In this episode, we discuss the roles that teachers, coaches, and mentors play in your musical growth, making connections and distinctions between them to help you understand what kind of help each provides in your journey.
Listen to the episode: http://musl.ink/pod91
Links and Resources
Interview with Andy Wasserman – http://musl.ink/pod90/
Interview with Jimmy Rotheram – http://musl.ink/pod70/
Interview with David Row – http://musl.ink/pod88/
Interview with Jeremy Dittus – http://musl.ink/pod46/
Interview with Casey McCann – http://musl.ink/pod32/
Interview with Shelle Soelberg – http://musl.ink/pod6/
Timbre (pronounced “tam’-ber”, like the first two syllables of the word “tambourine”) – what does it mean? http://musl.ink/respacktimbr
Timbre refers to what is often called “tone” or “tone color” – the quality of the sound of an instrument or voice. In essence, timbre is what makes one voice, one instrument sound different than another. But, beyond that, each instrument or voice is capable of producing a wide variety of timbres. Mastering and employing these timbres to you own expressive purposes adds a whole new dimension to your musicality.
Timbre can be shifted and shaped with a myriad of techniques – from which part of your finger strikes the string to the subtle touch of a key to how you dial in your electronics. Think of timbre as your musical paint set – whether you’re into rainbows or shades of grey, your tonal palette colors in the lines of your notes and chords.
How important is timbre?
Let’s put it this way: you can tear up your guitar fretboard at 1000 notes per second, play six-part polyphonic supra-vertical improv on your bass, or arrange and play a master mash-up of all Liszt’s Transcendental Études on your piano. But if your guitar sounds like the last strings you put on were dinosaur gut, your bass sounds like rubber bands on a wet shoebox, or your piano is a used mini keyboard purchased for 25 cents at your cat-loving neighbor’s garage sale from a bin marked “Special Discounts on Especially Smelly Items” …
Who wants to listen?
That’s why (in this month’s Instrument Packs) Musical U’s Resident Pros put together these special Resource Packs on the tasty topic of timbre.
http://musl.ink/respacktimbr
Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Sara Campbell: https://sarasmusicstudio.com/
Recently on the show we did an episode on something called the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (LCCOTO) with Andrew Bishko from our team. Andrew introduced me to this when he wrote a tutorial about the Lydian scale for our website, and in the process of putting that article together we came across a man called Andy Wasserman, one of just a handful of people in the world who is fully trained and certified to teach the Lydian Chromatic Concept. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/growing-into-a-mighty-oak-with-andy-wasserman/
So we were really keen to invite Andy onto the show to share a bit more about this – but as you’ll be hearing, Andy is actually a highly remarkable musician, composer and educator and we could have easily done a whole series of interviews with him!
Andy is a professional pianist, composer, arranger, performer and producer, in genres as diverse as Jazz, World Music (meaning West African, Asian, Middle East, Native American, Latin & Afro-Cuban, South American), Fusion, Funk, Hip-Hop, Electronica, Blues, New Age, and Gospel. You will have heard his music on TV and radio. And he’s had a fascinating journey to become the musician he is today.
We tried to reign ourselves in and focus on just a few topics, so in this conversation you’ll be hearing about:
– The four music mentors that helped Andy become the musician he is today, and the specific impact each had
– Andy’s view on talent and what we can learn from paying attention to the music that resonates with us
– And of course the Lydian Chromatic Concept created by his mentor George Russell, renowned composer and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant. It’s a framework for understanding music, which Andy has spent decades helping to develop and teach.
It’s a bit of a mouthful of a name, but as you’ll hear the Lydian Chromatic Concept is, in a way, quite simple – in the sense of being fundamental and universal. It’s not something we could ask Andy to actually teach in a podcast episode like this but we talk in depth about what the Concept is, the way it can transform how you hear and play music, and how to go about learning more about it if you want to experience that transformation for yourself.
Listen to the episode: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/growing-into-a-mighty-oak-with-andy-wasserman/
Links and Resources
Andy Wasserman Official Website – https://andywasserman.com/
Piano Lesson City: Andy Wasserman’s online one-on-one custom private lessons via webcam – https://pianolessoncity.com/
Andy Wasserman’s YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/TMSM078
All About Jazz website’s Andy Wasserman page – https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/andywasserman
Jazz Monthly Interview of Andy Wasserman – https://www.jazzmonthly.com/andy-wasserman/
George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept Tribute page at AW.com – https://andywasserman.com/music-theory/george-russell-s-lydian-chromatic-concept
George Russell Official Website – https://georgerussell.com/
Official LCCOTO website and Forum (Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization) – http://lydianchromaticconcept.com/main.html
Jazz Profiles: Six articles on life, career and music of George Russell by Steve Cerra – https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2018/03/jazz-literature-on-career-of-composer.html
About the Lydian Chromatic Concept – http://musl.ink/pod75/
The Lydian Scale: Seeking the Ultimate Mysteries of Music – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/lydian-scale-seeking-ultimate-mysteries-music/
Book: The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization: The Art ad Science of Tonal Gravity (order from Concept Publishing only!) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0970373902?m=A20HR68DD588R0&ref_=v_sp_widget_detail_page
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
In this episode Christopher and Andrew talk about the musicality of playing multiple instruments. How becoming more musical makes it easy to pick up a second (or third, or fourth!) instrument – and how playing more than one instrument can help you become more musical. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-playing-multiple-instruments/
Links and Resources
Interview with Andrew Bishko – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/the-musicality-of-sitting-on-a-rock-with-andrew-bishko/
About the Lydian Chromatic Concept – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-the-lydian-chromatic-concept/
Interview with David Row – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/folk-frameworks-and-fun-with-david-row/
Article: Seven Reasons to Learn a New Instrument – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/seven-reasons-to-learn-a-new-instrument/
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Today we’re joined by David Row of the Make Moments Matter website and podcast. David is an elementary music teacher in the US who specialises in the Orff method of music teaching. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/folk-frameworks-and-fun-with-david-row/
Orff is something we’ve mentioned a couple of times on the show before because it’s one of a few approaches that really puts musicality at the heart of music learning. And although these days it’s mostly used for early music education and David’s experience is predominantly with young children, we think you’ll find there’s plenty of interesting ideas here for the adult music learner too.
In this conversation we talk about:
– David’s two quite different experiences of learning music growing up, singing harmony in church and taking piano lessons, and what he learned from each
– Why David chose to study the Orff approach to music education even though he had already qualified and started working as a school music teacher
– The specific benefits of the Orff approach for children and for adults.
We found this one really enlightening – so whether you’ve wondered about Orff or never heard of it before we hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Listen to the episode: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/folk-frameworks-and-fun-with-david-row/
Links and Resources:
Make Moments Matter – https://makemomentsmatter.org/
Make Moments Matter podcast – https://makemomentsmatter.org/podcasts/
Interview with Casey McCann – http://musl.ink/pod32/
Interview with Jimmy Rotheram – http://musl.ink/pod70/
Elementaria: First Acquaintance with Orff-Schulwerk, by Gunild Keetman – https://www.amazon.ca/Elementaria-Acquaintance-Orff-Schulwerk-Gunild-Keetman/dp/0946535051/
David’s blogpost on Rhythm Syllable Systems – https://makemomentsmatter.org/classroom-ideas/rhythm-syllable-systems-what-to-use-and-why/
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
In this episode, we introduce you to frequencies in music, discuss why they’re important, and give you a simple primer on the fascinating science behind them. http://musicalitypodcast.com/87
Links and Resources
Interview with Allan Hubert-Wright – http://musl.ink/pod86/
Interview with Jeremy Fisher – http://musl.ink/pod76/
About the Word “Tone” – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-the-word-tone/
About the Word “Tone”, Part Two – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-the-word-tone-part-two/
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Today we’re joined by Allan Hubert-Wright, the founder of Le Chanteur Moderne, one of the most respected voice training institutes in France, and one which is remarkable for using modern voice science to help singers and singing teachers be more effective by leveraging what we actually know about the human voice. http://musicalitypodcast.com/86
He is also the director of the voice department at the prestigious IFPRO performing arts school in Paris and conducts ongoing research into vocal function.
We recently had the chance to see Allan give a presentation, and we came away determined to have him on the show, because he shares the kinds of thing that can save years of frustration, confusion and wasted effort. So whether you don’t sing at all yet, you’re at the beginning of learning to sing, or you’ve been singing for years, you’re going to want to pay attention!
In this conversation we talk about:
– Why being told he was a bad singer as a child didn’t hold him back
– How he helped one singer finally find her own authentic voice after years of imitating various singers and styles
– And we bust three big myths in singing: about breathing and support, about what to eat and drink, and about how to correctly produce vowel sounds.
This conversation was such a pleasure and we know it’s going to be an enlightening one for any of you listening who sing or who would like to – but find some of the teaching a bit confusing.
Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/86
Links and Resources
Le Chanteur Moderne – http://www.chanteurmoderne.com/
Le Chanteur Moderne on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lechanteurmoderne
Singing and Teaching Singing: An Holistic Approach to Classical Voice, by Janice Chapman – https://www.amazon.ca/Singing-Teaching-Holistic-Approach-Classical/dp/1597564265
Vocology, by Ingo Titze – https://www.amazon.com/Vocology-Science-Practice-Voice-Habilitation/dp/0983477116
Principles of Voice Production, by Ingo Titze – https://www.amazon.ca/Principles-Voice-Production-Ingo-Titze/dp/013717893X
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Choosing the perfect online course for you is half the battle. The other half is ensuring that you stay engaged and motivated so you can complete the course and get as much out of it as possible. Learn all about how you can be proactive and smart about your course to maximize your odds of success. http://musicalitypodcast.com/85
Links and Resources
About Choosing an Online Music Course: http://musl.ink/pod79
About Good Music Habits: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-good-music-habits/
Interview with David Asher Brown: http://musl.ink/pod78
Today we’re joined by Bree Noble, who as well as being an award-winning singer-songwriter is the founder of the Female Musician Academy and host of two popular podcasts, Women of Substance Radio and the Female Entrepreneur Musician podcast, both of which we listen to ourselves. http://musicalitypodcast.com/84
One of the parts of musicality that we haven’t covered so much on the podcast so far is the topic of performing, and finding ways to share the music you love, perhaps even music you’ve written yourself, with an audience. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while then you know we’re not about to tell you that there is one single correct path to follow and that all serious musicians should do it a certain way when it comes to performing or publishing music. But we do think that whatever way, shape or form it may take for you, music is fundamentally about the human connection, and finding a way to share your music-making is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your musical life.
Bree is a total expert on a couple of topics that may be of interest to you, if you’ve had the urge to perform as a musician, or to share music you’ve created yourself – but you haven’t known where to start, you’ve worried it’s too late for you, or you’ve wondered if it might even be possible to make some money with your music.
In this conversation we talk about:
– Bree’s own journey of struggling to figure out how to make a living with her music
– The barriers and concerns that hold musicians back from getting their music out there and getting paid
– And the sheer variety of options available today for getting your music heard, building up your presence as an artist and making some money with the music you love.
We also ask Bree something you might have wondered yourself on hearing the names of her projects a moment ago, which is why she is particularly passionate about helping female musicians specifically, and the advantages that come from focusing specifically on women in music.
This is a conversation which is sure to open some new doors in your mind and spark new inspiration about what your own musical life could look like, so please enjoy.
Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/84
Hi, this is Christopher, Founder of Musical U, and thanks for joining me for this look inside what’s new in Musical U this month. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/whats-new-musical-u-june-2018/
This month we had four big things to share:
1. The first was new Resource Packs in our instrument packs for guitar, bass, piano, on the topic of “major vs. minor”.
2. We have a new live masterclass happening this coming weekend, so if you’re watching this at the right moment, you can still register and come along to that live, and after that, the recording will be available inside Musical U for members.
3. We have a new lesson on where chords come from to help with a sticking point that some of our members were hitting in one of our most popular modules.
4. And finally some new tour dates – our Resident Pro for guitar, Dylan Welsh, is hitting the road and he shared with us the places he’ll be playing this summer.
Let’s take a look! You can watch this video or read on for more details: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/whats-new-musical-u-june-2018/