In my twenty years teaching, I've worked with students of all ages and skill levels....from small children taking their first steps in music to retirees looking to fulfill a lifelong ambition. I've taught every style of music from jazz to bluegrass to classical to hard rock, and I've come to believe very strongly that the most important skill a teacher needs is the ability to assess and adapt to the needs and learning style of the student.
In my opinion, many teachers approach music lessons like math class. Here's what to do, here's the "right" way to do it. But music is as varied as the people who make it, and many of the greatest and most influential artists of any style were outsize characters with unique personalities and approaches to their instrument.
While there are basic foundation principles I do believe every student should learn, the way we put those principles across might be different for everyone. And I've seen students who had been struggling with an idea or a particular musical gesture for months master it instantly when they try a new approach. In fact, I've experienced it myself as a student and as a working professional.
My greatest teachers were all highly creative and open-minded musicians, and they taught me that there is nearly always another way to achieve a given result. In my own teaching I strive to remember and apply this principle above all, and I hope my students reap the benefits and thrive as I did.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
What Can A Lyricist Learn From Musicians?
I had a conversation today with a representative from a songwriting organization about a workshop I was proposing, and he asked an interesting question. He wanted to know how the workshop I offer might benefit someone that doesn't play an instrument, but is primarily a lyricist.
One thing I've observed in working with lyricists is that they have a flexible concept of meter, and it's often the role of the "composer" to find a way to make that meter fit the rhythm of a song. Lines that work as spoken word or poetry might not flow as easily when sung, at least if we're proceeding with the idea that sung lyrics are meant to be understood by the listener. (This is not always the case in rock music, "Louie Louie" being one of the first and most famous examples).
But a lyricist who can think musically can have much more influence over how his or her writing partner sets their words to music. A spoken meter can imply a rhythmic feel, and that rhythmic feel can become a groove. Words have an inherent rhythm....when I teach rhythm to kids I use spoken words to illustrate what the beat sounds like. (Say "watermelon" four times over and you'll feel sixteenth notes in four-quarter time....say "pineapple" and you'll feel triplets).
Many of my articles and blog posts have been about how to write from a groove, and how every song has a rhythmic essence or foundation that drives the feel. If you write lyrics that set up that rhythmic feel, the music follows very naturally. Here's a great example, from John Hiatt's "Tennessee Plates":
I woke up in a hotel, didn't know what to do
turned the TV on, wrote a letter to you
the news was talkin' 'bout a dragnet out on the interstate
seems they was lookin' for a Cadillac with Tennessee plates
Hiatt says when he wrote that song he wanted to imitate Chuck Berry's rapid-fire delivery and lyrical style, and when you recite those lyrics to yourself I bet you can easily feel the chug-a-chug-a rhythm that drives so many of those classic songs.
There are of course many other examples.....and when you start to listen in this way, the concept should be readily apparent. So the next time you work on a lyric, look for the implied meter and see what it implies to create the heartbeat of the song. A melody can be implied by the natural rise and fall of speech as well: it's really all about hearing implications and potential, which is what the best musicians learn to do in approaching their instrument. Give it a try and see where it leads you.
One thing I've observed in working with lyricists is that they have a flexible concept of meter, and it's often the role of the "composer" to find a way to make that meter fit the rhythm of a song. Lines that work as spoken word or poetry might not flow as easily when sung, at least if we're proceeding with the idea that sung lyrics are meant to be understood by the listener. (This is not always the case in rock music, "Louie Louie" being one of the first and most famous examples).
But a lyricist who can think musically can have much more influence over how his or her writing partner sets their words to music. A spoken meter can imply a rhythmic feel, and that rhythmic feel can become a groove. Words have an inherent rhythm....when I teach rhythm to kids I use spoken words to illustrate what the beat sounds like. (Say "watermelon" four times over and you'll feel sixteenth notes in four-quarter time....say "pineapple" and you'll feel triplets).
Many of my articles and blog posts have been about how to write from a groove, and how every song has a rhythmic essence or foundation that drives the feel. If you write lyrics that set up that rhythmic feel, the music follows very naturally. Here's a great example, from John Hiatt's "Tennessee Plates":
I woke up in a hotel, didn't know what to do
turned the TV on, wrote a letter to you
the news was talkin' 'bout a dragnet out on the interstate
seems they was lookin' for a Cadillac with Tennessee plates
Hiatt says when he wrote that song he wanted to imitate Chuck Berry's rapid-fire delivery and lyrical style, and when you recite those lyrics to yourself I bet you can easily feel the chug-a-chug-a rhythm that drives so many of those classic songs.
There are of course many other examples.....and when you start to listen in this way, the concept should be readily apparent. So the next time you work on a lyric, look for the implied meter and see what it implies to create the heartbeat of the song. A melody can be implied by the natural rise and fall of speech as well: it's really all about hearing implications and potential, which is what the best musicians learn to do in approaching their instrument. Give it a try and see where it leads you.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Listening Is A Choice
On one of my first gigs after arriving in Nashville, the drummer turned to me and said "it's really nice to play with a guitarist who listens".
I was a little surprised at this, being a new arrival in Music City and knowing the old joke about how if you come to Nashville to be a guitar player and the first guy you meet after entering the city limits plays better than you, you turn around and go home. (And odds are that happens frequently, there are a LOT of phenomenal guitar players in Nashville, my drummer friend's somewhat cynical comment notwithstanding).
But he does raise a good point. Just because a group of people are onstage playing a song together doesn't mean they're listening to each other. And I don't mean that in a mean-spirited or overly critical way....there is hearing and there is listening, so I'll take a moment to elaborate on what I mean.
Let's define "listening" from a musician's perspective as an active rather than a passive activity. In other words, a musician who is listening is constantly evaluating and reacting to what they hear, and those reactions are expressed in how they play or sing. Simple example: if the lead singer feels that a certain part of the song should be delivered with a softer, more relaxed energy, a band that is listening will simply react and follow the singer's lead. The first rule of accompanying is that the lead voice/instrument sets the tone: volume, intensity, feeling - and the accompanists (e.g. the rest of the band) follow suit. In a good band, this happens easily and the entire performance is dynamic and musical.
So why WOULDN'T someone not be listening? It's generally not a question of ego, or childish onstage behavior.....for the most part, people want to do their best and for everyone to sound good. But because playing an instrument or even singing comes from certain physical/mechanical movements and actions, it's often easy to get more focused on that aspect than on the sound that's being produced. Guitar players have a (somewhat deserved) reputation for being the worst offenders in this area....playing too loud being the most obvious expression. But I've seen players who sounded incredible warming up who suddenly seemed lost when the band started to play. What happened? Their fingers can lead the way, but place them in a musical context where the ears have to come first and the fingers don't get the guidance they need.
Singers do this too. The old gag about how you know when there's a singer at your door because he/she doesn't have the key and doesn't know how to come in. But well-arranged music has a natural ebb and flow, an energy that moves and leads the ear.....a singer who is REALLY listening will naturally hear when the spotlight is shifting to them, because the band's performance will make it clear. (For example.....when the song begins, the intro may be high energy to grab the audience's attention, but then the volume comes down and the texture softens at the beginning of the verse to make room for the singer).
What all of this means to any musician is that your goal is to be an active, attentive listener. And while musicians who study formally take classes in "ear training" these skills can be picked up simply by paying attention to the right things. Listen for dynamics, the rise and fall of volume and energy. Listen for who has the primary voice at any moment....if it's you, grab the spotlight, and if it's not, stay out of the way until your turn comes. If you're jamming along with a band you've never played with before, don't play your guitar licks WHILE the singer is singing but in the spaces in between. A great performance in almost any genre of music is a conversation in which each member gets to have the floor....sometimes the spotlight shifts quickly and you might only have a moment to add something, but a moment is all you might need. It's as simple as choosing to pay attention and being as aware of what's going on around you as you are of what you're doing yourself.....and that's a worthwhile thing to strive for in many aspects of life, not just music.
I was a little surprised at this, being a new arrival in Music City and knowing the old joke about how if you come to Nashville to be a guitar player and the first guy you meet after entering the city limits plays better than you, you turn around and go home. (And odds are that happens frequently, there are a LOT of phenomenal guitar players in Nashville, my drummer friend's somewhat cynical comment notwithstanding).
But he does raise a good point. Just because a group of people are onstage playing a song together doesn't mean they're listening to each other. And I don't mean that in a mean-spirited or overly critical way....there is hearing and there is listening, so I'll take a moment to elaborate on what I mean.
Let's define "listening" from a musician's perspective as an active rather than a passive activity. In other words, a musician who is listening is constantly evaluating and reacting to what they hear, and those reactions are expressed in how they play or sing. Simple example: if the lead singer feels that a certain part of the song should be delivered with a softer, more relaxed energy, a band that is listening will simply react and follow the singer's lead. The first rule of accompanying is that the lead voice/instrument sets the tone: volume, intensity, feeling - and the accompanists (e.g. the rest of the band) follow suit. In a good band, this happens easily and the entire performance is dynamic and musical.
So why WOULDN'T someone not be listening? It's generally not a question of ego, or childish onstage behavior.....for the most part, people want to do their best and for everyone to sound good. But because playing an instrument or even singing comes from certain physical/mechanical movements and actions, it's often easy to get more focused on that aspect than on the sound that's being produced. Guitar players have a (somewhat deserved) reputation for being the worst offenders in this area....playing too loud being the most obvious expression. But I've seen players who sounded incredible warming up who suddenly seemed lost when the band started to play. What happened? Their fingers can lead the way, but place them in a musical context where the ears have to come first and the fingers don't get the guidance they need.
Singers do this too. The old gag about how you know when there's a singer at your door because he/she doesn't have the key and doesn't know how to come in. But well-arranged music has a natural ebb and flow, an energy that moves and leads the ear.....a singer who is REALLY listening will naturally hear when the spotlight is shifting to them, because the band's performance will make it clear. (For example.....when the song begins, the intro may be high energy to grab the audience's attention, but then the volume comes down and the texture softens at the beginning of the verse to make room for the singer).
What all of this means to any musician is that your goal is to be an active, attentive listener. And while musicians who study formally take classes in "ear training" these skills can be picked up simply by paying attention to the right things. Listen for dynamics, the rise and fall of volume and energy. Listen for who has the primary voice at any moment....if it's you, grab the spotlight, and if it's not, stay out of the way until your turn comes. If you're jamming along with a band you've never played with before, don't play your guitar licks WHILE the singer is singing but in the spaces in between. A great performance in almost any genre of music is a conversation in which each member gets to have the floor....sometimes the spotlight shifts quickly and you might only have a moment to add something, but a moment is all you might need. It's as simple as choosing to pay attention and being as aware of what's going on around you as you are of what you're doing yourself.....and that's a worthwhile thing to strive for in many aspects of life, not just music.
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