Posts Related to: Bands & Groups

Ringo Starr turns 70 today. The former Beatle is asking people to do him this favor – at noon:
“If you’re on a bus, if you’re on a boat, at noon, where ever you are, just go, ‘Peace and love, peace and love.’ That’s your birthday gift to me. How great is that?” asks Starr in a video …

Part II of my NARM 2010 Convention coverage brought the distinct honor and pleasure of a sit down chat with legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They were in Chicago being honored with the NARM Outstanding Achievement Award For A Lifetime Of Musical Collaboration, which they can add to their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, …

Note from LRG: Chuck recently found out that a recording session he did in 1970 subsequently became a cult LP. From the British site Phonica: “A group of singers and musicians known as the Deirdre Wilson Tabac released their first and only LP in 1970, and this is the first 7-inch release of the song ‘I Can’t Keep from …

This post first appeared in the Disc Makers blog in a longer form.
While the revolution in recording technology centers on affordable digital audio workstations, the affection for the old analog traditions and sounds is more than just nostalgia. To that end, Britain’s six-piece “Band of Bees” is working hard to recapture some of the vintage sounds of …

NARM, the Nation Association of Recording Merchandisers, recently held its annual convention in Chicago where retailers, artists, labels, and various other music industry insiders met to exchange ideas and survey the landscape of today’s music industry, all while charting a course for its future. As part of the numerous sessions and presentations,  the opening day and …

Music education has benefits beyond the obvious. It’s great to play an instrument or sing or write songs. But few people appreciate the long lasting value of studying music.
It’s beneficial at every stage of life. Youngsters benefit from the discipline, the logic, the process of learning itself. It can increase self esteem and balance out …

The problem with telling everyone how great your music is – is that you might be wrong. Simply let them hear the music. Don’t try to get people to believe that it’s great before they hear it.
Otherwise you risk backlash if they don’t like what they hear. Some would argue that no promotion equals no …

In the late 1980s, Roy Ernst, then a professor at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, envisioned the creation of a music program for retired adults. He thought it would be great fun for the players, but that there would not be much of an audience. Fortunately, he was wrong.
Today, Ernst’s 19-year-old organization, New Horizons …

Many of my students play in groups – either as amateurs or pros. Leah asked me to address some of the biggest challenges faced by amateurs.
There have to be some “controls” on any musical group. Volume is one of the most important controls. I would suggest that groups make a conscious effort to play softly …

A thread was started on the Music After 50 forum about joint and muscle pains of guitar players, and how to treat these problems. We didn’t know how to advise one another and then … eureka! I remembered that there is an orthopaedic surgeon in the Philadelphia area who is not only a prominent hand surgeon, but …