If I had a dollar for every time someone said "I'm bringing real music back"... I'd have about 20 dollars. Meager accumulation of funds aside, I do hear a lot of complaints about radio music sucks, how Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and a slew of other today's artist don't sing, have crappy music and are just cookie cutter cronies. However, I'd like to point out that many of these artists are selling millions of singles, so someone must like it, which is their signal to keep doing this, because if it ain't broke don't fix it. Okay, that's the last cliche, I promise. I agree it makes it hard to find new music and find music that's innovative.
I'd like to hearken back to the 18th century, J.S. Bach has just completed the Minuet in C minor for harpsichord, and point out that the simple fact of calling it a "Minuet", a name used in hundreds of works, let's you know that there are rules and a structure. There was even a dance that went along to the minuet, in the same exact way that a DJ enjoys spinning songs that people can easily dance to and are easy to put into their mix.
My point is that music has almost always been about a specific structure. The greatest composers create unexpected turns out of an expected set of foundations. The most talented can make a song both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time to give the listener what they want and also had no idea it existed. It's the juxtaposition of those emotions delivered aurally that pleases an audience, which is why so much mainstream music sounds alike. Their audience is in millions, so their goal is to be able to be absorbed by the general public.
So, if you feel that today's radio music is crap and you're tired of listening to your stale iTunes library, but don't know how to find new music. Try these things out, and quit your bellyaching of how much today's music sucks... LOL!
iTunes 8 Genius - Right click a song in your iTunes library and pick Start Genius
The Filter - Go to http://www.thefilter.com which uses a music algorithm to find you new stuff
Shazam it - 3. Download Shazam for your phone, if you hear something you like, Shazam it and look at "Recommendations"
Awdio - 4. Go to Awdio.com which will let you stream music from clubs, and tag what you like.
SoundCloud - Open a SoundCloud account and let them bring you music from artists all over the world based upon other artists you like.
HypeMachine - This site crawl's the blogosphere finding all types of little music nuggets you've never heard of before.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Free lessons...
Yes, so I just used a headline to make you want to look at my blog post, however, it's not just a gimmick. I want you to join/like my fan page on Facebook. Here are three reasons why you'll love it:
1. You'll get free lessons.
Yup, just that simple. I put free lessons on the Facebook page, and you can check 'em out and see if you're ready for real private lessons. But you can check out the free lessons and learn as much as you want.
2. Stay up on your current music news
So, I sit at home scouring the net for all the latest stuff going on in the music world, the latest sound and newest music. You every wonder what makes the Imagine Dragons the hottest Alternative rock band of the decade? Me too.
3. Need tracks? Got that too...
Stay up on the new music that becomes available if you're in the market for tracks for your music project. Also, I'll cut deals periodically to give away some for free sometimes. Everybody likes free.
So, as you see, you can benefit from jumping on the Kognate bandwagon and hanging out virtually with your boy. I've been active on there for quite a time, so check it out: http://www.facebook.com/kognateLLC.com
1. You'll get free lessons.
Yup, just that simple. I put free lessons on the Facebook page, and you can check 'em out and see if you're ready for real private lessons. But you can check out the free lessons and learn as much as you want.
2. Stay up on your current music news
So, I sit at home scouring the net for all the latest stuff going on in the music world, the latest sound and newest music. You every wonder what makes the Imagine Dragons the hottest Alternative rock band of the decade? Me too.
3. Need tracks? Got that too...
Stay up on the new music that becomes available if you're in the market for tracks for your music project. Also, I'll cut deals periodically to give away some for free sometimes. Everybody likes free.
So, as you see, you can benefit from jumping on the Kognate bandwagon and hanging out virtually with your boy. I've been active on there for quite a time, so check it out: http://www.facebook.com/kognateLLC.com
Lohan, Cyrus, Prince, and Isley... what they all have in common
So, the VMAs were last night, and every one is up in arms about Hannah Montana sticking her tongue out and shaking a non-existent backside. That girl is twerking nothin but bones, but that's not the point. The point is the transformation and everyone's commentary on it, along with faces contorted at the display of twerk and tongue from the no-ass-atall youngin'. https://twitter.com/graciejenkinss/status/371989237773926400/photo/1
However, I'd like everyone to remember that we are all people who stoop down on the porcelain throne, put our pants on one at a time, and all have awkward moments of growing pangs. Miley is actually a talented young lady who is trying to come into her own. Don't know who remembers this great version of "Lilac Wine" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFZsunzjDXU
So, the VMAs... Cool song, crazy performance that leaves odd feelings of pedophilia and longing for some auto tune. However, good effort at making a show not mind numbingly boring. Every artists who is making new music, longer than 5 years must reinvent themselves in order to stay relevant to the mainstream. Take a look at Prince, Ron Isley, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lindsey Lohan. Any artist must let go of their childhood roles and make new works of art that reflect the time that is most relevant to keep selling new material. Otherwise, your stuck making appearances using old songs, saying old lines and wearing the old clothes.
All of us as human beings have to grow, and rarely any of us want to be remembered as our badly dressed, awkward cussing younger versions of ourselves. I'm sure that as a celebrity and person who makes a living from your brand desires for her image and job opportunities to grow along with her regardless of the path chosen. So, I say this to say, don't be so quick to judge, I'm sure someone has some awkward photos or videos of not so awesome moments... some may be posted on Facebook this very moment... *disapproving stares*
BJ Rice
http://www.facebook.com/kognateLLC
hhtp://www.kognateLLC.com
However, I'd like everyone to remember that we are all people who stoop down on the porcelain throne, put our pants on one at a time, and all have awkward moments of growing pangs. Miley is actually a talented young lady who is trying to come into her own. Don't know who remembers this great version of "Lilac Wine" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFZsunzjDXU
So, the VMAs... Cool song, crazy performance that leaves odd feelings of pedophilia and longing for some auto tune. However, good effort at making a show not mind numbingly boring. Every artists who is making new music, longer than 5 years must reinvent themselves in order to stay relevant to the mainstream. Take a look at Prince, Ron Isley, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lindsey Lohan. Any artist must let go of their childhood roles and make new works of art that reflect the time that is most relevant to keep selling new material. Otherwise, your stuck making appearances using old songs, saying old lines and wearing the old clothes.
All of us as human beings have to grow, and rarely any of us want to be remembered as our badly dressed, awkward cussing younger versions of ourselves. I'm sure that as a celebrity and person who makes a living from your brand desires for her image and job opportunities to grow along with her regardless of the path chosen. So, I say this to say, don't be so quick to judge, I'm sure someone has some awkward photos or videos of not so awesome moments... some may be posted on Facebook this very moment... *disapproving stares*
BJ Rice
http://www.facebook.com/kognateLLC
hhtp://www.kognateLLC.com
Practice, practice, practice...
One thing I hear as a full time musician and piano teacher is people always want to know how much to practice. When I was younger, my piano teacher, Joseph Price, told me to practice a full 30 minutes every day, and that he would practice so long as a child that his mother would literally pay him to stop playing.
At the time, I was 7 or 8 years old and as my mother can attest, I was not very good at practicing. I learned about three short classical pieces before moving on to gospel music and jazz, so I can identify 100% with children who don't want to play classical music. I try not to force it down their throats, while also introducing them to its finer points and showing them the things that they can learn from it.
To wrap things up, I get it that making a child practice is difficult, however, it also is an unfortunately reality that children will not consistently practice on their own. Learning an instrument is like growing into a good marriage. Sometimes the "in love" feeling will carry you through the tough times. Sometimes, it's going to take hard work and making yourself go through the things you don't really want to go through. Kids will sometimes want to practice, but don't count on that being what's going to push that child to become a great musician. Teaching a child to play an instrument, something that takes years of study, is an activity for the parent and the child, because I can only be there once a week to inspire them, the rest is up to you and him or her.
At the time, I was 7 or 8 years old and as my mother can attest, I was not very good at practicing. I learned about three short classical pieces before moving on to gospel music and jazz, so I can identify 100% with children who don't want to play classical music. I try not to force it down their throats, while also introducing them to its finer points and showing them the things that they can learn from it.
To wrap things up, I get it that making a child practice is difficult, however, it also is an unfortunately reality that children will not consistently practice on their own. Learning an instrument is like growing into a good marriage. Sometimes the "in love" feeling will carry you through the tough times. Sometimes, it's going to take hard work and making yourself go through the things you don't really want to go through. Kids will sometimes want to practice, but don't count on that being what's going to push that child to become a great musician. Teaching a child to play an instrument, something that takes years of study, is an activity for the parent and the child, because I can only be there once a week to inspire them, the rest is up to you and him or her.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
She just won't practice! How to make practice fun...
I've been dealing with some students who've been having some really hard times practicing. I have one student who decided she wanted to play guitar, after some questioning, mainly because piano was becoming too hard.
Once a student passes the "Twinkle, twinkle little star" stage, the piano becomes a little harder to do. There are separate rhythms and finger positions in the two hands. Admittedly, it's a lot to process especially when you feel like you should be able to. So, as a parent, it's best that you don't say negative things like, "you should be able to do that by now..." or "..you're not doing so well anymore.." or anything like this that may not seem damaging but it's pretty much death to the child's ego.
I'm not saying that you should give false praise, however, it is best to reward the effort. So, here are some things that you, the parent, can do to make practicing more fun.
1. THE PRACTICE JAR - Get a class container, paint measurement lines on the jar and paint some beans. Each time that the child practices, place bean in the jar. When the beans reach one of the measurement lines, he or she gets some type of prize or reward. It could be their favorite candy, a trip to their favorite place, or the prizes can change.
2. SING A LONG - Many of the songs have lyrics, so sing a long. While your child practices, come sing while they play, when they're ready. Mom or dad singing the song is "the prize" for playing the song correctly.
3. SWITCH IT UP - Most of the time, practicing can be boring because it's the same song, the same way. Sometimes, it's best just to get it out. To get the notes, and then play it like you want, however you want and as loud as you want. As the teacher, I can come and make sure they know and understand the "written way" but sometimes it's just fun to bang on the piano and get through the song.
Doing a couple of these or all of these will make practicing more fun. Typically, I stop stressing practice so much when the student is losing interest and we focus more on "fun" music that they know to get the interest back, and then we'll return to the scholarly work of music after the interest has returned while maintaining the interest level with songs and activities.
Remember, music doesn't have to be boring! There's music value in Pop, Hip Hop, Folk and all other styles.
Once a student passes the "Twinkle, twinkle little star" stage, the piano becomes a little harder to do. There are separate rhythms and finger positions in the two hands. Admittedly, it's a lot to process especially when you feel like you should be able to. So, as a parent, it's best that you don't say negative things like, "you should be able to do that by now..." or "..you're not doing so well anymore.." or anything like this that may not seem damaging but it's pretty much death to the child's ego.
I'm not saying that you should give false praise, however, it is best to reward the effort. So, here are some things that you, the parent, can do to make practicing more fun.
1. THE PRACTICE JAR - Get a class container, paint measurement lines on the jar and paint some beans. Each time that the child practices, place bean in the jar. When the beans reach one of the measurement lines, he or she gets some type of prize or reward. It could be their favorite candy, a trip to their favorite place, or the prizes can change.
2. SING A LONG - Many of the songs have lyrics, so sing a long. While your child practices, come sing while they play, when they're ready. Mom or dad singing the song is "the prize" for playing the song correctly.
3. SWITCH IT UP - Most of the time, practicing can be boring because it's the same song, the same way. Sometimes, it's best just to get it out. To get the notes, and then play it like you want, however you want and as loud as you want. As the teacher, I can come and make sure they know and understand the "written way" but sometimes it's just fun to bang on the piano and get through the song.
Doing a couple of these or all of these will make practicing more fun. Typically, I stop stressing practice so much when the student is losing interest and we focus more on "fun" music that they know to get the interest back, and then we'll return to the scholarly work of music after the interest has returned while maintaining the interest level with songs and activities.
Remember, music doesn't have to be boring! There's music value in Pop, Hip Hop, Folk and all other styles.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Shake what ya mama gave ya...
Yes, shake it like you gon lose it tomorrow! Well... maybe going to the corner and bustin' out in the percolator isn't the exact image you would wanna attach to your business. However, the premise of using exactly what you have in your toolbox is the idea.
When you actually take a step back and look at all the tools at your disposal, ask yourself a serious question, are you using them ALL? Seriously, are you using all of the things that you can use in order to make yourself successful. Most of the time, the answer is no. We are bombarded with so many free offers, given coupons every time we check out at CVS or Target, that we get sick of waiting for them to print out, or we throw it away when throw away the bags we received.
Not only do we waste water, electricity and food. We also waste business resources that can give us that leg up in our hustle. For instance, did you order cards from Vistaprint? Did you notice that they probably gave you $100 in Google adwords and a credit for Fotolia? I bet you haven't activated either one of them. And if you have, you probably didn't use the free "Google keyword tool" to choose the best keywords for your ad. Things like this can boost our business.
So, go to your email account and just search your email for the words "offer", "free", "activate". Click on the email, just to see what it is. Don't do anything crazy and get a virus on your computer, make sure that it's actually attached to something that you bought. You may look through and see you have some free stuff that you're not using that can help you in your business this holiday season.
Check you later.
When you actually take a step back and look at all the tools at your disposal, ask yourself a serious question, are you using them ALL? Seriously, are you using all of the things that you can use in order to make yourself successful. Most of the time, the answer is no. We are bombarded with so many free offers, given coupons every time we check out at CVS or Target, that we get sick of waiting for them to print out, or we throw it away when throw away the bags we received.
Not only do we waste water, electricity and food. We also waste business resources that can give us that leg up in our hustle. For instance, did you order cards from Vistaprint? Did you notice that they probably gave you $100 in Google adwords and a credit for Fotolia? I bet you haven't activated either one of them. And if you have, you probably didn't use the free "Google keyword tool" to choose the best keywords for your ad. Things like this can boost our business.
So, go to your email account and just search your email for the words "offer", "free", "activate". Click on the email, just to see what it is. Don't do anything crazy and get a virus on your computer, make sure that it's actually attached to something that you bought. You may look through and see you have some free stuff that you're not using that can help you in your business this holiday season.
Check you later.
Friday, November 9, 2012
The mountains that block our way...
The key to good business is a mindset. You don't always know what is going to happen in your life, and you honestly cannot always be prepared for it. You can try, but there's no guarantee of you actually being prepared. Was Blockbuster prepared for the pure surge of competition from Netflix? Was the auto industry ready for a partial collapse of the financial system? We can try and lay out contingencies, which is highly preferred when doing business in this decade, however all of those contingencies can fail. So, the only thing that we have to lean on is our ingenuity.
The second point about mindset is to remember that worrying about the future does nothing. It does not help you prepare better when you are nervous. It does not help you write more clearly when you focus on the problem. The advantage of having foresight is to be able to create alternatives to those obstacles, because if anything is certain about this life and business, it is that obstacles will occur. It is impossible to avoid obstacles in life.
Just recently, I reactivated my websites to start my real estate business in my new home of Atlanta, and I needed to move some domains that I bought earlier in the year to my new website. It literally took two hours out of my day, because I have very little web programming training. I eventually figured it out after a few YouTube videos and about three cups of coffee. In that moment, the obstacle was standing in my way and about to cost me money. I could've given up, purchased more domain names, and kept going. However, I decided that it was a learning opportunity, because of it, I learned how the DNS manager works, and I also discovered that I have $100 of free Google Adwords that I've never used.
The point is not to boast about my resolve as it relates to insignificant barriers. The point is that the little things that stop you and feel enormous in a moment are no different from the large things that impede you and make you feel like you are powerless. The obstacles will be different, but your conviction and drive must be the same. It must remain steady through the varying degrees of mountains that come your way to stand in front of your path. If you chisel long enough, your mountain will become a pebble.
I remember I found an old philosophy book in my house, and I read a bit of "The Energies of Men" by William James. I don't know all of his views of philosophy and psychology, but one thing stuck to me in particular. It spoke about how we as people give up long before our will has actually even reached its end. He said that people find themselves giving up typically when they feel the first signs of discomfort, however when they push through this, they find themselves energized once more ready to complete the challenge and more. This particularly struck a chord with me because I experience this every time I work out, and at least once even before I work out. That same experience can be had across many different efforts. You may find yourself thinking how hard it's going to be to take on this task, and not even try because of the mental discomfort that you felt just thinking about it.
If that has ever been you, and you have ever pushed past that block, then I say that you should continue pressing pass. Nothing in life is going to be easy, but your will as a man, or a woman will carry you through if you believe in yourself enough.
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