Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio 

Musician’s Guide to Practice Part 2 - by Ryan Roberts

Practice difficult parts longer.
The majority of your practice time should be spent on the section of music that you find the most difficult.  Sometimes the music might seem too hard to play.  However, if you remain persistent and have a desire to master the hard parts, you will become that much better!
Some good strategies for tackling the hard parts are:

• Play them very slowly at first and then gradually increase the tempo.
• Break them down into smaller parts.  If it is 8 measures long, only work on 1 measure at a time.  You could even work on only 1 beat at a time.
• (Once again!) Practice daily

Play with Expression.

Music has the ability to make us feel many different emotions.  How often has a song made you feel happy or sad or even scared?  Great movies usually have great soundtracks.  The music adds so much to the movie because the music helps you feel what is happening on the screen.
As a musician, your music should be performed with expression.  You have the ability to express your feelings about the music to the listener.  Once you can play the correct notes and rhythms, take your music to the next level by performing it expressively.
You can play more expressively by:

•     Think about how the music should sound like as you play it.
•     Add vibrato.
•     Add subtle nuances such as unwritten dynamics and slight tempo changes.

Perform your music beyond the notes and rhythms and make it expressive.

Learn from Mistakes

When you practice you are bound to make many mistakes.  I believe mistakes are a good thing.  Why?  Because mistakes help you pinpoint what your problems are.  When you make a mistake analyze why you made it.  Was it a wrong note, a wrong fingering, a wrong rhythm?  Try to step back and determine just what it was that caused you to play it incorrectly.
Once you have made a mistake try to figure out how to solve it.  Develop some strategies that will help you overcome this mistake.  This problem solving will enable you to become more aware of what it is you are doing wrong.  Once you understand what you are doing wrong, you are more likely to determine a solution that will lead to your success.

Don't be discouraged by your mistakes, learn from them.

Be Optimistic

Possibly one of the most important tips concerning practice is to   remain optimistic.  Never begin to doubt yourself.  It's easy to get discouraged and feel like giving up, but successful people always continue to move forward.  If you fall, get back up.
Know that you have unique talents and abilities that no one else has.  You can do anything you set out to do if you have persistence and a positive attitude.

Look for Connections

When you practice, you may come to find that different songs or passages have some things in common.  Making these connections can help you ease into the new section because in a way, you've already done it before.  You don't have to "reinvent the wheel" every time.  In a lot of music, you will have a very similar thing to play even though it's in a different part of the song.  Knowing that you already played it once in the song will help you to understand that it isn't anything new, and thus enables you to put your own expression and interpretation on the material. Use your knowledge of prior music as a background for future tunes!

So get to practice, and always remember to have fun!

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

Musician’s Guide to Practice Part 1 - by Ryan Roberts

Often times, what separates “good” musicians from “great” musicians is practice.  It is absolutely crucial for any serious player to practice everyday.  Consistent daily practice enables you to become a better musician.  I personally recommend that you practice at the very least 20 to 30 minutes a day.  I’ve accumulated some tips (based on Tackling The Monster: Wynton Marsalis on Practice) and starting points to get you all shredding in no time!

Make A Schedule

A schedule is a good way to organize your practice time. When you practice, it is important to follow a consistent routine. It is also a good idea to find a nice quiet place where you can concentrate without any interruptions. 

Once you plan out your schedule, it is important to stick with it. 

You should include a warm up, your scales, music that you need to work on, and something you enjoy playing for fun. By following a schedule you will begin to develop good practice habits that will enhance your knowledge of your instrument and your music.

Set Goals

Setting goals for yourself is very important. Goals help you to have something to aim for in your personal development. As long as you are always trying to achieve success you will improve your talents. 

Examples of goals you could set for yourself are:
    Learning all of your scales
    Learning all of your music
    Improving your tone quality
    Increasing your range
    Learning new fingerings
    Learning how to sight read more accurately
    Counting rhythms correctly
There are many more goals you can have. It comes down to your own desires and your own ambitions.

Concentrate

Concentration is an essential part of practicing. If you concentrate during your practice session you will more likely retain most of what you were working on. If during your practice time it is getting difficult to focus on your goals, stop and come back to them later. That will help you to make the most out of your practice time. 

Good concentration during practice will only help you to be more effective in your work.

Relax

Don't be in a hurry to get your practicing done.  It is important to take your time and practice slowly and carefully.  The more difficult your music is, the more slowly you should practice it.  Practicing slowly on a hard section of your music allows you to work out the problems you may be having with it.  Be certain you are doing everything correctly.

A great tool for practicing is a metronome.  A metronome is a device that measures the number of beats per minute.  It makes audible clicking sounds per beat and can help you play your music steadily.  Set your metronome at a slow setting and play along with it.  When you become comfortable at the slow setting, slightly increase the speed.  By using this strategy, you will eventually be able to play your music at the correct tempo.
Until next week remember to relax and have fun!

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

One Five Six Four - Harmony Tutorial by Oresti

Are you new to music? Do you not know what to do, or where to start? Some people may start with the words, others with the lyrics and some with the harmony (the chords). I’m not much of a songwriter, but I know when I’m starting to put together a track, my starting point is the harmony - I can the work around that. The beauty of pop music is that the chords are generally so simple, every possible combination or progression has been used and overdone thousands if not millions of times. So, if you’re new to this whole thing and you just need somewhere to start, you need not go out of your way to come up with quirky, possibly awkward chord changes… you can go with the tried and true classics.

One of my favorite, go to progressions for when I’m messing around with friends and coming up with a “pop” song is I V vi IV. Those Roman numerals refer to the scale degree and whether or not the chord is major or minor. With upper case Roman numbers, the chord is Major, and with lower case, the chord is minor. So in the case of the “easy” key, at least on the piano, C-major (all white), these chords would be: C-major (I), G-major (V), a-minor (vi), F-major (IV). I guarantee if you turn on mainstream pop or rock radio at any point of the day, you can find a song that is this progression or a small variation on this progression. Why? Because it’s simple, effective, and it works. An example of this progression in action is Bush’s “Glycerine.”

Sit down with your instrument, whether it’s guitar or piano, what have you, and just start playing those chords in that order over and over again until your comfortable with them. Once you’ve done that, if you now how, try changing the key. If not, that’s alright… you can move on to a different task and try changing the order of chords. You’ll find that most pop music revolves around these four chords and different combinations of them…

For example, vi IV I V, or a-minor, F-major, C-major, G-major. Same chords, different order, and another thousand hit songs. A great example of this progression in action is Eagle Eye Cherry’s “Save Tonight.” Again, a simple but effective use of these chords, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t try it out for yourself. The verse in Joan Osborne’s “If God Was One of Us” is another example of this.  

You can even take one more step back and make this simpler, why not just two chords? I IV, C-major to F-major… the entire first part of The Rolling Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” It’s brilliant, just do it, experiment with the rhythms and start singing random melodies on top until your happy with what you’ve come up with. Pop music is a formulaic process, it’s a proven fact and there’s no reason to try and come up with unique harmonic ideas from the get go because it’s practically impossible unless you’re in the avant-garde or experimental jazz movements.

Now go have fun, and go write some pop music… after some healthy Trick-or-Treating of course.

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio 

Finding a Practice Space  - by Ryan Roberts

Hello ladies and Gentlemen. This week I'm going to go over a topic that is rather bothersome to many musicians: finding a practice space.

I live in Brooklyn. None of my friends have a garage or extra room for a legitimate practice space. So I, like many of you, have to rent a space. Finding the perfect place presents different obstacles for each musician, but there are a few really basic guidelines you can follow; to set a course for your band, and to get yourself out of your living-room and into the space you need.

Think about sharing: Having a group of people go in on a space with you is a must for almost every musician out there. Make sure to get a space big enough that it can accommodate the amount of people that you need to share the space with to get the individual cost down to something affordable. If you end up sharing with a few different bands, as I have done in the past, just bring a calendar into the space a keep track of 'who' will be in the space at 'what' time. Sharing a space also helps with networking. If you end up playing a show with the band you split the space with you can share equipment and promote the event together.
 
Location, Location, Location: Make sure to find a place that is close to all the people who have     a share in the space. It's not fair to make that one dude drive 45 minutes if it only takes you 5 to     get to the space. Gas prices are horrendous and public transportation can be spotty late at night,     so keep your cronies in mind when picking your spot.

Soundproofing:  Some spaces offer “free” soundproofing but you typically end up paying for it in the rental price.  If you need a little extra padding and you can't pay for the really high end     supplies try checking out movers rugs.  They cost about 15-30 dollars a piece and actually help more than you would think.  Just staple or nail a couple movers rugs together and hang it on the     wall.  The thicker the rugs the more sound they absorb. 

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

Life on the Road - Part 4 - by Ryan Roberts

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen!  After a one week hiatus the Musicians Guide is back for the final chapter of the touring series!  If you haven't had a chance to check the first 3 out then check them out here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 

You and your cronies are going to have to sleep somewhere almost every night (excluding overnight drives).  Lodging can be a huge overhead for a band of any size.  Typically the amount of people you have to accommodate fluctuates depending on the size and success of your band (i.e. successful band=big crew=lots of hotel rooms) If and when you make the decision to stay in hotels you run the risk of potentially doubling your overall expenses. Hotels typically run from $50-$200 a night.  That's a ton of dough for a bunch of broke guys and girls just trying to make it home, and its even a lot for an established band. 

Use a website like Orbitz or Priceline to get the best prices you can, and be sure to look for something that can justify the cost; for instance, a continental breakfast saves you the cost of eating breakfast that day, and you can usually take an apple or banana with you without getting dirty looks from the concierge.  If you're going to be staying with bands or people you know, its good to do a little research and find out if it's going to be a party atmosphere or low key.  Keep in mind that as a a band on the road you'll meet lots of people who would probably like to party like its 1999; on a Tuesday night, just because you're in town.  That gets old fast.  To maintain the health and vitality of your band you'll have to prioritize when it's a good idea to get down and when it's a good idea to lay down.  Hope this helps!  Take care all!

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

Life on the Road - Part 3 - by Ryan Roberts

Welcome back to this weeks Musicians Guide!  Last week I touched on viable transportation solutions and cost efficient fueling options for all you potential and current road warriors.  This week I'm going to give you fellows some possible alternatives for fueling the most important machine of all, your body.  While on the road, it's tremendously easy to fall into bad habits (ie. fast food, alcohol, etc.). Remember that your body is following the same rules as it does when you're hanging out in one location, and eating unhealthy food will make you feel (and eventually look) haggard. Try to only stop at fast food joints once a week or so, unless it's something healthy like Subway. Keep in mind that "sit-down" restaurants get pricey; if you've got a financially successful tour, or if money isn't much of a factor, they're fun and delicious, but otherwise you're going to have to look into getting cheap, nutritious, eats from supermarkets.

If you end up doing legitimate grocery shopping keep in mind that you'll be needing a cooler.  Make sure the cooler doesn't leak though - ours did and our van very quickly turned into a swamp/lake hybrid.  Keeping an eye on your diet is key, especially for singers; if you're using your voice, try to avoid tons of caffeine on those overnight stints and don't smoke or drink heavily. You can easily lose notes from your upper register if you're not careful, and your on-stage endurance whithers away after a few evenings of hard partying.  Along with your body, the other thing that is absolutely crutial to maintain is your instrument.  Changing drum heads, guitar/bass strings, keeping batteries in pedals fresh, and renewing your damaged instrument cables are all pretty tedious things to do, but if you can get yourself used to doing it every 3 shows or so, I think you'll end up finding the process really relaxing - I do.  A couple quick tips to help with wear and tear on your stuff:

1. Buy Monster Cables!  I know they are super expensive, but they come with a lifetime warranty that Guitar Center honors.  I can't even remember how many times I traded out my old guitar cable for a free brand new one.
2. Boil/Bake your strings.  This probably sounds bizarre but it absolutely works!  What happens to your strings as they lose their clarity of sound is that the skin and oil from your fingertips starts to weigh down, or deaden, the strings.  If you boil/bake your strings, the oil and dead skin gets broken up and the strings regain a bit of their former glory.
3. Throat coat.  This is the saving grace for many many accomplished singers!  Head on over to the local health store and just ask for this stuff.  When we were on tour, Will, the lead singer, swore by Throat coat.  He used it every night and his voice seldom went out.

Appreciate you taking the time to check this out!  Make sure to check back in next week for the next Musicians Guide: Touring.

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

Life on the Road - Part 2 - by Ryan Roberts

Hello all!  Last week I went into pre-tour preparation and press kit components.  If you didn't check it out you can take a gander here . This week I'll run over some other practical aspects to take into consideration before you put the pedal to metal.

So lets pretend that you've got your press-kit all put together, you've contacted venues, and secured dates;  what now?  Well you gotta get there somehow right?  If you already own an insured van you're ahead of the curve!  Otherwise you'll have to secure your crew an automobile.  Renting is a possibility but I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than just a few regional dates.  Gas is such a dominating expense that to have to actually pay a day rate on top of that is absolutely lethal to your bands financial future!  Don't forget that If you end up getting a diesel van you can have it converted to run on vegetable oil for a nominal fee.  If your interested in the conversion option check out www.frybrid.com ;  then you can stop at restaurants anywhere along the road and they will, a lot of the time, just give you their used oil.  Thats free fuel folks!  Well thats all for this week.  Keep your eyes peeled for part 3 of 4 next week!

Tips from professional musicians on life on the road, on stage, and in the studio

Life on the Road - Part 1 - by Ryan Roberts

Here at Indaba we are thrilled about the development and progress of you talented folks!  So we decided to help you all get your white hot blistering beats and mesmerizing harmonious melodies on the road. I personally had the opportunity to join the ranks of road warriors around the world and live the the tour life for 3 years, during which, I cultivated some valuable information that I would love to pass along to you all.

You can't go on a tour if you don't have one, so how do you make that happen?  First things first:  Booking.

Start with a press kit. Gene Simmons, legendary front man of Kiss, coined the playful term "Keep it simple stupid", and it certainly applies here.  Try and make the focus of your press kit the content, not the packaging.  There is no need to doll up your press kit; its the music which must speak for itself.

What should you include in the press kit?

-A cover letter explaining your intent
-A recording of your tunes
-A bio of your origin and summation of your sound
-Career highlights
-A professional photograph of your act
-Most importantly - CONTACT INFO.

Once you have a press kit which says: "I mean business" (not literally of course, but whatever tickles your fancy), what do you do with it?  Find places that you think would be into booking you (keep in mind your genre, size of your act, your draw, and experience) and locate the contact there.  The contact could be anyone affiliated with the venue like an agent, bar owner, club employee, or even an outside promoter.  Make sure to do your homework and check to see if the club has booking instructions online.  Always make a follow-up call and remember that you want 'em to hook you up, so be nice!  Stay tuned next week for some more directions on how to get yourself on the road.