Originally posted on Good Music Speaks:
Sadly, I learned that keyboardist and composer Keith Emerson died this past week from what the coroner has determined was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was suffering from depression and anxiety mainly over some nerve damage in his hands hampering his ability to play keyboards. It seems that depression…
Category: How
What Miles Meant By “Do Not Fear Mistakes. There are None.”
How Miles Davis lived the words attributed to him: Do not fear mistakes. There are none.
Take a Sonic Trip with Genadi Tkachenko
Check out Ukranian vocalist Genadi Tkachenko. His practice has resulted in an amazing range, both pitch-wise (high to low), but timbre-wise, too. Wow!
Rare Footage: Hendrix Concert, 1969, Royal Albert Hall
Before it gets yanked, check out the hard-to-find footage of the whole 1969 Jimi Hendrix Experience concert at Royal Albert Hall.
637 GB of (free) Classic Jazz (1921-1991)
Want to hear what Billie Holiday sounded like when she just started out? Ooo, are you in for a treat. There’s a bit Ms. Holiday’s tough history before the music starts. Have a listen. There’s way more music and history in this archive, but this is a great place to start. You can download or stream any…
The Great Udini: Renato Martins
Brazillian percussionist Renato Martins plays the udini, a smaller version of the udu, sometimes known as “water udus” (see the vid below to find out why “water” is in the title).
You Never Got to Play These Recorders in Grade School
These people in “The Royal Wind Music” never stopped playing recorder after grade school. See what you’re missing? I bet you’ve never seen/heard a contra-bass recorder before. Beautiful.
How to Play A Wooden Plank Like a Boss
To practice is human, to play, devine. We all practice something. The focus of this blog is music practice. In the coming months, I’ll be posting interesting videos of people making music, showing the fruits of long hours of practice. Little (or no) commentary from me. The music will, I hope, speak for itself. That’s what music does…
What if Feels Like to Learn a New Instrument
Destin over at Smarter Every Day creates such fun, informative videos. This one has nothing to do with music, but everything to do with learning (and unlearning) a complex motor neuron task, like playing an instrument. Think you could ride this bike? I bet you can’t.
No Instrument? No Excuse.
Instruments are expensive, especially the good ones. A bow for an upright bass or a violin can easily be found for $40,000 or more. A freaking bow.
Still, not having an instrument shouldn’t stop you from making music. Check out these guys playing on a broom guitar, and shovel bass.
Finding Flow in Practice: Glenn Gould
There’s a lot to like about the video of pianist Glenn Gould below. Three things happen in the video that show Gould’s flow state in practice (see clips below).
3 Free Books: Jumpstart Your Music
Happy New Year! I hope your music skills get a big boost this year. Here’s a gift of 3 great books to help make it happen. Click on the cover to get the free Kindle edition. Two of them are frequently #1 bestsellers in their category on Amazon.
The Practice of Practice 