JoshUrban

Good morning!

Levels of knowing. How well do you really know that song or idea? As I get ready for a last minute gig this weekend, I'm faced with several different levels, and limits of my playing.

- The "I have no clue!" level

- "I'm starting to get it, but I need to play along with the song" level. (Think of this as riding a bike with training wheels.)

- "I can sorta play it, but I need the band to keep time."

- "I can play it 'a Capella' and it sounds great."

- "I can teach it."


The last level could explain a curious statement.  READ FULL STORY

The icicles are talking today.

The rain came yesterday, and left ice today. Ice has great tone. Especially when it drips into a puddle. It's a pure, cold, chilly sound. A reminder to breathe in, and gather the air.

But ice aside, let's talk business. It's important. And I'll make a bold assertation. It's fun. 

READ FULL STORY

 

Good morning, musicians!

Sometimes, as we journey along our musical paths, danger awaits us.
Perhaps we're learning a song, and a monster called Confusion ambushes us. For me,
this monster is always lurking around, and he's usually very white (got no groove!)
I was trying to learn a song the other day, and there he was, and sure enough, I just couldn't
find the beat!    READ FULL STORY

And it's Thursday. This week sure has been flying!

Two stories caught my eye on the news today. There might be water on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. Surprising! The second - researchers think that quite possibly, over time, spouses actually get more annoying. Shocking! (They said if you find your spouse annoying now, the future is bleak.) Ha ha! Life sure is funny sometimes.

But on to things of six strings and trains of thought.  READ FULL STORY

"Live your life like a very hot fire - leave nothing but white ashes."

(Some cool Indian guru dude.)

Intensity - a focusing. Giving your all. Burning the house down completely.

Read the complete entry

Good morning, world!

It's hard to believe it's my littlest brother's 16th birthday today. I remember when he was a small, warm, wet bundle that didn't say much. He still doesn't say much, but he's almost taller than me. Time sure flies!

And now, for the super duper exciting BLOG NEWS.

Musicianship requires a great many skills, and listening is no exception.

When playing in a band, duo, or ensemble, it's especially important. Not only are you listening
to yourself, but you should be listening to the band as a whole.

During my short time as a sound engineer, I enjoyed listening to the band I was mixing, and creating the best possible sound for them. (Well, sometimes...READ FULL STORY

Happy Friday.

I should open up a Rock 'n Roll restaurant that's named "TJIF" (Thank Jimi It's Friday.)

Competition. This is a theme I keep yelling about (and I bet I'm yelling louder than you!)

It seems like when we're on the bottom rung of any discipline, we have no competition. We know we're nothing, we look to the upper echelons with an inspirational awe, and we buckle down and work. We can learn a lot in this mindset.

Interestingly enough, as soon as we're on the second rung of this endless ladder, competition enters with a force.  READ FULL STORY 

What makes music tick? What makes a song really angry, or sad, or happy?

I was listening to some old school metal the other day. I liked both the bands on my mp3 player. They were both superstars, and very good musicians, to boot. But try as one band might, they just sounded wimpy. Sure, they had the heavy guitars. The disturbing lyrics. But they sounded like an angry poodle, compared to the Doberman roar of their comparison band.

So what's the secret ingredient?  READ FULL STORY