Re-string That Axe!

So you've got a big show tomorrow night. A & R reps will be in the crowd, biggest show to date. You look at your guitar and notice something. Your strings are dull and lifeless; all the bright and slinky-ness has been lost due to corrosion. You need to re-string your axe! Should you take it into your local guitar shop and have the luthier do it for an exorbitant amount? NOPE! Just follow these instructions and you'll be golden! First off, the way you will approach this will differ depending on the type of guitar being re-strung. Acoustics need the tension to remain on the neck to avoid warping or bending. The way to avoid those problems is to begin by removing and replacing the lowest E string. When trying to determine how much slack you should leave on the string for a good wind, try my method. I pull the string taut through the eyelet. Then pull it back through the feed about half a fret's worth of space. This should ensure enough string on the wind without too much excess! Next will be the D string, then the B. Do you see the overall "skip-a-string" method we're using? Once the B has been replaced you may return to the A string (5th largest) and begin the skipping from there: A, G, E). Remember that this is primarily for acoustics, but may be used for electric as well. Electric guitars may be restrung from the lowest to highest or vice-versa without too much stress on the neck. I still don't recommend taking ALL the strings off unless you need to make repairs. This will ensure a straight neck! After all the strings have been replaced, you will want to "stretch" out the strings by bending them on the fretboard (many play through lead lines and use bends for this purpose). This will make sure that they keep their tone when they naturally lengthen from the stress. Well, I hope this was helpful! Knowledge like this is just a small part of what you will learn if you take private music lessons here at Matt Burk Music Studio. We can help you reach your musical goals and relay valuable information on gigging, tuning, rigs, guitars, etc. Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Reading Music in the Modern Age

  A  long time ago, before radio and television, families would sit together and play through popular songs that were available as sheet music. Perhaps dad played piano while the rest of the family harmonized with mom. Or brother and sister played violin to counter mother and fathers' viola and cello.   No TV programs for the family to watch, no radio to listen to. People made "conversation" through reading music together. These things still occur, of course, but with a modern twist. Here at Matt Burk Music Studio we have many students who have siblings, parents, and children taking lessons congruently. This allows for conversations about music between family members that may bring them closer together; they might play songs that they're working on, or at least have someone to talk to about music in general and help with tricky rhythms and melodies. Reading music may seem difficult to grasp, but no matter if you take private piano, drum, voice, guitar, or bass lessons with us, we can teach you to read proficiently! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Music Makes You Smarter?

 

I have heard that learning to read and play music at an early age can make certain academic enterprises later in life easier to accomplish. Whether or not this is true is up for debate. In my own experiences I have found that it helped foster an ease with communication, working with others for a common goal, and has made me much more open to learning new things such as songs, chords, rhythms, and ideas. Having a musical background can help with your college admission and finding friends with common interests (I know of a group of doctors that play together in a jazz combo for stress relief). Time and time again I have heard from adult students, "I wish I would have started lessons earlier if I knew how positively it would affect my life!" The best part is, it is NEVER too late to start! We here at Matt Burk Music Studio can help you reach your goals musically. We offer many private lessons, such as piano, drums, guitar, bass, and voice. If you're interested in songwriting and audio production, we've got that covered too! In fact, we can help you write, perform, record, and produce YOUR music! Does music make you smarter? Why not find out? Sign up today! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Creativity and the "Outside" Perspective

There is nothing quite like writing music with others that gets the creative "juices" flowing. Sometimes we as composers and performers can get stuck in a writing rut, playing the same chord progressions, repeating the same rhythms, hearing the same melodies! We have to escape "the box" and one of the best ways to do so is to get an outside perspective. Remember, even the Beatles had Brian Epstein to help them write and record some of the most popular songs worldwide! We here at Matt Burk Music Studio can help you do the same! Whether it is vocal coaching, songwriting, learning "killer licks", awesome beats, bringing the low end, or how to "tickle the ivory"; we can give you the positive reinforcement and help you to advance to the next level with your musicianship!

Allen Summer Concerts

Are you looking for something fun to do with your family this summer? Check out Allen’s 15th annual Summer Sounds concerts! It's held at the Joe Farmer Recreation Center Amphitheatre. This is a great way to get your family outside, while keeping them entertained. Also, it’s every Monday night!  Summer Sounds kicked off their six-week series on Monday May 21st, so there is still plenty of time to get out there! The music hits on every genre from contemporary, to zydeco, to Beatles tributes. Do you want to hear the best part? These concerts are FREE. So grab a blanket and the little ones and enjoy some great music outdoors!

This Monday, June 4th High Definition will be playing! High Definition is a great cover band. They play the best of today’s hits along with a wide variety of other popular music from the last five decades! Check out www.cityofallen.org for a full list of bands and performers and plan a few nights out with the family!

If you or one of your family members would like to play in a concert like this someday, we can teach you how! Here at Matt Burk Music Studio we teach a variety of musical genres! We offer private lessons for piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production lessons. If you would like more information please visit our website at www.wannalearnmusic.com or give us a call at (972) 207-9353. We would be happy to talk to you about enrolling today!

Where to begin your musical journey

Have you been trying to decide on an instrument to get started with? It’s not uncommon to be unsure of where to start. Here are some good basic questions to ask yourself when you are in the decision process:  What instrument do I really enjoy? Is there an instrument that stands out to you? Maybe a genre of music that you really enjoy that features a certain instrument. This is a good place to start. Find an instrument that sounds intriguing, and go from there!

What instrument do my friends play? Playing in a group is not only fun, but a great learning experience as well! Find an instrument that some of your friends are playing and join them! Or, pick a different one and form a band!

Do I have an instrument at my house? A lot of times families have a piano sitting in their living room as decoration, or an old guitar that has been passed down or given as a present. Look around your house and see what is there!

Instruments are fun and can provide a lot of opportunities. Don’t stress about which one to choose, maybe try a few different ones? If you’re looking for a place to begin private music lessons, check out our website at www.wannalearnmusic.com! We offer piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production lessons. Give us a call at (972) 207-9353 or send us an email at info@mattburk.com to get started!

Free music in Allen

Are you looking for something fun to do with your family this summer? Check out Allen’s 15th annual Summer Sounds concerts! It's held at the Joe Farmer Recreation Center Amphitheatre. This is a great way to get your family outside, while keeping them entertained. Also, it’s every Monday night! 

Summer Sounds kicked off their six-week series on Monday May 21st, so there is still plenty of time to get out there! The music hits on every genre from contemporary, to zydeco, to Beatles tributes. Do you want to hear the best part? These concerts are FREE. So grab a blanket and the little ones and enjoy some great music outdoors!

This Monday, June 4th High Definition will be playing! High Definition is a great cover band. They play the best of today’s hits along with a wide variety of other popular music from the last five decades! Check outwww.cityofallen.org for a full list of bands and performers. Then plan a few nights out with the family!

If you or one of your family members would like to play in a concert like this someday, we can help you get there! Here at Matt Burk Music Studio we teach a variety of musical genres! We offer private lessons for piano, guitar,drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production lessons. If you would like more information please visit our website at www.wannalearnmusic.com or give us a call at (972) 207-9353. We would be happy to talk to you about starting or continuing your musical journey!

Benefits of playing music in a group

Working as a team comes into play a lot through your life. When you are young it could be on a sports team, in grade school it could be working in a group to finish a class project, and later in life it could be learning to work as a team with other coworkers. Studies have shown that playing music in a group could have a significant impact on your life. For example, playing (and sticking with) an instrument can increase the capacity of your memory. In an article on www.effectivemusicteaching.com it states “New research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.” It continues to say “if you learn how to play an instrument, the parts of your brain that control motor skills (ex: using your hands, running, swimming, balancing, etc.), hearing, storing audio information, and memory, actually grow and become more active.” 

Playing an instrument in a group setting can also be very beneficial. Teaching children (and adults) to pay attention to the other musicians and to be flexible when things go wrong. It’s also very helpful in teaching perseverance and patience. Since learning an instrument takes time and LOTS of practice it can help children, as well as adults, learn to be patient and teaches children that hard work can pay off! If increasing brain function is something you want to try, or if learning an instrument just sounds fun, let us know! We offer piano, guitar, drums, bass, and voice lessons as well as song writing and audio production. If you would like more information on music lessons give us a call at (972) 207-9353 or visit our website at www.wannalearnmusic.com!

Amazing effects of music on everyone!

Wondering if it’s a good idea to put your child in music lessons at a young age? What would be the benefits of starting lessons now? In an article about music and the brain, the writers at neuroscience for kids, state simply that “at its most basic level, music is just sound.” To some parents, their children’s music is just noise, however, music affects each individual differently.

Some researchers have looked into the effects of music lessons on children. They found “children who received keyboard (piano) lessons had improvement in the spatial-temporal test” (testing the ability to put puzzles together and problem solving).  Another study, done by Laurel Trainor, proved that “even a year or two of music training leads to enhanced levels of memory and attention when measured by the same type of tests that monitor electrical and magnetic impulses in the brain. In another study by Glenn Schellenberg, it was proved that “actual music lessons for kids leads to a long lasting cognitive success.”

Not only does music help children’s brain functions, it’s been used to help alzheimer’s patients as well! As you can see in this video Henry, who has been in a nursing home for 10 years, was barely responsive but when music was played from his era, Henry came back to life. He was responsive and able to answer questions that he couldn’t before, and put together full sentences! The results were incredible! Music affects everyone differently, are you curious to see how it would affect you or your child? Get them signed up in music lessons today!  We offer private piano lessons, voice lessons, bass lessons, guitar lessons, and drum lessons. If you have any questions on how to get started or how the lessons work, visit our website at www.wannalearnmusic.com, give us a call at (972) 207-9353, or send us an email at info@mattburk.com.

Sweet, Sweet Summer Camps!

What could be sweeter than attending a summer camp at Matt Burk Music Studio??? Seriously!

These camps are going to be perfect for all ages and skill levels and will give everyone a chance to start learning a new instrument or improve their chops on an instrument they’ve already been working on – whether it be piano, voice, drums, bass, or guitar!

Students will learn about different aspects of being a well-rounded musician, and have a chance to play together as a part of a band, and even record in a professional studio at the end of the camp!

The camps will be 2-weeks long, and will be from noon to 3 pm Monday through Friday. Additional details (including exact dates and tuition) will be posted very soon! If you’d like us to contact you once these details are announced, please email the studio or call us at 972.207.9353, and we’ll be sure you’re the first to know all the specifics! We’ll have this information finalized by the end of March, at the latest.

In the meantime, please check out the rest of our Site and see what we do all year long! Look around to see why we are the premier place for music lessons in Allen, Fairview, McKinney, Plano, and the North Dallas area.