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Harrisburg Academy's Michael Gamon with student

Case Study: Use Personal Values to Juggle a Heavy Workload

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on November 10, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

Most music educators are adept at managing a heavy workload, but Michael Gamon, chair of the department of fine and creative arts at Harrisburg Academy in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, has mastered the art of juggling.

He teaches 37 different classes per week. And with 350 students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School that spans junior kindergarten to 12th grade, Gamon teaches every student up to 8th grade and directs all instrumental ensembles plus the theater program at the high school. In addition, Gamon has a viola studio with four students at Kutztown University and performs locally himself. With so many classes to prep, activities to balance, as well as his family — his wife, who plays viola professionally, and four children — Gamon has created his own unique solution in order to stay organized and motivated.

“There are some categories of things that I need every day in order to be successful, and these things help me manage my time,” he says. “For example, I have to do something creative every day. … I’ve [also] learned that I love solving problems. Each day, if I haven’t solved a problem, I feel like I didn’t accomplish anything tangible, and I can’t rest. I also need to laugh and smile with somebody. … And I need to connect with my family in some way, even if it’s a phone call on a long day when I [won’t] get home until after they’ve gone to bed. … These things help me put my challenges into perspective.”

A New Type of Chunking

At the early childhood level, Gamon teaches the Suzuki Method. The program had existed since 2002 at Harrisburg, although Gamon began at the academy in 2012.

In 2019, violin education extended to 1st through 5th graders for one day per week. “There was enough buy-in for the [violin] program that we really needed to expand it to the lower school grades,” Gamon says.

However, Gamon noticed in the program’s first year that the elementary students and parents were not enthusiastic. In addition, he worried about the pandemic’s effect on students’ desire and ability to play an instrument. Last but not least, Gamon needed a fresh approach for his own sake. He had previously been using a conservatory prep approach that combined individual student lessons, small group sessions and large group rehearsal.

As a result, Gamon created an innovative role-playing game (RPG) that uses goals in the violin curriculum and overall grade units to unlock puzzles that advance the story. Called “Novice to Ninja” (read “Portal to Another World: A Role-Playing Game Enhances Beginning Violin Lessons”), the RPG “came out of the reality that I needed to be able to chunk my curriculum and differentiate it at the same time,” Gamon says. “There was no way that I could prep for 30 classes to be 30 distinct classes. … The RPG allowed me to create a framework through a story and an adventure that I can teach through six separate grades [including kindergarten] and have them move through the story together each week. But I can differentiate for each of the students and each of the classes. … If I had to come up with separate back-to-back-to-back lessons, I wouldn’t be able to teach anything about violin.”

The RPG not only reignited students’ enthusiasm for learning violin but also fulfilled several of Gamon’s own needs as a person and a teacher. “We really needed a way to create adventure, excitement, interest and escapism for students who were handling the stress of the environment [being in pods] in the same space all day… and the larger stress of being in the middle of a pandemic.I love teaching violin, but if enough of the students and parents were no longer interested in violin, I’d lose the whole program, and I wouldn’t get to teach what I love. … ‘Novice to Ninja’ came out of that stressful situation and showcased how to solve a problem by being creative.”

Previously, Gamon had tried checklists and spreadsheets to manage his priorities. However, he found the approach didn’t work for him. “As a musician, whenever I got to the end of the list, I would feel anxious because part of what gives a musician stability is knowing that there’s a project coming. … Some of those more traditional ways of managing time aren’t effective for an artist, a creative person, a freelancer or a teacher. … The spreadsheets, lists and very careful task management are all tools to help solve problems, but they’re not the solution in themselves.”

Perspective and Fun

The “Novice to Ninja” RPG also fits in well in an IB school, which teaches students and staff to examine a process from the research phase through to development and further ways to improve. “I’ve learned that perspective and fun are tied together,” Gamon says. “Thinking through the perspective of the student as well as my perspective as the teacher and then moving back to the big picture perspective and the goals of the school and the community injected the fun in teaching for me. It hasn’t been [as] stressful or as overwhelming as I thought it might be, and it helped me as a person to enjoy what I’m doing.”

The interest in the RPG has spread throughout the entire school. “It’s definitely changing the lives of the students,” Gamon says. “For the first time since I’ve taught at Harrisburg, high school seniors are really interested in what’s happening in kindergarten.”

In fact, the middle school’s Dungeons & Dragons club is now in on the action. “I have some students who have risen to the rank of co-authors. They are writing additional articles and stories and campaigns for the RPG.”

In addition, 3rd graders have been building dioramas in Minecraft and Fortnite. “They’re adding to the story, too … and I can link and connect to that,” Gamon says. “This inspires students to understand that it’s more than violin.”

Though Gamon has never played Dungeons & Dragons, he says that he loves fantasy, storytelling, logic systems and game theory. “Gamifying music is tricky to do,” he says. “Now that I’m on the vanguard of people who are doing it, I started to lean into my own naivete, which allowed me to not get too sentimental whenever [students] want to change something. It’s easy as a creator to feel that it’s all yours. But it should be theirs, not mine. This is their world. They need to be looking at ways to engage in it and ways to leave their mark. And that’s true for music, too.”

High Stakes and High Payoff

Starting in 5th grade, Harrisburg students can choose a new instrument in strings, winds or brass. At the middle school, Gamon conducts the symphonic orchestra.

In high school, most students are involved in music to some capacity. About 20 students at a time choose to participate in The Center for Creative Arts, one of five in-school programs that high schoolers must join. Within the centers, students work on individual non-graded quarterly projects that have some sort of service component — for example, to learn piano and play for a morning meeting or to put together a band for a community holiday concert. The centers “help encourage lifelong learning and experiential learning,” Gamon says. “As a prep school that’s very academic and rigorous, creating a space for students to learn for their own sake and learn for their own passion are skills that we must teach our students. … [As center director, my] job is to help students stay on task and on target and build a plan and follow through with that plan.”

Gamon also teaches the two-year IB diploma program music course in which students must put on the hats of a researcher, creator and performer. Students analyze a type of musical piece, composer or genre, then they create and perform a program. The class, therefore, is very individualized while following a framework. Their work is evaluated by an IB panel.

Furthermore, Gamon teaches Stagecraft and directs the school’s spring musical, which rehearses from September to March. In Stagecraft, students learn about lighting, sounds, props, costumes, construction building, design and marketing.

Every grade has two concerts that may combine differently. In the winter, Gamon has put on a full holiday concert with kindergarten to 12th grade. “It’s a huge concert that’s a big community affair,” he says. The spring concert is more flexible with various grades performing together or separately, depending on what happens in the classroom.

Gamon, who was recognized as a 2021 Yamaha “40 Under 40” music educator, says that teaching students from preschool to college and interacting with the families at two private institutions results in “high-stakes teaching and … high-payoff teaching.”

“The parents and the students are really invested in the programs and are interested in growing and building an active community,” he adds.

In the end, Gamon understands the need to be efficient and has figured out the best ways to achieve his own maximum potential. “I have had so many opportunities to fail and succeed at [time management] because I’m so busy,” he says. “I feel like I’ve learned a couple of things along the way and continue to learn every single day.”

Fix It: Tips for Teaching Snare Drum Basics

Written by Dr. Dave Gerhart on November 9, 2021. Posted in Percussion.

The snare drum is the foundational instrument for all percussion instruments. We learn technique and develop our hands while learning snare drum.

In a beginning band ensemble, the music director must teach all the instruments at the same time. They face the impossible task of teaching students how to get the first sound out of their instrument. This is a daunting task, especially for the non-percussionist educator.

I created this guide to help music educators — percussionists and non-percussionists — teach young students the proper snare drum technique. It is broken down into multiple sections, including setting up the snare drum, creating the grip and teaching the basic stroke. This video explains each technique — the timestamp for each technique is listed below.

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Click on the links below to find out how to fix:

Snare Drum Height
Drum set up
Fulcrum on the drumstick
Teaching matched grip

Fix It: Snare Drum Height (video timestamp — 2:10)

I have witnessed students just walk up to a snare drum and start playing. However, it is important to adjust the drum to the proper height so that the bead of the stick hits the drumhead at the optimal point. If the drum is not at the proper height, students will have tension in the shoulder.

Have students step back from the drum. Let their arms hang down the side of their body (they should not be holding drumsticks). Tell them to slowly lift their forearms at the elbow to a point that is comfortable. The angle of their arms will be approximately 110 degrees. The elbow should stay even with the body with space between their body and the elbow. Their body and arms should be relaxed and without tension.

Once this position is established, adjust the drum height to meet the end of the drumsticks. Remember to do this exercise away from the drum because you do not want the height that the drum is already set at to influence where students put their hands.

Fix it: Drum Set Up (video timestamp — 5:42)

The snare drum should be set up so that the student is perpendicular to the snares (on the bottom of the drum), and the throw-off is closest to the player. If the student does not play over the snares, the sound will be thin, and snares will not vibrate clearly. Students should play over the snares to get the most snare response and characteristic sound of the snare drum.

Fix It: Find the Fulcrum on the Drumstick (video timestamp — 14:23)

Creating a good fulcrum on the drumstick is one of the most important things we can teach a percussion student. Without a good fulcrum, it will be difficult to produce a good roll.

Tell students to use their dominant hand and put the drumstick inside the first knuckle of their pointer finger. They should position the drumstick so that approximately two-thirds of the stick is coming out the front of their hand. Let the drumstick drop and count how many bounces are created. Tell students to reposition the drumstick and try a different fulcrum. Again, have them count the number of bounces. If there are less bounces, students should move the drumstick the opposite way and see how many bounces are achieved.

The optimal fulcrum is when you find the position on the drumstick where you achieve the most bounces. Ask students to use a black felt-tip marker and draw a circle around the drumstick where the first knuckle of their pointer finger rests, so that they will know where to hold the drumstick. Once the optimal fulcrum is achieved, repeat this process with the students’ non-dominant hand.

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Fix It: Teaching Matched Grip (video timestamp — 18:33)

There are two grips that can be used on snare drum: matched grip or traditional grip. Because matched grip is used on snare drum, marimba, xylophone, timpani, bells and most percussion instruments in a concert ensemble, I have found that it’s best to start a student on matched grip.

Once students have marked the fulcrum on the drumstick, tell them to take their thumb and put it opposite the first knuckle of their pointer finger. The thumb must be parallel to the drumstick. Once students have the fulcrum, the back of the drumstick touches the love line on their palm as it goes out of their hand. Students should then wrap the other fingers loosely around the drumstick. They should not squeeze or clench the drumstick. Their hand should be relaxed, and there should be no tension in the hand or in the fingertips.

Building a Strong Foundation (video timestamp — 23:10)

Once students have adjusted the height of the drum, are standing perpendicular to the snares, have marked their fulcrum and have proper matched grip, it’s time to play. Have students bring the tips of the drumstick to the center of the drumhead. (Note: On a snare drum, I suggest that students play approximately one inch above the center of the drumhead).

The drumsticks should create a “V” with the tips of the drumsticks, and the angle should be approximately 60 degrees. Using the wrist, students should bring the drumsticks up eight inches above the drum. Drop the drumstick and return it to the original starting point. This is a full stroke.

At the beginning of every class, go over this quick checklist:

Step back from the drum. Bring up the arms to determine the height of the drum.
Step up to the drum and set the height.
Set the snare drum so the player is perpendicular to the snares and the throw-off is closest to the player.
Create a good fulcrum by finding the spot on the drumstick where you get the most bounces.
Place the thumb on the drumstick opposite the first knuckle of the pointer finger. The thumb should be parallel to the drumstick. Do not squeeze.
Bring your drumsticks to the drum and create a V the with tips of the drumsticks.
Using your wrist, bring the tip of your drumstick eight inches above the drum. Drop the drumstick and return it to the original starting point.

As Gordon B. Hinckley said, “You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.” A strong foundation is key in learning any new technique or method. Tell students to take their time and go slow. Make sure they are deliberate about the small details. Reinforcing these small details will contribute to building a strong foundation.

Please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail at dgerhart@yamaha.com if you have any questions.

JUNO playing acoustic guitar in casual setting.

It’s About the Vibrations: An Interview With JUNO

Written by Rich Tozzoli on November 9, 2021. Posted in Acoustic Guitars, Artists. 2 Comments on It’s About the Vibrations: An Interview With JUNO

Photograph of a young woman wearing sunglasses. — *JUNO.*

When four-time Grammy Award^® winner Keith Urban comes knocking on your door, it’s best to answer! That’s exactly what happened to renowned guitarist / instructor / musician extraordinaire JUNO. With a highly successful online presence and stints playing with artists such as Bruno Mars, Machine Gun Kelly, Fifth Harmony and Camila Cabello, she has always been one to carve her own path.

Now, as Keith Urban’s teaching partner in the URBAN Guitar lesson app (created in conjunction with the URBAN Guitar by Yamaha and available for both iOS and Android™), she has ventured into exciting new territories using her passion, skill and dynamic presence.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with JUNO about her background and her experience working with Keith Urban and Yamaha, as well as her extraordinary insights into the healing power of music. What she had to say was truly inspirational.

RT: How did you first get started playing music?

JUNO: For me, it all started in church. One day, the pastor’s wife wasn’t there, so they just sat me down behind the piano, and I had to figure it out. I just picked up on it, played by ear and learned some stuff. My family was so excited that I was doing this! Every second they could, they asked me to play, sing and perform. I was so embarrassed that I actually stopped for a few years. Later, after I graduated from college, I began playing piano for the gospel choir at Illinois State University.

RT: When did you first begin playing guitar and why?

JUNO: My first job was an internship at a drug rehab facility and my first client was this 15-year-old heroin addict who was obsessed with the guitar. He would play Lil Wayne songs and hip-hop on the guitar and mash it up with Jimi Hendrix. I thought that was so cool! I had never heard or seen that before. Everybody was scared of him but I’m from Chicago, so I was like, “You send that boy to me!” (Laughs) I thought by entering his world of the guitar, it would change his life, but to my surprise, learning to speak his language changed my life.

So I started playing guitar and the first song he taught me was “Purple Haze.” It was a challenge but we were bonding and I saw how he smiled and how his eyes lit up when we played together. He was letting me into his world and the language we were speaking was a neutral ground. I felt like I was accomplishing something and I could feel a passion for the guitar too. I literally had never felt anything like it before!

After that, I went to Berklee for awhile even though I couldn’t read music and had no idea what a scale or a key signature was. These were all completely foreign to me. But when you’re coming up in church, you actually do know it; you just don’t know that you know it. I was learning to form a vocabulary around things that I understood conceptually — I just didn’t have a language for it. When I heard the different scales, I made associations with the concepts. I started to sit outside the rooms where the guitar classes were being held and recorded them on my phone. I was an audible learner, not a visual one, so I took it all in and made the best of it. I just did it my way.

My history with guitars is very random and unchosen. Whether it’s a crappy guitar or the best one I ever played, I adapt and try to get the most out of each of them. I have to make it sound good and feel good for me. That’s what I love about the guitar — it’s so diverse, depending on the one you’re playing and the style you’re playing in. It’s really coming from your soul, your perspective and your experience.

RT: How did you come to collaborate with Keith Urban on the Lesson app and what has the experience been like?

JUNO: So many of my opportunities have come from social media. I got a DM from Keith Urban’s team, who probably saw some of the videos I have up on YouTube, and it all started there. I was just floored because I grew up listening to country music and I loved Keith Urban. It was a full circle moment because I realized he wouldn’t have anybody teaching with him that didn’t add value to the project. I felt like I could exhale and say, before I leave this earth, I’m getting to be a part of something that’s going to pour into the next generation … and when I’m not here any longer, it will still be here. It’s truly an honor.

An acoustic guitar. — *The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha.*

The respect and love I have for Keith and for Yamaha is special. They took the time to get to know me, and to recognize that I was a good fit for the project. It made me bring my A game because I understood the value of what they were creating. I appreciate that I was able to contribute to the curriculum. It was all about what we were teaching and how we could accomplish that in the most creative and successful way possible.

RT: What are your thoughts on music’s ability to bring people together and act as a power for healing?

Quote "If you can learn how to remove your ego and fully be open, I truly believe anything is possible."

JUNO: It challenges me constantly. Not just the skill of it, but how I’m using it to connect with people. If you can learn how to remove your ego and fully be open, I truly believe anything is possible. I remember when I first started, my biggest concern was how impressive I could be during my guitar solo. I wanted to have the perfect tone and the right kinds of licks. When I matured and got past that, I started to realize that I was a part of something bigger than that … and when you’re part of something, it goes farther than you can even imagine.

You know, I went down to Brazil and got off the bus and jammed in communities that didn’t even speak English. I saw the impact and tears. I’ve played in hospitals where people were so sick they couldn’t even speak, but I saw their monitor jump. It wasn’t because of me, it was because of the music. These notes that have been around for thousands of years go beyond style and genre. It’s the frequencies that ring out of the strings that I think genuinely go into people’s souls and remind them of things they forgot and teach them things they never knew and make them feel things they haven’t felt in a long time. You can’t do that with words. It’s about the vibrations. I want to make sure those vibrations come from a pure and honest place.

Photograph of JUNO courtesy of Cooper Hopkins @cooper_hopkins

To learn more about JUNO, click here.

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Fix It: Teaching Tips for Playing Even Scales on the Piano

Written by Stephen Pierce on November 8, 2021. Posted in Piano.

Major and minor scales and arpeggios are some of the simplest and most useful music patterns and exercises available to pianists to build and maintain their technique.

Moreover, these patterns are the building blocks of all tonal music, so practicing them not only helps develop technical facility at the keyboard, it also helps to train our ears to listen critically and our fingers to respond accordingly.

For example, learning to listen for, recognize and then find that raised leading tone on the keyboard in a harmonic minor scale is developed through scale practice. Practicing scales and arpeggios also helps to improve students’ ability to sight-read fluently because their kinesthetic and topographical familiarity with the keyboard is enhanced through the practice of these patterns. In addition, familiarity with scale and broken chord constructions enriches the pianist’s theoretical and analytical understanding of music.

As a high school student, my piano technique was admittedly underdeveloped. While learning a piano sonata by Haydn, I struggled to play the scale passages within the piece with rhythmic evenness and technical control, and I couldn’t figure out how to fix the problem.

Just before the winter break, my piano teacher offhandedly commented that “two hours of scale and arpeggio practice a day will fix those passages and go a long way to improve your technical facility in general.” Young and impressionable, I took this advice literally and spent my winter vacation diligently practicing scales and arpeggios for two hours each day.

Unsurprisingly, my piano technique did improve and my Haydn sonata started to sound better! In addition to my committed practice, my teacher also offered several suggestions for improving my physical approach to technique. These insights together with my dedicated scale practice were vital to improving my scale playing, and my playing in general.

So, while scale and arpeggio practice can be highly beneficial, it is all too common for students to play these patterns without considering their physical approach to the keyboard. If their approach is unhealthy, technical progress can be slow or even thwarted. Teaching a student to find and maintain a healthy hand position including correct finger action that facilitates rhythmically even, fluid, lucid and musically played scales and arpeggios can be challenging.

Students can develop any number of errors or bad habits in their physical approach to the keyboard, playing position and motion across the keys, and these poor habits can be challenging to correct later on. Some of the most common errors in the physical approach to playing scales and arpeggios include:

flat or curled versus curved fingers
incorrect position of the thumb on the keys
an overly high or low wrist
collapsing final finger joints and a lack of knuckle strength or “bridge” support within the hand
ulna deviation or twisting of the hands<

Most worryingly, these poor physical habits may result in inefficient technique, uneven and unmusical scale and arpeggio playing, and even injury. Below, I have considered each of these common errors and provided some teaching suggestions for improvement.

Fix It: Flat or Curled Fingers

Students often play with flat fingers — with their nails visible on the keys — so they can see that they are playing the desired keys. However, a curved hand position where the tips of the fingers are used allows for more dexterous scale playing because the fingers are able to move with greater ease and speed. The fingers simply cannot move as quickly in a flattened position. When playing with flat fingers, there is also more friction between the fingers and the keys, which makes it difficult to play scales fast. Think of flat-fingered scale playing as akin to sprinting flat footed.

On the other end of the spectrum, students may overdo curved hand positions and end up curling their fingers. As such, they grip the keys and play with what some teachers call “the claw.” Playing scales in this way necessitates a lot of physical effort as one muscle or set of muscles is needed to keep the fingers in this curled position, while another muscle or set is needed to lift and move the fingers.

In the article, “Pianist’s Injuries,” Thomas Mark writes: “When one muscle contracts, the opposing muscle must release and lengthen to permit movement. If this does not happen — that is, if the opposing muscle remains tense — then both muscles are contracting simultaneously, which is called co-contraction.” This idea of co-contraction not only causes tension and inhibits the player’s ability to play scales and arpeggios quickly, evenly and efficiently, it can also lead to serious injury. Thomas Mark’s book, “What Every Pianist Should Know About the Body” is an invaluable resource to all pianists and teachers.

SOLUTION: The solution to correcting flat or curled fingers is similar. First, help your students understand that neither flat nor curled fingers are the most comfortable or ideal finger position for fast scale playing. In a neutral position, the fingers of the hand curve naturally, and this position is best for achieving superior scale and arpeggio playing. Here’s a simple exercise to help students find the natural curve of the fingers: Have them lift their arms to shoulder height at their sides and then drop their arms freely. Looking down, they will notice that their fingers are now in a naturally curved position.

In the book, “Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as Seen by His Pupils,” Chopin’s advice for finding good hand shape on the keyboard was to place the right-hand thumb on E, the longer fingers 2, 3 and 4 on the group of three black keys, and finger 5 on B (or C for a larger hand). The mirror image works for the left hand (thumb on B and 5th finger on E/F with fingers 2, 3 and 4 on the black keys). Teachers can then adjust this position as needed. Take a picture of this proper hand position and send it to your students, so they can refer to it during future practice sessions.

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Fix It: Incorrect Thumb Position and Motion

Many students misunderstand the correct position of the thumb on the keys and try to play using too much of the thumb, or even attempt to play on the very tip of the distal phalanx rather than on the corner of it (the spot on each thumb where the nail meets flesh). As such, students sometimes incorrectly play with a straight rather than a slightly bent thumb.

In addition, when passing the thumb in ascending right-hand and descending left-hand scales or arpeggios, many students begin moving the thumb under the hand too late, or keep the thumb straight rather than slightly bent at the proximal interphalangeal joint when moving it.

These errors can result in a bump in sound or “lumpy thumb” patterns and jerky movements as the student struggles to move the thumb with ease and on time. The bump often happens because the thumb is moving with speed to play in time. As such, the key played by the thumb is played faster and the resulting tone is louder — i.e., a “bumped” note and a scale that sounds tonally uneven. Alternatively, some students drop the entire forearm when passing the thumb under the hand as they play on the incorrect part of the thumb or try to play with the thumb at the wrong angle, and thereby create a thumb “bump” or accent at every hand position change in scale or arpeggio playing.

SOLUTION: The best way to help a student understand where to play on the thumb is to simply point it out to them — touch the part of thumb that should make contact with the key. If a student has been playing with the wrong part of their thumb, or without bending it from the proximal interphalangeal joint, or at the wrong angle in relation to the key, the correct procedure will feel strange and unfamiliar to them. It will take time for them to change their habit and learn to use the thumb properly and effectively.

To facilitate improved thumb motion under the hand in scale and arpeggio playing, break down this small, but surprisingly challenging, movement into several steps. I recommend working on this motion first in scale playing versus arpeggios and start with a scale with many black keys. According to the book, “Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as Seen by His Pupils,” Chopin advocated for having students start with B major (right hand) and then D flat major (left hand) scales with the position of the thumb in mind. These are also some of the easiest scales to coordinate in hands-together playing as the thumbs of each hand come together on the white keys. Together with G flat major, these are the first octave scales I teach a student to play hands together. These scales are also excellent for achieving good passing of the thumbs as fingers 2, 3 and 4 play black keys, which are raised, allowing for a natural space to emerge on the keyboard in which the thumb can move freely and easily.

The C major scale is the hardest to play with the passing of the thumb in mind as there are no black keys. As a result, it was the last scale Chopin apparently used to teach to his students and is the last scale I teach as well. Of the scales starting on a white key with the same fingering as C major in both hands, E major is physically easiest to play, in my opinion, as it has four black keys.

For my sample exercise below, which is demonstrated in this video, I have referenced the E major scale, ascending in the right hand and descending in the left hand as follows:

Tell students to get ready to play the first three notes of the scale: E, F sharp and G sharp in sequence with fingers 1, 2 and 3 on the right hand or E, D sharp and C sharp on the left hand.
As soon as the thumb has finished playing the E, tuck it under the hand.
To help facilitate a bending motion of the thumb, brush/touch the inside of the hand, just below the fourth or third finger.
Teachers must ensure that the student uses the motion of the arm to help prepare the hand position change and that the wrist is high enough (but not too high) to facilitate the passing under motion of the thumb.
Then have students play A with the right-hand thumb or B with the left-hand thumb. Thereafter, go back and forth playing these first four notes of the scale ascending and then descending with the right hand (and vice versa with the left hand) until the thumb is moving optimally, and the wrist, arm and hand are helping to facilitate a smooth and efficient thumb movement and hand position change.

Fix It: Suboptimal Wrist Position

Some students try to play scales with a hand(s) that is not kept in line with the arm at the wrist, such that the position of the wrist joint is overly high or overly low.

In his article, “Pianist’s Injuries” on pianomap.com, Thomas Mark calls these “awkward positions” and states that,“the mid-range position of the wrist, with the wrist in a straight line with the arm, gives the greatest mechanical advantage to the fingers.”

As such, ease of movement is lost, tension can develop and injury can ensue when utilizing awkward wrist positions while playing.

SOLUTION: An old trick for helping students play with the wrist in a mid-range position is to place a quarter on the wrist. If the coin falls while the student is playing, the wrist has either dropped too low or lifted too high.

Some teachers prefer to use the image of a “floating wrist” to help students achieve an improved mid-range position. When I inherit a student who has been taught to make a dropping motion of the wrist on every finger action to achieve a weighty sounding scale, I encourage them to strive for “beautifully gliding” scales. As such, the arm guides the fingers so that the hands and arms move laterally (or horizontally) over the keys like a figure skater glides effortlessly over a glassy lake, rather than creating the visual and sonic effect of choppy waves. Gliding scales can be further enhanced with a gradual and even crescendo ascending and diminuendo descending. In this way, they are rhythmically even and musically shaped.

Fix It: Collapsing Finger Joints and No Bridge Support

Some students are able to implement the natural curve of the hand in their scale playing, but then they allow the final knuckle or distal interphalangeal joint of fingers 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 to collapse as one or more fingers depress the keys (this happens most often with finger 4, in my experience). According to Carolyn and Jamie Shaak in “The Shaak Technique Book,” all three finger knuckles (metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal and distal interphalangeal joints) of fingers 1 to 4 should remain “firm and fixed” and not collapse at any point when playing scales or arpeggios.

Collapsing joints can result in two-handed scale playing in which the hands are unaligned or unsynchronized because the final finger joint in one or both hands is not firm and, therefore, not moving with control, resulting in differing speeds in the dissent of the keys played by each hand.

Also common is the lack of knuckle support at the metacarpophalangeal joints within the hand. Strong knuckles are visibly pronounced in piano playing and together form what is sometimes called the “bridge” of the hand. When this so-called bridge is not well developed or implemented in piano playing, it can cause lack of dexterity and clarity of tone, especially when playing scales. It can also cause tension in the hand and lead to injury.

SOLUTION: Collapsing knuckle joints are a bad habit and teachers must be vigilant and tireless in their efforts to correct this bad habit among their students. First, students must be aware of how it feels to use the fingertips correctly versus incorrectly.

I recommend reading the article, “Synergy at the Primer Level,” by Randall Faber. He describes one way to help students feel the correct part of the fingertip used in piano playing. This is done by having students create an “O” shape (see photo to the right) by placing the thumb behind the final knuckle joint of each of fingers 1 through 4 in turn, thereby reinforcing or “bracing” the part of the fingertip used in piano playing of whichever fingertip needs to be (re)discovered. Students can then take that reinforced fingertip and tap it (or “peck” it) on a tabletop or have it touch/depress a key on the piano. I frequently review this exercise with students when one or more of their fingers show some weakness in the final joint and start to collapse when playing.

In addition to playing with strong fingertips, alignment between the hands can be improved with various practice strategies, such as:

playing with differing articulation in each hand (legato versus staccato) as shown in this video
playing with different dynamics in each hand (forte versus piano) as shown in this video
playing in various rhythmic patterns and rhythmic groupings (both the same rhythm or differing rhythms in each hand) as shown in this video and in this video
purposely playing the hands out-of-sync or in a staggered style (left before right or vice versa) as shown in this video
various combinations of these strategies as shown in this video

The ear will then be able to hear each hand independently while the hands play together. Poorly aligned scales are often a result of both unhealthy physical habits and weak listening skills.

As for achieving a strong bridge in the piano playing hand, Carolyn Shaak helps her students visualize this position using the analogy of snowcapped mountain peaks (i.e., raised or pronounced metacarpophalangeal joints) versus a valley (collapsed metacarpophalangeal joints). In “The Shaak Technique Book,” which she wrote with her daughter Jamie, Carolyn uses several other effective analogies for improving hand shape, including: “Make a dog house, and make a muffin not a pancake.”

Another tip is to have students stretch out their fingers on a tabletop and then gently bring their fingers together to a point, thus raising the knuckles. Students then need to learn how to lift and drop the fingers from each metacarpophalangeal joint effectively.

Fix It: Ulna Deviation

Ulna deviation is all too common in piano playing. According to Medical News Today, it is defined as “a medical condition that causes the joints in the wrist and hand to shift so that the fingers bend toward the ulna bone on the outside of the forearm.”

Ulna deviation is particularly prevalent when students move to playing scales and arpeggios over several octaves and must reach the highest and lowest registers of the piano. Rather than playing with correct alignment of the arm behind the fingers, a twisted position develops such that the thumb dominates the hand position and is aligned with the arm.

When the pianist navigates the keyboard in this position, the fingers are left unsupported and unguided by the arm. As such, piano tone can be compromised, dexterity is lost and injury can happen.

SOLUTION: To help curb this harmful habit, make students aware of their ulna deviation and show them how to correctly align the arm behind the palm instead of aligning it with the thumb, so that the arm guides the fingers. It is also helpful to have students think about the position of their elbows in relation to each hand. Tell your students to keep each of their elbows farther away from the trunk of their body to help facilitate better coordination in scale, and even more so when playing arpeggios. It is sometimes helpful to have students imagine a bunch of flowers growing from their armpits and not squish them, or an armpit balloon and not pop it.

When I first teach scales, I begin with five-finger major pentascales; first played by each hand separately, then hands-together in contrary motion (as shown in this video). To help facilitate arm support behind each finger, I have students play with a semi-circular motion of the forearm from the elbow (counterclockwise, ascending in the right hand and vice versa in the left hand). Carolyn Shaak cleverly uses the image of a protractor to help her students achieve this motion and fluid five-finger playing.

I begin with contrary motion so that the movements of each hand and arm are a mirror image of one another, and the same fingers of each hand are aligned and played in sync. As such, the fingers are provided support, and the arm, hands and fingers learn to create fluid, rounded and beautifully shaped pentascales.

Developing a Well-Rounded Piano Technique

In short, scale and arpeggio practice are vital to building and maintaining a well-rounded piano technique. Knowledge of scale and chord patterns helps support elements of musicianship, such as ear training, critical listening, and theory and analyses. In addition, practicing scales and arpeggios can assist in improving keyboard skills like sight playing, score reading and keyboard harmony.

Developing a healthy physical approach to piano playing includes achieving a good hand shape and finger action in all scale and arpeggio playing. This will result in more even and musically played scales, injury prevention and, most importantly, lifelong music-making at the keyboard.

Fix It: Piano Pedaling Teaching Tips

Written by Hannah Creviston on November 8, 2021. Posted in Piano. 2 Comments on Fix It: Piano Pedaling Teaching Tips

I started taking piano lessons when I was 6 years old. I loved the music of Chopin and Schumann and was thrilled when I grew tall enough to reach the pedals.

It wasn’t until graduate school when I learned “Phrygian Gates” by John Adams that anyone talked to me specifically about the wide range of possibilities with piano pedals. Now it is one of my favorite things to teach and explore with students.

Note: While the sostenuto and una corda pedals are both invaluable and under-utilized tools, for the purposes of this article, I am only discussing the damper pedal.

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Fix It: Foot Position

One of the most common pedaling problems I see is when students lift their entire foot and leg to change the pedal. (I informally call this “horse pedal” because it reminds me of a horse pawing the ground.) This motion not only takes away all control of pedal depth and timing, but it also causes an interruption in the phrase. Horse pedal usually occurs when a student is not aware of the musical and physical implications of pedaling incorrectly. Luckily, it can be fixed with a bit of focus and attention to the problem.

In order to use and change the pedal efficiently and effectively, your student’s heel should remain on the ground, and the pedal should be played with the ball of the foot, right below the first and second toes. If a student is too short to reach the pedal comfortably, use a pedal extender (see picture to the left), which can be purchased for a relatively low cost.

I have also seen students lean against the piano bench, rather than sitting on it, in order to reach the pedal. This can cause arm and hand position issues, and I do not recommend it.

Fix It: Changing Pedals

Are you hearing gaps in your student’s phrasing or blurry harmonies? There is only a very small window in which to clear or change the pedal to create a connected sound. Do it too early, and you will hear a sort of hiccup in the phrase. Do it too late, and the music becomes muddy or unclear.

In order to change pedals correctly, the ankle must move the foot up and down very smoothly and quickly a split second after the new notes have been played (while the fingers are still on the keys). There are three names for this time of pedaling: legato, syncopated or overlapping.

A great way to practice this is to just slow the whole process down. Have students play a basic blocked chord progression like I – IV6/4 – I – V6/5 – I, while thinking about, or even saying out loud, the timing of the change: “Play, Up/Down. Play, Up/Down.” Remember to keep the heel on the ground!

When students can play the blocked chord progression with no gaps in the sound or overlapping harmonies, have them play broken chords and try to change the pedal on the first note of each chord. When they can do this cleanly and smoothly, they are ready to apply this to their repertoire.

Note: If the student hasn’t learned chord progressions yet, have them play a simple five-finger pattern while pedaling after each note.

Of course, there are times when the pedal is used to open up the sound of a chord and are not connecting the sound to any notes afterward. This is called direct or rhythmic pedaling and does not usually create challenges in terms of timing. Pedals can also be used to help create beautiful music when strumming strings inside the piano or using prepared piano techniques.

Fix It: How Much Pedal

It is very common for pianists to jam down the pedal when they feel nervous or uncomfortable with a passage. (Raise your hand if you’ve ever done that!) When teachers and students are nervous or not as well prepared as they would like, their focus becomes much more limited.

As with pretty much everything in music, the answer for determining the perfect amount of pedal is listening. While this is determined to a certain degree by the style of the piece and the composer’s markings, the instrument and space are also key factors. Students should not only listen to great pianists, but they should also record and listen to themselves playing so they are aware of how the pedal affects their overall music-making.

It is also important for students to practice with and without pedaling so they are really listening to the sounds their fingers are creating without relying solely on the pedal. Sometimes students will lift their fingers off the keys and just use the pedal to hold the sound, but releasing the fingers actually changes the quality of the sound. Be aware of rests and lifts at the ends of phrases — it’s easy for students to continue holding through if they are not listening very carefully.

Too often, students think of the pedal as either up or down, when there’s a variety of depths available. Quarter pedal, half pedal and flutter pedal (moving the foot up and down quickly and continually) are also ways to change the timbre or color of the sound. (I know I said I would only talk about the damper, but the una corda can be used at varying depths, as well.)

Pedal Adds Color to Playing

Learning how and when to use the pedal takes time and practice. Just as with most things, it can be a frustrating process, but the reward in the end is worth it.

Anton Rubinstein said, “The pedal is the soul of the piano.” When used with purposeful intent, the pedal can elevate and bring even more beauty and color into one’s playing.

If you would like to learn more about pedaling, I recommend these two books:

“The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling” by Joseph Banowetz
“The Art of Piano Pedaling: Two Classic Guides” by Anton Rubinstein and Teresa Carreño

10 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism

Written by Hannah Creviston on November 8, 2021. Posted in DEI.

Autism (or autism spectrum disorder) is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects 1 in 54 children in the United States, according to a 2020 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because autism is a spectrum disorder, no two children are alike and deficits range from low-functioning (no vocabulary, not toilet-trained, needs help with feeding) to high-functioning (able to hold a job and drive a car) and everything in between. These children experience deficits in three areas:

Communication — deficits include one or more of the following: very little or no spoken language, lack of conversational skills, echolalia or repetition of others’ words and no make-believe or imitative play.
Social Skills — deficits include two or more of the following: lack of eye contact or facial affect, inability to develop peer relationships and lack of interest in sharing joy, interests and achievements with others.
Behavioral Skills — deficits in this area are exhibited in one or more of the following ways: preoccupation with one or more patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus, adherence to certain routines/rituals and difficulty adjusting to changes or transitions, repetitive motor mannerisms (such as hand flapping or finger flicking) and preoccupation with parts of an object.

With the prevalence of autism, there’s a high probability that you will have students who are on the spectrum. I began teaching students with autism in 2001 as a graduate student and have continued working with this population ever since, which has helped me grow so much as a musician and teacher. I’d like to share 10 basic tips that can help you feel more comfortable teaching students with autism, including:

Tip #1 — Use Person-first Vocabulary
Tip #6 — Be Aware of Distractions in the Environment
Tip #8 — Don’t Get Stuck on Note Names.

1. Use Person-First Vocabulary

Say “a child with autism” rather than “an autistic child.” This might seem like a small and unimportant distinction, but to the child and his or her parents, this is a big deal.

Person-first vocabulary means that we recognize that the child is a person first who happens to have a development disorder. You might surprise yourself and find that your way of thinking changes, too.

2. Each Child is Different

I am sharing some general tips that will help guide your teaching approach. Some methods you try will be successful with one student and will completely fail with another. Also, things you try might work one week and not the next.

Just as every typically developing child is different, every child with special needs is, as well. If something doesn’t work, don’t give up on your plan or the child — that particular teaching strategy just didn’t work that day.

Each child is different, and each day is different.

3. Don’t Assume Anything

Start from square one. Many children with autism like to play piano with just their index fingers. They might not even be aware that they have other digits to use or that those digits are called fingers.

On the other hand, many children with autism have really great ears and can play difficult songs by ear.

Start with the very basics. Break every new concept or activity into achievable steps.

4. Use Clear, Concise Language

Students with autism are very literal in their understanding of language and don’t necessarily make transfers easily. Give directions that tell them exactly what you want them to do and how.

For typically developing students, I might reference a seesaw or “sticky fingers” when teaching them how to play legato and describe it as playing the keys with gum on their fingers. However, for a child with autism, that imagery would not be helpful.

Instead, I would demonstrate and explain to students with autism how the first finger remains down on the key until the second finger plays the next note. Or, I would slowly move their fingers up and down and even help them with their fingers until they understand the coordination. (Remember to always ask permission before touching a student.)

Also, avoid using multiple terms for the same concept, such as thirds, skips, line to line, space to space — all of which describe the same concept.

5. Establish a Routine, Which Allows for Flexibility

Some children with autism are used to using picture schedules (see photo to the right) at home or school, and I often incorporate that into lessons. (You can easily make one with Velcro and poster board.) Others like to begin and end with the same song but are able to have more flexibility during the lesson. An example of a sample lesson would include: 5-Finger Patterns, Improvisation, Repertoire Piece, Notes Names, Student’s Choice, “Hokey-Pokey.”

It’s good to have a set structure and lesson plan, but sometimes something triggers the student, and the plan needs to change. Or, the student is doing really well at something and requires a new plan.

Breaks are also very helpful and can still incorporate musical aspects. For example, try a movement activity or dance break, even flashcards away from the piano. Be flexible with lesson length, as well. With the same student, I have had lessons that are 20 minutes and lessons that are one hour.

6. Be Aware of Distractions in the Environment

Most children with autism have sensory processing difficulties. A shirt made of itchy material or the humming of a light can make it hard for them to focus. Changes in the environment can also be unsettling. Before a student with autism arrives, I make sure that my studio is clean and that any distractions, including teaching manipulatives, are out of sight.

7. Tackle One Issue at a Time

It can be overwhelming for any student to try to think about notes, hand position, rhythm, pedal, etc. at the same time. Students with autism sometimes need more processing time, so don’t try to change everything at once. Work on getting the student to use all of their fingers. Then you can talk about rhythm (teach rhythms aurally!) or dynamics or something else.

8. Don’t Get Stuck on Note Names

Note-reading is not the most important part of music. Some children with autism might learn to read note names while others might not, and that is OK. Use familiar music. Teach aurally. Ask for input from students as to what kind of music they would like to learn.

Some children might never reach the stage of polishing and perfecting a piece, and that is OK. Performing at a recital may not be a motivating factor for a child with autism. It could even have the opposite effect.

Although, learning and progressing are important for us as teachers, we want to make sure that the musical experience students with autism receive is positive and uplifting.

9. Parents Are Your Biggest Resource and Fans

Nobody knows your student better than their parents. If you get stuck, ask how they work on new skills in the home or what they use to help motivate their child. Parents of children with special needs are unfortunately used to having their child excluded from activities on a regular basis, so to have someone invest time and energy in their child’s success is a wonderful thing.

I remember one parent telling me that her child had been kicked out of soccer and swimming and that piano was his only extracurricular activity. This parent also gave me tools for helping to redirect the student if he got distracted and encouraged me to include a fun song at the end of every lesson. For this child, it was “Hokey-Pokey”.

10. Be Patient with Yourself and Your Student

Don’t take it personally if something doesn’t work right away or if a student doesn’t respond in the way you predicted. We all have bad days and, for a child with autism, there are so many factors that can affect their reactions.

Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, a clinical psychologist known for his work with children with autism, said, “If a child does not learn in the way we teach, we must teach in the way they learn.” Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to someone who might learn and process information differently than you do. In doing so, you might change their world and yours, too.

Old piano whose body has been used to contain a pile of pumpkins. It is an outdoor scene with lots of people in the background at what appears to be a fall festival.

Songs of Thanks

Written by Shelly Peiken on November 8, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

Is there a better time to express our thanks in a song than during the month that hosts Thanksgiving? Whether it’s appreciation for family, a partner, a teacher, or food and shelter — and even if life isn’t going the way we’ve planned at the moment — writing about being grateful for what we do have can help us count our blessings and maybe even land us a lovely song at the end of the day.

The concept of songs-of-gratitude goes back decades and knows no boundaries when it comes to genre. The Beatles did it (“Thank You Girl”), as did Alanis Morissette (“Thank U”), country’s Carrie Underwood (“Thank God for Hometowns”), even classic rock’s Led Zeppelin (“Thank You”). Oh, and there need not be a “thank you” in the title — check out Aretha Franklin’s (“You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” or Chance the Rapper’s “Blessings.” Everyone’s doing it! Because it works, it’s cathartic and worthy of our attention.

Professional songwriters often have to conjure up material when we’re writing to a brief (like, for example, if you’re writing music for a film or television show), and if we’re working with a recording artist, we need to lean in to their point of view. But expressing our own gratitude is right at our fingertips. It isn’t something we have to calculate, since most of us already have something that we’re thankful for. (Hopefully, anyway.)

Even just listening to these kinds of song can put us in touch with gratitude, for reasons that are chemical as well as emotional. In a recent online article, author Kate Wight points out that “Listening to a song that reminds you of happy times may lead to a release of dopamine. That’s a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good.”

I suppose it’s like following your smile.

On Thanksgiving there’s traditionally a post-turkey jam session in my living room. We play fun-loving joyful classics and debut our originals. (For those of us who aren’t musically inclined there’s a box of percussive accoutrements — tambourines, maracas and an array of ganzá [those egg-shaped shakers actually have a name!]) It’s a highlight of our holiday.

In that same article, Ms. Wight also states that “Music is inextricably linked with human emotion. If you’ve resolved to try and be more thankful this year, consider using music to get you there.”

We all can agree it’s been a challenging couple of years. It’s been difficult to carry on our normal routines, like traveling and visiting the people we love. Not too long ago when I was missing my daughter terribly, I made a decision to be optimistic. I sat down with my Yamaha baby grand and then … a song came out. (Video below.)

Notice I didn’t say I “wrote” a song but that it “came out.” That’s because writing a thank-you song wasn’t necessarily the plan. It doesn’t have to be. Instead, my heart was in my hands and my hands landed on the keys, and the song simply happened.

Gratitude is a powerful feeling. It’s a natural and selfless place to begin and quite the fodder for song.

Simply the process of writing a song of gratitude will remind us of what is easy to forget during uncertain times or in the fog of life. There’s always a story to be told about a friend who lifts us up and pulls us out of the darkness … or a child who reminds us that the best day of our life was the day they were born. This the time of year we take stock.

Here’s my thank you:

Download this Yamaha Drums and Percussion Care Checklist for Students now!

Case Study: A Rocky Road to PASIC

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on November 7, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

When V.R. Eaton High School in Haslet, Texas, opened its doors in 2015, director of percussion Matt Moore immediately started a percussion ensemble. In its inaugural year, the group of 11 went to the North Texas Percussion Festival and finished last.

Five years later in 2020, the then 40-member ensemble not only finished first at the same festival but was also invited to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), held in Indianapolis most Novembers, after being named a winner in the organization’s International Percussion Ensemble Competition. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit and shut down in-person schools in the United States. Since then, Moore and his co-teacher, Luke Vogt, have prepped — over and over again — for its PASIC appearance.

Fueling a Passion

Moore feels passionate about percussion ensemble as a relatively new genre. “We’re in the golden age of concert percussion composition right now,” Moore says. “A lot of the best music written for the art form is coming out every year.”

In addition, Moore says that percussion ensemble complements the already competitive fall marching season, especially for Eaton High School, a 6A school in Texas with more than 200 participants. “Marching percussion is fun for the performers and fun to teach, and it’s very much art, but there’s also a heavy athletic side,” Moore says. “Percussion ensemble is just art. Coaching an athletic activity goes away, and we get to be only musicians. … I enjoy having both. … it’s an incredible thing to dive deep into the marching arts and then shift focus and just experience this pure musical art form and develop it with my students.”

According to Moore, most schools that have percussion-specific groups concentrate on either percussion ensemble or indoor drumline during the winter or spring seasons. While indoor drumline includes marching and tends to involve full ensembles in a story-based performance, percussion ensemble provides more variation. For example, pieces in a percussion ensemble program have three to 15 performers. Selections often focus more on mallet apparatuses but can also include non-pitch instruments like drums as well as electronics.

The diversity of the genre allows Moore’s students to prep about 25 pieces for its spring concert without overwhelming the group. Often, upperclassmen are chosen to participate in smaller subsets and at festivals. Moore’s ensemble often collaborates with other departments, including strings, choir and dance.

Each student, often playing an individual part, must be confident and independent with “dynamically changing listening responsibilities around the group,” Moore says. “We enjoy developing that.”

Growing in Ability

Moore grew Eaton’s percussion ensemble, which meets between the end of November to mid-March, partly from the organic expansion of the school. As the third high school in the Northwest Independent School District, Eaton began with only freshmen and sophomores and added higher grades as students moved up. As the program increased in size and the students improved in ability, Moore added more opportunities. In 2018 and 2019, Eaton hosted its own festival in addition to participating in the North Texas Percussion Festival. And in 2019, the group submitted a video to the Black Swamp Percussion (BSP) Ensemble Showcase.

Moore grounded his students on striving for musical excellence rather than specific achievements. “Competitive success is never our goal,” he says. “We’ve talked about that from the very first day in 2015, and we talk about that every school year. We are not a program that’s in it for trophies. We’re not trying to win stuff.”

Moore typically starts each season with a casual meeting to watch some videos of top high school groups. During the 2018-2019 school year, “I remember asking [the students]: ‘Do you want to play at this level? I think we can.’ The answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’”

That year, the percussion ensemble played upper-level collegiate literature and achieved second place in the high school large percussion ensemble division in the BSP Percussion Ensemble Showcase. “For us, that was our moment of discovering that maybe we can play these kinds of pieces in a way that is on level with the groups we’ve been looking up to,” Moore says.

PASIC Good News

In 2020, Eaton won the North Texas Percussion Festival for high school large group on the weekend that started spring break in early March. “This festival was the very last in-person thing that anybody did [before COVID shutdowns],” Moore says.

Luckily, performing at the festival allowed Moore to submit its PASIC application, which required unedited song selections from live concerts. That April, Eaton submitted the following three pieces:

“Surfacing” by Dave Hall for large-scale percussion orchestra (that the ensemble performed at the Eaton Percussion Festival in May 2019)
“Donner” for four percussionists by David Skidmore
“Crown of Thorns,” a piece by David Maslanka originally commissioned by the University of Oklahoma Percussion Orchestra for PASIC 1991 (both “Donner” and “Crown of Thorns” were from Eaton’s most recent North Texas Percussion Festival performance)

With song selections overall, Moore often focuses on how the sound matches his group and how the pieces can educationally help his students stretch their skills.

In June, Moore learned that his ensemble was named one of three high school winners. PASIC also selected three college groups and one junior high group. “We got all the kids together on a Zoom call and shared the news,” he says.

Moore’s team immediately began creating different scenarios for how they could make PASIC 2020 fit into the ensemble’s plans during the middle of a pandemic. But just a few weeks later, on July 1, 2020, the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) announced that PASIC would be fully virtual. Instead of being featured in a 50-minute performance, the group was asked to submit a recording. “Our plan last summer was to have this really cool experience and make the most of it without complex in-person demands from our kids.”

Changing PASIC Plans

As a composer himself, Moore had written a marimba choir piece, titled “Together,” to help musicians get through the early days of the pandemic. Moore had posted the composition on social media and requested video submissions. With 111 submissions from middle school to adult performers, including some Eaton High School students, the song was produced into a compiled video by Cameron Sather and aired on YouTube on April 27, 2020.

For Eaton’s PASIC virtual performance, Moore planned to record and submit “Together.” Throughout the summer, Moore brought in groups of students — the soprano line, the alto line, tenor line, bass line — to rehearse and record in groups. “Because of COVID restrictions, we didn’t want to get all of our kids together physically in person.”

But Moore also decided to add something more — spoken word — so he commissioned poetry by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer to match the emotional waves of the piece. The poem was then performed by a student from Eaton’s theater department. But the overall project was scratched and never fully produced when PAS canceled the winners’ virtual performances.

A group of directors from the winning groups appealed to PAS to postpone their performances to November 2021, and PAS agreed. So, Moore’s team went back to the drawing board.

“For a time, … we were planning on not [doing PASIC for 2021] …, especially coming out of such a weird year,” Moore says. “We wanted to just have a normal experience this fall.”

In addition, all except one student from the winning submission video had matriculated from the school. “I did have one freshman in ‘Crown of Thorns,’ and she’s the only one who will get to play at PASIC because everyone else graduated,” he says.

But seeing the resilience and strengths of his students persuaded Moore to push forward. In 2021, the group participated in indoor drumline competitions for the first time and became a finalist in the virtual WGI Sport of the Arts Scholastic A Class competition. “Since we didn’t have a proper fall marching season, we didn’t have any band competitions, and we didn’t put together a show. … None of our band kids had that ‘season’ experience that’s so engaging for the students and we felt we needed to add it in the winter. … What sealed the deal [to do PASIC] was how well the kids performed at indoor drumline. They did such a good job.”

Balancing the Workload

By April 2021, Moore accepted the invitation to perform at PASIC in November. Since groups typically don’t find out about PASIC performances until the summertime, he now felt ahead of the game. But Moore made a pact with himself and the other directors to maintain a work/life balance while preparing for the high-profile show in the percussion ensemble’s off-season.

“There’s a big problem with burnout in our profession,” Moore says. “I have a family — my wife and a 5-year-old daughter. I decided pretty early on that if we were going to do PASIC, [preparations] would be done during the hours we already have allocated to band.”

While Eaton normally focuses completely on marching band in the summer and fall, Moore simultaneously passed out percussion ensemble pieces for the PASIC performance in May. During its typical June percussion camp, then full summer band camp in August and during the regular season, he split the students’ time between marching rehearsal and percussion ensemble rehearsal. “The students have risen to the challenge nicely of balancing the workload,” Moore says. “We’re building a rehearsal schedule that does not go beyond what we normally do. But I’m pulling kids out of marching rehearsal all the time. I have a very supportive team.”

A Collaborative Concert

Moore and Vogt have crafted a 45-minute PASIC 2021 concert that he describes as “collaborative, flowing and fresh.” With a mix of smaller groupings to larger percussion orchestra, the program brings together all of Eaton’s 33 percussion ensemble members plus seven string players and five dance (color guard) students performing seven songs, each with a distinct sound and purpose.

“The history of our program has been highly collaborative, and I wanted our programming at PASIC to reflect us, to feel like us and to sound like us,” Moore says. “We’re bringing our entire program, which is atypical. Often groups will just bring their top students. Especially with the reduced opportunities that our kids have had over the past year and half, I wanted to find a way to bring everyone.”

The students will finally get to perform Moore’s piece “Together,” including the spoken word recording, plus another of Moore’s songs, “Vector,” that leans heavily on electronic instruments. The piece is fitting, considering that in 2020, Moore and Vogt co-founded Waveform Percussio n, which brings electronic media into percussion education.

Several other pieces are existing repertoire from other composers that have been performed by prominent professional percussion ensembles, such as Third Coast Percussion.

In addition, Eaton commissioned a song by percussionist Ivan Trevino titled “A Spiral Made of Wires,” which has a pop/post-rock influence and includes electric guitar. Though the two didn’t know each other previously, Trevino accepted Moore’s invitation to meet the group at PASIC to premiere the piece as a guest performer on his electric guitar.

“It’s common to commission new works,” Moore says. “In fact, PAS encourages it. … There’s a name that probably every high school percussionists in the country knows, and that’s Ivan Trevino. As soon as I knew that we had won PASIC, Ivan was my first reach-out. … He writes this amazing, very listenable music that’s at a perfect ability level for our kids. It’s the kind of music where you listen to it one time and you think it’s amazing. But it has this musical depth where you rehearse it for months and still find new layers.”

As far as travel, percussion ensembles by nature involve a lot of logistics and gear with students often having their own setup that is different for each piece. With PASIC providing a specific stage size, Moore has taped off an area in the percussion room to accommodate the space that they will be given. “We started with the music and not thinking about logistics at all,” Moore says. “Now we are to the part of the year that we’re trying to consolidate our setups …, so the audience doesn’t have to watch kids awkwardly move instruments around.”

The Eaton PASIC ensemble performed multiple times during the summer and fall for parents, to help develop the students’ stage comfort and work out its complex audio and lighting setup. To present its show to a range of audiences, Eaton is embarking on a four-part “PASIC Performance Series”: 1) a show in their home auditorium on Nov. 4, 2) a joint concert with the University of Texas – Arlington on Nov. 6, 3) a joint concert with the University of South Carolina at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana, on Nov. 10, and finally 4) its PASIC showcase concert on Nov. 12.

V.R. Eaton High School’s PASIC 2021 Program

V.R. Eaton’s 45-minute performance at the November 2021 Percussive Arts Society International Convention will comprise the following mix of pieces.

“Together” by Matt Moore (with commissioned poetry by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer)
“Triple Point” by Ayanna Woods
“Minus Nine” by David Madeira (with Eaton string students)
“Aether” by Francisco Perez
“Madeira River” from “Aguas da Amazonia” by Philip Glass, arranged by Peter Martin and Third Coast Percussion (with Eaton dance students)
“A Spiral Made of Wires,” a commissioned piece by Ivan Trevino (with guest artist Ivan Trevino on electric guitar)
“Vector” by Matt Moore

5 Ways to Keep Elementary Students Engaged

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on November 7, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips. 1 Comment on 5 Ways to Keep Elementary Students Engaged

After the first month or two of the school year, it can be very challenging to keep your elementary students engaged. Here are five lessons that I have used to keep my students motivated and excited about learning music, even on a Monday morning!

Music Appreciation Sculptures

Do you have a hard time getting your students to remain focused and still during listening exercises? Try music-appreciation sculptures, an idea that I picked up from a local Orff group. I adapted it slightly to make it more of an individual project rather than a group one for younger students.

First, purchase a set of 25 to 30 mini play doughs. Next, borrow a set of vinyl spot markers from the gym. Make sure you have one per student. Space out the spot markers across the classroom before your students arrive.

Welcome your students and begin class with a listening exercise. Have the students think about what the music would look like. Ask prompting questions, such as “Does this sound like an animal?” or “What is happening here?”

Next, assign each student a spot marker and pass out a play dough container to each pupil. Have students make a sculpture according to their imagination. Walk around and monitor the class and provide more prompting questions like “What emotion does this part feel like?” and “If this song was in a movie, which movie would it be in?”

Assessment tip: It can be difficult to quantify and grade musical appreciation and responsiveness, but these individual sculpture projects make excellent assessments for the gradebook.

Next, separate the class into groups of two or three. (This part can get tricky when it comes to teamwork and opinions, so it’s best for group work to be limited to mid- and upper-elementary students.) Have students make a multicolored, collective sculpture to the music. At the end of class, have each group present and explain the artwork. Music-appreciation sculptures will have your students listening to a symphonic suite for close to one hour without growing fidgety.

A Dance a Day

Not all classrooms can afford the resources to pull off manipulative-heavy lessons, such as music-appreciation sculptures, on a regular basis. But luckily, dancing doesn’t require any equipment at all.

I know that incorporating dance into the classroom can be an overwhelming task but having a couple of go-to dances can help your students get their wiggles out in a productive way. Try swapping out your Kidz Bop dance break for the following line dances and movement games:

“2, 4, 6, 8 Meet Me at the Garden Gate” — this is the perfect 1st grade introduction to a structured partner dance
“Old Brass Wagon” — try this dance game for students who are too young to do highly structured dances
“Wolf” — this is another dance game for students who are too young to do highly structured dances
“Alabama Gal” — Try this one if you want a challenge! This partner dance is a much more complex folk dance and works well for 3rd grade and up. This is the perfect opportunity to teach movement terms like sashay and arch. This four-section traditional dance will keep both you and your students on your toes.

Clapping Games

Clapping games are another way to give your students a fun break but still practice music. Try clapping games as a stationary break, especially when your classroom is too excitable to do line dances.

Some examples of clapping games that help students work on internalizing steady beats and rhythms include:

“Double Double,” “Miss Mary Mack” and “Lemonade” — these three clapping games are all pretty similar. They teach the same principles but keep your students engaged because they are all separate songs (sneaky, right?).
“Choco-Choco-La-La” — If you’d like to work on something that will get your Spanish-speaking students excited, try this traditional clapping game. This game uses a similar pattern to “Miss Mary Mack” but faster, and it comes with a really entertaining music video.
“Down by the Banks (of the Hanky Panky)” — For something a bit harder (and more competitive), try this complex game, which requires the steady beat to be passed down the circle between students. Whoever gets tapped on the last note of the phrase is out!

Bring in Unusual Instruments

When all else fails, bring out an unusual instrument. I’ve shared the didgeridoo, djembe, piccolo or another surprising instrument to call students’ attention back. I love introducing odd musical instruments in the middle of the year or right before holiday breaks when pupils tend to have a shorter attention span.

Orff Stories

Use Orff stories to incorporate both reading and creativity. These stories are perfect for events like reading week, when your school may ask you to read instead of play instruments: Why not do both?

Many educators prefer to read the story through once before allowing students to add in the musical instruments of their choice. Start by giving guiding questions, such as: “Does this make a sound?” or “What instrument sound would go with the splash of the water?” After the first read-through, set out a row of instruments that students can choose from.

The beautiful thing about Orff stories is that there are no wrong answers. One short story can actually take up an entire class period. Everyone in the class can play multiple parts and watch how their classmates interpret sounds differently.

Music educator Matthew Stensrud created an excellent example of an Orff sound story with the children’s book “Mama, Will it Snow Tonight?”

Key tip: Keep in mind that not every children’s book makes for a good Orff retelling. Try finding books with repetitive themes, and a lot of onomatopoeia.

Books that I have used for Orff stories include:

“She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”
“The Little Green Frog”
“Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee”
“Click Clack Boo!”
“Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea”
“This Old Man”

With a couple of extra manipulatives, a bit more movement and some creative storytelling, you can keep your classroom more engaged than ever. Even when it’s just before Thanksgiving break!

5 Tools to Get Your Motivation Mojo Back

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on November 7, 2021. Posted in Self-Care.

Ah, if only motivation came in a bottle, and you could crack open the cap and chug it down like a sports drink. Suddenly, you’d be motivated to rocket through tasks that previously seemed daunting or tedious, like entering 194 students’ midterm grades into the system or trying out a new program for teaching chording.

If you’re having a hard time feeling motivated, you’re not alone. The pandemic brought with it disorientation, disruption and anxiety, robbing us of motivation. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 42% of workers age 18 to 40 say their motivation to do work has been more difficult to summon, compared with only 20% of workers age 50 and older. Especially hard hit was 18- to 29-year-olds, with 53% of them saying it’s been hard to find motivation.

There are a lot of reasons for this, such as isolation and even stress-related reduced cognition — don’t worry, it’s temporary — but on the bright side, experts tell us there are strategies to get your motor running again, to feel more energized, and yes, motivated.

Tool 1: Radical Rest

You may have heard the term “revenge bedtime procrastination,” where people stay up late doing things that have little value (like mindlessly scrolling through social media) instead of sleeping. They do this because they want to regain a sense of control over their time.

American culture places so much value on productivity that many of us feel guilty for relaxing — truly relaxing — so we skirt the issue. Reclaim your right to true R&R on your off time, and you’ll be more productive during work time. (Rest can also be a social justice issue; read more about The Nap Ministry.)

Instead of unhealthy “revenge” time, purposefully block off time to do … nothing. What nothing means to you personally may vary. It could be puttering in the yard, listening to music, organizing your record collection by color or reading a great new book in bed. What you do is not important; the goal is doing something you want to do with your time.

Tool 2: Nibble on Some Chocolate

Eating dark chocolate boosts creativity and cognitive function, reports research presented at the 2018 annual Experimental Biology convention. A 2021 research published in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that supplementing with dark chocolate helped athletes increase their resting energy expenditure — that is, it boosted their metabolism.

There’s no recommended daily allowance (RDA) for chocolate, but most experts suggest an ounce or two a day of dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher) will give the positive effects without too many additional calories.

Tool 3: Serialize

The term “serialize” comes from the work of Oliver Burkeman, who wrote the book “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” He claims that you’ll complete more projects and feel less anxiety overall if you start something, work on it and complete it before moving on.

To be clear, projects may need to be broken down into small steps. That’s because our motivation can droop under the weight of self-doubt. “If you don’t think you can get a particular task done, you’re unlikely to muster the energy to work on it,” psychologist Art Markman told Harvard Business Review. Markman suggests turning an abstract “to do” into specific, achievable steps.

For example, “Plan lessons for February” is too big. On the other hand, “Find six songs that represent the music of the Civil Rights Movement to use in Feb. 1 lesson” is in the realm of doable. Blocking off time for a specific task — “11 to 11:30 a.m., prepare Civil Rights song list” — is even better.

Burkeman is also a fan of having a “done list” in addition to a “to-do” list, which gives a sense of accomplishment. While that extra step won’t be for everyone, the point is that finishing something — anything — gives us a boost and motivates us to do the next thing.

Tool 4: Use Choice Architecture

You might not need quite as much motivation as you think. James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits,” writes about not relying on willpower to get moving, but instead using the power of habit; that is, setting up your life so you do things without even having to think about doing them.

Choice architecture is designing the environment with a lot of cues that trigger positive change. For example, Clear writes, “If you want to practice guitar more frequently, place your guitar stand in the middle of the living room.” By altering the home and workspaces, we flow naturally toward better choices.

Tool 5: Create Opportunities to Discover Meaning

“Why am I here?” many of us wonder at 2 a.m. Viktor Frankl famously wrote about this topic in his 1946 book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” But, Frankl warned, finding meaning is a side effect of pursuing other goals, not a goal unto itself. He wrote, “Don’t aim at success — the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue.”

Want things “to ensue”? Try activities that make you feel connected with something bigger than yourself. You’ve already chosen a career as a music educator — a fantastic choice! Other areas could include volunteer work, spending time in a natural setting that evokes awe and caring for animals.

Because when we have a life purpose — and just a bit of dark chocolate — propelling us forward, motivation comes naturally.

Marching Band Uniforms Do’s and Don’ts

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on November 7, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips. 1 Comment on Marching Band Uniforms Do’s and Don’ts

Picking out new uniforms for your marching band can be an overwhelming task, especially as a new band director. There are so many things to consider. You want something that is universally flattering for every member of the band.

But should you go with a sash or no sash? Leg stripe or no leg stripe? Below are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to choosing uniforms for your high school marching band.

Colors

DO consider color theory

DO stick to solid colored pants

DON’T select white or light-colored pants

One of the first things to consider is color. It’s not as simple as picking uniforms that match your school colors. You have to look at complementary colors and color temperatures (try using a color wheel like this one by Canva). Keep in mind that within one color, there are various color “temperatures,” which makes your selection that much more complicated.

If your two school colors aren’t already complementary, try and pick versions of those colors that are within the neutral range (that is, not warm and not cool). You will find neutral colors toward the center of the color wheel.

Have you noticed how true reds look good on everyone, but red-orange makes some people look washed out? That’s because true red is neutral, and neutral temperatures of colors look universally flattering.

Another option is to choose the brightest school color and pair it with dark pants, such as black. For high school marching bands, do NOT choose white pants. Your students will sit on grass or on a dirty gym floor during a competition break and stain their white pants. Try sticking to darker neutrals for pants, such as navy, brown, charcoal gray or black. These colors will hide grass stains and dirt marks and will last for many years.

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Accents and Accessories

DON’T add an accent stripe on the leg

DO consider sashes

DO try dark gloves

DO add a plume, but consider the material closely

DO try suspenders

DON’T add too many bells and whistles

Accent stripes can look really stylish on college marching bands, but when it comes to high school, they can be a big uniform mistake. Stripes draw attention to those who are off-step. If you are looking for an accessory that is flashy and easy for your students to put on, consider sashes instead.

Gloves are great accessories and essential for marching bands in colder states. I recommend dark gloves because they hide stains better, and they will better match the dark pants mentioned earlier.

Plumes are a personal favorite when it comes to marching band uniform accessories. They come in many different materials, including feather plumes, fountain plumes, plasticky shako plumes and metallic shako plumes. I recommend something akin to feathers or faux feathers. While the metallic shako plumes are striking, they are easily pulled apart. Sticking to the old-fashioned plumes will ensure that you won’t be repurchasing them next year. Simply put, the older style is sturdier.

While many high schoolers think suspenders are the anathema of cool, it’s worth getting them. Many students will end up with pants that are slightly larger than they need. Suspenders ensure that pants will stay in the right spot, especially during high-steps and run-ins.

Keep in mind that too many accessories can quickly overwhelm the eyes. Choose one or two really nice accessories rather than getting all of them. Plus, some accessories are simply not practical. Gauntlets and spats might look great, but they are a hassle to put on and look tacky when combined with too many other extras. Less is always more.

Fabric Types

DO pick your fabric accord to your climate

DO consider summer uniforms

DON’T choose wool just because “that’s what we’ve always done”

Assess the hottest and coldest weather your students will be marching in. For example, I am a music educator based in Michigan. Our summers are hot and humid, but it can also get quite frigid during the winter. Most music educators around here opt for a lighter summer uniform and a fall and winter wool uniform. Oftentimes, directors choose wool just because that’s what they always marched with. Wool uniforms are simply too sweltering for many marching bands, especially those based in the South. You want your students to look good and feel good.

Hats

DO consider bucket-style hats

DON’T choose cowboy hats because they don’t last

Marching band hats vary widely. One of my personal favorites is the bucket-style hat. Students are often left without pockets or storage on the marching band field. Bucket-style hats offer students a small and secure storage space for a small granola bar or a Capri Sun. Another style that band directors sometimes choose is the cowboy hat. However, this style is not built to last compared to faux-leather bucket-style (shako) hats.

Color Guard and Twirler Uniforms

DON’T choose a color guard/ twirler uniform that has a lot of straps

DO ask which gender and uniform your students identify with before ordering

Complex and strappy color guard and twirler outfits look really cool, but they are not ideal for situations where your students need to quickly and easily get in and out of uniform.

While all members of the instrument section will be wearing gender-neutral outfits, this is not always the case with auxiliary groups. Sometimes, male-identifying students will want something a little less flashy. Organize an aux.group meeting with your section leader after school and find out what your students are comfortable with.

Shoes

DO have your students purchase their own shoes

DON’T worry about the brand

Having students purchase their own shoes through your band program will save a lot of money for the band boosters program. In addition to this, allowing students to get their own shoes will ensure that they pick the correct size and style. Make sure all students purchase the same color shoes. As for the style, provide students with a take-home buyers guide with a list of reputable brand names, such as Dinkles or Drillmasters.

The Final Step: Student Input

DO create a poll for your students once you’ve narrowed down your options.

Include a comment section in your online poll, so students can write in things that you may not have thought of or overlooked. You don’t need to give in to students’ every whim, such as making uniforms tricolor with a three-layer sash, but remember that they are the ones wearing the uniforms, not you.

Choosing new uniforms for your marching band is no easy feat. From finding a universally flattering style to securing funding, you have a big task ahead of you. But with a little research and some input from your students, you’ve got this!

Fundraising Without Selling

Written by Tyler Swick on November 7, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

Chances are high that either as a student or teacher, you’ve attempted to sell cookie dough, chocolate, wrapping paper, popcorn or coupon books in order to raise funds for your music program. As tasty or handy as these items are, have you ever felt like there must be another option?

Just today, I watched a young, excited sales team convince students that they can get a free Frisbee if they raise $50 for their school. “Will the school get the other $49.50?” I asked myself. Today’s assembly inspired the following list of ways for music teachers to fundraise without selling anything.

Concert Ticket Sales

The easiest way to create revenue without significantly increasing your workload is to charge admission to your concerts. Whether you use a professional service such as TicketSource or ask parents to volunteer, a reasonable fee to attend your concert can be the start of your rolling budget.

Not every community is accustomed to paying for school events so consider distributing three or four complimentary tickets per student to encourage attendance. Whittle the complimentary tickets down each year until the demand matches your community’s accessibility and needs.

Complimentary and discounted tickets are a fantastic way for students to invite community members to your next concert!

Concert Donations

While making a guest appearance at a concert in Georgia, I witnessed a band director send around a student with a bucket that had a dollar sign spray-painted on it. During the intermission, the director announced, “If you enjoy what you’re seeing right now, make a donation so we can do it again!”

Patrons of this concert did not pay an entry fee but the average donation per person exceeded the cost of what I would have charged for general admission. This model allowed those who are able to support the program to shine while also allowing all community members to attend. The bucket successfully covered the cost of the concert, allowing the director to bring out more guest artists the next year.

Ensemble and Instrument Fees

Consider the guaranteed expenses your music program endures every year and decide which of them can be supported by families paying a small yearly fee. Departmentalize your small and recurring expenses such as reeds, pencils, guitar picks, rosin and valve grease into a category that is funded by an ensemble fee.

Having extras of necessary items on hand will be convenient for students and families, and you no longer will have to make as many emergency trips to the music store. If you’re able to create a healthy stockpile of items, use the dividend to improve your classroom. Label this money as funds that are meant to better the student experience.

Extracurricular Clubs

If you enjoy running an extracurricular music club, be sure to calculate not only the value of your time but the cost of competing clubs in your space.

When I started my first after school music club, I added the cost of a club shirt, our concert space and snacks to come up with my club fee. After distributing the paperwork, I discovered that the dance class next door was charging eight times as much and didn’t even provide snacks!

It was a hard lesson learned because it turned out my club cost less than the onsite daycare, which led to lots of participants! Since then, I’ve found my balance of welcoming yet competitive prices that allow my program to grow year after year.

Profit Sharing

Large food chains and local restaurants are happy to profit share in exchange for increased drive-thru business and in-restaurant patrons on less busy nights. Restaurants, such as Chipotle and Raising Cane’s, have programs in place to share 15% to 33% of their profit during school fundraising campaigns. After the paperwork is completed, have your students spread the word that having a family dinner night out will support your program.

If you prefer to keep your efforts local, reach out to business owners in your area who are interested in profit sharing. If space allows, put on a chamber performance inside the venue to bring more attention to everyone’s favorite eatery. Use your knowledge of the community to decide if food, goods or experiences are the best way to get community members out and willing to spend money.

Mini golf competition, anyone?

Advertising

While on the topic of businesses in your community, do any of them want to have a banner at your next event? Many marching bands have figured out how to sell banners, logos on their yearly shirts and trailer wraps to local businesses, but the other ensembles are often left wondering how they can cash in on advertising.

Selling ads in concert programs is a staple of the concert experience but is there something more exciting?

I have a few instruments in my classroom that are permanently labeled with the name of the funding party, so that the students and I can always acknowledge where that instrument came from. Local businesses receive a plaque of appreciation presented at the concert, so their support can be on display in their place of business.

With a parent-signed release form, students were able to make a “thank you” video for a local veterinarian donor who used the footage in its next online advertising campaign.

Amazon Wish List

Eliminate the need for some of your budget by directly asking for the items you need in your classroom. I’ve tried Donor’s Choose and GoFundMe — which are great fundraising platforms — but there is a real joy in having a community member randomly purchase an item that you need without having to beg your friends on social media.

Include your Amazon wish list in your email signature, your dojo messages, your school’s website and social media. It is absolutely impossible for parents to help out if they don’t realize that your wish list even exists!

The “Everything” Deal

If everything on this list seems like one more thing for you to do, then I offer you the “everything” deal. At the very beginning of the school year, construct a flyer that promises parents one thing: If they pay one price for everything you want, you will leave them alone for the rest of the school year. You can avoid nickel and diming parents by rolling all your future campaigns into one.

For example, during the school year, parents might be asked to help out in various ways — volunteer at the snack shack, pay an instrument fee, drive the carpool, organize the uniforms, collect ticket stubs at the door, etc. — OR they can pay $100 up front with the guarantee that they will be left alone for the rest of the year. That’s right. I’ll take their names off the volunteer list and put them in the Elite Gold Status Club that receives four tickets to every event. It’s the perfect deal for the parent who prefers to write one check and be done.

What’s your favorite way to raise money? Share your experience with @SwicksClassroom on Instagram or email your story to educators@yamaha.com.

Be Marketable: Combine Performance and Entrepreneurship

Written by Dr. Dave Gerhart on November 7, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

Over the past 20 years, careers in music have become as varied as the numerous musical genres. The music business is a fast-paced, competitive and ever-changing landscape, which requires specialized tools and knowledge to survive.

It’s not enough to learn the notes, perform the repertoire or audition for groups. Your plans will change, and you must be able to adapt to any situation. In this article, I will provide tools and resources on personal branding, social marketing and the interview process. I will share tips that I have learned and honed over my 25-year career as an educator, professional musician and businessperson.

What is Branding?

Before we start talking about social marketing, you must understand the difference between branding and personal branding. Branding is the process for creating a name, logo or symbol that identifies and differentiates your product and services from your competitor’s (Entrepreneur.com). Some recognizable brands that come to mind are Apple, Nike, Starbucks or Netflix.

In his book “The Brand You 50,” author Tom Peters coined the phrase “personal branding.” He states that a personal brand is “your promise to the marketplace and the world.”

To develop your personal brand, first answer these questions:

What do you want to be known for?
Why will people seek you out?
What makes you unique?
What’s your story (your “why”)?
How can you add value?

This step is crucial to the development of your personal brand. Once you answer these questions, it’s time to start building!

Building Your Online Presence

Ready to build your online presence? You want to control your message and how people perceive you on the internet. So, build a personal website and set up your email address and social media accounts.

By creating an online presence, you ensure that your personal branding matches across all your digital platforms. As we all know (hopefully), what happens on the internet, stays on the internet, so it’s vital that you control your message and online presence. Where do you start?

Namecheckr.com is a site that will research domain and social usernames and check for its availability. As you search for your online username, it is important to find a unique, memorable name that is available on multiple online platforms. You don’t want to be @funkydrummer18 on Facebook and @funkydrummer_18 on Instagram. Be consistent and find a name that works across all platforms. For example, I use @drdavegerhart on all my social media accounts so people can find me easily.

Once you have your online platforms set up, create, or update your resume, curriculum vita, headshot, short and long bio, and your electronic press kit (EPK). It’s important to have these documents and photos on your website. Remember, it’s all about controlling your message. When someone searches for you, make sure they get your current photo and bio.

Resources to build a website or blog: Squarespace or WordPress

Looking for a Job?

Now that you have answered the questions about your personal brand and built an online presence, it’s time to look for work. I believe that when it comes to finding a job you must create your own opportunities.

If you want to start a private lesson studio, find a location and set up the room where you can teach. But how do you find students? I recommend volunteering at your local public school’s music program. Ask the director if you can teach a masterclass in exchange for passing out your business card (aka, your information). As you build your reputation, parents will hire you to teach private lessons to their children.

Becoming a professional performer has become more difficult in recent years. Find networking opportunities where you can meet and talk to other performers, composers, conductors and contractors. There are also sales and marketing opportunities for performers in the music product industry.

No matter which career path you take, be prepared for the interview. Put together a 30-second “elevator pitch” to describe why someone should hire you and what makes you unique. Do an internet search for “interview questions” and download some sample questions to help you prepare for the in-person interview. Practice answering questions just like you practice your instrument so you can become comfortable when the time comes for the actual interview.

How Do I Start?

There’s no time like the present! Don’t wait until you graduate from high school or college. Start now.

Work on your personal branding and online presence over the next couple of months. Take a business or marketing class at your school or see if one is available online. Volunteer at a music-related nonprofit organization or apply for an internship. Sit in during a rehearsal with the local orchestra. Complete a certification.

As the Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” It’s time to start thinking about your career goals. Plant your tree now and continue to nurture it as you develop your skills and career.

Do you have other marketing tips for music professionals? E-mail me at dgerhart@yamaha.com.

Resources

Time Management 101 (Scheduling Exercise)
The Bullet Journal – Ryder Carroll
CV or Resume: Which one do you use?
Tim Ferris Short and Long Bio
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative – Austin Kleon
The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferris
The Purple Cow – Seth Godin
Atomic Habits – James Clear
The Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music – Jeffrey Nytch

A messy collection of album covers, a 45 record and an acoustic guitar.

10 Best Folk Albums to Listen to On Vinyl

Written by Jeff Dorgay on November 5, 2021. Posted in Vinyl.

With fall comes the rain — something I know all too well since I live in the Pacific Northwest — and there’s something extra special about listening to vinyl on a rainy day. Maybe it’s the warmth that analog provides, but layered vocals and acoustic instruments — the keystones of folk music — are at their best when listened to on vinyl. On many levels, the subtle nuances present in these records really show off your system as well.

Here are a few of my favorite rainy-day listening folk albums. Even if you’re not a particular fan of this type of music, you’re bound to find something compelling and comforting here.

1. Woody Guthrie, The Ultimate Collection – Woody Guthrie

The roots of American folk music all lead back to this man. While Guthrie was an incredibly prolific songwriter, “This Land Is Your Land” is arguably the most important folk song of all time. Because of its age, the recording quality of this album is primitive, to say the least. But the heart and soul presented in this collection make the journey worthwhile. These sparse songs truly tell the tales of America in the 1930s and 1940s.

2. Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits – Bob Dylan

It would be a disciple of Guthrie’s — Bob Dylan — who would become the shining superstar of folk music, giving the concept of the singer/songwriter true validation. There are a number of great audiophile remasters of this set, offering an excellent cross-section of his most popular and accessible tracks. Grab a latte and start with “Just Like A Woman,” from side two of record two. This is minimalist production at its finest, with Dylan serving up some great guitar and harp playing. Let the rest unfold around you, and your day will be better for it.

3. Sunshine Superman – Donovan

Don’t let the Austin Powers-esque groovy title track fool you: the rest of this record is pure folk, in line with Donovan’s roots as a self-styled bard. “Guinevere” features a nice blend of his instantly recognizable singing and fingerstyle guitar playing (which would serve as a major influence on White Album-era John Lennon), with some tasty bongo bits mixed in. The next track, “The Fat Angel,” is heavy on sitar, hinting that Donovan’s output would become a lot more turned-on very soon.

4. If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears – The Mamas and the Papas

In a short three-year period from 1965 to 1968, the Mamas and the Papas released four records that expanded the genre of folk-rock and simultaneously became a big part of a more psychedelic “California Sound.” While “Monday, Monday” and “Go Where You Wanna Go” were both big hits, the track that best fits the autumn vibe has to be “California Dreaming.” The monster countermelodies in this song will have you longing for warmer days.

5. Bookends – Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel also burst on the scene in a major way in 1965, combining intricate harmonies with artful (though sometimes obtuse) lyrics. While Bridge Over Troubled Water sold the most records, many consider the prior album Bookends to be their best work, as evidenced by the fact that it produced no less than five hit singles. The legendary track “Mrs. Robinson” (from the film The Graduate) won the Grammy^® for Best Rock Single in 1969. It’s the perfect song to revisit their catalog, buried in a comfy chair, watching the clouds roll by. You can almost reach out and strum those acoustic guitars yourself.

6. Ladies of the Canyon – Joni Mitchell

Many Joni fans flock to Blue. I suggest you go off the beaten path and pick up a copy of Ladies of the Canyon instead. A bit more upbeat than the former, this record is also more complex musically, spawning a couple of Ms. Mitchell’s biggest hits: “Woodstock” and “Big Yellow Taxi,” a tune whose message is not out of touch today. The flawless recording, with its sparse, ethereal arrangements, is coffee shop music at its best. This record is also a great way to bookmark Joni Mitchell’s voice to compare to her later work.

7. Déjà vu – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

If Bob Dylan is folk music’s brightest star, Crosby, Stills & Nash (with or without Young in tow) are folk’s biggest supergroup … and this record is undoubtedly one of vinyl’s greatest treasures. With soaring voices that blend together incomparably, Déjà vu truly stands the test of time, and it remains one of my most beloved vinyl albums, even after 50 plus years of listening. If it becomes one of your favorites as well, be sure to seek out this Record Store Day release of alternate takes.

8. Grievous Angel – Gram Parsons

With strong accompaniment from Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons’ second and final album Grievous Angel has become a cult classic over the decades. A bit country, a bit folk, Parsons himself described it as “Cosmic American Music.” Just before his death, Parsons was hanging out with Keith Richards, and it doesn’t take long to find that influence in the Stones’ music of the era. Even though there is a lot of country twang here, the “folkiest” song on this record might just be “Brass Buttons.”

9. Diamonds and Rust – Joan Baez

Dig deeper than the title track, and head straight to the Stevie Wonder tune, “I Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer.” Baez’ voice is so pure here, it might just bring you to tears. Along with several self-penned tunes (including “Dida,” a duet she sings with Joni Mitchell), you’ll find songs by Dylan, Jackson Browne, Janis Ian and others.

10. American Recordings – Johnny Cash

Most people associate Johnny Cash with country music, but the deeper you dig, the more you’ll discover a heavy folk vein in his music too, right to the very end of his life. These last four records, produced with Rick Rubin (collectively called American Recordings), contain some of the most chilling, hardcore folk songs ever put on vinyl. It doesn’t get more intense than this, and you’ll find that Cash’s deep, rich baritone not only sends shivers down your spine but really brings your system to life.

Check out these related blog posts:

Top 10 Vinyl Albums for Audiophiles

10 Hip-Hop Albums That Sound Great On Vinyl

Here’s What You Need to Know About Vinyl

Appreciating Vinyl Records … and the Best Way to Enjoy Them

Five Reasons Vinyl Is Making a Comeback

How to Clean Vinyl Records

Spotlight on Vinyl Subscription Services

Click here for more information about Yamaha turntables.

What is Phase?

Written by Mike Levine on November 3, 2021. Posted in Recording. 6 Comments on What is Phase?

Even if you’re relatively new to the world of recording and music production, you’ve probably heard or read phrases such as “flipping the phase,” “phase shift,” “phase shifter,” and “out of phase.” The operative word in all of these is “phase,” and it’s a critical one to understand for many different reasons. In this article, we’ll take a look at what it all means.

First Things First

Before we get into phase, it’s helpful to first talk about sound waves. Sound waves are created by the disturbance of molecules in the air, causing a fluctuation in air pressure. To mix metaphors, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, it will still create sound waves.

As the waves coming from the sound source (the source of that disturbance) move through the air, the molecules come together and spread apart — a phenomenon referred to as compression and rarefaction. A complete wave cycle consists of one compression and one rarefaction. The higher the pitch of the sound, the faster each cycle occurs.

The duration of the cycle is called the wavelength. Once a microphone (or other transducer — a device that changes energy from one form to another) captures a sound wave and converts it to an electrical signal, you can refer to the compression part of the cycle as the “positive” part of the signal and the rarefaction as the “negative” part.

The illustration below shows a particular kind of waveform called sine wave. This simple waveform is used for test tones and is handy for demonstration purposes because it’s regular and symmetrical. What you see here is one cycle of a sine wave. Time is the horizontal (X) axis, and amplitude is the vertical (Y) axis. As you can see, it travels upwards (into the positive portion) for a particular period of time and then returns to zero before continuing its same journey downwards (and then on into the negative portion) over that same period of time.

Sound wave with elements indicated. — *One cycle of a sine wave.*

In contrast, here’s a waveform from a guitar recording. As you can see, it has a more complex shape, reflecting the fact that it’s a more complex sound.

The cycle of a sound wave is 360 degrees, with the midway points indicated in the diagram below.

When Wave Meets Wave

Phase doesn’t become critical until you try to play back two recordings captured simultaneously from the same source, but by different mics (or by a mic and a direct box).

Let’s say you have a recording of a guitar. If you were to duplicate it to another track in your DAW and hit play, the two tracks would start at precisely the same time and reinforce each other, causing the sound to increase. That’s called constructive interference.

But if you play them together and one is delayed, even by a tiny amount, a phase shift occurs. When that happens, it’s considered destructive interference. Instead of reinforcing one another, the two work against each other, resulting in a phenomenon called comb filtering, in which certain frequencies in the combined signal cancel one another. Where this cancellation is partial, the level of the affected frequencies is reduced; where it’s total, those frequencies drop out altogether.

Here you see two sine waves, with the bottom one very slightly delayed. Even such a minute timing difference would be enough to cause comb filtering.

The sonic result of comb filtering is a thinning out of the audio and less clarity, and sometimes a kind of weird timbre to the sound that could best be described as “washy.” Comb filtering is at its most obvious when listening in mono — that’s one of the reasons why it’s essential to check your mixes in mono. Phase issues that you don’t notice in stereo (or surround) will be much more prominent in mono.

When you use more than one mic to record the same source, the different distances that the sound waves must travel to reach each mic is what causes their start times to vary. In the screenshot below, the peak of a snare hit is highlighted in the snare (top) track. Look at the other tracks, and you’ll see that the left overhead mic (OH) captured the snare at virtually the same time as the snare mic, but the right overhead and room mic were further away and thus slightly delayed.

In addition, some mics respond to changes in level faster than others — something that’s referred to as transient response. For example, a small-diaphragm condenser microphone usually has better transient response than a large-diaphragm condenser or dynamic mic. We’re talking about tiny differences, but it can be enough to create a phase shift between two tracks.

Cancel Culture

The ultimate in destructive interference occurs when two identical sound waves are 180º apart. That can cause them to cancel each other out entirely. Headphone manufacturers use that to their advantage as part of their active noise cancellation processes. Microphones on the outside of the headphones pick up background noise from either side, and the audio from one side is shifted 180º out of phase, causing the noise component to cancel itself out.

The screenshot below shows two waves that are 180º out of phase with one another. Notice how the positive and negative peaks are aligned.

Phase vs. Polarity

The word “phase” is often used interchangeably with the word polarity. The two terms are somewhat related, but substantially different in that polarity is an electrical phenomenon related to positive and negative wiring. You can end up with inverted polarity from a mis-wired mic cable or other piece of gear. When the polarity is inverted, wherever the waveform was positive, it flips to negative or vice versa, which means that it shifts by a full 180º. As we’ve seen, phase, on the other hand, refers to time differences between sound waves.

This next illustration presents a small segment of a waveform (on top, shown in blue) with its polarity inverted (on bottom, shown in red). If you were to listen to these together in stereo, you’d hear a weak low-level signal, but if you listened to them in mono you’d hear … absolutely nothing.

The Phase Button

In a multi-mic recording — particularly of a drum kit where there are six or more open mics — there will inevitably be phase issues, based on the different distances between the mics and the various drums and cymbals.

To deal with this, engineers usually turn to channel “phase” buttons (which are actually “invert polarity” buttons) commonly offered by DAWs, mixers and audio interfaces, switching them in and out on various combinations of the mics. It’s not that any of the tracks are 180º out of phase, but sometimes they end up closer to being aligned when you completely invert them. It’s always helpful to check. All you have to listen to different combinations of the mic channels (usually the bass drum channel against the others, and then the snare drum against the others), hit the phase button and listen. If it sounds thinner, simply turn it off; if it sounds bigger or better, leave it on.

By the way, if you want to use two mics to make a stereo recording, you can choose from several different coincident pair stereo miking techniques, designed to capture a stereo image without any phase problems. Do an online search for the terms “X-Y,” “ORTF” or “mid-side miking” to learn more.

Don’t Get Phased

The bottom line is to be aware of phase whenever multiple mics or devices are used to capture the same sound source. You can often fix phase problems on a track that’s already been recorded by manually sliding it in time in your DAW to align it with another track, though you’ll need to zoom in quite far to be able to line them up accurately.

In addition, always be mindful of possible polarity reversals when connecting different pieces of gear. If something sounds thinner than it’s supposed to, try flipping the invert phase button — sometimes simply labeled “phase,” or indicated with a null symbol (“Ø”) on your audio interface or mixer to see if that improves it significantly. If so, you might have a cable or even a piece of gear that got accidentally wired backward.

Fun with Phasing … and Flanging Too

Side by side screenshots. — *Cubase flanger and phaser plug-ins.*

Being out of phase isn’t always a bad thing. Manufacturers of hardware effects processors and pedals, as well as developers of plug-ins, deliberately utilize phase differences and comb filtering to create effects called phase shifters and flangers. A phase shifter duplicates the incoming signal and delays it slightly, then adds modulation from a low frequency oscillator to give it a whooshy-sounding motion.

Flangers are similar but use an even shorter delay between the incoming and duplicated signals. The flanger originated in the late 1950s. Engineers discovered that if they played the same recording back on two tape recorders and slowed one down slightly by grabbing the flange of the tape reel, they got a cool effect. And you know what? It’s still cool to this very day.

Want to learn more about using the phase button in live sound? Check out this blog posting.

How Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitar Technology Works

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase.

Man playing the sax with fedora popping off in surprise or effort.

How Humor Can Help Improve Your Playing

Written by Jake Uitti on November 1, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

Learning music is easy for some, difficult for others … but getting better at it requires tough sledding at times. That’s why it’s often helpful to remind ourselves: It’s better to laugh than cry.

There are actually many benefits to maintaining a sense of humor while honing your musical skills. Here are five of them.

1. IT HELPS YOU CREATE LASTING BONDS

Ever heard the term “inside joke”? It’s a rhetorical question, of course. But what the concept points to is the special kind of human connection that comes from sharing a deep, hearty laugh with others. When you joke with a fellow musician or songwriting partner, close bonds can be formed and cemented. That, in turn, is the stuff of long-lasting creative partnerships.

2. IT EASES THE TENSION

Working with another person can be difficult. That seems to be especially true for creative folks, and musicians in particular — whether in the rehearsal room, onstage, or during a recording session. The best way to take the edge off and return the focus to the music (instead of the personalities), is to insert some humor — a strategy that many of the best recording engineers and record producers turn to when things get fraught. You can almost always count on a good laugh to ease the tension!

3. IT CAN PROVIDE A WELCOME DISTRACTION

Picture this: You’re on tour, traveling from one city to the next in a whirlwind of bad hotels, bad food, abbreviated soundchecks and venues with problematic load-ins and iffy sound systems. Then when you finally make your way back home, you’re facing two weeks in a recording studio to track your newest album. In one sense, it’s living the dream. In another, it’s a seemingly endless list of tasks that all require great sums of energy and attention.

How does one cope? The best way to save a drained mind is to find a distraction.

Find a movie, watch a cartoon, picture your fourth grade teacher slipping on a banana peel, whatever you need. But let your mind wander, let it enjoy a spike of joy, a chortle, a guffaw at something — anything — that doesn’t have to do with your musical work schedule. Then, when your mind is refreshed, you can dive back into your passions and play your heart out.

4. IT KEEPS YOU FROM TAKING YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

People who believe their own press releases are bound to eventually fall on their faces and learn the bitter truth: they’re actually no better than anyone else. So laugh at your self-seriousness now and get it over with! That way, you’ll be better equipped to deal with mistakes when you practice, perform or record — something that also helps both personal and musical growth.

In a similar vein, there’s another reason for turning to humor, which is especially important if you’re the front person in a band or find yourself regularly in front of a crowd: People need to see you laugh at yourself. Band leaders, take note: Let the other musicians see you make a fool of yourself occasionally. It will create trust, which only strengthens a unit.

5. IT GIVES YOU A WAY TO LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

That which is funny is usually a little bit weird or odd too. So often, musicians endeavor to be perfect to the point of rigidity. Using humor to counter this furrowed brow-mentality can be extremely helpful. For example, if you’re the keyboardist in your band, try writing a riff with a kazoo or ukulele instead. Or pick up a trombone just to hear the blurt of sound it can make.

Next time you sit down to write, pen a funny tune instead of your next break-up ballad. Perform a song that might put a smile on your face instead of the same macabre thrash-metal you’re so ready to play normally. Doing the opposite of what’s expected might just shake you out of your comfort zone and open up a world of new musical opportunities.

TRUST THE SCIENCE

Think these ideas are far-fetched? There’s scientific proof that they’re not. Laughter causes a physical reaction in the body that’s utterly beneficial on many different levels. It increases your oxygen intake, which stimulates your heart and lungs, and also triggers the release of endorphins in your brain, which can help to lower anxiety and stress. In addition, it activates the brain’s dopamine reward system, stimulating goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory, which means that humor can improve retention as you learn music theory and technique.

Laughter also helps your immune system’s functionality (great for sleep-deprived touring musicians), increasing mood and aiding personal satisfaction (perfect for the self-doubt that’s invariably going to creep in at times). Every musician — indeed, every creative artist — can benefit from a little laughter. No kidding!

Top Five Reasons You Should Use an Acoustic Guitar with Built-In Effects

Written by Rich Tozzoli on October 29, 2021. Posted in Acoustic Guitars.

Part of the joy of acoustic guitars is that you can play them anywhere. And when your acoustic guitar has effects built into it, a whole new world opens up sonically. I know this first-hand: As the proud owner of a Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar, I often use its built-in reverb and chorus effects, both onstage and in the studio. It’s inspiring, and it always delivers excellent results.

The way a TA guitar creates those effects is pretty amazing, as detailed in this blog. Inside the guitar is a small metal device called an actuator, which vibrates when the strings are played. These vibrations then resonate with the body of the guitar and the air around the sound hole; as a bonus, the resulting effects are sent out of the output jack as well, courtesy of the instrument’s piezo pickup. It’s ingenious, and it sounds great!

Here are five reasons for using an acoustic guitar that has its own built-in effects:

1. IT DELIVERS A GREAT VIBE

Front view of an acoustic guitar laying on its side with three small knobs on side of body. — *Yamaha FG-TA TransAcoustic guitar.*

Whether I am just sitting on the couch noodling away or jamming with friends around a firepit, switching on the effects in my TA guitar causes an immediate sonic “vibe” to occur. The instrument creates its own lush atmosphere, with a sense of depth and space that literally makes you play differently.

A basic G chord on a regular guitar is simply not as much fun as a G chord played on a TA with a little added built-in reverb, chorus or both. I have many acoustic guitars in my collection, but my TA is the one I keep out all the time to pick up and play, not only because it’s a beautiful, well-crafted instrument with a solid sound, but because of the vibe it brings.

2. SIMPLICITY: NO AMP, NO PEDALS NEEDED

Keeping it simple is a great rule to live by when performing live. If your rig gets too complicated, things can happen that could derail you and the whole band. It’s happened to me more times than I would like to admit!

When your guitar has built-in effects, they’re always just a few knob twists away. Best of all, those knobs are right in front of you, on the guitar itself — no leaning over to try to sneak a peek at a rack-mounted effects processor or crouching down to try to make adjustments to a stomp box in low-light situations.

Closeup of author's hand pointing out the knobs on the side of the acoustic guitar. — *The TA knobs are right in front of you, on top of the guitar.*

Having built-in effects streamlines the whole process and lets you focus on your performance, which allows for more creativity and spontaneity.

3. SPLIT PERSONALITY

TransAcoustic guitars let you dial in any combination of chorus or reverb, allowing you to get inspired anytime, anyplace. It’s far more stimulating than just playing a dry instrument because, in many ways, an effected guitar takes on a whole new personality.

For example, when you turn on the TA chorus, the sound gets a little louder and becomes reminiscent of a 12-string. The high notes sing differently, and with a capo, the upper register takes on an even brighter, more distinctive tonality.

The TA reverb provides an extra sense of depth that helps to meld notes together. You can choose between room and hall sounds or any blend of the two. The room setting is short and sweet, like you’re in a small space; the hall setting imparts a longer “tail” with a deeper sound.

I use a lot of open tunings (mostly DADGAD, open D and open G) on my TA acoustic. I find that the hall reverb works great with those tunings, especially when the guitar rings out. At those moments, the sonics light up like a candle!

4. IT’S A GREAT CREATIVE TOOL

At times, every composer gets stuck for ideas. When that happens, the fresh sound that comes from built-in guitar effects can help add that missing bit of inspiration. Suddenly, everything gets a little more lush, a little fuller … and before you know it, you have that missing chorus or bridge written and ready to go.

With my TA guitar, my mind goes into new places because the sound I’m hearing as I strum has extra depth, dimension and character. It makes playing acoustic guitar more fun.

5. IT’S GREAT FOR RECORDING

Since I record a lot of television music, I often double acoustic guitar parts to enhance the overall sonic picture that the listener will hear (unfortunately all too often through a tinny, and tiny, TV speaker). When using my TA guitar, I generally combine the DI output (the one coming from the quarter-inch jack) with the signal coming from a microphone positioned roughly four inches away from where the sound hole meets the fretboard. I record these on two separate tracks so I can blend them as needed when mixing. The cool thing about this is that whatever built-in effects I dial up come out of both the jack and from the air around the guitar.

On the first pass, I usually just add some TA reverb only, dialing in the desired amount while listening over headphones. (That way, I can hear it coming from both the DI output and the mic.) Once that’s recorded, I will immediately track a double of the part while all the nuances I just laid down are fresh in my mind. I’ll then do another pass, this time turning off the reverb and enabling the TA chorus effect instead; if necessary, I’ll double-track that pass too, sometimes with both reverb and chorus. Or I may keep one track totally dry and just use the natural sound of the guitar — it depends on the need of the cue.

While I could use pedals or plug-ins to get similar sounds, I prefer to use the effects in the guitar because I can feel and sense them coming out of the sound hole. Also, I’m usually under tight deadlines and have to work quite fast. By having effects in the guitar, I’m thinking about nothing but the performance and not about connecting a pedal or launching a plug-in.

So if you haven’t had the opportunity to play an acoustic guitar with built-in effects — especially a Yamaha TransAcoustic model — what are you waiting for?

Check out these related blog articles:

Discover Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitars

Which TransAcoustic Guitar is Right for Me?

How to Record TransAcoustic Guitar Effects

Nylon TA on TV

“Breaking Amish” With My Yamaha FG-TA

Her Name is Ruby

MJ Ultra and the FG-TA TransAcoustic Guitar

Click here for more information about Yamaha TransAcoustic guitars.

NCMEA 2021

Written by jkikuchi@yamaha.com on October 28, 2021. Posted in Uncategorised.

North Carolina Music Educators Association 2021 Convention

Welcome! We are thrilled to join the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) in presenting its 2021 Convention.

North Carolina’s approximately 1,450,000 K-12 students are lucky to have access to music programs led by dedicated band, choral and orchestra directors like you. From the Outer Banks to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and every point in between, we applaud how you showcase your Tar Heel pride as you map out innovative ways to engage and educate your students. Thank you!

Meet Adam Frank

Adam Frank The North Carolina Music Education Association conference gives us an opportunity to connect with all of you and to remind you that Yamaha is your partner in music education, not just through our great instruments and professional audio products but also with resources, support and professional development. We know how difficult this past year has been as we have navigated through these uncertain times, and we want to express our appreciation and gratitude for everyone involved in making this conference possible. We want to continue to hear about your programs and learn about you and your specific needs to see how Yamaha can partner with you to help.

Stop by and say hi to me in the exhibit hall. We’ll be showing some new instruments in the booth, including the Harmony Director, the YBS-480 Baritone Saxophone, and the MS-9414 Marching Snare Drum.

If you need help or have additional questions, please feel free to reach out directly to me at afrank@yamaha.com. Sign up for the Yamaha Educator newsletter to access advocacy, professional development, information on instruments, resources, partnerships in education and more.

Have a wonderful conference!

— Adam Frank, District Manager, School Services Division, Yamaha Corporation of America

Professional Development Clinics at NCMEA

Yamaha Master Educator: Michael Pote, Director of Bands, Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana)

Session Title: “Yamaha Harmony Director 101”
Session Date and Time: Monday, November 8, 12 – 1 p.m.
Description: The New Harmony Director HD-300 combines the HD-200’s powerful ear training with dynamic new educational features and a simplified user interface. The addition of a mobile app that can act as a stand-alone tuner as well as a hardware controller makes the new HD-300 a complete package that can not only make a teacher’s job easier but also help their students play “IN TUNE, IN TONE, IN TIME and at the CORRECT VOLUME.”

Professional Development Resources

Through the Yamaha Educator Suite blog site and SupportED magazine, Yamaha reaches thousands of educators with professional development tips, advice and resources. If you have questions or need help finding resources for your program, email us at educators@yamaha.com.

Here is a sampling of our top professional development articles:

Product Showcases

HARMONY DIRECTOR

HD-300 Quick Start Video Part 1

HD-300 Quick Start Video Part 2

WINDS

NEW Yamaha Baritone Saxophone Demo

NEW YDS-150 Digital Saxophone

STRINGS

YVN Model 3 Violin: The Most Innovative Student Violin

How To Set Up an Electric Strings Ensemble

SLB300 New Generation Silent Bass

PERCUSSION

NEW CSR Brass Shell Snare Drum

NEW YV-3030MS Vibraphone

NEW CFM Series Concert Field Drum

Concert Chimes

SOFTWARE

Dorico for iPad

Cubase Recording Software

Dorico Music Notation Software

Introduction to Dorico for iPad

DRUMSETS

DTX6K3-X Electronic Drums Overview

Using the EAD10 for Lessons and Practice

Stage Custom Hip – Full Sound and Compact Size

PROFESSIONAL AUDIO

STAGEPAS 1K Portable PA System

Remote Music Education and Live Streaming Can Sound Good!

TFAA

Written by jkikuchi@yamaha.com on October 27, 2021. Posted in Conferences.

Orchestra being conducted.

TEXAS Fine Arts Administrators

Welcome members of the Texas Fine Arts Administrators!

Our team is looking forward to working with you throughout the year and serving your professional needs in any way we can. Ask us about the free resources we have for you when it comes to program planning, advocacy, funding and other teaching and professional development needs.

See our Product Showcases

Meet Chris Manners

Chris Manners

The Texas Music Administrators Conference gives us an opportunity to connect with all of you and to remind you that Yamaha is your partner in music education, not just through our great instruments and professional audio products but also with resources, support, and professional development. We want to continue to hear about your programs and learn about you and your specific needs to see how Yamaha can partner with you to help. Stop by the exhibit hall so we can chat, or you can email me at cmanners@yamaha.com, with any questions. We’re eager to talk with you about your needs as an educator and administrator.

Sign up for the Yamaha Educator newsletter to access advocacy, professional development, information on instruments, resources, partnerships in education and more.

FIND SOLUTIONS FOR

Addressing Learning Loss, Health & Safety, and Equity with ESSER

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. This COVID relief bill extends or modifies several provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed in March 2020 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) that was passed in December 2020.

As of November 30, 2022, only 27.3% of ESSER III have been spent.

ESSER will help meet the needs of Texas public and nonpublic school students. The funds are a one-time program intended to assist with the COVID-19 response and can be used to address learning loss, student health & safety, and provide equity across school districts.

IMPORTANT LINKS FOR ARTS EDUCATION IN TEXAS

Texas Education Agency Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Resource Page
ESSER III: $12,418,588,778 — District Allocations
Release of ESSER III Formula Funds to Texas Public School Systems – Updated April 28, 2021
TEA ESSER III FAQs that includes information about eligibility, timelines, grant summary, application process, requirements, allowable uses, reporting and funding

More ESSER Information

American Rescue Plan Act Fact Sheet, including a comparison of all three ESSER funds
Use of ESSER Funds, a resource from ArtsEDNJ
Educator video examples from the Give a Note Foundation — How to Get ESSER Funds for Your Music Program

Suggested Next Steps

Do Your Homework – “Find the Money”
Download Resources
Create Your Plan with Educators and Administrators using the ESSER III “Allowable Uses”
Work with LEA grant personnel to submit a grant application

PRODUCT SHOWCASES

Harmony Director

HD-300 Quick Start Video Part 1

HD-300 Quick Start Video Part 2

WINDS

Yamaha Baritone Saxophone Demo

NEW YDS-150 Digital Saxophone

Clarinet Synthetic Reeds

Saxophone Synthetic Reeds

STRINGS

YVN Model 3 Violin

How To Set Up an Electric Strings Ensemble

SLB300 New Generation Silent Bass

PERCUSSION

NEW MS-9414 Series

NEW CSR Brass Shell Snare Drum

NEW YV-3030MS Vibraphone

CFM Series Concert Field Drum

Percussion Mallet Stands

DRUMSETS

DTX6K3-X Electronic Drums Overview

Using the EAD10 for Lessons and Practice

Stage Custom Hip: Full Sound, Compact Size

GUITARS

C40II Nylon Guitar

SLG SILENT guitar™

SOFTWARE

Dorico for iPad

Cubase Recording Software

Dorico Music Notation Software

Introduction to Dorico for iPad

PROFESSIONAL AUDIO

STAGEPAS 1K Portable PA System

Remote Music Education and Live Streaming

PASIC

Written by jkikuchi@yamaha.com on October 26, 2021. Posted in Conferences.

2024 Percussive Arts Society International Convention

Welcome Percussionists and Music Educators!

Our team is looking forward to meeting you at this year’s in-person PASIC convention and serving your professional needs in any way we can. Ask us about the free resources we have for you when it comes to program planning, advocacy, funding and other teaching and professional development needs.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out — we are here for you and look forward to talking about your music program.

Meet the Yamaha Drums and Percussion Team

The Percussive Arts Society International Convention gives us an opportunity to connect with all of you and to remind you that Yamaha is your partner in music education, not just through our great instruments and professional audio products but also with resources, support and professional development. We want to continue to hear about your programs and learn about you and your specific needs to see how Yamaha can partner with you to help.

Stop by our booth to say hello and check out our new layout. We’re eager to talk with you about your needs as a performer, an educator or member of the percussion community.

If you need help or have additional questions, please feel free to reach out directly to us at percussion@yamaha.com. Sign up for the Yamaha Educator newsletter to access advocacy, professional development, information on instruments, resources, partnerships in education and more.

— Joel Tetzlaff, Matt Rudin, Angela Garay, Jalissa Gascho, Greg Crane,

John Wittmann, Jeff Shipley, Dr. Dave Gerhart, Catelyn Hawkins

JOIN THE YAMAHA DRUMS AND PERCUSSION COMMUNITY! Receive real-world resources and the latest updates on Yamaha percussion products, clinics and promotions.

Yamaha In-Booth Activities

Visit booth #1301 for a chance to meet and interact with some of your favorite Yamaha musicians!

Thursday, November 14

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Yamaha Artist Hour

Friday, November 15

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Yamaha Artist Hour
2 – 2:50 p.m. —New Yamaha Marching Hardware In-Booth Celebration

Saturday, November 16

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Yamaha Artist Hour

Yamaha Performing Artist Clinics and Performances

Wednesday, November 13

8 – 9:30 p.m. — ANTONIO SANCHEZ: Evening Concert: Antonio Sánchez & Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, BIGYUKI & Lex Sadler (Sagamore Ballroom)

Thursday, November 14

all day — MIKE SAMMONS: University Pedagogy Committee Workshop Day (Westin – Council)
9 – 9:35 a.m. — JOSEPH VAN HASSEL, NICK TERRY: New Music/Research: Performance of “About Face for Drum Set Duet” by David Macbride; “A Near-Empty Space” (Room 120)
12 – 1:30 p.m. — TRACY WIGGINS: New Percussion Literature Showcase: University of North Alabama Percussion Ensemble (Wabash Ballroom)
1 – 1:50 p.m. — PATRICK ROULET: FUNdamentals: Ghanaian Mallet Methods (Room 116)
2 – 2:50 p.m. — DAVID PANZL: Drummers’ Heritage Concert: Rudimental Roots and the Evolution of Marching Snare Drum (Room 125)
3 – 3:50 p.m. — ALICE PAN: New Music/Research: Performance of “Bird” by Alex Smith (Room 120)
4 – 4:50 p.m. — PIUS CHEUNG: Clinic/Performance: Udow, Daimo & Cheung Present: “My Marimba Works — An Approach to Interpretation and Expression” by Keiko Abe (Wabash Ballroom)
5 – 5:50 p.m. — BEN WAHLUND: New Music/Research:Performance of “Tassa for Solo Drumset” by Ben Wahlund (Room 120)
8 – 9:30 p.m. — TERREON GULLY: Evening Concert: Stefon Harris & Blackout (Sagamore Ballroom)

Friday, November 15

10 – 10:50 a.m. — ANDREW ELDRIDGE: Showcase Concert: University of Texas at Arlington Percussion Ensemble (Sagamore Ballroom)
12 – 12:50 p.m. — NICHOLAS PAPADOR: Research: Vessels of Song: Precedents and Creation of Klezmer Suites for Mallet Ensemble (Wabash Ballroom)
1 – 1:50 p.m. — AIYUN HUANG: Diversity Alliance Panel Discussion (Room 201)
1 – 1:50 p.m. — STEVE SHAPIRO: Clinic: Studio Tips & Techniques for Mallet Players (Room 125)
3 – 3:50 p.m. — JAMISON ROSS: Clinic/Performance: “Soulmates”: The Drummer’s Relationship Between Rhythm and Melody. (500 Ballroom)
3 – 3:50 p.m. — MARIA FINKELMEIER: Clinic/Performance: Multi-sensory Performance with Maria Finkelmeier. Stick around to check out Maria’s set- up from 3:50 – 4:50 p.m. (Room 120)
4 – 4:50 p.m. — TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON: A Conversation with Terri Lyne Carrington (Westin – Capitol 2)
4 – 4:50 p.m. — GEORGE SCHWINDT: Drumset Clinic: The Business Side of Drumming: A Watched Pot Always Boils (Room 116)

Saturday, November 16

11 – 11:50 a.m. — ELENA BONOMO: Clinic: Musical Theater Drumming: A Creative Approach to Reading (Room 116)
1 – 1:50 p.m. — JOHN BECK, JUAN ALAMO: Clinic: Your Ear Drum: The Most Important Instrument You Own (Room 205)
2 – 2:50 p.m. — ANDERS ÅSTRAND, OLIVER MOLINA: Shared Daytime Showcase Concert: Daniel Berg, Marimba & Anders Åstrand, Vibraphone; Ninkasi Percussion Group (Room 125)
4 – 4:50 p.m. — ADÉLAIDE FERRIÉRE: Daytime Showcase Concert: Exploring the Marimba Repertoire (Room 125)
4 – 4:50 p.m. — ELBTONAL PERCUSSION: Clinic/Performance: Neon(N) (Wabash Ballroom)

For a complete list of clinics and performances, visit the PASIC Schedule.

Product Showcases

Discover the New and Improved Marching Hardware from Yamaha

Gain insights into how the new Yamaha Field Corps Marching Carriers and Stands were developed in an exclusive interview with Joel Tetzlaff, Percussion Product Marketing Manager.

Professional Development Resources

Through the Yamaha Educator Suite blog site and SupportED magazine, Yamaha reaches thousands of educators with professional development tips, advice and resources. Here is a sampling of our top professional development articles:

Young woman sprawled on couch wearing earbuds.

How to Get the Best Fit from Earbuds and Headphones

Written by Joel Kennedy on October 26, 2021. Posted in Audio How-to. 1 Comment on How to Get the Best Fit from Earbuds and Headphones

Your ears are not the same size as each other. That’s not freakish — that’s normal! In fact, no one has the same size ears or head shape as you. It’s what makes us special. It’s also what makes getting the ideal headphone or earbud fit from one person to another that much more nuanced.

You’ve heard the phrase, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” But what if the headphones don’t fit? You have options. Give ’em a twist. Change the eartips. Try foam tips instead of silicone. Make sure they’re in the correct ear.

You get the idea. Now let’s get you the best fit.

Earbud Fitting

Most earbuds come with standard-sized eartips attached. Out of the box, Yamaha earbuds are fitted with medium size tips. Additional pairs of eartips are included in the box to fit ears of all different shapes and sizes.

A small black earbuds case in middle opened to show elements. On right are the two electronic earbuds and on right are the three pairs of sized ear tips to fit on buds.

The left and right earbuds are shaped differently. Makes sense — so are your ears. (Remember?) So make sure you identify the left and right earbuds before you begin.

Ready? Start by inserting one earbud at a time.


1. Angle the eartip slightly downward to make it easier to insert into your ear canal.	2. Next, gently twist the earbud to fit it securely into the shape of your ear.	3. Continue twisting the earbud into your ear canal to achieve the best seal and secure fit.

If the earbuds don’t feel secure, that’s a problem. Or if you don’t hear enough bass response, that’s a problem too. Thankfully, it’s an easy fix: try changing the eartips. You want to use the eartips that keep out as much ambient sound as possible while the music is stopped.

Take some time to change them out in order to find the best fit. You may find you need a larger size tip in one ear and a smaller size in another.

I’m personally a size medium in my right ear and a size small in my left ear. I also prefer foam tips over silicone. Explore which combinations work best for you. No judgement. In fact, no one will know but you!

Check out this video to help guide you through fitting Yamaha TW-E3B wireless earbuds:

Headphone Fitting

Young man smiling while wearing over the head headphones.

Headphones either sit on your ears or go over them. Just like earbuds, headphones are designed with a left side and right side.

Identify the left and right sides, then get started:

1. Gently pull the headphones open, then place them over your head and around your ears.

2. If the fit of the earcups over your ears doesn’t feel right, try adjusting the band to achieve the ideal fit. (Adjust the band, one side at a time, near the connection point with the earcup.)

3. Extend the band on the left and right sides until the headphones sit comfortably around your head and your ears are enclosed.

Check out this video to help guide you through fitting Yamaha YH-L700A wireless headphones:

Beyond Fitting

Getting the perfect fit is just one factor in getting the best sound from your headphones. Several Yamaha models offer Listening Optimizer, an adaptive technology that analyzes the fit of your headphones and wearing conditions in real time to optimize the sound for the best listening experience. You could also consider doing a burn-in to accelerate your path to optimal listening conditions.

Photographs courtesy of rachaelburgessmusic, mcarthurjoseph and officialjackel.

Check out these related blog postings:

How To Shop for Wireless Headphones

How To Burn-In Headphones and Earbuds

Click here to learn more about Yamaha wireless headphones and earbuds.

Click here to learn more about Yamaha TW-E3B wireless earbuds.

Click here to learn more about Yamaha YH-L700A wireless headphones.

Adding Keyboard Fills

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on October 25, 2021. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 2 Comments on Adding Keyboard Fills

Whether you are playing a song by yourself or backing a singer, adding some melodic elements beyond the written melody really adds to your performance. If you are used to only reading music, this may seem daunting at first, but here are some suggestions that will help guide you through these uncharted waters.

Respect The Melody

Begin by considering how busy the melody is, as well as the general mood and feel of the piece. That’s important because whatever you are going to add needs to be in the same style and character. A melody consisting of long, held notes doesn’t call for having busy licks interspersed; conversely, anything you add to a busy, highly rhythmic melody should have some space and room to breathe. Listen to the song repeatedly and get a good feel for it beforehand so that any fills you add complement it tastefully.

For the purposes of our explorations in this article, we’ll use this simple melody:

As you can see and hear from this next example, it can be effective to just echo a single note from the melody — often the last note, in a higher octave like a bell chime response:

This can be a single note, an octave (as in bar 4) or a broken octave, where you play a note and then immediately add a second note an octave higher or lower (as in bar 8).

Or, building on that concept, you can try adding a fuller chord voicing. I like to include an octave within such a voicing (as in bar 4 below), and I sometimes roll the notes so it sounds more like an arpeggio (as in bar 8).

You can also repeat part of the written melody as an echo effect. This works especially well when it’s an octave higher:

Bear in mind that your fills don’t have to be exactly the same; sometimes it’s good to vary the figure slightly so you’re not repeating it literally, as in this example:

Complement the Melody

Another approach is to take some aspect of the melody and create a new answering phrase that is related to that element. If, for example, the original melody has a signature melodic leap up (or down), you can mimic it with the same interval, even though you are not using the same notes:

Or you can base your fill on a rhythmic figure in the melody. In this next example, I’m using the “quarter note followed by the two eighth-notes” motif of the melody and building on it for my fill:

Outline The Harmony

Another way to create fills is to outline the harmony, then add some colorful tones to your arpeggiations. Even just arpeggiating the current chord as a seventh chord (major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh etc.) works, though that approach is a little ordinary. I like to add at least one color tone coming from more extended chords, which I discussed in this Well-Rounded Keyboardist posting. I also tend to not start on the root of the chord, which I feel sounds very predictable.

Here are a few examples for three common chord qualities (I suggest you explore these types of ideas for other chords as well):

Applying this concept to our melody, you can see that we don’t have a lot of beats to fill for each chord, and I didn’t want to overplay or cram too many notes into the space, so I crafted a figure to cross over both the E minor and G7 suspended chords:

I also chose to stop arpeggiating halfway through bar 4, as I felt it was getting too busy, so I used the octave chime style to complete the phrase.

Here’s one more example, this time changing the direction of the arpeggiation:

Preparing For Soloing

Learning how to arpeggiate through changing chords is a great first step in learning how to solo — the topic of this Well-Rounded Keyboardist blog posting. I suggest that you practice the following two exercises, as the proficiency you gain from doing so will help inform your fills and melodic development.

Start with this finger-twister, beginning at a slow tempo, then building up speed as you get better at it:

Then try this alternative version, which employs more color tones and more intricate melodic movement:

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

June Test

Written by Super User on October 22, 2021. Posted in Uncategorised.

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Senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis. Maecenas ultricies mi eget mauris pharetra et ultrices neque ornare. Porttitor eget dolor morbi non arcu risus. Est velit egestas dui id ornare arcu. Velit laoreet id donec ultrices tincidunt arcu non sodales. Facilisi cras fermentum odio eu. Consectetur lorem donec massa sapien faucibus. Mattis molestie a iaculis at erat pellentesque adipiscing commodo. Laoreet sit amet cursus sit amet. Venenatis lectus magna fringilla urna porttitor. Velit euismod in pellentesque massa placerat. Purus in massa tempor nec feugiat nisl pretium fusce.

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Written by Super User on October 22, 2021. Posted in Uncategorised.

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Top Five Reasons for Having a Home Studio

Written by Jake Uitti on October 22, 2021. Posted in Recording. 4 Comments on Top Five Reasons for Having a Home Studio

Once upon a time, making a record meant booking expensive time in a professional studio. These days, advances in technology mean that anyone can craft quality recordings in the comfort of their homes. In fact, there’s a whole genre built from access to home studios, called, appropriately enough, “bedroom pop.”

Here are five reasons why you should consider having a home studio of your own.

1. It’s Affordable

Professional recording studios charge by the hour. Even if that tariff seems fairly nominal (say in the $20 – $50 per hour range, which is what you might expect to pay for the use of a small facility), it can add up quickly if you’re not well-rehearsed or start getting drawn into the “just one more overdub” spiral … or if you or any of your bandmates are perfectionists.

So, for the price of a single session or two, you could invest in owning equipment that could give you good service for a decade or more. “Today,” says Pacific Northwest songwriter Robb Benson, “folks can grab a really affordable DAW and just go to town.”

Robb Benson.

Benson is right about simplicity: The basic starting point for home studios these days is merely a laptop computer (which pretty much everyone already has) and an audio interface, plus DAW (digital audio workstation) software such as Steinberg Cubase, Cubase LE or Cubase AI (the latter comes bundled free of charge with many Yamaha products). Check out this blog posting for more information about equipping a home studio.

2. You Can Use It Anytime

Recording engineers and studios aren’t like dentists or doctors; there is no emergency help line to call in the middle of the night. But if you have your own studio, you have access and opportunity at your fingertips 24/7 … meaning that you can tinker with your tracks whenever you like.

“If I didn’t have my own studio setup, I’d be waiting to record all the time,” says Seattle indie musician Joel Myers. “My studio is a workshop, rehearsal space, office and far-out dream zone. In short, it’s my happy place.”

Joel Myers.

3. It’s a Good Learning Opportunity

Building a home studio may seem challenging, even overwhelming. But it’s also a welcome chance for discovery.

You may have always thought of yourself as just a musician, but owning a home studio means you’re also going to have to learn to be a recording engineer, or at the very least acquire some basic recording skills. These days, that’s a distinct plus — an advantage that can only enhance your chances of achieving success as a musician. And it really doesn’t matter how large or small your home studio is, or how you equip it — the important thing is that the gear serves your particular needs.

“I’ve worked out of closets, garages, basements and tool sheds,” says Myers, adding the following piece of sage advice: “Once you’ve got the space, surround yourself with things that inspire you.”

4. It Gives You Full Control Over Your Music

Anyone who’s ever been in a professional recording studio knows that there’s a lot of sitting around waiting for the engineer and producer to set things up, tweak controls and move faders. When you’re in the hands of another person, you’re on their timetable, reliant on how they do things like position microphones or program effects … all while the clock is ticking. If they make a mistake, it costs you.

But in your home studio, you’re the sole driver behind the wheel. You can try placing mics wherever you want; you can dial back the bass on the kick drum or add edge to the lead vocal; you can experiment with guitar sounds and synth tones to your heart’s content. There is no middleman —just you and your (wild) imagination.

“In the ’90s,” says Benson, “I was constantly going into big studios, and I was not happy with the mixes [or with] paying so much money, so I finally decided I needed to try my hand at mixing my own tunes” — a decision that helped him land a record deal.

5. It’s a Great Way to Develop Your Unique Sound

When you have a home studio, there are essentially no limitations — no worries about cost-per-hour, or hoping that someone else will interpret your ideas correctly. You’re free to try a little of this or a lot of that; some of column A and all of column Z.

“You can experiment for days and days until you find the sound you’re after,” enthuses Benson. “Don’t get me wrong: Once you know your sound, it’s great to go to a really nice studio later on. But sometimes your home cuts are so good that they get the attention of the right people.”

Who knows what wonderful music we might have lost out on because the means of creativity weren’t around in the “good old” days? These days, you can record whenever and however you want. It’s a win-win for both you and your audience.

Photos courtesy Robb Benson and Joel Myers.

Check out these related blog articles:

How To Find (And Stay On) Your Own Unique Path

What Is an Audio Interface?

The History of the DAW

Essential Gear for Your Home Studio

Jack-o-lantern with scary face lit from within.

The 20 Scariest Movies Since the Year 2000

Written by Rich Tozzoli on October 20, 2021. Posted in TV & Movies.

What’s better than a chilly October evening with a blanket, candy corn, apple cider and a bag of tasty Halloween treats? A scary movie, that’s what. This collection of bloodcurdling 21st century movies are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. What can be more fun than that?

1. Halloween (2018)

Let’s start with this epic slasher film — a sequel to the 1978 original (and the 11th in the series), with Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprised in their original roles. Once you see that creepy mask that takes you back in time, the fear starts to grow as you realize Curtis is the sole survivor from the original killing spree. You won’t sleep well after this one!

2. Get Out (2017)

This underground horror classic takes a little time for the plot to develop as the shocking secrets unfold one by one. Both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review rated it one of the top 10 films of 2017, plus it was nominated for Academy Awards^® for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, with director Jordan Peele taking home a Best Original Screenplay Award.

3. Fantasy Island (2020)

From the producer of Halloween and Get Out comes this adaptation of the classic 1977 television series. It follows a group of people on the infamous island who quickly realize that their fantasies have turned into nightmares of sheer survival, complete with zombified surgeons, drug cartels, grenade explosions and plane shoot-downs. Mostly filmed in Fiji, this creeper will make you think twice about going to an island for your next vacation.

4. A Quiet Place (2018)

Most of the Earth’s population has been wiped out by extraterrestrial creatures who are blind, have hypersensitive hearing and communicate through clicking noises. That’s the premise of this post-apocalyptic flick starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinki, who also directed … and it will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up from start to finish. During filming, the crew avoided making noise so the real sounds recorded on the set could be highly amplified in post production. Be careful what you listen for!

5. The Conjuring (2013)

The first in the Conjuring Universe franchise, this film follows the life of authors / paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), whose work inspired the Amityville Horror series of flicks. Check out the cool score and soundtrack album from composer Joseph Bishara, who also wrote the music to Insidious.

6. Saw (2004)

Okay, there has to be one splatter film in this collection. Directed by James Wan, the first installment in the Saw series centers around a gruesome “Jigsaw Killer” who forces his victims to play evil games in order to survive. For a movie made in 18 days with only one set build (a bathroom), it did spectacularly well, grossing over $1.2 million dollars and becoming a cult classic. (A word of caution: The opening scene sets the tone in the worst of ways.)

7. Shutter Island (2010)

When you combine Martin Scorsese’s brilliance with a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo, you know you’re off to a great start, whatever the genre. This neo-noir psychological thriller centers around the investigation of a missing patient at a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island in Boston Harbor. The spooky soundtrack features modern classical music from Mahler, John Cage, Ingram Marshall and Max Richter.

8. Candy Corn (2019)

This horror film takes place on Halloween weekend (what else?) and involves small-town bullies picking on a local kid. When they rough him up outside his traveling carnival trailer, things go way too far. However, with the help of some carnival friends, he rises up in the afterlife to seek revenge. Check out the freaks on the loose in this one.

9. It (2017)

Also called It: Chapter One, this supernatural fantasy is based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name. Hey, any time there are seven kids involved, all living in a small town in Maine, it makes for a good horror plot. There’s plenty of fear and survival to go around as well as stunning visual effects, plus a fabulous score from composer Benjamin Walfisch.

10. Coraline (2009)

This stop-motion animated fantasy features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Saunders and Teri Hatcher, complemented with a great score by composer Bruno Coulais. The main character, Coraline, discovers an alternate world in a secret door in her house but soon finds out there are dark secrets within. The “Other Mother” scene is particularly disturbing, with screeching doors in the dark, chocolate bugs and a mind-numbingly scary Mom.

11. The Invisible Man (2020)

Architect Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) believes she is being stalked by her wealthy ex-boyfriend. However, since he apparently committed suicide, she’s convinced that he has somehow become invisible. Things take a turn for the worse in the psychiatric hospital where she is remanded and, well, let’s say the creep factor increases with each scene. Inspired by the classic novel written by H.G. Wells.

12. Haunt (2019)

This may be a slasher flick, but it’s one with a few twists and turns. Set on Halloween night, it follows a group of friends who go into a haunted house and get separated, only to encounter a series of ghoulish events that will make your stomach turn. The undulating child-like bells that accompany many of the gruesome goings-on won’t do anything to make you feel better!

13. The Witch (2015)

Subtitled A New England Folktale, this supernatural horror film is set in the 1630s, when the rules of society were not the same as they are now. It follows a Puritan family who have been banished from their colony, with evil things taking place in the woods outside their farm. A witch steals the family’s baby and uses it to create a dark ointment, setting the tone for a scary adventure … and the soundtrack is filled with creepy vocal choirs that make the whole thing even more chilling.

14. Terrifier (2016)

This slasher clown horror film is no laughing matter. Here, an insane clown terrifies a group of three women on Halloween night. There are lots of sharpened tools and deeply uncomfortable moments, augmented by a dark soundtrack from composer Paul Wiley. Art the Clown, who also appeared in the 2013 film All Hallows Eve, stars.

15. Hereditary (2018)

Written and directed by Ari Aster and featuring music by Colin Stetson, this deeply unsettling film follows a family of four through trauma, grief and an uncomfortable family dynamic that turns into a full-blown nightmare. Guaranteed to keep you up all night!

16. Us (2019)

This horror film from director Jordan Peele stars Lupita Nyong’o. When her character wanders into a funhouse off the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk, she’s exposed to a doppelganger of herself. Later in life, her family is exposed to a gang of doppelgangers and the nightmare unfolds. The Luniz song “I Got 5 On It” makes its first appearance here, in a unique and memorable way.

17. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Follow a group of college students to a cabin in the forest and you’re bound to discover creepy engineers in an underground laboratory that are directing zombies and monsters to terrorize them. Of particular note: a gory “down the elevator” scene that’s filled with shock, horror and hard-hitting sound effects.

18. Paranormal Activity (2007)

This, the first in the six-film Paranormal Activity franchise, features a couple being haunted in their own home. It was originally developed as an independent picture for only $15,000, but was later expanded with some additional budgeting. Considering that it has brought in almost $200 million dollars to date, the investment was well worth it!

19. Midsommar (2019)

The premise doesn’t seem very scary at first, but things soon turns macabre as we follow a couple who travel to Sweden to visit a fabled festival that comes around once every 90 years. The only problem is that there’s a violent Scandinavian pagan cult that traumatizes them, and when the psychedelic mushrooms come out, bad trips turn even worse. Check out the cool Nordic-inspired soundtrack composed by electronic musician The Haxan Cloak.

20. The Ring (2002)

This goosebump-raising supernatural horror film has some top-flight visuals and is based on Koji Suzuki’s 1991 book of the same name. It follows journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), who investigates the legend of a cursed videotape where whoever watches it dies seven days later. The moral of the story: Be careful what you watch!

Check out these related blog postings:

20 Scariest Movies Since the Year 2000

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Closeup of someone playing an upright acoustic piano.

How Does a Piano Work?

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on October 19, 2021. Posted in Acoustic Pianos. 4 Comments on How Does a Piano Work?

Have you ever played an acoustic piano? If you haven’t had the opportunity, you owe it to yourself to try it sometime. The experience is completely different from playing a digital instrument, or even a small acoustic instrument like guitar, in that the sound hangs in the air all around you, filling the room if you play a key (particularly a low note) with force; however, the piano is equally capable of producing delicate, gentle sounds if you stroke the keys lightly. This is actually one of the main things that distinguishes the piano from its forebears like the harpsichord and clavichord; in fact, its very name (short for pianoforte — Italian for “soft/loud”) derived from that ability.

Yet the basic mechanism of the piano has hardly changed since its invention by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700: a series of keys that cause felt-covered hammers to strike steel strings tuned to a particular note, with the resulting vibration amplified by a soundboard — a massive wooden resonator designed to radiate a large volume of sound over a wide frequency range.

That, of course, is a highly simplified description of what’s really going on. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into what occurs in the microseconds between the time you depress a piano key and the time you hear the sound.

It all begins with …

The Action

The mechanism that causes hammers to strike the strings when a key is pressed is referred to as the piano’s “action.” A piano key is simply a straight piece of wood that acts like a lever. When it’s moved downward (by virtue of being struck), it sets into motion a chain reaction whereby a complex series of physical components act to push the hammer toward the string.

Cristofori’s original design included an escapement mechanism that allowed the hammer to be “thrown” at the string. While this was an ingenious invention, it made it impossible for a pianist to repeat a note without fully releasing the key. This problem was solved by the double escapement system developed by Sébastien Erard in the early 1800s, which introduced a “repetition lever” — a component that caught the hammer and kept it suspended above the rest of the mechanism, so that the action could reset without the key being fully released. When playing a piano with a double escapement mechanism (which, in a more refined form, is employed by most modern grand pianos, including all Yamaha models), the same note can be played repeatedly up to 15 times per second!

Gif showing how piano key strike triggers strike on string on soundboard. — *Double escapement mechanism.*

Here’s a TikTok video that shows how it all works:

@yamahamusic 88 keys to make infinite possibilities #musiciansoftiktok #musicians #YamahaMusic #pianotok ♬ original sound – Yamaha Music

The Dampers

With the exception of the very highest notes (which fade away quickly on their own due to the short length of their strings), each piano string has a damper resting on top of it. Without dampers, all the strings in a piano would vibrate sympathetically whenever any notes were being played … which would result in a messily reverberant sound. (This effect can be created by stepping on the piano’s damper pedal, described below, though in most cases it should be used sparingly.)

When a piano key is pressed, the damper is lifted off the associated string, allowing the string to vibrate and create a sound. As soon as your finger is lifted from the key, the damper drops back down, instantly stopping the string from vibrating and muting the sound. Dampers are the reason why you only hear sound coming from a piano when you depress keys.

The Pedals

Closeup of piano pedals. — *Grand piano pedals.*

There are three pedals on a piano, each designed to change the tone of the instrument in some way.

As mentioned in the previous section, the rightmost damper pedal (also called the sustain pedal) prolongs the sound of the piano by lifting all the dampers off all the strings, allowing them to vibrate freely.

On grand pianos, the sostenuto pedal in the middle acts as a selective damper, causing only those dampers that have already been raised (by virtue of their keys being depressed) to remain lifted; the dampers that are at rest remain unaffected. The end result is that those notes that were played prior to the pedal being activated continue to ring out even after you lift your fingers from the keys, while any new notes you add are not sustained.

Finally, the left-most una corda pedal alters the tone of a grand piano by shifting the entire keyboard and action slightly to the right so that the hammers may not strike all of the strings. This also has the effect of causing the hammers to strike the strings with a different, softer portion of the hammer head, further affecting the sound. An experienced pianist will use this pedal to elicit a wide variety of tonal qualities … and composers will use all of the pedals to create seemingly endless effects.

Note that in an upright piano, two of the pedals have different names and slightly different functionality; stepping on the left pedal (called the “soft” pedal) causes the hammers to be moved closer to the strings, thus slightly reducing the volume of the sound, while stepping on the middle pedal (called the “muffler” or “practice” pedal) causes a a thin piece of felt to be dropped between the hammers and strings, thus muting the sound. (The right “sustain” pedal works the same way as on a grand piano.)

The Strings

When struck by hammers, the strings in a piano vibrate to create sound. Whether a string plays a high or a low note depends on its length, mass and tension. The strings that play high notes are shorter and thinner, while the ones that play low notes are longer and thicker. The specifications for length, diameter, and tension of the strings is referred to as the piano’s “scale.” Coupled with other design aspects, this gives a piano its unique sound.

Even though a modern piano has 88 keys, there are actually more than 88 strings inside it; in fact, a typical piano may have as many as 230 strings. That’s because most of the high notes strike three strings at a time, while midrange and lower notes strike two; only the very lowest notes strike just a single string. The use of multiple strings for most notes is an integral part of the sound of a piano because no two (or three) strings can ever be tuned exactly the same, even when the tuning is done by a highly skilled professional. The very slight discrepancies between the two or three strings being struck act to broaden and enrich the sound.

The Soundboard

Piano soundboard (below the strings) and dampers (on the strings).

In many ways, the soundboard is the heart of the piano. It’s a thin wooden sheet (in Yamaha pianos, typically made from carefully selected Alaskan Sitka, Japanese spruce or Romanian spruce) that serves the important function of translating the energy of vibrating piano strings into a rich, resonant sound.

Piano soundboards are made from wood (as opposed to metal or some other material) because wood naturally amplifies lower-frequency sounds while simultaneously damping down higher frequencies. In other words, the soundboard serves to reinforce warm musical vibrations while at the same time reducing harsh unmusical ones. Quite a feat!

The Role of the Piano Technician

Piano technicians are trained to tune pianos and perform basic maintenance as well as diagnosing and fixing problems. Their skill can have a major impact on not just the playability but tonality of a piano — for example, if for some reason it cannot stay in tune.

“A well-trained and conscientious technician can actually help to lengthen the lifespan of a piano,” says David Durben, Piano Service Lead Specialist for Yamaha Corporation of America. “The person who will fill this function for you should be carefully chosen for his or her ability to perform the needed tuning and maintenance tasks, and should also be someone who can effectively communicate with you so they can meet your needs efficiently.”

Complex Construction = Complex Sound

Crosscut diagram of an acoustic piano. — *The many parts of a grand piano.*

As you can see from the illustration above, a piano is a very complex instrument, constructed from thousands of components, with dozens of parts for each key alone! When quality materials are used in conjunction with expert craftsmanship, an acoustic piano offers a sound that is both unique and musically compelling. If you haven’t tried playing one, what are you waiting for?

Check out these related blog articles:

Here’s What to Look for When Shopping for an Acoustic Piano

What’s the Best Piano For Your Room?

What’s the Difference Between a Grand Piano and an Upright Piano?

Why Is a Piano Soundboard Made From Wood?

Why Aren’t There More Than 88 Keys on a Piano?

Click here for more information about Yamaha grand pianos.

Click here for more information about Yamaha upright pianos.

Click here to locate your local authorized Yamaha piano dealer.

10 Best Classical Music Pieces for Stereo Listening

Written by Jeff Dorgay on October 14, 2021. Posted in Music and Streaming.

Hardcore metal-heads, hip-hop loyalists or EDM lovers might think, “Classical music? I don’t want to listen to that old stuff.” But whether you realize it or not, you’ve been listening to classical music all your life. Movies, commercials, TV shows, you name it. Whether they are using the music of iconic composers or the work of more contemporary classical artists (think John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma and others), the influence is everywhere.

Even if you’re not especially a fan, listening to classical music is a worthwhile pursuit, as it gives both your Hi-Fi system and your ears an interesting workout. For one thing, because all the instruments are acoustic, there is an “absolute sound,” so to speak. A piano can only sound like a piano, after all, and stringed instruments like the violin and cello are especially tough to reproduce properly. If you’ve heard a string quartet or symphony orchestra live, you know what I’m talking about.

But where to begin? If you are a vinyl lover, you know the different variations in pressings, and the challenge that presents. My advice? Just dig in and ignore those who will (always) insist that you’re listening to the wrong performance or the wrong pressing. It’s music and it’s supposed to be fun.

Here, in no particular order, are ten of my favorite classical music selections. They may be diverse in terms of musical approach, but they all have one thing in common: They’ll give you hours of enjoyment when listened to on a quality two-channel stereo system. And if you happen to get bitten by the classical bug, there’s this bonus: You’ll never look at your favorite TV shows, movies, and cartoons the same way again.

1. The Soundtrack from Seven Days in Tibet: Track 6 – “The Invasion”

John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma

Available on CD and via streaming

Let’s start out with one that has it all. This track starts out small, with some faint drumming, percussion and stringed instruments. The sonic landscape is big, open, airy and twinkly. At about 2:40, the hard-core drumming starts in earnest and this will tax your system to the maximum. The first time through, keep the volume control down a bit so you can get a feel for how loud you can turn your system up without damage. Yeah, it’s that good.

2. Dvorak Piano Trio Op.65

The Jung Trio

Available on SACD and vinyl.

This is one of my favorite records of all time, with an exquisite piano/violin performance that’s utterly relaxing. There’s no one standout track: just play it start to finish. Note that, if you get the vinyl version, it comes on two 45 rpm discs, with one track per side — but we can all use some extra exercise, right?

3. Beethoven Wind Music: Octet Op. 103, Sextet Op. 71, Quintet, Rondino 25

The Netherlands Wind Ensemble

Available on vinyl only.

Beethoven is not exactly known for his wind ensemble pieces, but there’s so much delicacy in this recording, if you turn it up just a little bit (but not too loud) you’ll hear an expansive soundstage with an especially “you are there” realism. In fact, in the quietest passages, you’ll even be able to hear the players depressing the buttons on their instruments. This is an incredibly soothing record, and another to just play from start to finish.

4. Bax: The Symphonies – Symphony no. 4

The BBC Philharmonic

Available on CD and via streaming.

This piece is considered to be Sir Arnold Bax’s most extroverted work. Movement 1, “Allegro Moderato,” eases you into the mood, building you up through the third and final movement. What makes this recording so exciting is its sense of pace and dynamics, going from a solitary oboe one second to full-blast orchestra the next. If you have a system with a lot of reserve dynamic power, you can feel the music swell and recede in your room with ease.

5. The Soundtrack from Memoirs of a Geisha: Track 6 – “Becoming a Geisha”

Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, John Williams

Available on CD and via streaming.

This record has Yo-Yo Ma’s imprint all over it. It may not be quite as dynamic as “The Invasion” (see #1 above), but this is still a hugely expansive piece that will make you wonder where the surround sound speakers are hiding when listened to on a quality two-channel audio system. The drums are distinctly in the forefront, with the piano set way back and everything else folding in and out as the music plays — great to listen to with the lights down low.

6. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini

Available on CD and streaming. (Original vinyl: 1976 Deutsche Grammophon)

This is as big and bold as it gets. The beginning Promenade starts slow, as you might expect from a Russian composer, but at precisely 2:09 into “Gnomus,” the music stops with a baton thwack and then heads to a thundering climax 20 seconds later that will totally grab your attention … especially if you’ve got the volume turned up.

7. Wagner: Die Walkure

(Any performance)

Available in all formats.

This German opera features probably one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music ever: “Ride of the Valkyries.” Trust me, even if you claim to never listen to classical music, you’ve heard this piece (or portions of it) many times before. But don’t stop there, because the entire opera is nearly three and a half hours long, and it’s all worthwhile. Not casual listening by any stretch, but the better recordings have a massive sense of scale, especially when the vocalists take over.

8. Verdi: La Traviata, from the Sempre Libra disc

Anna Netrebko with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Available in all formats.

The Italians invented the opera around 1600, and while many might argue that Maria Callas (considered by many to be the ultimate opera diva) was the definitive vocalist for this piece, I prefer the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. Netrebko has a softer, silkier voice, which might just be a lot more approachable for those new to opera. This recording only has some excerpts from the entire performance, but it’s enthralling nonetheless.

9. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite

(Any performance)

Available in all formats.

Here’s another piece that you’ve been hearing since you were in diapers — it’s been used in dozens of movies, even an episode of The Simpsons. Like “Ride of the Valkyries,” it’s a great introduction to classical music because it’s not unfamiliar — and so you may be surprised at how much you like this piece even when it’s unaccompanied by a visual.

10. Frank Zappa: 200 Motels: The Suites

Esa-Pekka Salonen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale

Available in all formats.

Okay, this one is more rock fusion, but the late Frank Zappa always had a passion for classical music, and it shows here. Less than a minute into this 2013 Disney Hall performance, you start hearing the complex time signatures that Zappa was so famous for. It’s an especially densely packed recording — a friend of mine calls it “Difficult Listening Hour” — but, personally, I think it’s well worth the challenge.

Check out these related blog posts:

Dialing in the Perfect Two-Channel Experience

Hi-Fi Starter Guide

The History of Hi-Fi

Top 10 Vinyl Albums For Audiophiles

10 Hip-Hop Albums That Sound Great On Vinyl

Click here for more information about Yamaha Hi-Fi components.

How to Record Guitar and Build a Song Around It

Written by Robbie Calvo on October 13, 2021. Posted in Guitars How-to.

I’ve been composing and recording music professionally for the past 25 years. My creative process and the way I capture musical ideas evolves constantly with the latest advancements in digital recording software and hardware. There are a lot of high-quality options available for recording at home these days, and even the simplest of setups can yield release-ready audio that competes with that of a large commercial studio. All you need is an audio interface, quality DAW software (such as Steinberg Cubase, available in a variety of options) and a computer with reasonably fast processing power and enough disk space to host the recording software and store the audio files.

In this article, I’ll describe some best practices for recording guitar and then tell you how I typically build a song around the tracks I lay down. Let’s start with my …

Top Tips for Recording Guitar

1. Put on fresh guitar strings. The extra “bite” you’ll get from those shiny new strings is well worth the minimal cost and effort required.

2. Make sure the guitar is correctly intonated and in tune. If that E on the 12th fret isn’t a perfect octave above the open E, make any necessary bridge/neck adjustments or consult a professional luthier. You’ll hate yourself if you get the perfect take and the guitar is out of tune!

3. Monitor your input levels closely. Unity levels (0 db) or just below are the way to go. Digital clipping distortion isn’t musical in any way, and will ruin your recordings. If the guitar part you are tracking is extremely dynamic (that is, if the loudest parts are a lot louder than the softest ones), try using a compressor to even out the levels. You can also use a limiter set to a threshold several decibels below clipping to negate any transient peaks that may cause clipping problems.

4. Rehearse your guitar part until you can play it perfectly. It’s only then that you’re ready to record. Listen back to your recordings and be honest with yourself. If you could have played better, do it again. The playback doesn’t lie … and recording yourself is the absolute best way to determine how well you’re performing the music.

5. Take time to craft the guitar sound you are looking for. If you use effects, set the tempo to the tempo of the track in your session, then play around with tempo subdivisions to create the delay and modulation sounds you’re looking for.

6. Leave some of your guitar parts dry and unaffected. You can always add effects later if need be, but it’s quite difficult (and sometimes impossible) to remove them once they’re recorded.

7. Think like an arranger. If you plan on overdubbing multiple parts, orchestrate the textures and tones to complement one another and make sure the parts leave space for additional layers.

8. Save your work on a regular basis. If not, you could lose everything you’ve been working on. Most software will auto-save your projects, but that isn’t enough. I’ve lost hours of painstaking work when an unexpected power outage struck!

Optional Gear

There are some things you absolutely need in order to record guitar: the guitar itself and the aforementioned computer, DAW software and audio interface. But in addition to these must-haves, there are a few things you might also want to have on hand. These include:

1. One or two microphones. These aren’t strictly necessary for recording electric or electric-acoustic guitar (though they are required for recording fully acoustic guitars), but they are always great to have around, and they give you the option of plugging your electric or electric-acoustic into an amp and capturing the sound of the speaker … as well as recording vocals, of course. Some guitars, like Yamaha A Series models, offer onboard mic modeling that provides the sound of a high-quality microphone directly through the output jack. This is a great option if you don’t have any mics or if your recording space isn’t quiet enough for acoustic recordings.

2. Guitar modelers. These stompbox-like processors (such as the Line 6 HX Stomp, Helix and PODGo) allow for detailed guitar tone-shaping via the hardware units themselves and the software editing programs that come bundled with the products. You can record all those tones directly to your DAW via a simple analog or USB cable.

Closeup of console. — *The Line 6 PODGo.*

3. A guitar amp. It’s always great to have a quality amp or two on hand. Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amplifiers are compact enough to fit in any home studio, yet they pack a powerful punch — there’s even one model (the THR30IIA) designed specifically for acoustic guitar. They include Steinberg’s AI recording software, plus you’ll also be able to monitor the recording process and playback through the THR’s own built-in stereo speaker system.

4. Third-party plug-ins. Though many DAWs include a variety of effects and virtual instrument plug-ins, you might want to avail yourself of some third-party ones if they add extra control and sonic variety. For example, the Line 6 Helix Native is basically a full-blown Helix amp/cabinet/mic modeler without the physical hardware.

Developing Guitar Parts

I usually begin by finding a drum loop that gives me a good groove and playing ideas over it until I come up with something I like — typically a four-bar phrase. Before laying down any tracks, I’ll experiment with different tempos until I find the one that works best and is comfortable to play over. I then tweak the levels until I have a good balance between guitar and percussion before adding effects sparingly (again, if I use any delays or modulations, I make sure they are set to the selected tempo).

One last re-tune of the guitar, and I hit the record button.

If my performance was good, I’ll continue to play over the part to explore options and find the next layer. I may record several parts to see how they develop my original idea into a complete composition. I think of this initial recording process as a kind of note-pad sketch before committing to the larger arrangement.

The Video

In this video, you’ll see me perform four parts: two acoustic guitar parts, one electric rhythm part and a solo. More information about each part is provided below.

Acoustic Guitar – Initial Part

The initial rhythm part is carrying the full harmonic structure of my idea, including those nice single-note embellishments. It’s crucial that this first part be performed perfectly, as it creates a solid foundation for the additional layers. For this part, I used a Yamaha AC5R acoustic guitar and chose the onboard Neumann microphone model, then recorded it directly to my DAW software via an audio interface. Using the onboard modeling negates the need for expensive microphones, preamps and an acoustically treated recording space … yet it sounds very clean and expressive.

Acoustic Guitar – Layer 2

As you may notice, I have a capo placed at the fifth fret for this overdub. I’m a huge fan of using the capo when layering to create alternate voicings and frequency separation from the original part. I’m also playing “spread” chords every two beats to accent the downbeat of the chord changes. I selected the Royer ribbon microphone model for this because I liked how its tonal variation helped the part stand out from the original acoustic tone.

Electric Rhythm – Layer 3

I’m playing this arpeggiated eighth-note guitar primarily on the top three strings to help it cut through the mix and sit between the other guitar parts for further rhythmic and sonic variation. For this part, I used a Yamaha PAC1611MS Mike Stern signature model electric guitar (using the bridge pickup only) and employed a Line 6 Helix for a stereo delay, adding a little overdrive to the signal chain to give it some “edge.” The delay is set to a quarter-note repeat on the left and a dotted-eighth on the right, which further widens the stereo field.

Electric Solo – Layer 4

You really do have to think like an arranger when recording music, and recording a solo should be no different. As you may know if you’ve read some of my previous blog postings, I like to create motifs (short melodic phrases that repeat) when building a solo line. Each defined phrase in this final overdub is placed on the downbeat of two, and I’m leaving space between those phrases to let the melody “breathe.” Here, I used the neck pickup because of its warm, full-bodied tonality when playing melodies past the twelfth fret. Single notes can become a little shrill in these upper frequency ranges, so this is a good way to soften those tones.

The Guitars

The Yamaha AC5R acoustic guitar features all-solid tonewoods, including rosewood back and sides, an A.R.E.-treated (Yamaha’s unique wood-torrefaction technology) solid Sitka spruce top, a mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard and bridge. The aforementioned onboard microphone models are unique to A Series guitars, and can also be blended with the built-in SRT2 preamp for extra versatility.

The Yamaha PAC1611MS Mike Stern signature model electric guitar features a light ash body that’s been treated with Initial Response Acceleration (I.R.A.), a proprietary technology that reduces the stress often found in new guitars and makes them extremely vibrant and responsive. The pickups are both Seymour Duncan: a super-smooth ’59 humbucker in the neck position and a hot-rails humbucker in the bridge.

The Wrap-Up

As you develop your recording skills, you’ll start to hear creative ways to shape the music through tone, dynamics and orchestration. These will refine your musicality and improve your playing … all for the greater good of the song.

Click here for more information about Yamaha A Series acoustic guitars.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha AC5R acoustic guitar.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha PAC1611MS electric guitar.

Click here for more information about Line 6 guitar products.

Graphic of woman laying on a therapist's couch while he sits in a chair behind her head taking notes.

Songwriting Therapy

Written by Shelly Peiken on October 11, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

I recently stumbled on a video conversation between Alanis Morrissette and Liz Phair in which they talked about why they write songs. The discussion resonated with me because, (a) it’s one of my favorite subjects; and (b) I’ve had similar creative callings.

The part of the conversation that spoke to me the loudest came when Liz talked about how her mental health relies on her ability to go within and write songs, and how she almost doesn’t know what she’s feeling until she actually writes the song. “I find that the older I get, the more I end up weeping when I’m writing because there’s something unblocking,” she says, adding that, if she wants to communicate a feeling to someone, “rather than writing an email or text that I regret, when I write the song, it just settles everything. Somehow, the universe needed to hear it more than that person did.”

Wow. Just wow.

I’ve personally experienced this phenomenon. When something is begging for attention — whether it’s a chip on my shoulder or a thump in my heart — sitting down at a piano or with Ruby (my Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar) at the very least loosens the lid. Ideally, I slip into the “zone” and an hour later I feel cleansed. Relieved. Reminded yet again of how the process itself almost never disappoints.

Songwriters are lucky. We have built-in therapy. It’s self-contained, and best of all, it’s free. All we have to do is write a song.

Just because a single session might not always produce a commercial masterpiece doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from the untangling of feelings, making sense of them. Even when we don’t find an actual answer to a problem or a remedy for a situation, we get closer to it. Hey, we don’t get hard, fast answers from talk therapy with a professional either. It’s the meandering, the pursuit, that’s productive. Exploration is therapeutic in itself. And isn’t that what we’re doing when we write a song?

That said, an astute and caring counselor is a true find. They help us look at life from all different angles. For me, talk therapy in a safe, trusting environment has been a gateway for stream-of-conscious thinking. Epiphanies emerge unexpectedly when the right questions are asked (or when the silence is deafening). And the best part is that those epiphanies lead to more songs — yay! Like I do at the end of a songwriting session, I feel cleansed. Lighter. Relieved.

In her article Songwriting in Music Therapy for Mental Health, author Danielle Lowe looks at the therapeutic value of songwriting vs. talk therapy: “Songwriting may help clients recall difficult or traumatic memories, something that is often hard to access in talk therapy,” she writes. “Processing difficult or traumatic memories through writing and music may also provide a less daunting way for clients to approach these complex subjects.”

Lowe further posits that songwriting has the ability to uncover difficult memories and emotions. It can increase self-esteem and self-expression. If we want to know ourselves better and enjoy the endless works-in-progress that we are, it’s a perfect tool.

I suspect I chose to become a professional songwriter not only because I enjoy the process of creating that three-minute emotional ride we call a song, but also because it provided a way, from the time I was a very young girl, for me to administer self-care. To find answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. I gravitated to a musical instrument with a journal and pen in hand for a reason. It was intuitive. It made me feel … better. And that’s the reason I never stopped.

Like Liz, how many times have we written that letter or email, slept on it and decided not to send it? When we started composing it, we may not have even realized what we wanted to say. But our unconscious reveals itself during the writing process, sometimes in ways that are painful. As a result, by the time the sun comes up, we may choose to simply save it as a draft. And that’s okay. Not all feelings are meant to be shared.

I suggest you save the words for a song instead. Chances are it will be a good one.

https://www.domingopagliuca.com/

What Is Dynamic Range, and Why Does it Matter?

Written by Mike Levine on October 8, 2021. Posted in Music and Streaming. 5 Comments on What Is Dynamic Range, and Why Does it Matter?

Every piece of music has a certain dynamic range, meaning the difference between the loudest and softest passages. Audio gear also has a distinctive dynamic range, though in this case the term describes the boundaries of what that piece of equipment is capable of producing.

In this article, we’ll explore the concept in detail and also explain why dynamic range is so important to the enjoyment of listening to recorded music.

Impacts

Dynamics are one of the essential ingredients — along with things like melody, harmony and rhythm — that make music pleasurable and compelling to listen to. A song that provides noticeable variations in level is almost always more engaging than one that stays pretty much the same from start to finish.

But if a song has too wide a dynamic range, you won’t hear the quiet parts clearly without the loud parts being uncomfortably loud. Conversely, if the difference between loud and soft is too small, the music will sound squashed and might even be fatiguing to your ears, particularly when listened to at high levels.

Just as a painter or photographer contrasts light and shade, a musical artist, songwriter or producer crafts arrangements that vary in volume and intensity to create drama. The variations can be subtle, like an increase in instrumentation on the second verse, or they can be more obvious, like a breakdown section (where most of the instruments drop out) after a loud chorus.

On a more granular level, dynamics are a big part of musical and vocal technique. For example, when a drummer plays a roll, they’re not hitting every beat at the same volume. If they did, it would sound like a machine gun, not a drum. The variations in dynamics between each beat are what give the roll its feeling and musicality. In a similar fashion, singers typically go from louder to softer from section to section or even word by word.

The Technicalities

The dynamic range of any recording is defined as the ratio of the loudest peak to the quietest, expressed in decibels (dB). For context, the human auditory system has a dynamic range of about 90 dB; a person with healthy hearing can perceive everything from a whisper (roughly 30 dB) to a jet taking off (120 dB). Note that the decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear, so the difference between 30 dB and 120 dB is even more significant than it looks.

Playback media have dynamic ranges too. For example, the dynamic range of a 16-bit / 44.1 kHz CD is over 90 dB — slightly greater than the range of human hearing. 24-bit digital audio has a theoretical dynamic range of 144 dB, but no playback system can equal that … nor would you want it to, considering that 120 dB SPL is the threshold of pain!

Audio gear that reproduces music also has a dynamic range. For equipment such as receivers, speakers and headphones, this is calculated as the ratio between the loudest sound that a unit can produce and the quietest one before noise becomes audible (the “noise floor”). The greater its dynamic range, the more headroom the component will have. Headroom is the range above the average operating level before distortion.

Digital audio has an absolute limit of 0 dBFS (decibels full scale). You can think of 0 dBFS as an impenetrable ceiling; turning up the volume squashes the signal up against it, producing unpleasant digital distortion that you’ll hear once it’s converted back to analog for playback.

Calculating distortion in an analog component is not nearly as precise. That’s because if the signal is overloading the circuit, it doesn’t necessarily worsen the sound quality, as it does with digital audio. In fact, analog audio often sounds better when it’s slightly overloaded and creating saturation. Eventually, if you keep pushing up the volume, it will distort enough to degrade the sound, but where that point may be is a matter of opinion.

When it comes to audio gear specs, dynamic range (DNR for short) is often confused with Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). Although the two are similar, they don’t get calculated the same way. As we said, DNR measures the ratio between the loudest possible peak without distortion and the quietest one before noise (typically hum or hiss) is audible. SNR instead computes the difference between the standard operating level of the unit and the noise floor. With both specifications, the higher the number, the better.

Dynamic Range and Musical Genre

All music has some degree of level fluctuation, but some genres tend to have broader dynamic ranges than others. Recorded pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop and country music usually have a relatively modest dynamic range — typically around 10 dB, although there are exceptions. Electronic dance music (EDM) probably has the smallest dynamic range — often in the 6 dB neighborhood — but makes up for it by creating contrast with its almost infinite array of instrument colors and textures coming from synthesizers and samplers.

On the other end of the spectrum are jazz and classical music, which can have considerably large differences between their quietest and loudest parts. In jazz, uptempo songs typically go from loud passages played on brass and saxophone instruments to quiet piano and bass solos. Even in jazz ballads, the dynamic range is usually relatively wide. A study of dynamic range in different musical styles conducted in 2016 revealed that dynamic ranges in jazz generally varied from 13 dB to 23 dB.

As a group, classical recordings have the widest dynamic range of any genre. The same study cited above found that recorded classical music typically offers between about 20 dB and 32 dB of dynamic range. While that might seem like a lot, it’s still quite a bit smaller than that of a live symphony orchestra performance, which can be as large as 90 dB.

No matter what kind of music you gravitate towards, using high-quality audio components such as a Yamaha AVENTAGE receiver will help you to fully experience the dynamic range of the recordings you love.

Front view of electronic component. — *Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A8A receiver.*

Don’t Touch that Dial

Audio engineers use audio compression to control dynamic range in the music production process. A compressor reduces the peaks of the signal, thus lowering the dynamic range and making it possible to turn up the entire song without peaks causing distortion.

Screenshot of soundwaves on screen. — *With peaks removed, a song can be turned up a lot louder without distortion.*

One reason for reducing the dynamic range in recorded music is that it’s frequently listened to in noisy environments like cars. A car on the highway can have a noise level of almost 70 dBA (dBA is a weighted scale that accounts for how humans hear different frequencies at varying volumes). If a song varies too much from loud to soft, you’ll have to keep adjusting the volume of your automotive sound system. During soft parts, you’ll want to turn it up to hear it over the road and wind noise, but then it would be uncomfortably loud during the louder parts. Judicious use of compression solves the problem.

Loud vs. Louder

Before the rise of streaming services for music delivery — back when the CD was still the dominant format — the world of popular music experienced what was referred to as the “loudness wars.” To make their music stand out on the radio or a club sound system (as compared to other tracks played before and after), songs were mastered with a great deal of compression so as to get their average levels as high as possible.

The unintended consequence was that the dynamic range of those recordings got smaller, making the music sound squashed, less punchy and often fatiguing to the ears. In those days, it wasn’t uncommon for songs to have a dynamic range of only 4 dB to 6 dB. Metallica’s 2008 Death Magnetic album was one of the most heavily compressed, and therefore controversial, releases of the “loudness war” era.

The screenshot below shows the waveforms (recorded off TIDAL) for Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (the area on the left) and Metallica’s “My Apocalypse” from Death Magnetic (the area on the right). Notice how much more dynamic range there is in “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”

Screenshot of two soundwaves on screen. — *The difference between a large and small dynamic range.*

Fortunately, streaming services introduced a feature called Loudness Normalization, which automatically puts a ceiling on a song’s loudness; no matter how loud a recording is, it will get automatically turned down so that it does not exceed this ceiling. As a result, when mastering for streaming, engineers no longer feel the need to reduce dynamic range to make songs louder. That has resulted in higher dynamic ranges in popular music, which are now in the 10 dB range, on average. That’s still pretty narrow, but things are improving and hopefully the era of squashing the life out of music is mostly over.

Click here for more information about Yamaha AVENTAGE receivers.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Soundscapes Through Time

Written by Ernesto Lechner on October 7, 2021. Posted in Artists.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, I recently talked with three Yamaha artists about the deep influence the soundscapes of Latin America had on their desire to become musicians and their subsequent careers as performers and educators. Each spoke about the importance of remaining connected to one’s cultural roots in order to forge the sound of the future.

MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

Domingo Pagliuca.

To Venezuelan trombonist Domingo Pagliuca, the presence of his father — a professional musician — was a defining influence during his childhood in Caracas. “I was fortunate to grow up listening to all kinds of music at home,” the Latin Grammy^®-winning musician says from his home in Miami. “I was given a violin when I turned five, but I loved brass instruments, so I switched to trumpet a few years later [though I] had a difficult time with it. I must have been twelve when I asked my Dad if I could take up the trombone instead. At first he refused, but when I insisted, he decided to give me a chance, and said I could try the trombone for six months and see if it worked out. But it was love at first sight and I never looked back.”

A native of Houston, Texas, saxophone professor Johnny Salinas was also deeply influenced by his parents, with his mother’s musical taste reflecting the family’s Mexican heritage. “My Mom sang in a church choir for many years, and her father played tuba in a band in Mexico,” he remembers. “At home, she listened to banda and norteño music, including the corridos of Los Tigres del Norte, a band that incorporates wonderful saxophone licks into their songs. I followed the classical tradition as a musician, but I also suspect that, subliminally, listening to Los Tigres early on contributed to my attraction for playing the saxophone.”

New York-based drummer Antonio Sánchez believes that the very identity of his sound harks back to the music that he grew up with in Mexico City. “I think the individual style that we [as musicians] develop is the sum of all experiences and influences that we’re exposed to as children,” he says. “There was lots of great music in my house. My Mom listened to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Cream, and my grandparents would play classical music when we sat together at the dining table. My current sound is a hybrid, with the addition of years spent playing fusion and Latin jazz. It was the influences themselves that pushed me to investigate the sonic possibilities of my instrument.”

THE LATIN INFLUENCE

Johnny Salinas.

Pagliuca has performed pieces by Grieg, Liszt and Gershwin with the critically acclaimed quintet Boston Brass; Salinas has played classical concerts with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Houston Ballet; and Sánchez is well-known for his virtuoso drumming with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and writing the score for the Academy Award^®-winning film Birdman. Yet all three musicians agree that their Latin roots remain an essential component of their identities.

Sánchez explains, “When I first moved to New York after graduating from Berklee [College of Music], I wanted to be the most complete sideman [session drummer] in town,” he recalls. “And my sound evolved from the combined experiences of playing traditional Latin music with players from Brazil, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela. The funny thing is, once I stopped playing Latin jazz, the influences from that style were still in there, percolating in my drum patterns.”

“I can’t be married to just one genre,” adds Pagliuca. “Exploring new styles and contributing fresh ideas is essential to what I do. I’ve always wanted to present the trombone as an instrument that belongs in every kind of genre. It’s multifaceted — it can be lyrical, perform melodies or provide different voicings. I give 100% of myself no matter what the context may be, Latin or classical.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Domingo Pagliuca (@dpagliuca)

“I am a lover of all types of music and try not to only pick one,” says Salinas. “But through my research I’ve become more aware of Mexican composers, and it’s starting to be a goal of mine to expose more people to these great composers through the saxophone. For example, I recently programmed Arturo Márquez and his Danzón No. 2 for saxophone ensemble. He’s just one of many composers that a lot of people still don’t know about.”

INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS

Man playing drums on stage. — *Antonio Sánchez.*

Besides playing Yamaha instruments and honoring their Latin roots, all three artists have something else in common: They devote time in their busy agendas to teaching the next generation. Pagliuca offers trombone lessons online. Salinas is a visiting assistant professor at Oklahoma State University and has taught overseas in China. Sánchez presents drum clinics worldwide and organizes an annual workshop in Mexico for students from all over Latin America.

“I strive to instill in my students a positive spirit,” says Pagliuca. “You can achieve your dreams as long as you have discipline and refuse to give up. Nothing happens on its own, of course, but it’s important never to abandon your dreams. I’m still at the beginning of the road myself. There is a long path ahead.”

“The goal of my clinics is for people to become aware of their own potential,” says Sánchez. “I think you can inspire students who maybe are not as talented but can get far on the strength of hard work and discipline. I also help them understand how hard it can be to establish yourself in such a complicated field. You spend every day studying and creating and suffering, and it’s only years down the road that you enjoy the fruits of your labor. But the process is its own reward.”

“Music is for everyone, not only for the rich,” offers Salinas. “It really is a universal language. If you’re passionate about your craft, you can be successful regardless of any obstacles. You just need to find the particular kind of music that speaks to you.”

A COMMUNION OF MUSIC

One of the most powerful aspects of music is its ability to bring people together. Sánchez calls this the “communion” that can happen during a musical performance. “No matter where you are in the world,” he explains, “a communion is quickly established between the performers generating music and the audience enjoying it.”

Sánchez pauses to reflect, and you can almost hear the smile in his voice. “It’s sonic waves, and they reach people in different ways. The power of that communion is enthralling to me.”

Photo of Domingo Pagliuca by IndieHouse Films; photo of Antonio Sánchez by Benjamin Stoller.

For more information, visit:

https://cas.okstate.edu/greenwood_school_of_music/faculty_bios/salinas.html

https://www.antoniosanchez.net/about

Screenshot of music annotation on screen.

Music Theory for Producers, Part 2

Written by Mike Levine on October 6, 2021. Posted in Recording.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we covered rhythmic concepts that are important for producers to know. This time around, we’ll provide a quick overview of chord theory. If you’re producing music but are not exactly sure how chords are constructed or how they relate to melodies, read on!

Built on Scales

In order to understand chord construction, it’s important to have a good grasp of intervals, which are the distances between notes. In Western music, the smallest interval is a semitone, which is also known as a half-step. A distance of two half-steps equals one whole step. So a half-step above C would be C#; a whole step above C would be D, etc.

Chords are groupings of three or more notes that are played simultaneously, and they are built on scale tones (that is, notes in its scale). If you know solfege (do re mi fa so la ti do), then you know what a major scale sounds like. The key of a scale is determined by the pitch of its root note (“do”). As an example, here’s an illustration of a piano keyboard with the notes of a C major scale indicated. For additional context, the solfege equivalents are presented as well.

Diagram of intervals on a graphic of a piano keyboard. — *The intervals of the C-major scale.*

All major scales have identical intervals. They’re all whole steps, with two exceptions, as you can see in the above illustration: There’s only a half-step between the third and fourth degrees (i.e., E and F in this example), and between the seventh degree and the first degree of the scale in the next octave (i.e., B and C in this example).

Three is a Chord

The most basic chord form is a triad. It has three notes and is a building block for more complex chords. A major triad is made up of the first degree (the tonic) plus the third-degree and the fifth-degree (dominant) tones in the scale. These are usually referred to as the “root, third and fifth.” For example, here’s a C-major triad:

Major triad notes diagrammed on graphic of a keyboard. — *C-major triad.*

The graphic editors in your DAW show notes in the form of a piano keyboard, although they are usually oriented vertically instead of horizontally. Here’s how a C-major triad is displayed in the Steinberg Cubase Key Editor:

If you lower the third in a major triad by one semitone (that is, if you flat it), the result is a minor triad. Minor chords sound sad or even mysterious compared to the happy sound of major chords. As an example, here’s a C minor chord:

Diagram indicating which keys are part of triad on a keyboard. — *A minor triad consists of the tonic, flatted-third, and fifth.*

Here’s how that same chord looks in Cubase’s Key Editor.

The intervals in a major triad consist of the root, a major third (the note four semitones higher than the root) and a perfect fifth (the note seven semitones higher than the root). The reason the fifth is called “perfect” is to distinguish it from flattened (“diminished”) fifths a half step lower, and sharpened (“augmented”) fifths a half step higher. (More about these shortly.)

Inversions

Inversions are chords that don’t have the root on the bottom. They’re made up of the same notes as regular (non-inverted) chords but use one of the other chord tones for the bass — a neat trick that really changes the sound. If you put the third on the bottom, it’s called the first inversion; if you put the fifth on the bottom, it’s called the second inversion.

Increasing Chordal Complexity: Sevenths, Ninths, and More

Chords sound more complex as you add notes to them. Adding the seventh degree of a major scale to a major triad gives you a major-seventh chord. These chords (indicated with a “maj7” at the end; i.e., Cmaj7) can be described as mellow or sweet-sounding. A stronger version of the seventh chord is the dominant seventh (indicated just as “7”; i.e., C7). It’s constructed the same way as a major-seventh chord except that you drop the seventh degree down by a half step, turning it into a flatted seventh.

A minor seventh chord is a minor triad plus a flatted seventh. You can build even more complex chords on top of either major or minor seventh chords. For example, a ninth chord (written as a “9” chord; i.e., C9) is made up of a dominant seventh chord with a ninth added on top. A minor-ninth chord (written as a “m9”; i.e., Cm9) consists of a minor seventh chord with a ninth added.

You might be wondering how you get a ninth when a major scale only has seven notes. The answer is that a ninth is a second (which in the key of C would be a D; in D, it would be an E and so forth) played an octave higher. Think of it this way: If you were counting up a major scale, instead of stopping after the seventh degree and starting again in the next octave, you instead continue counting. The octave above the root would be eight, and the next scale tone would be nine.

You use a similar method to create eleventh and thirteenth chords. Start with a dominant-seventh, major-seventh or minor-seventh chord and count up to the eleventh degree of the scale for an eleventh chord, or to the thirteenth degree for a thirteenth chord.

You may also run across chords with “add 9” or “add 11” or “add 13” in their name. Those are similar to ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords but don’t have a seventh (either major or minor) in them.

Augmented and Diminished Chords

Another fairly common chord type is the augmented chord — a major triad with the fifth degree raised by a half-step. You’ll see these expressed with a plus sign or +5 after the chord name (for example, C+ or C+5).

The opposite of these are diminished chords — minor triads with the fifth degree lowered by a half-step. Diminished chords are written with “dim” after the chord name or the symbol “o” after the chord name (for example, Cdim or Co). Both augmented and diminished chords can have sevenths added to create augmented seventh and diminished seventh chords, respectively.

One other chord form you’ll run into a lot is the suspended (Sus4) chord. These are created by raising the third of a major triad by one semitone. You can also add a seventh on top to make a 7sus4 chord, such as an C7sus4. The thing about suspended chords is that they want to be resolved. In other words, after you raise the third, you should then bring it back down again. (A great example of this is Pete Townshend’s power strumming in the intro to The Who song “Pinball Wizard.”) If you don’t resolve it, it leaves the listener hanging.

Fitting In

Within any key, there are seven chords made up exclusively of notes from that key’s major scale. These are called diatonic chords. Typically, they’re referred to by their scale degree numbers and are written with Roman numerals.

The relationships between these chords are the same in every key. In the key of C, the diatonic chords are Cmaj7 (I), Dm (II), Em (III), F (IV), G (V), Am (VI) and Bdim (VII). In the key of G, they’re Gmaj7 (I), Am (II), Bm (III), C (IV), D (V), Em (VI) and Fdim (VII).

If you hear somebody refer to the “II-chord” or the “IV-chord,” etc., they’re talking about diatonic chords. You can assume that the II chord is a minor chord, the IV a major chord, and so on, unless stated otherwise (the “II-dominant-seventh” or the “VI-major,” etc.).

You may have also heard about songs that have a “I-IV-V” chord progression (for example, C-F-G). That’s typically referencing the standard chords in a blues song (as well as many rock songs). A common jazz turnaround is a “II-V” (for example, in the key of D, II-V would be Em to A). However, jazz players almost always add at least a flatted-seventh note to both chords, if not additional chord tones on top.

On Track

Steinberg Cubase has several really helpful features for dealing with chords and scales, including Chord Track, which allows you to enter the chords to your song into the measures they go in. You then can make any MIDI parts in the song conform to the specified chords. Similar features can be found in some other DAWs.

If you use Cubase’s Scale Assistant feature, you can set it to follow the Chord Track so that any notes you record will be constrained to the chord or chords in a given measure. If, like me, you’re not a good keyboard player, you can set up a chord track and then just play the same three- (or more) note chord against the whole song, and Cubase will alter the notes to fit the Chord Track.

Once you have a good handle on these basic principles, you’ll be able to analyze the chords you’re using in your productions and better understand what’s going on harmonically — which in turn can help you write more interesting chord progressions that can help make the songs stand out.

Check out these related blog postings:

Music Theory for Producers, Part 1

The Basics of Chordal Harmony

Major Scale Modes, Part 1: Ionian Mode

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase.

Case Study: A Competitive Show Choir Boosts Choral Participation

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on October 1, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

In response to student demand, Highland High School in Illinois introduced an extracurricular show choir to its already multifaceted choral program that includes an a cappella group, madrigal singers, chamber singers, a traditional mixed choir and musical theater. The school switched out its jazz choir for the new ensemble in the spring 2018.

“If my students show interest in something, I want to make sure they can do it,” says Andrew Gibb-Clark, the director of choral activities for the Highland Community Unit School District 5 as well as the high school’s fine arts department chair. “It’s very important to me to offer a variety of opportunities for the kids, and that brings in different students that might not have been here before.”

Show Me the Funding

To launch the program, Gibb-Clark conducted research, requested funding from the school board and took a measured approach.

First, Gibb-Clark spoke to other choir directors, including a family friend who teaches at Davenport Central High School in Iowa. “He gave me a lot of information about the types of things that we would need,” he says.

After deciding to forge ahead, Gibb-Clark approached the school district’s board of education with the funding request. He gave a formal presentation that included his vision, his team and the project proposal. He also invited students to speak at the meeting about their reasons for wanting the show choir.

“I spent a lot of time talking to the board about the positives of the program and what music does for students,” Gibb-Clark says. “I had also looked into the cons … and told the board.”

The show choir’s startup needs included specialty risers that are safe for dancing, lighting and sound equipment that can be moved and set up in different spaces, and instruments — such as a drum set. In the end, the board agreed to fund $60,000 in purchases.

“It was not an easy decision for them; it wasn’t a unanimous decision either,” Gibb-Clark says. “Since then, they’ve continued to be very supportive and are very happy with the decision that they made.”

To help the board understand the value of the capital expense, Gibb-Clark has invited its members to performances and provided updates on participation, competition results and equipment use. In fact, all the audiovisual equipment bought by the show choir has been used for the other choirs and musicals while the sound system has also been utilized at graduation. “It was an investment beyond the show choir,” Gibb-Clark says.

To pay for the show choir’s recurring expenses, such as music, choreography and set pieces, the choir boosters have picked up the slack, and choir families have paid for costumes. Since the school started the show choir, it has become a bigger project for the booster organization, which has then put a bigger emphasis on fundraising, according to Gibb-Clark.

The Highland show choir operates on a small budget of $7,000 to $8,000 a year. In comparison, other schools’ show choirs have an annual budget of $30,000, Gibb-Clark says.

In the first year, the show choir performed only at the school but has been traveling to competitions in subsequent years.

The Thrill of Competition

The competitive aspect combined with full choreography and popular songs attract students to the show choir. It offers an experience for singers that is similar to marching band for instrumental musicians.

“Marching band is very competitive and gives the students something to work for whereas a lot of the [choirs are performance-based],” Gibb-Clark says. “The kids enjoy that competitive aspect, and the only place they’re going to get it in our choral program is in the show choir.”

While the school previously participated in a cappella festivals, where the ensemble received a rating, Gibb-Clark eliminated that aspect due to a lack of useful feedback. “It’s hard to get comments on a piece of paper and know how to turn them into meaningful things for the students,” he says.

On the other hand, the show choir competitions attended by Highland offer immediate and in-person verbal feedback. “After you perform, you’ll go into another room for a critique,” says Gibb-Clark. “[The students meet] with a clinician and work with them right there at the competition. And I think that’s so extremely valuable rather than just comments on a piece of paper.”

In addition, the show choir gives students a physical activity. “The kids have to be able to dance and sing at the same time,” Gibb-Clark says. “Being somewhat in shape was something new for them.”

Show choir performers attend a weeklong summer camp to get a jumpstart on music and choreography. Throughout the year, the show choir rehearses once a week after school for two to three hours. It attends three competitions, fit into the schedule to avoid any conflicting events within the music department.

Because of the show choir’s live band, which is managed by the band’s assistant director — Jamie Keys — and comprises eight to 10 students, the choir and band departments must have strong collaboration. “We have good communication in our department meetings, and we’re usually all on the same page,” Gibb-Clark says.

Along with the curricular choirs, the show choir also participates in two school concerts and a pancake breakfast fundraiser.

Rise in Numbers

Since Gibb-Clark’s first year at Highland in 2017-2018, the number of choral group members at the small school — with 850 total enrollment — has nearly doubled from 55 to 100 participants.

At Highland, each ensemble focuses on different musical genres and gives students different learning and performance opportunities. For example, the madrigals sing at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, do 15 to 20 community performances per year and host a dinner show.

Gibb-Clark has put a greater emphasis on putting on professional musical theater productions. “I think the growth of the [choral] program and the strength of it is that we have so many different things that are strong on their own,” Gibb-Clark says.

Still, the show choir has been a big impetus for the increase in choral participation since about 50% of the high school’s singers also participate in the group.

In the first year, 30 students performed in the show choir and show choir band. In 2018-2019, the numbers went up to 40. In 2019-2020, the group grew to 50 members.

In the future, Gibb-Clark would like to create a junior varsity level show choir and host a competition. Getting to 60 members would allow the group to split in half, he says.

Gibb-Clark will continue to oversee the show choir overall, but he will no longer handle its day-to-day operations. He decided to take a step back after the birth of his first child in September 2020. He continues his curricular roles at both the middle school and high school as well as directing the musical and madrigal dinner.

“My accompanist [David Wilton] spent a lot of time doing show choirs in the past,” Gibb-Clark says. “After getting it started and putting in all the groundwork, I felt comfortable to let him take over going forward.”

Overall, Gibb-Clark, who had never participated in or directed show choirs in the past, says that he and his students have gained a lot of valuable experiences. “The first year that we went to competitions, we finished dead last by a lot,” he says. “It was a learning experience. The kids were OK with it. They understood that they were trying to build something and not worried about results yet. They’re learning a new art; they’re learning a new form of performance. We were focused on individual and group development rather than results. … In the second year, at every competition, our scores went up, and we beat two groups. … The biggest difference was our growth and understanding of the performing art, of what show choir is.”

YH-L700A Headphones Head Tracking Technology

Written by Joel Kennedy on September 30, 2021. Posted in Music and Streaming. 1 Comment on YH-L700A Headphones Head Tracking Technology

When someone says, “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” that’s when the situation gets real. Not necessarily because of the potential repercussions of choosing to look in the other direction, or even the authority of the person delivering the message. Rather, it’s that sound is directional — we can tell where it’s coming from. And when we’re able to track sound to its source, our perception achieves lifelike realism.

The same can be said of head tracking technology in Yamaha YH-L700A wireless headphones. It enables playback to respond in real time to the orientation of your head in relation to the device playing the content. When combined with 3D Sound Field capabilities, the result is an extraordinary level of realism, making you feel like you’re actually “there,” in the best seat in a movie theater or front row of a live concert.

Let’s take a closer look at how it works.

Stereo vs Head Tracking

Traditional headphones play music and video content in stereo. A stereo signal is comprised of two separate signals for your left and right ear — a left and a right channel. Listening with headphones in stereo creates the sensation of sound playing in your head. Wherever you look — up, down, left, right — the playback is the same.

Head tracking technology transforms the two-channel listening experience into a virtual landscape that is directionally-based. Sound playback is oriented by the location of your head, instead of being fixed in a stereo left-right sound field.

Man in his 30's with facial hair and tattoos on his lower arms is in front of a laptop wearing Yamaha wireless headphones. — *Photo courtesy @THETATTOOEDHUSBAND.*

With the head tracking feature turned on, the sound stays with the screen. A gyroscope inside the YH-L700A tracks your movement, keeping the arc of the sound angled to the screen in front of you. As your head moves through space, looking left or right, the audio is precisely localized in relation to the source, i.e., where it would naturally be coming from if you didn’t have headphones on. This adds lifelike realism to not only where you listen, but how you listen.

The head tracking technology in the YH-L700A is also an easy way to overcome listening fatigue. It works with content from any source — phones, tablets, computers and more.

The head tracking feature is enabled in the free Yamaha Headphones Controller app, available for iOS and Android™ devices.

Earbuds and small electronic device. — *Photo courtesy @TYNOLOGY.*

Loaded With Tech

Head tracking is just one of the advanced technologies you’ll find in the YH-L700A. Additional features include:

3D Sound Field
Listening Optimizer
Advanced ANC
Listening Care
Ambient Sound

Click here for more information about Yamaha YH-L700A wireless headphones.

Test123

Written by Super User on September 29, 2021. Posted in Uncategorised.

Collage of two images with a man playing an electronic drum kit and a woman playing an electronic drum kit.

Spotlight on the DTX8/DTX10

Written by Steve La Cerra on September 28, 2021. Posted in Electronic Drums.

The newest members of the Yamaha family of electronic drum kits have just been unveiled: the DTX8 Series and flagship DTX10 Series. Both offer high-quality sounds and a realistic playing experience wrapped up in beautiful acoustic drum shells with premium finishes, making them a perfect fit for touring and recording musicians who want superior performance, functionality and reliability.

Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in.

DTX-PROX and DTX-PRO

The heart of the DTX8 is the DTX-PRO drum module, while the DTX10 Series is powered by the new DTX-PROX. Both modules provide 14 trigger inputs, 256-note polyphony, more than 700 new voices and the ability to layer up to four sounds per pad. The DTX-PRO offers 512 megabytes of WAV ROM, and the DTX-PROX offers a full gigabyte of WAV ROM.

Closeup of someone's hand adjusting the dials on the electronic drum kit. — *DTX-PROX drum module.*

Acoustic drum sounds for the DTX-PRO and DTX-PROX were recorded in CD-quality (44.1 kHz/16-bit) stereo by professional engineers at some of the world’s top recording studios, with the resultant samples incorporating the natural ambience of those studios. The DTX-PRO comes standard with 40 new preset drum kits, while the DTX-PROX delivers 70 new kits, plus you can build up to 200 of your own custom user kits.

Onboard effects such as Gated Reverb, Early Reflections, Tempo Delays, Chorus, Flanger and Pitch Change can be added to specific instruments via two independent processors, while Analog Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Overdrive, Bit Crusher and Lo-Fi can be added to the entire kit using a Master Effects processor (MFX).

Editing Made Easy

The DTX-PRO and DTX-PROX make it easy to modify your drum sounds on the fly with the use of a three-knob Kit Modifier, and the DTX-PROX takes tweaking to the next level with its additional Fader Select functions.

Kit Modifier

The Kit Modifier is a set of three front-panel rotary controls (surrounded by easy-to-view LED light circles) that provide instant access to three main drum kit parameters: Ambience, Comp (compressor) and Effect. For more information, see this blog.

Closeup of dials. — *The Kit Modifier controls.*

Fader Select

The DTX-PROX Fader Select knob, combined with a set of seven LED Rotary Faders, gives you an even more extensive means of editing drum kits.

The function of the LED Rotary Faders is determined by the Fader Select knob. For example, when the Fader Select knob is set to Mixer, the faders control volume level for their respective Instruments (INST). But if the Fader Select knob is changed to TUNING, the faders are instead used to change the tuning of each instrument. These controls make it possible to quickly edit your sounds, even during live performance.

Training Tools and File Sharing

The DTX-PRO and DTX-PROX provide numerous practice tools that help you become a better drummer, faster! A programmable click can be edited for sound, note value and individual note volume — you can even import your own WAV file to use as a custom click. In addition, 10 different training tools are available to help you practice, including 37 Training Songs with original drum parts that can be muted or unmuted. For more information about DTX Training tools, see this blog.

Both modules are also compatible with Yamaha Rec’n’Share, a free app that runs on iOS and Android™ devices, enabling you to record audio and video of your drumming performances. Once a track has been recorded, you can email the file to friends or bandmates, upload it to a file-sharing app, or post the file directly to social media. For more information, check out this blog.

Close up of app on phone next to portion of DTX physical controls. — *Yamaha Rec’n’Share works with all DTX8 and DTX10 kits.*

Get Connected

There are also extensive connectivity options for a wide range of applications. For example, the DTX-PROX allows each Instrument (kick, snare, toms, etc.) to be routed to any of eight individual audio outputs so they can be recorded to separate audio tracks and/or EQ’d individually on a mixer.

A USB TO HOST port enables you to connect to a PC via a standard USB cable so you can stream audio and MIDI data between the DTX-PRO / DTX-PROX and any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software. Both modules also come bundled with Steinberg Cubase AI music production software, so you’ll be recording and editing your drum performances in no time.

Alternatively, you can record to the internal recorder, which captures audio at 44.1 kHz/16-bit resolution. Recordings up to 90 minutes long can be named, stored and recalled onto a USB flash drive connected to the USB TO DEVICE port. A USB flash drive can also be loaded with your favorite accompaniment or practice songs as stereo WAV files (44.1 kHz/16-bit) for playback using the internal recorder. You can play along with these files or overdub your performance to a song — a great learning tool. The mix between the song and the drums can be adjusted using the DTX-PROX Sliders, which give you separate volume control for AUX IN, Audio, Click, Output and Phones.

Closeup of sliders. — *The DTX-PROX Sliders.*

Additional connections on the DTX-PROX include MIDI In and MIDI Out, 1/8″ and 1/4″ headphone jacks powered by a high-quality headphone amplifier, and an AUX IN that can accept a 1/8″ cable, enabling connection to any music player. The DTX-PROX can also connect wirelessly to a smart device via Bluetooth^®.

Pads That Look and Feel Like Real Drums

DTX8 and DTX10 Series drum pads utilize a newly designed shell constructed from high-quality birch ply, manufactured at the Yamaha acoustic drum factory. The pads are available in Black Forest or Real Wood finishes, adding the beauty and presence of acoustic drums, and can be ordered with a choice of TCS (Textured Cellular Silicone) or two-ply mesh heads by REMO^® for optimum playing action.

TCS heads feature a unique construction that gives the rebound of an acoustic drumhead and has a treated surface that prevents sticks from sliding. The result is a natural drum feel that makes you want to keep playing.

Crosscut image of effect on electronic drum head when hit by drum stick. — *TCS heads maintain consistent response because they never loosen.*

Mesh heads can be tuned to your preference and provide excellent noise reduction, a high degree of durability, and great rebound for comfortable playing.

The new XP125SD 12-inch snare drum pad utilizes three sensors that respond precisely to delicate stick work, and has hit-point detection for maximum expressiveness. The XP105T 10-inch and XP125T 12-inch toms are two-zone pads that mount using standard Yamaha hardware.

Closeup of interior of drum with sensor. — *The XP125SD snare pad has three sensors.*

DTX10 Series kits come with the new Yamaha KP128 12-inch kick drum pad, which features a durable 2-ply REMO mesh head and easily accommodates double pedals. DTX8 Series kits utilize the KP90 7.5-inch rubber pad, which is large enough for two beaters, allows connection of an additional external pad and offers adjustable output level for optimum sensitivity.

All cymbal pads supplied with DTX8 and DTX10 kits are three-zone pads with hit-point detection that produces bow, edge and bell sounds. DTX10 kits are supplied with the new PCY175 17-inch ride cymbal pad, while DTX8 kits come with the 15-inch PCY155 ride cymbal pad. Crash cymbals are 13-inch PCY135 pads. All of these permit choking by grabbing the edge of the pad.

DTX8 and DTX10 Series kits use genuine Yamaha hardware that stands up to the most enthusiastic players. Snare drum pads are supported using the Yamaha SS662 snare stand, a lightweight, compact design with a snare basket that holds drums up to 12 inches in diameter. Toms mount securely to the rack using the iconic Yamaha CL-940BW ball clamp, which allows a wide range of positions. DTX8 kits are equipped with the HS-650A hi-hat stand, while DTX10 kits ship with the HS-740A hi-hat stand, ensuring reliable, smooth action. Both Series employ CS-755 long boom cymbal holders so you can place your cymbals precisely where you want them.

Maximum Stability

DTX8 kits use a Yamaha RS8 rack, while DTX10 kits utilize the RS10-HXR rack system. Both have horizontal legs for increased stability, plus sufficient space on the left side to accommodate a hi-hat stand and/or double foot pedal. The RS8 features a newly-designed clamp for the cymbal holders; this enables a wider range of positions while preventing unwanted movement.

Electronic drum kit. — *DTX8 kit in Black Forest finish with the RS8 rack.*

The RS10-HXR hex rack used in DTX10 Series kits is based on the popular Yamaha HEXRACKII. Constructed from a strong, lightweight aluminum alloy, the RS10-HXR provides tremendous flexibility for positioning while keeping toms and cymbals locked in place throughout a performance or recording session.

Drum kit. — *DTX10 kit in Real Wood finish with the RS10-HXR hex rack.*

The new DTX8 and DTX10 Series electronic drums offer a terrific combination of great sounds, functionality and stage presence. If you’re looking for superior performance during rehearsal, live performance or studio recording, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

What to Do When There’s No Bass Player, Part 2

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on September 27, 2021. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 1 Comment on What to Do When There’s No Bass Player, Part 2

In Part 1 of this two-part series we covered the fundamentals of left-hand bass playing. Now we’ll add more movement to your playing and cover the basics of how bass players navigate through busy chord changes.

How to Create Walking Bass Lines

The main concept of walking bass lines is to play notes on each beat of the measure, providing both energy and momentum to the groove. This style was first heard in jazz in the 1930s and grew and developed from there. You can certainly hear it in the early R&B and rock ‘n’ roll music of the 1950s (think Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis and so many others), and this is a style of music and playing that we still draw on today. Here is one of the most common lines used in that style of music (note that in this audio clip, I play each bar twice):

The first three notes clearly outline the major triad, followed by a passing tone (these are notes in-between chord tones) on the way up to the flatted seventh. From this example we can already see a couple of best practices when crafting a walking bass line:

1) Stick to the more fundamental notes of the chord. The root, the fifth, the third and the seventh is the suggested priority.

2) Try to have those notes occur on beats one and three when playing in 4/4 time. Use passing tones on what are considered the weaker beats (two and four).

It’s fine to repeat a note — particularly the root or the fifth; it’s the constant rhythm of the line that’s most important. So a good variation of the line would be as follows (again, in this audio clip, I play each bar twice):

Connecting To Other Chords

The next challenge is to come up with ways to connect the bass line between different chords. The obvious choice is to approach the new chord with a note from either above or below. But that note can be either a whole step away, which is usually a scale tone note, or a half-step away, which will often be a chromatic passing tone (my personal favorite). To demonstrate, here’s the first walking bass line I demonstrated, this time played over the root chord (in this case, again, C7), then repeated (transposed) under the new chord — in this case, F Dominant seventh, which is the IV chord in the key of C.

After playing the figure under the C7 chord I move to the F7, and you can see that the transition happens with a half-step approach from below — a movement that has a nice “pull” up into the F. Another choice would be to move down chromatically from the G on beat 3 to a G-flat to go into the F, as shown and demonstrated below. This also has a nice “pull” to it.

This next example uses some repeated notes to show how you can craft simple lines based on chord tone arpeggiations.

Notice how the line climbs up through the F7 to come back to the C an octave higher. Then we arpeggiate back down to the lower octave, approach the next F from below, and finally walk down through scale tones, using a chromatic passing tone at the end to approach the C.

Scale Tone Walking

Now let’s walk up and down through more linear scale tones, with an added dash of chromatic passing tones.

In each measure, I’m always connecting into the next chord with a half-step approach, and I fill in notes on my way to get there.

Let’s change up the chord progression to apply these concepts to a different situation, with more chords:

As you can hear, beats 1 and 3 have strong chord tones, I’m using my preferred half-step approaches, and each chord is clearly spelled out — mission accomplished!

Here’s one more variation:

Add More Momentum to Your Lines

After you’ve gotten comfortable crafting walking lines, you can try adding this repeated note rhythmic device onto some of your notes:

Doubling some notes in this way gives your lines a little more bounce and adds energy to them. But don’t overdo it: a little goes a long way.

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

40 Under 40 Home

Written by Super User on September 27, 2021. Posted in 40 under 40. 3 Comments on 40 Under 40 Home

Yamaha “40 Under 40” Music Educators

Yamaha launched the “40 Under 40” music education advocacy program in 2021 to recognize and celebrate outstanding young music educators. These remarkable teachers share the joy and power of music-making with their students who range from transitional kindergarteners to college undergrads.

We look forward to sharing the stories of 40 music teachers each year. You will be inspired by the noteworthy achievements of the Yamaha “40 Under 40” educators who oversee music programs that are continually growing and improving.

2025 “40 Under 40” Educators

2024 “40 Under 40” Educators

2023 “40 Under 40” Educators

2022 “40 Under 40” Educators

2021 “40 Under 40” Educators

Yamaha “40 Under 40” Music Educators

2025 “40 Under 40” Educators

2024 “40 Under 40” Educators

2023 “40 Under 40” Educators

2022 “40 Under 40” Educators

2021 “40 Under 40” Educators

Six Essential Bass-Playing Techniques

Written by Michael Gelfand on September 24, 2021. Posted in Bass. 6 Comments on Six Essential Bass-Playing Techniques

Do anything long enough and you’ll eventually figure out ways to become better at it. As a bassist, this occurred for me over the course of many years. It started when I was a teenager, as I played along with my favorite bassists’ records. Even if you don’t know why someone does something, if you can figure out how to do it (or at least approximate how it’s being done), you can’t help but to develop some chops.

When you jam with others, join bands, rehearse, play gigs and go to recording sessions, you’ll undoubtedly meet exciting players who do things you may not have known were even possible. Fortunately, most musicians are happy to share their knowledge and experience … which is a very good thing, since incorporating new techniques into your repertoire is a great way to become a better player.

Here are six intermediate bass-playing techniques I’ve picked up throughout the years. Each enabled me to push my creative boundaries outward and expanded how I write songs, craft basslines and determine what to play in any given situation.

Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

A hammer-on is a technique where you bring a finger down onto the fretboard so as to make a note sound without playing that string with your picking hand:

The inverse of this, which you can use in partnership with hammer-ons or on its own, is a pull-off, where you lift a fretting finger up in a way that causes a note to sound:

These techniques fall under a legato style that allows you to play notes in a fluid run rather than specific staccato notes. Hammer-ons and pull-offs can be applied subtly or aggressively in lots of different situations. Yamaha Artist Billy Sheehan is renowned for the creative ways he combines hammer-ons and pull-offs. These serve as the left-hand foundation upon which he unleashes blistering right-hand fingertapping. Check out this video interview where Billy demonstrates how he brings it all together.

Glissando

You may not know it by its Italian name, but you probably already use it, and you’ve definitely heard it used by other players. Glissando (sometimes called portamento) is what happens when you slide from one note continuously to a second note. Unless you’re going for a special effect, it’s something you typically don’t want to execute slowly — at least not slowly enough to hear the in-between notes clearly — or it can sound a bit ragged.

Glissando is a great go-to move that anticipates and signals upcoming excitement in a song, but you need to nail the timing and the beginning and end notes, or it sounds like you played a clam. The idea is to play the initial note and immediately follow it with a slide (up or down) until you hit the end note. If you’re feeling slick you might bend the final note, or even end with a double-stop (see below for a definition). Here’s a video that shows how glissando works:

This technique can be used to dramatic effect, such as when you use it to lead into the first beat of a song or measure, or it can even become part of a repetitive pattern. But like anything, glissando needs to be done sparingly and tastefully.

Chords

In my high school days, any time I played a bass chord, my bandmates frowned. As strict traditionalists, they thought chords were the sole domain of guitarists and keyboardists, and that I, as the bassist, was supposed to be holding things down with whole notes or zombie-like 1 -4-5 progressions for them to play soulless leads over. Uh … no thanks. Instead of living on that boring musical cul-de-sac, I bailed on those bands and started practicing on my own, which led me to experiment with complex chords.

Conventional chords are created by at least three notes being played simultaneously, but a chord can be as simple as a two-note dyad (better known as a double-stop), which implies a chord without the influence of a third note. Double-stops can help create emphasis or heighten an emotion in a song by serving as a thickening agent that adds powerful harmonic content in the right spot. Check out this video for some examples:

Other techniques based on chords include arpeggios, which are the individual notes of a chord played in a pattern. I’m a big fan of bass chords overall, and have found them to be particularly effective tactics when I’ve played in power trios — the right chord choices help make the band sound much bigger and more energetic. Certain chords, especially darker voicings/shapes like an F-minor (F-A♭-C), are easier to hear (and finger) in the upper registers; when played down toward the nut, they tend to get lost.

Right Hand Positioning

You’ve surely noticed the difference in your tone when you play just in front of the bridge versus near the fretboard. As you can see in this next video, when playing over the bridge, notes are punchy and tight, and can be bright and percussive without too much harmonic content. Playing near the fretboard yields the opposite effect: the notes have rich harmonic content and are warm, sloppy and juicy-sounding.

If you play a bass equipped with pickups in or around those traditional locations, you’re probably already familiar with how differently things sound when you isolate one pickup or the other. But when the two pickups are blended together, you can create subtle but important tonal differences by moving your picking-hand position up and down the strings.

Pedaling

This refers to when you use one note — often the root, and often an open string, but it’s up to you — to hold down a groove, and you go back and forth between it and other notes to create a wash of melody in a percussive pattern, like this:

To me, the bassist whose signature style is most synonymous with pedaling is the great Peter Hook — he’s a master of creating melody and groove at the same time, such as on Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” (Be sure to check out the Yamaha BBPH Peter Hook Signature BB Bass.)

Pedaling can be an intoxicating technique — so much so that you may need discipline to restrain yourself from overdoing it. I’ve found it best suited for songs where there’s lots of space for the bass to slot in, but regardless, you need to be careful about your attack, or the notes can sound uneven; they may even end up fighting with the string noise generated by your hand sliding all over the place.

Harmonics

On a stringed instrument, harmonics are created when you intentionally avoid playing the fundamental note (which, on a fretted bass, is created when you press down behind a fret on the fingerboard and pluck the string) and instead lightly touch your finger over that fret (or its position on a fretless bass) while plucking. The easiest harmonics to play on the bass are located at the twelfth fret, followed by the fifth, seventh and ninth frets. (There are others, but these are the most prominent ones, which is why they’re the easiest to play.)

As demonstrated in this video, to play a harmonic, simply hold your finger over a fret as you pluck the string. As you move your hand up and down, you’ll intermittently hear these harmonics ring out.

As you get better at this technique, you’ll find that there are other locations along the fretboard that generate stranger-sounding harmonics, but it gets more and more difficult to coax these sounds out of the bass unless you put in a lot of practice.

You can enhance this technique by letting the harmonic ring out and then quickly pushing down and sliding your fretting hand to a new fret position. When done correctly, this has the effect of continuing the sound rather than playing the fundamental note. You can also create “fake” harmonics (essentially an octave up) on any note by lightly touching your finger on a string 12 frets away from the note you’re playing while simultaneously plucking that string with your thumb.

Keep in mind that harmonics are high-pitched and delicate, so if you’re going to use them, choose your spots carefully or no one will hear them. If harmonics are a major component of your bassline in a song, a little compression on your signal will go a long way to bring them out in the mix so they don’t get lost.

Click here for more information about Yamaha basses.

How to Use Bluetooth^® Out with an AV Receiver and Sound Bar

Written by Phil Shea on September 21, 2021. Posted in Audio How-to. 1 Comment on How to Use Bluetooth^® Out with an AV Receiver and Sound Bar

We use two-way Bluetooth^® communication between our smartphones and our wireless headphones every day. The phone sends Bluetooth audio to the headphones in the form of music and notification sounds, while the headphones return voice from their microphones to the phone for answering incoming calls and accessing smart assistants. That’s a lot of Bluetooth interaction back and forth.

But when it comes to home audio, many of us limit ourselves to the basic Bluetooth Input function of our devices. Streaming audio content from our phones for playback through a receiver/speaker system provides a better overall listening experience, but there’s more Bluetooth functionality than just that. For example, all MusicCast-enabled products offer a Bluetooth Transmission feature for streaming audio content from your home audio equipment — such as an AV receiver or sound bar — to Bluetooth-enabled wireless headphones. This opens another level of listening flexibility to enjoy.

Let’s take a look at when and how to use this powerful function.

When to Use Bluetooth Transmission

Here are two scenarios where Bluetooth Transmission can come to the rescue:

1. Perhaps you’re hard of hearing and need to ramp up the volume of your sound system with an AV receiver. That’s fine if you live alone but can be bothersome to others living in the home. The solution? Put on your favorite set of Bluetooth headphones and engage the Bluetooth Transmission function on your receiver, then adjust the headphone’s volume control to taste while leaving the sound in the speakers at a comfortable listening level for others in the room. If no one else is listening but you and you need to keep it quiet, you can duck the master volume to the speakers all the way and still enjoy the sound through your headphones.

2. Let’s say you have a TV and a MusicCast sound bar in the bedroom, and you want to watch the news before you go to sleep … but your spouse wants to read a book. Again, the solution is simple: Put on a set of Bluetooth headphones and activate the transmission feature on the sound bar connected to your TV, then turn the sound bar’s volume all the way down and enjoy the broadcast through your headphones without disturbing your partner.

Note: The Bluetooth Transmission stream is independent from the speaker volume setting, meaning the Bluetooth stream is broadcast at a fixed level and can be independently adjusted with the volume control of your headphones. The room volume for all other listeners is controlled by the sound bar or receiver’s main volume control. Everyone gets the content at the volume they prefer.

How to Use Bluetooth Transmission

The simplest way to engage the Bluetooth Transmission function is through the free Yamaha MusicCast Controller app. Here’s how to do it:

1. From the app’s playback screen, touch the “sound settings” tab in the lower right-hand corner.

2. Scroll to the bottom and touch the Bluetooth Transmission tab. This will allow you to turn on the feature and select the available Bluetooth device to connect with.

Alternatively, if you’re using a Yamaha RX-V Series or AVENTAGE AV receiver with an on-screen display, you can use the settings button on its remote control to display the setup menu on your connected TV, as shown in the illustration below. All you have to do then is scroll to the Bluetooth tab and follow the instructions to connect to your headphones.

Photo of remote control and three phone screenshots.

We use two-way Bluetooth communication every day with our smartphones. It’s time to explore the full benefit of the Bluetooth Transmission feature found on all MusicCast-enabled devices including sound bars, receivers, speakers and Hi-Fi products. You may be pleasantly surprised at how it can enhance your day-to-day listening habits!

Click here for more information about Yamaha MusicCast.

Click here for more information about Yamaha MusicCast-enabled products.

Click here for more information about Yamaha wireless headphones.

Case Study: Giving Voice to Middle School Choir Students

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on September 21, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

The junior high years can be an awkward period. That’s why promoting self-esteem and self-discovery have become major components of Lydia Cox’s goals as the chorus and digital music teacher at Crosby Middle School within the large district of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience in middle school,” says Cox, who has been at Crosby since 2016 after three years of teaching at a high school. “It’s an awesome age. They grow a lot in those three years, and I’ve enjoyed helping to foster that growth and all the nuances that come with their emotional development.”

Participation Matters

Cox has a dual role at Crosby, directing 6th, 7th and 8th grade choirs as well as teaching digital music classes that are part of the school’s overall STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program.

Crosby has an average of 350 students per grade. About 40 to 50 students per grade arein choir, while approximately 120 participate in STEAM.

In choir, Cox teaches students with a range of abilities and aspirations and takes pride in melding them together. “I have some students who enter as 6th graders and know they love singing and are very passionate about it and are going to seek every opportunity they can,” she says. “But I also have other students who are placed in the class because they need an arts class, and they’re very skeptical of singing and of choir. But I’ve seen these students really buy into the community of the program and end up being great leaders. It’s wonderful to see both sides of that scale and to have them all come together and share their voices and make music together. I think that’s a special thing about singing — students sharing a part of themselves.”

Cox has developed several strategies to nudge reluctant participants. For example, she uses a name randomizer to call on students for answers. To introduce the concept, she starts with low-risk questions like, “What’s your favorite color?” She also uses the name randomizer for “cheesy things” like giving a peer a round of applause. “That way, when it’s more content-related, there’s not as much fear surrounding being randomly called,” she adds.

She’ll also use visual cues, perhaps requesting that students touch their noses when they can identify the first dynamic change or use solfege hand signs to identify the letter names of notes or hold up the number of fingers to correspond with the number of beats. “With things like that, I expect 100% participation,” Cox says. “I look for those nonverbal opportunities that 100% of students can participate in.”

Another technique is to give a discussion prompt and let peers talk it out. Then she’ll ask for a student to share his or her neighbor’s response. “They’re not sharing their own opinion; they’re sharing someone else’s,” Cox says.

Overall, Cox says that she wants to hear from every student at least once every two to three days.

“I think a lot about the quiet, compliant students who shows up and does their work and maybe won’t raise their hands,” Cox says. “It matters to me that I acknowledge at some point in the class that they’re there.”

Plethora of Performances

The choir classes also have opportunities to voice their ideas by playing a role in music selection. “My opinion on what music they perform and study is just one opinion in a classroom of 40 to 50 students,” Cox says. “I let them brainstorm music that we can perform. Sometimes I will present them with three choices, and we’ll listen to the three choices and talk about them, and they get to vote. [I’m] just trying to incorporate their voice and opinion as many times as possible.”

Students perform in two casual concerts —at the beginning and at the end of the school year — during class time. They can invite favorite teachers and staff with personalized cards.

They also participate in three to six formal evening concerts for family, some in collaboration with the high school choir from nearby Eastern High School, plus assemblies for elementary schools or in the District 12 Kentucky Music Educators Association performance assessment for large ensembles. Since 2018, the 8th graders in choir, band, orchestra and piano have combined in a school Veterans Day program that has included multiple song selections, a joint patriotic medley, various speakers and honored guests.

For students who want additional singing opportunities, Cox points them toward community programs, voice lessons or honor choirs. About 30 of her students participate in all-county choir each year with about 10 in all-state choir and some who sing with the all-national choir through the American Choral Directors Association. Cox helps students audition as well as prepare for their performances.

Cox also directs an extracurricular middle school a cappella group called Roar and collaborates with the Eastern High School director on a junior varsity group. With only 12 to 16 students in Crosby’s ensemble, students need to be self-assured in their parts. “Students who are in Roar gain a lot of confidence and independence,” she says. “To give them that opportunity to be independent singers and to see their growth has been a real treat.”

In general, Cox makes sure that students feel valued with any level of commitment. “One of my goals is to provide [extra] opportunities for my students who want them,” she says. “I also want to incorporate as many opportunities [as possible] for 100% of my students to participate in, so that they all feel a part of this choir community. … It’s such a vulnerable age, and I want them to feel a part of something and to be proud of themselves,” Cox says. “Any way I can help foster that at that age — that’s my goal.”

Classroom Community

Beyond just teaching the mechanics of singing, Cox strives to create a community where everyone values each other’s contributions. Each choir class elects several officers who help with taking attendance and mentoring new students. “Sometimes my strongest leaders are not necessarily the strongest musicians,” she says. “I’m looking not just for musical leaders but [also for] leaders in how to rehearse or … students who are really encouraging of their peers. … I try to find and identify one area in which they’re really strong and try to foster that area.”

Cox also provides informal leadership opportunities. During class, she will invite a student to stand up and lead warmups, a sectional or sight-singing activity. “[I’m] providing an opportunity for [students] to be up in front of their peers for [those] who want that.”

She will also talk about positive behaviors and ask students to provide affirming statements about classmates who sit with great posture or are great at rehearsing. “They identify peers by name, so that the peers hear that” and know that other students look to them as role models, Cox says.

During the 2020-2021 school year when students were virtual until spring break, “it made me so much more aware of caring for the student as a human being because they were going through this very difficult thing,” Cox says.

Therefore, she chose to focus on social-emotional activities through the lens of music. Crosby and Eastern High choir students submitted a dedication performance to a person they are grateful for and discussed why that song was chosen. “Leading up to that, we talked about what it means to be grateful,” Cox says. “They kept a gratitude journal. They were able to talk about people in their lives who they’re grateful for and why.”

Full STEAM Ahead

Students must apply to join the STEAM program. In 6th grade, they take digital music, digital art, engineering, coding, robotics and a student technology leadership program — rotating through each aspect in six-week increments. In combined 7th and 8th grade classes, students choose from three concentrations that last for 12 weeks each. Various teachers create their own courses that fit under the STEAM categories.

In Cox’s digital music courses, students come from all parts of the school. Some have performing arts classes while others don’t. “It’s nice that they can get a different approach to the arts,” she says.

Cox’s 6th grade STEAM students explore the elements of music through digital means. For example, they might use an online tool to create a song in an ABA pattern.

For 7th and 8th graders in digital music, Cox teaches two courses: podcasting and composition. Students spend time on larger projects, selecting their own topics within the framework. In a prior year, podcasts ranged from favorite athletes to an exposé uncovering the conspiracy theory behind a local monster. The standards for the class incorporate audio recording and manipulation as well as the use of sound effects and music files. For composition, students have envisioned their own video game concepts; they then wrote music for the games while collaborating with digital arts classmates who created scenes to match the ideas.

“In general, my philosophy in choir or digital music is to make everything as student-centered as possible,” Cox says. “I let the students drive the learning. I try to get a feel for what they enjoy doing and how they enjoy learning.”

Stylized image of person behind a microphone.

Bringing the Joy of Music to the Hard of Hearing

Written by Jake Uitti on September 20, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

Musician and inventor Myles de Bastion has been deaf since he was four years old, and he has a lot to teach the world.

Photo of a man holding a guitar. — *Myles de Bastion.*

The president of CymaSpace, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit technology company that works to bring art and culture to the deaf community via innovative practices, de Bastion is both a creative individual and one seemingly in constant professorial mode. While society often refers to those without traditional hearing as “hearing-impaired,” de Bastion says many in the community actually prefer “hard of hearing,” noting that all people, even those with normal hearing capabilities, are on a spectrum.

Further, through his work, de Bastion says he’s learned to consider himself not afflicted with “hearing loss.” Rather, he says, he has “deaf gain,” which has made him more resourceful in his life. Evidence of this ingenuity lies in the fact that de Bastion has helped to design several unique technologies that actually show sound to those who cannot hear it — in essence, creating a form of visual music.

An Inventor Begins His Journey

de Bastion’s education and creative spark began when he was a child, playing the piano on his grandfather’s lap.

“It was one of my earliest memories,” he says. “I would marvel at the repeating pattern of the black and white keys. When I would copy his movements and strike a key, I wasn’t so much aware of there being a sound, but rather that the keys on the left made more of a vibration under my fingers than those on the right. That sensation was what drew me in.”

As a teenager, de Bastion says he became “obsessed” with music. He started to learn the electric guitar, which, he’d noticed, has a great deal of malleability when it comes to amplification and sound manipulation. He joined a band but found the experience frustrating, not knowing what the lyrics were and never totally knowing if he was playing the right part. “I wished for a system that could show me visually what was happening in the sound waves as I played,” he recalls.

Necessity being the mother of invention, de Bastion started inventing. With the goal of not just displaying the intensity of sound but also the notes being played and the ways different instruments weaved together, he drew up a design for a box he could sit on that would vibrate and light LEDs, with different colors representing different tonal regions.

Drawing for an invention. — *Early conceptual drawing of the DUSIC Cube.*

To turn the idea into reality, he enlisted the help of an electronics-savvy friend and in 2011, the first prototype of the “DUSIC (Deaf Music) Cube” was unveiled. It was later displayed at the Portland Art Museum.

Electronic box with a screen inside a glass museum case. — *DUSIC Cube prototype on display at the Portland Art Museum.*

Doubling Down

After the success of his first prototype, de Bastion, who’s also helped to create the first ever deaf arts festival in Portland, was encouraged to continue and expand his work. He began to study more about LEDs and piezo-electronics, later progressing to software coding and even more sophisticated endeavors. Yet de Bastion never saw his innovations as a cash cow. Instead, he gave them away.

“I leaned heavily on open-source hardware and software and free information on the internet,” he says. “As such, I never pursued patenting or claiming ownership over my ideas.”

Today, de Bastion has created several different manifestations of his visual sound system that use varying technologies. These machines are all bound by a scientific approach to interpreting sound as light. For example, the audible sound spectrum mirrors the visible light spectrum so that the lower frequency tones appear as warm, red colors and the higher frequency ones are shown as cooler, blue colors, with the intensity of the sound usually reflected in the brightness of the LEDs.

“This works well for complex multi-spectrum sound sources such as orchestral music or a rock band,” de Bastion says. “Deaf people are very visual, and so it makes sense to tell a story through light, color and movement, especially when it is in sync with sound and vibration.”

To visualize individual instruments with smaller, more restricted ranges of sound, de Bastion relies on repetition of color patterns. For example, when displaying a chromatic scale, the same colors will repeat with each octave. “It is important that the visualization [be] consistently repeatable for it to be functionally useful,” he explains.

Making It Manageable

For de Bastion, who started playing electric guitar at 14 and would practice for six to eight hours per day back then, music is a world in which he wants to live … and he wants others to be able to do so as well. He credits his childhood with teaching him how to stay driven and focused. “When you’re hard of hearing as a young person, you learn how to pay very close attention to other signifiers,” he says. “Persistence is key.”

He also finds it helpful to break up big problems into smaller challenges. “When an event or piece of information is not accessible to me,” he says, “it motivates me to find ways to break down the barriers so that I can have full access. I’ve learned that when I share my experience openly with others, people are more understanding and willing to find ways to communicate or work with me.”

In the end, he views all of this effort as being about connection, art and innovation. Those are the key factors that serve as the impetus behind his personal driving force.

Adapting to Present Realities … and a Vision for the Future

With many venues shut down due to the events of the past year and a half, de Bastion has turned his focus to virtual reality, working to create spaces where people can share in his inventions.

A quote: "If there are other beings out there, I have no doubt they have appreciation for music."

“Trying to perform or engage with an audience through Zoom is very limiting,” he says, “especially since sign language relies on 3D spatial awareness and video compression makes things blurry and seemingly more bland. I have been able to adapt my visual sound concepts into the 3D space. Virtual reality is a good way of doing this because we can immerse ourselves in a rich 360-degree environment that responds to our presence.”

de Bastion can even imagine a value to his work beyond the bounds of this planet. “Music is universal,” he says, “because everything is vibration. If there are other beings out there, I have no doubt they have appreciation for music.”

All photographs courtesy of Myles de Bastion.

For more information, visit myles.debastion.com.

Sport event on TV hanging on living room wall.

How to Get the Best Sound When Watching Live Sports

Written by Ted Goslin on September 17, 2021. Posted in TV & Movies.

Imagine Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series^® walk-off home run. Revisit Serena Williams’ first Grand Slam^® win. Picture the emotion when Tiger Woods won his first Masters Tournament^®. Now imagine hearing it as if you were right there, in the middle of the action.

Watching great moments like these from your sofa has its benefits, but without the right audio gear with the right features, sound isn’t one of them. If you want the best listening experience when watching live sports, here are the best sound bar and AV receiver settings to use.

Sound Bar Settings

For starters, it’s best to have a sound bar with a decent speaker range and sufficient sound modes to do the job. There are plenty of different models out there to choose from, including those with compact designs and added features like voice control.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the Yamaha SR-B20A as an example.

Long horizontal audio speaker. — *Yamaha SR-B20A.*

The SR-B20A offers four sound modes to choose from:

STEREO – Two-channel stereo playback for playing music.

STANDARD – This mode is best suited for general content, including sitcoms, news, reality shows — and, in most cases sports as well.

MOVIE – Designed for movies, this mode utilizes virtual surround sound to optimize any film for peak performance.

GAME – Use this mode while playing video games.

Remote control with buttons circled — *SR-B20A remote control with sound modes circled in yellow.*

For sports viewing, try STANDARD (or, if offered, a specific “Sports” mode) first. This will give you a sense of how the mode works, such as the positioning of various audio elements (i.e., ball strikes and crowd noise) in the soundstage. Bear in mind, however, that audio engineers work with many variable, so sometimes no one sound bar mode works perfectly with every type of broadcast.

That’s why it’s also a good idea to try MOVIE or GAME mode as well. Some continuous action-filled sports, like football, basketball or hockey, might well benefit from these modes. Other sports — such as golf, soccer and tennis — might benefit too, but perhaps not as much, unless you are eager to hear the roar of the crowd in crucial game-changing moments.

As an added bonus, the SR-B20A comes with a feature called Clear Voice, a technology that brings human voices — such as that of a commentator or the sound of an umpire yelling “strike” — to the forefront, allowing you to hear it above background elements like crowd noise and wind.

Other sound bar features, like 3D surround sound and Bass Extension, can enhance games as well. 3D surround sound simulates the audio portion of the sporting event as coming from all around you, in different horizontal directions and varying heights. And Bass Extension gives you the rumble of a stock car engine or the boom of a tackle on the gridiron.

AV Receiver Settings

If you’ve got the space and budget, an AV receiver (AVR) will expand your options with more sound modes and more possibilities for surround sound magic. For our example, we’ll use the Yamaha RX-V6A AV receiver, which offers 7.1 channels of surround sound and plenty of audio features to boot.

Sound system component. — *Yamaha RX-V6A.*

To start, select STRAIGHT Mode, which sends the original audio through to your speaker setup without alteration. Next, start cycling through the 17 different DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Programs using the Program buttons on your remote control. Here are five that are well-suited for sporting events:

SPORTS – This, the most obvious option, places a good balance of commentator voices at the center, with the live atmosphere spread amongst the speakers to create a spacious listening experience.

ALL-CHANNEL STEREO – This program mixes the source down to two channels, then outputs the sound to all connected speakers to create a larger sound field. It’s a viable alternative to the SPORTS program and will work well for almost any sporting event.

ACTION GAME – This option is suitable for racing and fighting action games, which makes it a good choice for sports like auto racing, boxing and UFC fights.

SPECTACLE – Meant the match the scale of cinematic blockbusters, this program delivers expansive sound to epic big-game moments in action-packed sports like football and hockey.

ADVENTURE – Similar to SPECTACLE, this program delivers a sound field that restrains reverberations and maintains good channel separation while putting an emphasis on the expansiveness of the onscreen action. Sports with large visual fields, such as golf and soccer, can benefit from this feature.

Of course, you should feel free to try any of the other modes and/or programs that your AVR might have to offer — you never know what might work for you! In addition, AV receivers usually offer plenty of extras as well. The RX-V6A, for example, comes equipped with Dolby Atmos^® and DTS:X™, two of the most powerful surround sound formats available. Some sports broadcasts have been known to offer these features; the 2020 U.S. Open^® (PGA) was broadcast in Dolby Atmos for the first time ever!

Additional features to try out on the V6A while watching sporting events include Dialogue Lift to boost human voices and SILENT Cinema for listening on headphones. Higher-tier Yamaha AV receivers, such as the AVENTAGE RX-A8A, offer Surround:AI™, where artificial intelligence is used to automatically optimize sound elements such as dialogue, background music, ambient sounds and sound effects, sending them to the right speaker at the right time.

With plenty of modes to try, and lots of events to try them out with, the possibilities of finding a great combination for watching live sports is endless, so be bold and experiment. As the great hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “We miss one hundred percent of the shots we don’t take.” Game on!

Check out these related articles:

How to Get Great Sound Watching Sports on TV

Top 10 Sports Movies with Great Audio

Anatomy of a Sound Bar

Surround Sound Systems Explained: Dolby^®, AURO-3D^® and More

Virtual Surround Sound and Yamaha Sound Bars

What’s a Receiver? Part 2: AV

Yamaha AVENTAGE: Setting the Reference Standard for AV Receivers

Click here for more information about Yamaha AV receivers.

Click here for more information about Yamaha sound bars.

Case Study: Shifting a Program’s Culture

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on September 17, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

“Band is family” rings true for many marching arts participants across the country. But making the cultural paradigm a reality rather than an empty platitude could take years of strategizing.

When Jenn Bock joined the Highland High School band program in Gilbert, Arizona, as an assistant band director in 2017, she observed the current climate of the program to see how she could improve it.

As a top band in the state for the school’s entire 28-year history, “the program was very successful, but that also brings … a competitive aspect and some anxiety amongst the kids,” Bock says. “[I was able] to make a shift where the kids are really supportive of each other and encouraging as they work together.”

Building on Strengths

Joining a 22-year leader — Kevin Bennett — at the helm, Bock did not want to rock the boat. “Any time you go into a program as a second director, you don’t get a clean slate to just change it to whatever you want,” Bock says. “Kevin definitely established an amazing culture. But you always want to make the program feel a little bit more like your own. … It was really important for me to identify what my vision was — what do I bring to the table in this already established, successful program?”

Bock says that she spent her first year at Highland learning and observing. “In your first year of any program, … you’re there to learn as much as you are to teach,” Bock says. “Just being new is enough change in a year. Observe what’s there, what can change and what needs to change. Sometimes what you want to change doesn’t necessarily need to be changed. Being aware of what is happening in the program is really important in the beginning”

Bock says that she and Bennett were on the same page pedagogically. She also noticed that Bennett had established a great band motto — “Performing with passion and excellence” — that was included on all marketing materials and documents. Getting students to live the motto became one of her goals.

“It was at the top of every single paper, but when I asked any student what the motto was, not a single [one] could have told me four years ago,” Bock says. “Now if you ask, they all can tell you what the motto is, and the students bring that to everything we do,” including during rehearsals, at performances or just walking onto the field.

Bock asked herself, “How are we embodying that motto, and how are we making it more than just a statement on a piece of paper and more the driving force of what we do? … Eventually it just became: This is who we are.”

Developing Servant Leaders

Bock created a “servant leadership model” from the top down. The first change was simple yet impactful. To select student leaders, the staff added in-person interviews to the process. During those interviews, Bock could ask prospective leaders their viewpoints about the band philosophies.

Then, Bock created a leadership training program using developed techniques from authors and well-known music education advocates, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and Scott Lang. “[Students now] understand that in their roles, they’re not higher than anyone. They’re here to help everyone,” Bock says. “And that’s a huge culture shift … in a leadership position.”

Overall, as student leaders began to change their beliefs and behaviors, they also had similar discussions with their sections. “When ideas and comments come from and through the student leaders, I think that’s where the shift is most powerful.”

In 2018, Bock expanded the leadership team beyond drum majors and section leaders in the form of various crews. The list is extensive: equipment crew, field crew, truck-loading crew, stage crew, media crew, facility crew, uniform crew, spirit crew, party and event crew, librarian crew and recruitment crew. “The students are taking the responsibility and the onus of the program on themselves,” she explains.

In fact, even non-marching members have crews, such as the stage crew for concert setups, that they can join. “It was important to me for the non-marching band kids to feel like they’re just [as important] a part of the Highland band program as the marching band kids,” Bock says.

With 250 students in a band program comprising four concert bands, four jazz bands, two woodwind choirs, a marching band (with about half of the students), two winter guards and a concert percussion ensemble, Bock believes that there are hands-on roles for at least 100 students.

“When I got to Highland, the two drum majors did everything,” Bock says. “Those two students were phenomenal, but they were overwhelmed and stressed. Everything fell on their shoulders in a program of [more than] 200. We should have at least 100 kids doing all the little different aspects required for our program.”

While the jobs may seem more typical for parent volunteers, Bock chooses to let students handle them for various reasons. From a practical standpoint, less parents were involved in the program, and more tasks fell on the directors. In addition, crew positions gave more students ownership in the program’s success. And finally, the jobs helped students discover new skillsets and passions. “Now they’re recruiting for their own crews, and they’re telling me what to do, which is great,” Bock says.

Creating a Feedback Loop

While making these changes in the past four years, Bock has asked for student feedback informally through casual conversations and formally through end-of-semester surveys. “I have a lot of conversations with the kids,” she explains. “I often ask them their opinions [because] it’s their program. I’ve always felt that the band program belongs to the students, and the director is just the person chosen to serve and lead that program.”

When students resist change, Bock is comfortable with letting them stick to the status quo. For example, Bock had considered assigning low brass instruments to students for greater efficiency, not realizing that they felt a special tradition with picking out their own, almost like a “Harry Potter” wand-selection moment, she says.

Bock has also surveyed parents. At the end of the 2019 season, Bock gave separate surveys to marching band students and parents. She sprinkled in questions about potential changes and whether the band would like to be more or less competitive. “Understanding what the community wants and needs from the band program and then meshing that with what you have as your vision is really important,” she says.

As a direct result of the surveys, the Highland band accepted an opportunity to represent the state of Arizona at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 2021, which marks the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. “One of the changes based on the survey is to be a little more competitive,” Bock says. “Not that we weren’t competitive, but they wanted to see what more we could do. They wanted to see us challenge and push [the students] more.”

The band previously participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 2001 and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2004. “A trip to Hawaii is a great way to get people excited,” Bock says. “It’s been a long time since we’ve done big trips and big parades like this. … Our kids are very humbled by the opportunity for that experience. You can start to see the buzz happening.”

Bock took over as head marching band director in 2020, and for the future, she hopes to build on the excitement of the Hawaii trip to get more students and parents involved in the program, perhaps by hosting a competition.

“I think the most important thing [for a new director] is to be patient in shifting the vision,” Bock says. “Everyone has all these grand ideas when they get to a new program, and they want to immediately make changes. What has worked really well for me was to be patient with that shift. Just do a little bit every year. Eventually, in three or four years, you have a new culture … and nobody even noticed the shift because it happened so gradually.”

close-up of RPG set with strings teacher in the background

Portal to Another World: A Role-Playing Game Enhances Beginning Violin Lessons

Written by Michael Gamon on September 16, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

There is nothing quite like creating a role-playing game (RPG) for a multi-modal elementary violin classroom. I did it and saw dramatic improvements in student engagement and musical skills, and you can, too.

First, a little background. During the 2020-2021 school year, teaching violin to every early childhood and elementary school student at Harrisburg Academy required a bit of fantastical thinking. COVID health and safety protocols included masks, social distancing, daily health checks, student learning “pods” and offering synchronous online instruction five days a week. These measures kept students safe, but they upended the way curriculum was delivered and created an environment where teacher innovation became a necessity rather than a luxury.

Harrisburg Academy had instituted weekly group violin lessons for all students in 2019-2020. This was a boon to the strings program, but it came with a significant risk. At a tuition-based institution, if a program does not reveal its value to the education of the students, it (and potentially an entire position) can be quickly adjusted or removed. As a pragmatic teacher leading 23 classes per week, I had no expectations of turning my hockey-player 4th graders into committed violin students. However, I did need to find an educational solution that was deliverable, measurable, scalable and sustainable for me and those students who wished they could be somewhere else — anywhere else — than beginning violin.

An Idea is Planted

Within weeks of the start of school, my elementary school students were exhibiting behavior consistent with the toughest months of the year. Having grown comfortable with the new systems, and bored of their fixed peer group, students were testing any expectation and limit, and disengaging from the classroom experience. I needed a solution to energize and engage my classes.

One day, a middle school student enthusiastically told me about the Dungeons and Dragons club run by another teacher. I decided to follow his lead and do some research on RPGs. Unlike the video games of my childhood, RPGs are not driven by a specific goal. Instead, players are dropped into a world and must explore that world, engage with other players and determine their own path through the game.

In Dungeons and Dragons, these individual players must collaborate to accomplish tasks, solve puzzles, explore realms, battle foes and advance the story. Unlike traditional games, no one “wins” or “loses” in an RPG. Instead, community, communication and collective creativity become primary effects of the game play — all things that overlap with an effective classroom environment.

Traditional RPG systems have three fundamental components: describe, decide and roll. To begin, the description is given by the gamemaster (GM), and the players collaborate to decide their action. The action is controlled by the roll of a dice and the application of a “character sheet” that identifies strengths and weaknesses of each character. The effectiveness of the action is evaluated by the GM, and play continues. To use an RPG in the classroom, I replaced the action of rolling and analyzing data with actionable statements from my violin curriculum.

Building the RPG Framework

Harrisburg Academy is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, which means that the curriculum is aligned with a set of traits we value in education called the “learner profile.” To replace rolling dice with actionable items, I converted these learner profile traits into conditional statements. For example, the value statement: “We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research” becomes “If something is learned, then new worlds are revealed.” In the conditional form, that statement becomes a tool to signify when to reveal a secret, a hidden world or possibly a plot twist.

By applying the same principle to all 10 of the IB learner profile traits, I created an action system that was immediately aligned with my existing curriculum and allowed the RPG system to serve the curricular needs of my classroom while also creating a positive environment.

It took a few weeks to develop the “wow” factor of this RPG before introducing it to the elementary school. I named my system “Novice to Ninja” and introduced it to 1st through 4th grade students in the first week of October 2020. Although I anticipated that the students would enjoy the new concept, I did not anticipate just how significant of a change would take place.

In the very first lesson, student collaboration locked into a supportive pattern — students unified around their goal and were eager to hear each other’s ideas and riff off of one another. Virtual students, who were participating from their homes, were able to tangibly affect change in the physical classroom through their suggestions. Both virtual and in-person students were able to demonstrate the skill at hand and banter effectively with their peers. Time has not diminished the enthusiasm nor the purpose for the students. As every lesson ends with a cliffhanger, students must apply and practice their scales and repertoire effectively outside of class in case that skill might be necessary to solve the puzzle the following week.

Using an RPG to deliver my violin content and curriculum through a world of wizards and mystery was just the escape that my students and I needed. As RPGs are built from the perspective of the GM, it’s easy to manage a classroom while delivering the story and teaching the lesson. Because the RPG community is so welcoming, I found an incredible wealth of resources that helped a GM novice like me build a world my students connect with and allow me to deliver my curriculum effectively. It is easy to do, and the results are among the most rewarding I’ve experienced in my teaching career.

The Action System and the Fantasy World

The key to my successful gaming system was making the “action” about music creation. I developed conditional statements that were metrics for evaluating our performance as a group. After ransacking my curriculum maps, I converted my rubrics into statements like: “If we are unified, then our power grows.”

Suddenly, the success of the task students attempted, such as lulling a monster to sleep, could instantly be evaluated. Students were not handed a list of all the statements to choose from and apply. Instead, I scaffolded my delivery of them at appropriate times.

Once an action system is planned out, finding the premise for the entire world is critical. This is the essential question, or governing statement, that will drive the entire world. Again, I used my existing curriculum to arrive at the premise: “Violin is our tool, and music has power.”

From this point, I converted the existing units of my curriculum into challenges and tasks. I made skills and repertoire solutions to puzzles and challenges. For example, “What is a scale, and how does it function?” became the premise for climbing the treacherous steps of a mountain and breaking the enchantment of a hidden castle. (Nothing breaks the spell of music better than a technical exercise.)

Learning to read notation was the key to deciphering a wizard’s secret code. And analyzing the form of their song correctly could put the sections of a tower in order. By the end of the first unit, I had a story where we escaped a shipwreck, scaled a rocky cliff, met a wizard and began a quest using music and technique. I just needed a world for this adventure.

I named the world Vitula, which is the medieval Latin name for the group of instruments that ultimately became the violin family. In building the framework for Vitula, I needed a fantasy realm that allowed me to be spontaneous, creative and flexible. I love manipulatives and designing sets for theater, so I constructed a world that required diorama components to describe it. By incorporating digital elements, I connected the experience of the classroom with our online students to illustrate that they are integral in our community.

My violin program extends for seven years — from preschool through 5th grade, so I built an elaborate world that would engage students long-term. Because performance expectations for my students change from year to year, I chose not to specify performances and repertoire as requirements to advance the action. The overarching story incorporates themes, ideas and characters that are easily adjusted to the ever-changing curriculum demands of a modern school system.

The first two years (known as “books”) of the story are completed. Book 1, entitled “Which Side Are You On?,” introduces the conflicts, factions and varying perspectives of individuals within Vitula. Students interact with fictionalized versions of musical figures and locations, including Val di Fieme, Ole Bull, Il Canone and the wizard Orlandini (named after an Italian luthier).

In Book 2, entitled “Becoming,” the story continues as students engage with professors of a conservatory system apparently in its final gasps. Interacting and learning from fictionalized figures, such as Hildegard von Bingen, Josquin des Prez and Barbara Strozzi, students discover more than the scientific roots of music. They find a secret lurking just beyond the walls of the school — a secret that has the power to change everything.

Components of an Immersive World

In my RPG classroom, the physical objects and description of the “Novice to Ninja” story defined the expectations and plans for the class, putting emphasis on the components that create the immersive experience. These are the key components I have found to make a significant contribution to the classroom experience.

Every world needs a map, and typically maps that are global, regional and local. A quick internet search for “map-making software” opened up a Pandora’s box of possibilities and instructional videos. By starting with a video that introduced the top free software programs, I was able to identify precisely what I needed.

Every world needs multi-faceted characters. Instead of intricately crafting imaginary peoples and cultures, I elected to use fantasy tropes that are already available. With a quick internet search, I found a trove of stories, histories, factions, classes and possible characters that could populate my world. I decided to select multiple factions, monsters and possible races that could credibly populate my world. I did not pick specific characters that already existed because I wanted the freedom to develop my own.

Every world needs documentation. Whether music manuscripts, spells or guides, the documents describe the fantasy world’s time and place. Again, I incorporated my existing worksheets and standard repertoire, but inserted artwork, map detail and quotations from class that provided specific reference points to my fantasy world.

Remarkable Reception and Results

The outcomes in my classroom have been dramatic. Discovery and agency have embedded themselves in the way students approach technique. Their skills have significantly improved as the skills are not their goal. Finally, the drive for excellence has a framework other than personal expression and peer competition.

Students engage in the curriculum because they are engaged in the story, the process and the community. Synthesizing information and inferring from learned skills are crucial to solving puzzles that seem open-ended in the RPG. Collaboration has increased because the community’s success in each puzzle requires the creativity of many minds. Moments of reflection have also grown into a paradigm of reflection. The students are locked into the story and discuss solutions, what-if scenarios and dream about what secret will be unlocked.

When all of this is achieved, the true power of the RPG is unleashed. By using an RPG in the classroom, I share about our real world and teach music in a way that builds wonder, respect and joy as well as increases skill level. It feels great to finally hear a beginning violinist plead, “Mr. Gamon, will you please teach me to play a scale?”

As a specialist in a pre-K-12th grade learning environment, utilizing an RPG has allowed me to share out into the homeroom and academic courses. Instead of working to incorporate academic units into my music curriculum, I am able to show how my tasks and assessments align with the core classroom units and to share assessment results and strategies.

Students build their own notebooks (entitled “A Hero’s Journey”) on their voyage of discovery, unaware that what they are carrying is a portfolio of their assessments and data on their growth as musicians and individuals. As the skills that are being taught are embedded in an adventure, students have been able to discuss how music skills impact the game play. This interaction allows them to draw parallels between this fantasy world, their own and build community.

For me, the magic is not in the fantasy world we created, but what is occurring in the classroom. As it turns out, when you open a portal to another world for your students, everything is possible.

A version of this article appeared in PMEA News, the publication of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. Reprinted with author’s permission.

Making the Switch: Flute to French Horn

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on September 16, 2021. Posted in Winds. 2 Comments on Making the Switch: Flute to French Horn

Unlike woodwinds and trumpets, French horns and other medium to low brass instruments are not popular with middle school and high school band members.

The reasons so many students choose upper-range instruments seem to stay the same throughout the years. Students choose flute because their mom played it, or they want to sound like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull in “Aqualung.” Saxophonists can’t wait to learn George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” and the trumpet players plan to join that local ska band when they get older. Before you know it, you have a flute section of 13 and a horn section of one.

You can never have too many enthusiastic band students, but all too often, band directors end up with more flutes, saxes and trumpets than they can balance out with mids and lows. I’m here to offer an unconventional solution: Choose your horn players from your pool of flutists.

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Why It Works

Flute to French horn may sound like an odd switch. I know many directors who have considered moving a trumpet player to play or double on horn. However, this decision has a disadvantage: Trumpet embouchure requires a different proportion of top to bottom lip than horn does.

It’s easy to play the French horn with a trumpet embouchure … until the high range and tone begin to suffer. These students wear out their embouchures and can’t figure out why their instrument no longer sounds right.

Switching flutes to French horns, on the other hand, works quite well. Here’s why:

the pitch of flutes is easy to manipulate
the flute embouchure is surprisingly similar to that of the French horn
moving flutes to horns balances the pyramid both ways

The flute is a very bendy instrument. By that I mean that the pitch of the flute can change very easily. Even the slightest adjustment of corners or embouchure size can move the tuning up a note or down by a quarter tone. Because of this, flutists tend to develop a good sense of relative pitch and become very skilled at audiation, which makes them prime candidates for horn. Denis Bourikov does an excellent job of teaching purposeful note bending on flute in this video.

Flute and horn embouchures don’t look similar, but they feel similar. Both instruments require the players to blow down rather than straight across. Also, flutists and horn players use the corners of their embouchures to control their pitch.

Lastly, moving flutes to the horn section is practical. You’ll have one less high voice and one more mid-range. If you can convince two or three flutes to switch to French horn, you will end up with more balance in your ensemble.

Choosing Horn Candidates

One of the best times to find good horn candidates amongst your flutists is when you assign playing tests. Scope out the flutists who have:

accurate pitch
a strong upper register
a visible condensation triangle
small- to medium-sized lips
a good attitude about constructive criticism and a drive to be challenged

As mentioned earlier, flutes are very bendy instruments. Choose students who have accurate pitch in both their high and low ranges, and the high range should be full and open. This means that the corners of their embouchures are already very strong, which will make the switch faster and easier.

Another way to check if a flutist has a high-quality embouchure is to look for the condensation triangle. Here’s how: Walk down the flute section and closely observe the side of the lip plate that is facing you. You will see a small area of condensation from where the student is blowing. The condensation might look spread out on the lip plate or sharply focused into a triangle. The latter is ideal. The shape of the condensation on a mouthpiece will visually tell you how focused or unfocused their sound is.

While any student can learn to play any instrument, there are certain advantages to choosing an instrument that is well-suited to your lips. For example, it’s more difficult for a person with thin lips to play the tuba and a person with very full lips to play the horn. That being said, the most important point on this list is the last one. As long as your student is optimistic and driven, they can successfully switch instruments.

Making the Big Switch

Before you have flute students play horn in band, allow them to take a loaner home and try it out for a week or two. This will prevent them from feeling lost in the middle of a rehearsal. When the time comes, be direct with your class and mention the switch during announcements. This will keep classroom management in check and prevent any whisperings of “Why is Susan on the horn now?!”

If you are not a horn player, be sure to provide some references to local private teachers. A short horn sectional or a handful of private lessons can go a long way.

Early fall is the perfect time to invite your students to try out a new instrument. The pressure of band festivals and the winter concerts are far enough away so your students can enjoy experimenting.

Troubleshooting

While many flutists can make the switch to French horn seamlessly, this change of instrumentation is not without its drawbacks. Here are a few things to watch for:

soft fingers
fingering inaccuracy
muting technique
air pressure problems

Because your player just came from a Boehm system, they are more likely to accidentally half-valve than a student who plays trumpet. The flute requires very little pressure, but the valves on a French horn require a lot more, comparatively speaking. Also, with the French horn, the amount of time a player needs to anticipate a fingering is going to be a fair bit longer.

Because flutes are such malleable instruments when it comes to tuning, players who have switched to French horn may use their embouchure to “cheat” their horn into playing the correct note while using an incorrect fingering. While the note may sound right, wrong fingerings can cause problems down the road, especially when it comes to more advanced repertoire and playing scales.

Other things to watch for: poor right-hand muting technique and weak air pressure. Remember, muting and back pressure are two aspects that are foreign to your horn newbie.

Try It!

The struggle to perfect the pyramid of sound inside of your ensemble can seem like an endless challenge. By switching a few flutists to your horn section can make your life as a band director just a little bit easier! Why not give it a try?

Spotlight on The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on September 16, 2021. Posted in Guitar Artists. 2 Comments on Spotlight on The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha

Keith Urban laughs as he remembers his first guitar, a gift from his parents when he was just six years old. “It had these strings that sat crazy high up,” he says. “Way too high. I had to press down so hard, I could barely make a sound.”

Eager to spare others such a painful introduction to the instrument and share his love of playing guitar, the four-time GRAMMY^® Award winner has joined forces with Yamaha to create a one-of-a-kind experience: URBAN Guitar by Yamaha, which includes a finely crafted guitar, essential accessories and an interactive lesson app, all of which were designed with the beginner guitarist in mind.

The Guitar

Keith Urban playing an acoustic guitar. — *Keith Urban playing the URBAN Guitar by Yamaha.*

The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha features a concert cutaway body and a thin neck that is shorter in scale than a standard acoustic guitar, providing lower string tension for ease of playing.

“I think acoustic guitar is a great way to start learning,” Urban says, “because you can play it anywhere, plus it’s super-light. But a lot of people struggle to get their hands around the neck — I know I did when I first started playing. So the neck on the URBAN Guitar is very slim from front to back, and the strings are very close to the fretboard, so you don’t need to press very hard to make a sound. All the things I struggled with on my first guitar have been taken into account with this design. That’s why this is such a perfect beginner guitar.”

Closeup of Keith Urban's tattooed arm and hand holding the guitar by the neck. — *The URBAN Guitar strings are close to the fretboard, making it easier to play.*

The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha sports a beautiful spruce top with a tobacco brown sunburst finish, a natural wood matte neck and rear body finish, an Indian rosewood bridge and a tortoise-shell pickguard. It even comes with a custom URBAN Guitar strap and picks.

The App

The URBAN Guitar by Yamaha comes with a robust lesson app that provides step-by-step instruction curated by Keith, alongside JUNO, a professional guitarist and teaching partner. Together they offer inspiration and encouragement, along with the URBAN Guitar app’s cutting-edge features that keep players engaged and looking forward to their next lesson. Users can learn up to 14 songs, including modern hits (i.e., “All of Me” made famous by John Legend), timeless classics (i.e., “Ain’t No Sunshine” made famous by Bill Withers), and Keith’s hits (i.e., “Long Hot Summer” and “One Too Many”). The entire app is unlocked with the purchase of an URBAN Guitar.

Keith Urban jamming with JUNO. — *Keith and JUNO.*

Beginning guitarists can dive right into learning chords and playing their favorite songs, with the app providing real-time feedback on fingering, accuracy and timing; there’s also an interactive strumming trainer for mastering strumming and rhythm patterns.

Breakthrough Moments

“I don’t remember the first song I ever learned,” says Urban, “but I remember the feeling of making that first chord.

“There’s this thing about learning guitar, when you have that breakthrough ‘a-ha’ moment,” he explains. “Maybe it’s just putting the finger positions together to make that first chord. The next breakthrough moment comes when you’re able to put two chords together and go back and forth between them. That’s when you really feel like you’re gaining traction, you’re getting the hang of it. That’s when you begin to bond with the guitar.”

View of Keith Urban playing an acoustic guitar. — *The beautiful tobacco brown sunburst finish comes standard on every URBAN Guitar by Yamaha.*

Communicating Through Your Guitar

“Learning to play an instrument is like learning a language,” Keith adds. “You meet somebody else that plays, and suddenly they’re speaking the exact same language that you speak, so you have something in common, this shared way of communicating.”

“There are so many people who don’t have a way to communicate certain things, certain feelings. For me, early on, the guitar was this voice I could say things with that I couldn’t say verbally because I was too shy; I was a bit insular. But the guitar and me, the two of us together, we became friends — really good, tight, solid friends. It went everywhere with me, we were together all the time, and as I learned how to play it, my life became bigger and more colorful, plus I felt more confidence, which was a big breakthrough for me.”

Perhaps it’s time to begin your journey. Check out the URBAN Guitar by Yamaha.

Get Moving

Written by Shelly Peiken on September 13, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

They say you don’t find books — books find you.

I often get weary of all the things “they” say. I mean, who are they anyway? But Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, a novel by Kathleen Rooney, had to have found me. The book speaks of how our synapses come alive when we move around within urban spaces (New York City in this case) — and, without realizing how suited it was at the time, a friend recommended it during a week I spent in the Big Apple walking about and coming alive myself.

Who knows? Maybe “they” are right after all.

In the story, the main character (Lillian) makes colorful observations as she strolls the neighborhood she lives in. I do the same when I’m staying in New York, taking note, for example, of how a pizza place can’t be deemed outstanding unless you can smell it from a block away. Over the years I’ve become one those ladies who can’t live without an oversized shopping cart — the kind I swore you’d never ever catch me pushing. But there I was pushing it through the city streets, which lead me to a budding lyric about how we change our attitudes over time — a tasty theme that often comes up for me when I notice how differently I navigate the world than I used to.

In my blog posting Long May You Run, I touched on how a daily jogging routine releases creative endorphins. But response to stimuli is a result of any form of body-in-motion — biking, rowing, even watching something else move: a swimmer in a lap pool, birds flying overhead, big ol’ jet airliners heading somewhere, rain pouring down. For me, even if the view is of a spectacular sunset, it’s the headlights on the highway that are more likely to fire up my brain.

Lillian’s character, a poet, speaks of connecting to the pavement in order to problem-solve. She discovers new rhythms and fresh rhymes in the energy of her pace. But she also writes about how stillness actually blocks her in that her least desirable place from which to write is where there are no distractions. Without noise and chatter, she is destined for an empty page.

I get it. A turn-off-the world / do not disturb mindset means no catalysts. No triggers. No outside seeping its way in.

Some songwriters may think this theory (though I would argue it’s more than a theory) applies only to accessing lyrics. That’s been my experience, but that may be because my song babies usually start with words. Other songwriters receive their “incoming” in musical form. Melody is language, after all.

Often when I feel there’s something I want to express but can’t put my finger on it, I find myself changing my orientation and moving toward action, even if it’s just a visit to the mall. My unconscious knows where to go in order to serve my creativity.

Creativity is not stagnant. It is energy, and energy is alive. How dull it would be if it weren’t!

In NYC it’s always about the walk. The sight of young lovers kissing on a stoop prompts me to ponder, “How long have they known each other? Maybe they just met. How delicious is that first kiss?” And voila … away we go.

Of course, it’s possible to access our feelings and put them into words when we’re just chillin’. If those feelings are powerful enough, or our memories of them stay with us long enough, songs can flourish in an immobile state.

That said, there are certain songs I have no doubt were conceived on the spot. For example, no one can convince me that Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” didn’t come to him while at the helm of a boat, after which he probably took the idea back to his laboratory to flesh it out. He simply could not have captured the same authentic essence if he were lying in bed facing the ceiling. Similarly, as I was flying back home to Los Angeles looking out the window from 30,000 feet, I had the thought that Joni Mitchell must have had a similar view when the analogy of clouds to angel hair and ice cream castles occurred to her.

I think it’s safe to say that some of the most poignant experiential songs were sparked in the immediacy and with the clarity of the moment with which they coincided — when life-in-motion was encircling and captivating the author. I’ve looked at songwriting from both sides now and I think it’s a pretty safe bet.

How Does a Vinyl Record Make Sound?

EJ Villanueva with student at Orange Grove Elementary School

Case Study: The Depth and Breadth of Music-Making at Orange Grove Elementary

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on September 12, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

Performing everything from Tchaikovsky to Christina Perri, students at Orange Grove Elementary School in Anaheim, California, have a variety of opportunities to stretch their musical skills.

They use a diverse set of instruments, starting with vocals and then progressing to hand drums, ukulele and even melodicas before hitting an extensive rotation of traditional band parts. In addition to school concerts, various grades have made high-profile public appearances, ranging from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show to the city’s Dias De La Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.

With the expectation of teaching the same students for seven or eight years from transitional kindergarten (pre-K) to 6th grade, EJ Villanueva knows that he must provide unique experiences that go beyond traditional elementary music.

“Because I have the ability to teach every single student every single year throughout their entire journey, I use that as an opportunity to explore different facets of music,” Villanueva says. “That can range from learning how to sing, dance and respond to music, … [to] learning how to compose, beatbox, rap, play in a rock or pop band, … everything. I’m ultimately a believer in creating lifelong music lovers and appreciators.”

The depth and breadth of Orange Grove’s music program seems even more phenomenal since Villanueva only started teaching there in 2018, the school has a 92% low-income population and the entire Anaheim Elementary School District had been silent — with no music classes — for approximately 20 years, shortly before Villanueva’s arrival.

“The music program in our district is very young,” Villanueva says. “Before that, the Anaheim Elementary School District was ‘music dry.’ Right now, we’re on the other side of the pendulum.”

For his efforts to strengthen Orange Grove’s music program, Villanueva has been named as a quarterfinalist for the 2022 Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum.

Musical Revival

Villanueva, who graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in music education and jazz studies from California State University, Long Beach in 2016, and a master’s degree in arts and cultural management from the University of Denver in 2021, began his teaching career working with 4th through 6th graders in the after-school music program at Franklin Elementary School in the same school district.

At the time, many of the 24 Anaheim elementary schools had after-school music, originally through a partnership with the Pacific Symphony, and slightly more than half taught music during the school day. Music had only started to trickle back into the district in 2014. “[In 2018], there was a big hiring frenzy … and the beginnings of the full-on music program that was imagined [for the district],” Villanueva says.

In order to grow the program, the school district as a whole has received various grants and donations from the NAMM Foundation, The Disneyland Resort, Save The Music Foundation, Little Kids Rock and Yamaha Corporation of America. According to Villanueva, these partnerships were in large part due to the efforts of the Anaheim Creativity Council, which was formed in 2015.

While Villanueva wasn’t the first music teacher during the revival at Orange Grove, he took the program to another level by providing hands-on engagement. “It’s all about participation [and] engagement. … If the kids are not enjoying it, then they are not going to be as open to the learning process. You’ve got to reel them in and drop little nuggets of knowledge here and there,” he says.

Expansion and Progression

Villanueva teaches all 600 students at Orange Grove. Each grade is divided into several classes that meet for 30 minutes per week for TK and 1st grade, 45 minutes for 2nd through 4th grades, and 90 minutes for 5th and 6th grades. During the 2020-2021 academic year when the entire school was virtual until April, he met with 6th graders twice per week.

The youngest students start by singing, dancing and doing hand percussion. They learn fundamentals such as rhythm and solfege, as well as polar opposites like fast and slow, soft and loud. In 1st and 2nd grades, Villanueva introduces ukulele, piano, drum set and melodica. At first, Villanueva teaches through audiation using call-and-response methods. He prioritizes students playing instruments through guided notes and labels before integrating skills in reading music as they grow and develop. In 3rd grade, students learn recorder, and in 4th grade, he focuses on modern band and some guitar.

Villanueva specifically wanted melodicas, a combination wind instrument and keyboard, for younger grades. “I got the idea of incorporating melodicas after seeing some videos of children in Japan,” he says. “Plus, it’s louder than electronic keyboards, so for performance purposes, it’s great to project. It’s also a good segue into 5th grade and 6th grade when students have to learn to use their air. Not only are they developing keyboard skills, but they’re also learning breathing skills.”

Villanueva received funding for melodicas and keyboards through DonorsChoose, Anaheim Elementary Education Association and Little Kids Rock. After seeing his success, teachers at two other schools in the district also have melodicas through other donations.

“The teachers [in the district] have a lot of independence,” Villanueva says. “But we do have the universal agreement that music should be accessible to everyone.”

As part of the music progression, students in 5th grade engage in the exploratory wheel and learn voice/tech, violin, ukulele, guitar, bucket drums and piano in six-week increments. These courses were chosen for the 2021-2022 school year because they are COVID safe. Prior to the pandemic, students learned traditional band instruments. The district rotates the instruments through the various schools.

By 6th grade, students are split into three bands of about 27 each, depending on their classroom assignments, and everyone focuses on a primary instrument. While the school doesn’t have orchestra or choir, Villanueva does incorporate singing in the ensembles.

Class Act and Fun Trips

All grades perform in the all-school winter and spring concerts with field trip opportunities sprinkled in.

In past years, Orange Grove students participated in the Class Act program through Pacific Symphony, which introduces elementary students to symphonic music. The program focuses on one composer each year — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was studied in 2018-2019 and John Williams in 2019-2020. The symphony also assigns a professional musician to work with the students. “After they get their lessons from the professional musician, it’s up to each grade level to come up with some sort of demonstration of their knowledge,” Villanueva says. “That could range from a performance or a dance [to a presentation]. We generally make it a performance demonstration.”

Students showcase what they learned at an assembly, and 2nd through 6th graders end the unit by taking a field trip to Segerstrom Center for the Arts to hear the symphony.

“In my first year of teaching, I had no idea where each student was [musically],” Villanueva says. “In the beginning, we would start off with learning ‘Hot Cross Buns.’ But then as I became comfortable in my position, I started to be a little more adventurous. For example, we studied Tchaikovsky, so I had my 3rd graders at the time play the ‘Sleeping Beauty Waltz’ on recorder, melodica and piano. That was a little bit ambitious, but I’m glad that we did it. … Given enough effort and dedication, [even] these 3rd graders can pull off something that would typically be reserved for a middle school or a high school student.”

The young musicians also perform in community events — some that have become traditions while others vary every year. Villanueva has taken kindergarteners to perform for Dias De La Muertos, 2nd graders to participate in The NAMM Show and 6th graders to the Meet on Beach event in Buena Park.

Villanueva had planned to take 5th graders to a country-western event that didn’t end up occurring. The 6th graders also march in the annual city Halloween and Martin Luther King Jr. parades, and teachers can send a variety of groups to the district’s Music, Art and Creativity Festival.

“There are a couple of districtwide things, but for the most part, it’s up to each individual teacher to decide whether they want to do the field trip,” Villanueva says.

Student Voice and Choice

Villanueva brings more and more new ideas to his classes because he is constantly learning through his recent master’s program as well as during freelance gigs, professional development classes such as Little Kids Rock educational events, and side work with the Dragon Kim Foundation.

“Because I have a lot of background with modern band …, we do a lot of popular music [like] Bruno Mars,” says Villanueva, who writes the elementary arrangements himself. “That’s one of the big things that I love about teaching elementary — it’s also a way for me to learn things for myself. I didn’t grow up deeply into hip hop until I was much older. … That’s been a fun journey teaching kids one thing and being able to apply that in my professional life as a musician.”

Like many other music educators, Villanueva says that he struggled with finding a rhythm for engaging students in a virtual setting during the pandemic. He decided to use the opportunity to teach musical composition — how to create drumbeats, melodies and lyrics. He also dove into societal issues, including how African and Mexican cultures influence the music world today.

At the final concert each year, Villanueva lets students in each grade pitch their ideas for the songs to perform. “I believe in students’ choice toward the end of the school year,” he says. “I set some ground rules. It has to be achievable, no curse words and no suggestive themes.”

In 2019, 6th graders played “Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. In the future, Villanueva says that he would like to incorporate more guitar and more songwriting in the upper grades as well as have the entire school perform a song together.

Overall, Villanueva helps students form a connection to the music. “I make sure that things that are performed are culturally relevant and achievable,” he says.

Case Study: Starting the Youth Chorus of Central Texas

Written by Florence Scattergood on September 12, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

The Youth Chorus of Central Texas (YCCT) serves singers in grades 3 through 12 who do not have access to sequential musical instruction in their educational environment or who seek additional experiences not afforded them otherwise.

Although membership is through audition, no qualified singer is denied admission due to financial circumstances. Tuition is kept intentionally low, and more than 50% of the funding for YCCT members comes from community grants and donations.

The chorus typically has 60-70 singers in two choirs. Our students come from 28 schools in 13 ZIP codes, which gives life to our motto: “Bridging our commUNITY through song!”

Due to the pandemic, the chorus suspended operations from March 2020 until August 2021, taking a “fermata season.” However, the chorus just reopened in September 2021 with 44 singers in two choirs — a healthy number in light of recent events. We have color-coded masks for our parts groups, so it’s easy to identify who is singing which part.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning — Our Background

From its onset in 2013, YCCT had some very fortunate backing. Lynne Gackle and I co-founded the chorus. Together, we have a combined 70+ years of experience in choral music-making and complimentary skills. Before becoming the director of choral activities at Baylor University, Gackle was the founding director of the Gulf Coast Youth Choirs (GCYC), a highly renowned organization in Tampa, Florida. I am a Waco native with significant local ties.

We both had the heart and desire to address the musically underserved singers of central Texas. By using the GCYC organizational materials as an example and benefiting from its successful business model, YCCT was well on its way to realizing the dream. There was no reason to reinvent the wheel; thoughtful tweaking was all that was needed to write our bylaws and our nonprofit 501c3 application.

Giselle Vento Banda, a 2021 Yamaha “40 Under 40” music educator, serves as co-director of YCCT. She is responsible for conducting, selecting music, teaching choreography, as well as other musical and administrative activities.

“The Youth Chorus of Central Texas enriches our community, singers, staff, and interns,” she says. “My early involvement with the chorus played a major role in my comfort and preparation in the classroom. As a new school year arises, I believe growth will come for both the singers and myself.”

To help with YCCT’s launch, we selected an eclectic board of directors with a passion for children’s singing. Current board members include local public-school music teachers, Baylor music education faculty members, parents, choral musicians and community advocates. We also employ a business manager (CPA) and have an attorney who volunteers advice when called upon.

YCCT enjoys a unique partnership with Baylor’s choral music education students. Each semester, three to six interns work with the chorus. They gain valuable field experience, and the choristers enjoy more individual attention than the two directors can provide. We often hire a Baylor pianists and other instrumentalists to accompany the choir.

In searching for rehearsal space, YCCT opts for locations that are centrally located and not automatically associated with a dominant institution in the city. The neighborhood needs to be welcoming and accessible to all. We may rehearse or perform in a church or school, but it is understood that we are a community chorus and an independent nonprofit organization.

Upon the initial launch of the chorus, we announced our intentions via a website and a feature article in Waco Today, the monthly magazine of the Waco Tribune-Herald. We mailed packets of brochures to school music teachers and church choir directors and placed ads in programs for local symphony concerts and civic theater productions. Flyers were posted at YMCAs and libraries and at designated neighborhood hubs throughout the city. With all these things in place, the most nerve-wracking days were those leading up to the auditions. We had no idea if anyone would turn up. The first year, we had 35 singers.

Since its inception, the chorus has benefited from a diverse mix of financial sources. Our initial efforts were funded by a $7,000 unspecified grant from a local arts board dedicated to new organizations. Subsequent grants for equipment came from Creative Wac o and the Baylor University Philanthropy and Public Service Program. Annual requests for financial aid for singers are granted via a designated fund from the Waco Foundation. In-kind partners include our T-shirt vendor, graphic designer and printing service.

Rehearsal: A Three-Ring Circus

I compare our rehearsals to a three-ring circus. I am the ringmaster, giving instruction to the entire combined chorus. I provide sequence, teaching tools and methodology for everyone. After the standard of excellence and specific practice assignments are clear, assistant directors coordinate the two individual choirs and coach interns.

Interns act as small group facilitators for practice pods. Older choristers are spaced strategically among younger singers to ensure all have helpers nearby to aid with tasks like finding their place on the printed page, marking scores and, most importantly, providing a vocal support and encouragement. We are aware of when and how we employ the use of the “surrogate” teacher.

Our covenant to the choir members is: “I will not ask you to perform any task alone for which I have not provided the necessary tools or instruction; in return, I ask that you give your best effort with your very first try.”

All our teaching methods and activities focus on YCCT’s values:

discipline (singers will learn that musical excellence is achieved through dedication and discipline)
respect (singers will learn that valuing and respecting others creates unity)
kindness (singers will learn that music creates a safe environment in which kindness toward one another is vital)
service (singers will learn that giving ones’ musical gift away is a valuable use of time and talent)
individual creativity (singers will learn that creating music allows for beauty and self-expression)
leadership (singers will learn a sense of personal responsibility, which extends beyond the choral experience into daily life)

The directors and interns prep together so that everyone knows all the notes and rhythms, all the parts (horizontally and vertically), each individual’s role in the ensemble, the form and the challenges of each selection. No one walks into rehearsal unprepared.

Tools for musical and logistical readiness are prepared so that all singers can achieve maximum success in a minimum amount of time. All efforts are made to eliminate the tyranny of the printed page. Score manipulations can include cutting and pasting to remove all but the relevant vocal line or doling out a few measures at a time. The use of different colored paper for different songs keeps everyone on the same page.

The YCCT Model in Action

Here’s how we assign parts:

1 and 2 for 2-part music
A, B and C for 3-part music
yellow, blue, green and red for 4-part music

Singers have labeled and color-coded name tags, which tell them their part assignments.

Example: Singer 2 B green sings part 2 on 2-part, the middle part on 3-part, and the third part on 4-part music.

Here’s an exercise where EVERYONE highlights the SAME part (scores may be used by any singer)

2-part music — everyone highlights part 2
3-part music — everyone highlights the middle part (students can identify their part as above the highlighted part, the highlighted part or below the highlighted part)
4-part music — everyone highlights part 3

Following the lesson sequence allows everyone to be successful. Skipping steps inevitably will leave someone behind. If singers already “know the answers,” they can just move through all the steps more quickly.

Subsequent repetitions are called REHEARSAL. Rehearsing an ensemble is NOT the same as teaching. Rehearsing is implementing and practicing what is already learned from the teaching.

Here’s how we introduce new knowledge:

Precede a new nugget of knowledge with a verbal cue so that all students are aware that NEW TEACHING is going to happen.
For example, tell students to put their fingers on measure 4 and say, “Now, look up for instructions.”

This is an example of our rehearsal speech. Giving instructions in seven words or less requires the instructor to be clear and concise and doesn’t waste valuable time with invaluable chatter.

Everybody Sings!

Changing groups shapes learning. Placing singers in the different choirs should be done with intentionality and purpose.

One thing we have discovered is that if the older singers are always asked to serve as models for their younger peers, their own needs are not served. Therefore, we ask the collegiate interns to model for the older chorus and, in turn, the staff models vocal and teaching techniques for the interns. Each rehearsal begins and ends with a brief staff meeting and debriefing that especially focuses on interns’ needs and questions.

Male interns are asked to sing with the young men whose voices are changing. This gives the students a model of a voice and helps balance the predominantly treble choir. It is YCCT’s policy to allow boys to sing through their change; some choruses age out the boys when their voices drop. We often add our small group of changing voices to the soprano 1 part down an octave. This adds a fine richness to the choir while allowing the boys the luxury of adjusting to their new voices without the added pressure of suddenly having to “hear” a new harmony part. Conversely, if a boy soprano is asked to sing tenor at school, he can still sing soprano at YCCT if he so desires.

During performances, we may opt to add an intern and even staff voices for special effect. For example, a popular jazz Christmas selection was performed with interns singing the challenging verses and the older choristers singing the choruses.

An additional benefit of expanding the singing to include the staff is that it provides an extra level of security for students when they are singing multiple challenging parts in a new acoustical environment. We learn together so that we can perform together. We came upon this idea out of necessity, and it has become a joyful expectation — another manifestation of “commUNITY through song!”

Real Fun

We’re often asked, “Is it fun or is it real?” (i.e., meaning is it kiddie play, or is it substantive learning). My answer is always, “It’s real fun!” We strive for a high level of comprehension in a short amount of time.

Seeing the singers for 90 minutes each week creates challenges in rehearsal attentiveness and weekly retention. Our lessons are crafted to be presented in person with child-friendly practice materials for use at home.

In other words, we do not use the honor choir model of learning notes on one’s own prior to rehearsal. Many children do not have musically trained parents to help them interpret the instructions; some do not have access to the necessary technology; few have the knowledge base to be expected to follow a score on their own until they have received instruction. The honor choir model is quite useful but does not serve our younger choristers. Our older self-motivated singers have used it occasionally with success.

We do encourage our singers to listen to specific recordings to aid in memorization; we provide the links after the music is learned.

Real fun includes performing at a variety of community events, including Holocaust remembrances to the Nutcracker ballet. Singing the national anthem at a Baylor’s Lady Bears basketbal l game has become an annual tradition as has a field trip to a Broadway touring company production. Each year several YCCT singers have been selected to Southwestern American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA), Texas Choral Directors Association (TCDA) or American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) honor choirs. We begin our year with summer camp and finish with an end-of-school social.

Equipment Wish List for the Adventurous Music Teacher

Written by Tyler Swick on September 12, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

What’s on your wish list of school supplies? I’m talking beyond the basics like pencils and paper or more expensive items like a laminator or Cricut.

Consider the devices and equipment listed below that will change the way you teach! If your school has benefitted from COVID relief funds or your fall budget has increased due to higher-than-expected numbers, take advantage of this windfall and stock up on these supplies. You won’t regret it!

Upgrade the Sound System

Some classrooms are outfitted with audio playback capabilities such as a CD player or shelf speakers with an auxiliary cable but it’s time to upgrade your sound system to something that students can play along with.

An adequate PA system in the classroom is a fantastic way to engage students with instruction, reference recordings and backing tracks. The process of quieting a classroom so that every student can hear the All-State recording can be replaced with turning a nice sound system up to level eight so that students can even hear the coughing in the audience.

Classrooms that have ceiling speakers can also be improved with a headphone amplifier, which boosts the input signal, creating a more immersive experience for students who are listening or playing along.

The Power of Bluetooth and Wireless Tech

Wireless connectivity has reached a point where a teacher can be anywhere in a classroom. Prevent yourself from making a battle station in the corner of the room by utilizing Bluetooth audio, screen-sharing tablets, smart outlets and an Alexa device. Classroom teachers like to use proximity to their troublesome students to engage and curb behaviors. But how do we press play on the backing track if the student is across the room? Bluetooth your phone to the sound system! Bluetooth technology is a standard feature to many recent audio devices, but if your technology isn’t up to speed, consider purchasing a Bluetooth receiver that can turn any sound system with inputs into a Bluetooth speaker.

Once your phone or tablet is connected to a sound system via Bluetooth, you can utilize your phone’s voice memo taker as a recording and playback station for your classroom. Record a difficult passage with your phone and play the recording back while speaking directly to the students who need your help. Moving the phone around the room will allow you to capture the moments that the students may not be hearing. For instance, recording close to the students who are out of tune might help you segue into the importance of listening and tuning without calling out specific students. Let the recording be the bad guy.

An older technology that allows teachers to walk around the room is the PowerPoint clicker, but now we can do much more than just progress to the next slide. Wireless keyboards with touchpads are a great solution to moving your entire computer! The computer can stay glued to all your outlets while you set up shop next to a student you are helping. Learn a few hot keys to change tabs in Chrome, play a YouTube video or trigger a timer to start without having to walk back to the computer.

For the elementary teacher who is tired of asking a student to walk to the light switch to turn the lights on or off, program your Alexa device and a few smart outlets to do this with a single voice command. Smart light bulbs can also change the color of the room to match holidays, special events and school colors (see top photo). For example, a fun way to kick off a Friday rehearsal before the big game would be to tell Alexa, “Go Cats!” which triggers the smart bulbs to turn blue. Elementary students might also appreciate sound-reactive lights that illuminate when sounds reach a certain decibel. It’s definitely a fun and visual way to teach dynamics!

And for teachers who already have their entire lives on a single laptop, an Apple TV or Google Chromecast allows you to wirelessly share your screen from your device to a projector or TV in your classroom. If you’re looking for more ways to present visual information, consider a wall-mounted flatscreen TV that can be strategically placed to engage students farthest from the projector.

Try Nonverbal Commands

Nonverbal commands can become a part of your routine if you choose to utilize wireless doorbells and soundboard applications on your phone. Plug in a wireless doorbell speaker near a noisy location in your classroom and use the doorbell to signal students to return to their seats, end their conversations or begin cleaning up. Codes like “two rings” could mean time is running out while “one ring” could mean the class is over.

If you need more sound options, download a soundboard application such as Big Button Sound Effects to your phone and utilize the thousands of free sounds that are available on your smart devices. I love to use the applause sound effect when students perform and the bugle call for lining up. Apps like Custom Soundboard Creator allow you to record sounds with your phone and trigger them with the press of a button. Record yourself saying any classroom command and then trigger it from your phone while you work with small groups. Themed soundboards can match the current season or most recent popular movie. Students will be excited to see what you come up with next!

Seating and Staging

Apart from technology, seating and staging have a large impact on how students act in the music room. Though traditional seating is important for posture and performance, is there space in your room for a non-traditional seating area?

Elementary music classrooms utilize yoga balls, buckets and even cajons to allow students a chance to engage at their own energy level. Students who love to bounce around finally have an option to do so while engaging in meaningful conversation in order to keep their new favorite seat. A long communal bench might be the fun place for students to assemble their instrument, warm-up and socialize before making their way to the primary seating area.

Don’t let the choir have all the fun with stages and steps! Create dynamic seating by elevating your ensemble to match exactly how you want to see them at the concert. Not only will students love the opportunity to step on and off the platforms, but you’ll love storing cases and bulky items underneath (see photo to the left). Hide your items with a curtain made with some fabric and Velcro.

Celebrity Videos

The last, and possibly most ridiculous, recommendation is a celebrity video from the website Cameo. Do you want your students to pay attention while you read your syllabus? Or want them to memorize the classroom rules?

Go to Cameo where you pay a celebrity to say almost anything! That’s right. You can pay real artists to read your script for a set price and keep the video forever. Here’s a video of Snoop Dogg telling university students to read the syllabus! Make sure your script includes a line where the celebrity wishes they could be a student in your classroom.

What’s the wildest thing in your classroom? Share your photos @SwicksClassroom on Instagram or email educators@yamaha.com.

Closeup of a vinyl record being pressed.

How a Vinyl Record Is Made

Written by Mike Levine on September 9, 2021. Posted in Vinyl. 17 Comments on How a Vinyl Record Is Made

Have you ever wondered how a vinyl record is made? The process is both an art and a science — and, though there have been improvements in the technology of some of the machinery used in manufacturing, it’s still very much the same as it was back in the 1960s and 1970s.

In this posting, we’ll take you through the entire process step-by-step, focusing on the dominant vinyl format being produced today: the 12-inch LP.

First Things First

After an album gets recorded and mixed to the artist and producer’s satisfaction, the final mixes go to a mastering engineer, who gives everything a final sonic polishing in terms of both frequency and dynamics, as well as making sure that both the levels and tonality are consistent from song to song. Mastering is crucial, regardless of whether the album will be pressed to vinyl or simply released digitally. (For more information, check out mastering engineer Pete Lyman’s blogs.)

Vinyl Realities

Typically, the mastering engineer will create separate files for digital release and vinyl. That’s because vinyl has several inherent qualities that affect the mastering process:

1. A vinyl record cannot reproduce as broad a frequency range as a digital recording. Too much high end, low end or volume can cause distortion and make the needle skip.

2. The closer the needle gets to the center, the smaller the circumference of the groove. This is due to a record’s circular shape. On the outside of a 12-inch LP, the needle moves at roughly 20 inches per second, but on the inside, it moves at roughly 8 1/2 inches per second. With less groove length per second of music, the resolution gets diminished. Sonically, this is equivalent to reducing the sampling rate of a digital recording from 96 kHz to 22.05 kHz — a huge difference in fidelity. That has ramifications for the artist and producer, who have to choose a song order carefully, knowing that the ones on the inner parts of the disc won’t sound quite as clear and crisp.

View of vinyl album without printing on the label. — *Songs closer to the center have lower fidelity.*

3. The amount of music a record can hold is finite. The needle on the turntable will eventually reach the end of a side. As a result, the artist and producer also need to consider the time factor when creating the song order and deciding which songs will go on which side of the record.

4. Vinyl records have considerably less dynamic range than digital recordings. If the mastering engineer tries to make the record too loud, it will just sound distorted. What’s more, large dynamic swings can cause the needle to jump when the record is played on a consumer’s turntable. In addition, the higher the amplitude, the wider the grooves need to be. Wider grooves mean less playing time per side, which also impacts the mastering engineer’s level decisions.

Making the Cut

Once the mastering engineer is satisfied that they’ve gotten all the songs sounding as good as possible, it’s time to create the master disc. This is also known as a lacquer master, since it’s an aluminum plate covered in a thick coat of lacquer. Some mastering engineers do this themselves; others hand the project off to a specialized “cutting” engineer.

In this step, the audio is routed into a cutting lathe — a large, specialized machine fitted with a cutting head that contains a tiny stylus usually made of sapphire. Whereas a turntable converts grooves on a record into sound, the electronics in the cutting lathe do the reverse: They turn the sound waves in the music into vibrations that the lathe’s stylus cuts into grooves on the master disc. The stylus gets so hot during the cutting process that it has to be cooled with helium gas the entire time to avoid a fire!

Turntable like equipment with cutter where arm would be. — *A cutting lathe. (Image courtesy of Infrasonic Mastering)*

Because the cutting is done in real time (that is, as the music is playing), one of the tasks of the cutting engineer is to manually create the spaces between songs. This is accomplished by scrolling the stylus very slightly toward the center of the record to create a gap.

Closeup of vinyl record grooves. — *The spaces between songs must be manually created.*

Check out this video for a detailed look at the cutting process.

Hello Mother, Hello Father

The next step is the making of a “stamper” disc — something that takes place at the record manufacturing plant. First, the master disc is carefully washed — it’s critical to keep dust off it — and then sprayed with silver. Next, it gets submerged in a nickel bath and electroplated. The electroplating causes the nickel to fill the grooves on the disc.

The electroplated master then gets pulled apart, creating two discs that are mirror images of each other. One is the original lacquer master with grooves; the other is its opposite, with ridges instead of grooves. The latter is called the “father” disc and it’s what gets used as a stamper for pressing the record.

At that point in the process, the master gets checked to make sure it has no errors. The lacquer master isn’t usable for that purpose, however — nor is the father disc because it has ridges instead of grooves. Instead, the father gets electroplated once more and split apart, creating a grooved “mother” disc.

Biscuits and Blobs

Once the stamper is done, the pressing plant can begin making vinyl copies. One stamper is required for every thousand records. After that, the stamper starts to wear out, and the audio quality begins to degrade. Technicians can make additional copies of the stamper by electroplating and splitting the mother disc.

The vinyl used starts out as pellets of polyvinyl chloride. These pellets get loaded into a hopper on the record press and are melted and squeezed into what’s often referred to as a “biscuit” — a blob of vinyl shaped like a hockey puck.

The stampers get loaded above and below the biscuit in the pressing machine — one for side one and one for side two. The record labels that go in the center of each side also get loaded between the biscuit and the stamper on each side. Technicians have to bake the labels in advance to get all the moisture out of them, so they don’t bubble when pressed onto the vinyl by the machine.

When the pressing sequence starts, the two stampers come together, squeezing the biscuit and labels with heat and roughly 100 tons of pressure. The biscuit flattens out, and the ridges on the stampers create the grooves in the still soft vinyl. At the same time, the labels get squashed into their respective spots in the center.

The pressing machine then trims the excess off the edges and cools the newly created record with water, and out it pops onto a spindle. Each record takes about 30 seconds to make. The machine continuously reloads new biscuits and labels and repeats the pressing process until the designed number of copies are made.

The Finishing Touches

Before shipping the vinyl records out, the plant makes a few test pressings that they send to the artist and record label for approval. Once they get the thumbs up, all the copies ordered are produced.

At this point in the process, the artwork for the record jacket has normally been printed and approved. The newly minted records are manually placed into the inner paper sleeves and album covers. The final step is to send the albums in their jackets through a shrink-wrap machine. After that, they’re ready for distribution — and your listening enjoyment.

Check out these related blog posts:

Here’s What You Need to Know About Vinyl

Appreciating Vinyl Records … and the Best Way to Enjoy Them

Five Reasons Vinyl Is Making a Comeback

Top 10 Vinyl Albums for Audiophiles

10 Hip-Hop Albums That Sound Great on Vinyl

Spotlight on Vinyl Subscription Services

How to Connect a Turntable to an AV Receiver

The Difference a Tonearm Makes

Shopping for Vinyl

Caring for Vinyl

How to Clean Vinyl Records

Teacher instructing group of children in how to play strings.

So Your Child Wants to Play Strings

Written by Dale Ramirez on September 7, 2021. Posted in Parents.

Your child has come home enthusiastic about the prospect of joining their school orchestra and playing a stringed instrument. That’s great news, but it can be an intimidating moment for a parent without a musical background. Of course, you want the best for your son or daughter, but without some basic knowledge about the instrument they want to learn, you might feel unprepared for this new experience in your child’s life.

Fear not! In this article, we’ll show you how to refocus any apprehension you may have into solid, confident next steps to make sure your kiddo puts their best foot forward. And with your encouragement, they will hopefully start a lifelong relationship with music that will bring them endless joy and satisfaction.

Before we begin, though, understand that there’s no “right” way to make music. We’ll provide some common beginning tips for scholastic/school music, but if your child has an interesting opportunity to pick up a string instrument outside of school — like playing folk fiddle or maybe even a Suzuki class — go for it! Any start rooted in the child’s desire and innate musicianship is a good start.

Violin

One of the most beautiful and well-known of all musical instruments, the violin has played a role in just about every musical genre, from classical to country, and is played on the finest concert stages the world over.

Getting started on a stringed instrument like the violin is different than many other types of instruments because students have the option of finding the right size violin for their body. Fractional size violins like the Yamaha YVN Model 3 ensure that young students have the best opportunity to make music whatever their physical dimensions and growth rate. Yamaha has a great “fit stick” resource that allows you to measure your child for their best violin size; just click here to request one — it’s completely free of charge.

The other consideration, of course, is which brand and model to buy. One way to simplify this search is by using the online Yamaha Violin Finder, which can help you gauge the right price point, sound preference and case type for your budding violinist. Whichever make and model you choose, there a few things your child will need right at the start in addition to the violin: a sturdy case, a bow and rosin (the latter helps the strings make sound). Many Yamaha student model violins come with these accessories included.

Viola

Known for its thick sound that fills out the middle range of orchestras, the viola is a great choice for students who prefer lower tones to the high register of violins. Because a viola is slightly bigger than a violin, it can reach lower notes and has a richer tonal quality.

Starting on the viola is very similar to starting on the violin in that there are differing sizes to make sure your child can play the full length of the instrument, no matter their physical dimensions. A good choice for a beginning violist is the Yamaha AVA5S, available in 13″, 14″, 15″, 15.5″, 16″ and 16.5″ sizes. Your local authorized Yamaha dealer can help determine the right one for your child.

Like the violin, viola players need a carrying case, bow and rosin to prepared for the first day of orchestra (a great attitude helps too!). Again, many Yamaha student model violas come with these accessories included.

Cello

The cello is often the largest string instrument in beginning orchestra classrooms. Played by some of history’s greatest musicians, it has a sonorous and rich tone quality. Since it rests on the ground while being bowed, it also offers a slightly more natural playing position than the viola or violin, both of which have to be held up to the neck and rested under the chin.

Like the violin and viola, a bow, case and rosin are essential, but there is an additional accessory needed to play the cello: a floorstop. Cello players are usually seated when playing, so this ensures that the instrument doesn’t slide around. These are usually made of rubber or attach to the player’s seat so the endpin fits in securely.

Like most other student string instruments, the cello is available in “fractional” sizes so that students with smaller frames can get started earlier and utilize the full length of the instrument. There are two Yamaha student model cellos to choose from. Your local authorized Yamaha dealer can help determine the right one for your child.

Upright Bass

When you hear the word “bass,” you might picture an electric bass guitar, but here we’re referring to the upright bass, which is one of the most versatile string instruments, found in orchestras and jazz combos alike. This vital instrument imparts an important lush, low end that fills out the entire sound.

Full-size professional upright basses stand about seven feet tall, so they’re not always part of grade- or middle-school orchestra programs, but some classrooms may have fractional size basses that allow smaller students to explore the range of the instrument while their bodies catch up to the larger sizing.

Whether your child has their eyes set on the violin, viola, cello or upright bass, they are stepping into a whole new world when they pick up a string instrument. It can be difficult for both student and parent in the beginning while growing pains are still being worked out, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that the effort is worth it. There are countless research models that demonstrate that playing music has a significant role to play in brain development, let alone the social and emotional skills and wholehearted sense of satisfaction that can come with practice and perseverance.

Check out these related blog articles:

Does My Child Need a Better Violin Next Year?

Reimagining the Way Student Violins Are Made

Five Things You May Not Know About String Instruments

Five More Things You May Not Know About String Instruments

Teach Your Children Well

Click here for more information about school music.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YVN Model 3 Student Violin.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha AVA5 S Student Viola Outfit.

Click here to locate your local authorized Yamaha dealer.

Best Action Movie Scenes in Surround Sound

Written by Rich Tozzoli on September 3, 2021. Posted in TV & Movies.

Nothing fires up a home theater like a great action movie. Except maybe one with full-blown surround sound! These are the kinds of exciting films that may even have you turning up your system until the neighbors start a-knocking. But then they might just join you when the action starts.

1. Unbroken – The First Bomb Drop

This World War II tale of grit and survival resonates strongly every time I see it. As veteran French film composer Alexandre Desplat’s eerie score sets the mood, a vast formation of bombers flies right into the camera, their engines filling the sound field. All is relatively quiet until bursts of flack begin and as each second ticks away, the action, intensity and fire light up your screen. After the drop, fighter jets swoop in on the bombers and your surround speakers (and height speakers too, if you have them!) get a good workout, with gunfire peppering every corner of your room. Check it out here.

2. Captain America The Winter Soldier – Elevator Fight

Going up? In this scene from the 2014 superhero film, Marvel Comics character Captain America, played by Chris Evans, takes on an entire elevator full of bad guys. All starts quietly, until Cap, realizing they’re all there to take him on, asks if anyone wants to get out. Then the action lights up and the close quarters makes for some loud and proud moments that will shake your system. It’s classic action involving modern weapons, fists of fury and lots of great camera angles. Talk about going from 0-100 mph! Check it out here.

3. Star Wars Rogue One – Battle Of Scarif

Get the subwoofer ready for some high energy Star Wars action. The CGI (computer generated imagery) in this scene includes power shields, laser cannon shot, spaceships exploding and just about everything else you can dream of in a classic spaceship battle — all zipping from the left to the right, in front of and behind you. The visuals, sound effects and sound design are nothing short of superb … all with the classic John Williams theme bursting out of the speakers. Check it out here.

4. Braveheart – Battle of Stirling Cavalry Charge

This 1995 epic won multiple Academy Awards^®. It depicts the life of William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) during the first war of Scottish Independence. This exciting scene, depicting the Battle of Stirling, grows in anticipation as the horses pick up their pace in the charge against Wallace and his band of warriors. Bagpipes, hoofs, armor and chains blend together all around you with the simmering orchestral score in anticipation of what’s about to happen. Once the horses get close, the real action explodes on the screen, with a nasty surprise for the riders. Check it out here.

5. The Dark Knight – Batpod Chase

This 2008 superhero film from director, producer and co-writer Christopher Nolan is based on the DC Comics Batman character and is the second installment in the Dark Knight trilogy. Combining stunning surround sound effects with a score by the power duo of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, this scene features the Batpod (a recreation of the Batcycle) and the Joker in a runaway truck, along with helicopters, guns, armored vehicles and lots of high intensity action, all taking place at night in a forbidding urban environment. Get your seatbelts on and buckle up for this one. Check it out here.

6. The Bourne Ultimatum – The Window Jump

This is one of the most dramatic scenes from the classic Bourne Ultimatum series, with complex action that’s stunning in sequence, choreography and sound design. Add in the pulsing drums from the world music score of John Powell and it’s little wonder that this film snagged Academy Awards in 2007 for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, as well as Best Film Editing. Check it out here.

7. John Wick Chapter I – Red Circle Club

In this power-packed scene inspired by anime and martial arts films, professional hitman John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) is seeking revenge for the stealing of his car and the killing of his dog. Between the pumping club music, the flashing lights and the full-blown action, it’s a surround sound dream come true! Check it out here.

8. Transformers – Desert Battle

This 2007 science fiction film is interesting in the way that it combines live action with computer animation — and Steven Spielberg was the executive producer, so you know there’s a little extra oomph. This exciting scene takes place in the desert where a Decepticon (a robot that can change into animals, vehicles or other forms) attacks a group of Special Ops soldiers in Qatar. The call goes out to the U.S. Air Force, who arrive in full strength … and let’s just say, things get busy. Turn this one up! Check it out here.

9. Jurassic Park – T-Rex Entry

This is a film that needs little introduction, and the slowly building intensity of this scene — especially when listened to on a quality multichannel audio system — is absolutely masterful. As they sit in a car in a rainstorm with a company lawyer, a young boy asks his sister if she feels the pounding on the ground, as the camera pans to two glasses of water moving with each thud — an action that shakes your sub — and you know something terrifying is coming. A Tyrannosaurus Rex suddenly appears from out of nowhere … and from that moment, the stomps of the enraged dinosaur and its menacing growl are pure movie (and surround sound) magic. Check it out here.

10. Iron Man – Raptor Evasion

Here’s a scene from another high-flying adventure movie with full surround sound action, as Marvel superhero Iron Man (Robert Downey) whizzes around the sky, evading a pair of Air Force F-22 Raptor jets. It’s reminiscent of the best flying sequences from Top Gun but with a pounding hard rock soundtrack underneath and more missiles, more gunshots, more fly-bys … in fact, more everything. Check it out here.

Want to learn more about surround sound? Here are some related blog articles:

Surround Sound Systems Explained: Dolby, AURO-3D and More

What is AURO-3D? An In-Depth Exploration

What’s So Good About Dolby Atmos^® and DTS:X™?

What Is Surround:AI?

How to Shop for a Surround Sound System

Home Theater In Small Spaces

Click here for more information about Yamaha AV products.

Rec’n’Share in Five Easy Steps

Written by Steve La Cerra on September 2, 2021. Posted in Drums How-to. 1 Comment on Rec’n’Share in Five Easy Steps

Rec’n’Share is an interactive app that works with the Yamaha EAD10 Electronic Acoustic Drum Module, as well as DTX402 Series, DTX6 Series, DTX8 Series and DTX10 Series electronic drums. It’s a powerful, user-friendly tool for practicing and recording, plus it makes file sharing simple.

Here’s how to use Rec’n’Share in five easy steps.

1. Download It

Rec’n’Share is available free of charge from the App Store or Google Play and runs on a variety of iOS and Android™ devices. iOS devices compatible with Rec’n’Share include the iPhone^® and iPad^® (iOS 13.0 or later required). A list of Android devices compatible with Rec’n’Share can be found here (Android 7.0 or later required).

2. Get Connected

The EAD10, DTX and DTX-PRO module (supplied with all DTX6 Series electronic drum kits) provide USB TO HOST ports for connection to a computer or smart device. To connect the module to an iOS device, you’ll need a Lightning to USB Type B male cable, or a USB Type A to Type B cable plus an Apple camera connection kit.

Android devices use either USB Micro-B or Type C Male connectors, so you’ll need a cable with one of those connectors on one end and a USB Type B Male connector on the other end. Newer Android devices tend to use the Type C connector, but if you’re unsure which one your smart device uses, check with the manufacturer. Turn the module off before plugging in the cable.

3. Open It and Play

Turn on the module and open the Rec’n’Share app. The first time you launch it, Rec’n’Share will ask for access to the device’s microphone (click “OK”), and you’ll need to agree to the terms of the software license agreement. Scroll through the three intro pages and click “Let’s Get Started” to begin using the software. Rec’n’Share will take you to the Practice page, shown below.

This is where you will be able to access your music library. The first time you use Rec’n’Share, you’ll see a prompt underneath the song title bar that says, “Touch here, then choose the music you want to play.” Tapping in the space will result in another prompt, this one asking for permission to access the media library on your device. Click “OK” to allow Rec’n’Share to access the music and videos stored on your device.

Now you can move on to the fun stuff: playing!

Select a song from your music library. Rec’n’Share will analyze the music file, display the waveform, create a tempo map and a click for you to play to, and provide a four-beat count-in (the number of pre-count clicks can be varied from one to eight).

Tip: If you find that the result of tempo analysis does not match the original song, reanalyze the song or try changing the Analysis Tempo Rate on the Audio Analysis page (accessed using the tool icon next to the Tempo slider).

At the bottom of the Practice page are three control sliders: Tempo, Click Volume, and Music Volume. The bottom two enable you to balance the mix in your headphones between your electronic or electronic/acoustic drum set and the music. The top slider (Tempo) is where things get very interesting because one of the most powerful features of Rec’n’Share is that it gives you the ability to slow down or speed up any song that’s been imported from your library. If you’re trying to figure out a complicated fill in a song by your favorite artist, simply use the tempo slider to slow it down to the point where you can hear it clearly and practice along with it. The original pitch of the song is retained even when you speed up or slow down the tempo.

Next to the song title bar, you’ll also find controls for AB Repeat, Click On/Off, and Click Down/Upbeat. The AB Repeat feature can be used to loop a particular section of a song. While the song is playing, tap the AB button to set the start point of the loop, then tap it again to set the end point. Rec’n’Share will loop the section until you tap the AB button a third time. This is a great way to learn a complicated passage, especially since, as mentioned above, you can change the tempo of the loop while practicing along.

Finally, Click On/Off gives you the ability to mute the click, while the Click Down/Upbeat button toggles the click between the downbeat or upbeat.

4. Record

Whether you are using a Yamaha DTX electronic kit or an EAD10 hybrid acoustic/electronic kit, Rec’n’Share makes it easy to capture great audio and video recordings. This makes your practice sessions more productive by allowing you to objectively analyze your performances.

When you’re ready to record, simply tap “Start Recording” on the Practice page. Rec’n’Share may ask for access to the device’s camera; if you’d like to record video along with the audio, click “OK.”

Tip: If you tap Record and receive the message “The app does not have access to the camera or microphone,” check the system settings on your device and make sure that Rec’n’Share has been given access to the microphone and camera.

When you’re recording video, you’ll need a way of mounting your smart device to a stand. A tripod is the most versatile solution, but there are a wide variety of mounts available that can clamp your device to an unused cymbal or tom stand and hold it securely in place. Rec’n’Share includes a pre-record timer that can be set to 3, 5, 10, 15 or 20 seconds, which will give you plenty of time to get settled behind your kit after tapping Record.

When you are finished recording, you’ll have options to play back the recording, delete it, or save it to the Rec’n’Share library. Once saved, the beginning and end of the file can be trimmed and the balance between your drums and the song can be adjusted. These edits are “non-destructive,” meaning that you can always get back to the unaltered state of the original recording.

5. Share Your Performance

When you’re happy with the edited recording, you can share it with your friends! Tapping on “Recorded Songs” at the bottom of the Practice screen opens the library of songs you have recorded in Rec’n’Share. Select the one you want to share, then tap the upload icon:

Rec’n’Share will display options for sending the file to friends via email or text message, or for uploading the file directly to social media.

To learn more, check out these videos:

EAD10 – Rec’n’Share App Overview

EAD10 & Rec’n’Share Music Videos Made Easy

Joel Cassady Uses Rec’n’Share to Perform “Walk Off The Earth”

Click here for more information about Rec’n’Share.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha EAD10 acoustic electronic drum module.

Click here for more information about Yamaha DTX402 Series electronic drum kits.

Click here for more information about Yamaha DTX6 Series electronic drum kits.

Click here for more information about Yamaha DTX8 Series electronic drum kits.

Click here for more information about Yamaha DTX10 Series electronic drum kits.

Music Theory for Producers, Part 1

Written by Mike Levine on September 1, 2021. Posted in Recording. 1 Comment on Music Theory for Producers, Part 1

With today’s technology, it’s entirely possible to produce songs and beats in a DAW, looper or sampler without knowing music theory. In fact, one can make an argument that doing everything based on what you hear rather than what’s written on a page helps you develop your musical ear.

But you really need both a good ear and at least some knowledge of music theory, or you’ll be at a significant disadvantage compared to your musically trained peers. Without theory, you’re flying blind.

Music theory is a vast subject that’s impossible to cover comprehensively in a two-part posting like this (or even a ten-part blog, for that matter!). So what I’ll do instead is discuss some key aspects that will help you better understand what you’re doing when creating music. In this installment, I’m going to focus on rhythm; in Part 2, I’ll continue with a look at basic chord structure.

Quarterly Results

You may not realize it, but even if you’ve never learned any music theory, you’re actually dealing with it all the time because in any graphic editing window in any DAW — for example, the Project Zone in Steinberg Cubase — your project is organized in bars and beats.

Those bars (aka “measures”) are the same as those used in written music. They provide a way to divide a song into short sections that are easy to work with and visualize, as opposed to having to constantly look at the entire song, which could get incredibly confusing!

The time signature (also sometimes called “meter”) is a fractional number that describes the rhythmic content of each measure. The number on the top tells you how many beats there are in the measure; the bottom number tells you the rhythmic value (the “subdivision”) of those beats. The most common time signatures are 4/4 (four beats per measure, with each beat being a quarter-note), 3/4 (three quarter-note beats per measure), 6/8 (six eighth-note beats per measure) and 12/8 (12 eighth-note beats per measure).

In 4/4 time, each measure lasts four quarter-notes. The tempo will determine how fast those quarter-notes go by. At any tempo, four quarter-notes equal the same duration as eight eighth-notes, sixteen sixteenth-notes, and so on. Within a measure of 4/4 time, you can have any combination of note (and rest) durations as long as they add up to the equivalent of four quarter-notes.

Counting quarter-notes is easy: Just go, “One two three four; one two three four,” etc. Here’s an exercise to try: Turn on the click track in your DAW and set it to a comfortably slow tempo, say around 80 bpm (beats per minute). Now count along with the click, which by default is set to quarter notes.

Next, with the click still going, count eighth notes, as follows: “One and two and three and four and …”

Finally, sixteenth notes: “One ee and a; two ee and a; three ee and a; four ee and a,” and so on.

In any time signature, the downbeat is usually defined as the first beat of a measure, or “One,” if you’re counting. Here’s how to count in some other common time signatures.

2/4: Contains two quarter-notes per measure. Count it “One two; one two,” etc.
3/4: Contains three quarter-notes per measure. Count it “One two three; one two three,” etc. Notice how different the feel is in 3/4, which is sometimes called a waltz meter.
6/8: Six eighth-notes per measure. Count it “one two three four five six; one two three four five six,” etc. This is sometimes called a shuffle meter.

Let Me Emphasize

Beyond just the count itself, the beats that get emphasized in a measure have a lot to do with the “feel” or “pulse” of the rhythm. If you’re working in EDM or one of its numerous subgenres, many songs have a “four on the floor” feel, which means that each quarter note gets equally emphasized (“stressed”).

Beats two and four of a measure (the backbeats) are frequently emphasized in pop, rock, blues, country and many other genres. In 4/4 time, drummers usually hit the snare drum on the two and four (“one TWO three FOUR”), and the bass drum on the one and the three (or, in this particular case, the ONE, the THREE and the “THREE AND”).

You’ve probably heard the term syncopation in reference to rhythms. If a rhythm emphasizes an offbeat, such as an eighth- or sixteenth-note, it’s considered syncopated. Here’s an example of a syncopated drum beat:

Triple Down

When you open the quantize window in your DAW, you’ve no doubt noticed the choices that say 4T, 8T, etc. Those refer to triplets, which subdivide a beat (such as a quarter-note, eighth-note or sixteenth-note) into three equal parts.

This is a concept that can get confusing because an eighth-note triplet’s duration equals a quarter note, whereas a quarter-note triplet’s duration equals a half note:

This becomes more apparent when you try counting it. A measure consisting of straight eighth notes would be counted, “One and two and three and four and,” but the way to count a measure with eighth-note triplets is, “One trip let; two trip let; three trip let; four trip let.”

In the following example of eighth-note triplets, you’ll first hear a four-beat countoff and a click. The triplets, played with a tambourine sample, are panned to the left and the click track is panned to the right.

Eighth-note triplets are also the basis for playing a swing feel. In the following example, you’ll first hear two bars of a basic rock beat with regular (“straight”) eighth notes on the hi-hat. When it repeats, the eighth notes are “swung” — the first two beats of each triplet get played as one quarter-note instead of two eighth-notes. The kick and snare stay the same, but adding those swung eighth notes changes the feel to a shuffle.

The other types of triplets you’ll encounter are usually of the quarter-note variety; these are twice as long as eighth-note triplets. They’re a lot harder to count evenly, as they feel as if they’re pushing against the beat. Here’s an example with a four-beat countoff; again, the click track is panned right and the quarter-note triplets (this time played on a hi-hat) are panned left.

Another symbol you’ll see in your quantize settings is a dot after a note value. A dotted note lasts one and a half times as long as a non-dotted one. For example, a dotted quarter note lasts for one and a half quarter notes which is the same as three eighth notes.

The Takeaway

As you can see, when you’re working in your DAW, you’re using rhythmic concepts that are the same as they are in written music. Knowing what they mean will help you when you’re writing and arranging music — and hopefully this additional perspective will inspire you to keep learning.

Click here for Part 2.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase.

The Power of Oxygen and Green Spaces Can Boost Student Performance

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on August 31, 2021. Posted in Self-Care.

What if you could grant your music students special powers like laser-focused attention, impressive productivity and the ability to make smarter decisions?

You can, and it’s a simple solution: Ensure students get fresh air.

A growing body of research has shown that having enough oxygen in a room can make people feel more energetic, focused and calm. For example, people working in indoor offices where carbon dioxide was being ventilated out did significantly better on cognitive functional tests, and this information can also apply to schools, according to “Better Air = Better Brains,” a research study from Upstate Medical University.

In the research from Upstate, cognitive scores were 61% higher on problem-solving tasks in subjects on the days they spent in indoor spaces that had improved ventilation. At least eight more studies have supported these findings, reports the Irish Times in an article called “A Breath of Stale Air.” The bottom line is that as carbon dioxide levels rise, people become sleepier and do more poorly on tasks.

Open the Window

Depending on your school setting and policies, the simplest solution is to open a window or door if you possibly can — even for short periods during cold-weather months. (Be sure the window is screened and or secured in a way that it will not create a fall risk for students.)

If there’s not much of a breeze, a box fan or fan on a windowsill can help with ventilation, so long as fans are out of reach of small fingers. Researchers with Harvard Medical School suggest positioning the fan so that it is blowing air out of the room, not into the room. Cross-ventilation is another option — if windows can be opened on either side of a room, or a window/door combo. While this may not be realistic during a rousing practice of “Wellington’s Victory,” there may be some quieter opportunities during class to get the door open for a bit.

In the era of COVID, open windows may also make the classroom safer from viral transmission, according to Harvard’s School of Public Health. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) has recommendations for both indoor and outdoor instruction on optimal air-quality while music-making.

Chemicals May Be Lurking in Your Classroom

Beyond simple fresh air, consider what else students might be inhaling and strive for a cleaner indoor space.

Some dry-erase markers and dry-erase board sprays contain methyl isobutyl ketone, which can be associated with neurological and respiratory problems. There are non-toxic versions of dry-erase markers available (Modern Twist is one option) or at least open the window when using the white board. To clean the board safely, use a solution of 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 cup of water.
Swap chemically scented hand soaps with natural or unscented versions.
Avoid the use of room freshener sprays. If things have gotten funky in the band room — and not in good, Wild Cherry way — open the window or use a little bit of an essential oil instead of a chemical spritz.
Steer away from buying dry-clean-only garments, as dry-cleaned clothing can emit volatile organic compounds.

Take Students Outdoors

One of the silver linings of the COVID era has been the increased interest in outdoor classrooms. Marching band practice has traditionally been on a field, of course, but now many music educators are heading outside for other types of instruction.

Schools such as Foust Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina, are creating clever designs that benefit both students and instructors. An article on NPR features an outdoor classroom at Foust that has fun details like tree-stump desks and a waterproof chalkboard.

Beyond air quality, being out in the natural world has powerful brain benefits, including boosting working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control, according to research (“Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits”) published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. Outdoor spaces greatly benefit young people with ADHD, too, both from a behavioral and academic perspective.

Green Schoolyards America, a nonprofit dedicated to getting natural environments included in school settings, has an outdoor learning initiative with free resources.

What if you want the benefits of a green space but just can’t get your music students outdoors? Try a micro-break. Even a quick burst of the natural world can boost attention, according to research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Scientists found that simply gazing at a flowering, plant-filled green roof for 40 seconds improved performance on school tasks, compared to looking at a plain, concrete roof surface.

Lastly, some indoor potted plants can help absorb carbon dioxide and boost oxygen. For the classroom, try a rubber plant, peace lily, snake plant or dracaena. But be careful not to overwater plants, which can trigger mold.

What to Do When There’s No Bass Player, Part 1

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on August 30, 2021. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 1 Comment on What to Do When There’s No Bass Player, Part 1

It’s very common for a band to include at least a singer, a drummer, a bass player, a guitar player and a keyboardist (you!). But there will be times when a gig is too low-paying to afford that many players, and often it is the bass player who is left out. The problem is that most music won’t sound right unless someone is playing those low notes and providing the rhythmic push of a good drum and bass partnership. So that role will need to be covered by you.

In this posting, I’ll provide you with some tips and suggestions for acting as surrogate bass player when a real one isn’t there, without sacrificing the all-important keyboard parts.

It’s Fundamental

My first piece of advice is to keep your left-hand bass playing very simple. For most styles of music (with the exception of swing jazz tunes and songs with specific signature bass riffs), you can’t go wrong just playing the root of the chord. With that as a starting point, you next want to come up with a rhythmic feel that matches the groove of the song, and especially one that matches what the drummer is playing on the bass drum. Listening to and locking in with that pattern will make the band sound good and support the groove with nice low notes to fill out the sound. Nothing flashy is really needed.

Here are some very common rhythm patterns that work in lots of songs (each pattern would be repeated many times, of course):

Note that in this audio clip (as well as the following six clips), I play each bar twice:

Example 1 (in bar 1) is the most basic: you could just play whole notes if it were a ballad, but this adds a note on beat 4 to keep some movement going.
Example 2 (bar 2) provides nice downbeats on beats 1 and 3, with an extra note on the and of 4 to push back into the downbeat.
Example 3 (bar 3) pushes into beat 2, meaning it anticipates the beat.
Example 4 (bar 4) is similar, but it adds another note on the and of 4.
Example 5 (bar 5) is a straighter version of the pattern, where you play a note solidly on beat 3.
Example 6 (bar 6) adds the note on the and of 4 to push back into the downbeat.
Examples 7 and 8 (bars 7 and 8) are both common patterns heard on countless songs.

These next examples utilize a constant eighth-note feel for more driving rock and dance tunes (note that I add an upper octave at times for variety):

Example 1 is just constant eighth notes, which always works.
Example 2 adds a single upper octave note just before the pattern repeats on beat 1.
Example 3 places the octave on beat 4, while example 4 places octaves on beats 2 and 4, where the drummer would often be playing snare drum hits.
Example 5 gets a little trickier in that it anticipates into beat 3, which is a way of adjusting the pattern to match the drummer’s bass drum feel.
Example 6 is a slight variation of where the octave occurs after beat 3.
Examples 7 and 8 go back to steady eighth notes.

These next examples are more deeply syncopated, meaning they have more off-beats in their rhythm, and they occur on sixteenth-note subdivisions. These work well in funkier tunes:

Example 1 gives a nice strong emphasis on the 1 and the 3 of the bar.
Example 2 adds a note on the and of 4 to push back into the downbeat.
Example 3 adds notes on both the 3 and the and of 3, while example 4 holds out the note on the and of 3 for the rest of the measure.
Example 5 adds a longer note on the and of 1, and then pushes back into the top of the next measure tightly with a note on the last sixteenth of beat 4.
Example 6 treats beat 2 with more syncopation, but then a more relaxed push back into the downbeat of the next measure.
Example 7 is a variation of that pattern, with two off-beat hits on beat 4.
Example 8 sounds a bit like a sequenced dance bass line or perhaps a driving Motown beat.

Adding Notes

Once you’ve established a library of rhythmic figures, you can expand your note choices. Bass players often alternate between the root and the fifth of a chord, so you can introduce some fifths into your patterns like this:

Like the root-only technique, these types of lines are going to work under almost all chords, except for diminished or augmented chords. For more funky or R&B tunes, you can try these approaches:

To get more color in your lines while still keeping them simple, you can introduce other notes, but these now become more conditional on the chord quality. For example, you can add the sixth note to major and dominant-seventh chords, and you can add the flatted seventh to dominant-seventh and minor seventh chords:

Finally, here are some examples of more syncopated funky feels:

Putting It All Together

Armed with these ideas, let’s move on to playing basic songs and chord progressions. Here are two common kinds of pop ballad bass lines, using some of the ideas from the first examples:

I’m only playing root tones in the bass, but the first is very straight and open, while the second half uses more pushes into beat 3 to match the different drum feel.

This next example adds in some fifths to the bass:

Finally, let’s use some of the more syncopated figures and take more freedom with the notes:

In general, remember that it’s better to keep your left hand bass lines simple, and just support the feel of the song. You don’t have to be a flashy bass player — just keep it low and in the pocket! In Part 2, we’ll cover walking bass lines.

All piano and bass sounds played on a Yamaha P-515.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

How to Get Lost in Guitar Effects … Without Losing Your Way

Written by Mike Levine on August 27, 2021. Posted in Guitars How-to.

As guitarists, we have a universe of effects at our fingertips, whether from plug-ins, pedalboards or digital amps. Sure, it’s easy enough to turn on some distortion or chorus or delay, but what if you’re looking to go beyond the typical? I’m talking about things like massive ambience, droning and sustaining notes, heavy modulation, rhythmic echoes and more.

It’s actually pretty easy to dial in those types of sounds if you know how. In this article, I’ll offer suggestions for various abstract effects you can create with almost any kind of multi-effects processor, whether hardware- or software-based.

Into the Cave

Sustain is one of the most important tools in the guitarist’s toolbox, particularly the type where one or more notes drone as you play others on top. Ambient effects such as reverb and delay are a great way to create sustaining or repeating sounds.

The processor you use for reverb can probably yield a cavernous sound where your notes will reverberate for a long time. As some notes sustain, you can play others over them. You can use a hall, plate or spring reverb algorithm for this, provided it allows long decay times in the 9- to 10-second range, but if your reverb can emulate a cave or cathedral, those kinds of presets will work even better.

The critical parameter here is the dry/wet mix. Start by setting it to just a little over 50% and then edge it up further still, if required. If you’re plugged into a Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amp, just crank up its onboard Hall or Spring reverb effect to its highest point, which will yield a long decay as well.

Here’s an example recorded in Steinberg Cubase Pro, using the Line 6 Helix Native plug-in, set to a clean amp emulation. The guitar part features harmonics and open strings as drone notes. In conjunction with a long reverb or other sustaining or repeating effects, these kinds of techniques allow you to create long-holding notes to play along with; just be careful not to dampen them as they sustain.

In general, you should avoid playing chords in a heavily reverberated soundscape, particularly if those chords include notes from the low strings. With all that reverb, it’s easy to create sonic clutter that muddles the lower midrange. If you’re playing along with other instruments, be particularly careful. You might try lowering the dry/wet mix somewhat, if needed.

Most reverb and delay plug-ins (and many hardware devices) allow you to cut the low end while still maintaining a lot of the reverberant properties, which will help reduce muddiness. Alternatively, you can apply a low-cut filter or EQ to the reverb or delay output, then try rolling off or attenuating some of the lowest frequencies.

Keep ‘Em Saturated

Another way to create sustain is with gain, either amp gain or a distortion/overdrive effect. The higher the gain, the more sustain. Distortion also naturally compresses your tone, which adds to the sustain.

This next audio clip was recorded direct through a Yamaha THR10II desktop digital amp, which is one of three models in the THR-II Series.

Small portable guitar amp. — *Yamaha THR10II desktop digital amp.*

I used the amp’s Hi Gain amp model, but set the Gain to a little less than 50%, which still supplied plenty of distortion and sustain. In the EQ section, I cut the Bass and Treble by about 30%, but left the Mid set flat. The effects used were Chorus and Echo/Rev. The latter — a combination of reverb and delay — was turned to its highest setting.

Knock, Knock, Knock

You can also use delay for rhythmic effects, especially if you go for long settings such as quarter-notes or half-notes. Playing along with the rhythm of a long delay allows you to add harmonies and create parts with a lot of motion. Here, the feedback parameter is vital. The higher it is, the more repeats you’ll get … but if you have too many, it will be difficult to play anything distinctive above all the repetition.

The only way to successfully create a rhythmic delay part in a live ensemble situation is to use a tap tempo control (usually a footswitch or a button) to set the delay time — simply tap it in rhythm with the song as it starts playing. Even if your drummer has an extraordinary sense of timing (in fact, even if you’re playing to a drum machine!) you almost certainly won’t stay in sync over an entire song, but you can get it close enough to make it work for at least part of the tune.

The Mix or Dry/Wet control is also crucial when it comes to rhythmic effects since it determines the relative level of your picked notes as compared to the delayed ones. Getting it right will generally require some experimentation and should always be based on what you’re trying to play. It’s also helpful to stay with a scale or simple mode, so that the harmonies created don’t become discordant (unless that’s what you’re trying to do).

Here’s an example of me playing in time with a quarter-note delay and keeping it mostly in the minor pentatonic mode:

Another way to get some pretty “out-there” effects is with reverse delay. It replicates your notes like a delay, but with the audio reversed, causing a swell effect.

As with all delay effects, delay time is the crucial parameter. Where you set it has to do with the tempo of your song, what kind of feel you’re going for and so on. The feedback and dry/wet mix can make the difference between something completely wild-sounding and an effected guitar that can easily fit with other instruments.

This next audio clip demonstrates how a reverse delay effect works within an ensemble of guitar, synth bass and drums. The guitar is running through the Helix Native plug-in, which has a reverse delay on it set to quarter notes, with feedback of just about 50%. Also applied are a long reverb and chorus.

Terrifically Tremulous

Another effect that provides continuous repeats is tremolo — a pulsing, repetitive change in volume. On a clean or semi-clean guitar sound, it won’t sound particularly abstract. But try it on a heavily distorted tone, perhaps along with heavy reverb and chorus, and you can go to some strange places.

In this audio clip, the guitar has a distorted tone and tremolo set to eighth-note triplets, along with a long reverb. It starts with a non-tonal slide down the E string with the side of the pick and then starts playing heavy chords in a 12/8 feel. Notice how the tremolo continues after the last chord.

Acoustic Possibilities

If you play primarily acoustic guitar, you’re probably jealous of all these wild effects that electric guitarists use. You don’t have to be, though. If your acoustic guitar has a pickup, you could plug it into a Yamaha THR3011A WL — a desktop amp designed specifically for acoustic guitar. It features onboard effects such as reverb, chorus and echo, plus a stereo widener. If you turn their settings high you can easily propel your sound into the “extreme” realm.

But what if you’re completely unplugged? Believe it or not, that’s not a dealbreaker either. All you need is a Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar (there are six models to choose from), which offers built-in chorus and reverb effects that are actually created in the air. These effects also arrive at the guitar’s output jack (via the built-in piezo pickup) so you can combine them with other effects created by your amp, plug-in or hardware effects processor.

Closeup of three knobs on the side panel of an acoustic guitar. — *Yamaha CSF-TA TransAcoustic guitar effects controls.*

This final audio clip demonstrates how you can combine TransAcoustic guitar effects with those of an external amp. It was played on a Yamaha FS-TA guitar, with its built-in Chorus and Reverb on their highest settings, plugged into a THR10II desktop amp with its Flanger and Spring Reverb effects on full. As you can hear, the resultant sound has a ton of movement:

So next time you decide to apply an effect to your guitar, consider trying some extreme settings. Who knows? You may well come up with sounds that lead you into new areas of musical experimentation!

Check out these related blog articles:

Recording Basics: Reverb

Recording Basics: Delay

Recording Basics: Distortion and Saturation

Two men, one bald and one with long hair, sit in front of a digital audio studio setup.

Erez Eisen and Duvdev

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on August 25, 2021. Posted in Pro Audio Artists.

Working under the name Infected Mushroom, Israeli Psytrance producers Erez Eisen and Amit “Duvdev” Duvdevani have relied on Steinberg Cubase for the last 20 years. In this video, they describe their song production workflow in great detail as they walk us through one of their latest productions called “Serious Times” — a remote collaboration with the artist Hope 6 — from initially receiving the vocals to vocal editing with VariAudio to writing melodies and harmonies.

The recent release of Cubase 11 had a particular impact on their approach to saving MIDI files, which they generally discarded after utilizing them to generate audio tracks. One reason, as Erez explains, is that older versions of Cubase did not have a Render Tracks function that included MIDI data. “With rendering, it’s so easy to save all the previous work and then disable those tracks, putting them in a separate folder. It’s nice to be able to quickly access those tracks if you need them.” They also enthuse about the way that rendering in Cubase allows them to easily create stems.

VariAudio is clearly one of their favorite parts of Cubase … and not just for fixing vocals. “We use it for making scenes too,” Duvdev reports. “It’s so easy to use, and such an interesting tool.” Erez is a particular fan of the Custom setting. “It lets you sculpt the grains and the randomness of the stretches. Cubase basically gives you all the options of time-stretching in the world.”

“Cubase is both simple and complex, if you want it to be,” he adds. “It offers infinite possibilities.”

“For me, the DAW is the creativity part,” Duvdev says. “I don’t see myself making music in any other program because I just feel at home with Cubase. It’s part of our process.”

Check out these related articles.

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Cubase.

An Instrumentalist in a Vocal World: Getting Comfortable with My Voice

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on August 24, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

In college, my focus was instrumental music education. For over four years, I prepared myself to become a band director.

All that changed when I received a call from one of my previous college advisors. She wanted me to interview for an elementary school music position.

My second and shortest co-op experience in college was at an elementary school. While I loved the setting and the creative liberty I had with lesson planning as a primary school student-teacher, there was one thing that I wasn’t comfortable with: my singing voice.

My situation was stressful but not uncommon. I had just agreed to take a position that wasn’t quite in my specialty. Oftentimes, we go into music school thinking that we are going to find a job that perfectly fits what we studied. I’m pretty sure that you already know that the real (music) world isn’t like that. So, there I was: A freshly graduated, licensed instrumental teacher with a job at an elementary school. It was time to get comfortable with my voice.

Find Your Real Voice Type

I quickly learned that there isn’t a lot you can do to get comfortable with singing. I had spent countless hours singing pop songs up an octave in the car. But when I was in my classroom and was required to sing all day, I began to lose my voice. Something just wasn’t working.

So, I spent more time at the piano and less time singing to the radio. This allowed me to explore my range on the staff and see my limits more clearly. Pretty soon, I discovered that I was an alto, not a soprano like I had been told. While my tone was light, singing way up high was simply not a sustainable option. As I learned more about my voice, I stopped being concerned with gender stereotypes and embraced my lower register.

Match High or Match Low

One week, I taught 10 classes the same singing game called “Lucy Locket.” One at a time, the students would look around the classroom for a hidden purse. The student searcher was the only one who didn’t know where the pocket purse was. The closer the searcher got to the purse, the louder we sang, and vice versa.

Singing “Lucy Locket” numerous time was tiring for my voice. I learned that it was OK to sing lower than your students. If they are very young, teach them that they can match high or match low with your singing.

At first, I was afraid to bring some songs down an octave, especially with my kindergarten students. But when I used a soprano recorder for their starting pitch, they began to catch on. After a couple of weeks, I found that my students could match high or low to me with no trouble.

Lean on Teaching Tools

Teaching tools were a powerful resource when singing in my sweet spot wasn’t enough. There are many great recordings out there that do the call and response for you. When I first started, I swore that I would only use my voice to teach music to my students. It’s great to have high aspirations for your classroom, but don’t make goals that are unreachable.

Later in the fall, I caught a cold and had no voice, but I still had to show up and teach. I learned that if you plan your recordings, games and transitions just right, you can teach a music class without using your voice at all.

By the time the middle of the year rolled around, I was no longer losing my voice regularly, even when I was ill. I found the perfect balance between using recordings and singing in my most comfortable range.

Get Used to Being Uncomfortable

To get used to being uncomfortable around my students, I had to do things that made me uncomfortable at home. As a musician and teacher, one of the best things you can do is to constantly push yourself artistically.

I challenged myself to learn numerous songs from the French version of “La Vie En Rose” to the pop song “Titanium.” I even tried to juggle to music and failed epically.

But somehow, it all translated into my classroom really well! The more I forced myself to do things that made me uncomfortable at home, the calmer and more confident I became in the classroom. Zen mind, beginner’s mind.

Make Some Noise

Part of my journey to becoming comfortable with my voice was to make noise — even bad noises. Just like with the clarinet, you have to squeak and squawk before you can play a ballad or sound like Benny Goodman.

On the way to and from work, I sang harmonies to punk songs and experimented with vowel shapes. It was gritty, out of tune and pretty terrible, but my car welcomed the noises just the same!

I always recommend singing music that can be loud and bad. To become proficient at something, you first must allow yourself to be confidently unskilled.

I also have a recording set up and have become good friends with it. Recordings never lie, so learn from them!

Understanding the Science Behind Voice Confrontation

Over the years, I have learned that singing is just as much about the body as it is about the mind. For me, it’s more like 60% mind, 40% body.

There are little tips and tricks to curb singing anxiety, such as eating foods high in potassium like bananas. This will help you out for the first couple of days but will ultimately only get you so far.

What helped me become more confident was understanding the science about voice and sound. I never enjoyed hearing my singing or speaking voice, and I learned that there was a reason for this. It’s called voice confrontation.

Your brain interprets recordings differently than your voice in real-time. This is because of conduction. When you sing, you feel your voice conducting through the bones in your ears. However, when you listen to a recording, the sound is not conducted the same way. This makes a huge difference in perceived sound.

The article, “The Real Reason the Sound of Your Own Voice Makes You Cringe,” and the video, “Why Do I Hate the Sound of My Own Voice?”, explains the science behind why we dislike our voices so much. Once I understood this, everything became a little easier. I realized that my perception of my voice did not represent reality. When I took what I learned to my classroom, I found that I could project with no hesitation.

Increasing My Vocal Awareness

When I first started singing in front of my students, my voice felt disconnected and odd. I needed to increase my awareness of my voice; I wanted to be as mindful of my voice as I was of my fingertips.

At first, I wasn’t sure where to start. I knew that I needed to engage with my voice more often, but it seemed like there was something else to integrate.

One thing that increased my vocal awareness was massaging my jaw. Exercises like this helped to strengthen the synapses in my brain to focus on the vocal areas of my body.

I also studied vocal awareness videos and courses like “The Secret of Vocal Awareness Vocal Exercises.” This information taught me to hold space for my voice. Vocal guru, Arthur Samuel Joseph, believes that our voice is not just a tool that we use in everyday life. It connects us on the most intimate levels, including socially and even spiritually.

Just Have Fun

What I didn’t realize when I started as an elementary school music educator is that you don’t have to be the best vocalist to teach your students. Pupils love to play singing games, learn and enjoy themselves. With my background as an instrumentalist, I taught hundreds of kindergartners how to match pitch and simply to enjoy exploring sound.

YH-L700A Headphones 3D Sound Field Technology

Written by Joel Kennedy on August 24, 2021. Posted in Music and Streaming. 2 Comments on YH-L700A Headphones 3D Sound Field Technology

In 1964, IBM announced the System/360, an industry-changing computer system that was eventually used to process data for the Apollo 11 moon landing. It was powerful for its time but mammoth in size, occupying an entire room.

A girl wearing headphones with a dog on her lap watching a movie on a tablet. — *(Photograph © Emma Loggins.)*

From that impressive beast to desktop computers, laptops and smartphones, technology has steadily evolved into a smaller, more personal form that now even includes wearables. It’s no surprise then that home theater technology has evolved from full-blown multi-channel surround sound with multiple speakers to the latest Yamaha wireless headphone technology: 3D Sound Field, which enables you to enjoy an immersive listening experience wherever you are. Now, whether you’re watching a football game or concert video on your phone, or streaming content from Netflix^® or YouTube™ on your tablet, you can enjoy a cinema-like experience. It’s like being in your own completely portable personal theater!

Intrigued? Read on …

YH-L700A

Wireless headphones. — *Yamaha YH-L700A.*

The first product to incorporate 3D Sound Field is the new Yamaha YH-L700A wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, which use something called a Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF for short) to mathematically model how your ears receive sound from a point in space. This sophisticated processing considers your head and ear shape and size, among other individual details, along with knowledge of the way our brains process sound and use cues to determine where sounds are coming from. Together, this enables the localization of particular sound sources.

Next, 3D Sound Field takes the wireless Bluetooth^® signal, which is stereo or two-channel, and expands it to five channels, with dialogue in the center and sound effects to the left and right as originally intended.

Comparison between two-channel in-head presentation and immersive "out-of-head" sound.

Yamaha engineers applied their considerable expertise with home audio sound field processing, gained over decades of developing technologies like YPAO™ and CINEMA DSP HD3, to create different 3D Sound Field modes, similar to the sound programs on Yamaha AV receivers. Seven available modes, from Cinema to Music Video to Concert Hall, provide the optimal headphone listening experience for every type of content.

Seven 3D Sound Field Modes

Playback can be customized based on the type of content and a listener’s preference:

Modes for Movies and Shows: Cinema, Drama
Modes for Music Videos: Concert Hall, Outdoor Live, Music Video
Modes for Music Only: Audio Room, BGM

Here’s a video that demonstrates how each of these modes recreates sound in a three-dimensional space:

3D Sound Field works with any stereo content from virtually any source, including both iOS and Android™ devices, as the audio processing is handled inside the headphones.

Click here for more information about Yamaha YH-L700A wireless headphones.

So Your Child Wants to Play Brass

Written by Dale Ramirez on August 20, 2021. Posted in Parents.

Your child has come home with information about joining the brass section in their school band, and they are excited about the prospect of being able to play trumpet, trombone, baritone horn or euphonium. That’s great, but many parents don’t have a musical background and don’t know where to start in order to give their son or daughter the best chance to succeed in this new creative adventure.

It that’s you, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll tell you what the most common brass instruments are, describe how to sort through the (sometimes) complicated language about them, and provide all the information you need to get started.

(Note: While this article covers the four brass instruments most commonly used in the classroom, it is possible that your child has set their eyes on other members of the brass family, such as French horn or tuba. If instruction in one of those instruments is offered by your child’s teacher or a private instructor, by all means encourage your child to go for it!)

Trumpet

The trumpet is the highest pitched and most popular instrument in the brass family, popularized by masters of the instrument such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. They are a staple of orchestras, jazz bands, marching bands, concert bands and wind bands, and are often featured in film scores.

There are just two physical things needed to produce a sound on a trumpet: the body of the instrument and a detachable mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is what the trumpeter puts up to their mouth to make a sound by “buzzing” their lips. (The correct technique for doing so is called embouchure.) The body contains three valves to change the pitch, water keys (or “spit valves”) to relieve the condensation that collects while playing, and a flared bell at the end that directs the sound outwards.

Don’t worry too much initially about whether the trumpet you’re purchasing for your child is silver-plated or has a yellow brass exterior — this is something that won’t matter much for a beginner. What is important is that the instrument be durably made (preferably with tough metals like the monel alloys used in the Yamaha YTR-2330 Standard Trumpet) and that it can easily produce a clear, characteristic sound.

Most modern student trumpets are designed internally (in terms of the diameter of their internal tubing — something known as bore) so that beginning players can produce an immediate, rich and in-tune sound. When selecting an instrument, keep in mind that not all bores are made alike, so that trumpet that’s been sitting in your cousin’s closet since the ’90s may not be as easy to play as a newer option. Also, before leaving your dealer, make sure your child has the right valve oil so that when the instrument’s valves eventually stick (something that’s totally normal), you’ll have a way of dealing with it and can prevent future issues.

Trombone

Easily recognized by its long, narrow slide and wide bell, the trombone is one of the most powerful instruments in the band. It has a big, bright sound and is found in almost every type of musical ensemble: symphony orchestra, jazz band, marching band, concert band and wind band.

The following three components are found inside most trombone cases:

The mouthpiece. This is a silver metal cup with an attached tube that connects to the receiver of the instrument. The trombonist uses this to create the sound by “buzzing” their lips with the correct embouchure.
The slide. This two-piece mechanism allows the trombonist to change their pitch. Note that this should be locked in place before picking it up out of the case to prevent any mishaps!
The bell, bell tube, and tuning slide. This “other half” of the trombone connects to the slide and translates the air coming from the mouthpiece into the trombone’s characteristically “brassy” sound.

As with the trumpet, it is of little significance initially whether the trombone has a silver or yellow brass finish. The most important factor is that the young player should have the best chance to create a good sound by using an instrument made of quality materials. For example, the nickel-silver on the Yamaha YSL-354 Standard Trombone can prevent the inner slide from developing dents that the trombonist will feel every time they move the slide.

One important note regarding trombone: Because it uses a slide instead of keys or valves, even the beginner needs to have a good sense of pitch. If your child is able to sing, hum or whistle a tune by themselves, he or she is probably are a good candidate for this instrument. Knowing whether or not they have this ability in advance can save a lot of frustration for a budding young trombonist who is unable to “hear” a pitch before they play it.

Euphonium/Baritone Horn

The euphonium and baritone horn are related instruments and are often used interchangeably in the beginning band classroom. The main difference between these instruments are their bore sizes. The euphonium’s bore gets gradually bigger from the mouthpiece to the bell, while the baritone’s bore maintains a consistent size throughout most of the instrument, giving it a brighter sound than the euphonium.

Both instruments have three or four valves, and similar to the trumpet, the only thing that needs to be “put together” is attaching the mouthpiece to the receiver. Don’t worry about the number of valves or if the instrument has extra tubing to adjust for the tendency of the low register to be somewhat sharp (something called compensating) — that won’t become a factor for several years into your child’s musical development.

These instruments come with both upright and forward-facing bells (an example of the latter is the Yamaha YEP-211 Standard Euphonium), but for the purposes of the beginner the way the bell faces won’t make much of a difference. And similar to the trumpet and trombone, the finish — whether silver-plated or yellow gold lacquer — won’t be a recognizable determinant in sound from the get-go.

The most important factors to consider when starting on euphonium or baritone is that the student be able to produce a clear, characteristically rich sound and that when the instrument comes out of the case, it will work. This often means that the old euphonium in the back of the band room’s instrument closet is going to feel different than a newer instrument, and might require more time and effort to make it suitable for a beginner.

One last thing: Playing low-pitched brass instruments like euphonium and baritone horn requires a tremendous amount of breath support. Encourage your child to endure the initial feeling of having to literally “work” to get a big sound. In time, they will build this skill and set the tone for the rest of the ensemble.

Whether your child is interested in trumpet, trombone, or baritone horn/euphonium, we encourage beginning brass students and their parents to take advantage of their local music resources, such as their local authorized Yamaha dealer. These folks are experts in making sure that your child is prepared for their first day of band (or orchestra) and can even connect you with instructors if your child wants to get a running start on their musicality.

Check out these related blog articles:

A Guide to Parent Resources for Beginning Band and Orchestra

What’s the Difference Between a Trumpet and a Cornet?

Trumpet Trivia

Six Things You Never Knew About Trombone

Tuba Factoids

How to Keep Brass Instruments Clean … Inside and Out

Swabbing Brass Instruments

Click here for more information about renting a band instrument, and band in general.

Click here for more information about school music.

Click here for more information on the Yamaha YTR-2330 Standard Trumpet.

Click here for more information on the Yamaha YSL-354 Standard Trombone.

Click here for more information on the Yamaha YEP-211 Standard Euphonium.

Click here to locate your local authorized Yamaha dealer.

Closeup of someone playing an electronic keyboard while looking at a video game onscreen.

Case Study: Using YouTube as a Teaching Tool

Written by Tyler Swick on August 16, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

I created Swick’s Classroom, my YouTube channel, as a solution for a non-musical substitute during my four-week paternity leave in 2018.

The original video had to cover all the musical details while keeping a fast pace to prevent unwanted bored behaviors. I ended up creating a point-of-view xylophone video so students could see a large xylophone on the smart board while they learned a song. That video was posted three years ago and has more than 10,000 views!

At that time, my district, Clark County School District, had not yet adapted Google, so sharing documents and digital video lessons with a substitute was difficult because all files were password protected. I was left with two options: trust a stranger with my work login credentials or upload my lesson to YouTube for all to see. Both felt risky at the time, but I know I made the right decision.

Although I never intended for my video lessons to be used by others — most of my doubt coming from imposter syndrome — I was over-the-moon excited when my first Swick’s Classroom video hit 50 views. I thought to myself, “Wow, I helped 50 teachers!” I didn’t quite understand how views worked then, but that excitement is what drove me to make the next video.

My Equipment

I made my first eight Swick’s Classroom videos using my cell phone and a cheap video-editing software meant for making family home videos. I started watching YouTube tutorials about every software available, and I purchased the most user-friendly.

I bought a tripod for my cell phone and a green blanket so I could record instruments and remove the background on the computer. That was all I needed to make a majority of my instrument lesson videos.

Your cell phone is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. I wouldn’t buy anything expensive until the content starts paying for it. Apple computers come with iMovie and GarageBand. Windows users can download DaVinci Resolve and Audacity for free. I didn’t make any money from my content for two years, and it forced me to get creative with how I make content but also made me pay attention to what students like about the videos.

I eventually learned the Adobe Creative Cloud programs — the industry standard — so I could animate my own videos, which is still a work in progress. As I gained confidence in my content, the goal became to one day make money from the lessons so that I could upgrade my setup and create videos more efficiently.

I believe the purpose of every educational video is to provide an experience that the teacher could not provide by teaching the class directly. The simplest quality to perfect is the pacing. Live instruction is constantly interrupted by questions, bathroom breaks, transitions, etc. Videos are a set pace that free up the classroom teacher to work independently from the lesson. The teacher is able to excuse students, get the Band Aid, assist with the assignment and tie shoes without the pacing suffering.

You don’t need 4K fancy effects, you only need a purposeful lesson with obtainable goals.

Positive Responses

Pre-COVID, students loved the digital lessons because they could continue the lessons at home, memorize lyrics or even try to play melodies on their instruments. Parents commented that their children would put the music lesson on the TV for everyone to watch. Dads would jokingly sing this week’s song to me at drop off. YouTube provided a vast accessibility that most parents allow in their house.

During COVID, YouTube and recorded lessons were the saving grace for asynchronous students that had limited internet access. Yes, schools adopted websites like Canvas and Google Classroom, but I found my content was limited by file size and quality. I was only able to have one 20-minute lesson posted at a time due to capacity limitations. The alternative was to post an unlimited amount of high-quality videos on YouTube and embed them into my classroom pages.

When our school returned to in-person instruction, parents and students were both saying “Look, it’s the music teacher from YouTube!”

Organized Like a Locker

If I could start over, I definitely would organize it better because my channel lacks both a content plan and a posting schedule! I have treated my YouTube channel like a locker for things that I need right now.

I only create content that I want to use in my class in the immediate future — for example, I need a video today for my kindergarten class to sing at an ocean-themed parent night, and I need a boomwhacker video tomorrow for my 5th graders. Because of this, there are no clear patterns in my content. And, similar to a library, if a video can’t be found, it will never be viewed.

My videos range from silly songs to xylophone tutorials to boomwhacker play-alongs to vlogging. I might have someone subscribe because they love a boomwhacker video but then the next five videos I post are not about boomwhackers.

If I could start over right now, I would create a unique channel for each of the different categories that teachers want. I see other channels that are 100% rhythm play-alongs, and they are successful because subscribers know what they’re going to get when the next video is posted. Unfortunately, my subscribers don’t know if they’re going to get a rant about COVID safety or a ukulele tutorial.

Future Plans

The original concept of the YouTube channel was purely to help my substitute find a video of me teaching faster and easier than the provided methods at the time. Going forward, I hope to create content that helps teachers get their students excited about music class. I spend summers looking at views, comments and data to understand what the rest of the world wants more of content-wise from Swick’s Classroom.

Seeing the views go up on a new or even an old lesson gives me a sense of gratification that I can’t get anywhere else. I really enjoy the recent vlogging because teachers need to know that they are not the only professionals experiencing this era of COVID music education. I received a comment that said, “I needed to hear this,” which was all I needed to know that it was time well spent.

I was excited to help 50 teachers with their sub plans when this thing started, and now the channel is approaching 1 million views! I hope to curate the channel all the way through my retirement and enjoy knowing my lessons are still being used somewhere.

How to Use Alexa Multi-Room Audio with a Sound Bar

Written by Mike Levine on August 13, 2021. Posted in Audio How-to.

How would you like to have a pop artist in your living room, a rapper in your den and a country singer out on the patio — all at the same time? How about a special playlist for your basement workouts, one for cooking and one for when you’re working in your home office? With Alexa Multi-room audio, you can have all that and more.

Amazon Alexa provides you with a robust selection of hands-free commands. Communicating over your Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth^®, Alexa gives you control over not only music devices but also lights, ceiling fans, televisions, locks and thermostats, to name just a few. For this article, we’ll focus on music playback, and show you how to use the Multi-room audio feature, which lets you use the Alexa app in your mobile device to create a custom music system that will play what you want, where you want, all under voice control.

Room(s) to Grow

One of the advantages of Alexa is that you can create a setup that consists of a variety of sound bars and/or speakers of different makes, as long as they are all Alexa-enabled. For example, you could have Yamaha YAS-109 sound bars in two rooms and Amazon Echos in the others and access them all from the Alexa app. You can also use Alexa to control any Yamaha MusicCast-enabled multi-room speaker system. It’s incredibly flexible and completely wireless.

Long thin speaker. — *The Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar.*

Make the Connections

Connecting Alexa to a YAS-109 is easy. Simply download the Yamaha Sound Bar Controller app from the App Store for iPhone^® or Google Play for Android™. With the sound bar powered on, open the app, then follow the onscreen prompts on the app to connect the unit to your Wi-Fi network:

As shown in the illustration above, you turn on Alexa support by pressing and holding the Alexa button on the sound bar and then following the prompts on the Sound Bar Controller app. When you’ve completed the setup, you’ll see your YAS-109 show up as a device in the Alexa app. (Click here for more information about using Alexa with Yamaha sound bars.)

Create Custom Groups

By default, you can ask Alexa to activate individual speakers or play the same music on all speakers at once. But one of the most powerful aspects of Multi-room music is the ability to designate custom speaker groups you can turn on with voice commands in the Alexa app.

Groups allow for total customization of what plays where. If, for example, you have five Alexa-enabled speakers in your system (say, two upstairs and three downstairs), you can make an upstairs group and a downstairs group — or groups with any combination of speakers.

Here’s how to create a speaker group with a YAS-109 sound bar and other Alexa-enabled speakers:

1. Touch the Devices icon at the bottom of the Alexa app.

2. From the Devices page, touch the “plus” button on the upper right-hand corner of the screen:

3. Choose Combine Speakers.

4. Touch Multi-room music:

5. From the list of available speakers, select the speakers you want to include in the group.

6. Select a name for the speaker group, either from the preset list, which includes choices like Chill Out, Party Time and Chores, or by typing in a name of your own.

7. Go back to the Devices page and you’ll see your group listed under speaker groups.

Put Alexa to Work

Once you’ve completed your setup, it’s time to put Alexa to work.

If you use specific group names in your commands, Alexa will only play the music on the speaker group you mention. For example, if you say, “Alexa, play classic rock on Party Time,” your system will start playing your favorite hits of the ’60s and ’70s over the Party Time speaker group. Other Alexa commands (also known as “skills”) include pausing the music, making it louder or softer, or skipping to the next or previous selection in the playlist.

The Alexa app also offers lists of preset commands that you can enable on your app, allowing you to do everything from playing nature sounds, podcasts or audio books to turning on your favorite internet radio station. You can even ask Alexa to tell “knock-knock” jokes!

Targeted Audio

Another fun Alexa feature is the ability to create custom playlists on Amazon Music (Amazon Prime members automatically have Prime Music accounts) or other apps or music services you’ve connected to Alexa.

You can get creative and make playlists for various rooms or situations, i.e., “Alexa, play Laundry Music on Basement” or “Alexa, play Wake Up Music on Kids Room.”

Cast of Many

If you’re using Alexa with a Yamaha MusicCast system, the setup and command instructions are slightly different. For instance, after you say “Alexa,” you must add “ask MusicCast to” before the specific command. For a deeper dive into using Alexa and MusicCast, check out this blog.

Whether you’re using Yamaha sound bars or a MusicCast system, Alexa integration gives you an unprecedented level of hands-free control. You might even say that the home audio system of tomorrow is here today.

Check out these related blog articles:

How to Use Alexa with a Yamaha Sound Bar

How to Use Alexa with MusicCast

How to Use Google Voice Control with Yamaha MusicCast

How to Use Actions on Google with Yamaha MusicCast

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar.

Brian Teed with percussion students at Wakeland High School

Case Study: Implementing Student-Led Backward Planning

Written by Brian Teed on August 12, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

For several years, I have taken the curriculum planning and classroom management approach of backward planning and modified it to a pedagogical approach for percussion students in grades 6 through 12 within the Wakeland High School cluster in Frisco, Texas.

Backward planning can be utilized to organize instructional experiences and highlight expected goals to produce planned outcomes toward major events such as ensemble concerts, solo performances and many other shows. Using this approach, I have had the opportunity to teach students how to practice efficiently and set realistic timelines for themselves and within their ensembles. With modifications along the way and through numerous successes and failures, I believe that we have found our groove.

What is Backward Planning?

As educators, we are constantly setting goals, adjusting expectations and formulating inventive solutions to the unique challenges we set for our students. With backward planning, we start at the end of a process — for example, a performance — and retroactively apply benchmarks to certain dates leading up to that final performance. The most common benchmark would be to have the notes to a specific piece of music learned by a specific date, allowing for flex time before the performance to fine-tune dynamic approach and musical interpretation, which can become their own benchmarks.

When these benchmarks are accurately communicated, students will agree on what the outcome of the final performance will be — such as memorizing a piece or submitting the piece for festivals and competitions — and the teacher maintains this expectation. This process works well for many students but, unfortunately, not for the entire ensemble.

I found that even after setting benchmark expectations and having clearly communicated the performance date to the students, there was still a disconnect among some students, who were still scrambling in the final week to pull it all together. This caused the ensemble as a whole to miss reaching its full potential.

I tried to figure out what was causing this disconnect. After observing the behaviors of student groups from numerous grades and ability levels, I discovered that the majority of students did not know how to adequately practice. To address this, I decided to have students apply the process of backward planning to their practicing and take ownership in their learning. Essentially, the students mapped out their music goals first and then created individual practice plans, which helped encourage those students who had difficulty in starting a project by motivating them and allowing them to have a clear picture of what the end result would look like. Once students learned how to practice correctly through backward planning, many commented that they wish they had learned this skill earlier to be more successful.

Currently, I am the percussion director for the Wakeland High School cluster, and in this position, I have a direct impact on the way percussion curriculum is presented to a variety of ability levels, from middle school beginners through graduating seniors. I was afforded the unique opportunity to experiment on how to teach students backward planning as well as determine what students required from me and my staff to make this a successful approach to learning.

Beginning Backward Planning with Beginners

My staff and I decided to introduce the concept of backward planning to our beginner middle school percussion class where only one instrument is taught at a time. Because new techniques and rhythms are presented to the class several times throughout the year, we thought this group would be the easiest to work with to modify and fine-tune the process of backward planning. To establish a baseline, we decided to see what changes were having a positive or negative effect and to ultimately determine what was working and what wasn’t.

Our initial step was to have students learn a short etude that was well within their ability level for a pass-off due on a certain date. We told the students that they collectively had to decide benchmark dates prior to the due date and how much of the etude needed to be learned and performed by those benchmarks. This is where we left it as we wanted the ownership of their backward planning to be solely on them.

The first benchmark arrived, and the class played up to the predetermined measure. We found that some students had prepared to the noted measure, some had learned the entire etude, and some had not even started. Had this been an ensemble setting, this variation in preparation would have caused the pace of rehearsal to suffer and increased the likelihood that those who had done the work becoming frustrated with those who had not. It seemed that letting students set their own benchmarks and take ownership of their individual learning did not fix our issue of inadequate preparation.

We modified the process and added reminders for students to practice every day and provided information on what they should be practicing. Even with this change, many students still only practiced the night before, much like cramming for a science or math test, complete with a stressful performance the next day. There was still a disconnect in how students were preparing to perform.

After a few more attempts, we were still struggling to have adequate preparation for the entire class. That’s when we decided to have students define more than just a benchmark on what they were preparing. At this point, everything had been covered previously — in other words, there were no new concepts or techniques. Because of this, before they picked up their instruments, we had students go through the music and make note of what they already knew. By going through the music first, students were better prepared to not only set benchmarks, but to plan their practices. Essentially, the students went through the music much like a director would a score for an ensemble, which enabled them to think through the entire etude in order to properly backward plan.

After implementing this change, we saw a noticeable increase in productive practice and stronger benchmark performances overall! Students spent less time in a practice room and more time playing in the classroom, and they actually pushed the pace of the class forward. Eventually, my staff and I put together an example of the etude — through recordings or demonstrations — while students studied the etude. Afterward, we saw an even greater increase in overall participation and preparation and an improvement in performance.

Advancing Backward Planning to the High School Level

We took what we learned with the beginning class and applied it to the high school level, seamlessly incorporating the process of teaching how to effectively practice by utilizing backward planning. The only difference between ensembles was the length and difficulty of what students were preparing.

Students at the higher level had not necessarily been taught how to practice, but they were achieving at an adequate level solely because of the overall time they spent on their instrument. Students were mindlessly practicing by repping a piece over and over again until they, by pure repetition, memorized the music — oftentimes with errors and limited musicality.

With backward planning, students first focused on the end result by studying and listening to the music, and then visualizing what the final performance would be. We saw a similar result to the beginner class — the high school students were spending less time in a practice room but were achieving at a higher level. Many students also said that they had more satisfaction after their practice sessions because of how productive they were.

I will be excited when the beginners who started on the backward planning process in middle school advance to high school. What parts of the process stayed with students through the years? What, if anything, has changed?

Every year, we are faced with new challenges and opportunities to modify our backward planning approach. As teachers, we must constantly adapt and meet our students where they are to help build them up as performers and valuable members of our ensembles.

Live Drumming Is Back: Tips for Gigging with Electronic and Hybrid Drum Kits

Written by Steve La Cerra on August 12, 2021. Posted in Drums How-to.

It’s time to get back on that stage again!

Gigging with an electronic or an electronic/acoustic “hybrid” drum kit is a little different from performing on a fully acoustic kit, but it’s a great way to treat your audience to a large variety of drum and percussion sounds, bringing an extra dimension to your performance. Here are some tips for ensuring a successful live gig with a Yamaha DTX6 Series electronic kit, or by using a Yamaha EAD10 with your acoustic drums to create a hybrid set.

Hear, Here

By using an electronic drum kit, you’ll have access to a large number of drum sounds wherever you play, without the need for expensive microphones and stands … plus you’ll have total control over the volume of the kit. All Yamaha DTX6 Series electronic drum kits come with a DTX-PRO module, which is loaded with hundreds of high-quality, professionally recorded drum and percussion sounds that can be recalled instantly.

Closeup of control panel. — *Yamaha DTX-PRO module.*

The biggest difference in gigging with an electronic kit versus an acoustic kit is that you’ll need a way for you and your bandmates to hear the drums onstage. Yamaha DBR Series powered speakers are great for this purpose because they can be positioned vertically for use as PA speakers or placed horizontally on the floor for use as wedge monitors.

View of front of speaker. — *Yamaha DBR15 powered speaker.*

The low-frequency response of a speaker has a big impact on the sound of kick drum and toms. Generally, larger woofers have better low-frequency response, so the DBR12, with its 12-inch woofer, or the DBR15, with its 15-inch woofer, are good choices for reproducing drums. If you really like your low end pumping on stage, consider adding a powered subwoofer such as the compact Yamaha DXS12mkII, which can generate bass down to 42 Hz, or the heftier DXS18mkII, which goes all the way down to a chest-thumping 32 Hz.

What’s the Connection?

You’ll get maximum flexibility by connecting the audio output from your electronic drum module to a line input on the PA mixer, and then using an aux output to send audio from the mixer to a wedge monitor, headphones or in-ear monitors. This ensures that you’ll be able to hear the drums in your monitor along with a mix of other instruments or vocal microphones. To learn how to use aux sends to create separate monitor mixes, see this blog post.

Graphic showing the flow of audio signal through various components. — *Using a mixer to route audio from a DTX-PRO to a stage monitor and the main PA speakers.*

EAD10: Expand Your Palette

The Yamaha EAD10 Electronic Acoustic Drum Module instantly transforms your acoustic drum set into a hybrid kit. All you have to do is mount its Sensor Unit (which contains a pair of high-quality condenser microphones and a kick drum trigger) on your bass drum hoop. The microphones capture the entire kit, and the kick trigger can play any of the hundreds of drum or percussion sounds built into the EAD10 instrument library.

Closeup of small electronic unit. — *The EAD10 Sensor Unit.*

Multi-zone snare and tom trigger inputs on the EAD10 accept the output from a clip-on drum trigger such as the Yamaha DT50S, or from Yamaha XP Series and TP Series drum pads. Attaching a DT50S makes it possible to layer electronic sounds with the acoustic sound of the drum, while XP or TP Series pads permit you to expand your acoustic kit with electronic percussion, cymbals or effect sounds.

Closeup of a snare drum with sensor attached. — *The DT50S can be mounted on any snare or tom.*

A big difference between performing with the EAD10 and an electronic kit is that you don’t need a monitor system in order to hear your acoustic drums onstage — though you will need a monitor to hear triggered sounds and effects. You’ll also need to connect the EAD10 to the PA system (the same way you’d connect a DTX-PRO module, as described earlier), so the audience hears the EAD10 microphones as well as the triggered sounds.

Secret Weapon

One of the great things about playing Yamaha DTX6 Series electronic drums or a hybrid kit with an EAD10 is that you’ll have control over the mix and be able to add effects to your drums. However, understand that the mix you’ve been hearing in your headphones while practicing may not sound the same when the module is played through a big PA system. For example, you may find that the kick or toms are very loud compared to the rest of the kit when heard through a PA. That can happen when the headphones you’ve been using for practice don’t have great low-frequency response, causing you to compensate by making the kick and toms louder; or, if the headphones lack clarity in the high frequencies, the snare EQ may be too bright or may have more reverb than necessary.

This is where the recorder function on the EAD10 and DTX-PRO is your secret weapon: simply record yourself playing for a few minutes onto a flash drive during practice or rehearsal, then during sound check, play the recording back over the PA speakers. Walk out into the room to listen: you’ll be able to make better judgements about the mix, EQ and effects, and you can even have the band play along with the recorded drums to check the balance between instruments.

By the way, the DTX-PRO lets you build 200 User Kits, and the EAD10 offers 200 User Scenes, so you’ll be able to keep your practice settings while creating new Scenes or Kits for playing live.

Using Pre-Recorded Tracks

The EAD10 and DTX-PRO provide several different ways to play live shows with pre-recorded tracks. A laptop running DAW software can be connected to the TO HOST port, or you can transfer a stereo mix of the tracks to a USB flash drive and use the internal recorder to play files directly from the drive. A third option is playing audio from your phone or MP3 player into the EAD10 or DTX-PRO AUX IN jack. Using your phone or a flash drive is a convenient way of working because it reduces setup time and eliminates the need to bring a computer to the gig. The volume of the tracks can be balanced with the volume of the drums using the Audio/Click control knob on the EAD10 or the Audio control knob on the DTX-PRO.

In situations where you need to play along with a click, the EAD10 and DTX-PRO have the ability to route the click only to the headphone output, so you can listen to the click in your headphones while preventing it from being heard by the audience.

Effects

One of the great things about playing DTX6 electronic drums or an EAD10 hybrid kit is that they have a wide variety of built-in effects, including Reverb, Delay, Flanger, Phaser, Modulation and Compression. These effects can be used to enhance or change the sound of your drums.

Accessing effects on the DTX-PRO is easy using its Kit Modifier section, which has separate knobs for control of Ambience, Comp (compression) and Effect: Simply turn the knobs to dial in the sound you want.

The EAD10 also allows instant access to effects from the front panel, with dedicated controls for Reverb, Effects and Trigger (volume of the triggered kick sound).

Note that in both the EAD10 and DTX-PRO, the function of the Effect knob depends upon the preset scene loaded into the unit. To demonstrate, here’s an audio clip of drums played with the EAD10 preset scene P001 “Arena”:

In this scene, the Effect knob controls a compressor. Compare the previous clip with the next one, where the Effect knob has been turned up to add compression. You can hear the drums get louder, and the volume of the kick drum becomes more consistent.

Turning down the Reverb produces the considerably less interesting sound heard in this next clip:

And here’s how the drums sound with the Effect (compressor) and Reverb knobs all the way down:

As you can hear, changing the Effect or Reverb controls in a preset scene drastically changes the sound of the drums and offers a wide range of creative options.

Playing electronic or hybrid drums onstage requires a bit of planning, but it gives you the ability to deliver a wide range of acoustic and electronic drum and percussion sounds — all at the touch of a few buttons. It’s an approach worth exploring as you get back into live gigging!

Check out these related blog articles:

There’s a New Kit in Town

Click here for more information about Yamaha DTX6 Series electronic drum kits.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha DTX-PRO module.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha EAD10 acoustic electronic drum module.

Tips for Playing and Singing Solo

Written by Robbie Calvo on August 11, 2021. Posted in Guitars How-to.

In a recent blog, I explored the physical skillsets required to sing and play guitar at the same time. But it also takes desire, focus and hard work — and, sometimes, the heart of a lion — to make the transition from bedroom rehearsal to live performance, especially if your goal is to be a solo performer. In this posting, I’ll provide some tips for making that transition go smoothly so you can take the stage with confidence.

The Songs

Choosing your repertoire will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a solo artist. I have a personal rule: If I don’t like a song, I won’t play it. The audience can tell when you are loving the material, and when you’re being your authentic self as a performer, so you’ll want to be inspired by the music you’re performing.

Figure on nailing down at least 30 songs — enough for a three-hour engagement — though more is better. You should also learn some crowd favorites in case you get requests from the audience. Always better to give ’em what they want than to have to say no.

Volume and EQ

This may sound obvious but it’s important that your vocals always be louder than your guitar. It’s common sense: the melodic instrument — in this case, your voice — should “sit” on top of the harmony accompaniment. All too often at live shows the vocals get buried by the instrumentation. Take time to dial in a good vocal/guitar balance.

I prefer to start my first set at a nominal level. I’ll then ask management to let me know if they’d like more or less volume. Unless they specifically ask your opinion, let the hiring party decide what works best for their room or engagement.

Next, consider the frequency equalization between your voice and your guitar. The balance of lows and highs will vary depending on the body size of the guitar you play. As described in this blog posting, the larger the body size, the more the bass response.

Unfortunately, vocals and guitar tend to occupy similar frequencies, so you’ll likely have to use equalization to reduce or enhance (cut or boost) the lows, mid and treble frequencies in either instrument, as required. I often find it necessary to EQ my vocals to give them more presence in the mid- and upper-mid frequencies. Use your ears before you make any adjustments, though. If everything sounds good, resist the urge to tweak, and step away from the control panel!

One last tip: If your PA system sounds muffled or boomy, try raising the speakers off the floor by putting them on stands or tables. “Coupling” (how the speaker interacts with the floor or nearby surfaces) can occur, and this often affects the clarity and bass response of the speakers. Moving the speakers away from walls and corners will also reduce this effect … or, conversely, you can move them closer if the sound is thin and lacks low-end information.

Feedback

Often the venue management will have no concept of how the acoustic environment and space restrictions affect our sound and ability to control the volume and tone. I always make a point of politely explaining that my stage volume is dependent on my proximity to the speakers. That’s because resonant feedback (high-pitched howling) can occur if an acoustic guitar and a microphone are in front of the PA speakers, especially at high volume levels.

To combat this, try moving in line with the speakers or behind them, or reduce the volume. Unfortunately, if your sound system is also serving as your onstage monitor (which is often the case in smaller venues), you’ll find it harder to hear your vocals and guitar from behind the speakers. Try to find a good compromise between volume and your position relative to the speakers.

If you have a good knowledge of live sound, you may be able to notch out any problematic feedback using the PA system’s EQ controls, particularly if they offer a graphic or parametric equalizer. Some acoustic guitars, like Yamaha A Series models, feature an AFR (Auto Feedback Reduction) control, activated by pressing in the guitar’s onboard bass knob (shown below). AFR can analyze, find and reduce any feedback problems that may occur during a live performance.

Closeup of bass control on side of guitar body. — *AC5R AFR/bass control.*

Effects

Effects such as reverb, delay and chorus are commonly applied to both guitar and vocals. Judicious use of these can enhance your sound and add professional studio-quality polish to your performances.

If you have a particular pedal or effect that inspires you and gives you that extra spark when you perform, bring it along. At solo gigs, my guitar and vocals are processed through a Line 6 Helix in stereo. Settings for all the songs I play are programmed and saved within Helix as a series of setlists for various performance situations. Without Helix, my sound just doesn’t light me up!

It’s best to think of reverb as being the simulation of an acoustic space, so reduce your reverb level and/or decay time if you are already performing in a very reverberant (“live”) room, which will be the case if there are concrete floors or large windows, for example. (That’s why I always bring a rug to stand on at gigs.) On the other hand, if the room is very dry-sounding due to there being curtains or a lot of carpeting on the floor, or if you’re playing outdoors with no reflective surfaces nearby, you may want to increase the reverb amount or delay time to compensate.

More often than not, performers sound-check when the room is empty. However, the acoustic space will always sound drier when the audience fills the venue for the simple reason that human bodies (and the clothing they are wearing) absorb sound. Make adjustments to your EQ and effects (if needed) once you’ve played your first couple of songs.

The PA System

My PA system of choice is the compact and portable Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K Mk II, which includes a powered mixer, a line array speaker and a subwoofer. I find that this faithfully reproduces the sound of my voice, guitar and percussion across all frequencies. The J-Curve dispersion of the line array allows me to monitor my own sound as I’m performing and at the same time delivers pristine, well-balanced tones to small and large audiences alike. At larger gigs, I run two STAGEPAS systems for beautiful stereo sound that even the most discerning listener can appreciate.

Close-up of mixer controls. — *Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K Mk II mixer.*

The built-in five-channel mixer with EQ and effects (shown above) handles any input requirements from multiple sources (via XLR and 1/4″ connectors) and these inputs can all be controlled from a mobile device via a free Bluetooth^® app.

The Microphone

I suggest taking a little time to find a microphone that is optimal for your voice. Every part of your signal chain is significant, but this is one of the most important, so far better to bring along your own mic to gigs than to rely on the one(s) at the venue. Product reviews are helpful, but nothing beats trying the microphone with your voice and PA system.

I made a considerable investment of time and money finding the right mic for my voice. After considerable experimentation, I found that I needed a brighter sounding microphone to lend clarity to the depth of my vocals.

The investment was well worth it. I’ve had the microphone for many years now and have received countless compliments on my vocal sound.

The Video

In this live performance video, I’m playing a Yamaha A Series A4K LIMITED acoustic guitar through two Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K systems, with both the guitar and vocals running through a Line 6 Helix processor, where all the EQ and effects adjustments are made in stereo.

You’ll notice that my vocals sound clean and clear above the guitar signal, and the slide guitar stands out over the guitar loop during the solo and coda sections. All these details are meticulously thought out and programmed beforehand.

The Guitar

The Yamaha A Series A4K LIMITED is the same guitar as the A5R western body cutaway, but with an all-solid Hawaiian koa top, back and sides instead of solid Sitka spruce and rosewood. The Hawaiian koa adds a nice warmth to the mid-range tone of this instrument.

The Wrap-Up

Every performance environment presents its own series of challenges, but through experience, you’ll learn to navigate them. Of course, it helps if you have excellent equipment to support your instruments, and if you know how to get the absolute best out of all the elements of your system.

When it’s showtime, the key to confidence is knowing that you’ve rehearsed thoroughly, dialed in your tone and made every attempt to perfect your stage performance and sound ahead of time.

That way, the next time you’re facing an unpredictable audience in an unfamiliar venue, you’ll have all the tools at hand to turn a tough gig into a great one. Keep smiling, keep the faith in your abilities, and represent your artistry through refined talent, impeccable sound and consummate professionalism.

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Related blog articles:

How to Play Guitar and Sing at the Same Time

Dialing in Your Live Sound

Hitting the Sweet Notes

Going Solo

Click here for more information about Yamaha A Series acoustic guitars.

Click here for more information about Yamaha A4K Limited acoustic guitars.

Click here for more information about the Line 6 Helix guitar processor.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K Mk II PA system.

Woman sitting at her home computer desk with her chin resting on her hand and just staring at the computer screen.

Don’t Resist Resistance

Written by Shelly Peiken on August 9, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

One of my favorite books about getting out of our own way is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. The author explores inner creative battles and discusses how writers resist writing even though, ideally, we should be tackling projects that make us stretch and taking on assignments that will lead us into uncharted waters and/or compel us to explore unconscious parts of ourselves. It’s written in short chapters so I keep it near my favorite reading chair and absorb it in small bites — food for thought throughout my day. I’ve recognized myself in its pages.

Most of the dictionary definitions for the word “resistance” contain the idea of opposition. When we resist ourselves, we are opposing ourselves, which seems counterintuitive to our mission. We are the ones we should be most in touch with and paying attention to. Our unique perspective on how we see the world, embrace or reject love, rejoice and carry on in a crisis — that’s what will make our music unique as well.

Why would we resist ourselves? My main reason for procrastination has to do with a fear of not being able to effectively execute a particularly precious idea — perhaps a concept that came to me like a bolt of lightning and begged to be written immediately in order to preserve the integrity of its essence. But then I think to myself, if I “mis-execute” it I won’t be able to go back and try another approach. So, instead, I prune my gardenias or clean out a closet lest I taint my precious idea forever. That’s my inner dialogue. I think we all have our own inner dialogue that keeps us from advancing.

All this despite the fact that I know from experience that if I put my “mis-execution” on the back burner I can safely give myself permission to start over. (It’s not going anywhere). There may even be bits of version #1 worth incorporating into version #2.

I actually believe that resistance can function as a necessary step in the creative process. For example, I’ve witnessed my husband (who’s a film composer) pace our bedroom for hours, unable to turn out the light, because he couldn’t come up with a cue for an important scene that would live up to the emotion on the screen. I always remind him that this is his M.O. Part of his drill. “Keep pacing,” I tell him. “Knock yourself out.” Eventually (most likely first thing in the morning) he’s going to go back into the studio, put his hands on the keys and write it. And it’s gonna be good. It always is. But not before the torture. Luckily, he has a live-in muse to remind him of that. ????

Funny that even though my inner dialogues and excuses have evolved over the years, even though I’ve had Number 1 hits and there are dozens of gold records on my wall, I still face resistance. I’ve had to wonder if maybe I need it — if it’s serving me in some vague but positive way. Making art is never clear and concise. Overcoming creative obstacles can be a mysterious, confusing — but delicious — journey.

If we surrender to our own resistance — if we let it scare us and push us too far back from the front line — we lose. But if we can be more aware of it, recognize our own inner dialogue and give it a little breathing room, we can outsmart it. It’s all about knowing that resistance is part of the process. It’s just a matter of time before we get the upper hand.

So maybe the challenge is to outlast the resistance in order to win that war of art and emerge victorious. There’s no uncharted territory we can’t chart. The gardenias and the closet will just have to wait.

A Guide to Parent Resources for Beginning Band and Orchestra

Group of students playing woodwind instruments.

So Your Child Wants to Play a Woodwind

Written by Dale Ramirez on August 6, 2021. Posted in Parents.

Your child has come home with a flyer with options for them to join the school band, and they are beaming with joy at the prospect of being able to make their own music with a saxophone, clarinet or flute. The only problem is, you don’t know what you need to do to get your kid started.

If you’re looking for the most important information to know when selecting a woodwind instrument for your son or daughter, you’ve come to the right place.

Note: It’s true that there is a whole world of woodwinds out there like the oboe, bassoon and the small but mighty piccolo. However, the saxophone (both alto and tenor versions), clarinet and flute are the three woodwinds most commonly used by schools at the beginning band level, so for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on those three.

Saxophone

In school bands, the most common types of saxophone are tenor sax (the bigger version with an “S” curve in the neck) and alto sax (the slightly smaller version, with a neck that has just one bend). There are five basic parts to every saxophone:

1. The reed. This is what gets the sound going as it vibrates by virtue of air being blown over it.

2. The ligature. This holds the reed.

3. The mouthpiece. This is where the reed is secured so that its vibrations can be translated to the rest of the instrument.

4. The neck. This connects the mouthpiece to the body.

5. The body. This is the largest, shiny part where the hands are placed.

Your child’s first rental or purchased saxophone will more than likely come with all these parts. The only additional piece of equipment needed is a neck strap, which hooks onto a special ring on the body of the sax and helps to keep the instrument upright while it’s being played.

The most important priorities for a young student starting on the saxophone are the same as for most wind instruments:

1. Response. How easily they can make a sound;

2. Intonation. How closely that sound aligns with a pitch set by their instructor; and

3. Tone. How well they can create the instrument’s characteristic sound.

At the beginning, the musical journey for many can be frustrating, so an instrument that can consistently be played without a ton of upkeep can help smoothen the road ahead. A good choice for kids starting out is the YAS-26 Standard Alto Saxophone or the Yamaha YTS-26 Standard Tenor Saxophone, though the ambitious player may already be setting their eyes on intermediate models such as Yamaha 300, 400 or 500 Series saxes.

Clarinet

There are several parts to the clarinet:

1. The reed. The source of the vibration when blown across.

2. The ligature. This stabilizes the reed in one place.

3. The mouthpiece. This houses both the ligature and the reed and connects them to the instrument.

4. The barrel. This connects the mouthpiece to the body.

5. The upper body, where the top stack of keys are attached.

6. The lower body, where the bottom stack of keys are attached.

7. The bell. This is the flare at the bottom of the instrument.

The bodies of most entry-level clarinets (such as the Yamaha YCL-255) are made from an ABS resin, known for its extreme strength and resistance to variations in humidity, although some are made of hardwood like grenadilla. ABS resin is usually the best option for beginners due to its durability and relative ease in maintenance. Although there are various fingering variations for the clarinet, most beginning instruments (such as the YCL-255) feature the Boehm fingering system standard in American classrooms.

In most school bands, there will be just one type of clarinet: the B♭ (B flat) clarinet. This instrument is a great starting place for young reed players as it’s common in elementary musical literature all the way through Mozart’s finest concertos. Like other woodwinds, the most important thing for beginning clarinetists is that they be able to make a sound and keep it in tune, with a tonality similar to the other clarinets in the school band.

Flute

The flute has a clear and bright character with a sweetly distinctive sound that has floated atop bands, orchestras and all types of musical ensembles for centuries. It has just three main parts: the headjoint, the body (sometimes called the “main tube”) and the footjoint. A flute produces its characteristic sound via air blown across a lip plate, which creates a standing vibration that then gets passed into the rest of the instrument. The player can then open and close keys to raise and lower the pitch; these also can be used for changing tonality.

It usually takes some time for beginning flute players to be able to consistently make their first sound on the instrument. To the outside observer, it can look awe-inspiring to see breath be transformed so directly into sound. (Here’s a detailed explanation of how this works.)

An important consideration for the beginning flutist is key type: Open-holed or closed-holed? In-line keys or offset keys? Open-holed flutes have holes in the keys. These provide the player with nuance and control over the sound, but may present the beginner with challenges in closing the holes, especially if they have small hands and fingers. If a young student has an open-holed flute and is frustrated with not being able to close the holes, key caps, which are included in most open-holed models, are a great option to fill in the keys until the student has achieved a level of proficiency. Most “standard” (beginner) flutes, like the Yamaha YFL-222, come with an “Offset G” or offset keys, meaning that the keys are designed with a slight non-linear layout so they better fit the natural curve of the fingers. Offset keys are recommended for nearly all beginning flutists.

Priorities for the beginning flute student are similar to those of other wind instruments: how easily one can produce a sound, how closely that sound can match the pitch of the class, and how closely that sound can match the tone or character of their fellow bandmates. The most important consideration for young flutists is that they be equipped with an instrument that feels comfortable. Don’t be afraid to ask your child what they think of the instrument in their hands.

Whichever instrument your child decides to pursue, remember that your local authorized Yamaha dealer is an excellent source of information. Setting your child up for success can lead to years of musical satisfaction down the road.

Check out these related blog articles:

Beginner’s Guide to the Saxophone

Five Saxophone Facts You May Not Know

Five Things You Never Knew About the Clarinet

Genealogy of the Flute Family

Click here for more information about renting a band instrument, and band in general.

Click here for more information about school music.

Click here for more information about Yamaha saxophones.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YCL-255 Standard Clarinet.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YFL-222 Standard Flute.

Click here to locate your local authorized Yamaha dealer.

female teacher with group pf elementary students holding hand bells

7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Teaching

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on August 5, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish I knew THAT before I started teaching”?

If I had been given a head’s up on the seven situations and scenarios below, it would have saved me a ton of time and significantly reduced my stress level during my first year of teaching at an elementary school. I hope these tips will help you as you embark on your career as a music educator.

1. Setting Up Your Classroom

My first classroom experience was a whirlwind. Two days prior, I was interviewed, and then I was told to set up my room as soon as possible. My first thoughts were to organize the room, decide on a theme and make everything look pretty.

What I discovered is that it’s more important to set up the room for transitions than it is to make it look nice.

If you have a music classroom with two doors, you are lucky because transitions are easier, especially if you add markers on the floor. Take some stickers that represent your school’s mascot (pawprints, lightning bolts, etc.) and put them on the floor in a straight line in front of the second door. This is where students will exit the room. These stickers will help kindergarteners learn how to stand in a line (something some young students won’t know how to do at the beginning of the year). Make sure the stickers are spaced far enough apart to prevent older students from poking and prodding one another.

Another thing that I didn’t realize is that elementary music teachers often have two classes in their room at once. This is because some teachers drop off their students early, while other teachers tend to run a bit late. If you don’t set up your room for this exiting-and-entering transition, you’ll struggle with classroom management.

After you put down the markers for the exit plan, make an entrance plan, and set it up accordingly. Where do you want the students to go when they first come in? Purchase a carpet with designated spots, so that it is easier to make your seating chart. Also make sure that there is nothing too exciting such as stuffed animals or xylophones near either door.

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2. Preparing for the Fall Open House

Preparing for the fall open house (some schools call it back-to-school night or round-up) at an elementary school requires a lot of coffee. Go ahead, laugh! But it’s true.

Add some extra self-care: Because open houses are basically an extension of the school day, there is no time to go home, grab dinner or rest. I recommend packing a double meal or even finding something frozen that you can pop into the microwave. Trust me, you’ll need it. Another helpful thing to do is to set aside five minutes to decompress or meditate before parents and students arrive.

The reason why I’m mentioning open house self-care is because that is exactly what I didn’t do. At my first open house, I was running on empty. Then, the families started to wander in.

Direct parents into your new classroom: Parents tend to bypass “Specials” classrooms like music during after-school events. At my first open house, I greeted a few parents toward the beginning, then nobody came to my classroom for the next three hours. Yikes! If you’re new, do a bit of advertising. Make a poster with your name and subject on it and add a few bells and whistles like ribbons and bright colors. Maybe even play a little bit of soft music to make your room more welcoming. You’re going to want to meet your students’ families long before the musical or (even worse) the end of the grading period.

Don’t forget the students: During open house, always have something that the kids can do. I wanted my activity to be relevant to music, so at my first open house, I put a bucket of boomwhackers in the middle of the room, which sounded like a great idea until students started to use them as swords! Remember, students have a ton of energy at the beginning of the school year. I learned that more appropriate items to leave out to keep students busy include egg shakers, finger cymbals, hand bells or claves.

3. Fast Ways to Learn Students’ Names

My favorite way to learn students’ names is pretty simple: Make nametags out of large flashcards, punch two holes in each card and tie about 24 inches of yarn through the holes. Place these nametags in an alphabetical organizer by the door, so students can grab them and put them on as they come into the classroom.

I know what you’re thinking: The nametags are going to get ripped and messed up. Yep! That’s exactly the point. Once a student accidentally rips the yarn off of the nametag, throw it away, and tell them you know their name now. This helps you gradually memorize the names of students.

Another way to learn your students’ names is to try some name-game songs. “Bounce High, Bounce Low” and “Hickety Tickety Bumblebee” work really well for younger elementary students. You can also use these games to assess singing voices. The “Telephone” song is a great name game that is more melodically engaging and works for older elementary students in 4th and 5th grades.

4. Build Rapport with Students

I made a big mistake when I first became a teacher: I was so focused on keeping my classroom in control that I didn’t spend enough time building rapport. That is until I filled in for someone else’s classroom. That teacher had something called “Carpet Time,” which was such a great idea, I immediately used it in my class.

I changed the name of the activity to “Shares” and use five minutes at the beginning or end of a class to listen to a handful of students as they share something about their day or something they’re looking forward to. This is, in and of itself, classroom management because you only select students who are on their best behavior. Before long, everyone else will straighten up.

But that isn’t the main point. Students want to get to know you as much as you want to get to know them. So, give them a voice. Start building rapport with your students in the form of shares within the first week. It’s a large time commitment, but it’s time well spent — trust me.

5. Coworkers’ Respect is Earned, Not Given

The fact that the respect of coworkers is earned and not given came as a shock to me as a first-year teacher. The janitor won’t just drop everything to help me with my musical setup? What was the deal?!

The “deal” is that respect must be earned, especially if you are a very young first-year teacher. Sure, you might have a similar degree as everyone else in the building, but what you don’t have is rapport (again) or hands-on experience.

Make sure to spend some time in the faculty room. If you aren’t around, your peers won’t respect you as much. Talk to classroom teachers during transitions and let them see you in action by showing them a music game you taught their students. And get to know — and appreciate — the school’s support staff. The custodians and secretaries will prove to be invaluable! Give it some time, and you’ll be part of the team soon enough.

6. The Actual Length of a Teachers’ School Day

We all know that the school day for teachers goes far beyond 3 p.m., but I didn’t know that the day starts way before the bell rings, too. Make sure to read up on your contract for after-school and before-school commitments. Because Specials teachers have such different schedules from other classroom teachers, we often get an extra-long planning period but have another commitment, such as bus duty early in the morning. Prepare to work an hour before the school day and at least a half an hour after. The real length of a teachers’ school day looks more like 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus some time for planning.

I found that planning my classes before I left the school was more effective than doing this work at home. You don’t want your home to become a place of work, too. Not to mention, it’s far too tempting to nap!

7. Setting Boundaries

It can be really difficult for empathetic people like elementary music teachers to set boundaries. Because we are Specials teachers, our schedules are different than other educators and more flexible. Unfortunately, this can lead to other coworkers trying to take advantage of you, especially if you are young and new.

I set my first boundary with a co-worker out of a sense of urgency. I remember the way my voice rang out with the words, “No, I can’t take your students right now.” I was 20, she was probably about 45. I was certainly nervous and frightened as I flexed my assertiveness muscles for the first time at work. We actually ended up being great friends shortly after this firm boundary was set.

What I wish I knew before was this: Boundary setting can improve your relationships with your coworkers and be better for your wellbeing.

Your Journey is Just Beginning!

I hope these tips will help you start off on the right foot. The start of school is just around the corner, and your new classroom awaits. Enjoy it!

Yamaha AVENTAGE: Setting the Reference Standard for AV Receivers

Written by Phil Shea on August 5, 2021. Posted in Audio Gear Guides.

The 2010 introduction of the Yamaha AVENTAGE line of AV receivers, with a name that stands for AV Entertainment for the New Age, was the culmination of an extensive two-year research and development project. The company’s engineering teams were tasked to find better ways to implement many important features from the ground up. The resultant product line would feature a unique spin on mechanical, thermal and electrical stability in order to faithfully recreate the dynamics and intricate detail found in music and movie soundtracks. Ultimately, AVENTAGE would become the reference standard to which other AV receivers are compared.

Ready to learn more? Read on …

Mechanical Stability

Vibration and resonances are detrimental to reproducing pure audio. For that reason, the Yamaha mechanical engineers were challenged with creating a rock-solid chassis. The final result was an integrated structural system where all mechanical elements worked together to achieve high levels of rigidity and vibration control.

The mechanical structure was based on a fundamental H-frame design that consisted of thoughtfully placed reinforcing brackets and bracing with new assembly techniques, giving it the rigidity to reduce chassis vibration to virtually zero, even during high volume output.

Graphic rendering of opened unit as seen from above. — *The Yamaha H-frame design, as seen with the lid off.*

An A.R.T. (Advanced Resonance Technology) wedge, also known as the fifth foot, was located at the center of the bottom panel. It provides foundational support to the massive center-mounted power transformer and adds stability to the unit when it’s channeling hundreds of watts of surround sound to connected speakers. This has been a consistent element of the entire AVENTAGE line from the very beginning to the present day.

Closeup of fifth foot. — *The AVENTAGE fifth foot.*

Thermal Stability

Transistor temperature variations are part of the physics of reproducing high dynamic signals like music, and must be electronically compensated for in real time. The more stable the temperature, the gentler the required compensation, leaving the music in a purer state.

Accordingly, instead of using off-the-shelf, uniformly thick slabs of aluminum with attached cooling fins as heat sinks, Yamaha developed a new custom design with most of the mass of the extruded aluminum heat sink on the lower part of the base, where the transistors are attached. This maximizes rigidity and at the same time increases the thermal stability of the high-power output transistors. With more mass at the transistor mounting points, temperature variations are minimized.

Closeup of the unit. — *AVENTAGE heat sinks.*

In addition, the heat sinks were placed on either side of the transformer for a symmetrical layout. Electrically separating the amplifiers for the left side of the room from those covering the right side of the room reduces the possibility of signal interactions. The result is lower noise and better signal separation, as well as increased cooling efficiency.

View of unit exposing inner workings. — *Symmetrical amplifier layout.*

Electrical Stability

Separate input circuit boards were developed for analog audio, digital audio, control systems and video circuitry. While a more costly method, the sonic benefits of isolating these different types of circuits, and their unique power supply requirements, was deemed essential.

View of circuit board. — *AVENTAGE circuit board design.*

The high current sections of all circuit boards were examined for efficient signal flow. Where necessary, thicker conduction material was added — either thicker copper foil to the boards, or additional wire or copper jumper bars for the very high current sections.

For wire management inside the unit, it was observed that metal wire ties could act like miniature antennas, potentially adding unwanted noise to the system. Taking the extra step to electrically ground all the board-mounted wire ties was the simple solution. Even the main power fuse was evaluated for its sonic integrity. While many of these minute details on their own would not produce much in the way of sonic improvement, the sum of their contributions make up the foundation of the signature AVENTAGE sound.

Upgradability

What made the original AVENTAGE design even more special was its ability to be upgraded with each new generation. The first top-of-the-line model — the RX-A3000, which debuted in 2010 — was loaded with the most advanced technologies available at the time. But with only 7.2 channels of sound and 1080p video processing, it’s not all that impressive now, especially when compared to, say, the (now discontinued) AVENTAGE RX-A3080 released in 2018, which offered 11.2 channels of audio, along with support for Dolby^® Atmos™ and DTS:X™, 4k UHD video capability and Yamaha Surround:AI™ — the world’s first artificial intelligence in an AV receiver.

View of right front of unit. — *The RX-A3000 was part of the first-ever line of AVENTAGE AV receivers.*

The forward-thinking original AVENTAGE platform was robust enough to easily handle the technological innovations of the last decade. But, like all things in technology, there comes a time to update. The latest line of AVENTAGE receivers incorporate enhancements to the original concepts as well as accommodation for as-yet-unknown new technologies to come.

They also sport a new look and new features. The dual knobs, centered display screen and panel cover on the front panel of previous models have been replaced with a single knob in the center and an off-center screen. The chipset received a bold upgrade as well, with the RX-A8A, RX-A6A and RX-A4A models now supporting immersive 3D audio, enabled by the Qualcomm^® QCS407 smart audio platform, which provides powerful quad-core audio processing for superior sound quality and a cinematic listening experience. All 2021 AVENTAGE receivers boast 8K HDMI capabilities, and the RX-A8A and RX-A6A provide support for AURO-3D, a 3D audio technology that adds an extra height layer to a standard surround sound mix.

View of unit on shelf below flat screen TV. — *Yamaha RX-A8A.*

By rethinking their design from the ground up and incorporating the latest technologies — as well as looking ahead at those to come — Yamaha has made the AVENTAGE line the reference standard for AV receivers. If you’re serious about home entertainment, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

Click here for more information about Yamaha AVENTAGE AV receivers.

Click here for more information about the AVENTAGE RX-A8A.

Click here for more information about the AVENTAGE RX-A6A.

Click here for more information about the AVENTAGE RX-A4A.

MIDI Arranging Tips

Written by Mike Levine on August 4, 2021. Posted in Recording.

Among the many benefits of MIDI is that it allows you to put the sound of almost any instrument into your music. But having access to such sonic diversity is not enough.

Knowing how to arrange MIDI instruments effectively, either in conjunction with real ones or in MIDI-only productions, is an important part of DAW-based recording. Here are some tips to help you get started.

At the Source

Choosing sounds is a crucial part of MIDI arranging. Most contemporary DAWs come with loops and collections of sampled instruments and synths, and there are countless third-party collections available as well.

It’s essential to familiarize yourself with the MIDI instruments and sounds you have. That way, you’ll know which ones you like, and which will work best for specific kinds of parts. It will also tell you if you need to purchase more instruments or sounds for the type of music you’re doing.

Stack ’em Up

When you record a MIDI track in your DAW, it contains no audio, just data. It tells your DAW what notes to play and when, as well as how hard you played them, along with other information. Those instructions are instrument-agnostic. That is, they can trigger any MIDI instrument sound. Until you bounce your final mix, you can switch sounds at will.

You can also trigger more than one instrument sound at a time from the same MIDI data. That’s called layering, and it’s an important tool when it comes to doing MIDI arrangements. Layered sounds allow you to make your own creative instrument blends, even if you’re just using your instrument’s factory presets. Custom combinations can add a lot of originality to your music, and they’re often much richer than individual sounds too.

Another cool thing about layering is that it doesn’t necessarily sound like two instruments playing. Because you’re using the identical MIDI part to trigger both layers, it often seems like a bigger and fuller version of a single instrument.

Some virtual instruments let you trigger multiple sounds from a single MIDI track. HALion Sonic SE (included in Steinberg Cubase and available as a free downloadable VST, AU and AAX instrument for any DAW) allows you to assign up to sixteen different sounds to one track.

But even for an instrument that can only trigger a single sound at a time, layering is easy: simply copy the track and assign it to either the same sound or to a different one.

Here’s an example of layering for a synth bass sound. First, here’s a single bass sound (with the drum track as well for context) from Steinberg’s HALion Sonic SE:

And here it is, layered with another, relatively similar sound from HALion Sonic SE. I panned both parts slightly away from the center to enhance the feeling of width:

In this next example, you’ll hear how you can substantially change character sonically by using a different-sounding layer instead. First, here’s a sequenced lead sound from Steinberg’s Padshop 2 synth (provided with Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist), using a preset called Keep Moving:

And here’s the result when the track is duplicated and layered with Steinberg’s Retrologue synth (again, provided with Cubase Pro and Artist) playing a preset called Aggressive Saw Plucks:

Get Real

If you’re producing electronic music, you have the advantage of a virtually unlimited sonic palette. You’re not trying to imitate acoustic instruments, so you can go for any sound that works in the context of your music.

But if you’re trying for MIDI parts that sound like actual instruments, you want to play them as authentically as you can. For starters, it’s helpful to stay in the instrument’s actual range. For guidance, you can find plenty of instrument range charts online (try Googling “musical instrument ranges”).

Certain instruments are easier than others to emulate realistically. For example, MIDI drums can be extremely convincing, particularly if you use MIDI drum loops recorded by real drummers. (For more on drum programming, check out this Recording Basics posting.) Electric bass is another instrument that’s relatively easy to imitate with samples, especially if you keep the part as simple as is practical.

Here’s an example. You’ll hear two versions. One features a real electric bass that was recorded as an audio track. The other has a MIDI electric bass part, using a sampled bass instrument. Can you tell which is the real bass?

If you guessed the first one, you’re right. But the sounds are both authentic. The real bass is playing a simple part, so it wasn’t hard to duplicate it on a MIDI keyboard.

Articulate It

Except for keyboard parts (piano, organ etc.), many controller keyboards lack the ability to duplicate articulations that are integral to the sound of specific instruments. For example, string players use legato, staccato, tremolo and pizzicato, among other techniques. Guitarists strum chords and bend notes. Trombonists move their slides to glide between notes, and so forth. You can’t get those subtle sonic variations from just pressing a key.

However, there is a feature called key switching that’s programmed into many sampled instruments. Here, several notes at the bottom of the keyboard (below the instrument’s range) are used as switches that allow you to select and change articulations when you press them. If you have an instrument that offers this feature, it’s worth your while to learn how to use it. And because it’s MIDI, you can trigger key switches after you’ve recorded the notes, if that makes it easier for you.

Some of the presets in HALion Sonic SE (for example, the Symphonic Orchestra shown below, part of the Absolute collection or sold separately) offer key switching, and Cubase’s Expression Maps feature gives you even more control over articulations.

Less is More

When you want to use a specific instrument in an arrangement but the MIDI version sounds inauthentic, perhaps there’s a way to adapt the part so that it’s less upfront. The more it’s featured, the more its sampled nature becomes apparent.

Be honest with yourself. If a part screams “sampled,” and you can’t scale it back to a more subtle role, take it out of the arrangement.

Another thing you can do to make MIDI instruments sound realistic is to avoid over-quantizing them. (For more information on quantization, see this blog posting.) Yes, you don’t want notes to be out of time, but if you quantize your performances 100 percent to the grid, they’ll tend to sound less like they were played by humans and more like they were programmed. In electronic music, that’s fine, but not in “organic” genres like rock, pop, country, blues, etc.

When going for realism, a helpful technique is to set the quantize controls to only move the notes that are significantly early or late and leave the closer ones alone. Many DAWs let you set a quantize percentage, which dictates how close to the grid it will move the notes. Think of this as an “intensity” setting. If it’s 100 percent, all notes will move to the grid. If it’s 50 percent, the notes will only be moved half as close.

In Cubase, a feature called Safe Range lets you specify a zone defined by distance (measured in ticks) before and after a note where notes won’t be quantized. The idea here is that notes within that range are close enough to the grid to be left alone. Only notes that are outside the zone, and thus farther from the beat, will get moved.

Similarly, you don’t want to flatten out the performance dynamics by changing all the velocities to be too similar (velocity measures how hard the notes are struck, which usually translates to volume). It’s OK to bring up or down the velocities of individual notes if they’re too loud or too quiet, but avoid setting all velocities to the same level, as it will take a lot of the feeling out of the part.

Coda

Just as you can use synthesizers without knowing how to program them, you don’t need to be musically literate to arrange for MIDI instruments; however, it helps to understand basic music theory, so consider making yourself as knowledgeable in that area as possible — there are plenty of online courses and resources.

That said, there’s no substitute for experience when it comes to using MIDI instruments (or any instruments, for that matter). The more you work with them, the more facile you’ll become. If nothing else, it’s a lot of fun to press keys and hear cool sounds!

And don’t worry if your initial arranging attempts don’t live up to your expectations. Not even the most successful producers put together killer tracks when they first started out. As with anything in music, keep working on it, and you’ll see steady progress.

Check out these related articles.

Click here for more information about Steinberg products.

School’s Out: Ten Tips for Keeping Your Drumming Skills Sharp

Written by Marc Dicciani on July 30, 2021. Posted in Drums How-to.

During the school year, most of your days, evenings and weekends are tightly scheduled, and it can be tough to find the time to take a step back, re-evaluate, plan and work on your drumming. Summer is an ideal time to expand your musical goals and drumming skills, and to build your unique playing style and musical voice.

Here are 10 tips to help you do just that. You may find that many, if not all of these will also come in handy year-round!

1) Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into the Learning Zone

It’s best to allocate just 25% of your practice time to things you have some degree of comfort with; the other 75% should be spent working on new skills or those that you want to improve. For example, you might want to spend 5 minutes working on single paradiddles on a pad or a snare (comfort zone), but then spend another 15 minutes on the entire drum set using combinations of paradiddles to create grooves, fills, and solo ideas (learning zone).

2) Generate, Create, Innovate

Start with a basic pattern, fill, sticking technique or concept that you see in a drum book, hear on a recording or watch on a video. First learn it, then use your imagination to explore some different ways of playing it (i.e., changing or adding accents, stickings, sounds, dynamics, etc.) and make it your own. This way of practicing is known as elaboration, and it makes your learning deeper and longer-lasting. It’s also a lot of fun!

3) It’s Not About Chops, It’s About Music

Limit the amount of time you spend watching and listening to social media “experts” who focus on showing off their proficiency with difficult licks. Some of those things can be cool to play, but performing music with other musicians as a team and making the music sound better is your goal. That said, there are some great videos on social media: they’re the ones posted by experienced professional drummers and teachers, as well as companies that, like Yamaha, are dedicated to education.

4) It’s Not About the Hours, Either

How you practice is just as important as what you practice. Your sessions should be focused and free from distractions — cell phone, social media, TV, etc. Also, you don’t need a single block of 2, 3, or more hours daily in order to improve. It’s actually better if you break up your practice into smaller chunks of time, a few times a day. Research studies show that practicing something for three 10-minute sessions, even if they are separate and occur at different times, is equivalent to a single continuous 30-minute block!

I recommend 25 minutes, followed by a break of at least 5 minutes, and then return and practice for another 25 minutes. Limit the time in any one practice session to 60 minutes, with a short break in the middle. Then go and do something else — hang out with friends, play some basketball, help around the house, whatever. You can then put in another hour (or more) later that day or evening.

5) Aim to Improve Just 1% Each Day

Expecting to see big results every day can lead to frustration. Rather than concentrating on getting a lot better in one skill in each practice session, try getting just a little better. Small changes, applied regularly over time, add up and lead to significant improvement. By small changes, I mean very small — targeting 1% improvement in whatever you’re working on. If you improve by even just that small percentage each time you practice, results will actually come quicker and be more pronounced.

6) Expand Your Listening

Try to listen to many different music and drumming styles, even if they’re not your favorite (especially if they’re not your favorite). Be sure to include music from other countries and cultures where drum and percussion instruments are central to the music. The more styles you listen to, the easier it will be to develop your own style, which is your ticket to drumming success. (Here’s a link to a short list of some recommended styles, drummers and recordings.)

7) Practice With Music

The best drummers are the ones who help to make the music sound great. Drummers typically spend a lot of time practicing alone without musical accompaniment, but I highly recommend listening to and playing along with music as often as possible (recordings, play-alongs, loops) and especially with other musicians. Although you can always practice with a metronome, try and play with music instead, focusing on keeping steady time, maintaining a good feel, and making the kinds of good musical choices that you learn from listening and doing.

8) You Don’t Always Need Sticks

Of the three important critical drumming skills — playing, listening and knowing — two can happen almost anytime and anywhere without sticks or drums. In addition to listening to a wide range of musical styles, reading about drummers and other musicians, as well as different cultures and drumming history, informs the choices you make about how and what to play. It also helps you realize that you are part of a world-wide community of people just like yourself who love music and playing drums. Terrific sources of interesting and valuable information can be found on the websites of drum, cymbal, drumhead and stick companies … and, of course, on this blog!

9) Balance Your Practice

Try to find some time each day to work on the following areas too:

Facility: technique, movement, coordination, reading and timing
Musicality: style, touch, tone, feel, groove and listening
Originality: improvisation, experimentation, tunings, set-ups, triggering, etc.

10) Work on These 5 Valuable Factors

Stickings. Singles and doubles in every combination and rhythm (8ths, 16ths, triplets, etc.) are especially important, particularly when applied to the entire drum set (see tip #1).
Your feet. Muscular and neural development of your feet and legs, along with coordination with the hands for accurate timing and volume balance, are critical to developing drumming “feel.” Practice 4-way coordination and focus on rhythmic accuracy and substituting between the hands and the feet.
Tempos. Practice through a wide range of tempos, including those that are very slow. Many styles of jazz, rock, metal, R&B, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music are played at tempos from very slow to very fast, so make sure to play them that way.
Consistent timing. Playing “in the pocket” is dependent on keeping consistent time. There are many ways to develop this, including playing with loops and clicks.
Self-evaluation. Regular, even daily, feedback is one of the keys to your growth and improvement as a drummer. Record your practice sessions often, then listen back and identify (or ask a teacher to point out) areas and suggestions for improvement.

Good luck, and have fun with your drumming practice this summer!

Older man sitting in front of a digital sound workshop.

Bill Wolf

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on July 28, 2021. Posted in Pro Audio Artists.

For more than 25 years, mastering engineer Bill Wolf’s GRAMMY^®award-winning work has brought out the best in many iconic musicians, from the Grateful Dead to Willie Nelson to Bruce Springsteen. In this video, he invites us into his studio in Alexandria, Virginia, and describes the many WaveLab features he uses regularly.

“WaveLab is my first choice for mastering,” he says. “I’ve used it for thousands of projects. It allows you to take a mix to a final product, whether it be for podcast, streaming or CD, and it’s one of the few programs that allows complete control.”

“The audio engine in all Steinberg products has always been a leader,” he adds. “I still think it sounds better than any playback engine I’ve heard.” Beyond its superior sonics, Wolf is a big fan of WaveLab’s functionality. “The audio montage allows you to isolate a clip within a song and process it individually, using individual plug-ins or stacks of plug-ins that can be recalled and used again later if the same problem occurs.”

Wolf also appreciates that WaveLab offers the ability to insert analog gear. He typically does preliminary sculpting in the Master section before dithering the digital audio to 24-bit and sending it out in the analog domain for additional outboard processing. He also relies heavily on the built-in WaveLab metering, including the loudness meter, which he uses for checking peak and RMS levels, as well as the bit meter. Wolf often references the WaveLab phase scope as well. “It lets me know about out-of-phase material on the sides,” he explains. “If something doesn’t sound right, it will show up there.” In addition, he’s a big fan of the WaveLab spectrum editor, which he uses often to ‘de-squeak’ guitars, selectively removing the sound of the player’s fingers scraping across new strings.

“WaveLab has been an essential part of my mastering career,” says Wolf. “I certainly recommend that any up-and-coming mastering engineer try it out, listen, and look at all the possibilities it offers.”

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Wavelab.

Tiffany Cox playing tuba in front of Lake Worth Community High School class

Case Study: The Power of a Transformative Teacher

Written by Christine Ngeo Katzman on July 27, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

At Lake Worth Community High School in Florida, Dr. Tiffany Cox finds a way to provide access to music for young musicians, no matter the challenge.

For example, she convinced students to stay in band for their senior year by offering them personalized college counseling. In a similar vein, she created a mentoring program to give middle school students private instrument lessons. In just three years, Cox increased her high school band program from nine students to 95.

Building a Community

Lake Worth is a large Title I school, and Cox notes that the majority of the 2,500 students live at poverty levels. Many of their parents did not attend college. Older teens are expected to work to help support their families.

“In a school where the band program has been failing for a long time, and the football program had been through rocky patches as well, … the school spirit has been lacking in general,” Cox says.

Taking over as director of bands in April 2017 after the previous director died, Cox recruited students in the hallways; she played short passages on her trombone during class changeovers. She also asked her drumline members to play. “I literally stopped kids in the hallway and asked, ‘What instrument do you play?’ And 90% of the time, they’ve played an instrument and had quit.”

At band camp, she emphasized fun — with lots of food and even water balloon fights — and encouraged students to share their experiences and photos on social media. “I wanted the entire [student] community to see what we were doing,” Cox says. “We’re building a community.”

During COVID-19, Cox kept students engaged by performing at weekly volleyball games in addition to the two allowed football games. Capped at 30 students per game, she rotated students through performances. She also focused on mental health, creating virtual socials as well as a mindfulness in music program.

Funding Outreach

To accomplish all of her goals, Cox relies on her own resourcefulness and consistently applies for grants through various programs. Cox received bell covers and face masks for her musicians through the Give a Note Foundation. Through the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, she received funds to buy yoga mats to do meditation in the band room.

In total, during the past four years, Cox and the band program have received $130,000 in monetary and in-kind donations. These include funds and items through DonorsChoose, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches, Lake Worth High School Alumni Foundation, Nat King Cole Generation Hope, and Give a Note for a timpani, xylophones, marimbas, a whole drumline, concert tubas, electronic keyboards, iPads and microphones.

“It’s a lot of reaching out to people in the community and applying for whatever is available, [whether] we get it or not,” Cox says. “It’s really hard to raise money the traditional way. We struggle selling cookie dough or wrapping paper. … Our communities don’t have disposable income. Instead of bleeding our community dry, we reach outside of the community to look for grant funding.”

Middle School Mentor Program

When Cox noticed a high staff turnover, poor retention and low skill levels in the middle school band program from her five feeder schools, Cox recruited her students involved with the Tri-M Music Honor Society to mentor the younger kids. Beginning in spring 2018 with five mentors going to one middle school, the program has expanded to involve 35 high school students helping five middle schools. With the high school day ending at 2:45 p.m., the students would go to the middle school band classes occurring during the last bell of the day until 4:00 p.m. Older musicians would be grouped with younger ones as buddies. The high schoolers would give private lessons, do pullout sections, or sit in rehearsals and provide support.

“As a band director, you’re looking at the whole sound, and sometimes it’s hard to get in to see what each person is doing wrong,” Cox says. “[The mentor program] was a good and motivating thing.”

Sometimes high schoolers also help by learning music and sitting among the middle schoolers during their concerts.

Cox herself amended her own schedule over the years to have a planning period in the middle of the day to help the high school students with the mentorship program as well as a planning period at the end of the day to be able to swing by any of the lower schools. “My schedule is purposefully set up for recruiting,” Cox says. “Anytime that a middle school director [asks] if I can help with trombone, I can go over there.”

K-12 Inclusivity

In addition, with her background teaching general elementary music prior to becoming director at Lake Worth, Cox regularly goes to the elementary schools. Because the closest elementary school is within walking distance, Cox brings her high school musicians to perform there several times a year. The drumline plays on the first day of school as buses arrive; a pep band performs during the elementary school’s Halloween parade; and band students also host a standardized testing pep rally.

This past year, the Tri-M Music Honor Society did a youth literacy initiative. For one particular book, the drumline played along to Cox reading “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” and the video was sent to the elementary schools and aired during morning announcements. “[The high school band students] coordinated [the program] with the principals,” she says. “They’re incredible kids.”

Since 2017, Cox and the high school choir director have organized a holiday extravaganza winter concert with their high school programs, three middle schools, and three elementary schools. (Lake Worth doesn’t have an orchestra program, but students involved in orchestra can attend another nearby high school in the district.) Each ensemble performs various pieces, and then all students join in a band/choir finale. The city funds a professional recording of the concert. In the 2019-2020 school year, more than 500 kids participated. “It’s an opportunity to learn about each other and support each other and an opportunity to recruit,” Cox says.

Focusing on Students’ Futures

Cox helps her high school musicians not only with musical skills but also with life skills. High school students learn and get feedback from Florida Atlantic University students that Cox involves. “We’re working on recruitment and the feeder chain from elementary all the way to collegiate level.”

After a few years at Lake Worth, Cox had noticed that students were joining high school band as freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and then quitting. “It was a cultural norm for kids to go to work and support the family,” Cox says. “It’s been a challenge to teach the kids that band is a four-year thing.”

Therefore, starting with the class of 2020, Cox did her own private mentoring with students. She would sit down with seniors to go through their portfolio to plan for college. They worked on resumes, personal statements, financial aid and college scholarship applications. She would also bring in parents to work on college paperwork and discuss financial planning, inviting local bank staff to open up checking and savings accounts. Cox also connected seniors with community members who would adopt them to buy items for their college dorms.

So far, the program seems successful in helping students achieve their goals. A prior drum major received a full scholarship to attend the University of Florida to study wildlife conservation and ecology. While college planning is available through the general counseling staff, the counselors are inundated with work, Cox says, so she decided to provide this extra support on her own.

“My thing is with the kids, whatever your goal is, whatever your dream is, we can make it happen for you,” Cox says. “You just need to put in the time, effort and energy.”

Well-Deserved Accolades

For all of her efforts to transform the lives of her students and the Lake Worth band program, Cox has not only been named a 2021 Yamaha 40 Under 40 music educator, but she has also been recognized as a quarterfinalist for the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator Award, received the 2020-2021 Spirit Award through the National Life Group LifeChanger of the Year program, and also was one of three winners of the Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts through the Palm Beach Symphony, in addition to other recognition.

“A lot of people think that we have it really rough [at Lake Worth] because we’re in a low-income neighborhood,” Cox says. “What they don’t see are the interactions [including a recent potluck celebration] that come together in our band room to make a family. There’s a lot of misinformation about teaching at a Title I school, [but] I love it. There’s nowhere in the world that I’d rather be than where I am right now. [The students] are so inspiring. They work to make me, this program and the school better. … I’m just very fortunate to be where I am.”

Cult Classics, Part 3: Vintage Yamaha Gear of the 1990s

Written by Phil Shea on July 27, 2021. Posted in History. 2 Comments on Cult Classics, Part 3: Vintage Yamaha Gear of the 1990s

The 1990s were filled with technological advances and forgettable fashion. (Remember jackets with rolled-up sleeves?) From the first iMac^® to the pager to AOL (LOL), the ’90s were clearly a mixed bag of pop culture priorities. But it was also the true beginning of the age of home theater.

The foundations of what home surround sound could be were laid down in the 1990s with a clear trajectory towards what we enjoy today. The combination of audio and video in a single high-performance entertainment centerpiece (the AV receiver) came about as a result of these breakthroughs — and that’s not all. Here are a few of the biggest contributions Yamaha made to home audio in the 1990s.

RX-V850 AV Receiver (1991)

View of front and top of audio receiver with remote resting on top of it. — *Yamaha RX-V850 AV receiver.*

The RX-V850 and its bigger brother, the RX-V1050, were the first AV receivers to feature Digital Sound Field processing, or what has become known as Yamaha CINEMA DSP. Home theater sound could now rival the experience found in a commercial theater, and surround sound processing tailored to enhance the movie viewing experience at home became a reality.

The engine that made this possible was the Yamaha YSS203 digital surround decoder chip. The YSS203 marked a significant advancement in the evolution of home theater performance. Its digitally controlled steering system offered much better surround sound directionality and realism than the commonly used analog decoders of the era. In addition, a Dolby^® Pro Logic^® Enhanced surround mode introduced enveloping DSP processing, making your living room sound more like a movie theater.

The RX-V850 was one of the most popular products the company has ever produced, setting the bar high for all Yamaha AV products that followed.

GT-CD1 CD Player (1991)

Wood trimmed audio component. — *Yamaha GT-CD1 CD player.*

Compact Disc players arrived in the early 1980s and had an entire decade to mature with improvements to error correction, laser tracking reliability and explorations into digital over-sampling for better sound. Yamaha engineers wanted to make a statement about the advanced audio capabilities of their CD players. For inspiration, it was decided to revisit the GT (Gigantic and Tremendous) concept from a decade-old product: the GT-2000 turntable.

The GT-CD1 symbolized the ingenuity and innovation in the history of Yamaha CD players. Its chassis relied on the forces of gravity to provide mechanical stability. Weighing in at over 50 pounds, every element of the machine was solidly coupled to the massive chassis, eliminating the need for the “floating” mechanism employed by most CD players of the era.

The motorized top-load glass lid gave an impression of what to expect, and setting a disc on the spindle and placing the heavy machined brass clamp added a tactile feeling of solidness. What’s more, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) in the GT-CD1 featured a unique configuration of independent left and right I-PDM system 1-bit DACs. Complementing the standard RCA and digital output connections was a pair of balanced XLR connectors, a rarity at the time.

CDC-605 / CDC-705 / CDC-805 CD Changer (1990)

A multi-CD player with the drawer open showing 4 of the 5 CDs in place. — *Yamaha CDC-605 CD changer.*

With the popularity of CD players on the rise in the early ’90s, it was time to add more — more discs, that is.

Extending the music enjoyment experience beyond the 64-minute capacity of a single standard CD was a challenge for the industry. Manufacturers came up with many creative ideas, including different types of cartridges holding five, six and even 10 discs, as well as juke box-type changers that held 100 discs or more. The Yamaha CDC-605, CDC-705 and CDC-805 family all offered a unique spin on this concept, while continuing the theme of “Natural Sound.”

The Yamaha-patented PlayXchange mechanism was clever in that it could provide uninterrupted music for long periods, along with greatly improved tracking performance. This system consisted of two independent mechanisms in a single chassis. The laser/disc motor module was independent of the 5-disc loading tray mechanism, thus eliminating the common problem of vibration from the large loading tray interfering with the precision laser playback.

What intrigued most users, however, was the ability to change out four of the discs while the fifth one was still playing. Swapping out discs would no longer bring the party to a standstill as everyone waited for the new music to be physically loaded into the machine. This unique feature was a staple of Yamaha multi-disc players for almost 30 years.

MX-1 Power Amplifier (1993)

Audio component. — *Yamaha MX-1 power amplifier.*

Throughout the 1980s, Yamaha designed some very large and boldly designed power amplifiers. The MX-1 had a far more stylized look, with its thinner profile and smoothly curved front surface. But don’t let the mild look fool you into thinking this was a wimpy amplifier: At 240 watts per channel, there was plenty of power to drive any speaker system available.

More than raw power, the amplifier topography was built on patented Hyperbolic Conversion Amplification (HCA) circuity. The creative design of the HCA amplifier stage resulted in Class A sonic quality with the high power and efficiency of a Class AB amplifier.

Because of all the excitement being generated by the new surround sound technologies being rolled out in the rest of the industry at the time, these high-performance amps kind of flew under the radar. For that reason, if you find one of these on the secondhand market, consider yourself lucky to have unearthed a true gem.

KPA-501 Karaoke Amp (1996)

View of front of component with all the controls. — *Yamaha KPA-501 Karaoke amp.*

We can’t talk about audio in the ’90s without touching on Karaoke mania. Busting out a Karaoke machine during get-togethers with friends was guaranteed to elevate the status from hangout to full-blown party. Having a quality Yamaha product to use made it even better.

The KPA-501 was built on the foundation of a Hi-Fi two-channel integrated amplifier, but its sophisticated DSP capabilities were leveraged to add quality effects and all the features needed for the job of making you sound good. Besides standard reverb and delay on the two microphone inputs, its Digital Super Surround (DSS) feature added several modes of virtual surround sound. Now your singing was more than effected, it was enveloping your listeners too!

The original marketing material suggested that “the KPA-501 will make you sound so good, you’ll want to hook up a cassette deck or VCR and record yourself singing.” Could this have been what tamed the growth of Karaoke at home? Playing back recordings from the previous night’s revelry may have been a little too revealing of some singer’s limited talents.

CDV-W901 LD/CD/Karaoke Player (1996)

Front view of audio component. — *Yamaha CDV-W901 LD/CD/Karaoke player.*

This was your last chance to grab a LaserDisc™ player from Yamaha. The LD format had been the king among videophiles for its superior picture and sound quality for almost 20 years, but the DVD was on the horizon, and the new format looked like a promising replacement. However, many enthusiasts had amassed large libraries of LaserDiscs and wanted one last new machine to keep enjoying their sizable collections before moving on to the future.

Knowing that this was getting to the end of the LD format, Yamaha spiced up the CDV-W901 with a full set of Karaoke features in order to appeal to a broader audience, along with all the bells and whistles that a LaserDisc enthusiast could ask for. Perhaps the most appealing of these was its ability to play both sides of an LD without having to manually flip the disc over. (LaserDiscs, like vinyl records, had content on both sides.) This was accomplished by utilizing a laser mechanism that was mounted on a pair of U-shaped rails that looped from under the disc around to the top. When the first side was finished playing, there was a minute or so pause as the laser traversed around to the top of the disc and then continued playing.

DVD-1000 DVD Player (1997)

View of front and top of audio component. — *Yamaha DVD-1000 DVD player.*

By the late 1990s, the DVD had arrived and the “Be Kind and Rewind” signs posted at your local video rental shop became a thing of the past.

The DVD player represented a gigantic leap forward in the evolution of home theater. Up until then, VHS was the format for the masses. But with DVD, it was now possible to watch a full movie in stunning 480i resolution … and without having to rewind a tape when you were done. While progressive scan 480p players were still a few years away, skipping to things called “chapters” was a new experience that attracted many users. And besides the upgrade in video quality, the capability of hearing discrete 5.1 digital soundtracks in your home was now a reality.

By today’s standard, it was kind of primitive, but in the 1990s the performance from the DVD-1000 and other DVD players of the era blew the doors off VHS and put the final nail in the coffin of the aged LaserDisc format. Technologies learned in the development of the DVD format are still with us today as we enjoy digital video from Blu-ray discs and online streaming content providers.

DSP-A1 DD/DTS Amplifier (1998)

View of front of component. There is a digital screen that displays "Movie Theater 1, DTS Sci-Fi" on the front left. Also, there is a remote control on the surface in front of the component. — *Yamaha DSP-A1 DD/DTS amplifier.*

The DSP A-1 was the first amplifier to incorporate both Dolby Digital^® and DTS audio decoding. This made it a must-have product for the early adopters of the era, and it was equally popular with the casual AV enthusiast.

Although new AV formats were emerging rapidly, legacy formats were still widely used. For that reason, the DSP-A1 was loaded with inputs and outputs, such as five inputs for video sources, including S-video switching and accommodation for two video recorders. There were also five dedicated audio connections (including a phono preamp), and lots of optical and digital connections as well — even a built-in AC-3 RF decoder for Dolby Digital-encoded LaserDiscs. This integrated amplifier had it all!

The DSP-A1 also provided seven channels of onboard amplification. Five of the channels were for the 5.1 playback of Dolby Digital and DTS formats, while the remaining two were dedicated to front presence speakers used with Yamaha CINEMA DSP. Available in black, silver and gold finishes, the DSP-A1 succeeded in bridging the gap between new and legacy formats without compromising the performance of either.

The Yamaha audio products of the 1990s added numerous refinements to legacy formats and technologies while creating bold new directions pointing to where the industry was heading. Despite the pop culture misfires of other ’90s staples, these AV products proved it was a good time to enjoy home entertainment and be at the crossroads of so many exciting developments.

Check out these related blog articles:

Cult Classics, Part 1: Vintage Yamaha Gear of the 1970s

Cult Classics, Part 2: Vintage Yamaha Gear of the 1980s

The History of Yamaha AV Receivers

The History of Hi-Fi

What is an Integrated Amplifier?

Click here for more information about Yamaha AV receivers.

Click here for more information about Yamaha Hi-Fi components.

Click here for more information about Yamaha speakers.

Dig Deeper: How to Read Your School Accountability Report Card

Written by Don Stinson on July 26, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

One of the most effective actions we can take as music teachers is to seek an understanding of our entire school and community and not just our music program.

An essential and often-overlooked document that we all have access to is the school report card, or school accountability report card (SARC). Most schools that receive state funding are required to publish an annual SARC to provide information about each school to parents and the community. These reports supply detailed information about a school’s makeup, programs and success rates. Although they vary by state, SARCs include student demographics and financial information.

Some schools and districts post their SARCs on their websites. If yours does not, you can easily find your school’s accountability report via an internet search of your state board of education or your school’s name and the words “report card.” Ensure that the report is official and not coming from a less-than-reputable source like a real estate website (some home-buying sites include arbitrary school rankings in listings). In most states, you can find your school report card as well as your district report card.

In my home state of Illinois, we have full school reports that are more than 20 pages long as well as an at-a-glance report that summarizes essential information on two pages. The full report provides options to explore five-year trends and comparisons with other schools.

Most SARCs contain the following information:

Student demographic data
Percentage of students on free or reduced lunch
School and district spending per student
Student mobility rate
Class sizes
Graduation rates
Absentee and truancy rates
Academic achievement
Curriculum and instruction descriptions
Postsecondary preparation information
Faculty and staff information, including race and education
School safety and climate for learning information

Dissecting Demographics and Asking Questions

There is a lot to unpack with a school report card. For this exercise, I looked at the 2019-2020 school report card for my school, Joliet Central High School. (This is the most recent report because most schools and districts did not have to release a SARC for 2020-2021 because of COVID-19.)

Look at my school’s at-a-glance report. Under the section marked “Fast Facts” at the top of the first page, I’m able to see the school’s total enrollment (3,275 students) and a breakdown of student races: 15% white, 18% Black, 63% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian and 3% two or more races. Of the total school population, 73% are considered low income, 11% are English Language Learners, 16% have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and 2% are homeless.

An interesting side note: The enrollment of Joliet Central does not match the demographics of the city of Joliet, which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is estimated at 66% white, 17% Black, 31% Hispanic or Latino, 2% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, and 3% from two or more races.

One of the first things I do is to break down the statistics on my SARC for some of the groups — 73% low income is easy for me to grasp, but 2% homeless is harder to understand. But once I do the math, I realize that we have 65 students at our school who are considered homeless. Further breakdown of the data shows that 360 students are learning English, and over 500 students require special services.

Some questions immediately come to mind. Does my music program or performing arts ensemble accurately represent my school? Does my school represent the community? If my program does not include students from each subgroup, why doesn’t it? Finally, what can I do to encourage or even allow participation?

It would be easy for me to focus on recruiting the 27% of students who are not categorized as low income, but that wouldn’t result in a band that is representative of my building. Because I have about nine feeder schools, my next step might be to explore their SARCs.

One of my feeder schools is 98% low income and 5% homeless. Racial/ethnic diversity is 6.1% white, 47.4% Black and 41.1% Hispanic. The total school population is 426 students. This school happens to be one of my smaller feeder programs. Music was cut at this school a few years ago, but it was recently brought back. The directors are working hard to build and grow their program. I have made an effort to visit this school more often, work with the band and talk about music opportunities at the high school level.

Enrollment in music from this particular feeder school has increased, and representation of each subgroup in my band are beginning to match the school more closely. I also find ways to increase the number of instruments I have on hand to supply to students who cannot afford to purchase or rent instruments.

I want to help other directors who face similar situations at their schools. If your band is missing representation from a particular race, the answer may not be as simple as going out to a feeder school more or playing music from their backgrounds. Strategies vary depending on your situation, but a good place to start is to reflect on whether your program is inviting and representative of all student groups. Also, look to invite guest musicians and speakers who are representative of your students.

Academic Achievement in All Areas

Do you have students who flourish in music but have average to below-average marks in their other classes? Celebrate them for their musical accomplishments but recommend them for additional help or tutoring. Academic achievement can be a critical area in a school report card. It plays a “significant role in predicting initial enrollment and retention in urban middle school band programs,” according to a study by Daryl W. Kinney on predictors of urban students’ decision to enroll in music.

At Joliet Central, students who do not reach a specific literacy benchmark as freshmen cannot take band, choir or orchestra because they need remedial support courses that take up an elective spot. Recently, our district was contemplating double math courses for all incoming freshmen who did not qualify for honors math. This would have resulted in these students having two elective spots taken up, nearly eliminating their performance music options during their freshman year. Stakeholders gave some feedback, and the decision to add more math was tabled.

Math scores, however, are essential, and the district is continuing to look at revisiting this idea or finding other options to provide support for these students. We’ve all heard that music helps math scores, but you can use your school report card to see actual data and correlation of data to help the students in your program and help advocate for your program.

Important Terms to Know

You’ll have a much easier time reading your SARC if you understand the terms used. Some words and phrases are self-explanatory, but others can be confusing. Most SARCs have a reference guide or glossary. The 2020 Illinois Report Card Glossary of Terms is an 18-page document. The New York State Education Department’s is a little shorter, coming in at 11 pages. Listed below are some of the most relevant terms (descriptions have been simplified and summarized from the Illinois and New York glossaries). The legal definitions may vary in your state.

Student Group includes students who fall within a particular demographic or service group.
- Race/Ethnicity refers to the race in which the student primarily identifies as indicated by the student or the parent/guardian. Commonly included race/ethnicity groups include American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, white and multiracial.
- English Learners (ELs) are students who are eligible for bilingual education services. The percentage of EL students is the number of EL students divided by the total student enrollment multiplied by 100.
- Children with Disabilities include students who are identified as having a disability through formal evaluations and meet specific criteria, as stated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A team that develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) determines a student’s eligibility for special education and related services. A 504 Plan is for students with a disability who meet specific criteria as stated under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. They may be eligible to receive accommodations and related services in a general education setting.
- Low-Income Students may receive or live in households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families benefits. They may also be homeless, migrant, runaway, Head Start or foster children. They may live in a household where the household income meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture income guidelines for free or reduced-price meals.
- Students with Individualized Education Programs are students who are eligible to receive special education services. The 14 special education categories are 1) intellectual disability, 2) hearing impairments, 3) speech or language impairments, 4) visual impairments, 5) emotional disability, 6) orthopedic impairments, 7) other health impairments, 8) specific learning disabilities, 9) deaf-blindness, 10) multiple disabilities, 11) autism, 12) traumatic brain injury, 13) developmental delay and 14) deafness.
- Military-Connected Students are students with a parent or guardian who is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty.
Percent of Students Who Exceed, Meet or Do Not Meet Expectations/Standards, which was established by states’ boards of education, refers to the students’ distribution in the various performance levels based on their scores on the assessment.
Percent of Teachers by Race/Ethnicity is the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers belonging to particular racial/ethnic group as reported for the district, divided by the total number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers, multiplied by 100.
Postsecondary Enrollment includes students who graduated with a regular high school diploma from a public high school in Illinois three years before the current school year and enrolled in a U.S. college within 12 or 16 months.
Title 1 Status indicates whether a school is eligible for targeted or schoolwide supports according to Title 1.
- Schoolwide Title 1 Programs are for schools in which the poverty rate is 40 percent or higher.
- Targeted Assistance Programs are Title I schools with less than the 40 percent schoolwide threshold or schools that choose not to operate a schoolwide program. In short, the Title I assistance is not usable by every student in the school.
Graduation Rate refers to students who begin and finish an education program. Four years is typical, but low-income area schools may encounter more fifth- and sixth-year graduates.
Student Mobility Rate refers to students who transfer in and out of a school for reasons other than normal transitions (e.g., graduation).
FRL stands for Free and Reduced Lunch. You may also see Free and Reduced Price Meals or similar terms.
Homeless Students are children/youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. They may include students in shared housing, motels, camping grounds, shelters, cars, parks, hospitals or other private or public places not intended for residency.
Instructional Expenditure per Pupil includes the direct costs of teaching pupils or the interaction between teachers and pupils.
Annual Attendance Rate is typically determined by dividing the school’s (or district’s) total actual attendance by the total possible attendance for a school year. A school’s (or district’s) actual attendance is the sum of the number of students in attendance each day the school was open during the school year.
Student Enrollment is the total student enrollment in the school and district.
Chronic Absenteeism is typically determined by the number of chronically absent students, divided by the average daily enrollment of the responsible school and multiplied by 100.
Dropout Rate is the rate of dropouts in an entity (school, district, state) per enrollment. Dropout refers to students who are expected to be enrolled but did not register. They did not graduate from high school or a state/district-approved educational program.

Compare Your Program to Your School Report Card

At Joliet Central High School, we have 125 students in the band, 100 in the orchestra and 85 in the choir. The school population is approximately 3,200, which means that the band comprises 3.9% of the student body, the orchestra 3.2% and the choir 2.6%. These are not impressive numbers in the scope of state and national averages, but it is what we can do with the resources, feeder programs and faculty that are in place.

When numbers allow, I always lean toward larger ensembles for a variety of reasons. Our auditioned group is larger than the popular wind ensembles found in many schools today. This considerable size is primarily because we prefer a large, symphonic sound, but an added benefit is that the size of this group (75-85 players) helps eliminate some emergencies. When attendance issues arise, a large ensemble creates a safety net from derailed performances due to missing parts. A larger group with multiple players per part (or numerous students learning a secondary part) will make the ensemble feel more comfortable if a soloist is not in attendance on the day of a performance.

Fostering the future is essential, so I try to have as close to 25% of the band come from each grade level (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors). Some schools don’t allow freshmen in their auditioned ensembles, or they have separate bands for freshmen. I don’t have that option due to our numbers and program setup. Plus, I believe that allowing freshmen in a premiere group helps them to rapidly improve their skills.

Ted Lega, my high school band director when I attended Joliet Central High, would often take younger students and place them in between two experienced band members. I take this same approach today, and the results have been beneficial for the student and the band. We typically have around 10 students each year who move in, and five to 10 who move out. Placing newer or less experienced members with two mentors can help musical advancement and acclimate students to our school.

Answering the “Why”

Diversity is essential in education. Does your classroom represent your school? As a servant of your school, you have agreed to teach all members of your school. No one is asking you to change your class or audition process, but if you notice that your top ensemble tends to lean toward a certain income level or group, begin investigating why. You may also notice that students from lower income families gravitate toward certain instruments. I found the article “The Benefits of Socioeconomically and Racially Integrated Schools and Classrooms” from The Century Foundation to be extremely helpful in answering the “why” question.

Look at what programs you or your school can put in place to narrow the participation gap. It could be a simple solution. Summer programs, extra lessons or even a shift in the music you perform could help encourage or provide the musical experience for groups that may not have had this opportunity. More complicated situations can be at the core, however. Maybe your school has specific testing requirements for incoming students. For example, if students don’t hit a particular benchmark, they are then scheduled into a class that directly conflicts with music.

When you review your SARC, does anything in it surprise you? Does your program line up with the demographics of your school and community? Does your school line up with your community demographics? Are there student groups that need more representation in your classroom?

Your school report card is a useful tool to see your program and your school from a different perspective — take a look at yours today!

This content is from the book “High Needs, Monumental Successes: Teaching Music to Low-Income and Underserved Students” by Don Stinson. Copyright © 2021 GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.2019_2020_JolietCentralHigh_SARC_AtAGlance

Playing Well With Others

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on July 26, 2021. Posted in Keyboard How-to.

There’s a world of difference between playing keyboards by yourself for enjoyment, and making music with other people. If you’re accompanying a singer or performing as part of a band, you’ll probably need to adapt your keyboard technique to some degree.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of those adjustments.

Supporting A Vocalist

The first rule when providing accompaniment for a singer is: Don’t play the melody! That’s the job of the singer, and they need to be given the freedom to sing the melody as they see fit. You need to stay out of their way and let them do their thing.

Your role is to play the chords and any musical figures that are signature parts of the song. That said, you need to know the melody line, both in terms of the notes and also where the singer is singing and when they have breaks. When the singer is singing, it’s crucial that you not play any notes that may clash with the melody, as you might cause the singer to stray off their pitch. For example, let’s say the melody is a simple one like this, sung over three chords:

The opening note of the song has the singer singing the root of the accompaniment chord, but the chord itself is a major-seventh. If you put a B (the major-seventh note) at the top of your voicing, it is only a half-step below the note the singer is trying to sing, and so it’s likely to make them feel uncomfortable; it may even pull their pitch down a little flat. For that reason, it’s better to use a chord inversion so the major-seventh is in the middle, or at the bottom of, the voicing. Compare the two versions shown below: The first causes a clash for the vocalist, while the second is much more pleasing to the ear.

Particularly if the harmony calls for more advanced chord types, you need to avoid putting a note at the top of your voicing that’s going to negatively affect the singer — especially if the note is a half-step away from the melody. For example, if the singer is singing the root, don’t put a flat-ninth at the top of your voicing; if they’re singing the major third, don’t put a sharp-ninth at top; if they’re singing the minor third on a minor ninth chord, don’t put the ninth at top. Here are the wrong ways, followed by the right ways, to voice chords in these situations:

The last consideration when working with a singer is to not play too busily when they are singing the melody line. Avoid fancy figures and runs that will either get in the way of the melody or draw attention away from the singer. You’re there to support them, not show off! Better to fill the space when there’s a break in the melody line, or at the end of a section. We’ll talk more about this in a future posting.

Joining the Band

If you’ve only been playing your keyboard at home by yourself, the first time you try to play with a band, you’ll quickly realize that it’s a very different situation. By yourself, you’ll instinctively want to fill out the sound, to define the bass note or the rhythmic feel of the song, etc. Once you join a band, however, you need to understand that the other players have the responsibility of doing some of those things, and you don’t want to get in their way. As when accompanying a singer, keep the word support in mind at all times. Your job is to help make the whole band sound good, not just yourself.

Getting Into the Groove

What you play wants to be in perfect time with the drummer. In general, “less is more” is the key to making that relationship work well. When I play in a band, I often concentrate on what the drummer’s playing on their hi-hat (the pair of small cymbals mounted on a stand that drummers play both with a pedal and their sticks). I find that listening and looking at the hi-hat is a good way to help me lock in with the overall rhythm.

The pattern that the drummer plays with their right foot on the kick drum is also very important to the groove of the tune, and so you want to try to match up with that too. Bear in mind that the bass player is also going to be trying to lock in with the kick drum pattern, and you don’t want to be getting in the way of them establishing a great groove. Listen to what the bassist and drummer are playing and come up with a part that works well with both of them.

The Lowdown

Speaking of the bassist, there is a cardinal rule for keyboard players: Stay out of the way “down there”! Someone accustomed to playing solo piano/keyboard commonly plays strong notes (often octaves) with the left hand to fill out the sound, perhaps even adding some bass figures to give the song a good feel and some movement. In a band, however, you don’t need to do that — in fact, you should avoid it in most situations.

Here are the notes of the open strings of a bass guitar (and acoustic bass), which sound an octave lower than they are written:

A good rule of thumb is that, if there’s a bassist in the band, anything played on the keyboard from the C below Middle C or lower is potentially going to get in the way:

The bottom line (pardon the pun) is that, if you’re going to play a single note in your left hand to support your right hand chord, don’t go too low with it. Similarly, make sure that any left-hand chord voicings are constrained to that one octave below Middle C, or things will start to get muddy.

Get Along with the Guitar

In many songs, both the keyboard and the guitar will be playing chords, so you need to get together with the guitarist and decide ahead of time on what the basic chords are. And if either of you are going to add some color tones beyond the seventh of a chord, you both need to agree on what those tones will be.

Here are two very common issues that can arise between a keyboardist and a guitarist:

– One of you wants to make a chord a suspended fourth for a few beats and then resolve it to the third. You both need to do that for it to sound good.

– If you are going to add a ninth to a dominant seventh chord, you both need to agree what type of ninth it will be. (Dominant seventh chords can have three different types of ninths: a natural ninth, a flat ninth or a sharp ninth.) A common real-world example of this is when a band wants to play something funky, and you play a dominant seventh sharp ninth chord on the keyboard while the guitarist is playing a natural ninth:

The clash between the two is all too obvious, as you can hear from this audio clip:

Besides getting your chords together, you and the guitarist need to come to an agreement about how you’re each going to play the chords rhythmically — at the very least, you need to listen carefully to each other’s parts. I usually let the guitar player establish the basic rhythm, and then I try to blend into their pattern. Don’t copy it exactly, though. It’s better if you only play some accents on top of their pattern.

As an example, here’s a busy guitar strumming pattern, followed by the way I might support it on keyboard, without getting too busy, and without getting in their way:

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

Man sitting in a lotus position meditating on on a roof with a cityscape behind him. He is wearing headphones.

Six Ways Music Can Improve Your Life

Written by Jake Uitti on July 23, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

From the moment human beings started banging on logs and humming along, music has been a part of our daily existence, a constant accompaniment to so much of what we do in our everyday lives.

Music is like a hearth — something people can gather around, listen to and discuss. Artists have built entire careers because they know how to invigorate a crowd. Indeed, music is an incredible source of entertainment, joy and wonder.

But it can also be so much more. Music can actually be used to improve our lives. Here are six ways it can do just that.

1. Getting Fit

Music is an ideal way to grease the proverbial wheels when it comes to getting your body moving. When I played basketball in high school decades ago, the coach would blast songs on the gym’s overhead speakers to pump our team up before tip-off. Today, music is usually in my headphones as I jog, keeping the rhythm and pace. Music’s constant beat can be the maestro that speeds up your own personal tempo.

2. Finding Inner Peace

While some music can get your heartbeat going, other kinds can relax and calm it down. All too often, the human mind finds itself racing through to-do lists, relationship statuses, bank accounts and much more. But there is some music in the world that can begin to unwind that tangled ball of yarn in your brain and help put the brakes on thoughts that are racing out of control. In a moment where meditation might seem impossible, if you put on the right soundtrack, you may be able to pleasantly lose yourself in the vibrations swirling all around you.

3. Facing Your Fears

My wife has long had a fear of spiders. A few years ago, however, she wrote a song about spiders. And now, after performing it hundreds of times onstage, her distress level at the sight of arachnids is honest-to-goodness subsiding. She even picked one up the other day, gently removing it from a picnic blanket. She swears the song helped … and I believe her!

4. Understanding History

Music is a time capsule, a history book. Listening to a song from a certain era can tell you so much about the time period in which it was written. Reports of the state of the world in old blues, jazz or rock’n’roll/classic rock tunes are often more articulate and clear than you’ll find in any encyclopedia. Well-crafted songs frequently tell stories of a generation, the same way that ancient cave drawings or hieroglyphics did thousands of years ago.

5. Gaining Knowledge

Those of us who have benefited from formal lessons and training (regardless of the field) know that growth can only come from dedication, study and sacrifice. For some, that may mean reading the entire works of Charles Dickens, or learning everything there is to know about the ecosystem of dolphins in the Pacific. But music is just as viable an avenue toward knowledge. To understand music is a skill. It’s like learning a language. Having a grasp of time signatures or dynamics, or knowledge of a lineage of songwriters and their body of work — that’s the kind of focus that helps to sharpen a mind.

6. Learning to Collaborate

It can be difficult to know where you fit in. But one of the most amazing things about music is that you can always add something new to it: one more string player in the section, one more voice in the harmony, a tambourine in the background, an ambient layer of chatter to the intro. There’s always room for other musicians — even non-musicians! — if they bring something tasteful to the blend. Collaborating musically not only teaches teamwork, it allows you to build friendships. Those are truly benefits that can last a lifetime.

What is AURO-3D^®? An In-Depth Exploration

Written by Rich Tozzoli on July 21, 2021. Posted in TV & Movies. 3 Comments on What is AURO-3D^®? An In-Depth Exploration

AURO-3D^® is a three-dimensional audio technology that immerses the home theater listener in a hemisphere of sound. It uses virtual height channels (no in-ceiling speakers required) to achieve a transformative audio experience that many other multichannel systems cannot offer.

While AURO-3D is fairly new, it’s already been employed in a number of popular films, including Red Tails, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Black Panther, The Expendables 3, American Sniper and Spider Man: Homecoming. In this posting, we’ll take a deep dive into how it all works.

Upmixing

To better understand AURO-3D, it’s helpful to know about a digital process called upmixing, where an algorithm is used to spread a 2-channel stereo audio signal (or even a mono one) over the other speakers in a multichannel setup. Upmixing is usually done during film postproduction with software plug-ins that include tools for dialog extraction for the center channel and spatial and/or frequency analysis to “intelligently” distribute audio into the surround speakers.

This is especially useful when older archive material is the only thing available to work with, such as older stereo or mono recordings that need to be repurposed into surround sound. But upmixing can also be applied to 5.1- or 7.1-channel mixes to increase the number of channels carrying signal and the size of the perceived soundscape. It’s an integral part of AURO-3D, since it allows the technology to be fully backward-compatible with legacy content, whether it was originally mixed only for stereo/mono or for 5.1- or 7.1-channel distribution.

Scaling the Heights

AURO-3D adds one or two extra layers to a standard 5.1- or 7.1-channel surround sound mix. The sound assigned to these layers, called Height and Top, are perceived by the listener as coming from above the existing surround channels.

Audio assigned to the Height layer is routed to two additional speakers mounted over the screen in your AV setup, above the 5- or 7-channel layer of speakers (which are typically set up at eye level) and pointed downward at a 30 to 50 degree angle. This is known as an AURO 9.1 configuration.

By adding two more speakers pointed downward at a steeper (up to 90 degree) angle, an optional Top layer is created. This AURO 11.1 configuration causes the sound from the “Top” speakers to be perceived as coming from overhead… without the use of physical in-ceiling speakers (though these can be used if preferred). This Top layer, which is primarily used for special effects such as flyovers, creates a fully immersive surround experience.

Unlike Dolby Atmos, which requires actual ceiling-mounted speakers, the two (or four) additional AURO-3D speakers fill in the gap between the floor and the ceiling, creating what the company calls a “vertical coherent stereo field” — translation: fewer sonic “holes.”

In the Ceiling

Although not strictly required by AURO-3D, speakers physically mounted in the ceiling can provide a listening experience that standard speakers can’t always deliver. Yamaha makes a number of compact yet powerful in-ceiling speakers, including the NS-IC800 and the 100-watt 3-way NS-IW280C with 6-1/2″ cone woofers and dual 3/4″ dome tweeters.

Mounting speakers in the ceiling involves a bit of planning and forethought. You’ll need to think about location, connections to the AV receiver, templating, tools and other factors. But don’t worry — these speakers are actually pretty easy to install. You can find step-by-step directions in this blog.

In order to experience AURO-3D, you need an AV receiver that’s outfitted with the appropriate software decoder. Both the 9.2-channel Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A6A and the 11.2-channel AVENTAGE RX-A8A include an AURO-Codec decoder and world-class AURO-Matic upmixer, enabling a fully immersive sound experience when used with a Blu-ray player and an AURO-3D speaker array. And, because AURO-3D is fully backward-compatible, such systems transport the listener into the virtual world of their favorite content, regardless of the original audio format used. Great things lie ahead!

Image courtesy of AURO-3D.

Check out this related blog article:

Surround Sound Systems Explained: Dolby^®, AURO-3D^® and More

Click here for more information about the Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A6A AV receiver.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A8A AV receiver.

How to Prepare for a Virtual Piano Audition

Written by Shana Kirk on July 16, 2021. Posted in Piano How-to. 2 Comments on How to Prepare for a Virtual Piano Audition

Even as restrictions ease for students and schools, video auditions continue to provide a convenient and efficient way to audition for conservatories as well as festivals and competitions (at least in preliminary rounds). Luckily, technology has evolved to the point where pianists no longer need expensive equipment to create compelling video material.

For many young players — especially those who have never known a world without YouTube — creating a video of their performance will seem like just another day at the keyboard. But for others, the idea of recording a video can be intimidating. In this article, we’ll provide tips for preparing that all-important virtual piano audition.

Sound Is Key

Although visual elements of a video are important, you are first and foremost a musician, so capturing your authentic sound should be a priority. To that end:

Record on the best piano you can access, and make sure it has been tuned. If you don’t own a great piano, consider asking a piano store, school or place of worship for access to their instrument. Consider offering to barter something like a free community performance in exchange. If you find a suitable piano that is out of tune, maybe offer to pay for the tuning.
Prepare the acoustics of the recording space. Capturing the sound of a piano is notoriously complex. Once keys are depressed and strings are struck, the sounds swirl around the case and bounce off the lid to create the piano’s unique sonority. Then those same sounds bounce around every other surface in the room … and not always in ways that are pleasing to the ear. To capture the cleanest, richest sound from your piano, you’ll need to dampen any unwanted echoes in your room with soft curtains, rugs or pillows.
Record with a microphone that is up to the task. Even though smartphones and tablets can record good-quality audio if the room is well prepared, for the best sonic results, you should consider using an external microphone instead. You’ll need one that is designed for capturing music, not video conferencing, since the latter specifically eliminate some frequencies to make speech sound clearer.
Eliminate ambient sounds. No matter where you are recording, there’s always the possibility that outside traffic, appliances, pets or other ambient sounds can make your recording seem less than professional. Choose a time of day when these are less likely to be a problem.

Spark Joy with Your Visual Space

You want to be remembered for your dazzling double-thirds, not your messy bookshelf! Keep the visual background simple so it doesn’t distract from your performance.

Remove as much as possible from the frame. Ideally, the piano should be in front of a solid-colored wall or curtain with no other visible furniture or décor. If you need to hide something unsightly, put a green plant in front of it.
Use a curtain on a tall frame for a backdrop. A basic frame (like those used for green-screens) with a tasteful solid-colored curtain is an inexpensive way to hide a cluttered room. Just make sure the curtain frame is completely outside the view of the camera.
Make the piano the center of the shot. Piano judges will want to see the full keyboard and your pedals. An ideal way to get everything you need into the shot is to set the camera on a tripod just barely behind your right shoulder a few feet away and at just above the height of your head.
Use good lighting. To best demonstrate your graceful scales and commanding octaves, record in full daylight or in a bright space that does not put glare on the keys. Sometimes pointing a light at the ceiling helps diffuse shadows or glare.

Prepare Yourself

This involves logistics as well as mental and physical preparation.

Practice, practice, practice. Make test videos well before you need to record the actual submission. Knowing that you’ve set things up for a good recording and feeling comfortable in front of the camera will work to greatly reduce your stress levels.
Dress for the occasion. Depending on the event or type of audition, you may or may not be expected to dress in formal attire. If not, the best rule of thumb is to dress the same way you would if you were auditioning in person.
Consider inviting a small audience. If you’re the kind of performer whose playing gains energy from a live audience, invite some encouraging friends to listen as you record. Even one or two engaged faces can make a big difference in how you communicate musically.

Other Tips

Trim excess from the video. It’s okay to leave a little pause before and after a performance, but for the cleanest look, everything else should be trimmed away. Not only is it more professional, but the judges will appreciate not having to sit through those extra moments of non-playing time.
Keep overlays simple. It might be useful (or even requested) to insert subtitles with info about your repertoire, but don’t clutter the recording with flashy transitions or video effects.
Be yourself! Smile graciously at the camera, take a deep breath, and play your heart out. You’ll demonstrate to the listeners that they are seeing a living, breathing musician, even though they’re not in the same room with you.

What If I Have a Piano With SILENT™ Technology?

Many current Yamaha hybrid pianos, including Disklavier, SILENT Piano™ and TransAcoustic™ models, include an option for silent performance and internal audio recording. With this feature, regardless of the sound or tuning status of the acoustic piano, you are always able to create a recording with the sound of a perfectly tuned 9′ concert grand, without any ambient sound.

If you want to prepare an audition with this technology, you have two options:

Connect the piano’s audio output to your video recorder’s input (or use an audio interface for recording to a computer, tablet or smartphone), or
Capture the audio with an external microphone or the built-in mic in your smartphone and use a simple video editor like iMovie or Filmora to replace it afterwards with the audio recorded internally in the piano.

Taking this concept even further, some auditions even employ the Disklavier Video Sync feature to host auditions in which performances are fully reproduced on a Disklavier piano (yes, even the keys and pedals are moving, exactly as they were played!) along with synchronized video. (Check out this blog posting for more information.)

Check out these related blog articles:

Remote Auditions Are Now Reality

Pianos Without Borders

Click here for more information about the Yamaha Disklavier.

Click here for more information about Yamaha SILENT Pianos.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha TransAcoustic Pianos.

Closeup of someone's hands as they dig through record stacks in a store.

Secrets of Running a Record Store

Written by Jake Uitti on July 15, 2021. Posted in Vinyl.

This year, vinyl aficionados will honor the 14th annual Record Store Day on July 17th. During these events, customers are treated to special new releases, deals and, often, in-store performances as well.

Ever wonder what it takes to run a record store? In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into what goes into buying and selling vinyl.

Why Vinyl?

Chances are you own a record player, or know someone who does. You may even know someone who is borderline obsessed with albums — something that’s not all that rare among vinyl fans.

There are many important reasons for the recent resurgence in vinyl. For one, they’re tangible, tactile works of art — you could frame many album covers like one might frame a famous painting. Also, because vinyl records are analog, to many, their sound is superior to digital. It’s true that digital files don’t need to be pampered; there is no brush to take out, dab with cleaning alcohol and glide over the top of a spinning MP3. However, an expression of care can be meaningful to both the recipient and the giver. It establishes a relationship, a literal give-and-take from which even a culture can sprout.

But there’s something else that contributes to vinyl’s longevity. To listen to a vinyl album on a real turntable is to dive into an experience. In a world where so much is available at our fingertips via computer 1s and 0s, to listen to vinyl means unplugging from the proverbial matrix.

Modern turntable with clear lid open. — *Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 Wi-Fi turntable.*

While digital streams and downloads remain the standard by which most people consume music today, the vinyl market has been growing steadily and doesn’t seem to be fading. In fact, numbers increased sharply in 2020 (growing 29% and surpassing CD sales, according to the Record Industry Association of America) as music listeners forced to spend more time indoors opted to expand their collections.

Why Record Stores?

There are many reasons why collectors usually prefer in-person shopping to the impersonality of purchasing records online. “You are out in the real world exploring a literal forest of beautiful sounds made by every possible kind of human,” is one explanation offered by Marc Weinstein, co-founder of Los Angeles’ famed Amoeba Music. “Each record offers an opportunity to express how much you love something and a chance to really focus on it in a way you cannot with files and streaming.”

Man in graphic t-shirt and curly hair looking through collection of vinyl. — *Marc Weinstein.*

“Vinyl shopping is like going out for ice cream,” says Matt Vaughan, co-owner of Easy Street Records in Seattle. “Most vinyl is sold at brick-and-mortar indie shops these days, not chains or big box stores. People feel good about recycling their money in their neighborhoods.”

Buying Vinyl

Shoppers often have their own strategies when it comes to buying records. Some like to hunt in specific artist bins for rare finds, while others just like to browse free-form and see where their wanderings take them. Whichever approach you adopt, consider taking a list with you, as it’s easy for your mind to go blank when you see all the records on display.

Yamaha Artist and Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin is an avid record lover. Here are his keys to vinyl hunting success:

1. Look for original pressings if possible.

2. Check the record before you buy it to see if it’s clean and in decent shape.

3. Don’t touch the face of the album with your fingers. Keep your thumb on the edge and pinky notched in the center hole.

4. Put the album back just how you found it, if you don’t purchase it.

5. Research the proper needles to use.

6. Remember that heavyweight vinyl lasts longer than lightweight.

7. Say thank you to the store clerks and have plenty of room at home to store your new purchases!

Selling Vinyl

Weinstein, Vaughan and Mike Pitts, owner of Sonic Boom Records in Seattle, Washington, each have clear memories of the early vinyl purchases they made as youngsters. Pitts recalls being thrilled by the album covers and artistic connection to older generations. Weinstein remembers learning how to play drums by practicing to the records he was listening to in the ’60s and ’70s. For Vaughan, who was a latch-key kid for a period of time, music and vinyl records served as more of a companion. For all three, the experience was like opening a door and seeing magic behind it. It’s a feeling they’ve since chosen to pass on to the people in their communities.

If you’re thinking about following in their footsteps and opening a brick-and-mortar record store of your own, here are a few tips from the pros:

1. Be organized.

As with any business, a systematic approach is key. “We organize our store to make it as easy as possible to find things and we have many experts on the floor ready to help with any questions or opinions,” Weinstein reports. The more you can assist your customers in finding what they are looking for, the more likely it is that they will come back.

2. Mix the new with the used.

Variety is the spice of life, and that’s especially true when it comes to selling records. “New arrivals sections are the bird feeders of our shop,” says Vaughan. “People want to know what’s hip, what’s new, what’s fresh. That’s human nature. We have to funnel that desire.”

3. Find the best collections and purchase them for resale.

You can’t achieve retail success unless you have a lot of inventory that people want to buy. To that end, you need to constantly be on the lookout for collections that will move quickly off your sales floor. Amoeba, of course, is well-known, not just in Los Angeles, but nationwide. As a result, says Weinstein, “We have access to so many collections and estates [and] we can afford to buy large collections in their entirety, as opposed to just picking out the good stuff, as many dealers do.”

Pitts adds, “We make it a point to pay people fairly for their collections. We never try and lowball folks and that builds trust. We have a lot of return sellers because of that.”

Man in graphic t-shirt, jeans and cap standing in front of urban record store with signage indicating it is "Sonic Boom Records & CDs". — *Mike Pitts.*

4. Create great bargain bins.

Vinyl hunters, like most shoppers, are always looking for deals. Many record store owners say that a key to their success is offering large and diverse bargain bins, with lower-grade records at rock-bottom prices — even if they are loss leaders that yield little or no profit. “We buy thousands of records every day, and many on the lower end make their way to our bargain bins,” says Weinstein. “The utter variety of what you might find there is all due to how many pass through our doors.”

The use of clever, attractive signage and divider cards is a good way to lure shoppers to those bins, though it’s important to make sure to not overload any bargain bin with too much of one particular artist.

5. Look for unique ways to stand out.

For example, buy a van and consider home delivery — a good way to compete with online vinyl subscription services. Matt Vaughan reports that in the first four months his store offered this service, they made over a thousand deliveries.

View of a well-used cargo van with stickers for record store and "We can buy your records" and their phone number. It is parked on a street and man walking towards it. — *Matt Vaughan and the Easy Street Records van.*

Or consider sponsoring in-store performances by local bands — something that Amoeba is especially well-known for. “In-store performances bring a different crowd of passionate music fans to every event,” says Weinstein. “There’s nothing like seeing the rapport between artist and their fans in a record store.”

6. Be prepared to get creative, especially in uncertain times.

The difficulties of the past months are a perfect case in point. “It was devastatingly uncertain throughout the first year,” says Weinstein. “But gradually we regained our balance and set out to create a beautiful next chapter.” Pitts is hopeful that things have finally turned around and that the trend will continue. “It seems like people are truly investing in vinyl [as a] lifestyle, rather than it just being a passing fad,” he says.

7. Cultivate lasting relationships.

In the end, a record store is often only as good as its connection to its patrons and surrounding neighborhood. Like any local institutions, people keep returning to them for the treasures they provide. “I am so grateful for our customers,” says Pitts. “They’re my tribe, and have been since I was a kid. I’m incredibly thankful that I get to be immersed in this every day.”

Photographs courtesy of Marc Weinstein, Matt Vaughan and Mike Pitts.

Check out the Amoeba Music web series What’s In My Bag?, featuring artists and tastemakers sharing what they found shopping.

Click here for more information about Yamaha turntables.

Man on stage playing guitar and singing.

How to Play Guitar and Sing at the Same Time

Written by Robbie Calvo on July 14, 2021. Posted in Guitars How-to. 2 Comments on How to Play Guitar and Sing at the Same Time

Something magical happens when you hear the sound of your voice vibrating freely with the body of an acoustic guitar. It’s where melody meets harmony and a deeper understanding of music can be felt and heard. In this article, I’d like to explore and expand on this concept.

Getting in Tune … and in Rhythm

I stress to all my students the importance of singing as you develop as a guitar player. This helps you make the connection between single notes and the chord structures that support them.

In the same way, vocalists can benefit from learning to play guitar. That’s because the resonant frequencies coming from a guitar can actually help fine-tune your vocal pitch. And when a voice is in tune with a supporting chord, there’s a direct connection; the sound becomes harmonious, strong and resolute. If the vocal pitch is out of tune with the guitar, it feels dissonant, disconnected and uncomfortable.

Let this resonance guide you. Trust me, you’ll feel the pitch as much as you’ll hear it.

Rhythm also plays a large part in the musical equation. Guitarists that accompany themselves vocally tend to have a better sense of phrasing, and vocalists that play guitar are better at finding new rhythmic pockets for their melodies.

Key Elements

If you’re just learning to sing while you play guitar and vice-versa, these are the key elements to focus on:

1. Song and Key Selection

Select a simple song you really like, and learn the guitar chords. If the song contains chords you don’t know, you may be able to transpose it to a key that contains chords within your repertoire. For example, if you take a song that contains these chords:

D (I) – A (V) – Bmi7 (VI) – G (IV)

and transpose it to the key of C, you’ll end up with this progression, which you may find easier to play:

C (I) – G (V) – Ami7 (VI) – F (IV)

Alternatively, you can always transpose with the use of a capo. Using the example above, you can bring the song back up to D by placing a capo at the 2nd fret. If you feel more comfortable playing the song in a key higher than D, simply continue moving the capo upwards.

Keep the chord structures simple at first, and in “open” form as much as possible, as this will allow you to stay in one position on the fretboard while you concentrate on the vocals.

As a bonus, transposing may put a song in a better key for your voice. If you have a hard time reaching certain notes with your voice, the song may be in a key that’s too high for you. Try lowering the key until it allows you to reach those tones. Conversely, if the song is in too low a key, it may affect your vocal pitching. In that case, you’ll need to transpose the progression into a higher key or use a capo to raise it up without changing the chord shapes.

There are times when I’ll change the key even if it’s not strictly required. If I’m singing long sets, for example, or have to give a performance in the morning (before my vocal cords have fully stretched), I lower the keys of most, if not all, songs a half-step. This helps me sustain the complete performance without straining my voice.

Over the years of developing my voice and repertoire, I’ve also found that I’ve sometimes been able to successfully raise the key of certain songs. Take time to find the right key for you.

2. Focus on the Lyrics

I suggest you have a copy of each song’s lyrics in front of you as you practice, and that you start with just the first line of the verse, no more. Memorize the line, and as you do so, analyze what beat the vocal phrase starts on. For example, it might start on the downbeat of one, the upbeat of two, or even before the bar. This is called a pick-up (not to be confused with a guitar pickup).

Designate an intro section to the song (i.e., the music before the first lyric), and play the chords in time, but slower than the original tempo. Sing the first line and listen carefully to its rhythmic placement and the pitch of the melody. Make sure the melodies correspond with the chord changes and that the lyric is sung at the correct pitch. (There’s a lot going on here, which is why I’m suggesting you learn one line at a time.)

Once you have a good handle on the opening line, add the second line of the song, then repeat the process until you have the whole song memorized and analyzed. You may find that phrasing varies from verse to verse; in fact, it may well shift completely on the chorus and bridge sections. Speaking of which …

3. Phrasing

Phrasing is the rhythmic delivery of the melodic and lyrical content — something that’s extremely important to the “feel” of the song. If you’re already reasonably proficient on guitar, you should have a good grasp of this concept.

It’s particularly important that you have a strong understanding of the rhythmic subdivision of the beats. A song in a 4/4 time signature with a “straight-eighth” feel, for example, will subdivide into twos and fours, whereas a 12/8 song with a shuffle feel will subdivide into threes.

You’ll be using your voice to sing pitch, lyrics and syncopated rhythms against this underlying pulse. That’s why having a good comprehension of the feel of a song will be crucial to your growth as both a singer and as a guitarist.

4. Hand and Voice Independence

As a guitarist, your two hands need to be able to operate independently, but you also need to establish independence between your voice and your hands.

Let’s break down what’s going on when we watch a guitarist perform:

1. The fretting hand is forming harmonic chord clusters that create a musical progression to support the melody being sung; and
2. The strumming hand is playing the rhythmic feel, following the bass notes of each chord change and creating dynamic expression through subtle volume changes. Great rhythm players will also add percussive rhythms, voice-leading and single notes to connect the chords.

This hand independence requires a lot of concentration, but will keep the song in time and at tempo. The beauty of solo performance is the ability to push and pull the tempo for extra musical expression.

Finally, the vocals deliver the lyrics, melody and rhythms over the guitar parts … and these rhythms may be very different from guitar rhythms. That’s why complete independence (not only between each hand, but with your voice as well) is the key to excellence in performance. Working slowly through a song will help you develop this.

5. Learn Some Inversions

An inversion is a chord that has a note other than the root in the bass. For example, here are the root position and “first” and “second” inversions of F major, C major and G major chords:

… and here’s what they sound like, both arpeggiated and played as chords:

As you can hear from these audio clips, inversions can change the sound of a chord considerably. They also allow you to connect to other chords in a smoother or more dramatic way. It pays to learn at least some basic chord inversions, as they can help you develop your melodic sensibilities and may even change how you approach singing a song.

6. Entertain the Audience

One of the cardinal rules of show business is: Never let ‘em see you sweat. It’s important to look like you’re having fun while you’re performing onstage … even if you’re not. Smiling at the crowd, making eye contact and engaging in polite conversation between songs can win over your audience even if you’re having a bad day and hitting a couple of clams every now and then. Professionalism means taking every aspect of your performance, demeanor and persona to its highest level.

The Video

This is my version of a classic rock song, captured at a live performance I did in Florida during a Yamaha Guitar clinic. I wanted to demonstrate how a Yamaha LS-TA TransAcoustic guitar and its onboard effects really shine when supporting the voice of a solo performer. I think it demonstrates how an artist can interpret and develop harmony, melody and rhythm into a unique version of a well-known song.

The Guitars

The guitar featured in this video is a Yamaha LS-TA TransAcoustic. Its solid rosewood back and sides, combined with the concert body Engelmann spruce top, produce a warm, rich tone, perfect for supporting the vocals of a singer-songwriter.

TransAcoustic guitars also feature dual onboard effects: a room/hall reverb and a lush dimensional chorus. Amazingly, these effects are heard even when the guitars are unplugged. I used a touch of the onboard hall reverb and a light sprinkle of chorus for this performance. The microphone captured the acoustic tone of the guitar (with onboard effects) and the “dry” un-effected vocals.

Man smiling and playing guitar. — *Me playing the LS-TA.*

The Wrap-Up

There’s a big difference between playing a song and performing a song. I recommend these three phases of song development:

1. Learn the song structures, form and lyrics.

2. Rehearse the song repeatedly to perfect the sum of its parts.

3. Perform the song, adding all the emotional content, joy and feeling you can summon. Leave nothing to chance … and everything on the stage.

You’ll find that your whole musical world changes when you sing and accompany yourself on guitar at the same time. You gain a deeper experience and understanding of rhythm, harmony and melody — all crucial factors when it comes to honoring the song.

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Click here for more information about Yamaha TransAcoustic guitars.

I Created an Organization System for Music Directors

Written by Jennifer Antonetti on July 13, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

One of the challenges of being a band, orchestra, choir or general music teacher is how to manage everything in the classroom.

Keeping track of instruments, uniforms, lockers, equipment, finances, the music library, ensembles and so much more can be overwhelming. It’s a lot for one person (or even a staff) to process.

When I first started teaching band, I was the assistant at Topeka High School, the head director at Robinson Middle School, and I also taught beginning band at Meadows Elementary School. My co-director at the high school had been teaching for more than 35 years and kept track of everything on sticky notes, note cards and on papers in several binders and on numerous clipboards. So much paper! There was no known inventory at any of the schools for anything.

Over the next several years, I buried myself in spreadsheets to try to bring some sort of organizational structure to the band programs at my three schools. With about 300 students per day and almost 200 instruments to inventory, plus uniforms and everything else, it was very time-consuming.

It was impossible to do the necessary legwork during the school year, so my husband, Kris Antonetti, and I worked in the buildings during the summer when the air conditioning was not turned on. At the time, we only had desktop computers — no laptops or tablets — so we started in the hot storage room, writing down instrument model numbers and serial numbers on a yellow legal pad. Then we went back to my office to input this information on my computer. We spent hours doing this.

A couple of weeks after we had finished everything at my middle school, our district IT staff “cloned” all of the computers — that is, they deleted everything in order for teachers to have a “fresh start” at the start of the new school year. Our inventory records were lost — I was devastated.

A Better Way

Kris said, “There must be a better way to do this.”

While music classroom management software programs are available, the cost is prohibitive because of the number of levels of subscriptions I would need based on teaching at three schools with about 10 different ensembles.

We brainstormed options and decided to create a solution that was based on the director, not schools or number of ensembles. That way, directors could take their subscription with them when they switched jobs.

Luckily, Kris has a background in software development. He could also relate to the scope of what was needed because he was a band kid and played trombone in college while getting degrees in aerospace engineering and computer science.

We started with the problems I faced and then gathered ideas from other directors to see what was needed most. Many of our music education friends faced similar challenges in their classrooms. We wanted to focus on the inventory aspect of organization, so we started developing instrument and uniform management as well as the ability to check these items out to students and to organize students into ensembles.

Kris and I spent many afternoons at the public library, using a workspace with wall-sized whiteboards to brainstorm the best ways to implement our ideas — we made and color-coordinated lists, drew diagrams, designed flow charts and more.

We finally procured a giant whiteboard for our garage and continued our planning and designing from home.

Help from Our Network

We decided to call our new program BatonSync. We wanted to keep everything simple in the design, but we had no idea how to run a business. The more we talked to people, the more questions we had, and the more we realized that we needed help with what we didn’t know.

We met with Dave Gnojek, the associate design director at The University of Kansas’ Office of Public Affairs — and someone I knew from the saxophone studio at KU — to help us build a brand package with colors, a logo and a general idea of design and layout for our website and marketing materials.

We also met with lawyer Jade Brown, another saxophone player, to help us with our business documents, privacy policy, terms of use and trademarks. For help with business accounts and financial coaching, we went to Scott Holloman, CPA, a parent of some of my former band students.

Working with our network of connections and other local small businesses was an essential part of our process of building BatonSync.

Testing Phase, Adjustments and Additions

BatonSync’s first stage kept track of instruments, uniforms, ensembles and students. At this point, the program was ready to be tested, so we asked several of our friends who are band, choir and general music teachers to try it out.

This was a critical time for us because we received direct feedback from directors about what they wanted in an organizational program. We added many new features based on their suggestions, such as:

Equipment and locker tracking
A financial section for trips, fees, fundraising, vendor payments and more
Bulk adding uniform components
Upload templates for all inventories
A music library for sheet music and digital music
Notes and histories on individual inventory items and students
Repair notes for instruments
Reporting so that directors can give inventory printouts to principals and building leaders

The comments, opinions and advice we received during BatonSync’s beta stage were invaluable.

The Future of BatonSync

We launched BatonSync in 2019. The program is simple and intuitive — no training is necessary. Most users just need to read the user guide.

We wanted to make the program affordable. The current subscription price of $20 each month ($240 a year) is based on teaching one private lesson per month. We plan to add a district subscription level for larger districts with centralized instrument inventories, music libraries and everything else.

Currently, directors in 15 states use BatonSync. We continue to grow organically based on the recommendations of directors who use the program. Here’s what some people have said about BatonSync (from our Facebook page):

Our goal is to build a community of directors who use BatonSync and share ideas — please follow BatonSync on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. We plan to attend more conferences and talking to more directors about BatonSync.

BatonSync will save you time and eliminate stress from your job so you can focus on being an outstanding music educator. Contact us at support@batonsync.com or me directly at jantonetti@batonsync.com for information.

Fix It: Vibraphone Teaching Tips

Written by Dr. Gifford Howarth on July 12, 2021. Posted in Percussion.

Within the mallet instrument family (marimba, orchestra bells, xylophone, vibraphone), the vibraphone or “vibes” is the newest member and the most unique.

There is an added level of coordination needed to play the vibes because of its dampening pedal. Students must combine basic mallet-playing technique with pedaling technique.

I recall as a young percussionist spending a lot of time focusing on the different coordination combinations and once it “clicked,” I never had an issue again. It’s like taking the training wheels off of your first bike — once they are removed, you never have to put them back on!

How to Fix Mallet Placement and Equal Right-to-Left-Hand Involvement

How to Fix a “Wind-Like” Legato Phrase that Isn’t Coppy or Staccato

How to Know When to Pedal If it Isn’t Noted

Fix It: Mallet Placement and Equal Right-to-Left-Hand Involvement

This is an issue with any mallet percussion instrument, but the issue can be exaggerated with the vibraphone: A student’s dominant hand will sometimes be louder. Make sure that the student’s height of rise with their basic stroke is equal. You do not want to hear that common slight accent from their dominant hand.

The large metal bars of the vibes are so resonant that the slightest difference with mallet striking placement can be heard. The easiest location for all of the bars is dead center. Young students commonly have an issue playing the upper manual (accidentals) in the center of the bars. When you strike too close to the node or “the string,” the sound really suffers. Students must become consistent and always strike the same spot on each bar. Over time, “muscle memory” will help with this process.

Fix It: Producing a “Wind-Like” Legato Phrase that Isn’t Choppy or Staccato

Through a combination of some uniquely vibe techniques, you can produce “wind-like” legato musical phrases.

Pedaling is not an “on” or “off” option. The dampening pedal on the vibes is similar to the pedal on a piano. Many young students get into the habit of having the pedal either all the way up or all the way down. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are unique pedaling concepts, such as “half pedal” or “flutter pedal” that can be explored. Let your students experiment with the pedal. The dampening pedal only needs to be lowered a little in order to allow the vibe bar to ring out. A slight amount of down pressure will allow the bar to ring.

Students should also experiment with the timing of when to move the pedal up and down. Imagine that you are playing a half note on an F followed by a G. As the F bar is ringing, do not lift the foot up until a split second before you strike the G bar. The shorter this split second can be, the better. The goal is to have the vibraphone sound like a wind instrument, almost slurring from one pitch to another. This same concept can come into play connecting vibe chords.

Mallet dampening is another effective technique to help connect legato notes. The pedal remains DOWN as you move from note to note. The mallet head is used to press against the metal bar to stop its vibrating. The coordination needed to do this is tricky, and getting used to it will take some time. There are a couple of different ways to approach mallet dampening. First, there is a certain notation used to show when mallet dampening is needed. This notation is simply an X . Here is a very basic exercise to introduce this idea to young students. The pedal remains DOWN the entire time.

The simplest way to mallet dampen is to make one hand the “player” and the other hand the “dampener.” The trick is the timing and the different type of stroke required for each hand. The dampening motion is simply pressing the mallet head into the bar. You do not want to hear the dampening mallet make contact! There must be just enough pressure to stop the sound from the bar. The playing mallet uses a normal stroke. The timing is important because both hands must do their strokes at the same time. With this simultaneous timing, you should not hear any contact sound from the dampening hand.

Another approach to mallet dampening is to change the roles of each hand depending on the musical line itself. For the exercise below, both hands can dampen at different times depending on the ease of playing the musical line.

There are several other variations that can be used for mallet dampening, but the two examples above are a great starting point.

Also, you can press a finger into the vibe bar to stop the vibration rather than the mallet head. This finger dampening is used a lot while playing the bells.

Fix It: When to Pedal If it Isn’t Notated

Most large ensemble literature will not have pedal markings notated for the vibraphone part. This is left up to the performer. Sometimes long musical slurs or phrase marks are used to show where the composer wanted to bring across a legato phrase. Remember to keep in mind what the overall goal is in regard to the sound of the musical moment. Between the use of the pedal and mallet dampening, the student wants to bring across that overall goal. There is no absolute rhythm or reason on how to do this. Through the dampening and pedaling ideas listed above, you must help your students bring across that musical goal.

The music theory behind the linear note collection might help in your decision. How does it sound with those couple of pitches ringing through at the same time? The quick half pedal can help in quicker passages while mallet dampening might help when time allows it. Again, this is something that you, the music educator, and your student can experiment with. How does the vibraphone musical moment work with or against the wind moment and the other mallet parts?

Final Tips

A few “nuggets” to think about:

Use WD-40 on the pedal mechanism to limit all the squeaks and clicks that can sometimes come across with the vibraphone.
Every now and then, check and make sure all knobs, screws, bolts, etc. are tightened, especially those that face toward the floor. Vibration and gravity tend to loosen things over time.
In most ensemble situations, the vibraphone gets lost in the overall ensemble sound. The instrument comes across as a quiet instrument. The quick, easy fix is to use harder mallets than you might think are needed. Compared to most other mallet instruments and the different drum-type instruments, the vibes do not project as well.

The view of the apartment neighbors from the window. Working from home or communicating with neighbors.

Writing When Nobody’s Watching

Written by Shelly Peiken on July 12, 2021. Posted in Creativity.

Every so often I find myself in a conversation with someone who asks a lot of questions about my work. For instance, how do song ideas come to me? How do I get started writing them? How do I cross the T’s, dot the I’s and finally send songs out into the world?

I get a sense that somewhere inside that person there’s an inner songwriter who wants to get out.

Anyone should be able to write a song without feeling judged. Making art of any kind is an act of courage, and it’s also therapeutic. Writing lyrics in particular can usher buried feelings out of our body so we can face them, deal with them, maybe someday even laugh at them. But more importantly, it allows us to embrace and accept them.

It’s easy for a novice to cook a meal with no intention of publishing a cookbook, or to dance in front of a mirror without dreams of being on a stage. Why is it, then, that writing a song is paralyzing for so many people?

Maybe it’s because, if done well, it exposes a very personal side of us that’s scary to reveal. Or simply scary to feel. But sharing a song isn’t the point of writing it. The magic of songwriting is how we get to know ourselves better through it — how we can answer questions we weren’t aware we were asking, discover uncharted emotional territory without realizing that was our goal. Writing a song doesn’t replace therapy, but it’s a lot less expensive!

Not every song is meant to be heard A lot of my song-babies don’t get past my studio or my car. But I do it anyway because it feels good. It’s fun! And it’s healthy too. I don’t want a trophy for doing something fun and healthy. (Although I wouldn’t turn one down either.) 🙂

I guess it’s easy for me to say this because songwriting is my wheelhouse. I’m a woman of words. A long time ago, however, when I was a teenager, I sketched this:

Sketch of two faces with only the view of the top half of each.

I remember pushing that Number 2 pencil around the paper thinking I was attempting an art form I wasn’t very good at. Even so, when I was finished, I surprised myself. I felt creatively empowered — more inspired by, and more connected to, my subjects. I’ve kept that sketch tucked away all these years, so I guess the accomplishment meant something.

Now, if you asked me to dance in front of an audience, well, that’s a different story — one that makes me feel self-conscious … which speaks to the popular Mark Twain quote: Dance like nobody’s watching. In other words, don’t be afraid of what others think — even if (especially if) it makes you feel uncomfortable.

As the Inc.com article of the same name states, creativity is actually born out of discomfort. May that’s why USC professor Fred Cook asks his students to expose themselves to new experiences. “Trying new things gives you the courage you need to experiment with your life and not be worried about whether or not you fail,” he says.

Since you’re reading this on the Yamaha blog, I’m guessing there’s a good chance you may already be a songwriter or a composer. But for that friend or neighbor or hairstylist in your life who asks you a lot of questions about what you do, I suggest you consider being that person who opens the door and sets their inner songwriter free. They may thank you one day. And, yes, they’ll probably ask that you listen to their song and may even request a critique that might be uncomfortable (for you). So, remember to be gentle.

Or you could just congratulate them for writing a song when no one was watching. That’s a reward in itself.

Choosing the Right Bass Guitar, Part 1: Four-String or Five-String?

Tips to Be a More Effective Private Music Instructor

Written by Aleah Fitzwater on July 9, 2021. Posted in Teaching Tips.

Hello! My name is Aleah Fitzwater, and I am a licensed instrumental music educator. In this guest blog post, I want to share some tips on how to recruit, retain and captivate the students in your private lessons studio. Let’s go!

How to Recruit Students

While recruiting band students can be challenging, finding piano and guitar students is even more difficult. Local band programs offer a direct line to their marching band and sectional students. Recruiting for instruments like piano or guitar is clearly trickier. But I recommend getting in touch with bands and orchestras anyway because students who are committed to one instrument are likely to commit to another.

I’m sure you have heard it a million times before, but you must network, network, network! Call the directors in your area and see if they’ll put your business card on the bulletin board in the band room. The worst they can say is no!

As I said before, students who are already in an ensemble are more likely to want to take private lessons for other instruments. So, if you’re a multi-instrumentalist, here’s another tip: Teach sectionals and at band camps. This is another way of getting your foot in the door. Oftentimes, students will want to take lessons with you after they’ve seen your vibrant personality in action.

Another great thing to do is to get on a sub-list for a private music school in your area. This next tip is also related to recruitment, so hang on tight!

Try Upwork, Musika and Other Online Platforms

Make an account on a freelancing website that isn’t geared specifically toward music. One big advantage of doing so is that any parent who looks for music lessons on freelancing sites will be immediately recommended to you. Some wonderful flute and piano students came to me through Upwork. While people seeking lessons for rarer wind instruments (like bassoon) are few and far between, there are plenty who are searching for piano or guitar lessons.

Musika is another great site to begin teaching studio lessons, although there isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to lesson prices. You can find private lesson students for both online distance learning and for local, in-person lessons.

Retaining Your Students

It is relatively easy to start up a studio and find some students, but it is much harder to retain them for years to come. Here are a couple of tips for student retainment.

First, get to know them, not just their musicianship. I had a breakthrough with one of my students after she told me about her birthday party, and how her favorite food is fried green beans. It really is in the little things.

Second, find ways to make them laugh because if you can do that, you can make them listen.

Teaching Techniques: Dig Deeper and Manipulatives

Rather than answering questions quickly as you might in a classroom setting, try digging deeper. Provide guiding prompts that force students to think critically about the music and what the piece sounds like to them.

For example, when I asked a student about the theme of a piece, she said that a part of it sounded like “a thief’s theme.” So, I ran with her observation. I followed up with questions like:

- “What is the thief stealing?”
- “What is the thief’s behavior — quiet and sneaky or clumsy and loud?”
- “Where does the thief run away to?”

Finally, I asked her to tell me what happens next and then to show me in her playing.

As a private music teacher, you have the luxury of one-on-one time with your students, so use it to your advantage.

Another teaching technique to bring into the mix is manipulatives — and no, these aren’t just for the elementary classroom! My flute professor in college used everything from flashcards to straws to spitting rice to breathing bags … and they worked because they confused me, excited me and kept me on my toes. Remember: We are never too old for music manipulatives.

Continue Your Own Projects

I have often made the mistake of stopping my own musical projects to focus on teaching private lessons. This, however, is a big mistake. If you aren’t pursuing your own creative agenda, you might lose your zip. And kids will sense that.

Show that You’re Human

Students will relate to you on a deeper level if you show them what you are working on, but be humble about it. The best advice I can offer to other private music instructors: Show your students that you’re human. Did you struggle with the “Barber of Seville” when you were at this stage? Tell them what was hard for you! This will make the you and your lessons more relatable.

It’s OK to poke fun of yourself, but don’t go too far. You don’t want to turn your teacher-student relationship into a friend-friend one. Keep your authority but show that you are flawed just like everyone.

Go for It!

Choosing to be a private music instructor instead of signing a contract comes with a new flavor of challenges. But with a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of patience, you can get your studio stabilized and up and running in no time. Good luck!

Thank you so much for welcoming me as a guest blogger on the Yamaha Educator Suite!

Benefits of a Five-String Bass

Written by Michael Gelfand on July 9, 2021. Posted in Bass.

One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned — musically or otherwise — is that less is often more. When you have something to say, choose your words carefully, and state them concisely. When it comes to bass, choose your notes carefully, and play them precisely. You don’t need to express yourself with 16th note arpeggios — you can do a lot more with great tone, tight syncopation and emotive inflection, especially when you leave lots of empty space to let it all breathe and co-mingle.

This concept of “less is more” was put to the test the first time I picked up a five-string. For starters, there’s a fifth more worth of notes you can play, but E is also not necessarily the bottom note. For me, it was exciting but scary because I was out of my element, even though the fretboard still looked familiar. It was no longer a question of what to play, but where to play it.

Playing a five-string bass requires you to rethink how you approach the instrument. You won’t forget what you already know, but you expose yourself to the possibility of some awkward growing pains. You may have to get past what makes you uncomfortable, but the rewards are exponential because fluency on a five-string also enhances your technique on a four-string.

Let’s take a closer look at how it all works.

The Two Varieties of Five-String

Five-string basses essentially come in two flavors: either outfitted with a low B-string for B-E-A-D-G tuning, or a high C-string for E-A-D-G-C tuning. Most of the ones I’ve seen and played — including the thunderous Yamaha TRBX605FM — sport that low B-string. That said, I know some bassists who prefer the higher-strung models because they get all of the four-string bass’s traditional range along with easier fretboard access to higher notes and the ability to play the kinds of thick chords more commonly the province of the baritone guitar.

Electric bass guitar. — *Yamaha TRBX605FM.*

My personal preference is for the lower-strung models. The deep impact those five extra notes (counting the open B) can make in a song is the equivalent of squeezing a new color of paint onto an artist’s palette. For starters, it gives you the flexibility to drop way down low to play the root of a song in, say, the key of D or C, where it doesn’t compete with any other instrument — and, as a bonus, those ultra-low notes marry up beautifully with the thump of the kick drum.

In addition, you can create more dramatic tension and release when you drop down an octave in a second verse, more visceral excitement by shifting down into the Earth’s mantle to create space for a guitar solo. You can’t do that to the same extent on a four-string bass without altering its tuning or using a pitch modulator or sub-octave effect — something which, to my ears, never sounds as good as the real thing.

The Freedom to Shift Positions

It was the prospect of dropping down lower that initially attracted me to the five-string bass, but I quickly discovered that the additional string also gave me more freedom to shift positions to change the tone of the note. For example, a low F at the sixth fret on the B-string is much more harmonically rich than the same note played on the first fret of the E-string.

Furthermore, by shifting your position, you can often find an easier way to reduce the acrobatics required to play a certain pattern. As I described in a previous blog, two-octave runs no longer require a huge muscular effort — instead of rapidly climbing up or down and across the strings at a breakneck pace, you can subtly shift across the strings with less stressful hand movements, giving you more opportunities to be spontaneous and making it easier to hit the landing.

Five-String Considerations

As with anything new, there are a couple of things you’ll need to think through before you go shopping for the five-string of your dreams:

1. Make sure your amp and cabinet can handle the extra low end that’s going to get served up. A sealed cabinet loaded with larger speakers (12″ or 15″) will be inherently better at reproducing the lower frequencies generated by a five-string bass (an open B-string is 31 Hz, whereas an open E is around 40 Hz) than, say, a ported 2 x 10″ cabinet, but the only way you’ll know is to research the specs and then actually listen very closely. A great choice here would be the Ampeg™ RB-115 combo, which pairs a 15″ speaker with a powerful 200-watt amp, complete with overdrive.

A small bass amplifier. — *Ampeg RB-115 combo bass amp.*

2. Choose an instrument with a neck that feels comfortable to you. As you try out different five-string basses, you’ll undoubtedly notice that their necks feel quite different from those of their four-string cousins. Some manufacturers opt for tighter string spacing, while others simply make the fretboard slightly wider with more comfortable spacing. Remember, like any new instrument in your arsenal, this may take some time to get used to, but if you want that extra string, you’ll have to accept some change in the way you get from note to note.

That said, plug a top-notch five-string bass with a perfect neck profile (such as the extraordinary Yamaha BBP35) into a great amp and you won’t be thinking about fretboard width or string spacing. All you’ll be able to focus on is how you can feel the barometric pressure in the room drop when you ride that B-string.

Check out these related blog articles:

The Ampeg Story

Click here for more information about Yamaha bass guitars.

Click here for more information about Ampeg bass amps.

Summer NAMM 2021 Preview

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on July 8, 2021. Posted in Gearguide.

Summer NAMM is back! Here’s a look at some of the many products being shown by Yamaha at the annual Nashville event.

DGX-670 Portable Grand Digital Piano

The DGX-670 Portable Grand digital piano is ideal for beginners and accomplished pianists alike. It has an 88-note weighted keyboard with a graded action that gives the low keys a heavier response and the high keys a lighter response … just as in an acoustic piano.

It’s got great sounds, too, including high-quality samples of the flagship Yamaha 9-foot CFX concert grand piano, as well as over 600 other Voices, including non-keyboard instruments and drums, plus 250 accompaniment Styles. There’s a microphone input with high-quality effects that allows the player to sing along and record their performances directly to a thumb drive, and Bluetooth compatibility enables wireless streaming of the player’s favorite music to the keyboard’s onboard dual speaker system, making practice easy and fun.

Weighing in at less than 50 pounds and offering a streamlined workflow via a full-color touchscreen and dedicated backlit buttons, the DGX-670 is perfect for live performance, but it’s also a great home keyboard. The optional L-300 stand enables an LP-1 three-pedal unit to be added, providing a playing experience similar to that of an acoustic piano.

DTX6 Series Electronic Drum Kits

DTX6 Series electronic drum kits are ideal for quiet practice at home, as well as for live performance and recording. They provide a perfect balance of high-end audio with great feel and great flexibility … plus they’re super user-friendly and fun to play.

There are three models to choose from: the DTX6K-X, DTX6K2-X and DTX6K3-X. All come equipped with a kick drum pad and a TCS (Textured Cellular Silicone) snare drum pad, along with tom and multi-zone cymbal pads, as well as an all-new DTX-PRO module loaded with hundreds of Yamaha drum sounds recorded in professional studios around the world.

The layout of the DTX-PRO is so simple and straightforward, even newcomers to electronic drums will find it easy to understand right away. For example, a unique Kit Modifier offers immediate access to three essential elements of sculpting drum sounds — room ambience, dynamics and effects — simply by turning dedicated knobs. DTX6 Series electronic drum kits provide drummers with great sound and great feel … and without the loud volume levels that come from playing an acoustic drum set.

THR30II Series Desktop Amps

With the introduction of the original series of THR amps some 10 years ago, Yamaha was the originator of the desktop amplifier category. The upgraded THRII Series offered numerous advancements, and the THR30IIA, specifically designed for the acoustic guitar, is the latest addition to the line.

Since an acoustic player doesn’t need amplifier models, the THR30IIA provides mic modeling and preset EQ curves instead, all on a single dial for easy tone shaping. In addition, there are dedicated bass, midrange and treble knobs, along with a three-position stereo imager for control over sound dispersion width. The THR30IIA also comes with every kind of effect an acoustic guitarist needs for practice and performance, including chorus, delay and chorus/delay combinations, plus short and long reverbs.

A second combo XLR input — complete with its own volume, gain and reverb controls — allows you to connect a microphone (or a second instrument), making the THR30IIA the perfect singer/songwriter amplifier system. There’s also Bluetooth support, USB connectivity and footswitch control, as well as an onboard tuner, a stereo headphone output and a dedicated Aux input for playing music from a phone or tablet. The THR30IIA even has a built-in wireless receiver, which, when used with an optional Line 6^® Relay^® G10T transmitter, allows for a fully cable-free experience.

New GigMaker Packaging

Promotional posters for four different Yamaha GigMaker Guitars that shows the guitars with a short list of features overlaid.

The Yamaha GigMaker guitar starter kit product line incorporates everything the beginner needs to start playing immediately. At Summer NAMM, new packaging will be unveiled, giving the products even more eye appeal.

There are four varieties available:

GigMaker Standard includes a Yamaha F325 steel-string acoustic guitar, available in two different finishes.
GigMaker Deluxe includes a premium solid-top steel-string acoustic guitar for superior tone and projection.
GigMaker Classic includes a classical nylon-string acoustic guitar.
GigMaker Electric includes an electric guitar (available in four different colors), a dual-channel 15-watt practice amp and a connecting cable.

New Pacifica Color Variations

Originally developed in partnership with our Los Angeles custom shop way back in 1990, Yamaha Pacifica electric guitars have a long and storied history and continue to be a popular choice for both entry-level and advanced players. At Summer NAMM, two new colors will be featured: Fired Red (shown above) and Teal Green Metallic (shown below).

Both models feature Seymour Duncan Custom 5 TB-14 and SSL-1 pickups, Graph Tech TUSQ nut and string trees, Grover locking tuners, a Wilkinson VS50 vibrato bridge, an alder body, a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, an H/S/S pickup configuration with 5-position selector, and a push-pull coil-split switch for additional tonal options. Additionally, the Fired Red PAC612VIIFMX model has a flame maple veneer top.

SLG200S SILENT Guitar™

Yamaha SILENT Guitars allow guitarists to play whenever and wherever inspiration strikes, making them ideal for practice, travel and performing. Although the instruments themselves are ultra-quiet acoustically, their Studio Response Technology (SRT) powered preamp system delivers natural-sounding acoustic tone through headphones or the line output. Onboard studio-quality effects further enhance the playing experience, plus there’s a line input that allows jamming along to backing tracks, as well as a detachable wooden frame that facilitates easy transport. There’s also a built-in tuner, and a durable gig bag is included.

The SLG200S steel-string model on display at Summer NAMM comes in a Crimson Red Burst finish (shown above), which adds a bold look to an already modern aesthetic.

SA2200 Electric Guitar

Long a favorite of jazz guitarists, the Yamaha SA2200 semi-hollow body double-cutaway electric guitar combines classic design with outstanding craftsmanship, premium materials and player-focused features. Its laminated sycamore body has a soft maple center block, paired to a mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard. Other amenities include Yamaha/Alnico V humbucking pickups, Gotoh SG30 tuning machines, a Gotoh GE103B bridge, a Gotoh GE101Z tailpiece and the choice of violin or brown finishes.

TRBX605FM Bass

Yamaha TRBX Series basses are renowned for their comfort, power and road-ready durability. The TRBX605FM five-string model shown above provides the same tone and modern look as its four-string cousin, the TRBX604FM, but the added low-B string packs extra punch when extended low-end is needed.

The TRBX605FM offers alder/maple body construction with a flamed maple top, married to a maple/mahogany neck with a slim 1 11/16″ nut width that makes it easy to get around the fretboard in every playing position. Its slightly narrower string spacing (as compared to the TRBX604FM) offers outstanding playability for slap or finger style techniques, and a high-mass die-cast bridge efficiently transfers string vibrations to the body for a full, rich sound. For extra tone shaping, there’s an onboard 3-band active EQ with an active/passive preamp, complete with a battery alert LED that warns the player when it’s time to change batteries.

Here are some pictures from this year’s Summer NAMM — and remember, if you can’t make the show in person, you can always catch the highlights here!

For more information about these and other great Yamaha music products, click here.

Case Study: Rural Realities

Written by Carmen Fields on July 7, 2021. Posted in Case Studies.

Music educators in rural settings face a unique set of challenges.

Depending on the community, these can range from lack of funds and support for the program, limited performance opportunities and limited exposure to quality venues. However, with the right mindset and strategies, the rewards of teaching in a rural school can be immeasurable.

Relationships

I am a product of LaRue County Schools, a small rural program in Kentucky, and I am in my 10th year of teaching at Edgewood City Schools, a very rural system in Ohio, so I have insight into rural education as a student and a teacher. I have found that building a successful program begins and ends with relationship-building. Rural communities tend to be very proud of their heritage. Many families are multigenerational and have been connected to the same land for generations. It is important for educators to quickly learn what is important to the community and align programs with those community values.

Populations in rural communities tend to be stable. Many of your colleagues and your students have years of community and institutional knowledge. Many students have had the same educator group since kindergarten. They will be curious about you, and the more comfortable you are answering their questions, the more successful you will be. I start every year at Edgewood Middle School with a pre-test about ME!

I want my students to know me and understand my background for two reasons. First, I want them to know that even though I am not from the same area, our backgrounds are similar. I can usually find something — even if it’s small — to be able to relate to each student in the room. It could be pictures of ATV riding or my cats.

Second, I like to show my students some of my experiences with music. Instead of talking about it, I show them. I break out pictures from my choir trips when I was in high school and college, some of which were international performances. I play clips from my senior recital, my community theater roles and show performances of past choirs. With this simple first-day activity, I build trust with my students and prove that I know what I’m doing without actually telling them that I know what I’m doing.

Relating to the interests of your students is critical. Again, this doesn’t have to be big and flashy. Get to know your audience. Talk to your students about their interests outside of music.

For example, 4H is very popular in my area. In the spring, I talk with my students about how they’re getting their baby animals ready for the fair. The Butler County Fair is the Super Bowl™ of summer here. My students work incredibly hard raising and preparing their animals. While I’ve never shown livestock, my students light up talking about their pigs, calves and goats, and I enjoy learning about them.

Going and cheering on my students at a show takes one afternoon of my summer, but it makes a lifetime of memories for them and deepens the connection I have with their parents. Putting your words into action impresses your students and their parents.

Getting to know your audience also helps in tailoring your teaching techniques. I once had a young man in my class who had little interest in general music, and he just didn’t see where it had real-life implications. I knew he was an avid duck hunter, so I related the concepts of rhythm, pitch matching and timbre by comparing them to the different calls used in duck hunting.

Resources

Except for a lucky few, most music educators are constantly seeking resources. This issue can be especially acute in rural schools where tax bases tend to be lower, so fee-based programs must be used very selectively.

However, there are ways to overcome a lack of resources. For example, most rural students do not have ready access to attend an opera, musical or symphony orchestra. However, students can be introduced to many quality performances online. Excellent virtual learning opportunities have proliferated since the start of the pandemic.

Educators can also seek out grant opportunities for everything from Orff instruments to classroom equipment to guest performers. Creativity is essential. It is also helpful to collaborate with the other fine arts teachers in your school and to coordinate your programs as much as possible. If there are other music educators in your district, seek their guidance.

Facebook groups of like-minded professionals can be a great way to share ideas and learn about new opportunities, but like all social media, beware of the inherent drama of some groups.

Another invaluable resource is your parent booster group. Our boosters have provided everything from financial support to advocacy with decision-makers. Also, some of your students’ parents may work at organizations that offer assistance to educational programs.

Recognition

Finding opportunities for students to achieve recognition and validation is imperative and pays endless benefits. Most rural schools have at least one sport — be it wrestling, basketball or football — that is a source of pride for students and the community. Kids want to be a part of these winning teams. Crafted properly, your music program can have the same appeal and winning reputation.

How? Set clear expectations on Day One and set them high. Some educators argue that trophies aren’t important and that they have students enter competitions just for the personal satisfaction of doing a good job. That may work in some locales, but I firmly believe that opportunities for formal recognition — and the hardware that comes with it — is important and motivating to the majority of rural students. It also builds school pride, brings honor to the school system and strengthens buy-in from parents and administrators.

Always search for venues and participation opportunities for your programs. My 8th graders have performed at Kings Island amusement park for critique and ratings from professionals. Our recently developed Overtures Show Choir competed at multiple venues prior to the pandemic. In the past year, we have used virtual competitions and critiques to measure our progress.

If traveling is simply not an option, look to professionals you admire. Set up Zoom meetings or send videos of performances to friends and colleagues in the music field. Former teachers are a great source for authentic feedback for your students. While this may not produce trophies, it gives the students pride in what they are accomplishing in your class.

In addition to competitive recognition, it’s essential to be your program’s ambassador to the community. Find out which events are important to the community and have your students participate. Whether it’s having a float in a community parade or performing at a local Christmas festival, any event that brings your students in contact with the community is important.

Becoming your program’s primary marketer is another vital role for the rural educator. It’s simply a fact that most parents, co mmunity members and sometimes school board members have no idea what you teach or what students gain from your program. Make sure that your program aligns with other subjects taught and tested at your school. Collaborate with teachers in those subjects and make sure they understand the degree of support and reinforcement your class provides.

Any time your program or any of your students achieve recognition, use whatever means available to promote those accomplishments. Different schools have different methods, but you should notify your administrators and your district public relations executive. Use social media, parent newsletters or any other media available to spread the news. I vividly remember my grandmother’s refrigerator covered in newspaper clippings of her grandchildren’s accomplishments. These are little things, but they build those invaluable relationships when you need booster support or funding.

Recruitment

Whether starting a new program or building on an existing one, recruitment is critical. Your existing kids are your best resource for recruiting their fellow students. Success breeds success. As your students receive recognition and pride in the program grows, others want to become a part of the fun.

In rural schools, several of your most talented prospects are likely athletes. It’s important to develop cooperative relationships with athletic coaches to ensure that practice schedules and competitions can be coordinated. Mutual support can be achieved. Before COVID, our entire show choir turned out to support the wrestlers in our groups at a major match. Coaches appreciate singers who know how to project, cheering on their athletes.

In addition to building student outreach, I worked with my counterparts at Edgewood High School — Libby Wolf and Nick Fields — to create recruiting videos and posters on social media to reach prospective students. After watching some YouTube tutorials, we were off and running making our own videos. It cost us nothing but a little time, and we ended up with high-quality recruitment media that brought pride to our returning members and intrigue to those who were new.

Relax

My last tip is to simply relax. Kids are kids, regardless of their background. Hopefully, you became a music teacher because you love music and want to share that love with students. At the end of the day, that must be your primary focus and goal. Do not be afraid to show your students that you love music. Have fun with it and with them. It doesn’t matter where your students come from, the more genuine you are, the more buy-in you will get.

Rewards

As music educators, we have the ability to make a connection with our students that few teachers can enjoy. We tend to have students in our program for several consecutive years and really get to know them. In rural communities, you can make connections throughout families, and often teach siblings and cousins of your original students. These families become your best cheering section and your own extended family. I will be forever indebted to the band dad who helps with our plumbing issues and the former choir family, whose kids have all graduated, that offers to babysit my 3-month-old when I have a weekend rehearsal.

It’s incredibly rewarding to see my students grow up, seek further education, join the local workforce and begin families of their own. But perhaps my highest honor was when a student’s family asked if they could name and register their newborn alpaca as ANF’s Carmen Fields. It just doesn’t get better than that!

Embrace your rural realities — the opportunities and rewards are limitless.

MIDI Editing

Written by Mike Levine on July 7, 2021. Posted in Recording. 1 Comment on MIDI Editing

MIDI (short for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface”) is a digital “language” that allows electronic instruments to control each other and communicate with computers. Among other things, it gives you the ability to record performances into your DAW from a connected MIDI keyboard or other “controller” instrument. Because MIDI recordings consist only of data that tells your DAW which note to play and when (along with other performance-related information), you can assign any MIDI track to any virtual instrument in your DAW, or to a connected MIDI synthesizer or drum machine.

In addition to their sonic flexibility, MIDI recordings are freely editable. Every DAW gives you plenty of options for viewing, changing and perfecting your MIDI tracks. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common ones, and show you how to use them.

Roll It

The most commonly used and versatile MIDI editor is known as the piano roll (in Steinberg Cubase, it’s called the Key Editor). The concept is relatively simple: MIDI notes and data are displayed on a grid, somewhat reminiscent of a old-fashioned player piano roll, hence the name. Elapsed time (usually expressed in bars and beats) is shown on the horizontal axis, while note pitches are shown on the vertical axis, with the duration of notes corresponding to their length.

In this editor, you can use standard cut, copy and paste operations to manipulate notes, or you can click on a note (or notes) and drag it to another location or another pitch. Additionally, you can also drag on one end of a note to lengthen or shorten its duration.

Transposing MIDI notes is simple in a piano roll editor too. Just select the note or notes you want to transpose and drag them up or down until they’re at the desired pitch.

Other Views

Another type of MIDI editor offered by many DAWs is called an event list. (In Cubase, it’s referred to as the List Editor.) The basic idea is to display a list of every MIDI event, including note-ons and note-offs, as well as Velocity and controller events such as Pitch Bend or Modulation. This lets you edit events precisely, using numeric values.

In many DAWs (including Cubase), if you select an event in any other MIDI editor (such as a piano roll), you’ll also find it highlighted in the event list, where you can input changes numerically to any of the fields. You can also select notes and events directly from the event list.

Cubase’s List Editor is unusual in that it also provides a graphic section. The notes in the list are shown as slashes going from left to right as time elapses, and top to bottom with each successive note:

Many DAWs also provide a specialized editor interface for MIDI drum parts. In Cubase, it’s called, not surprisingly, the Drum Editor. It’s not all that different from the Key Editor, except that the notes are depicted as diamond-shapes and, since they represent drum hits, are all one length. When fully quantized (see the “Timing It Right” section below), they also sit on the grid lines instead of between them, like they do in the Key Editor.

With the grid snap on (more on this in the next section), it’s easy to manually enter drum notes or move notes from one drum or cymbal to another, and they’ll all be on the grid. You can even change the grid value for each drum independently. Drum editors are most valuable when working with quantized parts, such as those commonly found in genres like EDM.

In a lot of DAWs, you can also edit MIDI in standard music notation. To do this in Cubase, use the Score Editor:

Powerful as they are, score editing windows are not as fully featured as dedicated notation programs such as Steinberg Dorico. Still, they’re handy if you prefer working in notation, and you can easily switch back and forth between a score editor and other MIDI editors.

On the Grid

Understanding the grid is critical for successful MIDI editing — and audio editing, for that matter. The grid provides the rhythmic contours of your song. It’s particularly useful on music that was recorded in time with your DAW’s click track or metronome.

If you set the grid for, say, quarter notes, each measure in the editor will be split into four equal sections. For eighth notes, you’d get eight equal sections, and so forth. Each grid line represents a beat. How you set the grid depends on the rhythmic content of the track.

The grid has two critical functions. First, it’s a visual aid. Depending on how you set it, you’ll see each measure subdivided by that setting. It’s crucial when you’re editing to see where, say, each quarter-note or eighth-note falls in a measure.

Three screenshots. — *Common grid-size choices.*

The other important aspect is something called grid snap or snap-to-grid (in Cubase, it’s simply called Snap). When activated, it constrains your editing to whatever the grid setting is. For example, to move entire measures within a song, set the grid value to a full bar (1:1 in Cubase). More usually, you’ll end up setting it to match the smallest rhythmic value in the track you’re editing.

Learn your DAW’s keyboard shortcut for turning grid snap on and off, because you’ll want to often toggle between the two when you’re editing. In Cubase, press the J key to activate or deactivate grid snap.

Timing it Right

Quantizing is an important MIDI editing function that’s related to your grid settings as well. When you quantize a note (or a multi-note selection), it gets moved onto (or closer to, depending on your settings) the nearest grid line.

A rule of thumb is to never set the quantize function for a smaller rhythmic value than the smallest one in the section or track you’re quantizing. Otherwise, you’ll likely get at least some notes quantized to the wrong beat.

If you want your MIDI part to sound like it was played rather than programmed, you’ll want to avoid quantizing the whole selection so that every note is precisely on the grid. Your DAW will offer options for tightening up the rhythms through quantization, without putting every note directly on a beat.

The most straightforward of these is usually referred to as quantize strength. It allows you to quantize your selection by less than 100 percent. In Cubase, this function is referred to as Iterative Quantize.

Two screenshots. — *Before (top) and after (bottom) quantizing with the Cubase Iterative option.*

Another Cubase feature that lets you control the degree of quantization is called the Safe Range. It lets you tell Cubase not to quantize any notes that are within X number of ticks of the grid line. Depending on how many ticks you set it for, it will leave notes alone if they are close to but not exactly on the gridline, thus preserving some of the feel of your MIDI part. Most DAWs offer similar options.

Escape Velocity

The Key Editor in Cubase, like most MIDI editors, shows MIDI Velocity. This parameter measures how hard a note on a keyboard is struck (technically it measures the speed, or velocity, with which a key travels down from its resting position), and it is usually used to affect the loudness and softness (dynamics) of each note and/or its brightness.

In the Key Editor, Velocity is displayed on the bottom of the editor screen in the form of vertical lines that you can lengthen or shorten by dragging, as shown in the area circled in red in the illustration below:

Like many other MIDI parameters, Velocity is expressed in values from 1 to 127. For example, a snare drum hit with a Velocity of 120 will be considerably louder than one that’s at 35. Like any MIDI variable, you can edit Velocity, either note by note or in groups of notes defined by a selection, giving you a lot of control over the dynamics of a MIDI performance.

Velocity is often adjusted by moving individual sliders or by applying a Velocity value to a note, selection of notes or an entire track. In most situations, you won’t want to make all the Velocity values the same, because doing so will remove the dynamics. It’s better to bring Velocities up or down by an equal amount, so that the relationship between notes stays the same.

The Long and Short of It

When you change the duration of MIDI notes, you are altering whether they sound staccato or legato. If notes are short and have space between them, they’ll sound staccato. If their durations go right up to the edge of the following note, they’ll sound legato. You can easily select all the notes in a part or section and drag them to change their length all at the same time.

Be sure to watch out for is notes that overlap, where the end of one note hangs over the beginning of the next. In many types of instrument parts, such overlaps would be undesirable for two reasons. One, the two notes might sound discordant when sounding together, and two, the end of the first note might obscure the attack of the second.

Under Your Control

While this article has covered the basics of MIDI editing, we’ve only scratched the surface. The deeper you get into MIDI, the more you’ll use some of the other available control and expression options — for example, Pitch Bend, Modulation and Aftertouch.

MIDI has been around for nearly four decades now, so its longevity and durability is proven; however, it’s fair to say that the best is yet to come. The original MIDI spec (MIDI 1.0) has been updated to MIDI 2.0, which exponentially increases the resolution of MIDI parameters. It’s going to take time for MIDI 2.0-supported devices and software to make it to the market, but when they do, MIDI performances will undoubtedly rise to an even higher level of expressiveness and editing will be correspondingly more precise.