Author: musicalitywrld

If that’s you, don’t worry! While it may seem like clapping in time is something you “should” already know how to do, with some ear training skills and a little bit of practice it is a quite learnable – and valuable – skill.

Why learn to clap in time?

What if I just want to play my instrument? What’s the big deal about clapping in time anyway?

Well, it turns out that clapping in time is a foundational skill of musicality, and will enhance your performance and enjoyment in every aspect of your musical experience.

So today you will learn the basics of clapping in time step-by-step:

• Learn how to truly hear what is around you
• Learn how to sense rhythms in your environment
• Clap basic rhythms
• Learn about clapping on “2 and 4”, and “1 and 3”
• Learn how to clap to a song

Once you have learned how to truly pick out the pulse from a musical example, it only takes a little bit of practice to truly master clapping in time.

How to Listen

The first step to clapping in time is learning how to listen, really listen. The legendary composer Pauline Oliveros described this type of listening as “deep listening” or “listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what one is doing.”

What this means, is that in your everyday life, you take the time to listen and use your ears to extract sounds, specific sounds.

Exercise 1. Quiet

The composer John Cage was best known for his experimental music and philosophy on sound. One of his best-known works is titled “4’33” in which the performer sits quietly for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. During this time, the ambience of the room like people shuffling their feet, birds outside, or even people coughing, became the composition.

There is rhythm all around you. This can be anything from the sounds of traffic and the city to the quiet of the woods to the rushing and cyclical pounding of ocean waves on the shore. Birds, insects, weather… all have rhythm. Learning how to discern different pulses within a greater soundscape will help you learn how to properly clap in time and find the beat.

For this first exercise, you will take ten minutes to simply sit still and listen. As you sit:

1. Listen for sounds around you
2. Try to pull out specific rhythms or melodies you might hear in your environment
3. See if there is a steady beat, like a backing truck or the chirping of a grasshopper, that you can lightly tap your hand to in time

Exercise 2. Heartbeat

To date, nearly every civilization and society have developed some sort of percussive rhythm in their music, even if they have been isolated from modern society for all time. Part of this is that we have an intrinsic rhythm in our bodies through our heartbeat, even our breathing.

For this exercise:

1. Find your pulse on your wrist
2. Start counting with your heartbeat 1-2-3-4
3. Tap your foot to your heartbeat
4. For a variation, stand up and jog, doing a few jumping jacks, or walk briskly and repeat the exercise
5. How has your heartbeat changed?

Breaking Down the Beat

Why is it important to clap in time, to find the pulse of a piece of music?

The underlying layers of rhythmic sound are what drive the music. Yes, the melody sticks in our heads and the harmony tugs our emotions. But without the steady beat, we wouldn’t be tapping our feet and feeling the groove. This steady pulse is the rock on which rhythm is built, and the measure of music’s movement forward.

Exercise 3: Clapping in 4/4 time

In 4/4 time there are four beats per measure. The pulse follows a simple 1-2-3-4 quarter note pattern

1. Listen to the Four Beat example below
2. Close your eyes and internalize the pulse
3. Tap your foot to the rhythm
4. Clap to the rhythm

Most of the music you hear on the radio has a basic 4/4 time signature like the example above. What this means is that you can take a song in 4/4 and isolate the simple four beat pattern by counting 1-2-3-4 along with the song.

Exercise 4: Clapping with “Eye of the Tiger”

If you listen to “Eye of the Tiger” below, starting at [0:26], you can hear a very basic quarter note rhythm in the drums that continues throughout the entire song.

The drum part is very basic. You can hear the bass drum and snare drum rhythm (from about [0:30] on) isolated here:

1. Listen to “Eye of the Tiger”
2. Starting at 0:26, listen specifically to the drum set part
3. If you can, tap your foot to the basic 4/4 rhythm
4. Count 1-2-3-4 with the drum part
5. Clap as you count

Exercise 5: Clapping on beats 2 and 4

While you are listening, you may have noticed that the snare drum part falls on beats 2 and 4.

In fact, most of the time, when you clap along with a popular tune on the radio, you will want to clap on beats 2 and 4, not on beats 1 and 3 (don’t be that guy!):

In many pop, rock, hip hop, and even jazz tunes, the snare drum or tambourine falls on beats 2 and 4.

1. Listen to the Example below
2. Count out loud
3. Practice clapping on beats 2 and 4
4. After you have done this, go back to “Eye of the Tiger” and try clapping on beats 2 and 4 along with the snare drum

More Practice:

You can practice clapping on beats 2 and 4 every time you turn on the radio. There are many examples of pop and rock songs, especially, that have a clear drum part that will help you find the pulse and clap on beats 2 and 4.

Clap it Off

Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” is another great example of clapping on beats 2 and 4. Check it out:

Now, not all genres have the audience clapping on beats 2 and 4. There are many popular folk genres where beats 1 and 3 are emphasized or even every beat, but in most popular music cases, you will want to clap on beats 2 and 4.

For example, in the Americana Bluegrass video before, you would clap on every beat, not just two and four.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Clapping

There are some genres like pop and rock that have many simple straightforward beats. Below are musical examples that are driven by a simple pulse. Using what you have learned in this article:

1. Listen for the drum part – the snare, in this case, rings like gunshots on 2 and 4.
2. Clap along with the snare on beats 2 and 4
3. Listen for other rhythm section instruments like the keys, bass, or guitar
4. See if you can clap on 1-2-3-4

We Will, We Will Clap You

In case you’re still having a rough time with clapping on 2 and 4, clap right along with the guys from Queen:

Did you think you were clapping on 3? If you count a fast “4”, it seems like this: “1-2-3 rest, 1-2-3 rest”. However, once the song is underway, that’s going to feel too fast (this phenomenon is called “double-time”). Here’s a better way to think of it: “1 & 2 , 3 & 4” (so the rests is really the “&” of 2 and 4).

All About That Clapping on 2 and 4

Here’s another online clapping tutorial disguised as a hit song:

In the intro clap along on 2 and 4 with the dancers. Wait, what was that double clap thing? You heard right! Here’s the pattern: “1 2 3 4, 1 2& 3 4”. Don’t worry if you can’t catch the double clap – learning to clap on 2 and 4 is quite enough for now.

Once you can clap along with the intro, work on keeping the same pattern going through the verse. When the clapping returns in the chorus, you’ll see if you were able to keep it up.

Still Struggling? Call a Friend!

So far you have practiced listening to rhythm and beats in your environment, picking out simple drum parts in tunes, and clapping along with a drum set. If you find that you have been struggling with the exercises up to this point, take some time to practice these exercises with a friend.

Sometimes practicing with someone else will help you develop your own skills.

And don’t worry if they struggle as much as you do or if they are a clapping-in-time superstar. Either way, working together will help your musical skills!

The post How to Clap in Time appeared first on Musical U.

Then what we create has the opportunity to become “the new old”.

This week at Musical U, we learned effective band leadership skills – yes, we’re still learning how to relate to our fellow humans after how many years?

The Circle of Fifths reflects the very structure of the universe, but remains an ever-living fountain of musical knowledge for all to draw from, and music industry vet Cliff Goldmacher gets down to brass tacks on the everlasting qualities that thrive in today’s rapidly morphing music scene.

But first, let’s see how Musical U member ChristineP found that the same inner musical skills applied to all the varying aspects of her musical expression.

Progress? Journal.

One of the most successful features inside Musical U is the Progress Journal (PJ). With this tool, members have the opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on their musical goals, chart the course of their learning, and make in-the-flow adjustments as they learn and achieve.

What’s more, other members of Musical U team and community are able to lend suggestions, kudos, and support – as well as be inspired in their own musical growth.

Musical U member ChristineP early on mastered the art of the Progress Journal, and through that has been able to evolve her own training journey and claim her own steady progress. What’s more, she’s found that the inner musical skills – such as ear training and solfa (aka solfege) – have fed all the different ways she makes music, from middle-eastern flute, to jazz flute, to piano, to choral singing.

Inspire yourself with her story in Musical U Member Spotlight: ChristineP.

Christine talked about how she came to learning ear training and audiation in her musical journey. Beginning audiation greatly helped in the ability to hear a piece of music before she began to play. Uberchord applies these 10 easy ear training techniques for every beginner guitar player.

While we typically think of children’s lessons when talking about learning music, many find their passion for music later in life. It is tremendous to be able to become passionate about music, and you shouldn’t be shy of picking up an instrument for the first time no matter your age. Music To Your Home agrees: there are many benefits to learning music later in life that can’t be denied!

Hail to the Chief

Ever since humans first appeared on earth, we’ve been trying to figure out how to get along and make things happen together – with varying degrees of success. Experienced bandleader Gino Burgio runs down the four personality types that you’ll find in every band, and how the leader can orchestrate them into a productive, creative harmony.

Ever struggled with leadership roles? Or contemplating starting your own band? Gino’s advice is clear, and breaks down the mystery of How to be an Effective Bandleader.

Forming a band is difficult for many people, especially as they try to find other musicians to collaborate and make music. Rob Chapman reveals that finding potential bandmates doesn’t have to be a stressful experience if you take some simple steps to expand your network:

Many people are not natural leaders and find it difficult to step up to the plate when their band desperately needs leadership. What simple steps can make you a better leader within your group? Pro Audio Land has these simple tips that will take you a long way to being a great bandmate and leader.

For so many of us, some of the best leaders in our musical journey have been the teachers that have helped us along the way. How did they develop the leadership skills that allowed them to lead an ensemble and inspire their students? Learn the secrets to their skills from Band Leadership:

The Eternal Circle

Sometimes, when listening to music of the past it’s hard to see the connection between it and the music of today. Yet the theory behind all music is ultimately governed by the fundamental physical properties of sound. While not described clearly until the late 1670s, the Circle of Fifths expresses just such an ultimate truth.

Yet the Circle of Fifths is no dead, arcane theory. The living, breathing Circle provides endless practical ways for us to both understand the music we love more deeply, and to methodically create new sounds that accurately represent what we want to express. Roll on into the Circle of Fifths, and many of the ways you can make it work for you in your music every day in A Wheel That Needs No Reinvention: the Circle of Fifths.

Memorizing the Circle of Fifths can be difficult for many musicians. Having some tricks and resources to help you do so will greatly improve your ability to use the Circle of Fifths in your music. Music Matters Blog talks about using flashcards to memorize the Circle of Fifths.

Anyone learning music theory will greatly benefit from learning the Circle of Fifths. For a great general overview of the Circle of Fifths, Keytar HQ explains how you can apply this theory to harmony and other aspects of your playing.

Okay, so you have mastered the Circle of Fifths and can recite the key signatures backwards and forwards. Now what? The Circle of Fifths is also a great guide to help modulate to new keys in your music. This article from Certain Sparks talks about using the Circle to modulate and move around the various key signatures.

The Circle of Fifths is an essential part of music theory for every musician to learn. But, many are not aware of how they can actually apply music theory in their music. Andre Tonelli will teach you how to apply the Circle of Fifths to your guitar playing:

Cliff Diving

The music industry has undergone such a fundamental, radical shift in the past two decades that it’s difficult to see where anything about it is the same as it was before.

But after 25 years in “the business”, Nashville insider Cliff Goldmacher – who has penned hits with the likes of Ke$ha, Keb’ Mo’, Mickey Hart, and Spencer Day, to name a few – has witnessed the qualities and skills that still remain crucial to any musician’s success. Find out what you will need to succeed in The Music Business: What’s Changed, What’s Stayed the Same, with Cliff Goldmacher.

Cliff talked about “disintermediation” and how the music industry has drastically changed in the digital era. One way that artists can meet their listeners is through live video and interviews. Jacqueline Jax talks about how to bring your audience “behind the music” with live interviews.

As music technology has changed, so has the format that many fans choose to receive their music. Cliff talked about how the modern musician needs to broaden their income stream if they want to be able to make a living playing their music. Music Gateway discusses the reduction in album sales and how to adapt to the changing industry.

Cliff talked about the importance of leveraging new channels to market music, taking advantage of the opportunities that digital media provides us. Mastering the Mix has this fascinating introduction to marketing your music.

The New Old

As musicians, we dream of creating something lasting and meaningful.

ChristineP took her old organizational skills and transformed her music learning, continuing to build new abilities to express herself musically. Gino Burgio forges new bands with age-old people skills. The ancient truth of the Circle of Fifths flows with an inexhaustible supply of creative new musical tools and ideas. And Cliff Goldmacher is part of a music industry that is charting a new course with old skills and values.

The post ChristineP, Lead the Band, Circle of Fifths, and The New Music Industry appeared first on Musical U.

We were particularly intrigued by ChristineP – a choral singer, jazz/middle-eastern flute improviser, and pianist – who has discovered how much the inner musical skills of ear training, solfa, sight-singing, and audiation touch on every aspect of her varied musical expression. ChristineP also articulates her learning steps clearly in her Progress Journals, inspiring other Musical U community members in their journeys – and we hope she inspires you as well!

ChristineP was gracious enough to share something of her musical life with us, as well has the steps that brought her to Musical U and keep her active in her training:

Growing up, there was lots of music in the house: many records, the radio, my mother’s piano, my sister’s recorder… My father taught himself guitar and clarinet, and I started playing flute in fifth grade. We children joined the church choir, and I played in school band and orchestra.

As a child, I taught myself to play piano using my mother’s method books. Then for many years after high school I didn’t have easy access to a piano. Several years ago I finally couldn’t stand the itch any more so I bought a piano and started taking piano lessons for the first time. I also joined a local chorus, and took a few years of voice lessons. More recently I’ve joined classes in jazz ensemble and middle eastern ensemble (both on flute) at the nearby music school.

I had, sporadically, a total of about a year of flute lessons at school, but otherwise didn’t have formal music lessons growing up. I think I did pretty well regardless, but, in particular, I didn’t have any formal ear training. Listening to music in the way that ear training asks you to do was completely foreign to me. So there’s a kind of aural understanding of what I’m hearing that I’m trying to learn to do with Musical U.

The group Euouae singing “Illumina oculus”, a chant notated in neumes in the St. Gall style.  Neumes are the notation that preceded our modern notation. One might think of them as being less precise than modern notation, but, in fact, they contain a rich expressiveness of their own which Euouae specializes in reading. The passion with which Sven Edward Olmos sings the solo part here (from [1:06]) astounds me.

I’m learning the music for my summer chorus’ concert in August. We’re singing an assortment of American music, culminating with Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

On Musical U, I’m working on the roadmap for playing tunes by ear using solfa [also known as solfege – Ed.].

I was stuck on aural identification of musical elements: e.g. intervals, chord qualities, whether a piece is in major vs. minor, etc.

On a piano forum that I read, the idea of “audiation” being a help in memorization was brought up frequently. I couldn’t make any sense of this: how could knowing how a piece sounded help me to play it? Eventually, I came to understand that there are actually people who can make the connection from the sound in their head, to what they should play. (And then came to want to gain that skill for myself.)

So then I wanted to understand more about what audiation means. That led me to the Musical U article “The Secret Music Practice Skill: Audiation” – but more importantly, to the Musicality Checklist. I filled it out, and from that became convinced that Musical U could help me with the many musicality skills I want to learn.

The biggest surprise was when I realized I can audiate. I discovered this while working on the major pentatonic scale.

The experience that particularly stands out is discovering that steady work over time has, in fact, increased my ability to work out tunes by ear, and to sight-sing based on understanding solfa.

The experiences and surprises I listed in the previous answer are all due to Musical U, so those are major benefits.

I also found it much easier to learn my chorus music this summer because of my practice with solfa and sight-singing from Musical U.

Beyond specific skills, I have learned how to tailor my musicality training to precisely my own needs, strengths, and weaknesses. From my progress journal:

Some long term goals I have for wanting to improve my musicality include: be able to find pitches precisely when I’m singing, be able to keep track of the form in my jazz ensemble better, have more ideas about what I’m expressing in my jazz flute improvisations.

Hmmm, that’s a hard question! I’m still working on the first roadmap that I chose, so in that sense my plans haven’t changed.

I find myself thinking about musical skills differently than when I started. With the encouragement and support at Musical U, I’m starting to feel like I’m exploring my own journey in musicality, rather than just learning things because someone else says I should.

The post Musical U Member Spotlight: ChristineP appeared first on Musical U.

The answer is to find someone who’s been around, and who moves with the times. Someone like Cliff Goldmacher – a Nashville industry insider with a 1000 + song catalog who’s collaborated with the likes of Keb’ Mo’, Ke$ha, Lisa Loeb, and Mickey Hart.

Last time we spoke, Cliff offered a fascinating view into his professional songwriting and collaboration process. Then – since Cliff has thrived through 25 + years of extraordinarily rapid change in the industry – we wanted to know more about what it takes to be in the music business today.

I look at this like a sliding scale: there’s talent and there’s work ethic.

Where it’s all talent and no work, you have to be at the super-duper genius level. This rarely works. Where it’s all work and no talent – this rarely works either. But anything in between starts to work pretty well.

If your work ethic at least matches your talent level, you’ve given yourself an opportunity.

Now, you don’t have to be Kurt Cobain, you don’t have to be Lady Gaga – you have to have talent. At some point talent becomes the least common denominator.

Last time we talked about that second-year hump in Nashville. One of the things that made that second-year mark in Nashville so daunting, for me, was the realization of how many people had talent. Like, all of a sudden I realized, “Oh. Oh wow. All right. If talent becomes the least common denominator, how am I going to set myself apart now?”  Like, if I don’t have the kind of talent that just makes people say “Well, it’s a no brainer.”

And by the way, for every Kurt Cobain, there are thousands and thousands and thousands of artists who don’t have that kind of talent, but with the right amount of effort can have a career. Whether it’s at his level, that only has partly to do with your talent and your work ethic. That’s also the planets lining up.

As far as skill set, it starts with this mindset: if you want people to pay for it, you have to think of it as a job. It’s not just, “I’m really good at this thing so the world is going come find me.” You have to work for this.

I saw a quote the other day that I absolutely loved:  “A lot of people don’t recognize opportunity because it comes disguised as hard work.” And it’s a lot of work. It’s not romantic work. There is nothing romantic about figuring out people to send your songs to. Nothing romantic about that. Romantic is writing the song, and that’s a great motivator. That’s the part that gets you up out of bed in the morning, but the other stuff is what keeps the lights on. You’ve got to do both.

An attorney friend of mine used this big fancy term and I love it: disintermediation. In other words, it went from the record labels as the ones that made all the decisions about what the public at large heard. Then all of a sudden, with the advent of social media and the internet, the playing field became completely leveled.

Anybody, now, can write a song and the next day have it available for worldwide distribution. That’s a miracle, but the noise level has gone up infinitely.

The opportunities utilize the same sort of old fashioned skill sets like marketing, like hard work – the opportunities are there for the people who aren’t just throwing their music out there and hoping it will stick.

Like, figuring out some sort of an angle and doing a video. I’m thinking of an example that comes to mind immediately: OK Go became famous not because their songs are good, which they are, but because their videos are these miraculously elaborate things where they’re on and off treadmills or doing human size Rube Goldberg machines and things like that.

They found a way to rise above the noise not just with their music, but with their marketing.

In a large part that is what has to happen now since everybody has the opportunity to get their music out to a wider audience.

Yeah.

Well, you’re reminding me of something  – now, it’s not enough to try and get a song on an artist’s album, right? Because albums are starting to almost fade into obscurity. Now, you have to have the song that they release as a single or nothing – no one will ever hear it…

Those other songs don’t go along for the ride anymore because people can download or stream individual songs, right? Do you know what that’s like? That’s like the 45s from the 1950s.

On one level, brand new model. On another level, there’s nothing new under the sun.

I bring that up because it’s extremely important to remember at the end of the day there are certain things that will always apply. What will always apply is hard work. What will always apply is figuring out a way to market or find an angle for your style of music, what it is you’re doing.

The way that things have probably most obviously changed is that the income streams have broadened and lowered. There are many more ways that you can make money for your songs now. If you get a song on YouTube and it has a million views and there are advertisers, you’re getting paid a piece of that action. Or that you get an album of yours on Pandora and it starts to get some spins. With SoundExchange, which is the company that monitors that and pays out songwriters, all of a sudden you’re making income there too. That’s great.

The problem is mechanicals, meaning the actual physical sales of CDs or cassettes or vinyls – all of that has dropped dramatically. So there are many, many more opportunities to sell your music and all of them pay much, much less. That’s probably the biggest change that I see at this point.

But I’m pretty much an inveterate optimist. I feel like this stuff is gonna shake itself out. Right now, you hear a lot of people screaming, there’s a lot of wringing of hands about the fact a song is played a million times on Spotify the guy gets eight cents or whatever the case may be. I’m not saying this is a problem, but this is also not set in stone.

I work on the board of an organization called NARAS, which is the National Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences, and they are the ones who are in D.C. lobbying for improved copyright law and for better rates for streaming. They’re also the folks that do the Grammys. This is a big organization. In the same way that movie people thank “The Academy”, this is “The Academy” for music. I can tell you that there are a lot of very committed people doing a lot of hard work to improve this scenario, but it’s slow going and people need to be educated.

For young songwriters thinking about doing this, still first and foremost, do it because you love it. Do it because you love it, and, second of all, don’t despair. There are good people working hard to make sure that this resolves itself in a reasonable way.

If you are moved to write songs if you are moved to do what you are doing, I don’t care who tells you they don’t like it, I don’t care whether you hear that more than you hear anything else. If you love what you’re doing and feel like you’re improving and you’re being true to your vision, then what it really takes is willing to continue to do this in the face of all that (at the worst) criticism – but more commonly, apathy.

I wrote songs for 15 years before a major label artist recorded one of my songs. That’s a really, really, really long time to wait before the industry says to me, “Hey, we think you’re ready.” Now, I knew personally how much I had improved from the time I moved to Nashville or wrote my first song, to the time that I got that song recorded by an artist on a major label.

I knew in my heart that I was improving, but it’s really hard to tell someone at a cocktail party what that means when you’ve got nothing to show for it, in the eyes of the larger world. Really, what it takes, if you want to know the truth – and this is where I’m going to sound like a broken record – you just have to keep working. If you are willing to work in the face of that kind of slow process or downright discouragement, then you have what it takes.

I keep coming back to this too, but it’s just so important. And I’ve mentioned this in some talks that I’ve done, and it’s a little bit crass. But I think it really drives the point home: writing songs only for the money is like getting married only for the sex.

What I mean by that is, essentially, “Look. If you do make money, that’s great.” And we all have that as a goal. I’m not going to lie to you – I have to make a living at this too. But the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning and the thing that makes me so excited when I’ve written new songs is that I love writing songs.

It’s not that I wrote something and I think, “Oh good, there’s my rent for next month.” I don’t look at it that way, and maybe I should, but I don’t think like that.

So if there’s any piece of advice I would leave your listeners with is you better be doing this because you love it.

Yep.

That’s exactly it.

The more things change…

The music business continues in its current state of rapid change and innovation. But the commitment to doing what you love, hard work in both the music and business sides of the equation, and old-fashioned marketing savvy remain the core of a successful musician’s skill set – putting the opportunity – and responsibility – squarely in your court.

The post The Music Business: What’s Changed, What’s Stayed the Same, with Cliff Goldmacher appeared first on Musical U.

No tribe is complete without a trusted and respected Chief. The bandleader will ensure that the momentum of the band is continuously monitored and carried forward. They understand how best to harness each member’s energy for the most efficient and effective progression of the band as a whole.

The Path to Progress

It is often a rare occurrence to have extremely skilled musicians working together in the same project. If the band does not demonstrate a clearly defined or shared bandleader role, the talented musicians will become frustrated at the lack of direction in the band, and move on to other projects that have a more promising future.

Crucial to a band’s success is the ability to move forward and attain tangible milestones with plans in place to do so, along with alternative solutions when these milestones are not reached. It’s imperative for the bandleader to understand why the milestones weren’t accomplished in the first place and ensure that they are aware of the best possible next step to continue moving forward.

When there is no bandleader or anyone taking accountability, there is no precedent and band morale takes a nosedive since nothing is being accomplished. It is the bandleader’s responsibility to create processes and continuously optimize practices to achieve the highest level of productivity possible. They must do this with a dedication to upholding democracy, where every voice is heard and empathised with.

Long story short: the bandleader puts the band’s needs first, and not their own.

Before we explore the role and characteristics of a bandleader, let’s look at the other commonly-encountered roles found in a band.

Roles

Although it is certainly possible for band members to display multiple roles at any given time, typically they will gravitate towards one of the three listed below.

As we will touch upon later, it is best for as many band members as possible to demonstrate bandleader characteristics. Members that have accumulated considerable experience and success in previous projects will tend to demonstrate bandleader characteristics. However, with less experienced band members/musicians, the roles they play tend to fall into one of three categories:

• The Workhorse
• The Contrary Mary
• The Comic Relief

Let’s take a closer look at these roles and discuss ways that an effective bandleader can harness their characteristics for the greater good of the band.

The Workhorse

The Workhorses are the ones that not only execute their assignments, but go above and beyond the call of duty and may even expand a little into additional areas associated with the assignment. Often, Workhorses do not feel comfortable delegating tasks to others, but do enjoy the structure of having clearly defined expectations of them so that they can deliver the goods.

Workhorses are traditionally punctual and are the last to leave practice, staying to ensure they know exactly what is expected of them for next practice.

Due to their strong work ethic and dedication to getting the job done, they are the first to become very discouraged when there is lack of order in the band or no sense of tangible accomplishment.

An easy way to keep band morale up as an effective bandleader is to positively reinforce the actions and tasks completed by the Workhorse. The idea is to have them lead by example to allow the other members to see how their dedication is contributing to the band’s success.

This allows the bandleader to accentuate the positive when there are gaps in productivity between members, and not have to single someone out directly that may be falling behind. This in turn allows the Workhorses to feel noticed and appreciated, thus continually keeping their spirits alive knowing that their hard work and efforts have not been in vain.

The Contrary Mary

Typically, there is that one member in the band that is not afraid to go against the grain and regularly challenge the band’s proposed working agenda or dynamics.

The Contrary Mary tends to see the worst in any situation. They are the doomsday proclaimers and are always voicing every possible thing that could go wrong in a situation.

Although these individuals may appear to bring morale down on the surface due to their ever-present dissonant attitude, their critique and alternate perspective are extremely useful and can be effectively harnessed by a strong bandleader for the betterment of the band.

An effective bandleader may utilize the Contrary Mary’s perspective to take into consideration all the possible holes in the overall game plan. As disappointing as it may seem to be reminded of potential negatives, it is incredibly rewarding to have a proactive Plan B in place for when anticipated shortcomings show their face.

Contrary Mary or Misfit?

One thing worth noting is that sometimes individuals join bands that they are not the best fit for musically. For example, their genre preference may not be aligned with the band’s agreed-upon style.

It’s useful to understand the difference between a Contrary Mary who genuinely loves the genre that the band is performing in but seems to focus on what could go wrong, and those that are simply a genre mismatch and would be happier performing in another project. Keeping open and honest communication with every member is the best way to truly understand what’s in their hearts to take note of any incongruences.

The Comic Relief

The Comic Relief is the band respite. Although it may seem to be an unwanted trait 90% of the time (read: when the band should be focusing and is interrupted), there are times that this member and their sense of humour will prove to be a band lifesaver.

When the band is being driven pretty hard and tension is rising between band members, the Comic Relief’s ability to sense tension is unlike any other. They will step in and provide the much-needed humour and perspective to remind everyone that at the end of the day, they are playing because they love music.

The Comic Relief is the tension release valve, and will sound the alarm whenever band tensions begin to rise past boiling point. A keen bandleader can use them as a band tension barometer, to know when to call for a break during a band practice or discussion.

Bandleader Characteristics

Now that we have provided some framework on the non-bandleader roles, let’s explore the key characteristics good bandleaders exemplify.

1. Confidence
2. Effective Listening
3. Micro/Macro Awareness
4. Task Delegation

These four traits help a bandleader manage the other members in a way that is collaborative and constructive, instead of bossy and belittling.

1. Confidence

No matter what you do in your musical career, or even life in general, confidence is one of the most important characteristics that will allow you continued success with each experience. Confidence is infectious; when you believe in yourself, so will others. As you accomplish each goal towards your success, you will gain a little more confidence along the way.

The only way to gain any real confidence is by taking action to gain more and more experience. You’ll never be able to become a bandleader if you lack the courage to take the first step and start acting as one. In the beginning, you will learn from every interaction and there is truly nothing to lose and everything to gain.

When you take yourself seriously in your ability to effectively act on behalf of the band’s best interest, it shows! The result: your bandmates will naturally respect you and follow your direction.

The More Bandleaders, the Better!

Although starting out there may be a bigger delineation between the bandleader and the previous roles mentioned in the beginning, as you become more successful and progress in your career with established musicians, you’ll find that experienced musicians will naturally demonstrate strong bandleader traits. Generally speaking, the higher the caliber of musicians in a band, the more bandleader characteristics each member demonstrates. These tried and true characteristics will realize success time and time again.

Experienced band members, regardless of what other roles they may have previously favored or demonstrated, will begin acting and contributing as bandleaders because they know the payoff is success; they interweave bandleader characteristics into their core fabric.

So when struggling with your confidence to be a strong bandleader, remember that it is not a competition or exclusive role to reign with an iron fist. It is an ideal perspective and principle that every member in a band should consider moving toward to optimize the band’s chance of success.

2. Effective Listening

To be an effective bandleader, you need to understand what is truly going on within the band dynamic to be able to create lasting change.

We have all been around people that just wait for your lips to stop moving so that they can blurt out a random point that has been addressed previously. Had that person actually stopped focusing on the point they felt was relevant and understood that communication is a process of data transfer between two individuals, time would be saved and everyone would be working smarter.

Regardless of how insignificant it may seem, when a band member is voicing their opinion, it is imperative to listen carefully to break down all of the areas of concern that may need to be addressed or further investigated.

A good technique to employ to become an effective listener is to repeat what you “think” you heard back to the band member and ask for validation. Doing so will help enable the band member to feel comfortable with your position as a leader, knowing that the band is working as a democracy and that their voice is being heard.

Furthermore, effective listening and understanding will also foster better communication. Better communication will allow you to discuss difficult items of concern such as the possible dismissal and replacement of a band member.

These discussions are best started with a side conversation with the member in question to see how they truly feel and coordinate any possible alternatives to keep the progress of the band moving forward. When communication is open and honest, challenging situations such as replacing a band member could be a positive experience for all individuals involved.

3. Micro/Macro Awareness

An effective bandleader must be diligent to listen for parts that are consistently not being executed correctly. It is equally important to understand when momentum and the cost benefit reward of focussing on such intricate details is not contributing to the bigger picture.

Macro – Big Picture Awareness

A bandleader should have a big picture understanding of items that need to be completed, why they need to be completed, and what date they should be completed by. It’s important to remind yourself of the big “macro” picture throughout every band practice to ensure that what you are doing today is going to have a significant impact on the goals that matter most.

A band message board is always a good idea. Dry erase boards seem to be visually stimulating, and are easily accessible and easy to update. The band should agree on what the most important big picture/long-term goals are. Together as a band, write the agreed-upon goals on the dry erase board as a reminder and holding place.

Regarding digital band communication, although we have today at our disposal the ability to use technology such as Google Drive and other cloud/cyber based locations for band communications, these cyber locations tend to get overlooked and forgotten. I have found that tangible displays, such as a dry erase board located directly in the band practice room, seem to serve for communicating band goals better than cyber locations.

At the beginning of every practice, the bandleader should be especially cognizant as to what the game plan for that day’s practice will be, and how it relates to the big-picture goals on the dry erase board. At the end of the practice, the bandleader should document what happened during the band practice in a journal. The following questions should be answered:

• What was planned?
• What was and wasn’t executed?
• What were the reasons something was or wasn’t executed?
• How was something difficult or challenging able to get executed?

Lastly, put everything together to determine what the agenda of the next band practice should be, and how it relates to the big picture. Using previous successes and challenges with similar items, you can then devise the best way to tackle the items on the agenda.

Remembering our previous characteristic of being an effective listener will assist when devising a game plan. Consult with band members for their feedback to devise the agenda for the next band practice, and best ways to execute it!

Micro – The Devil is in the Details

As your musical career progresses, there will be a minimum level of expectation set for the band to execute songs at the appropriate proficiency level. It’s important to catalog and improve the “micro” elements that consistently being underperformed.

As mentioned above, it is recommended to have a journal available for documentation at every band practice. It doesn’t matter if it is logged on your phone, an excel spreadsheet, or a notebook.

When a song is practiced, it is a good idea to take a mental log of all of the areas that could use better execution. As soon as the song is done, quickly jotting down bullet points of areas to focus on and bringing them to the attention of the band in an open-ended way will help prevent anyone feeling like they are being singled out.

Instead of saying:

“Lizzy and Jim need to be more tight during the bridge!”

Try more open wording, such as:

“I’m not sure if I heard something a little off during the bridge, but I’d feel more comfortable if we played this song again, and I’d like to ask everyone to pay extra attention to this section to help me figure out what might be off”.

The first approach comes off as criticizing Lizzy and Jim, whereas the second approach is much more collaborative and productive, as you are asking the entire band to help you figure out what is wrong with the song as a team and how to rectify it.

An added bonus of being able to pay careful attention to a micro level while performing is that it actually makes you a better musician. In order to simultaneously listen for opportunities for improvement from the band while performing your part, you will need to be proficient and performing your part from muscle memory.

4. Task Delegation

Rather than thinking of task delegation as barking orders at others and telling members what to do, think of it as a way to stimulate and encourage their inherent skills and creativity.

Outside of being talented musicians, your band members will have strong qualities and experience that may help the band accomplish some of its administrative goals that need tackling. Being able to keep any smaller administrative tasks in-house will ensure a greater deal of control over the end product, and even help keep costs down as an added benefit!

As a bandleader, you now see how there will be plenty of tasks to stay on top of. The more administrative tasks you can delegate to fellow band members, the more you can focus on continually refining and optimizing the band’s goals!

Being able to see potential in band members to execute certain administrative tasks such as designing band flyers/logos/website, managing social media, and creating set lists will help allow them to tap into latent areas of creativity just waiting to be ignited!

Remember to play to people’s strengths; it’s more effective to ask for volunteers and explain why you think one member might be a strong candidate for that assignment, rather than dictate that someone do something they don’t want to.

Playing to Everyone’s Strengths

Now that you’re familiar with the many roles within a band and what they entail, along with the characteristics that are essential for effective bandleaders, you are one step closer to leading your band to success!

Being aware of band members’ personality dynamics to see what roles they most closely identify with will give you a framework to utilize their unique perspectives for the greater good of the band.

Putting a group of talented musicians into a room with a general goal in mind is simply not enough; in order to reach your goals, you must first have clearly defined goals with a process in place and ways to monitor your progress. Using the characteristics mentioned above as a template, you have everything you need to build a strong foundation to be an effective bandleader.

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