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11/24/2010

What books are best when learning a new instrument?

Christmas is right around the corner and a lot of children and adults alike can't wait to get that new guitar to learn how to play like their favorite artist.  But, what about the books and learning material?  Which guitar teacher?  It's been proven that students learn much quicker from a guitar teacher than on their own.  I know I started out a self-taught player, but learned 5 years worth (approximately) of valuable musical information by signing up with a guitar educator and by going to school.  I've gone through hundreds of books in all my years of playing, learning, and teaching, but have only found a handful that I keep going back to.  I highly recommend anything from Berklee Press.  They have many great books.  Here is a list of books that I've made that are really great to learn from rudiments to tunes to all in between.

For more info about books or lessons contact me at neworleansmusiclessons@gmail.com or www.neworleansmusiclessons.com

11/20/2010

The Major Scale: A nice sounding exercise

Tonight I was talking with one of my good friends who happens to be a jazz sax player and we got to talking about our music lessons from a teacher's and student's perspective.  We discussed the tune, "All the Things You Are," by Jerome Kern and how it changes keys in thirds and discussed the R.N.A. (Roman Numeral Analysis) of the tune.

This led to discussing the scales that can be played over the tune, and how important the major scale is.  My friend shared a scale exercise with me that I could apply to my guitar which seems so simple, but sounds more musical than technical (as guitar finger exercises often do).  It's a nice exercise and let's the player really hear each arpeggio of the scale as well as the sound of the major scale while learning the notes of each scale and arpeggio.  So here it is:

Be sure to play in all keys (going up a fourth, half-step, whole-step, etc.)

The Exercise:  Take the C Major Scale (C D E F G A B) and starting from C, play the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th note of the scale or C major 7 chord (C, E, G, B) then walk back down the scale (A, G, F, E, D) to the next note, D, then play the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the D minor 7 chord then walk down the scale (C, B, A, G, F, E) to E and continue on this pattern for the remainder of the scale.

11/17/2010

What are you listening to?

I'm listening to the great Irma Thomas right now.  Be sure to listen to her sweet, soulful sounds!



About David the Guitar Instructor with www.neworleansmusiclessons.com


David Putnam, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA has been teaching music for more than 10 years.  David has studied guitar under the tutelage of Hank Mackie, Brian Seeger, and Steve Masakowski.  David has received his B.F.A. in Jazz Studies (with an emphasis in guitar) from the University of New Orleans.  More information regarding UNO's world-renown faculty can be seen at UNO's site here.
David is currently playing guitar with the soul band Eudora and Deep Soul.  He can also been seen playing guitar, upon occasion, as a solo guitarist, sitting in with other bands, or as the "Gringo De La Bachatas" of the Honduran latino group, Garison.  He has led worship groups in churches and ministries.  He has also played in rock, Latino, blues, jazz, and big bands including The Mississippians Ole Miss Jazz Band to name a few.  Visit the Performances page if you are interested in having David and/or his band perform at your venue. 

11/16/2010

New Josh Groban CD is out!!

Is Josh Groban classical or not?

Improvising: A Musician's Necessity

Improvisation is a necessity for all musicians whether one is classically trained, a jazz musician, or just a weekend warrior. It is true that jazz is the music most accredited for using improvisation, but it is also necessary to use those skills in all other genres of music. We are human and are liable to make mistakes from time to time. We sometimes get lost in a piece or forget our place so it is good to lay a groundwork and learn the chords to a piece before hand so to keep the integrity of the music (i.e. a textural reduction for Bach's prelude in C). Sometimes we improvise because maybe the rhythm section plays the wrong sets of chords so out of necessity we improvise to make the best of the situation. Improvisation is also a breeding ground for the creative process which is a necessary aspect to composing. Musicians need to learn the art form of improvisation no matter what music they play either for creative purposes or for musical security.

The art of improvisation is partly a learned skill and partly intuition or taste. Improvisation is learned through hours, days, months, and years of practice. Improvisers create habits through practice until it becomes second-nature. It has been a misconception that improvising is something made up instantaneously as if some kind of supernatural phenomenon when, in actuality, is time spent persevering an art form.

The more educated a musician is the better chance that they have being an improviser, but only if their education is practiced and put into routine. The art of improvisation can be broken into parts. A musician's understanding of theory lays the groundwork for improvising over tunes or compositions. A musician should have awareness and a personal knowledge of their instrument. And, a musician should be able to hear everything so to be applied through their knowledge of theory and their respective instrument. Improvisation is more than a fleeting whim of inspiration. The art of improvisation can be honed through years of education and practice with specific concentration on music theory, ear training, and one's musical instrument or voice. Confucius once said, "By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart." The art of improvisation can be thought of the same way and it is by applied knowledge and much practice that we, musicians, can becomegreat improvisers.

For more information about the author, David Putnam, visithttp://www.NewOrleansMusicLessons.com

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