Many years ago when I was producing my own music I met a fine young guitar player. He was self taught. I tried to encourage him to study music theory to expand his musical horizons but he fiercely refused to. He honestly believed that if he studied music theory it would ruin his playing.
I have witnessed this type of reaction with several wannabe artists over the years. I’ve had singers tell me they would sound too trained if they studied. Songwriters I’ve spoken with think studying literature and poetry will make their lyrics too stiff. What would cause this type of thinking? There are many possibilities but it’s usually more prevalent with rock artists. I want to change that mindset. As you venture ahead on your personal music path open your eyes and ears to the beauty of education. I promise you, more doors will open when you have more to offer.
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So many thoughts prompted today’s blogette. I opened up Twitter at 7:00 am and a top voice teacher in Europe posted that she gave a lesson to a 15 year old. (She never takes students under 18.) She was surprised at how eclectic the student’s music choices were. I’m never surprised when a young student brings in music spanning the past 50-60 years. In fact, I look forward to it. They bring me down memory lane and turn me on to new sounds.
This morning, I was listening to Bob Lefsetz interview Jake Gold. It was odd to me that they both were at a loss as to where to find new music. Then I realized, they don’t hang out with teens and young adults. If they did, they would hear a world of possibilities. I’m amazed at the high level of excellence from emerging new artists and thankful that some, like Cole Davis, are children of friends so I can pick their brains. And yes, go to his page right now and read about his accomplishments at such a young age. Feel lazy after reading that? Hey, Lefsetz, interview Cole! What’s my point here? Stop relying on Sirius, Pandora, YouTube, et al. to find new sounds. Talk to kids! And from my perspective that means anyone under 24. I was reminded by my assistant, Katie, that today is my 100th blog post. It’s also my birthday month. As a birthday gift to me, I want you to send me your favorite artist that you feel is creating a new sound or severely disrupting the audio wallpaper we get shoved down our throats. I’ll put together a list of 100 songs to listen to based on your suggestions. Send them to [email protected]. |