A Community for Up and Coming Musicians
One of my greatest faults is the fact that I am inexplicably shy. When I confess this weakness, most people are shocked. They can’t understand how I can get up on stage and perform if I’m shy. And they’re right it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. To be honest, I’m not completely sure …
Continue reading “A Thank You Goes a Long Way”
After studying music for several years, I have had the pleasure of being tutored by several talented musicians. In my opinion, it is important to study and learn from a variety of people [musicians and non-musicians alike]. By diversifying your education, you gain access to a multitude of information to learn, recreate, and make your …
Continue reading “How to Get the Most Out of Your Music Lessons”
In my experience as an active music enthusiast, I have yet to discover an artist who can more cleverly merge such diverse styles of music not only onto a single album, but also within each individual song. Guitarist Chieli Minucci creatively hints at his vast musical influence and repertoire with his epic new release Without …
Continue reading “Chieli Minucci, Without You Review”
Release Date: 01 JUN 2010 Fusion is re-emerging as a popular genre in the instrumental music market. In fact, many artists are “going back to basics” and rediscovering their musical roots and influences. Artists like Jeff Lorber and Chieli Minucci are bringing back fusion while saxophonist Mindi Abair has released an R&B/Motown inspired album. These …
Continue reading “Jeff Lorber, Now is the Time Review”
When I was in high school, I had a classmate that was – and still is – a very talented young musician. I often envied his ability to improvise and even though it took me a while, I worked up the courage to ask him what it was that he did different than me. His …
Continue reading “One of the Most Important Things to Know as an Artist”
On September 1, 2012, the Latin guitar world fusion group, Incendio, performed at Spaghettini’s in Seal Beach as part of their 2012 tour. Incendio was established in 1999 and has since released seven albums (with an eighth on the way). The members – JP Durand, Jim Stubblefield, Liza Carbé, Nicole Faizone and Brian Brock – …
Continue reading “Review of Incendio Performance at Spaghettini’s Sep 1, 2012”
To start out, I want to let you know that I have been playing the same setup on my alto for several years now. Even when I’ve changed my mouthpiece, reeds or ligature, I have always tended to go back to my Beechler mouthpiece, Rico Plasticover Reeds and Ishimori ligature. No matter how much I …
Continue reading “Review of the BG France Duo Ligature”
1. Learn the melody of a tune. Really learn it. Listen to recordings and be able to play the melody the way it was meant to be played. Be able to play the melody from memory. 2. Make it your own. Develop your own interpretation of the melody – how you would like it to …
Continue reading “5 Easy Steps to Beginning Improvisation”
In the last article, the difference between a local musician and a touring musician was established. In this post, I’d like to discuss the different responsibilities side musicians (or a “sideman”) have versus the role of a bandleader. Although a side musician and a bandleader have specific duties as part of any group, each play …
Continue reading “Band Leader Versus Side Musician | Career Choices Part II”
This is a guest post from James Barrera, saxophone instructor at Cal State University Long Beach. Having been involved with younger sax players for well over a decade now, (yes, a few grey hairs have shown up) I think one of the most confusing, and important thing in a high school age musician’s life are …
Continue reading “College Auditions Preparation for Saxophonists”
