Here's another quick music fact about the role of silence in music.I find myself playing less notes with age.I guess now,i play for the song and less for myself!Each single note has more meaning.Think about it,without silence,there could be no melody,or phrasing,or feeling!So...silence is a vital part of music and melody.And a recent article expressed the same with the music of Thelonious Monk!
Monk's "less is more" playing was especially evident when Monk performed with other musicians.
'Oh, well, there's not a flurry of notes like Art Tatum or Earl Hines.
"If he has no music to make, he doesn't fill out a single bar with faked blowing or rambling." If Monk couldn't say it in his own way, he didn't say it.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95561560
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Quick Music Fact .....Silence
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis...Doin It Up
It's been more than 35 years since these R&B/pop icons first connected as high school students. Although their roots were in performing — the two founded Minneapolis funk band Flyte Tyme, which evolved into The Time — their work on the S.O.S. Band's hit “Just Be Good to Me” put them on the production map, and after collaborating with Janet Jackson on her 1986 smash Control, their careers skyrocketed. Jam and Lewis became one of the most successful and influential songwriting/production teams of the '80s and '90s, shaping the pop sounds of those decades and laying the groundwork for pop and R&B music made today.
The sheer number of hits they've produced is staggering: 100 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum albums; 16 Number One pop singles; 26 Number One R&B singles. Just as far-reaching is the diversity of talent they've fostered, from Mariah Carey to Sting, from Mary J. Blige to Bryan Adams.
These days, Jam and Lewis continue to produce music and are involved in various business ventures including a record label and a publishing company — and Jam is heavily involved in industry outreach through his role as Chairman of the Board of the Recording Academy.
More at MixOnline
http://mixonline.com/studios/profiles/on-cover-jam-lewis-keep-hits-coming-flyte-tyme/
Monday, October 13, 2008
Carlos Santana Says Guitarist Derrick Trucks
A question asked by a fan,to Carlos Santana was,what guitarist did Carlos feel was going to be the new hot guitarist warrior.His answer is Derrick Trucks, http://www.derektrucks.com/index.html .
I know of Derrick Trucks through one of my students.He is one of the guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band,and also does a lot of outside projects along with his own ventures.He is quite the slide player and his chops are very versatile!So give him a listen and check out the Carlos question/answer video over at The Rolling Stone.... http://www.rollingstone.com/flashplayer?feature=rtmp://flashplay.rbn.com/a41/d1/rstone/rstone/download/flash/santanafan1.flv&title=Santana&desc=Ask%20a%20Rock%20Star
and... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDkFcwmAuY
AC/DC...Black Ice...Reaches 500,000 Downloads
Yes,that's right...500,000 downloads,before,it has even been released!
AC/DC has become the most popular currently active rock band in the United States, to judge by albums sold. Since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan started tracking music sales, this Australian band has sold 26.4 million albums, second only to the Beatles, and more than the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin.
Irish Rock Band 'The Answer',is to open for AC/DC.
www.acdc.com
Guitar Video Lessons...Vanderbilly
PC World just listed a pretty cool site for guitarist, http://www.vanderbilly.com/ .It focuses on learning popular songs through video.Along with that,the site has an ok forum and is still developing their gear review section.But the video section is fairly good.The sites own description...so,check it out "future Jimmy Page clones"!
Vanderbilly is fun, easy to use, 100% free and the coolest online guitar video lessons web site in the world! You can easily learn every riff of your favorite songs by your favorite guitar players. Don't spend weeks trying to figure this stuff out, let us do the dirty work. There's no need to learn tablature or read music. Simply watch the slow motion videos and listen to the instructors as they share their secrets and demystify the guitar parts you love. You can even log into your own private area and view your favorite videos at regular or half speed. You will finally have an insiders view of the best solos and guitar part ever written. We explore the styles of Page, Clapton, Hendrix, Van Halen, Vai, SRV, Eric Johnson, Schon, Santana, Satriani and the rest of your favorite guitar players. Their secrets are exposed in slow motion video by professional instructors. Can't find a specific song or solo? Request it and we might crank it out.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Fans Name Eminem ...."Best Rapper Alive"
NEW YORK, October 7, 2008 –VIBE has today announced Eminem as the winner of the Best Rapper Alive competition. The Detroit native beat out New York’s rap king Jay-Z in the Final Round with 69 percent of the votes, crowning him as the people’s choice for the true king of hip hop. The results of the contest are detailed in VIBE’sNovember 2008 issue hitting newsstands October 21st.
http://www.vibe.com/magazine/press-releases/2008/10/fans_named_eminem_best_rapper_alive/
http://www.eminem.com/html/
Eminem is one of the highest-selling musicians of the early 2000s. He has sold over seventy million albums worldwide, and is one of the highest-selling rap artists of all time.
Eminem was discovered by rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who later signed Eminem to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment.
Lil Wayne Gets One Mill From Pops On B'Day
Lil Wayne has no regrets about resigning to Cash Money Records last month. At his 26th birthday party in Miami early this week, Baby gave Wayne a Louis Vuitton briefcase…stuffed with a million dollars cash.
http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2008/10/lilwayne_birthday/
http://www.lilwayne-online.com/main.aspx
Friday, October 10, 2008
Win An Autographed Fender® Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster® Guitar!
Equally significant to Fender fans, the release of Perpetual Flame coincides with the November 2008 release of the Fender Custom Shop 100-instrument Yngwie Malmsteen Tribute Series Stratocaster, a.k.a. “Play Loud,” guitar replica. The instrument is a meticulous recreation of the infamous and battle-hardened 1971 Stratocaster guitar that fueled Malmsteen’s meteoric rise to metal stardom, complete with heavily worn Olympic white finish, scalloped fingerboard and distinctive body graphics.
http://www.fender.com/yngwie/english/giveaway.php
