Don't Miss Your Cue!

We've been preparing for our bi-annual showcase and recital all this week. It gives students a chance to show off what they've worked hard to accomplish. Some play along with backing tracks and others are solo performers with new material or a polished cover. This year we've been able to put together a small jazz ensemble in hopes of broadening the musical horizons of our current students as well as keeping an American art form alive in the youth. We had a rehearsal last night and it was the first time the students had met each other, let alone performed as a group. We ran the song a few times and let me tell you how it is always a wonderful feeling to see new musicians really come in to their own. They played like seasoned performers and took what small directions the instructors had to heart. They truly demonstrated the attitude it takes to be a part of a team working towards a common goal!

After the rehearsal ended, the singer expressed concern about coming in at the right times. She told me that she had been watching my changes (on the bass) and cueing accordingly but was worried for the day of the performance. I told her that she had nothing to worry about; we were performing the song in a manner where we had a recording to reference, she had a great feel for the song, and natural talent! Cues for the band can rely heavily on the vocalists lyrics, so placement can be risky. However, with jazz being rather forgiving in that respect, vocal rhythms can be to the performer's taste.

Cues can be pulled from many different sources but your best bet is to listen to recordings of the song that you're performing. For Jazz, many pieces have "heads" or the melody. Certain forms that can be familiarized by reading through it many, many times. Drummers can also help with cues with fills and crescendos in places of transition!

We came to the conclusion that I would sit closer to the front of the stage so that we could make eye contact when big changes or long periods of rest were prevalent. Eye contact in ensembles is key, as it creates a line of communication that cannot be vocalized. This would help with cues for the entire band as well. Overall, I knew she had nothing to worry about but "when in doubt, listen, listen, listen!"

Matt Burk Music Studio creates an atmosphere where private music lessons meet performances with real world applications. We offer customized instruction for piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production. Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Major or Minor?

 

It is a very simple question but one that many people don't know the answer to: what is the difference between the major and minor scales? Well, it is an easy answer wrapped up in complicated language. First we have to understand that we're talking about  a group of tones to which we have assigned the name "scale".. In this example we'll use the C Major scale tones: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C (the next octave up).  There are no accidentals in the scale of C Major, it may be found easily on the piano, just the white keys, starting from any C note on the keyboard (see the picture!) and ascending to the next octave.  The major scale may be sung in solfeggio: do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do! Now sing it, like Julie Andrews!

Now here is the weird part. To create the C minor scale we have to make a few adjustments to the original Major scale. Those adjustments are as follows: We'll take the third scale degree, "mi" and drop the tone one half-step to "me" (this creates a minor third relationship between our 1 "do" and our 3rd "me"). Then we'll flat the 7th tone as well, from "ti" to "te". That's it, now we have do-re-me-fa-so-la-te-do! Our C natural minor scale! Now take a look at the picture above this paragraph. Can you see that if we were to play the C Major Scale, but started on the tone of A and played through to another A we would be playing the A Minor scale! Why is this? Well, they share the same key signature and tones!

Now wasn't all that easy to figure out? It wasn't? Well then, perhaps Matt Burk Music Studio can help shed some light on the theory behind musical ideas that many hold commonplace but aren't exactly sure how or why they work. We can incorporate this into fun, digestible, goal-oriented lessons on the instrument you choose! We offer private music lessons in piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production. Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

The Magic of the Stage

I played lead guitar in an R & B band that featured a singer who doubled on keys. The show centered around his instrument and we were there to fill out the sound, though we had our solos and moments to shine. I remember the performance at a place in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, a small, dimly lit venue that catered to what, for lack of a better term, would be the "hipster" crowd. Types who defined themselves by the things they read, studied, and most importantly, listened to. Now this keyboard player had a double-tiered set up; the base was a Fender Rhodes (the more portable model) with a Nord Lead set on top by means of a short stand. The thing that I remember most, the moment that stands out in my mind and the reason I am writing about this is what happened in the first few minutes of the very first tune. I tend to get really into the music, I close my eyes and play. I happened to have my eyes shut, grooving the lead line for a Meters tune when suddenly something seems amiss.

At first I am fairly certain that I am having an aural hallucination or my ears and brain have decided to stop decoding input correctly. A rising din, no cacophony of noise is rapidly increasing in volume and filling the room with what I later labeled as the "sounds of the end of the world". What had happened was every keyboard players nightmare. Apparently the Rhodes had toppled over, spilling the Nord upside-down and therefore pressing ALL of the keys at once. The synthesizer had been preset to an organ lead, which was like a Bach-esque nightmare of noise. Luckily, we were all professionals. Making eye contact without stopping the song, the rest of the band vamped on the verse chords while the keyboardist picked up his instrument and set it up again, this time with a bit more stability. We waited until he was ready and in unison as a group dove into the chorus. The crowed cheered our recovery and by the end of the set, it had been completely forgotten.

What is the point of this story? Well, I believe that there is a certain magic that exists when one is standing on a stage that keeps mistakes in the background while simultaneously highlighting successes. This is something that not every player knows and sometimes they may be discouraged or let things like the situation above unsettle them into a poor performance. We here at Matt Burk Music Studio can help coach students and prepare them for the hurdles encountered in live performances, whether it is for piano, guitar, drums, bass, or voice we can steel your nerves for any sticky situation! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Which Instrument Should I Choose?

Many people know that they want to start learning an instrument but often they are unsure of which would be the right choice for them. Some find that a certain band or artist is inspiring or they know that they like a type of music but can't settle on whether they want to be the dynamic singer, the fiery lead guitarist, or the crazy, energetic drummer! Students younger than age 7 do very well with instruments like the drums as they are easy to pick up and deal primarily in rhythm reading only. However, voice, piano, and guitar may also be suitable for the enthusiastic youngster! Adults looking for a good hobby find much pleasure playing through their favorite songs on the guitar or singing in a choir. I had a 74-year-old drum student who "just wanted to bang on the drums". It can be difficult to know for certain which instrument is the right one for you. Let us here at Matt Burk Music Studio help you find your musical passion! We specialize in custom private music lessons and have the experience and knowledge to guide you. We offer piano, guitar, drum, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production lessons that are cultivated to your specific needs.

Eliminate the "No"!

The first time I saw an electric guitar up close happened while I was waiting for my mom to finish the paperwork to rent my cornet for middle school band. It was a stratocaster type knock-off, red with white pickguard and it.was.beautiful! I ran my fingers across the open strings and the slight dissonance jarred me. The man behind the counter said out loud, "Would you like to learn that one instead?" and I thought to myself, "Could I ever play that instrument?" It seemed so complicated to me, 6 strings to deal with on both hands? The small things I had learned in the first few days of band class were still foreign to me! I told him "no" and left without much concern, though my mind kept wandering back to the red electric guitar.

It would be three more years before I sat down with my grandmother's acoustic to learn to play, urged on by both a quest to find my identity and the gift of free time that comes with being young. I had a few rudimentary chord charts and a pitch-pipe, yet things seemed to fall into place. . .

I realized that the instrument was, duh!, made for the hands! But the chords did not necessarily make sense to me alone. It took organizing them in a certain order that made it sound interesting to my ears. Of course this was a tortoise-paced, roundabout way of learning harmonic progression, but I wouldn't know that until it was made clear in studies at school.

If I had only said "yes" to the question years earlier would I now be light-years ahead in my skills? One can never say for sure. However when I see my students pick up something that took me years to learn in a few week's worth of lessons, I wonder. . .

I believe that telling yourself "no" before trying them can make easy tasks seem daunting. If we just give ourselves the benefit of the doubt we often find that the task is simple and not outside our abilities. At Matt Burk Music Studio, we can provide small insights into the instrument that YOU are interested in. We offer customized, private lessons in piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production. Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

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!

Just a Little Push

I am fairly certain that I wouldn't be sitting here typing about the music studio if my grandmother hadn't given me her guitar when I was a young boy. I hadn't thought about playing an instrument before then. She and my grandfather had been in a traveling country band and she felt it was time to pass it to the next generation. Perhaps there is an alternate universe where I bizzaro-me is a CPA and spends his weekends building ships in small glass bottles. Alas, in this universe I am a musician and I have it all to thank from that one little "push" that she gave me so many years ago. As she handed me the case she said, "your fingers are going to hurt a bit at first, but the more you play it, the easier it gets". Sound advice at the time and something I now tell my students who are new to the instrument. Perhaps you know someone that is looking for a hobby, something to relax them from a stressful job, or a way to connect with others. Learning an instrument is, in my humble opinion, is the perfect solution! Maybe they're already thinking about it and they just need that "little push". Are you the person to give it to them? Not sure where to go after that? Let us at Matt Burk Music Studio take over from there. We offer private music lessons for piano, guitar, drums, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production. Together we can open the world of music to those whom might have not tried it in the first place. Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Wanted: Bass Player!

 

Although I don't teach it primarily, I have played the bass for a few bands in Chicago and Dallas. There is a certain stigma that comes with the instrument and some feel that it is secondary to guitars and drums. . . This couldn't be further from the truth! Low end is a necessity in all popular forms of contemporary music!If the drums are the backbone, the bass is the thumping heart. It creates a liaison between the keyboards, guitar, and drums that rounds out the rhythm section. While there are many popular acts that don't use a bass player, I can't imagine a Led Zeppelin without John Paul Jones or the Beatles without Paul. Where would the jazz world be today without Charlie Mingus? Would the Red Hot Chili Peppers made it without Flea? What I'm getting at is that the musical world always needs bass players. Good players are high in demand and great players can be seen on tour or in the studio being paid for session work. At Matt Burk Music Studio, we offer private bass lessons that will demonstrate the art form and fun that playing the bass can bring about, whether you're young, old, experienced or novice. We tailor our lessons to the student and set reachable goals that can be measured.  Perhaps you agree with me  but the bass just isn't your instrument? We also offer private piano, guitar, drum, voice, songwriting, and audio production lessons! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Don't Drop In Cold!

Every once in a while I catch one of the numerous "singing competition" shows on television. Performances on these shows are always backed by a full band and backing singers. The contestants usually sound radio-ready, even when performing live. Why is that? Did they wake up, get to the studio, and immediately jump into the song? The answer is, probably not. To hit those astronomical notes, any good singer will tell you, "WARM UP!". Singing arpeggiated chords of the major scale  works wonders before belting out the show stoppers. Not sure how they're supposed to work? Let us help you get your voice to its performance peak! We offer private voice lessons with extensive know-how from teachers who work in the industry! If vocalizing isn't your thing, perhaps you'd like to learn an instrument to accompany your favorite singer? We also offer private piano, guitar, drum, bass, audio production, and songwriting lessons! Whatever your instrument, we can prepare you to perform not just in the shower, but on stage in front of an audience! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

What's Your Pick?

 

There are as many picking techniques as there are guitar players out there! Finesse and style vary from player to player, depending on what type of music they're playing. Fast stacatto with palm-muting for metal and wisp-like strokes for folk. Being a guitar player myself, I have a few techniques that I use depending on which genre of music I am playing: Finger-picking patterns for classical, finger-pull and walking bass for jazz, full strum and palm-muting single line melodies in rock. Each has its own sound and feel, perfect for that particular show or song! It never hurts to have a plethora of riffs and techniques to throw at songs. The best part is, we here at Matt Burk Music Studio understand that players are not always looking to box themselves into a single type or style of playing. We offer private music lessons that are custom-tailored to your needs! Not sure which instrument is the one for you? We offer private piano, guitar, drum, bass, and voice lessons as well as songwriting and audio engineering know-how! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!!

Why Doesn't Mine Sound Like That?

 

I'll never forget the first time I stepped into a recording studio. I was 15 and my fellow bandmates and I had saved up enough cash to record our first demo! The day arrived and we loaded into the sound-proof rooms, mic'd up everything and got started. Within a few hours we had ourselves a few songs recorded. However, when the sound engineer played back the recordings, they sounded thin and nothing like what I heard on the radio. Of course I was naive to think that it would sound radio-ready when listening to the raw tracks but that experience opened my eyes to the necessity of audio production. When we hear Beyonce's latest single or the new Mumford and Sons album, and they sound great, the reason isn't just that they're talented musicians. The people behind the board deserve just as much credit as those behind the glass! It takes know-how and extreme patience to be a good music producer. You have to have a great ear and be able to find the sound and style that the client is looking to create. Here at Matt Burk Music Studio, we have the resources to help your music sound like what you hear on the radio! Full private audio production lessons if you're looking to make your own music or songwriting lessons if you need help putting your hit together! Looking to brush up on your licks before heading in to track a hit? We also offer private piano, guitar, drums, bass, and voice lessons! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Too Old? Too Young? To the Contrary!

As a teacher I have been asked on more than one occasion, what age is a good age to start taking lessons? Am I too old to learn a musical instrument? Well,  I have seen students as young as 4 years and as old as 76! It is never too late or too early to start learning an instrument! Now, don't get me wrong; starting music lessons at an early age definitely gives those a bit of a leg up when it comes to band, orchestra, or personal pursuits! As adults, learning an instrument can be therapeutic and a great stress-reliever. I've had many an adult student come to me to learn songs they can play by the camp fire while the rest of the family sings along. And if you're already playing an instrument, it never hurts to learn from someone at the next level. This is what we do at Matt Burk Music Studio! We offer private lessons for piano, drums, guitar, bass, voice, songwriting, and audio production. All levels, from beginner to advanced, are welcome here; we customize our lessons to you! So remember that it is never too late or too early to start taking music lessons, especially here at Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!   

1, 2, 3, 4!

It is as easy as that! If you can count to four, you can learn to read music. Sure, there is a lot more to it than just that, but the overall foundation of rhythm is counting! I am fairly certain that I tell my students to count out loud every single day that I go into the studio. Why, you ask? Well, I  find that even in times of high anxiety, perhaps during a performance, that the counting we've done in the past out loud can help our inner count get back on track. I have seen it happen, used it myself, and know it to be true. Understanding this fundamental factor seems like it would be obvious, but for many it can be an "A-ha!" moment. Those are the type of moments we can create here at Matt Burk Music Studio for you! We offer private lessons for Piano, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Voice, Songwriting, and  Audio Production located conveniently in Allen, Texas! 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!

Metronome: Metro-NOPE!? Keep it Between the Clicks!

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK. Every musician knows that feeling. . .  We've completed our weekly assignment at our own pace, keeping in mind everything our instructor talked about, and it went swimmingly! And then it happens; we turn on the metronome and attempt the same result only to find frustration between the clicks. Many students find it to be such a daunting task that they simply do away with it. Worry Not! Developing a sense of rhythm takes time! If we allow ourselves to understand that perfection is not necessary (at least to begin with) and that the click is a must when practicing any exercises or songs, it becomes commonplace. Depending on whether you take private drum, guitar, bass, voice, or piano lessons, you can always find ways to involve the metronome. In my lessons, we use it for warm ups with drums, for counting measures when learning chords for guitar, and following the downbeat when playing bass. I have the metronome on so much that I barely hear it anymore! But when I need to, I can sync up instantly with it because I hear it on a consistent basis. The metronome helps us to "see" whether we are lagging (slowing down) or rushing (speeding up). At first the "feel" of playing with it can be off-putting, especially if the student is a beginner. One thing I can guarantee: if you use it daily, you WILL get better at keeping between the clicks! Keep at it and soon you'll see that it wasn't as big a challenge as you may have previously expected. We here at Matt Burk Music Studio can help you straighten out those rhythms, no matter what the instrument! Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, Perform!

Mixing the Old and New

I've stated before how many different genres of music that I hear throughout the week at Matt Burk Music Studio. I think the eclectic nature of the lessons keeps interested minds open to sounds and melodies that they might not initially enjoy. This can be seen particularly in the song choices for our student Jam Sessions. The instructors are involved with the decisions and take heavily into consideration the requests and interests of the students. We perform one modern pop song and one classic pop/rock song. This helps the student identify common progressions, repeating  patterns, and influences that perhaps are overlooked during the intense focus of the lesson. The atmosphere during the jam session is very relaxed:  The teachers are there to support our drum, keyboard, bass, guitar, and vocal students. Students are there to develop ensemble awareness, meet new players/peers, and have a good time! Learning from the experience is just a side effect of the overall goal; something I discussed in my last post, "Performance Panic".  The main thing to remember is that we always have something to learn from music from any era!

Performance Panic!

I've noticed lately that there are a few students out there who are feeling a bit intimidated about getting up and performing in front of an audience. I myself had horrible stage fright for a number of years and then, something changed. When I look back upon it, I realize that it was a culmination of a few things. It took repeated performances; I mean dozens and dozens of them to really start feeling natural on stage. Increasing practice time also helped immensely. When I no longer had to think hard about what I was doing, I was allowed to get more "into it". Still, nothing was more important that actually getting out and playing in front of an audience. Whether I had my best show ever or completely fell flat on my face, I was still alive after the performance and had learned something from it to use in the future. The teachers at Matt Burk encourage all of our students to participate in our plethora of performance opportunities like Jam Sessions, Showcases, and Recitals!  These allow for ensemble awareness development, opens windows of creativity, and boosts the confidence of the student! And remember, we offer private lessons for drums, guitar, bass, voice, and piano! No matter what your instrument of choice, we can help you achieve your musical goals.  Matt Burk Music Studio: Learn, Create, PERFORM!!

Music: A "Universal" language.

I find the idea of music as a language to be very interesting. Two people with a language barrier may sit down and read through a duet together and "communicate" through that performance. Music brings people together, boosts the self-confidence, and the ability to contribute when performing with a group.  Whether your private music lessons involve drums, guitar, bass, voice, or piano, we can help you reach your personal goals. Matt Burk Music Studio:  Learn, Create, Perform!