Let them eat cake? NOT!!!

Last Sunday, while preparing the Church sanctuary for our Lenten contemporary Christian Praise and Worship Service, our praise team was invited to partake in an impromptu 40th wedding anniversary celebration beforehand. The parlor was filled with the aroma of a delicious sheet cake.

Our drummer, a young 20-something, decided to enjoy the few pieces of said cake containing hundreds of extra calories of processed white sugar with his extra-large black coffee minutes before the service.

What resulted was as surprising to him as it was to us......

He was so hyped up on sugar and caffeine, that every tempo was blazing fast. The first song even included a surprise drum solo that I don't think our drummer had any control over. After the first chorus, a flurry of sound erupted from his drum set so overpowering, that everybody else just stopped and watched him solo for around two and a half minutes.

Lesson?

Be careful what you eat and drink prior to any musical performances. Moderation is the key.

good gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

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Cheers,

Kenji Crosland

Sad but true....

Cartoonist, Mike Peters, commentary on Ohio's collective bargaining.

When in doubt, don't.....

In the middle 60s. I got a call from a very well established recording studio to lay down a guitar track for a local artist. As I sat in the booth and listened to the song with the previously recorded tracks, I made a rather startling discovery...

I sincerely felt that the song didn't need a guitar track.

After the first playback had finished, the engineer asked me, "Well?"

(Dilemma? You betcha, as the studio was paying me $80/hr to play which, in the 60s, was SERIOUS money!)

I had always heard from my Great Aunt Mary to tell the truth and never be afraid of the outcome.

"This song needs a guitar like the Mona Lisa needs a mustache" was my first utterance.

The engineer thanked me and sent me home without pay.

The next part really surprised me...

I was the first guitarist called on every studio session!

I can only imagine that the reason is that the engineer knew that I was more concerned with the quality of the finished song than my paycheck.

(I made thousands from our long standing association)

This past Sunday, I had to hire a substitute drummer for our church's praise band. This individual came highly recommended and did a wonderful interpretation on all the fast contemporary Christian numbers. When it came time for the slow worship piece, however, it was a totally different story......

Honestly, the tune didn't need any drums at all, or at most, a few quiet cymbal rolls. What ins-sued was an onslaught of the slowest driving rock pattern I had ever heard!

Not only was this totally inappropriate for worship music, the drummer never looked at me even once to check if I, the musical director approved of his interpretation. Thank heavens that the sound engineer for the service was on top of this and turned the drums almost off in the main speakers.

RULE #1 Never under appreciate your sound engineer!

I didn't want to attract any more attention to the drummer than he was already getting, so I just finished the song as if his playing was exactly what I had asked for.

When in doubt, don't..... is my best advice if you are playing an unfamiliar piece. Your band mates won't let the overall quality of the song suffer. Feel free to jump in when you are confident that your playing will benefit, rather than detract, from the overall musicality of the performance.

Good Gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

Music and Arts Enthusiasts Award Winners Announced

2011 Music and Arts Enthusiasts Award Winners Announced

This years 2011 Music and Arts Enthusiasts Award Winners for Music Education are:

• Music Teachers 911
• Music Education Magic
• Music is Not for Insects
• Music Matters Blog
• Music Teacher's Helper
• Music, Education, and Technology: MusTech.Net!
• MusicEdMajor.net
• Free Jazz Blog
• Thomas J West Music
• UrbanMusicEducation.org
• What Music Means to Me
• Congratulations to all the winners and be sure to bookmark these valuable online music ed. resources.

Good Gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

musicteachers911 is a Music & Arts Enthusiasts award finalist!

This couldn't have happened without all you loyal followers and fantastic guests that have contributed to the musicteachers911 blog and podcast.

I humbly thank you all!

Hi Larry,

eCollegeFinder, an established online education resource representing over 120 accredited online institutions, would like to congratulate you. Musicteachers911 has been selected by our review staff as a finalist for eCollegeFinder’s Top Music & Arts Enthusiasts award.

The Music & Arts Enthusiasts award recognizes the websites we feel best promote the voice of music and arts in culture and education.

Free online tuner saves the day

Free online tuner saves the day!

It's rare that I perform at a venue with an ensemble that doesn't include a keyboard, but this happened last Saturday. I was hired to play guitar for a wedding with a violin and cello. I grabbed my case that had my portable chromatic tuner thinking that everything would be fine. Well.......It wasn't.

When I finally set up and let my guitar get accustom to the climate of the venue. I realized that my chromatic tuner batteries had died. (I should have checked it before I left, but that's for another blog post).

I grabbed my Macbook and did a frantic search for free online tuners. I selected the first entry and was very impressed at the ease and simplicity of a web 2.0 online interactive app at a site called, GET-TUNED.COM.

The tuner is located at:

http://www.get-tuned.com/instruments.php

Just click the string on the guitar graphic and listen. It's really as easy as that.

Other instrument tuners can be chosen from this site such as: Balalaika Banjo Bass Guitar Cello

Dulcimer Harmonica Mandolin Ukulele Violin and Viola.

I let the other musicians use this site to tune and they loved it.

Good Gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

You've Got Mail!

I love to attend concerts presented by area bands, choirs, and orchestras. Last night was no exception. These events also keep me painfully aware of some basic housekeeping tasks.

Here is one case in point:

As the conductor of a local handbell choir was about to start their ensembles first song, an all-too-familiar tone rang through the concert hall...

"YOU"VE GOT MAIL!"

Listed below are a few basic items I mention before any of my concerts begin.

1. Warmly welcome the audience

2. Mention and thank any sponsors or benefactors. (Personally recognize them if they are seated in the audience).

3. Point out the location of all exits in case of emergency

4. Point out the location of rest rooms

5. Ask for all cell phones be turned off or placed on vibrate.

6. mention your policy on video or flash photography.

Good Gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

.

Data Tree of ensemble members.

Last week, I was to play for large Christmas concert and nativity musical at a local church. The event was supposed to start at 7PM.

At 5:30, just 90 minutes before the show, I started getting several calls, texts, and emails from other band members alerting me that the event was just cancelled due to an oncoming snow storm.

I was glad to get so many notices rather than not having any word requiring driving several miles through deep snow only to find myself alone in an empty church parking lot.

Make sure that, at your first rehearsal, you pass around a "Contact info" tablet so everyone has access to the other ensemble members data. Have them include their phone, email and address (in case someone has car trouble and needs a ride)

You never know when a rehearsal or performance will be changed, postponed, or cancelled at the last minute due to such situations as inclement weather conditions.

good gigging!

Larry Marra

www.musicteachers911.com

Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

OK, this tip should be obvious to seasoned players, but sometime it bears repeating for the newbies.

NEVER WARM UP ON STAGE!

Warm up somewhere the audience can't here you. When you are tuned and ready to perform, enter the stage silently and wait for the conductor to cue the first selection.

The stage should be where the audience hears the first note of the ensemble during the entrance of the first number. They did not come to hear you run through scales or difficult passages.

nuh said?

good gigging,

Larry Marra

musicteachers911.com