Audience Connection

 

The best shows that I have ever been to are the ones where there is a connection between the band and the audience.  The band really needs to engage the audience, to create an atmosphere and a moment.  How can this be done one might ask? 

The first point that should be made is that everyone has different tastses. For my tastes, I dislike it when bands go off on tangents and speak about unrelated items during a show.   Some people however may enjoy this as part of a concert.  It can be very difficult if not imposible to please everyone.  Beacuase of this I though I would discuss in no particular order a few techniques that can be successful in engaging an audience.

1. Look up!  Never ,and I mean never look at the floor or at your instument for too long.  Every member in the band needs to look at the audience.  Look at a specific person and don’t stop until they look back.  You have then make a unique connection with this person.  You can then look at another audince member and continue to make individual and personal connections.

2. Have fun.  People know when you are enjoying yourself on stage and are more likely to have fun if you are too.  Remember by being on stage you have a degree of power and can shape the atmosphere of the show. If you want people to have fun at your shows then you need to have fun too.

3.  Things as trivial as the way the stage is setup or the way the band conducts themselves on stage, to the way the band is dressed can all play a  significant factor in creating audience connection. Physical barriers are a no no for stage set up.  Having a clear line of sigh and being able  to be in close proximity to the band can really increase the changes of making that special connection with an audience member.  People are more likely to be drawn to a charismatic band.  With members that are interesting and compelling.  Not everyone has these qualities, but many  of the best musicians and performers do.  Lastly, the audience has to look at the band the entire show.  Because of this, the way a band looks can play a part in creating connections.  The audience should be drawn to the band and their eyes should be stuck to the performers.

4. Sometimes bands try to use tricks like getting the crowd to clap their hands to the beat or to sing along in certain parts in order to engage the audience.  In my opinion, if these types of show items are forced upon an audience they may not  be well received. The best is when they happen spontaneously without the band proposing them first.  No one can argue that 40,00 people singing along to Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ isn’t a connection.

Before I end this blog, I just want to leave you with one final point.  A band can follow all these guidelines and countless others and market themselves perfectly, but if the songs are not good they are doomed to failure. Never loose sight of why you are a musician.  It is always about the music.

Have a connection with Tom Petty:

-Heavy

Recording for the Cheap

I had an interesting idea the other day while we were jamming and recording.  We were using GarageBand and the microphone from a MacBook to record the jam.   A common problem many musicians who don’t have proper recording equipment face is the inability to record multiple tracks live without some sort of mixer board.  Next time you invite some friends over for a jam, tell them to bring their laptops.  Place a laptop near every amp and hit record on all the computers.  Proceed to jam the night away.  After the jam, copy the tacks from each laptop, and compile them onto one computer.  You now have multiple tracks recorded live.  There may be some slight bleeding from the other instruments but it will be minimal.  Give it a try, and see how it works for you.

I have had some recent pressure from an unnamed individual to start a weakly iPhone music app review. I haven’t decided if I will write a weekly review, or just the occasional review, but in any event this is the first iPhone music app review. 

 

I recently downloaded this iPhone (or iPod Touch) application called FourTrack.  The app cost $9.99, which is actually relatively expensive as far as iPhone apps go, but as far as recording software is concerned is very inexpensive.  The software has four tracks of recording power, which is impressive on a handheld device.  I was also very impressed with recording quality and with the ease of file transfer from iPhone (or ipod Touch) to any computer connected through wifi.  The playback volume is quite low so headphones are required.  This application is highly recommended for those looking at recording demo’s or musical ideas, however if you are looking for studio quality recording, you better get something a little more sophisticated.

-Heavy

The Double Album

 

It’s been a while since my last post.  I have been very busy with Christmas and ArmsUp stuff.  I hope you all are having a good holiday.  In other news, ArmsUp has finished ”Midnight Choirs”, just in time for new years!  You can check it out here: http://www.myspace.com/armsup

For as long as there have been albums, there have been those who have attempted the infomous”double album”.  Not all of them were good, in fact many were not.  In my opinion the double album is egotistical and very hard to do properly.  The white album by the beatles is arguably the best double album ever released, and there are still many who feel that it would have been better as a single album.

 

The Music Timetable

I realize that you probably think this goes against everything I stand for; limiting the amount you jam.  But it is very important if you hope maintain any kind of a career in music.  Because of this I recommend creating a music timetable.

It is very important to have a concise music timetable and to always follow it.  You should never focus too much on one thing so you can become a better, more well rounded musician.  Like many things in life, a successful music career requires good time management.  Make a list of important things that need to be accomplished or practiced and make sure they are included somewhere in the music timetable.  For example, you might want to practice vocals on Mondays, do song writing on Wednesdays and rehearse on Saturdays.

To better illustrate, here is the ArmsUp music timetable:

As you can see, we do a quick vocal practice before the start of each day’s undertaking.  On Mondays we record a jam with electric instruments.  Tuesdays are a full vocal rehearsal of all our songs as well as any covers or vocal exercises we want to practice.  On Wednesdays we practice all of our songs acoustically.  Thursdays are a day for listening to previously recoded jams and to use this raw creative material to write new songs.  Fridays are a day of rest (that usually includes more jamming).  On Saturday we rehearse our songs with electric instruments.  And finally on Sunday we record an acoustic jam. 

The music timetable allows for focus and direction on your path to music success.  Check out this video of pink floyd when Syd was still in the band.  Very jammish:

-Heavy

The Experience Music Project

I recently spent some time on the west coast in Vancouver and Seattle.  When we were in Vancouver we caught “Cheech and Chong light up Canada”, but that is a story for another time.  Today however, I would like to talk to you about my time in Seattle.

Seattle is a very musical town from its early jazz, to Hendrix, to the grunge movement in the 90’s; Seattle has a rich and diverse musical history.  The city seams to continually musically reinvent itself.  As you may or may not know, Hendrix has always been one of my biggest idols and I have been a huge Nirvana and grunge fan since I was a kid.  This made the trip especially special for me.

While in Seattle we had the opportunity to check The Experience Music Project or EMP for short.  It was a very fascinating place.  One of my favorite exhibits was of course the guitar gallery.  This display featured guitars as old as an Italian guitar from the 1770’s, a beautiful Martin from the late 1800’s, to some of the first eclectic guitars from the 1950’s up to some of rock’s most classic guitars from the 60’s and 70’s.

Another mind-blowing exhibit was called Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound.  This exhibit had some of Hendrix’s first guitars, and even some hand written lyric sheets.  You could learn about how Hendrix revolutionized the way a guitar can sound and even play around with the guitar pedal tones he was famous for using such as the wah-wah and octavia pedals.  You could even “mix” some classic Hendrix tunes by turning up or down certain tracks in your headphones.

The Sound Lab was basically nothing more than a massive jamming area!  Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this place.  There were guitar, bass, drums and even mixing and vocal stations.  Within these stations you could learn a little about the instrument you are playing from the video tutorials, jam solo with adjustable tones or jam with others in the Sound Lab through your headphones.

Although you could tell The Experience Music Project was certainly geared towards beginner musicians, it was still an amazing place.  I applaud the EMP for giving children or anyone who may not have had the opportunity otherwise the chance to learn about and experience music.  If you are ever in the Seattle area I encourage you to go and check it out.

 

-Heavy

 

The Bridge between Jamming and Song Writing

It should be noted that jamming is not necessarily song writing.  Jamming is it’s own entity and can be merely for pure enjoyment, the songs never to be recorded or heard again.  Jamming however can be used very successfully to facilitate song writing.  The jamming environment is very open to experimentation and the room is always full of creative energy.  Also, inspiration can strike from something one of the other players says or plays. 

There are endless ways to utilize the creative power of the jam.  Try this: Sit out on a jam and just stop and listen to the music.  Let the sounds over-take you and allow yourself to exist within the song.  Once you are totally immersed in the song, start writing lyrics.  You will notice how well the poetry you write matches the song.  The lyrics will be real and sincere and if you sing them, another creative element will be added to the jam.  This new element will strength the jam allowing more creative energy to flow and to be harnessed by the players.

Often during a jam, you will hear a musical gem but soon the jam changes directions and that gem may now be lost.  For this reason it is always good practice to record your jams.  This way you can go back to old jams and use the material in your song writing.  I know from experience that it can be easy to get backlogged with old recorded jams so it is very important to stay on top of things and listen to the jams often.   You can use something as simple as a blank tape and the microphone on a cassette player to record your jams or something as complex as protools and a series of recording microphones.  I personally like just  using something simple like garageband and the microphone on my macbook.  You would be amazed at the quality of sound you can get out of the condenser microphone in the computer.  Also, with garageband you can quickly make minor edits like cutting out dead air or even create multiple tracks to organize the jam for future listening. 

I have included the video of Melody Day by Caribou mostly because I just love the song.  Here it is:

-Heavy 

 

The Jamming Toolbox

Every player should have their own musical toolbox; a collection of riffs and progressions they can always fall back on.  In order to get to this step it is important to be aware of your own personal style.  Do you notice that there are certain riffs or licks that you play often?  Are there strumming patterns that you always seem to fall into? These are marks that you are developing a style.  Every player, at least to some degree, has a style.  A style can be as simple as a combination of the musical styles of others with your own added flair or as ground breaking as developing new genres and delving into uncharted musical space.

Once you recognize your style, expand on it.  Develop new riffs and melodies that follow this style.  You will continue to develop and expand this musical toolbox forever and it should never stop growing.  Now when you go into a new jam you will have some ammunition. 

It is very important to always keep expanding your sound and not merely resort to old overplayed riffs.  When this happens things may get stale.  I have always been of the school of though that keeping music inventive is always a very important part in musical development.

I have included the “Paranoid Android” video in full color animation.

-Heavy

 

The Sacred Jam Circle

Please allow me to be a little bit of a modern hippie for a moment.  I want to talk to you today about something that is exciting, emotional and almost spiritual.

The jam circle as I like to call it is a sacred place that is safe and free from negative thoughts and energy. It is the essence of jamming. 

On the surface the jam circle is simply a group of musicians sitting in somewhat of a circular shape.  They can see each other and hear each other.  The circle helps to keep the energy from the jam in the jam and from escaping and being lost.

Within the jam circle you are able to freely exchange musical thoughts and ideas through a medium all of it’s own.  There is visual contact by watching the other players’ hand movements, strumming styles and natural actions.  There is obviously auditory contact from the music or even from chord changes being called out during the session.  There is emotional contact from the shared ambience in the room and the feeling in the songs. 

As you can see, this is a very unique way of exchanging ideas. 

For those who love to jam but are on the move, I have included a video of stairway to heaven performed on the iPhone.  Enjoy.

-Heavy

Jams for squares

Hi hi hi oh my brothers,
Well it seems that Heavy and I have switched roles today.  He put up a post on the armsup blog so here I am putting a post up about jamming.

I wanted to take this golden opportunity to extole the virtues of jamming for those of us who are more classically trained.  By classically trained I don’t mean you took piano lessons once for a few years.  I mean from the wee age of 5 you were put into piano lessons until you had learned Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Dvorak…I can’t think of an E name but you get the point.  The problem with this kind of musical training is that once thrown into the arena of jamming you can be overwhelmed quite quickly.

My tips for those of you who aren’t all that great at jamming because you’re weighed down by all those rules your piano teacher laid on you are:

1. Start on your own.  Pick a chord and play in that key for a while, if you make a mistake you’ll be the only person to know.
2. In jams remember that everyone isn’t going to follow the rules of western art music, that’s why jamming is so fun.  Just stick with what sounds good.
3. Use your incredible musical knowledge to help guide the other musicians to a higher musical level.  If you can modulate to another key and everyone follows then greater things can happen.

That’s what I’ve got to say about Jamming.  Hope it helps.

Peace,Love&GoodVibes
SnowDove, ArmsUp

New Jammers

You always want new musicians in your jams so the music continues to be new and fresh.  Also, styles and new influences from different players can make the music you create much more interesting   This is one of the reasons jamming is a very personal experience. 

When you jam with new musicians for the first time there is invariably going to be some nervousness.   In order to have a great jam this nervousness must be overcome.  This can be done in many ways.  Firstly, if the jam space is yours be sure to be a good jam host.  Be hospitable and do whatever it takes to make everyone comfortable.  This includes offering the new players drinks or snacks, making sure they have everything they need musically like pedals and picks and that they can hear themselves properly.

It is a good idea to have some standards prepared.  Starting with a song that everyone knows is a good way to break the ice.  This also allows everyone to familiarize themselves with the jam space, the gear they are using and to see if all the volume levels are good.

As is true in any kind of social situation, a strong sense of confidence can propel you to new heights.  The same is true in jamming.  When new players who may be beginners or unfamiliar with jamming come to play, you should try to help these new players gain some confidence.  Give the new players positive reinforcement.  Remark on their playing and boost their egos so they have the self-assurance to play great.  In other words, if you are a jamming veteran be sure to help out the rookie jammers so they can someday be as good as you.

The band and I were working on a cover of The Beatles famous “I am the Walrus”, and we stumbled across this version sang by Jim Carrey.  He really gives it everything he’s got in this one.  Enjoy.

 

 

That’s all for now, until we reconvene.

-Heavy