Today I went to an interview at a local church that hosts a really great music program. This place is huge and has about one hundred and fifty students across several disciplines. I noticed they didn’t have a bass instructor so I emailed them and enquired about the position. I met with the head of the school and, after some sight reading, some improv playing, and a lot of talk, I got the gig. Students will follow once the word gets out that they now have a bass instructor.

This is a big deal to me because I have wanted to get back into teaching for a while. It’s something I really enjoy but simply hate having students come to my house. Teaching music is such a great pleasure. You can connect so well and, as with anything, passion is infectious and students will learn to love the art as much as you do. Plus, you learn so much about yourself and your playing when you teach.

I’m stoked.

There is a misguided assumption among hipsters and musicians, these days, that Mac is the Jesus Christ of computers and it is flawless in all ways.  PC’s, in this scenario, are obviously Lucifer. Well, here’s the whole ball of wax…

***I want you to know that I am not saying PC OR Mac is inferior and I am not attempting to endorse either one. I like Mac. I like PC.***

The problem that most people don’t look at is that, while financially a wonderful idea, licensing an OS (Operating System) can be problematic. When software is sold, you can look at the minimum system requirements and know whether or not it is going to pull your entire system down. THAT’s where Microsoft shot itself in the foot. They licensed an OS to various companies (actually, any that would buy) but put the minimum requirements for the machines too low.

Now, according to Microsoft’s Vista page, you need at least 512MBs of RAM and a 1GHz processor (for Vista Home Basic). With Vista being such a large OS and having cumbersome, outdated programming codes, it takes 512MBs of RAM to start it up! So, all those machines that used the minimum specs crashed. Even those that doubled that crashed. Why? Well with such a strain on the RAM and processor, anything you add to it is going to kill your productivity and cause you to try to force it to work. With Windows 7, they beefed the minimum up to a gigabyte…still too little, IMHO.

What’s the solution? Beef up your RAM and processor and your fine. Then, you can have a powerful computer without dropping 1,600 bucks.  Personally, I wouldn’t go under 3GB RAM and a 2 GHz, dual core processor.

Ok. Rumor number 1:

Macs don’t get viruses.

False. Here’s the skinny on viruses – A virus has to be written for whatever operating system it intends to attack. If you look at the number of PCs vs. Macs (IE vs Safari) that access the internet, you can understand why you hear so much about PCs and viruses. The majority of people who browse the internet STILL use Internet Explorer even with growing popularity of third party browsers. There simply isn’t as many people writing viruses for Macs and there aren’t as many Macs online.

Rumor number 2:

Macs don’t crash.

False. Every new or modified bit of technology that hits the consumer is vulnerable. This is because all the scenarios the few hundred developers and testers run a machine through cannot properly duplicate all the situationsthe several hundred thousand initial consumers will have it in. This hit PC hard because of the whole RAM and processor deal. In fact, Mac’s OS X Leopard had a few issues when it came out. A good friend of mine had his Mac crash twice before he had to send it in to Apple.

Rumor number 3:

You can’t do that on a PC:

This one kind of annoys me. Mac has a lot of neat features, for sure. PCs may not come out of the box with them but there are many (for instance, the ability to save a Word file as a pdf) that you can download for free at Microsoft.com. These ad ons attach to the program and are seamless in integration.

Running media editing programs can also be done. The issues are, again, the RAM and processor. If you take that into consideration when buying it, you will never have a problem.

Also – the PCs version of Apple TV is Windows Media Center and just like Apple, all you need is a shared network connection.

Hey man, I love Mac and I have almost bought one several times. Apple as a whole is a wonderful and progressive company. When I buy my next computer for my studio, it will probably be a Mac but not because I think a PC can’t handle it; I like the UI.

The sole purpose of this post is to let everybody know that you don’t have to buy a $2,000 tower and a $900 display to have a decent computer. For most people, that’s not an option. The best thing (whether you buy Mac or PC) is to know a little about what you need. The average (even above average) user doesn’t need a quad-core processor-you may but probably not.  Technology is always going to move fast and you are kidding yourself if you think you don’t need to follow it.

A full length album has been hanging over my head for years. It has taken me a long time to be happy with where I am and figure out what I am. Well, I think I have gotten there. Though I have released an EP called Live at Featured Players, I haven’t actually organized my thoughts into a full length, studio album. I got the idea to document the process via weblog from Gary Melvin. I really enjoyed his video posts on the making of his new album and thought it would be fun to do the same. So, here goes.

I have several tunes that will (as far as I can tell at the moment) make the album. They have been played live and should only need a little tweaking.

A couple of nights ago, I started going through my digital 4-track’s hard drive and making notes of the music on it.

Notes from the hard drive

I simply noted the track number/name and what I thought it was good for. For instance, bass groove, melody, etc. I also matched up any tracks that I had previously written or sketched out. It’s always a good idea to write stuff down after recording it. That way, you still have the “creative” moment to work in without the whole writing-it-down thing getting in your way. By taking a few minutes to sketch it out afterwards, you can dramatically cut refinement time down.

I have a habit of using my voice recorder on my phone to record ideas, too. Whether it’s a bass line, melodic idea, form, or feel, it’s great to have it right there when I need it. I have a dozen or so of them to go through and will probably only be able to use a few. It’s a good possibility that several will be merged but I’ll just have to see.

I hope you guys follow along as I document this journey. It’s a first for me so I could really use the company.

Recently, I switched from T-Mobile (whom I had been with for about six years) to Verizon. When I changed, I knew I wanted to go with an open platform phone (I had been a loyal BlackBerry user up to this point) but would rather have my finger nails ripped from my fingers than have AT&T (thus the ruling out of the iPhone). So, I went with the Motorola Droid and I haven’t looked back since.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Obviously, the App selection is awesome. There REALLY is an App for everything. Yes, there are ones for leveling pictures and scanning barcodes or a compass or dinner reservations, etc, but there are several that are wonderful for the gigging musician who needs to keep track of expenses, income and mileage. So, I’m going to cover a couple that I use for business and convenience.

The first one, EasyMoney, I use for all my transactions- both income and expenditures. You can create and edit categories, make notes, attach pictures, set repeats, and even set the status of the payment/debit. It keeps track of all the transactions and gives a running total that you can view by balance chart, monthly expenses, monthly income and monthly cash flow. EasyMoney starts off with a 30 day free trial; after that, $9.99 will get you export and backup capabilities. I’ve tried a few but this is my favorite and definitely worth the investment.

**tip: if you have the barcode scanner App, you can scan the block at the bottom of the Handy-app page, press “Open Browser” and your Droid will find it in the marketplace**

Mileage is another concern for anyone in their own business and it can really add up. For this, I use Mileage Ledger. It’s a little pricy (in my humble opinion) at $8.95/year but it’s much easier to use and keep up with than a paper ledger. There isn’t a server so privacy is not an issue and it DOES meet IRS standards. It uses your GPS to track your route and

Image via Wikipedia

calculates your ending odometer reading (you input the beginning number). I really like this app because you pull it up and hit “Start.” You can save the details right then or wait until later.  You don’t even have to calculate round trip or anything because you can resume the trip whenever.  The user can change settings to help the battery life and GPS accuracy.

**tip: When used for business, both of these apps are business expenses and can be deducted from you taxes**

With great apps like the Mileage Ledger and Google Navigation as well as the great voice activation features, an accessory that you HAVE to have is the car mount. Trust me, $30 VERY well spent! Plus, it’s great for using the Droid music player (I don’t even carry my iPod anymore) or streaming Last.fm in the car because you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to change a tune!

Keeping really tight records is the best way to keep your taxes from killing you. Every musician that makes money playing is considered a professional in the eyes of the IRS so it is important to be able to back up your claims. Whatever smart phone or network you use, there are apps for making life easier and I encourage you to find the best ones for you!

Ok, this is kind of an odd combination, I know. And, just prove how random it actually is, I will tell you this- I got the idea from an Olympics commercial. Anywho, pretty much the main focus of my short blogging career has been the mental side of being a musician, the problems that people don’t think about as being inhibiting to their career, performance, or stage presence. They are also ALL issues that I have personally dealt with and overcome. They make these pages of near incoherent rambling because, since their defeat, my musical life has prospered.

Image via Wikipedia

So, you may be saying to yourself “what in the world is this dude talking about? Ice skating is NOTHING like music!” Au contraire, my friend. au contraire.

Here is how I see it.

In all ice skating (professional or the average Joe in a public rink) there is a trust issue. When alone, there is the problem of trusting that you have the ability to keep yourself upright. Then, whether you know it or not, you are trusting that the ice will facilitate a smooth, dry run, and, on top of that, you are trusting that your skates will do their job. This is a no-brainer. Trusting in yourself is THE reason a show goes good or bad. Even if equipment fails, your recovery is what people will remember (that’s a great set up for a golf analogy but that’s for another time).

Here is how it ties into Pairs Figure Skating.

Have you ever watched a competition? Have you ever seen the way one member of the team gets held by their feet and slung around with their head two inches from a floor of solid ice? Or, held over the other’s head while they skate backwards? Or, better still, how about a jump and twist before they land (blindly) in their teammate’s arms? Well, that’s a lot like being on stage. Yep, you have to trust everybody on stage with you- from the sax player to the lead guitarist to the sound guy (if applicable). Keep in mind that snags here and there are going to happen; I am only talking about blaring issues that reoccur and are a directly related to the lack of preparation.

I have already written about self confidence and personal demons (see mind over music pt 1, 2 and 3) so I won’t go into that here but it’s the same type of deal. You know you’re ready; trust that they are.

The way to do this is easy- only play with people who take the music as serious as you do. If you are aspiring to be a pro, don’t gig with cats that call out of a rehearsal because their favorite team is playing. You can bet that, most of the time, those are the guys that will come to rehearsals and try to bum the chord progressions for one (or all) the new songs from you. You have to be able to know that everybody in the band is on point and prepared. Worrying if the drummer will remember that break won’t make him hit it! You need to trust that he has been professional enough to learn it or, at least, write it down. The audience will be able to sense your hesitation and uneasiness whether he/she misses or not. You have to be able to focus on the game, not the players. If everyone on stage is vibing and feeling the music then the audience will be doing the same.

How do you deal with people who aren’t as dedicated? Glad you asked!

If you are in a band where everyone is equal, there is an unspoken protocol to handling stuff like this. If you feel someone is not pulling their weight and you are uncomfortable on stage because of their lack of preparation, you have to talk to the rest of the band. NOT in a way that is disrespectful to the member in question, but in an inquiring manner. Find out what the other members think. If they don’t agree, it’s on you. Either pull back and let it go or, if it is too much for you, find another band. If they agree, designate one guy to talk to him. You don’t want them to feel ganged up on so avoid a group “sit down” and the person with the most tact, is better suited for the task. It is very important that you treat them with respect and understand where they are coming from. They may be having some issues that they can’t help; something that is keeping them out of the shed. Whatever you do, don’t let it become an argument or confrontation. If the problem can’t be resolved and you have to relieve them of their obligations to the group, be tactful and respectful. Don’t drag them along and don’t actively look for a replacement before you fire them. Designating a sub is fine but be discrete with the reasons for doing so.

If you are a bandleader, it’s all you. YOUR name is out there first and foremost. This is when you have to pay close attention and note any issues at rehearsals, meetings, shows, etc. If you want to, get an opinion of someone in the group but (and I can’t stress this enough) BE RESPECTFUL. Nobody likes or wants to work for someone who talks about people behind their back. It’s rude and a great way to lose colleagues. You have to be quick and decisive on this because every bad performance is a reflection of your leadership and work ethic. Not to mention, nobody wants to pay to hear crappy music.

You know why you don’t see a lot of Olympic Pairs Figure Skaters drop their partner? Because they practice. They know what to practice and, because they do, you don’t see people baling from jumps and lifts. They trust their partners are going to catch them and, if there is a slip, they are confident that both of them are capable of a decent recovery. A musician’s relationship with his/her stage mates is no different.

Several years ago, I was a pit musician for a couple college theatre department productions. It was one of those situations where you meet new people and, with one or two of them, you just know you will be working together in the future. You know how it is, you really hit it off musically, personally, and they’re easy to work with!  In this case, it was the drummer. He was a graduate assistant at the time and, though I had seen him around campus, I had never actually met him.

We hung out a lot at breaks and talked about jazz and musicians. It was a breath of fresh air to meet someone who shared my passion for the music and the need to expose people to it. I knew he would make a great addition to my band if a spot ever opened in it.

Fast forward a little…I had just moved back to Alabama and was working hard at booking gigs for the reunited CHB. We had played our first reunion gig (a private party) and something was up with the drummer. He’s a good friend and had been with me a while but, I guess his run with us was just over. Hey, it happens and you can’t force it. It just is what it is. Anywho, I had a dilemma – gigs on the books and no drummer. My first thought was Eric Ward, the drummer from the plays. I had played with him on some studio dates since then and I knew he would be interested but he’s a busy dude so, I wasn’t sure if he could swing it. I sent him an email and received an enthusiastic response. His energy was a great addition to the band and he quickly became a full fledge member. The first gig was sans guitarist – bass, bad ass trombone (Martin Sager) and Eric and was one of my favorite gigs to date.

One day, I get an email from Kerry Farrell (The Main Event) about a charity auction for the local chapter of the American Red Cross. She needed a duo and was in a bind after a last minute cancellation by her original  musicians. I work a lot with Kerry so there wasn’t a question about me wanting to help her out and my first thought pointed to my new PIC (Partner In Crime).

Eric is not only a bad ass drummer but an awesome vibraphonist, as well.  We had jammed as a duo and talked about gigging with it but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. This was the perfect opportunity. So, before we had a name, we had this gig.

The name was important to us. Our goal with this duo (which also features other musicians from time to time) is to dedicate our repertoire to all the jazz cats that got us where we are today-  Monk, Dizzy, Bird, Trane, Davis, etc. and, we wanted a name to fit that. We also want to be an educational team to expose new people to jazz and teach young minds to appreciate it. So, The Living Jazz Duo was coined.

Here’s a couple samples-

All The Things You Are

Have You Met Miss Jones

The reception to the duo has been great! Party planners love us ’cause duos are cheap and our flexibility with adding instruments makes it a lot of fun to play public events. Due to the lack of funding, though, the LJD has yet to be able travel to schools and educate kids on this unique American art form but we do have plans to do so in the future. We are also (slowly but surely) working on an album that will have many great musicians sitting in with us.

You can find more info about the LJD here. Or, check out our Facebook, MySpace, or Reverbnation pages. For quick updates, check us out on Twitter.

If you’re around the Dothan, AL area, stop by R.J. Saxons Thursday, Feb 11 (my 30th birthday) and check us out. We will be featuring vocalist, Holly Roberts.

Last weekend, the wife and I took a trip to our old stomping grounds, Atlanta, Ga. It’s a little over three hours from our home so, she thought it would be fun if we each made a playlist inspired by our lives as a couple. The way we separately interpreted this task was inspiring to me.

My wife (as many women can) has always been able to tell me what who was wearing at any point in history. She can, for almost every date, event, encounter, or any happening with even the slightest significance, tell you what everyone involved was wearing. I used to find this befuddling but, while perusing my audio library for playlist fodder, I found out that I can do that with music.  All of the music I chose came from memories I have with her. For instance, the first time we heard “Move, Bitch” by Ludacris was on our honeymoon. We were just about to be in New Orleans when it came on the radio. Another one is Joss Stones’ “Some Kind of Wonderful” which we heard live at Music Midtown in Atlanta. All total, there were sixty four songs on my list representing everything from major events to a comment she made about a particular Charles Mingus tune (Better Get it in Your Soul). I remember when, where, and what we were doing when those tunes were playing.

Image via Wikipedia

For her lists (she actually made two), she chose a completely different route. While one was all the concerts we have been to (kind of similar to mine), the other was made entirely music that evoked thoughts and feelings of me. Several of the tunes I had never heard like “Hold You in My Arms” by Ray LaMontagne and “Lover” by Devendra Banhart. Then there were some classics like “Forever” by Ben Harper (long before this blasted Relentless 7 crap) and “Do You Realize??” by The Flaming Lips. For her, some of the songs’ meanings were enhanced by a shared moment but the main point was the meaning of the words or the feelings they brought out.

Of course, it’s no secret that music effects people in different ways but this was, for some reason, kind of a profound moment for me. Even though many of the songs I chose represented my feelings for her, most of the value I assigned to them was based on a moment with her. A memory of a time (good or bad) that we heard that song together.

I guess the reason all this strikes me is that, for the last seven and a half years, there has been few days we have been apart (for that matter, add in the time we dated for an amazing eleven years!) yet all that music has stuck with us in completely different ways.

One thing that makes things difficult as a jazz musician in a small town is the limited (if any) chances to see/hear live jazz and it can be hard to “feel” your way through band leadership and stage management/presence without it. So, what I wanted to do was give some resources for musicians and, at the same time, maybe give newbe  listeners some places to explore jazz without having to drop the money on going to a show that they may or may not like. I want to start with video; then we’ll move to audio.

VIDEO

Probably, no, definitely, at the top of my list for online jazz is the live feed from Smalls Jazz Club in NY, NY. After the flash intro, the schedule will load and you can click a link on the left to go to the “Live Video.” If you’re not diggin’ the cats that are playing or can’t be in front of a screen when it comes on, you can go to the audio archive and listen to past performances of many of the artists. Seeing musicians you look up to play/lead WHILE the are actually on stage doing it can be an invaluable resource.

Another great place to stream great videos is Jazz Corner’s JazzVission. There, anyone can upload footage of any group playing jazz. There are videos of bands at private parties, showcases, and any other performance situation you can fathom.

Of course, we all know about YouTube but many don’t really know just how much you can find on there. One particular channel, Jazz Video Guy , ran by Bret Primack has a steady flow of great jazz videos. You can also find him at All About Jazz, another great site for jazz videos and audio.

AUDIO

Back in December,Jason Parker (@1WorkinMusician), a jazz trumpeter/blogger (and helluva nice guy) from Seattle wrote a blog called “10 Jazz Resources You Should Follow on Twitter” which covered some of these (along with several different ones). While the following is not focused on Live jazz, they do give you access to live tracks. But hey, studio tracks are important, too, ya know.

My main source for internet jazzphonia is last.fm. You can listen for free, it has iPhone, Droid, and Xbox 360 apps, and it can keep up with everything you play on all your devices. It makes suggestions and lets you stream music from your own library so you can have it when you aren’t by a hard drive.

AccuJazz (@accujazzradio) has an awesome selection of jazz channels. You can pick or experiment with different types all day.

Another is Curt’s Cafe. Curtis (@curtjazz) provides a great selection and now has a blog and a Youtube channel. His blog reviews albums and makes great suggestions for your listening pleasure.

The internet can bring pretty much anything you need straight to you. Don’t be afraid of that search engine; USE IT. There are so many great things to read, watch and listen to. This list is just what I use on a regular basis. If there is something you use, comment it below OR email it to me and I may add it to this blog.

For the final installment of this little miniseries, I want to address something that young musicians (including myself…when I was young) deal with.  I want to talk about stylistic diversity and what it means to making money as an instrumentalist.

In the blog, Where’s My Bentley?, I talked about musicians I looked up to as a teen ager and how they can’t make it as a musician outside of their respective groups. This is something that rings true across the board. There are hundreds of great bands where the musicians can only function in one particular element. No matter what you think, that money won’t last forever and, chances are, the style that they made all the cash with won’t either. The point is, you have to be prepared. It’s like when your parents used to say “you need a backup plan” and, with the quickness of a Black Mamba, you would snap back with “I have MUSIC, I don’t need one!” Yea, it’s just like that! Only I’m talking about a musical backup plan and, yes, you do need one. The biggest part of being a professional musician is diversity.

I’ll give you a “for instance.”

Your death metal band is running short on gigs so, you are short on cash which is really pissing off your landlord. You see an ad for a local theatre company and remember having heard that they pay well. So, you call them up. Let’s just say the production is Rent and, though a little cheesy for your taste, you handle the rock tunes well (Presuming you can read enough to pass the audition). Cool, you’re in the door. It’s not as focused on you as it is when you are playing with Death Serpent but it’s a great supplement to your financial situation. Ok, the next production is a comedy about a hick in the backwoods of Tennessee who has a love/hate relationship with a “special” goat. You go to the audition but can’t play anything close to bluegrass…hmmm, if you’re lucky the music director will give you a chance. Problem with that is money is tight and rehearsals are expensive.

Now I’m not saying you should study every type of popular music. What I am saying is being stuck to one genre can cost you a lot of money. If the opportunity comes up, take advantage of it. If there’s a gig in a style you aren’t familiar with, learn the rhythmic patterns and the popular interval/chord progressions, what inversions are prominent, etc. Don’t be afraid of it. If your friends try to make fun of you for practicing Britney Spears’ Toxic, ask them where they are gigging that night. Chances are, it’s in their own bedrooms , plus, you are still making money playing music. Isn’t that the dream, anyway?

By the way, it’s not selling out. It’s doing something less enjoyable to facilitate doing what you really, really love. If it is selling out, though, I guess you can always bus tables. Even though, by bussing tables, you’re doing something less enjoyable to facilitate doing what you really, really love…hmmm…See a pattern here?

Ok, so, the cats at musicianwages.com has asked music bloggers to participate in a group blogging event today (12/30/09). The topic is a question- If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

My response is short and sweet but it definitely addresses the single biggest issue of the last decade of my musical life.

Play. Every chance you get, just play. Trust that you can do whatever the gig is and give it hell. Your life will not end nor will your soul be lost because of any wrong notes. Fact is, 99.9% of the people that will hear you won’t even know (or care, if they do). So get over yourself and play.