder blade and specific shoulder muscles that are generally under-worked in the musician population.

The exercise classes were run twice weekly for 6 weeks, and even in this short time frame results showed clear reduction in injury severity and frequency, and reduced exertion in terms of how long they could play for.

 

Many of these musicians felt that their playing performance also improved substantially as a result.” Bronwen Ackermann, www.musicphysio.com.au

 

 

What Kind Of Exercise Should I Do and How Often Should I Do It?

 

The most important thing about exercise is that you enjoy it.  Obviously, if you don’t, you will lack motivation, which can be difficult at the best of time.

 

When you do begin exercising, it’s a good idea to consult with a physiotherapist or trained exercise physiologist to discuss what would be best for you.

 

However, exercise programmes such as pilates, yoga, body balance and stretch are a popular choice because they are designed to work a number of muscles in the body and not overwork any particular muscle group.

 

Choosing to do one of these exercise classes a week is a good idea.

 

For cardio exercise you could take a long walk, run, ride your bike or do a class at the gym.

 

You could consider a team sport such as soccer or basket ball, however, I am always weary of these because of risk of injury to hands or fingers!

 

If you are a social person, the gym can be a great place to meet new people and have fun with others.

 

If you prefer to do things solo, kill two birds with one stone, put on your headphones and go running.  Investing in some good shoes and learning about running technique is something you should do if this is your desired path.

 

Swimming is a fantastic way to gain cardio fitness while working the shoulders and there is little risk of injury.

 

There are of course many more options and you should try to mix up the kinds of exercises you do.

 

Bronwen Ackermann recommends“that you should try and exercise at least twice a week, and each of these sessions should last at least 45 minutes.

 

If you are recovering from an injury, or working on a specific problem (such as muscle imbalances), you will usually need to increase the frequency of exercise, but may need to do shorter sessions.”

 

I hope you enjoyed this Article and it has inspired you to add to you quality of life and music.

 

Please leave me your comments!

 

 

It’s definitely no secret that Jazz is a huge inspiration in my musical life.

 

However, mention that word to a lot of people and the response is quite the opposite.

 

I understand how this could be because a lot of the Jazz music that you hear can be quite “heady”, seem to lack feeling and unfortunately, at times, seems to involve an element of showing off.

 

These traits are quite the opposite of what Jazz music is truly about.

 

The history of Jazz is incredibly rich with contributions from a wide variety of amazing musicians and composers.

 

What I wish to do in this short article is introduce you to the truth behind Jazz music and let you listen to some of it’s real representatives, both past and present.

 

One film (or series of films) I couldn’t recommend enough is Ken Burns’ Jazz documentary.

 

Here is the introduction that will give you an idea and hopefully whet your appetite to explore this phenomenal Art.

Here is a beautiful interview with Duke Ellington, again featured in the film.

And here, another small part of the film explaining the how the Jazz “feel” came about.

 

Talking here is one of Jazz’s living legends, Wynton Marsalis.  He is a wonderful teacher and trumpet player.

If you are interested in finding out more about these films and even purchasing them, click on the icon below.

 

 

 

 

If you’ve read “My Life In Music”, you will find out that what I imagined for myself in music didn’t eventuate the way I had planned.

 

However, the life I am living now is what I wanted, perfect for me, and something I could never have imagined the pathway to all those years ago.

 

I think this is often what happens when you “follow your bliss”.

 

You may start out with a particular idea about where you want to be and how you want your life to look, but if it’s not really right for you, life will take you to a place where you can be a lot happier through a series of “happy coincidences”.

 

All you have to do is try to find what feels right for you and try to follow that feeling at every turn.   (Not always easy, I agree!)

 

Many people begin their music career with a desire to be famous, mostly because they want to be seen, heard and loved.

 

Fortunately, you don’t have to be famous to possess or develop these qualities in your life and you can achieve this through a career in music in many other different and rewarding ways.

 

This Article aims to get you to think about options you may not have paid much attention to but which could work out well for you.

 

Many of these involve developing more than one skill, that of playing music, however constant learning is what keeps life exciting!

 

 

Teaching

 

I had never even considered a teaching career and in a way, it found me.

 

I love it and there are many ways you could love it too.

 

You can:

 

• set up your own business teaching music, as I have,
• teach music in high school,
• in adult education, or
• teach in primary schools, as a freelance teacher.

 

For many musicians who begin teaching, this line of work can seem difficult or not rewarding.

 

Much of the time this is because they haven’t studied how to teach which is another skill (and I would even go so far as to say, art form) in itself.

 

If you want a career in teaching, especially if you are going to do it privately, find a teaching course appropriate to what you wish to do.

 

This will make your job easier, rewarding, even exciting and ensure you have many students.

 

 

Music Therapy

 

This is an area I could definitely begin to move into (when I feel I have the time to do more study).

 

There are many kinds of music therapies and you can practice them privately or in the hospital and mental health system.

 

Here is a short vid to help you understand what music therapy is and to see it in action.

Composition

 

Have you ever stopped to consider how much demand there is for newly composed music?

 

Here is a list of what I can think of:

 

• Orchestras
• Pop Artists
• Advertising
• Television and Screen Productions
• Incidental music such as on Radio Broadcasts
• Computer and Interactive Games

 

And I’m sure there is a lot more you could add to this list.

 

I think some people shy away from composition because they think that it is hard to get into, however, as you can see, I am sure the demand is high.

 

You just need to know how the industry works, you need to love composition as well and learn to use the latest score and recording technology etc.

 

There are courses you can look into to study these aspects of composition.

 

Again, this video may help you decide your direction in music.

 

Theatre Musician

 

Theatre production is a major entertainment niche and theatres need musicians.

 

This can be a difficult area to break into but once you are in, there is a very good living to be made if you enjoy the lifestyle.

 

If you would like to ask any questions about this or read some great articles I would suggest going to this website.

 

 

Session Musician

 

Again, this market, especially at the top can be quite difficult to break but it doesn’t mean you can’t.

 

In order to be a session musician you need to have good reading skills and understand several different styles of music.

 

You can listen to Oli’s interview for a good story of how he came to carve a career for himself in this capacity.

 

Meanwhile, you may be interested to watch this.

 

Music Producer

 

There are several ways a producer contributes to the creation of music.

 

Producers have a good ear for instrumentation and production (lots of experience in the recording studio and in composition).

 

Ideally, a good producer would also have a good understanding of people in order to direct a musician to give their best performance.

 

There are many different shades and variety of producer, including someone who makes beats and dance music for DJ’s.

 

A good understanding of the recording studio and how to use it is part of the job.

 

Also, a savvy business nature is very helpful!

 

 

 

The options outlined in this Article are only the tip of the iceberg of what is possible for you in music.

 

It’s worth exploring what turns you on and taking steps to learn the skills necessary for that trajectory.

 

Please leave a comment and let me know if there’s anything you would like to add to this article.

You’ve learned all your music and you are ready to perform.

 

That’s great, but is that all you need to prepare for that exam or big music performance?

 

Many times my students and myself have thought they were ready for that all-important gig, only to find that despite their best efforts in the practice room, their performance was only average.

 

So, what do you have to do to really get results?

 

There is so much more to a successful performance than just knowing the music, although this is probably the most important aspect.

 

When you perform, especially if you are not used to it, you are going to have to deal with:

 

• Nervousness (maybe even performance anxiety)
• Distraction, and
• Unfamiliar surroundings.

 

Your practice regime should therefore include exercises to help you with all the above.

 

Here are some tips on how you might go about that.

 

Nervousness

 

I often refer to the exercises on breathing to begin your practice session.

 

What you may not realise is the importance of these in order to train yourself to pay attention to, and be able to tune into your breathing.

 

When you are nervous, often the first thing to be affected is your breath.

 

Holding the breath is one way you can be affected or not taking deep enough breaths is another.

 

This in turn causes your body to become tense and when your body is tense, it is a lot harder to make music.

 

Once you find it difficult to make music, your thoughts can become negative and again, impact even more on your music.

 

It doesn’t sound fun, does it?

 

By practicing your breathing exercises as well as some other kind of meditation, if you are so inclined, will help you to:

 

1. Become aware when your breathing is not natural, and
2. Help you to bring your breathing back to normal.

 

If you can do this, you will find your nerves will dissipate, you will become more present and your body will not suffer all the other affects like shaking or sweating which can be a result of tension and negative thinking.

 

Distraction

 

Unless you are a seasoned performer (and even then sometimes), you can become distracted while playing.

 

The source of such distractions can be either internal (like self-conscious or negative thoughts) or external and it is important to learn how to bring yourself back to the music if you do become distracted.

 

Not long ago I was doing a performance after a long break and my daughter was running around the dance floor.

 

She tripped and started crying and boy, it was a huge dilemma for me as my impulse was to get up straight away and go to her aide, even though her Dad was close by to rescue her.

 

Needless to say, I became hugely distracted.

 

Fortunately, it was a solo gig so no-one was depending on me to keep it together.

 

I did keep it together but screwed up the form and some chords, however, I don’t think anyone noticed.

 

This is one of the most crucial aspects to develop in performance – being able to keep going and make something of your “mistakes”.

 

Besides getting a lot of experience in performance, the exercises that can best prepare you for this are:

 

1. Practicing your pieces with metronome. If you make a mistake, just keep going and keep in time!
2. Practice free improvisation. By doing this you will learn to accept any sound that eminates from your music and won’t be horrified when you hit a “wrong” note.

 

Again, learning to bring yourself back from a distracting thought or presence of someone or something needs to be practiced.

 

You can do this by bringing your focus back to your breath and becoming aware of your thoughts, choosing not to follow them but rather focusing on your senses, what you are feeling, seeing and hearing.

 

I’m going to include this video again on this blog because I think it is so helpful for what has been mentioned above.

 

 

Unfamiliar Surroundings

 

For some people unfamiliar surroundings can be off-putting and distracting, however, it is often the case that you will have to perform either on an unfamiliar instrument and/or in a place you have not been to before.

 

If possible, always try to visit the venue and play the instrument you will be using for your performance so you can become familiar with the equipment and the room.

 

It will help you to feel a lot more relaxed.

 

If you can do this, then you can also better visualise a successful performance in that space.

 

If you haven’t already, please read the article on visualisation, to gain an understanding of how this can help you prepare for success.

 

What Else Do I Need To Practice?

 

There are two last elements that will give you the edge on your performance.

 

The first is dedicating time to practicing technique.

 

All too often we can spend a lot of time on the pieces we need to play because there is a feeling of running out of practice time.

 

But if you make time to focus on technique you will be a lot better able to play your pieces and feel a lot more confident in your body’s ability and muscle memory to get around the music.

 

Lastly, being able to relax is really important.

 

There are many ways to practice this and you can choose these methods for yourself but if you are really finding performing difficult, you could try using a hypnosis method which helps you to be more relaxed and positive.  There are plenty you can look up on the internet.

 

Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this little vid.

 

 

 

 

Transcribing

 

Best Practice is a tool to speed up or slow down music, while keeping the original pitch, (either from a CD or mp3 files) so you can transcribe them more easily.

 

Get your free download here.

 

Metronome

 

This is a great tool, again available in free download format.

 

You can choose the sound of the metronome, the volume and best of all, whatever kind of division you choose, not just straight duple or triple time.

 

Well worth checking out.  You really couldn’t want more from such an important piece of equipment.

 

Live Streaming Music Recorder

 

This program let’s you record any music coming through your computer, onto your computer.  This means anything from sound on your microphone or a skype conversation to sound from a live internet broadcast.  Very handy!  You can download a free trial from here.

 

Music Notation

 

There are plenty of music notation programs based on inputting information through a keyboard but what if you are a guitarist?!  Well, this one is for you.   This free downloadable program can be used to create guitar sheet music (guitar tablature and bass tablature). It uses the most commonly used symbols in tablature, including chord names, chord diagrams, rhythm slashes, bends, slides, hammer-ons/pull-offs, harmonics and palm muting.

Tuition Program for Guitar and Bass

 

It’s always a good idea to look for a good teacher, however, if you are short of cash or just want to make a start learning your instrument, this is the site for you.  Yet another free download, this program features:

 

• Support for various instruments, tunings. Guitar (6, 7 string), Bass (4, 5 string), Banjo (4, 5 string), and Mandolin are supported by default. 
New instruments, tunings, chords and scales can be added easily.
• Complete scale/chords/keys reference.
• Tab editor with a Tab library function. Quickly browse all your tabs.
• Theory exercises.
• Ear training exercises: Chords, scales, keys, intervals, and fretboard notes. Great for any musician!
• Fretboard notes exercises: Learn the notes on the fretboard.
• Advanced metronome.
• Jam band: Quickly write a chord progression and play over it with this tool.
• Audio samples from real guitars used.

 

They should really have one of these programs for all instruments!  I’ll try to find them.

 

Fretboard Training Software

 

More for the guitarists!  This free download contains a huge library of scales and chords displayed on a graphical fretboard, showing the position and the notes that are used in the scale or chord.

 

This is not for the pro guitarists but for beginners and intermediates.

 

The program also features a game mode where you are presented with a fretboard and have to correctly name the highlighted fret positions. You can choose which frets and strings to test. Practice against the clock and keep a note of your average note recognition time.

 

Here’s another training program which looks like it is very popular on this site.

 

Click here for specs.

 

Accompaniment / Playalong

 

This program isn’t free but it’s worth a look at, especially if you are a singer or a musician who needs to practice songs with backing.

 

Band-in-a-Box is an automatic-accompaniment program. All you need to do is type in the chord symbols to any song, choose a style, and press Play.

 

Band-in-a-Box then generates a five-instrument accompaniment of bass, drums, piano, guitar, and strings in more than 100 styles of music.

 

That’s the short explanation of this program.  If you want to find out more, click here.

 

 

Band Minus One is a similar program, so you may want to compare the two.

 

This program is a extremely easy to use.

 

Again, just enter a chord sequence and choose a style. You can use the many thousands of styles in Yamaha format that are available on internet. The accompaniment can be recorded to create a CD with backing tracks.

Click here for your free download.

 

Music Theory

 

This program is great for learning basic music theory.  Suitable for singers and instrumentalists and you can get your free download here.

 

Mental health can be a touchy subject for some people because, unfortunately, there is so much stigma attached to it.

 

However, just as the health of your body needs constant attention, nutrition and occasional visits to a practitioner, the same holds true for your emotional and mental needs.

 

This article will outline why maintaining mental and emotional health is important for continuous learning of music and how you may go about maintaining these aspects for yourself.

 

For me, mental health is a subject close to my heart because I am so thankful for the experience that paying attention to these aspects of myself has given me.

 

I doubt very much that I would be as happy in my life or even still playing music if I had not addressed some of the issues inherent in my personality and got to know myself better.

 

Investing in this aspect of my wellbeing has definitely made me a better teacher and a much more empathic person.

 

So, this article is just a reminder for some, and an introduction for others to the fabulous, amazing inner world that we all possess.

 

It is a world that, if we are more in touch with, can enrich our lives and our music.

 

According to http://www.health.com

 

”Creative people may … have higher rates of mood disorders;”

 

However, writing this blog in this present day, I feel that there is not such a gap between the general public and the creative artist as far as drug dependency and mood disorders or mental illness goes.

 

In the past, musicians and other artists were much more on the edge of society which was difficult for them, and so resulted in more addiction and illness.

 

These days, I think most of us would agree that, due to many aspects of our social order (drug companies, food addictions, allergies, media, marketing, high tech lifestyles and the list goes on…) drugs and mental disorder is now as common throughout society as it ever was for the musician and struggling artist.

 

Perhaps this is also because, although carving out a career in music can be difficult, these days carving out a career in any professions is likely to prove just as difficult.

 

I do believe however, that the difference between artists and musicians and mainstream society is that someone who is truly learning to tread an artistic path has to confront many inner issues such as:

 

• resistance,
• self acceptance,
• conflict,
• fear,
• performance anxiety,
• the inner critic and
• many other internal barriers.

 

This is definitely a challenge that many people do not wish to take on, even though the rewards are worth it.

 

Helping my students to deal with these aspects of music is probably 90% of my job, the other 10% being the basic teaching of the musical language.

 

And it is only because I have had to consciously address these issues within myself that I am able to help others and continue with my musical career.

 

There are many roads that lead to improved mental health and it is up to you to choose which ones appeal specifically to you.

 

This means that you may need to try a few different therapies or practices before you come up with something that you find beneficial.

 

Here a few suggestions for you now, however, there is always more investigation you can do for yourself.

 

 

Psychotherapy

 

On a personal level, I found psychotherapy was great for me, but of course I also realise this was due to the fact that I found the right therapist and therapy.

 

If you wish to experience psychotherapy, pay close attention to your gut feelings about your therapist.

 

Just as choosing the best possible music teacher for you is important, you can apply this criteria to choosing the right therapist.

 

Here is a short vid explaining in more detail what psychoanalysis is and how it works.

Meditation

 

There are so many different forms of meditation and it may take years until you find what’s right for you.

 

However, I have no problem recommending this as a daily practice for everybody.

 

Taking time out to meditate creates a centre of calmness and self reflection, it can renew your energy and generally make you feel a lot better.

 

There has been much research into the benefits of meditation.

 

Here is one video that explains them.

 

 

(p.s. this is not a promotion for the Chopra Centre on my part, it’s just a good vid!

 

Life Coaching

 

This is something else that I’ve done.  Actually, it was the catalyst for this blog.

 

Again, there are many practitioners so choose one which is right for you.

I hope this article has given you some food for thought.

 

Just remember that there is so much more of you involved in learning music and learning to live than meets the eye and sometimes it may be worth considering other options to help you get through any barriers you may be experiencing.

 

It’s your life and it’s up to you to find your way but keep an open mind.

 

Often we can find treasure in the most unlikely of places!