Becoming an Expert Learner, with Josh Plotner

New musicality video:

Today we’re talking with Josh Plotner, a man who plays seemingly pretty much every woodwind instrument, from saxophones to flutes to recorders to clarinets – and a ton of world instruments you may never have heard of. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/becoming-an-expert-learner-with-josh-plotner/

Josh works on Broadway and also provides recording and arranging services both in person and online, drawing on his amazingly broad wind skills. And he came across our radar because he also produces two fantastic kinds of YouTube video, one in which he very punchily explains the must-know rules for arranging for particular instruments in a sensible way, and the other in which he arranges popular music such as TV themes for a variety of instruments – and then plays every part himself!

We wanted to know what had gone into the music education of a person who could do all this, and the conversation was truly enlightening. You’re going to hear about:

– Josh’s early days and the surprising attitude that let him quickly learn more instruments than most of us have dreamed of ever playing

– The one critical thing Josh says is the essence of his attitude to learning and which is simple – though perhaps not easy.

– And the amount of daily practice it took to juggle an endless array of ensembles and groups during his high school years, as well as the way he thinks about practicing now that lets him stay in shape on all those instruments.

We know you’re gonna enjoy this episode and we think it might provoke you to think differently about your own route in learning music – or to better understand the route you have chosen. And we must insist that you go immediately after finishing listening, and check out some of Josh’s YouTube videos. We’ll have a few recommended favourites in the shownotes for this episode.

Listen to the episode: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/becoming-an-expert-learner-with-josh-plotner/

Links and Resources

Josh Plotner’s website : https://www.joshplotnermusic.com/

Josh’s YouTube channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLD0Y_j9XMwSMGob6IdQtRw

Game of Thrones Theme – Woodwinds Only : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIZlzy3tu-Y

This is Halloween – Woodwinds Only : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV52Lh9Y4es

How to Write for Clarinet in 2 Minutes : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9RKXcUlsho

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck : https://www.amazon.ca/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

The Dunning-Kruger Effect : https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/becoming-an-expert-learner-with-josh-plotner/

If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review

Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
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Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Becoming an Expert Learner, with Josh Plotner

About Listening as the Route to Musicality

New musicality video:

The Musical U team tackles the topic of active and deliberate listening, and the benefits it brings to your musicality. http://musicalitypodcast.com/111

Links and Resources
Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One – http://musl.ink/pod100

Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two – http://musl.ink/pod101

About Active Listening – http://musl.ink/pod35

About Learning Faster by Recording Yourself – http://musl.ink/pod11

If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review

Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

===============================================

Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

About Listening as the Route to Musicality

Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo

New musicality video:

Today we’re joined by Marc Gelfo, a self-described “Neuro-symphonic Hornist” who has played French Horn in some of the top symphony orchestras and is the creator of the Modacity music practice app which helps you practice music more effectively and enjoyably. http://musicalitypodcast.com/110

When we first came across the Modacity music practice app, we were impressed. But quite often the research and literature around music practice seems to end up being quite divorced from the actual expressive and creative nature of music itself, so since it’s quite a scientific and sophisticated app, our first assumption was that the creator was probably quite a technical guy. In fact, we discovered that nothing could be further from the truth!

Marc’s a fascinating guy and in this conversation we talk about:

– What an epic road trip taught him about what his French Horn could do

– How you can start connecting with the more expressive side of music-making, even if you don’t consider yourself creative or artistic

– The principles that can transform the effectiveness of your music -practice and get you better results faster, and in a more enjoyable way.

Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/110

Links and Resources

Marc Gelfo’s website – http://marcgelfo.com/

Modacity – https://www.modacity.co/

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck – https://www.amazon.ca/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

About Deliberate Practice in Music – http://musl.ink/pod63

Interview with Prof. Anders Ericsson – http://musl.ink/pod62

If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review

Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo

Avoiding Guitar Injuries with Max from IWillTeachYouToPlayGuitar.com

New musicality video:

Learn how to spot red flags, respond in time, and prevent harm so you can keep on rockin’ non-stop. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-avoid-guitar-injuries/

You love music.

You’ve watched many of your musician heroes out there playing the living hell out of an instrument to the point that it wails like no banshee has ever done before.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you adopted these figures as a reference, as something to aspire to, as role models.

As such, you start feeling that it would be nice to play to that level, until one day you decide to go all-in: you get yourself an instrument and start practicing day in and day out.

That sounds great… up until the moment you hurt your wrist and get your arm confined to a cast for two months.

Broken armIn addition to hurting, you now have trouble doing your chores, maybe even working, which ends up being quite an expense…

Your case might not be so extreme, but are you already at risk of hurting yourself?

There is only so much punishment our bodies can take before snapping. Although it might seem that playing an instrument is fun, your body doesn’t understand fun – all it does know is contraction and relaxation of the muscles, together with tension in the joints and pressure in the cartilage.

This means that while you are having fun, your body is being exerted, and too much of a good thing usually ends up being pretty bad.

In this article, I’ll show you what you need to know about prevention of injuries while playing an instrument, including how to know when enough is enough, and how to push the envelope as safely as possible. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-avoid-guitar-injuries/

With Guest Expert Max Chossi from http://www.iwillteachyoutoplayguitar.com/

And Check out Max’s YouTube Channel here! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCACIjItcLSQ2rD8HWQohM0A

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Avoiding Guitar Injuries with Max from IWillTeachYouToPlayGuitar.com

Piano: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

New musicality video:

In this month’s Instrument Packs we let loose Musical U’s Resident Pros on the topic of “Play it with feeling!” The results surprised us in their breadth, depth, and the variety of approaches to accessing that passion and bringing it to full expression in our music. http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Endless hours of scales, exercises, technique, ear training… Endless mind-spinning details of intonation, articulation, gear, career… Crazed obsession in its purest form. But why did we get into this music thing in the first place? Whatever happened to that deep well of emotion that first moved and inspired us to take on this musical beast?

And why is it so hard to drink from that well when it comes to our own music? http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Sara Campbell: https://sarasmusicstudio.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sarasmusicstudio/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SaraMusicStudio

→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Piano: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

Guitar: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

New musicality video:

In this month’s Instrument Packs we let loose Musical U’s Resident Pros on the topic of “Play it with feeling!” The results surprised us in their breadth, depth, and the variety of approaches to accessing that passion and bringing it to full expression in our music. http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Endless hours of scales, exercises, technique, ear training… Endless mind-spinning details of intonation, articulation, gear, career… Crazed obsession in its purest form. But why did we get into this music thing in the first place? Whatever happened to that deep well of emotion that first moved and inspired us to take on this musical beast?

And why is it so hard to drink from that well when it comes to our own music? http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Dylan Welsh:
https://www.dwelshmusic.com/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwelshmusic

→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Guitar: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

Bass: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

New musicality video:

In this month’s Instrument Packs we let loose Musical U’s Resident Pros on the topic of “Play it with feeling!” The results surprised us in their breadth, depth, and the variety of approaches to accessing that passion and bringing it to full expression in our music. http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Endless hours of scales, exercises, technique, ear training… Endless mind-spinning details of intonation, articulation, gear, career… Crazed obsession in its purest form. But why did we get into this music thing in the first place? Whatever happened to that deep well of emotion that first moved and inspired us to take on this musical beast?

And why is it so hard to drink from that well when it comes to our own music? http://musl.ink/respackfeeling

Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Steve Lawson:

Welcome!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/solobasssteve

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solobasssteve/

→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros including Steve:
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Bass: Playing with Feeling Resource Pack Preview

About the Importance of Joy and Pleasure

New musicality video:

The Musical U team gets together to talk about the importance of having fun on your musical journey, and how it ties in with creativity, satisfaction, and achievement. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-the-importance-of-joy-and-pleasure/

Links and Resources

Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One – http://musicalitypodcast.com/100/

Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two – http://musicalitypodcast.com/101/

Sara’s Music Studio – https://sarasmusicstudio.com/

About Exploring Without Self-Judgement – http://musicalitypodcast.com/107/

About You Being Musical Inside Already – http://musicalitypodcast.com/105/

About Keeping It Simple – http://musicalitypodcast.com/103/

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

===============================================

Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

About the Importance of Joy and Pleasure

What You May Not Know About Blues Harmonica, with David Barrett

New musicality video:

Today we’re talking with David Barrett, one of the world’s leading harmonica teachers and experts in blues music. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-you-may-not-know-about-blues-harmonica-with-david-barrett/

David is the author of over 70 music education books including Mel Bay’s main harmonica tutor books, he is the founder of bluesharmonica.com, the leading online training provider for learning blues harmonica, and he has also somehow found the time to found and run the world’s only music school dedicated to the blues, the School of the Blues in San Jose, California. He is also a Grammy-Nominated blues harmonica player who still regularly performs and records.

We were really eager to pick David’s brains on harmonica, the blues and also improvisation, and he delivered 110% on all three.

In this conversation you’re going to hear:

– Why harmonica is both a very difficult and also a slightly easier instrument to figure out by ear

– Why it is that harmonica and the blues are so closely associated with one another

– What characterises blues music

– And how David teaches his students to go beyond just memorising licks and riffs and build musically-meaningful improvised solos that will connect with the audience

This is definitely not a conversation only for those of you into blues music or who play the harmonica. There is a ton packed in here that’s relevant for any instrument and style of music. That said, we suspect that by the end you may have had your mind and ears opened to the possibilities that blues and harmonica might hold for you, too…

Listen to the episode: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-you-may-not-know-about-blues-harmonica-with-david-barrett/

Links and Resources

BluesHarmonica.com – https://www.bluesharmonica.com/home

School of the Blues – http://www.schooloftheblues.com/

David’s Harmonica Masterclass – https://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/

David’s harmonicas of choice: Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas customized by Joe Filisko – http://www.filisko.com/customizer/

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

What You May Not Know About Blues Harmonica, with David Barrett

About Exploring Without Self-Judgement

New musicality video:

The Musical U team discusses the practice of exploring and pushing the boundaries of your musicality without self-judgement – and the wonderful breakthroughs it can lead to. http://musicalitypodcast.com/107

Links and Resources

Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One – http://musicalitypodcast.com/100/

Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two – http://musicalitypodcast.com/101/

About Keeping It Simple – http://musicalitypodcast.com/103/

About You Being Musical Inside Already – http://musicalitypodcast.com/105/

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

===============================================

Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

About Exploring Without Self-Judgement