11 Dec 2021

Nerd Note #1

by | posted in: Culture Notes, Instruction, Musical Development, Nerd Notes, Now | 0

I am a musical nerd.  I have been known to overwhelm people.  I’ve been learning to talk “normal”. Teaching English to students from ages 3 to 70 has helped me come down to Earth. I desire connection through music.  Students make it clear when they aren’t experiencing connection with the teacher, or the material.  The audience lets me know when they can’t relate to the song. Perhaps you, dear reader, also have nerdy tendencies. It has been said that all … Read More
13 Oct 2021

“I Don’t Know”

by | posted in: Energy Aware, Health Matters, Instruction | 0

This is a powerful statement that a man sometimes says to himself.  It frees him to ask questions, unbinds him from emotional traps.  Liberating! It refreshes him, to have regular periods of emptying out, of being nothing.  Identifying as “I am this”, “I am that” requires a lot of energy, making him tired.  To become nothing, he has to take out the trash accumulated in his mental/emotional house. When taking himself too seriously, or not seriously enough, me might say: … Read More
26 Oct 2020

3 AM

by | posted in: Instruction, Music Releases, Musical Development | 0

This song is blues, and a prayer for us all to  fully own our greatest gifts:  Our Voices, and Imaginations.  This is for you  if you have lost your voice and want to get it back.  This is for you if you don’t have a dream for your life.  This is a lament for everyone who has a song in them, but doesn’t dare to write it.  We remember how to dream, we remember how to re-member.  “The Young Fool … Read More
18 Oct 2017

Quantize Me! How I Got Rhythm.

by | posted in: Instruction, Musical Development | 0

Rhythm is the pulse of music; the backbone.  It separates music from noise.  Coherent rhythm brings more harmony into our bodies, and into our lives. Different rhythms suit us at different times. Some are good for waking up, for exercising,  for studying, and others for going to sleep. Our personal rhythms vary with the time of day, the phases of the Moon, Sun, and so on. Rhythms affect people differently. Each of us has a unique rhythm in our lives. … Read More
12 Oct 2017

Introduction to Ear Training

by | posted in: Instruction, Musical Development | 0

Introduction to Ear Training:  How To Play What You Hear If you can sing what you are hearing, you can then begin to find the notes on your instrument. I’ve always had a good ear, and good feeling, for music. I was lucky to be born into a family where my parents sang all the time, and where I got to hear a wide variety of music from a very early age. I believe that there are many different kinds … Read More