Non-Music Courses That Can Help Your Music Career

Sociology
Sociology is essentially the study or how people behave in groups. Why is this useful? Well, this means you'll have a stronger understanding of the dynamics that take place within an office, a band, or a group of fans. Understanding how people think, behave, and make decisions when they are in a group of people, can help you understand how to market to teens that often value the opinions of their peers. It can help you understand how to effectively take the lead on a group project, or make sure every contributor gets a chance to be heard. Of course, I'm not saying any one sociology class will give you all the answers, but it will give you clearer understanding of group behaviors and tools for working with groups in the future.

Psychology
Like sociology, psychology classes can help you understand the way people's minds work. It's a great skill to have in general, but especially when it comes to working with creative people. There are several areas of psychology that deal with everything from personality to addictions. Some psychology classes will even combine marketing and psychology and allow you to learn the psychology aspects of advertising and communication. These courses teach the psychology of marketing and study, for example, why we tune out certain advertisements, how to appeal to certain personality traits, and how men and women view things differently.

Physics
In a way, a music performance or recording is just a beautiful demonstration of many aspects of physics. Physics determines where to place a microphone, how to build an instrument, and how the sound reaches you when you see your favorite performer. Physics is responsible for the sound of your voice and the fact that microphones actually work. So, it can certainly help to understand how all of this works. If your school happens to offer a course in acoustics, that should be especially helpful. On a similar note, if you're really interested in recording, it also may not hurt to take a few electrical engineering classes to learn how wires, circuits, and all of the gear you work with functions.

Communications
Sure, there are obvious communications courses to take that deal with broadcasting, press releases, and radio. These of course will be beneficial, but they are not the only ones you can take. Every job requires an ability to communicate on some level and courses in public speaking, writing, broadcasting, and related subjects can help you gain confidence and experience in skills that relate to every job and industry.

Any Business Class
Obviously you know the music industry is a business, so it seems reasonable to that taking at least basic classes in marketing, economics, finance, etc. can help you out. However, these skills aren't just important to those who actually want to work on the business side of things. Business skills like marketing, negotiation, sales, and pricing are good for musicians, producers, engineers, and other creators to know. It allows you to maintain some independence and helps you look out for yourself when it comes to signing contracts or making decisions for your career.

Katie is the creator of Intern Like a Rockstar, a music industry career blog that provides information about career options, job and internship openings, how to find a job, how to network, etc. To find out more about how to break into the music industry visit http://www.internlikearockstar.com/.

Learn more about Katie at http://www.katiereilly.net/

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Organ Playing: How to Play Widor's Toccata?

Toccata for organ from the 5th symphony by Charles-Marie Widor is one of the most popular organ works, second only to Bach's D minor toccata. Rapid tempo, perpetual toccata figuration and splendid harmonies make it a perfect piece for recital, postlude, or wedding recessional. It is a dream for many organists to be able to play this piece. In this article, I will give you tips on playing Widor's toccata on the organ.

Practice on the piano. Since this toccata requires a fairly well-developed piano technique, I suggest you practice this piece on the piano. If you play it on the piano, you will soon notice any uneven notes. Try to work on making all notes sound even and precise. The more you practice this piece on the piano, the more comfortable it will be to play it on the organ.

Do not rush. Practice this piece in a slow tempo because it is easy to play it too fast. If you play it in a fast tempo, chances are that the notes will sound sloppy and your playing will lack precision and clarity. Even after you master this toccata and perform it in public, take a rather moderate tempo. By playing too fast, it is a high risk of missing important structural and harmonic elements. In fact, Widor himself criticized organists, who play this piece too fast.

Observe precise staccato articulation. When playing the sixteenth-note figuration, try to achieve the precise staccato. Many organists miss this important point and slur the notes which in a rapid tempo and vast acoustical space will lack clarity. The eighth notes in the other hand should also be played staccato. The best way to perform staccato in a French tradition is by shortening the notes by a half, e.g. by playing sixteenth notes and making sixteenth note rests.

Option: play one octave lower. If you perform this piece on the organ which has screamy and high-pitched mixtures and very few 8' foundation stops in the manuals, you can play it one octave lower without the 16' stops. Playing this way will give your organ more gravity and the mixture sound will not be as screamy. This toccata is especially suited for such a trick because the left hand never goes below tenor C.

Play scales in double thirds and sixths on the piano. As you probably are aware, this toccata requires to have a fairly advanced piano technique. This means, that your fingers must have the necessary dexterity, evenness, and independence. One of the best ways to achieve such a skill is by regularly practicing scales in double thirds and sixths on the piano. In order to successfully master such scales in all major and minor keys, you will have to use finger substitution technique to achieve a perfect legato.

If you follow my suggestions and practice this toccata in a slow tempo, observing a precise staccato on the piano, and develop your technique by playing scales in double thirds and sixths, you can successfully master this wonderful composition. Just be patient, have your goal in mind, stick to your plan and your performance level of this toccata will become much higher.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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The Importance of Scales In Music

The phrase "Always do you Scales" for me conjures up images of cranky old music teachers who were desirous that I learn old music that they wanted to teach, and that I would have to spend years doing exactly that before I could really get into the cool stuff! Not so, as far as I am concerned. It is, in my view, possible to learn the cool music right from the off. After all what's the point in learning music if it isn't fun? And how are you supposed to do a piece of music justice when you perform it if you don't enjoy playing it.

In my world, whatever keeps you playing is good to play! And, I would add, that whatever enhances your playing is good enhancement! This is where scales come in and this is where scales can be fun. For every song that you learn always learn the relevant scale. This will help you master the song faster and see how the song itself works and is constructed. There is no need to overload yourself with technical exercises, but just enough to help loosen up your fingers and get them moving in the same that they are required to do so for your relevant song.

That hardly seems so bad now, does it? But let me explain to you a little further about some of the other enormous benefits that will come your way as a bonus. Just remember, that all of music is made up of scales. The American National anthem, for example, is a major arpeggio in reverse; the English National anthem, to give you another, contains a run that just goes up the first five notes of a major scale; Rock and Roll progressions are made up of dominant 7 arpeggios; the theme tune to Eastenders involves just going up a major scale; the soundtrack to this... the hymn that does this... I could go on with examples all night!

What I am trying to explain is that there aren't that many scales but there are a heck of a lot of songs and a ton of music out there. If you know how to play your scales, you will have a head start on how to play any song whatsoever. As I said before all melodies are derived form scales, so it follows that if you know the scale you'll be able to play the song more often than not, straight away!

By learning the relevant scale for whatever song you are learning you will gradually build up a database in your mind of notes and combinations of notes, as well as strengthening your fingers. What is more, you can make the scales fun and even more useful, by mixing up the patterns and rhythms. For example, play a scale with a shuffle feel to help you with blues and jazz melodies. Or, perhaps, experiment, with different pick strokes so that you become more versatile with your picking hand. Or, when playing with other students of music, practice the scales at different intervals so that you can get used to harmonizing.

Of course, if you just practice your scales by reading them out of a scales handbook you will find them quite dull. Instead, try and commit them to memory and then the real fun begins. There is no limit to what you can do with them, experiment and even try writing your own melodies. See where the scales can take you and how important to your musical development they can be.

For More Lessons and Musical Advice Visit http://www.guitar4free.com/

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Making the Most Out of Practicing: The Five Coin Trick

A Practice Game: 5-Coin Trick

The "art" of practicing is truly an art. How many teachers simply tell a student to "go home and play a difficult passage twenty times!"? But, HOW are we supposed to practice?

Here's a game that I use for students (all sizes and ages) where the mind is taken off the number of times a passage is played. What I usually tell a student is to choose a passage that needs "solidifying." Pick a metronome speed (yes, your metronome IS your friend) that's comfortable. Then begin the game.

1. Pick anywhere from 5 to 10 objects (coins, pieces of candy that don't roll around, rocks, etc). With this game, I tell young students to get the money or candy from the parent so when the practice session is done, they get to keep (or eat) their reward!

2. Place at least 5 of the objects in the "neutral zone." The neutral zone is in the middle (table, chair, the top of an instrument case, music stand, on the piano, etc.)

3. There are three zones:

"I messed up!" zone (to the left),"Neutral" zone (in the middle) and,"I played it right" zone (to the right)

4. OBJECT OF THE GAME is to get ALL the objects to the "I played it right" zone.

5. NOTE: if the passage needs lots of work, use more than five objects!

6. RULES of the game:

You CANNOT have items in BOTH the "I played it right" and "I played it wrong" zones.Objects can only be in TWO zones at a time. The "neutral" zone is one of them.

7. Play through the passage a few times to determine the best metronome speed with the least amount of mistakes.

8. Start with ALL the objects in the neutral zone.

9. Play the passage. Was it played correctly (both notes and rhythms)? If so, move an object to the right ("I played it right" zone).

10. If the passage is played incorrectly, an object is moved to the left ("I played it wrong" zone).

11. Remember that objects can only be in two zones: "Neutral" and "I played it right" or "neutral" and "I played it wrong" zones.

If a passage is played CORRECTLY and there are objects in the "I played it wrong" zone, move an object from the left to the "neutral" zone.If a passage is played INCORRECTLY and there are objects in the "I played it right" zone, move an object from the right back to the "neutral" zone.If a passage is played CORRECTLY and there are objects in the "neutral" and "I played it right" zones, another object is moved to the right.If a passage is played INCORRECTLY and there are objects in the "neutral" and "I played it wrong" zones, another object is moved to the left.

12. Play the game until ALL the objects are in the "I played it right" zone. After they are all to the right, play the passage ONE MORE TIME. If a mistake is made on the final turn, an item has to be moved back to the "neutral" zone. It will take two more correct performances to get all the objects back in the "I played it right" zone.

13. Upon completion of this game, either move the metronome up ONE notch and start all over or move onto another passage. To keep from being frustrated, make sure the metronome speed is set to assure success. The key point with this game is to "cement" the fingerings (and/or rhythms) into the hands and mind. This cannot be done without repetitive practice!

Now, go practice! And parents, kids should get to keep the coins or eat the candy.

Del Hungerford is a professional musician and educator in the Pacific Northwest. She's been a member of professional orchestras and chamber ensembles as well as teaching in the public schools. Currently, she teaches education courses and clarinet lessons at the university level. She holds a D.M.A. in clarinet from the University of Washington. For more information on Del's musical activities, check out her blog: http://delhungerfordmusicstudio.blogspot.com/

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Resuming Organ Playing After a Long Break - 4 Tips

Many organists after playing the organ for some years for various reasons stop practicing. They quit playing because of the changes in their lives, such as moving to a different area, starting a family, finding a new job etc. All of this contribute to the lack of time, motivation, practice instrument and a person simply does not continue playing the organ. However, even after many years of silence he or she can feel the renewed interest in the organ. In this article, I will give you 4 tips on how to resume organ playing after a long break.

1) Do not practice for long periods of time at first. Although you might have used to play the organ for several hours a day, I do not recommend you jump in and resume the practice in the same way. You have to realize that while your motivation and interest in the organ might be the same as 10, 20, or 30 years ago, your stamina is not. In addition, your body might not like sitting in the same position for hours. Therefore, I think it is best to expose yourself to organ playing gradually.

Start practicing with just 30 minutes a day. This way you will avoid overexertion which is not very healthy. The most important thing about your practice is that it should be regular. You will achieve more if you practice for 30 minutes every day than for 3 hours just once a week. Of course, with experience you can practice for an hour or even longer but especially long practice sessions should be avoided.

2) Choose easy pieces first. Although after resuming organ playing you might have plans to learn your favorite technically advanced organ pieces, you should be aware of your current technical abilities. Remember that after years without practicing organ your level is not the same anymore. Just because you might have played and learned some advanced level pieces years ago does not mean you will be able to play similar ones right away. Therefore, I suggest you do not pick up your organ practice where you left in the past. Instead, play some shorter and easier compositions at first.

These could be works with thin texture, slower tempo, simple melodic lines and rhythms and long note-values in the pedal part or even manualiter works (without the pedal). Especially suited for this purpose are 8 little preludes and fugues, BWV 553-560 formerly attributed to J.S. Bach, some easier chorale preludes from the Orgelbuchlein, the Neumeister chorales, chorale preludes by J. Brahms, slow movements from Mendelssohn sonatas, pieces from L'Organiste by C.Franck, "Practical Organist" by A. Guilmant and other works.

3) Have a goal in mind. In order to resume organ practice successfully, you must also have a dream. This is what keeps you practicing in the first place. Without this goal, it will be difficult for you to learn the pieces that you choose. Instead of focusing on your goal, you might play many different compositions without ever learning them. However, if you truly want to improve your organ playing, having a goal in mind will greatly facilitate your progress.

4) Make a practice schedule. I have noticed from my personal experience that a detailed step-by-step plan is essential in any kind of undertaking. This plan is precisely what helps your dream become a reality. Your plan might include steps in mastering any particular piece that you like. Once you have your plan, create a practice schedule for fulfilling your plan. Be very precise and indicate specific time of the day which you will use for practicing organ.

Your practice time might be the same for every day of the week or you can reserve different times for different days. Whatever you choose, make it constant. Then all you have to do is to stick to your plan and follow your schedule diligently.

Of course, adhering to my suggestions will require some willpower but if you truly want to practice for many years, you will not regret it.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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What Are the 7 Benefits of Organ Improvisation?

If you have ever seen or heard skilled organ improvisers creating real music on the spot, you were most likely dazzled by their seemingly supernatural abilities. After such an encounter many people have a strong desire to start learning improvisation themselves. Before teaching yourself the art of organ improvisation, it is crucial that you understand these 7 benefits that improvisation can give to the organist.

1) You can learn to create your own music like composers do. It is very satisfying to be able to compose music. Since improvisation is composition on the spot, you will learn all the tools needed to compose your own music.

2) You will develop the ability to think musically. Since every composition consists of various elements of music (melody, rhythm, harmony, and many others), by creating your own music it will be possible for you to recognize these elements in other compositions which leads to musical thinking.

3) By teaching yourself organ improvisation you will develop creativity. All of us were very created in our childhood but through the years this ability often diminishes because of various reasons. Since improvisation is an inherently creative process, it will greatly enhance your creative capabilities.

4) Improvisation can help you to become a complete musician. The art of improvisation involves also mastering such areas as organ technique, registration, repertoire, piano technique, ear training, music theory, figured bass, harmony, musical form, counterpoint, fugue, music composition and others. Therefore, your musical education will be complete.

5) Improvisation will enhance your worship playing. If you are a church organist, the ability to improvise will be a great help to your service playing. There are plenty of opportunities to improvise during liturgical services and organist who has acquired this skill has many advantages than the organist who never tried to improvise.

6) Listeners love improvisations during recitals. If you have listened to the performance of a good improviser, you know how audience appreciates the organists who can improvise. The listeners are simply in awe of such abilities and skills to create music on the spot which sounds like a real composed and written-out composition.

7) Improvisation can propel your organ playing technique to the next level. In order to excel in improvisation you must also gradually develop the technical ability to express your musical ideas. In other words, you have to be able to play fluently all the different technical details, like scales, modes, arpeggios, and chords of all kinds. Therefore, a skilled improviser is fully equipped technically to play even the most advanced organ music effortlessly with precision and clarity.

Have you ever tried to create your own music on the organ? Although the art of improvisation might be very complex to fully master it, the basics are quite simple. You will be surprised at how easy it is to start learning to improvise. The best way to proceed is to get a good organ improvisation textbook and start making your music today.

By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition" http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.

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Today's Paradigm and the Working Musician

Basically we all live in a paradigm that started with dialogue. When you were a baby and learned your first words the paradigm began. You know how your internal dialogue is constantly going during your waking hours? Well that is because this reality is based on those words. (I know, do not get too excited. I am not going space cadet on you. Just relax.) Those words make up this paradigm. We all are in agreement as to what those words mean and represent. For instance a car is a car to me and the same to you. However, if you took some kind of recorder and recorded your thoughts all day and then replayed those thoughts to someone else here is what would happen. Most of the thoughts would be in line with the other person's beliefs. Some though would be outside of what that person is thinking on a day to day basis. The thoughts that are within the same way of thinking are the basis of today's paradigm, or reality. Those that are outside of the other person's thinking are yours and belong to a personal paradigm. That personal paradigm is influenced by some degree, great or small, by the paradigm at large.

Here's what that does to us. Depending on how much we desire to belong to today's world, how much we desire to be popular or accepted, our actions are proportionately influenced. Without getting lost in this entire psychology let me explain what happens to the musician. He is caught up in a very weird state of affairs.

Besides self-preservation, most of our actions are motivated by four main issues. Those four motivators are food, sex, money, and acceptance. I know most musicians have noticed how the other sex is attracted to the performer, and money is good, but for the musician the main motivator is acceptance. He is driven and influenced by his desire to be accepted by music fans and other musicians. Because of the over whelming power of the existing paradigm the musician does not do what it takes to build a more powerful paradigm. You see, instead of buying into the prevailing paradigm and just self destructing, the musician can build a paradigm that the world buys into. You can be crazy as a bed bug and the world will love it, but you have to have a foundation that allows you to be crazy as a bed bug and build a big business. You see once a musician sells out to the world view of what a musician should be he is confronted by the absolute shallowness of the whole affair. The world is fickle. And the musician seeing this after many years feels there is no recourse, so he gives the world what they seem to be wanting. And that is self destruction. Ever notice how the musician goes down in flames as the world applauds? It does not have to be that way. You can create a paradigm that is structured in a way that actually profits from what the world seems to be wanting and at the same time grows stronger because of the set of rules it is guided by. And as it grows stronger it profits more, the world buys into it more, and it grows even stronger still.

Here is the starting point: You have to understand the paradigm that is world today. Here is my view on that. This is my view and I am not a professional in these matters. If you are a psychologist then you would have a field day if I let you play with my brain for a day. I learned to treat the paradigm in one way in order to build my own paradigm another way. The way I treat the paradigm is this. Everyone you know or will ever meet is just a kid who is in the third grade on the school playground. All social interactions today are based on this dynamic. Good business is not. But bad business practices are on this level. If you truly understand what I just wrote you will go a long way in your relationships in the world today. You see on the playground there were bullies, those being bullied, and those just trying to stay out of the way. You may be dealing today with someone who was bullied a great deal and is trying to overcome that feeling of helplessness that is still guiding and influencing his decisions today. Love everyone where they are, but try and understand that there is an underlying dynamic that you may be caught up in and have very little control over. You only have two options, now or anytime. You can take action, or you can walk away.

However the trick is to bring that person's dynamic into your own paradigm. You can do this with other musicians, band members, fans, and club owners. You have to understand the dynamic going on at the time. But first you have to make your paradigm yours and the stronger. And because you have been given a paradigm, much like a download in a computer, by your parents, friends, relatives, teachers, and the world at large, you have a great deal of work ahead of you. But it is worth the effort. Trust me.

Changing the paradigm.

You are what you think. However, and more important, you are what you believe. That belief is influenced in one of two ways. Positively in relationship to our wants, needs, and more important goals. Or negatively in the same areas. You have in your mind two very powerful guardians waiting to be called upon. And these guardians are dedicated to the job of letting you have what you really believe. If today you believe negatively then the negative guardian comes forth and protects that belief. If today you believe positively then the positive guardian comes forth and protects that belief. They do not judge right or wrong. They only protect that belief at all costs. And they are very, very good at their job.

"Today is a lousy day. I do not feel like practicing." Up comes the negative guardian and does a wonderful job of giving you what you asked for. And it works in the opposite way as well. You must sell out to this fact. It is a fact and you must learn to control your thoughts.

Roy Gene Horne is a songwriter, musician, performer with over 30 years professional experience. He has written hundreds of songs, recorded, performed, booked, managed, and fronted his own band for all of those years. His music can be heard at http://www.littleroygene.com/. Little Roy Gene Blues Blog at http://www.littleroygene.blogspot.com/

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