If I'm not careful it is easy for me to become overwhelmed by the mediocrity that seems to keep us all in constant danger of succumbing to it's hypnotic siren song. Yeah it's easy to switch on my television and flop down on my couch, getting up to visit the refrigerator every time one of those food commercials gives me the munchies. But I know I will go to bed unsatisfied with that choice. Why? Because the singer was just lip syncing and was more concerned about flipping her hair than interpreting a ballad, or even knowing what it means to be on pitch. I already knew
how that movie was going to end that I watched at the same time. I'm not as stupid as I'm being played for. But no one asked me what I thought, or even said hello. I'm just left with doubts and fears and phobias planted every few minutes by snake oil salesmen, and festering in my uneasy sleep. Turn on the radio and I am assaulted by booty songs, or conversely, angry conversations between people who are not communicating or cooperating or accomplishing anything. And of course the other kind of pitch. I'm not talking about notes or baseballs either. There is always the sales pitch. Even when I do venture out to a live production with real people playing real instruments, I am often sorely disappointed to find many of them mimicking mass culture, and motivated by ego or vanity, and not a genuine attempt to communicate.
I know industry and economy are here to stay. I know that I am inescapably a consumer, but I don't have to be just a consumer every minute of every day. The fact is that I want and need deeper connections, and experiences that appeal directly to my soul. Speaking of soul, it is a strange truth that the same country (United States of America) that produces the most schlock, is also the birthplace of an art-form that practically defines Soul, admired and celebrated more often in other countries than here at home. I'm speaking, of course, of Jazz. What makes Jazz a language of the soul? I will tell you. Its intelligence. Its ingredients. Above all, its free spirit.
When I was little, my mother used to play records of Beethoven concertos, and Mozart symphonies, and Chopin piano compositions. The names of the conductors and musicians have long since faded in my memory, but the music remains there. As my understanding grew of the history of music I came to realize that when Beethoven and Mozart and Chopin were alive, they were all skilled improvisers, and the classical concerts and recordings of today, as moving as they may be to some
people, are but shadows of what live performances of these masters must have been like. The sheet music probably functioned as a guide for their solo performances similar to the "fake books" and "real books" that serve as guides to modern standards for budding musicians. What jazz musicians did and do, is take the ingredients of their time, the sounds and rhythms of a cultural melting pot, and deliver it fresh each time they play. Not only does Jazz draw on the classical traditions of Europe with great skill, its roots lie in ancient African rhythms and harmonic structures. Seamlessly blending the two great traditions together, you will also hear Latin and even East Indian and Chinese elements combined to create living music for today.
Even when there is the occasional great Jazz concert on television, it still isn't the same as being there, and actually feeling the vibrations of the drums. That is where the true spirit of any performance really exists, in the moment and place that it is unfolding, among the musicians and the audience who are present. Any live performance is something which will never be duplicated, even if it is repeated note-for-note by devoted followers studying the recordings the same way classical musicians study their scores.
In 2003, in an interview by Javier Antonio Quiñones Ortiz for allaboutjazz.com, our hometown master of percussion, Babatunde Lea, is quoted as saying:
"After many years studying the rhythms of the African Diaspora, I have peeped that through many of the African cultures lies the understanding that there is no separation between mind, body and spirit. In fact, that is when health ensues. I contend that polyrhythms are a metaphor for universal culture. Polyrhythms are connected. So are we as human beings. We just don't fully realize it because it needs to be taught, just like one needs to be taught rhythms by a master drummer."
Yes folks, we need to be taught, and it is up to each of us to learn the lessons, or pay the price. What price? The price of lingering dissatisfaction, the price of regret, the price of boredom. I contend that the polyrhythms that Babatunde Lea refers to are not only heard, they are felt. But you have to take the steps leading to a place of community, where you can experience something real for yourself. When Tony and I
opened the doors to Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café we made the commitment to support live jazz right here in Vallejo, to create a home for jazz musicians to come and be heard with the listener's respectful attention. We have been delivering on that promise every Saturday night when we feature live jazz with a poetry intermission. We have had several patrons exclaim that they "can't believe this is happening in Vallejo." But why shouldn't it be happening in Vallejo? It's happening in Tokyo. It's happening in Frankfurt and Amsterdam and Berlin and Paris. Why shouldn't it be happening in a place that has a rich history of Blues and Jazz musicians who were walking and playing these very streets. New Orleans knows its history, and has capitalized on it. If anything, it is its history more than anything else that will motivate people around the world to rebuild and preserve the city. Why shouldn't we be proud of our history and the musicians living among us? This particular Saturday will be extra special because we will be featuring seasoned masters.
You won't find him on television (yet), but Babatunde Lea is an
internationally recognized performing artist. The truth is that the only reason you have the opportunity to hear him live and at a very reasonable price right here in Vallejo is because he lives here and makes the choice to support live Jazz here. Lea has forged a career steeped in the rhythms of the motherland of Africa and its Caribbean and South American Diaspora. Raised in New York and Englewood, New Jersey, he migrated westward to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960's. He was deservedly voted Jazz Musician of the year by SF Weekly in 2005. Joining Babatunde on Saturday May 20, 2006 at the Listen & Be Heard Poetry
Café in Vallejo, will be Aaron Germaine on bass, and Art Kuh on piano, two of the most sought after rhythm section men in the business, and for very good reason. When they get into the spirit, there is no denying feeling it. If you have never ventured out to a live jazz concert, this would be a perfect time for you to dip your toes in the water. You will not be disappointed. If you hold out with only the highest most discerning standards when it comes to Jazz, this will also be a night for you.
So come out to support live jazz by all means, but more importantly come out to meet strange people like yourself who are searching for more than mediocrity. Come out to learn. Come out to feed your soul.
You will find more about Babatunde Lea, and the Educultural Foundation founded by him and his wife Dr. Virginia Lea, by visiting http://www.motema.com. You will get a chance to meet and greet them on Saturday night from 9pm to midnight at Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café located at 818 Marin Street in Downtown Vallejo. Admission is $10, and the phone number is 707-554-4540. You can also visit
http://www.listenandbeheard.net for more information.


You Might Be In Danger Playing Guitar
You Might Be In Danger Playing Guitar
-by Mike Morin
©Mike Morin - All Rights Reserved
http://www.awesomeguitarlessons.com
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Imagine this…
You pick up the guitar one day. Start playing your favourite
song, and all of a sudden you feel this pain in your wrist.
It's a sort of pain that distracts you from your playing.
You think to yourself "I'll toughen it out it'll probably go
away tomorrow", and continue to play some more. You continue
to play like this day to day, and then you notice that the
pain keeps getting worse. You wonder to yourself "Will this
pain ever go away? I hope so." The problem is, this might
not be just a pain that will go away. It might be a pain
that will cause serious injuries such as tendonitis.
Tendonitis is a serious injury that causes inflammation of a
tendon. When you over stretch your tendons it begins to tear
which leads to swelling. This is very dangerous because
tendons are hard to heal, and will unlikely heal to the
original strength. A lot of times this pain is caused
by not stretching before you play. Stretching plays a big
role in guitar playing. When you stretch your hands,
fingers, wrists, and arms you widen the range of motion of
your joints. Which will also enable you to play more
effortlessly, and faster. When you play without stretching
you have limited joint movement. Which means that your hands
and wrists won't be as flexible as if you were to stretch
before playing.
Here are a few stretches that you can do before you play:
*Place the palm of your left hand to the inside of your
fingers on your right hand. Push with your left hand so your
fingers are going towards your forearms until you feel a
burn in the wrist. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Now do the
other hand. You can also do each finger individually.
*Extend your left arm fully across your chest, and with
your other arm pull your left arm towards your chest. Hold
for 10-15 seconds.
*With your left palm push the inside of your thumb towards
your forearm, hold for 10 seconds.
*Extend your arm behind your shoulder by holding your elbow
with your other hand. Pull until you feel a burn. Hold for
10-15 seconds for each arm.
*Thoroughly massage your hands and fingers individually.
This is a crucial step. This will really relax your hands.
Not only should you stretch just before you play the
guitar, but also any other time you get the chance. Guitar
is not the only place that you can get an injury such
as tendonitis. You can get it from exercise or physical
work. Always stretch before doing a lot of movement that's
involved in working and exercising. If you start to feel
pain, STOP PLAYING. This is a danger sign to a minor or
serious injury. Just give it a rest, and if the pain
continues consult a doctor. Remember, it's all about having
fun.
===========================================================
Mike Morin is the writer of the Awesome Guitar Lessons
Newsletter. Awesome Guitar Lessons provides free guitar
lessons to new and experienced guitarists. Also, up
to date information on guitarists around the world.
Click Here ==> http://www.awesomeguitarlessons.com
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You Can Learn to Play Rock Guitar
Although the electric guitar has originated in blues music, it is rock that gave its popularity. With rock music, the electric guitar became a massively expressive instrument. All guitar lessons have to touch on rock as well, but if you want to learn to play rock guitar, there are special modules you can take up. These modules focus almost exclusively on rock music.
The things you will be taught when you learn to play rock guitar can be roughly spread into three modules: first lessons, where you will learn the basics about playing the guitar, electric guitar improver and power chords.
First Lessons
These lessons are mostly for beginners. If you have some knowledge about playing the guitar, you may skip some of these. This is up to your teacher to decide.
However, if you're holding a guitar for the first time, this is where your teacher will usually start. You will be taught the fundamentals about playing a guitar in general and playing rock guitar in particular. You will learn the basics about rock lead guitar and power chords. After these first lessons, you will have some idea on how to play classic rock guitar. If you get these right, you are on your way to actually playing rock guitar.
Electric Guitar Improver
In the next lessons, you will probably be taught various rock techniques, such as sliding, string-bending, pull-offs, vibrato and hammer-ons. These tips will enable you to play some fairly good rock solos. You will also learn about scales and chords that will help you start making up your own music.
There might be a lot of blues references within these lessons. Going through all these will help you understand the relation between blues and rocks, which is essential if you want to learn to play rock guitar like a pro.
Power Chords
Power chords are two or three string distorted sounding chords used in some of the most popular rock songs of all times. You will learn to play several rock songs during the first few lessons of this module. Afterwards you will be very familiar with the fretboard and surprise yourself with the sounds you will be able to play.
If you seriously want to learn to play rock guitar, don't get frustrated or discouraged if you're not playing the way you would like to at the beginning. If you enjoy playing, the progress will come at some point. Find a guitar teacher you communicate well with, design a workable schedule to practice and, most importantly, try to have fun while you're learning.
Article written by real guitar lover. Some of authors articles can be found at:
You Can Learn
Guitar!Articles to help you learn guitar quick.