A little Encouragement/Advice for Musicians (Community Involvement)

[DBG2k5]

Here is a thread that will give help & insight for musicians who feel they are JUST about to get over that 'hump' but don't really know what the next step to take.  Adding your own experiences to this post is EXTREMELY encouraged and GRATEFULLY appreciated.

1. Start buying DVD's of your favorite artists instead of CD.  The cost, especially at Wal-Mart, are about the same as if you were getting the CD.  Some of your favorite songs are played for an extended period of time & musicians have more licks they'll play and you'll be able to hear them.  The mastering process for a DVD is not the same as a CD and certain runs and fills you'll hear an organ or piano play you won't hear on a CD.  If the camera catches it, you'll also see the fingering.

2. NEVER miss an opportunity to play with ANY other musicians.  Certain runs you can't figure out, someone else did, and vice versa.  Also, you'll be amazed at who thinks YOU are the tight player in the band.

3.  Seriously, start listening to what 'other' christians are singing.  I mean if you're black, start listening to what whites are singing.  This will help build your arsenal of songs and also will develop your ad-lib skills for when you hear a song you like and you wanna change it up to suit your liking or your church's liking.

4.  If you can, start paying attention to CD's you KNOW are not being played on the radio.  Of course, your town will have your local artists in a particualar store that you need to help out, but also go to Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. and check out CD's that are out by certain artists.  iTunes really doesn't do a good job keeping up to date gospel music so I wouldn't lean on that too heavy.  I've learned in my experience that when an artist's second or third album is released, if that album is good, people will start to purchase the previous CD's.  With you already having it, you'll be ahead of the game.  I myself JUST realized that PAJAM produced marvin sapp's 'nothing else matters' CD.  That was about two or three years before you started hearing their name regularly.

5.  Wait your turn.  Your turn is coming for your shine to be flashing folks in the face.  Each musician has levels to achieve and sooner or later, that musician that you idolize and wanna be like will find opportunities to advance their career and by doing so, will leave a vacancy where you've been staring at.  Just be patient and find that time to practice and get good at your skill.  Of course there will be times when your favorite musician will have circumstances come up from time to time and you're gonna have to fill in anyway.  Those are the times where you do not do 'over' what's necessary.  Let the church know, 'hey I got skills too.  Given the opportunity I can be an effective part of this ministry just like the other guys.'  Nine times out of ten doing this MIGHT pave your OWN way to where other people are idolizing YOU.

[Vangie D]

thanks for the share!

[Fenix]

Can you add watching other people's fingers when they play. I do this all the time, i watch other people and how they finger their chords or what chord shapes they use, how they finger their scales and all that stuff. It really helps.

[DBG2k5]

Watching other fingering when you're playing will definitely get chord progressions that are difficult under control.  Especially if you're a one man band and you have to play bass lines in your left hand.  Theory will help out a lot but practicing on your fingering will give you a smoother transition to various chords in your arsenal.  If you're used to one chord build, try inverting it.  (Ex: If you're used to playing CEG try EGC or GCE.  A GCE chord will relax your wrists/hands when you decide to be a little fancy and do a circle of 4 run)

[jlewis]

Good post.   But just for the record,  make sure that you develop your own style while at the same time  learning form other folks.

One thing that happened to me ( very recently)   was that  I  saw some cats playing ( actually  a paticular piano player),   and I was VERY impressed with this person's  style of playing.  I was so impressed that I became very frustrated with my  own style. 

I'm still trying to develop my paticular style  but I hampered myself for a long time because I was basically disgusted with the way I sounded.   What was funny was that most (non musician) folks couldn't tell the difference.     But I was personally  about ready to throw my keyboard out in the garbage........

Another thing to do is to really learn to read music.   I have discovered some really nice voicings for some common chords simply be reading the hymnal.  You don't have to be a pure sight reader to find some musical nuggets ( because I am not).   But they are right there in the  hymn book if you open it up.


Jlewis

[DBG2k5]

Good post.   But just for the record,  make sure that you develop your own style while at the same time  learning form other folks.

One thing that happened to me ( very recently)   was that  I  saw some cats playing ( actually  a paticular piano player),   and I was VERY impressed with this person's  style of playing.  I was so impressed that I became very frustrated with my  own style. 

I'm still trying to develop my paticular style  but I hampered myself for a long time because I was basically disgusted with the way I sounded.   What was funny was that most (non musician) folks couldn't tell the difference.     But I was personally  about ready to throw my keyboard out in the garbage........

Another thing to do is to really learn to read music.   I have discovered some really nice voicings for some common chords simply be reading the hymnal.  You don't have to be a pure sight reader to find some musical nuggets ( because I am not).   But they are right there in the  hymn book if you open it up.


Jlewis

That's how I learned to play 'Holy, Holy, Holy'.  Yesterday, the baptist state youth rehearsal sung that song and me and ONE other person knew how to really put some 'stank' on the hymn.  He played piano while I played the acoustic guitar sound.  Of course, the hymn was later jazzed up and the rest of the 8 musicians played then.

[T-Block]

My 1st piece advice is to learn from all genres of music.  Even if u hate the lyrics of those songs, u can at least get something out of the music itself.  If it's jazz or a genre with not much lyrics, then u got u some musical ideas right there.  Every little bit helps, even commercial music can help give u new ideas.

Second, practice as much as u can.  I believe there is no such thing as too much practice, only too much ineffective practice.  Once u learn how to practice correctly, the more of it u have the better.

Third, apply what u have practiced and leanred IMMMEDIATELY.  Don't wait for your new found chords and/or techniques to wear off, put them into play right away.  Allow it to become a part of your playing, that way u won't forget it.

5.  Wait your turn.  Your turn is coming for your shine to be flashing folks in the face.  Each musician has levels to achieve and sooner or later, that musician that you idolize and wanna be like will find opportunities to advance their career and by doing so, will leave a vacancy where you've been staring at.  Just be patient and find that time to practice and get good at your skill.  Of course there will be times when your favorite musician will have circumstances come up from time to time and you're gonna have to fill in anyway.  Those are the times where you do not do 'over' what's necessary.  Let the church know, 'hey I got skills too.  Given the opportunity I can be an effective part of this ministry just like the other guys.'  Nine times out of ten doing this MIGHT pave your OWN way to where other people are idolizing YOU.

Now that's perhaps the best advice right there, WAIT.  It ain't gonna happen overnight, but if u stick with it, the opportunity will come.

[Cheetara23]

That's great advice. One thing that I've lacked over the years is a mentor. I'm still learning to play the drums, but haven't had a mentor or much instruction for a while now. Shame but I never really thought to look at the artists DVDs for drumming  . But I will Definitely be doing that now!!

[jaelin79]

Good post.   But just for the record,  make sure that you develop your own style while at the same time  learning form other folks.

One thing that happened to me ( very recently)   was that  I  saw some cats playing ( actually  a paticular piano player),   and I was VERY impressed with this person's  style of playing.  I was so impressed that I became very frustrated with my  own style. 

I'm still trying to develop my paticular style  but I hampered myself for a long time because I was basically disgusted with the way I sounded.   What was funny was that most (non musician) folks couldn't tell the difference.     But I was personally  about ready to throw my keyboard out in the garbage........

Another thing to do is to really learn to read music.   I have discovered some really nice voicings for some common chords simply be reading the hymnal.  You don't have to be a pure sight reader to find some musical nuggets ( because I am not).   But they are right there in the  hymn book if you open it up.


Jlewis

Oh my God...this just helped me...

[BigFoot_BigThumb]

Good post.   But just for the record,  make sure that you develop your own style while at the same time  learning form other folks.

That's right on point.

That's exactly how I roll as a drummer.  I also used those exact words when other drummers have asked me for playing advice.  If you play just like somebody else, you'll always be compared to them and never carve your own niche.  No one can really compare me to anyone because I have flipped it so much.  My footwork and driving grooves are my calling card.  One friend could make out my Clyde Stubblefield(James Brown) influence when I broke out the ghost notes on the snare.