Podcasts about Mel Bay

Is this one of the best or worst books for learning about vintage Gibson acoustic guitars? Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas is a great book for vintage guitar enthusiasts, anyone curious about why folks are so crazy about vintage guitars, anyone generally interested in the Gibson guitar company and its founding, and anyone interested in the culture and society of the U.S. home front during World War II.  The author weaves the stories of the 1942 – 1945 Gibson “banner guitars,” the personal stories of the largely female workforce of the time, and the context of the wartime manufacturing regulations. This book does NOT teach you how to play the guitar - it is non-fiction novel.  John Thomas put a tremendous amount of research into this book, making multiple trips to Kalamazoo, MI (where the Gibson factory was located).  He presents his findings with a sense of humor, making for an enjoyable read. When many of the male employees at Gibson were sent off to fight in World War II, local women (the “Kalamazoo Gals”) stepped in to fill their shoes at the factory.  Despite heavy wartime regulations and an inexperienced, largely female workforce, Gibson built some of its most revered guitars – the “Banner Gibsons.”  Mysteriously, the Gibson company denies ever building these guitars! John Thomas sought out the Kalamazoo Gals for their first-hand accounts of working at the Gibson factory during WWII, and along the way he discovered their personal stories.  He poured through old shipping ledgers to decode Gibson's strange serial numbers system (or lack there-of) so that we can more accurately date these vintage guitars.  He X-rays a bunch of Banner Gibsons to discover exactly what made these guitars special.  Finally, he produced a musical album to capture the sounds of the Banner Gibsons. The early chapters of the book present the history of Orville Gibson and his founding of Gibson guitars in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  As a guitar player, I was intrigued by the history of the company and how it is intertwined with American history.  I had no idea that Orville Gibson was fond of gaudy pinstriped suits and built interesting instruments like harp guitars and lutes.  I have a new respect for the company's history having learned about how it scraped by during the depression, building both guitars and children's toys, and how it aided the WWII effort by taking a bunch of contracts to build military weapons. You will gain a much deeper understanding of Gibson's flattop guitar models and their histories.  You will read the stories of several specific guitars that were owned by famous musicians including Buddy Holly and Woodie Guthrie.  You may develop an itch to acquire a vintage guitar - the massive, resonant sounds of these guitars and the stories they carry are truly special. However, most importantly, you will hear the personal stories of some 15 or so Kalamazoo Gals.  It is touching to follow along as John Thomas clearly develops meaningful relationships with these women throughout the course of his research and interviews. Be sure to check out the album, The Light Still Burns, by Lauren Sheehan and produced by John Thomas, to hear some of the Banner Gibsons in action! Published in 2012 by American History Press. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming eBook on fingerstyle blues will be out soon!  I'll provide order details here. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2025. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single,

I went to Roberto Venn School of Luthiery in 1997. Worked at Vince's Backstage music in Lafayette, La. until 2000. I then moved to the Hamptons, which was a mistake for my career. Ended up working other jobs, as well as repair to pay the bills. 2002 Moved to Nashville and ended up working for a company in Franklin that did factory refurbishments and Warranty repairs. I also had my own small shop and did a little touring with small bands. In December 06 I started working for Gruhn and was there till Aug. 2024. Even working for shops I've always had my own shop to do personal customer repairs. At Gruhn, I was a Repairman and Appraiser. I was tasked with going through the Electric instruments to inspect for originality. One of the repairs I did a lot of was Pickup rewinds. I've been rewinding pickups since 1999. Although I got most of my experience at Gruhn. I started building Pickups around 05. I have built and rewound pickups for a lot of folks In Nashville. Mostly players. Issac Brock of Modest Mouse uses my pickups in the Wicks guitars he uses in the studio and on tour. One of the Tele's Jack White uses in the Studio has one of my rewinds in the bridge position.I've worked for Songwriters like Kent Blazy (Garth Brooks, Patti Loveless, Chris Young), and producers like Mickey Jack Cones (Carrie Underwood, George Strait, etc.). I've worked with Jack White doing repairs, customization, and Tour Support since 2010. The cover of one of his 45's features him, one of the guitars I customized, and the Muppets. Through Gruhn I worked on instruments owned by a myriad of stars. I also curate the Private collection of the CEO of Gibson, Cesar Gueikian. As well as help take care of instruments at several Studios.IG - i_got_broke_guitarsSome Notable Instruments:Jack's Blue Tele Used on His first Solo Tours- I customizedJack's Blue Triple Jet- I did the finishJack's Black Tele- CustomizedThe Kay- too many repairs to list, this one gets thrown aroundThe Army/Navy-too many repairs over the yearsI've kept a lot of his instruments on the road.Neil Young's Old Black- refrettedChuck Panozzo (Styx)- Replaced the truss rods and repaired the neck on the Rickenbacker he used in the 70'sCaitlin Rose and Band, Butch Walker, Tommy Shaw- Styx, Will Evankovich- Styx, Brian Bell- WeezerAt Gruhn Worked on instruments played by:Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Billy Corgan, Clint Black, Tom Kiefer- Cinerella, Mick Mars, Phil Everly, Ira Louvin, John Denver, Mike Farris, Nancy Wilson, Tex Ritter , Mel Bay, the list goes on.........I once almost killed Loretta Lynn by knockin' her off the back of the stage. Once talked with a man in a turban, beard, and English Accent for 20 minutes, and never knew it was Cat Stevens.  Many early prototype guitars and early examples of Holy Grail guitars have been through my hands:First serial numbered and sold StratocasterProto Flying V, Stratocaster, Gretsch Duo Jet, Firebird, Rosewood Telecaster (yes, that predates George Harrison's), Les Paul Junior Prototype, Multiple one-off Chet Atkins Gretch Models, etc."Still on the Run" - https://www.fbrmusic.com/IG - treymitchellphotography IG - feeding_the_senses_unsensoredFB - facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074368084848Threads - www.threads.net/@treymitchellphotographyGuest Suggestions/Spons

Transcript included below…In the Timothy Dalton James Bond film The Living Daylights, Bond is traveling quickly through Europe with Kara, a cellist who plays a Stradivarius.  She absolutely cannot part with her instrument, even though it's slowing them both down as they elude their pursuers.In a moment of frustration, Bond asks, “Why didn't you learn the violin?”There are some big instruments out there, and the cello is one of them.  Another is the electronic keyboard.I've had conversations with people who play 88-key full-sized electronic keyboards.  One of their biggest complaints is how heavy their instruments are to transport.The two aforementioned instruments aren't even among the biggest instruments out there.  Some need to be brought in on wheels like marimbas, tympani or harps.  Others are so big that they need to be permanently located in a church or cathedral, like an organ.But the guitar?  Ah…what a delightfully portable instrument.  I've taken my guitar to many places, and some of them have turned out to be just a little bit unique.Today's episode is mostly intended to be informative and hopefully interesting, with some stories from my travels.  I'll share just a handful of places I've played my guitar that are out of the ordinary.  I've got 12 locations to share with you.  Here we go. I'll start with some watercraft.1.       The bow of a fishing boatMy father and I have enjoyed many deep-sea fishing trips up the coasts of Washington and British Columbia. One fishing trip was long enough that it made sense for me to bring my guitar for some diligent practice.  So, I'd sit or recline in the bow of the boat, working on my chord fingerings and scales.  I'm glad I brought it with me, because I made progress.2.       A Ferry BoatNear where I live, in the Puget Sound, we often take a ferry over to see relatives.  After returning from a guitar seminar with Pierre Bensusan in France, I wanted to show my relatives what I had learned, so I took my guitar on the ferry.While I was on the ferry, I decided to uncase my guitar and play a little.  It wasn't long before a roving mandolin player showed up where I was seated, and we jammed for a moment. 3.       A RaftWhen I was courting my wife, one day I made a picnic for the two of us, and drove us up to a mountain lake.  I had packed an inflatable Zodiac raft, and in addition to the food items, I had brought a guitar.  I enjoyed playing some songs for her out on the lake.  You don't typically see a guitar in a raft on a lake, but there it was.Ok, now that I've talked about watercraft, let's come back onto land.4.       A DockI've had the opportunity to spend time with friends at a lake, and to be able to enjoy music while “sittin' on the dock of the bay.”  Yeah, you know what I mean.  There's something restful about sitting and enjoying some guitar, along with the gentle lapping of the waves.  Playing the guitar anywhere near water, especially near a bonfire on a beach, can be very soothing.So now that we're back on land, here are a few instances of where my guitar was with me in transit with wheels spinning beneath me.5.       A Chevy VanOn a trip to Montana for some river fly fishing (also with my Dad), I brought my guitar.  Interstate 90 East was relatively straight most of the way, so I sat in the back seat of the van with my seatbelt on, working through rudiments and exercises on my guitar.  Again, I was redeeming the time.I ended up writing some really good music on that trip.  Having the guitar nearby was such a blessing during those long hours of travel.  And of course, I took time to connect with my father as well.6.       A BusOn a mission trip to Mexico, a youth group I was in volunteer leadership for decided not to fly, but instead to take a bus.  It took longer, but saved some money.  I went as a translator, and I had my guitar for the optional worship leading opportunities in the villages where we visited for Vacation Bible School.I also got to have the opportunity to play it for the base camp gatherings, sharing songs in front of probably two thousand people who had gathered for the evening sessions.  It was really cool.I remember traveling to Mexico, on the way south via Interstate 5.  That highway is also rather straight most of the way.  I sat towards the back of the bus with my guitar, learning some very technical fingerstyle guitar music by Alex DeGrassi. One song in particular was the song “Window” in the tuning of ECEGCD – with a lot of very fast sixteenth notes.  I took it slow and learned to play it.  It was a good use of the time…even thought I was a little self-conscious with the youth kids listening in.  I got over it, and I got better.7.       An Impromptu Tailgate ConcertWe had lunch with some friends some time ago, and I had written a blues song that I had to share with them.  It had some Stanley Jordan “touch style” techniques and a tongue-in-cheek theme.  I knew they'd love it.I had my guitar with me at the restaurant where we met up, and after we paid the check, I invited them out to the parking lot where our SUV was parked.  I opened the back hatch, sat down in the back, and played the song for them as they stood in the falling snow, delighted to experience an impromptu tailgate mini-concert. 8.       A Shuttle StopNot long ago, I was waiting for a shuttle in a parking lot, because I was going to fly out from Seattle/Tacoma Airport. The shuttle had a covered area where I sat with my suitcase and…my guitar case.  I uncased my guitar while I waited, and played some original songs and worship songs that I was planning to play on my upcoming California tour dates.Two fellow passengers arrived and sat and listened.  I started to think that I was intruding on their silence, but when I went to put my guitar away, they stopped me, expressing how much they were enjoying what I was sharing.  So, I kept playing.And as it would logically follow, another location would be…9.       The AirportAfter arriving at the airport and making my way through security out to the gate, I've often found myself with a good solid hour or more to kill.I can save my reading for the plane.  What I can't do on the plane is play my guitar.  So, I'll often uncase my guitar, sit down on the floor, and quietly play something.  I'm usually competing with a lot of intercom announcements and the hustle and bustle of travelers, so it's typically not a distraction to anyone.But if I'm thinking that my playing might be distracting, I'll just strum with the fleshy part of my thumb and lean over to hear the strings softly humming.  I can also make my pick articulations very soft.It's a great way to make use of the time, watching the planes land and take off…and occasionally, it leads to a conversation starter with a fellow musician, or someone who just enjoys music.10.   “Crisscross Applesauce” next to the BathtubWhen I was a young parent, my kids sometimes took baths when they were little, and they of course needed very close supervision, but also the opportunity to splash about before getting scrubbed down.So, I'd sometimes bring my guitar into the bathroom and sit an arm's length away from whoever was having a bath…and I would strum some chords while closely observing my kid in the bath. My strumming provided a bit of a soundtrack to bath time, and when I was needed, I just set my guitar down on the floor mat, and helped bathe my kid.  It was a good mix of work and play.11.   StairwellsSome hotels or school dorms have these concrete stairwells that have lots of echo in them.  But here's the thing; an echo chamber can serve as a beautiful impromptu acoustic space.Playing a soulful fingerstyle guitar piece in one of these stairwells (as long as it's not too cold) can actually be a really powerful experience, because it's like a concrete cathedral.  The music just doesn't sound the same as it would in a carpeted room.So, whether I've been at a hotel far from home or needing a study break at college, I've found opportunities to take my guitar into the stairwell and let it sing.Last but not least…12.   The Outdoor Bass SectionalI've saved this one for last, because it was highly unexpected, but super practical.There are lots of outdoor spaces where a guitar can find its place, especially if the weather is nice.  But in this instance, it was more out of necessity.I was pursuing a vocal performance degree in college, and part of my contribution to the music department was to sing in the concert choir.  If you've sung in choirs, you know that there are typically four basic vocal parts – soprano, alto, tenor and bass.I was the bass section leader.  And every Tuesday, we'd have sectionals, where, for the majority of the class time, the four sections would break up and go find another large room in the music department to practice, ideally with a piano for “plunking” notes.But this time, there was a large group of guest high schoolers on campus for an all-day workshop, so we didn't have a place to practice.But we still needed to have our sectional.  And we didn't have a piano or even a keyboard.But what did we have?  My guitar was fortuitously stored in my locker that day, so when I realized what the circumstances were, and what our need was, I grabbed it.I have this clear memory of me sitting out in the seating area outside the Performing Arts Center, leading the Bass Sectional by “plunking” notes on my guitar as they sang, overlooking Bellingham Bay.It was a unique experience and setting, and we got a lot done.But there's one detail about this that you may or may not have noticed.  Do you know what was especially unique about what I was doing?Think for just a moment about what you know about the guitar and where it resides in terms of music notation. The guitar is a treble clef instrument.Now, the notes in treble clef for the guitar are notated an octave higher than what they actually sound, so as to avoid too many ledger lines.But let's back up even further.  Playing notes on the guitar is a rather unique approach.For classical guitarists, it's their bread and butter.  But I was an acoustic folk guitarist.  And most people who play acoustic guitar appreciate the opportunity to have chord shapes and perhaps some tablature to light the way.The good news was that I had been investing a serious amount of time going through all 7 grades of Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method, to the tune of about 400 pages.  And this particular method didn't use tablature.  At all.In choosing this method, I subjected myself to a learning style that allowed me to become musically literate much earlier on in my guitar development, and therefore, I was ready when the need arose for me to guide that sectional.The guitar was just loud enough to be played unplugged outside to cue notes and fragments for the basses.The paradigm had shifted from an indoor rehearsal space with a piano to an outdoor rehearsal space with a guitar, but we redeemed the time, and after that sectional, we had made significant progress.The added bonus was that I had taken the leap towards sight reading a treble clef instrument in bass clef.  Good times.Ok, just for fun, here are the 12 Unlikely Places to Play a Guitar, once more:1.       The bow of a fishing boat2.       A Ferry Boat3.       A Raft4.       A Dock5.       A Chevy Van6.       A Bus7.       An Impromptu Tailgate Concert8.       A Shuttle Stop9.       The Airport10.   “Crisscross Applesauce” next to the Bathtub11.   Stairwells and…12.   The Outdoor Bass SectionalThe Big PictureSo, why has the guitar surfaced in all of these unique places?I would say that there are two main reasons.  First, music practice is important, and perhaps a necessity, and therefore, the guitar was something that needed to be within reach to facilitate progress.Second, music is a nearly unstoppable force.  I believe music is a gift from the Lord, and therefore, it has inherent mystery woven into it.  Why do so many of us enjoy music so much?Because it touches our souls.So perhaps grabbing a guitar and playing it, regardless of the location in which we find ourselves, allows us to speak the language of music where it would otherwise be quiet.It's almost like striking up a conversation as we feel prompted.So, the appearance of the guitar could be practical…or it could be artistic.  Or it could be both.But the important thing is that the guitar did indeed appear.I've met folks who own guitars, but their guitars don't make much of an appearance very often…to their chagrin.  They feel this disappointment, knowing that at one time, they wanted to learn to play, but didn't set aside time or space.And at the same time, they feel this longing to discover the joy of music, because they've caught glimpses of it when listening to other people play.Where are you on your musical journey?  Do you have regrets about past seasons of not playing your guitar?  Do you feel like it might be too late to start?  Let me put that misconception to rest…it is never too late to learn to play something on the guitar.Do you feel like you're on your own, and don't have opportunities to learn and grow, aside from the big world-wide web and the vast sea of information that's out there?  To coin a phrase, you are not alone.But here's how I can help you, if you see the need for some help.  I founded an online experience in 2019 that's dedicated to helping beginning and intermediate Christian guitarists discover and cultivate their gifts for the glory of God in a community setting.I could go into greater detail, but that description could be enough to pique your interest.  If it does, I encourage you to check out GuitarSuccess4U.com. We've got members in this community who are making tremendous progress, not just practically, but musically and artistically, because they're leaning into a proven method alongside like-minded followers of Christ who are doing the same thing.What if you tried out what we offer?  There's a 30-day money back guarantee, so there's no risk.  I'd love to welcome you in and see how I can serve you.  The added unexpected blessing is that you might also offer insights that could encourage me and the other members.I'll leave this with you, but don't hesitate to reach out if you want to learn more.One other thought regarding today's episode:  have there been unlikely places where you've played (or watched someone else play) a guitar?  Please let me know in the comments.Thanks for listening, keep having serious fun as you play your guitar, and I'll see you next time.Thanks for reading Guitar Serious Fun! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guitarseriousfun.substack.com

Welcome to Fluxedo Junction! Each episode we bring you the best music of all genres from throughout the world, and this week we'll be speaking with classical guitarist Robert Phillips. Robert has brought his brilliant interpretations to a diverse range of venues – from traditional concert halls including New York's prestigious Town Hall, and Lincoln Center to jazz nightclubs. His performance at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall was sold out. In addition to the standard repertory, Robert performs his own compositions, and has premiered works by three-time Pulitzer nominee, Frank Brazinski, Eric Ross, Alfred Giusto, and Meyer Kupferman, as well as a concerto written for him by three-time Grammy winner, Michael Colina. The works by Kupferman and Colina were written for him. Robert's recordings include Guitarre Nouveau on TPL records and Lo Mestre, the Music of Miguel Llobet on Centaur records, as well as his self-re-released two volume set, Great Themes and Variations for Classic Guitar (originally released by Mel Bay as a companion to his anthology.) More information is available on his website at www.robert-phillips.com

Transcript and links included below…Today, we're going to talk about the pros and cons of learning to play the guitar by watching YouTube videos.Even before we begin our discussion today, I think it would be important for you to know just a little bit about me, especially if you're new to Guitar Serious Fun. I started playing the guitar in 1994 while simultaneously earning a Bachelor's degree in Music with an emphasis on vocal performance. My college education gave me a solid music theory base, and I went through all 7 grades of Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method as I applied what I was learning. I began writing songs in 1996, recording in the studio in 1999, and since then, I've toured all over North America leading worship and performing concerts. Amidst all of this, there's been a constant thread of teaching music, especially the guitar, and at one time I had a full roster of 50 students with a waiting list.When YouTube was created in 2005, I was well on my way as a guitar learner and teacher, and this new platform offered some things that had not previously existed. Someone could capture a video of themselves teaching a guitar concept, for example, and they could upload it for anyone on the planet to watch anytime.But right there I'll pause to say that although views can be measured in metrics, there isn't a standard in place to vet quality content (beyond it being appropriate vs. inappropriate or “likes.”) There's grown to be such an influx of content that there's no way to keep up with the content creators and monitor whether they're able to unpack and teach a concept well.So, with a broad stroke, there are two basic types of guitar education content creators on YouTube… First, creators who are aiming to garner followers and views that will lead to monetization. Second, creators who have a presence on YouTube but ultimately want to invite their viewers into a paid educational offering that is not necessarily hosted on YouTube.Speaking transparently, I'm of the latter disposition.  Although I've uploaded content on one channel off and on since 2008, I've been much more consistent with our GuitarSuccess4U YouTube channel and have seen more viewer response because of this consistency.  But my presence with GuitarSuccess4U on YouTube is still modest.I don't live on the platform; I post an average of one mini lesson every other week, with shorts multiple times a week. The mini lessons are usually around 10-minutes long and go deeper than my 60-second shorts. Posting consistently like this reminds my viewers that I'm here, that I want to provide some value, and my presence helps viewers to learn to know, like and trust me.My goal is not to gain millions of followers and to be monetized.  I also have a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and of course, here at Guitar Serious Fun, so it could theoretically be possible to choose just one of those avenues and make it a full-time job.With respect, I'd rather not go that route.Instead, I'm passionately leaning into an online offering I launched in 2019 called GuitarSuccess4U, which you may have heard of.  If you haven't, take just a moment to check out our website at www.GuitarSuccess4U.com, and pause this recording.  I'll wait.If you've had the chance to see what we offer, awesome.  We hope you'll check out the reviews, frequently asked questions, member testimonials, and some of the sample lessons. If you haven't, here's the basic skinny on what it is: a self-paced online experience for beginning and intermediate Christian guitar players who know there's more to the guitar…and who want to access fresh, proven, curated content that's organized really well.In addition to that, though, we have multiple expert interviews and bonuses that can't be found anywhere else. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have a Christ-honoring community that exceeds the dynamic of a forum or discussion group in its practical and supportive nature.Some forums or discussion platforms end up being a place where there's a lot of unconstructive criticism.  Not in our community.And again, YouTube is a powerful tool with great potential, so I've decided camp out on this for a few minutes today.So, let me take you into some of my thoughts as I contrast the pros and cons of YouTube with our GuitarSuccess4U model, and then you can decide what seems best for you in this season.But first, a story.The DictionaryWhen I was about 10 years old, my paternal grandmother gave me a very thick Webster's Dictionary – about three inches thick, hardbound, 8 ½ x 11”.  This was a decent-sized dictionary, and I was grateful to receive this gift.  I've flipped through it a lot over the past few decades.  But I can confidently say that I have not read through it line by line, cover to cover.  That wouldn't make sense, because there are a lot of words I'll never use, but more importantly, it would take an exorbitant amount of time.The main way I've used this dictionary (other than as a weight or a doorstop) is to reference words alphabetically for definitions and spellings.And that's the normal function of a dictionary, right?  It's rare that someone would underline a huge portion of words in a dictionary like John Cusack's love interest (Diane) in the movie Say Anything.  But perhaps a specific dictionary, like a medical dictionary (in that movie) has this kind of potential.But let's draw a parallel just for a moment between a Webster's Unabridged Dictionary and YouTube.Both are vast, and both are searchable.  If you're looking for some answers to what you want to learn about, you can likely find a version of it on YouTube.The concept may be taught well.  It may give you some tools to grasp as you get started. And it's also “free”…sort of.  Remember, YouTube gets paid because of ad traffic, so you will sometimes be paying for what you watch with your time as you wait for an ad to play (or at least the first few seconds.)Now, I have nothing against YouTube ads – I'm building some YouTube ads out right now as I string these words together.The Only Non-Renewable ResourceNow, did you catch the word I included just a moment ago?  It's the word “time.”  In the movie Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark recounts a pearl of wisdom from his father, Howard, to Howard himself many years earlier.  It really resonated with me.  The wisdom was this: “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.”Time is a non-renewable resource.  And although we can't buy time, we can save time, which may actually translate to saving money as well.If I spend the better part of an afternoon or evening poking around on YouTube, I may find what I'm looking for.  But I may lose a lot of time doing it. Painful LearningI talked to one guitarist who learned to play on YouTube, but he described his experience as “painful.” I totally got it – there was a long slog towards finding what he wanted to learn, and much of it was disjointed and not at all progressive.This guitarist had been invited into a band rehearsal I was recruited to lead for, for a very specific endeavor that was coming up fast.  And as the leader, I had to make observations and intentional choices as I led this group.With respect, even as I interacted with this individual musically, it became clear that there were some essential music concepts he had not absorbed in his YouTube education that necessitated stopping the rehearsal multiple times, and eventually needing to do something I didn't foresee happening: I had to seek a replacement for the endeavor we were rehearsing for. I did this in the kindest manner possible, but it was clear that this guy's skills were not commensurate with what our band needed to put together for the set for the endeavor that was coming up in a week. I had to let this guy go.For the sake of the quality offering as a whole, I had to ask this guy to step down and to continue to develop his skills, hopefully for a future opportunity, while I sought out someone I knew could meet the standard with the time we had left.A Distilled CollectionLet me drop a word into this discussion that you've probably heard.  I mentioned it briefly earlier in this episode.  The word is “curated.”  In layman's terms, a curated collection is an organized collection of things, whether antiques, art, or in this case, music teaching tools.If a collection is curated, it has been carefully reviewed for the most effective and valuable criteria.  It's not a random, haphazard group of things.  It's very deliberate.But to curate something, you need to have time to do so, but also the experience to know what is relevant and of high quality.Typically, a curated collection is not very large.  It's been distilled and culled to the most essential elements.My approach to building out the GuitarSuccess4U materials in our battle-tested 6-stage Success Path is to do just that.  Having led worship, toured, written songs, and recorded multiple albums in the studio for three decades now, I've learned quite a bit.And as I mentioned, I had a guitar studio of 50 students a week upon whom I tested a ton of guitar concepts, to see which ones worked best.And much of what I've learned has been by accident or through the “school of hard knocks.”So, I've taken great pains to relieve and prevent the frustration of someone who is wanting to learn to play the guitar or go deeper with what they already know.Someone who accesses our curated collection of materials will learn much more on purpose, and with much less grief and frustration, because everything is clearly laid out.In terms of guitar study, there are so many different styles out there that the mind positively boggles.  Metal, Jazz, Funk and Classical are some of the broad strokes.  But then there's Neo Soul, Gospel, R&B, Punk, and many other styles.My focus as a folk/pop singer/songwriter and worship leader is: acoustic rhythm guitar, but even within that, there are multiple subsets, including strumming, flatpicking, fingerstyle, and more. I think there's wisdom in narrowing our focus to a niche.  For a quick summary of my mindset on this, with an analogy about Mashed Potatoes, check out my YouTube Short called “Guitarists – pick one thing and do it well.” (It's also embedded below.)I believe we spend time with people we want to be like. So, if you're a worship guitarist or a songwriter, you may not be in search of blisteringly fast distorted metal licks or blues grooves…yet.  You may actually be looking for chord theory, accompaniment artistry, strumming patterns, fretboard knowledge, and ways to play well with others (all of which we offer).Words to Live ByI also like to say that “Music is a language, guitar is a dialect, and I'm here to help you expand your vocabulary.”I also continue to revisit the idea that “I don't just want to help you become a better guitar player; I want to help you become a better musician.”  There's a difference, right?Now, YouTube will have a lot of things for you to discover, but with hundreds of hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, leading to tens of thousands of hours of content that are brand new each hour, there's certainly no lack of information, right?And sure, you can search for topics on YouTube, but it's a vast sea of information, and if I can be so bold, not all of it is presented clearly. Now, I don't have anything against YouTube.  As I mentioned, I'm working to have a presence there so as to provide some value and inspiration for guitarists I'm hoping will discover what I have to offer them.  But it can be a bit intimidating to log onto YouTube, because the looming question is “Where do I start?”More isn't necessarily better.  There's a term I've come across since we were trained to build GuitarSuccess4U, and it's called content overwhelm.  People experience so much content out there that they sometimes feel overwhelmed.And overwhelm is not a good feeling.  By and large, people appreciate being given clear next steps in bite-sized chunks.  And that's what's informed my teaching style.Sure, YouTube can recommend related content, even within a channel (and I set my videos up in our YouTube channel to do this sometimes.) But given a choice between a few thousand videos on a concept and a dozen videos that are all progressive and battle-tested, which would you choose?Now, I'm not claiming GuitarSuccess4U as the only source of guitar education; that would be presumptuous.  Instead, I'm stating that everything I've learned on the road, on the worship platform, on the stage, and in the recording studio has informed what and how I teach.  My guitar students and my guitar workshops have been excellent “crucibles” for content.I've literally sharpened thousands of guitarists with the tools that have found their way into the curated collection at GuitarSuccess4U.More Isn't Necessarily BetterYears ago, I performed a concert at a huge camp in California.  They had a bookstore.  But this bookstore was rather remarkable. The books that were on those shelves were so theologically solid and inspiring, that my wife and I felt prompted to ask the cashier who the mastermind was behind the book collection.She told us that the book buyer had very deliberately chosen those books.  This was someone who was extremely well-read and knew her audience of folks who would be walking through that small bookstore.It was not a huge store like Powell's Books in Portland that had multiple floors.   And it certainly wasn't Amazon.com.  It was a single room.  But it was truly a curated collection.  And people bought books there.  A lot.  And here's the most important part: they were blessed by the books.People who engage with content that transforms them are the kind of people I'm seeking to serve and bless.  I'm not looking for tire-kickers or people who want a quick fix.My father taught me the value of hard work and worthy efforts.  And when I experience stories of success in GuitarSuccess4U, I get really excited.Some of our Success StoriesMatthew, a hobbyist and worship team member, has experienced tremendous growth with us and has stepped forward to support his worship team on a regular basis with his guitar.Carol, a drummer who was struggling to get traction with guitar (even though she had a solid musical foundation) found us and is now, in her words, on her way to becoming “a complete guitar player.”Roger, a band member who plays multiple styles, joined us and realized how many gaps he needed to fill in, and now he's feeling empowered as a musician.Lori, a budding songwriter, came back to the guitar after a 20-year hiatus and began writing about her journey, eventually taking a song she wrote to Nashville to record it in a legitimate studio.  Now her worship team is gearing up to share that song at her church.Cole, a highly-experienced multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar for over four decades, is now able to be an intentional musician with the guitar and to play well with others.Erin, a beginner, is excited to learn simple songs to be able to play with and for her kids, and perhaps her grandkids one day.The list goes on, but these successes inspire me and others.Find Your PeopleI mentioned the community element of GuitarSuccess4U.  I'll wrap up with this thought:We're not trying to foster an insulated community where people feel coddled.  We've actually got some upcoming Zoom discussions related to being able to laugh at our mistakes and receive constructive criticism.But there's a difference between people wanting to help each other out, and comments from trolls.I've seen comments on YouTube and other social media sites about my offerings and the offerings of others that are just plain rude or even nasty.  These are things people would never say to someone's face.But there those comments are.But by contrast, what if you logged into a guitar learning experience, received encouragement through the lesson content (which we intentionally weave throughout) and then joined a Zoom call and got “real-time” encouragement again?Wouldn't you feel spurred on to love and good works, as the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to do in Hebrews 10:24? I don't see the YouTube environment as that kind of community (again subscribers to a channel can connect a bit through the comments, but Zooming in real time in a tribe can be much more of a place to bond.)Someone once told me that the people we spend time with affect us in a major way.  Spending time with like-minded followers of Christ who want to be better versions of their musical selves than they were yesterday – that's a worthy thing.I hope these thoughts have given you some insights into my perspective for the pros and cons of learning guitar on YouTube.If you've found channels on YouTube to follow, that's great!  If you're learning stuff on YouTube, that's great, too! If you want to subscribe to our GuitarSuccess4U YouTube channel, great!  By the way, that channel is YouTube.com/@guitarsuccess4u.But here's the next level.  If you've decided it's time to be more deliberate in your pursuit of guitar and music for the glory of God, and you want to save some money and especially time, please don't wait to take this opportunity. I invite you to join GuitarSuccess4U by heading over to GuitarSuccess4U.com…and then watch what the Lord does with your diligent pursuit of His glory through music.I appreciate your time today.  Keep having serious fun as you play your guitar.  Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time!Thanks for reading Guitar Serious Fun! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guitarseriousfun.substack.com

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. David Hamburger's The Acoustic Guitar Fingerstyle Method is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle (or “fingerpicking”) guitar in the American roots styles (folk, blues, ragtime, early jazz, marches).  The book becomes progressively more difficult – the early sections of the book are appropriate for beginner fingerstyle players who have some experience with open chords and the later sections of the book are more suitable for intermediate players.  Advanced players may still find some useful information, inspiration, or fun repertoire tunes.  This is a well-thought-out book with a great progression of information and fun arrangements of tunes. The book focuses on alternating bass (Travis picking) arrangements and steady bass arrangements (monotonic bass, walking bass, etc.). There are also brief chapters on Drop D and open D tuning.  The material flows in a sensible progression from chapter to chapter as you build skills and knowledge.  Each chapter includes text and playing examples that directly prepare you for a 1-2 page tune that showcases the techniques or concepts being taught.  The arrangements of the tunes are really nice (they sound good and are playable), although don't usually include any fingering (there is picking hand fingering notated in the examples, but not the full tunes).  The tunes are stylistically similar to those found in Stefan Grossman's “Complete Country Blues Guitar Book” and Mel Bay's “Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method” although with a very different teaching approach. The book covers a lot of ground in only 74 pages – from beginning Travis Picking to steady bass blues to harmonized walking bass lines to alternate tunings, etc.  While the examples and tunes are of high quality, there aren't that many examples for each topic, so you won't get that deep of an understanding of how to apply some concepts to different situations.  One example of this is playing walking bass lines under your melody- you'll play a few tunes that include this, but you won't really learn how to build your own walking bass lines so that you can apply them to your own arrangements or compositions.  However, by the end of the book, you will have a firm grasp of the general approaches of playing using an alternating bass (Travis Picking) or a steady bass. There is not a lot of music theory in the book.  This may appeal to some readers.  However, it adds to the issue that you may not be able to apply a concept like walking bass lines to other situations. The text is descriptive and helpful.  However, I don't like how the publisher places the text as a continuous block at the top of the page with the examples clumped together at the bottom of the page.  Harder for my eyes to jump back and forth. The author includes great listening recommendations that are relevant to the tunes and topics at hand. The included audio (2 CDs) provides all examples and tunes played at full speed and slowed down.  The guitar playing is clean and the recording quality is high. All playing examples are provided in standard notation (treble clef) and tablature. You could use either a steel string acoustic or nylon string classical guitar to work through this book.  You shouldn't need to fret any bass notes using your thumb over the top. Published by String Letter Publishing (publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine) © 2007.  Distributed by Hal Leonard. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. My music is available on all streaming platforms: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, "Open Road," on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?

Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Ken Perlman's Fingerstyle Guitar is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar in the folk, blues, fiddle tune, Celtic, and ragtime styles.  The book becomes progressively more difficult – the beginning is appropriate for beginner fingerstyle players, and the end is challenging for intermediate and even advanced players.  The book is extremely long (232 pages) and extremely detailed with sections of dense explanatory text.  While I enjoy many of the tunes in this book (especially the Irish, English, and Scottish fiddle tunes), some of the arrangements are clunky, difficult, and not worth the effort.  While I'm happy to have worked through Fingerstyle Guitar, I would not recommend this to most players unless you are specifically interested in older styles of music and you've already exhausted other options. The book quickly introduces alternating bass (Travis picking) arrangements and gradually presents standard guitar techniques including hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, etc.  I like that Perlman provides exercises and lots of short, accessible tunes like Elizabeth Cotton's Freight Train to build your technique.  The tunes and arrangements are stylistically similar to those in Stefan Grossman's Complete Country Blues Guitar Book and Complete Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Book but with more technical explanations.  The book also provides types of tunes similar to those found in Mel Bay's Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method although with a very different teaching approach. While the first five chapters of the book are accessible with some fun 20 second tunes, the book's difficulty increases starting in Chapter 6.  The tunes move higher up the fretboard, utilizing alternate tunings, and requiring much more fretting with your thumb over the top.  These are important things to learn and prepare you for the fun repertoire-heavy chapters at the end of the book. The final four chapters of the book provide repertoire tunes organized into categories: “Southern Fiddle Tunes,” “Old-Time Songs and Ballads,” “Irish, English, and Scottish Fiddle Tunes,” and “Rags.”  There are some nice arrangements in these chapters, but I found that many of the arrangements seem to be especially difficult.  I believe that a good arrangement should find a balance between the complexity of the tune and playability, and many of these arrangements just feel clunky to me.  Lots of difficult passages and fingerings even after putting in serious practice.  There are detailed explanations of techniques (hammer-ons, slides, etc.), but little explanation of how to actually play through an individual tune with a smooth performance.  Other books like Richard Saslow's The New Art of Ragtime Guitar provide smoother arrangements and much more tune-specific help. If you are a performing musician, you will find that most of these tunes are too short to actually play out at gigs without coming up with your own variations.  The exceptions are the rags in the final chapter which are quite lengthy and difficult.  For the shorter tunes throughout the book, there is no discussion about how to go about extending them for performance. Perlman provides some cool background information on styles and specific tunes.  The Celtic fiddle tune chapter has great information on the differences between single jigs, double jigs, slip jigs, set tunes, reels, hornpipes, and slow aires, with great examples of each. The book provides examples in both TAB and standard notation (treble clef).  Each tune/example is presented in its entirety in TAB, and then again in standard notation.  This is great in that it minimizes page turns if you are reading the tune.  It is also highly annoying because all of the fingering details are only included in the standard notation,

Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Richard S. Saslow's The New Art of Ragtime Guitar is a fun, well-graduated repertoire + analysis book for learning to play the fingerpicking guitar style known as ragtime guitar.  It is aimed at intermediate and advanced fingerstyle players, although late beginners can certainly take a stab at the first couple tunes.  The book teaches ragtime guitar through studies of 8 tunes of increasing difficulty.  Each tune is broken down into sections with around 6 measures of the music (treble clef and tablature) on one page and a detailed analysis on the facing page.  Full condensed tunes are in the back of the book. Out of the author's eight original tunes, seven are standard sounding ragtime tunes and one is a blues.  Among the ragtime tunes, there is a bit of variation in feel from upbeat and happy to bluesy and minor to jazzy.  There are also several key signatures and some unique harmonizations.  All of the ragtime tunes utilize an alternating bass line as well as some short segments of walking bass line.  The blues tune mainly uses a monotonic bass typical of the Texas blues fingerpicking style. This is not a method book for learning the basics of fingerstyle guitar in a logical progression from your first notes through to mastery (check out Alfred's Beginning Fingerstyle, Hal Leonard's Fingerstyle Guitar, or Mel Bay's Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method).  However, there are about 20 pages of introductory text discussing equipment, notation, the ragtime style, and technique.  There is definitely some useful information in this section, especially for novice players.  However, I wouldn't get too caught up reading this entire section all at once – I would recommend jumping into the tunes which often refer you back to the technique sections of the introduction.  Read the detailed stuff then! Where the book really excels is in its presentation of the music and its corresponding analysis.  As I mentioned before, for each ragtime tune you will see ~6 measures of music on one page and the detailed analysis on the facing page.  This analysis features detailed directions, techniques, and other tips for the 6 measures at hand.  I usually play through the music once, and then go through the analysis carefully, marking fingerings, anchor fingers, guide fingers, etc. into the music as well as into the condensed version of the tune in the back of the book.  The analysis really does give you insights into how to properly play these tunes (and future tunes from any source) smoothly and musically. Authentic sounding fingerstyle ragtime tunes. Good difficulty graduation. You will spend much more time playing music than analyzing music theory.  Online recordings of each tune are available. The book doesn't get into the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc.  No thumb slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. I recommend using an acoustic steel string guitar rather than a classical guitar since there are multiple tunes that utilize the fretting hand thumb over the top. Independently published by the author via Acoustic Truth.  © 2011, 2017 (2nd edition) eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. Riding the Wave: my second fingerstyle guitar album is available on all streaming platforms. Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album will be released in January 2024. The first single, "Open Road," was released 10/20/23. Watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C

EPISODE 89: Joe Deninzon has been hailed by critics as “The Jimi Hendrix of the Violin”. Joe is the new violinist/guitarist in the band “Kansas”. He has worked with Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Renaissance, 50 Cent, Peter Criss from Kiss, Ritchie Blackmore, NY City Ballet, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Joe is also the lead singer and violinist for the prog band, Stratospheerius, and member of the Sweet Plantain String Quartet. A renowned composer and educator, he has published a book for Mel Bay, “Plugging In,” and is on the faculty at NJCU's Multistyles Strings Program. Joe holds two bachelor's degrees from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a master's from Manhattan School of Music. joedviolin.com Contact us: makingsoundpodcast.comFollow on Instagram: @makingsoundpodcastFollow on Twitter: @JannKloseBandJoin our Facebook GroupPlease support the show with a donation, thank you for listening!

My guest today is the phenomenal jazz violinist, mandolinist, arranger, and writer Aaron Weinstein. Aaron is a self-taught violinist and attended the renowned Berklee College on a 4 year talent based scholarship. As a young man he performed and recorded with many jazz legends. In this episode we talked about some of these mentors, including Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Les Paul, and this interview is full of Aaron's stories and insights as a performer and educator. He has generously agreed to let me use two of his previously released self-produced videos so you can hear some of his playing. I first discovered Aaron in his comedy series with Linda Lavin; I encourage you to check it out along with his other projects and albums: http://www.aaronweinstein.net/ All my episodes are also a video and the transcript is at the same link: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/aaron-weinstein Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:41) Aaron's start on old-time fiddle (03:16) Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli (06:50) Mel Bay books Swingin' Jazz Fiddle Solos and Mandolin Chord Melody System (09:28) Aaron Weinstein plays Avalon, both violin and mandolin (11:05) Don Stiernberg  (12:27) “Give Me the Simple Life” Aaron Weinstein on mandolin (13:56) difference between jazz mandolin and jazz violin (17:18) Album 3x3 on Chesky label (18:21) Berklee College of Muisic, Sandy Kott first formal violin lessons (23:32)Les Paul (25:05) playing with jazz legends as a young man, learning the tunes, Annie Ross (27:46) lyrics, Sondheim, Andy Zerman (30:35) working with Broadway singers and appreciating different genres (33:59) self-criticism, dealing with different performance realities (36:15) Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Johnny Frigo (38:54) Linda Lavin, Irvin Arthur (45:12) agents, jazz in the music business (46:59) mandolin, violin, guitar, Hamilton de Holanda (49:11) teaching jazz (56:03) giving and getting feedback  (59:04) getting established in New York, support from John Pizzarelli (01:01:26) arranging, practicing classical music, interpretation and originality  (01:06:43) writing  (01:13:54) advice for younger players, problems with social media (01:20:19) how to practice, improvisation (01:26:05) Les Paul story (01:28:00) missing the opportunity to hear Stéphane Grappelli --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/leah-roseman/message

You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Mel Bay's Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method is an excellent method book aimed at beginner and intermediate guitar players who want to learn to play solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements in the style of Chet Atkins (the majority of which utilize an alternating bass/ Travis Style).  If you are interested in this country-blues style of playing that Chet Atkins made popular starting in the 1950s and lasting until his death in 2001, this is a great place to start.  This book ranges in difficulty from easy to intermediate, although a few of the final arrangements are fairly difficult. Starts with the very basics of music and playing the guitar, but focused on fingerstyle and fairly quickly gets you playing music with both melody and bass parts. Excellent and thorough look at playing solo fingerstyle arrangements utilizing alternate bass patterns.  Goes through one key signature at a time and covers all the normal guitar-friendly keys (C, Am, G, Em, F, Dm, D, Bm, A, F#m, E). Very accessible tunes that you can learn and perform.  Many of these tunes are old folks songs – you won't find any arrangements of popular modern music. Useful picking exercises to develop technique. Several classical-esque tunes that are refreshing after lots of alternate bass. All standard tuning until the final arrangements (a couple are in alternate tunings). This book does not get into the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc. No thumb or string slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. Audio Access included. This is not a bad first fingerstyle guitar book to purchase and work through.  Obviously working with a teacher will streamline your development and prevent you from developing bad habits.  If you make it through this book, you'll have a great foundation for playing fingerstyle guitar.  You'll also learn some useable and fun arrangements of old tunes. I recommend using an acoustic steel string guitar rather than a classical guitar since there are multiple tunes that utilize the fretting hand thumb over the top. Published by Mel Bay, written by Chet Atkins.  © 1993 My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to https://joemcmurray.com/index.php/merch/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. Riding the Wave: my second fingerstyle guitar album is available on all streaming platforms.

You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Hal Leonard's "Fingerstyle Guitar" is a solid method book aimed at beginner, intermediate, and advanced guitar players who want to learn to play solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements complete with melody, bass lines, and inner harmony. It also has a chapter focused on accompaniment styles for those players looking to play fingerstyle guitar and sing (or accompany another melody instrument.  This book ranges in difficulty from easy to hard, often within each chapter. 1) Good information about choosing an acoustic guitar and other gear. 2) Good fingerstyle arpeggiation and alternating bass patterns followed by musical application of those patterns.  Unfortunately, the musical applications are often disconnected from each other (they don't build on each other and there isn't much explanation). 3) Introduces all the elements of playing fingerstyle guitar. Melody, bass, inner harmony, arpeggiation, alternating bass, special techniques, introduction to alternate tunings. 4) Probably the best popular repertoire of any method book on the market.  Hal Leonard presents popular tunes from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, etc.  You could buy the book just for the repertoire. 5) Wonderful chapter on arranging for fingerstyle guitar. 6) Audio Access included. Personally, I don't like how the book teaches alternate tunings. It basically gives you a bunch of chord charts and a few examples for Open G tuning.  They do a slightly better job of discussing Drop D tuning.  It would have been nice if they had arranged “Silent Night” (the focus of Chapter 4) in each of these tunings so that you got a sense of why you might want to use them.  Obviously, each alternate tuning causes the melody to lay out differently on the fretboard, and each alt tuning gives you different access to bass notes, inner harmony, harmonics, etc. Although the book does introduce percussive string slaps, for the most part it does not get into the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc. No guitar body percussion or tapping. Hal Leonard's “Fingerstyle Guitar” covers a lot of ground and you could return to it for years.  You could buy it just for the great repertoire.  However, as a method book, I'd first recommend Alfred's “Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar Method, and if you are into the alternate bass style then maybe Mel Bay's “Chet Atkins Guitar Method.” Acoustic steel string or classical nylon string guitar.  Published by Hal Leonard, written by Chad Johnson.  © 2009 eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: purchase a pdf of my eBook at http://joemcmurray.com/index.php/checkout/ Riding the Wave: my second fingerstyle guitar album is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.

Mel Bay Publications, Inc. operates as a music education books publishing company. The Company specializes in books for learning guitar, mandolin, banjo, flute, jazz, tinwhistle, mel mbi, dulcimer, guitar lesson, music books, and flamenco. A complete catalog is available at melbay.com. This is lesson no. two. Mel Bay Publications, Inc Sheet Music Mel Bay represents the best in music education and instruction along with great classical, jazz, Celtic music and more for all instruments. Renowned for guitar pedagogy, Mel Bay himself founded the company in 1947 with The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar, and after years of promoting his guitar books claimed to have known virtually every guitar teacher in America on a first name basis! Today, sales of Mel's Modern Guitar Method series are estimated to be well in excess of 20 million copies and established the structure for modern guitar education. Soundtrack in this video is by Otis McDonald from the YouTube Audio Library. Song title: See You Soon. Thank you for watching.

Mino and Franco discuss music teaching, the difference between guitar students and violin students, music reading and Franco's new book, "Easy to Play Guitar Trios," published by Mel Bay. Mino learns to play the 3rd guitar part to one of the pieces, "Julia Delaney," while Franco plays the melody. Later, they visit a couple of Mino's original songs which they had not played in a long time. Buy the book here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Guitar-Trios-Franco-Bertucci/dp/1513471368 The book comes with a link to download audio recordings of all fourteen pieces. See a sample page and listen to sample audio here: https://www.melbay.com/Products/30801M/easy-to-play-guitar-trios.aspx    

When should guitar teachers start working on composition and creativity with students and how can you teach it? How can you get published and market your business or book? These are just some of the interesting questions that Gilbert Isbin, guitarist and composer, answers in this week's podcast. If you're looking to get published or just wanting to learn how you can teach composition and creativity to your students, listen to this episode and find out what Gilbert's tips are for guitar teachers like you. Gilbert gives us a rundown on his story so far, from performing and creativity and composition, right up to what he's doing now in the education space. How he got published by one of the biggest publishers, Malbay. The advantage of publishing with Kindle and selling on Amazon. He shares what a loot is and how it differs to a classical guitar. Tips for marketing your music and business. Gilbert tells us more about his book, The Composing Guitarist: An Easy Approach. His thoughts on creativity and when teachers should start working on composition and creativity with their students. Sample activities and exercises teachers can do to start nurturing creativity within their students. Why singing with your guitar is important. Guest Links Mentioned Gilbert Isbin Website Gilbert Isbin Facebook Page YouTube Channel Guitar Teaching Resources Mentioned Free Guitar E-book Resources Today's Guest ‘Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isbin is one of the most interesting, dynamic and poetic composers writing for the guitar today.' (Mel Bay) Isbin's compositional and performing style defies genre, blending elements of contemporary classical, jazz, early music, world music and improvisation. In favorable comparisons with the likes of Ralph Towner and Egberto Gismonti, his music has been described as “oblique, subtle, and hauntingly beautiful.” His compositions, more than 400, for guitar, lute, ukulele, theorbo, renaissance guitar, baroque guitar, bass and ensemble, songs, are published by Mel Bay, Edizioni Curci (Berben), The UK Lute Society, Lantro Music, Golden River Music, Kameleon Editions  Auurk Ed, VRT Publishing.   He has performed on festivals and major venues throughout Europe and the US with Cameron Brown, Joe Fonda, Scott Walton, Hugh Hopper, Jeff Gauthier, Vinny Golia, Ernst Reijseger, Michel Godard, Sandro Di Stefano Bruce Arnold, Jie Ma, Alex Cline, Wolfgang Reisinger. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it's inspired you. If you enjoyed today's show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.   Click here to find out more about TopMusicGuitar Membership

Transcript included below…Welcome to a two-part discussion as we talk about a rather unique topic: guitar through the seasons of life. This is a good, rich discussion that I believe warrants breaking up my thoughts into two separate episodes, so although you'll experience some closure at the end of today, I will leave you wanting just a bit more, for which I'll supply the rest of the story next week.  Let's get started.The guitar has been a companion of mine through a lot of ups and downs over the past almost three decades. We can enjoy our guitars on multiple levels, from practicing, to worshiping, to creating, to collaborating, to performing, to recording, to teaching, or even just playing for fun. We can make music at different times of day or night, different days of the week, different seasons of the year, and even different seasons of life.But my hope is that music will consistently emerge from our guitars, no matter what's happening.I invite you to join me as I reflect on some different seasons of my guitar playing, and perhaps you'll see reflections of your guitar journey as well.Seasons of PracticingI purchased my first instrument, a Simon & Patrick Luthier dreadnought guitar, when I was almost 20 years old.  It was a reasonably-priced guitar, handmade in Québec, Canada, and had a satin finished solid cedar top, and wild cherry back and sides.  I played this guitar in the music store for several hours, and loved the warm sound.  So, I bought it, even though I had come into the shop looking for a totally different brand.  This guitar became my college dorm buddy, as I spent hundreds of hours woodshedding on it through all 7 grades of Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method.  Not everyone goes through method books, but I appreciated the opportunity to work progressively through increasing levels of difficulty as I taught my fingers where to go. I took some lessons as well, and those provided excellent accountability.  I sought inspiration from several world-renowned acoustic guitarists and traveled great distances to learn from them in a symposium or masterclass setting.The first two years of my guitar playing offered a season of development and learning through practicing, which continues to this day.  But application and implementation were soon to follow.Seasons of CollaboratingAt a certain point early on, it was clear that other musicians were interested in combining their gifts with mine.  Most of these musicians were more experienced than I, and I relished the opportunity to be “called up” to a new level of skill.I remember being on a ferry going across the Puget Sound, and quietly playing my guitar in one of the booths.  A wandering minstrel mandolin player appeared out of nowhere, sat down, and we jammed for a few minutes.In addition to spontaneous opportunities like this, I went on to play guitar with pianists, drummers, full bands, and I've supported vocalists, hammered dulcimer players, oboists, clarinetists, cellists, and more with my guitar. I believe music becomes significantly more multi-dimensional when we collaborate with others. The more I collaborated, the better I got as a guitarist and musician, because other peoples' skill levels challenged me to raise my game, and even those who were less skilled still gave me the opportunity to adapt and make good music with them. Seasons of WorshipingIn Episode 6 of Guitar Serious Fun, which was called “Not Ready but Available,” I recounted the story of how I was gently encouraged to lead worship with my guitar at a family camp just weeks after I had begun playing.I mentioned during that episode that although I was reluctant, I chose to walk forward obediently with my gifts.The Lord invites some of us to lead worship with the guitar, and if we are invited, it's wise to accept that invitation, because it's a high calling and a great need. Regardless of the size of the gathering of those who are assembling to worship, we are stewarding a tremendous responsibility: to help make a space where people can engage with the Lord of the Universe.So, as I began to accept more invitations to play my guitar in a worship setting, I watched the Lord entrust me with higher levels of responsibility. I was tasked with leading in a few different church paid positions from my guitar for over a decade, as I coordinated the efforts of worship teams varying in size.  I also had the privilege of discipling some of my teammates.  And worship leading, whether paid or volunteer, has remained a part of my offerings.  Worship is something that is not just a season of life – it's a part of life. And it's my conviction that although worship doesn't have to involve music, heaven will include worship through music in some way, and I am really excited to one day discover what that will be like.  In a way, our musical worship here on earth can help prepare us for what awaits us in heaven.Seasons of CreatingCreativity can be a scheduled thing, or it can be spontaneous.  Like it or not, though, creativity on the guitar can only happen if we have some knowledge of how to play.  If we know three chords, we can still create dozens of songs. But the more musical ingredients we discover, the more flavorful our recipes can be.  So, our creativity is related to what we know.  It's not necessarily a question of quantity, but it is a question of being ready when inspiration happens.Fortunately, in my development of guitar skills, I had embarked on a decent number of chords and keys, but also the command of strumming and some decent fingerstyle.  So, two years after I had purchased my guitar, I wrote my first song. I remember pressing “record” and “play” on a cassette recorder (yes, that's what was readily available to me at the time.)  I spoke into this recorder, saying “I think I may actually be able to write music on the guitar.” Then, I played my first song, which I titled “He Knows,” into this recorder.  It was a song about how the Lord knows everything about us, including our sorrows, and we are invited to bring our burdens to Him. And so, my season of creativity had begun.Drawing from what I knew about music and the guitar, I began to write more songs about my faith.  Looking back, I'd say that some of my early lyrics were a bit clunky, and some of the chord structures were perhaps a little unremarkable, but it was a place to start. And we have to start somewhere.  It was made clear to me through my songwriting pursuits that great songs are not written; they are re-written.  So, I would write a song, and then revise it until I had it where it needed to be.Over time, my songs got richer and more intentionally crafted.  A song I wrote for my father, called “I'll Tell You Now,” went through 13 revisions until I had it just right.  Part of the process of finalizing that song took place when I woke up at 3 a.m. with the third verse in my head.My songwriting continues to this day.  Most often, the Lord teaches me something in my faith journey, I reflect on it, and a song begins to come to life in my soul.  Soon, I have very little choice but to capture it with guitar chords and vocal melodies. Some of my songs are upbeat, others are more somber.  But they all reflect my love for the Lord.Seasons of PerformingJust two years after my first song came to life, I had enough of a catalog of songs to begin sharing a full concert set. I had sung with a few friends at open mics while they played their guitars, and so I had a small amount of onstage experience (though I had simultaneously been earning a degree in vocal performance, so I had performed in a few operas and recitals as well.)  My mom became my most supportive fan in those early years of my musical creativity.  So, she arranged a gathering at one of her friends' houses, and before I knew it, I was performing my first concert.  There were only a dozen people there, but that was a legitimate audience, and I played for about an hour.And so began my season of performing.  Fast-forward to present day, having shared concerts in 17 states and two provinces, as well as some spontaneous appearances in England, Scotland, and Austria during Bible School, I've been able to share my guitar music in live venues from coffeehouses to grandstand auditoriums.  As of this episode, I still tour.Performing is a great opportunity to test out original music, because if the audience responds well, you know you've got songs that can stand on their own.Seasons of RecordingThe performing season transitioned naturally into capturing my songs in the recording studio.  People at live concerts had been asking me, “Where can I get your album?” My first recording experience took place in a reel-to-reel analog studio in rural England, in Lancaster, outside Manchester, while I was at Bible School.  I had been offered a limited amount of studio time, so I basically just captured an album consisting of acoustic guitar, lead vocals, and harmonies.  This was a good learning experience (as all recording experiences are.)I had the album mastered, and then I found a graphics designer to help with the visuals.  Graphics design is an important aspect of album production, because it can be someone's first impression of your work.  I had 1000 CDs pressed.To recoup the cost of the album, I had a checklist of things that needed to happen, per a wonderful book that had been published in its 5th edition right when I needed it.  It was called “How to Make and Sell Your Own Recording” by Diane Sward Rapaport. Following Rapaport's framework, I figured out when my anticipated “street date” would be, and worked backwards with a promotional campaign to my fans. The first album release was a humble one, but I got better and better at figuring out how to get my fans on board, and for my third album, I actually had over 500 pre-orders come in, even before the album was available.Throughout the various seasons of recording, I've discovered that an enormous amount of time can be saved by having professionals play on your albums. It's also super important to have a producer who is a realistic visionary, who can bring your musical dreams to reality and still stay grounded throughout the process.Although it's been some years since my fourth and most successful album, my hope is to record again.  Songs still continue to appear under my fingers as I play the guitar.Seasons of TeachingI'm super grateful for all that I've learned on the guitar, and in the process of putting it to practical use, I've discovered that applied knowledge can be very fulfilling. So, there was a season I embarked on just six years into my guitar journey that has continued to this day – and that is the season of teaching.  At a certain point, the response was overwhelming – 50 students a week, with a waiting list. Being on the receiving end as a student has strongly shaped the way I teach.I love to be able to pass along guitar knowledge, and to watch the lightbulbs appear over my students' heads as they “get it.”  I also love to hear stories of how they are applying my teaching. The model that the Lord has brought me to in recent years is an online membership called GuitarSuccess4U, where I impart my knowledge through a one-of-a-kind experience. You're more than welcome to see what we've got going on over there, by checking out GuitarSuccess4U.com.I won't go into detail about the membership at this point, especially since the website speaks for itself. But I will say that it represents the most accessible, most in-depth guitar learning approach I've ever offered to students, and it's the result of nearly three decades of proven guitar tools I've developed. And students can learn at their own pace.  Can you tell how excited I am about it?So, seasons of teaching can happen throughout our journey, but especially after one has learned things, including the hard lessons that are waiting out on tours and in the recording studio.Now, at this point, I'm going to pause my train of thought, and we'll regroup next week for a continuation of this dialogue.I look forward to going deeper in this discussion in our next episode, with part 2 of 2.  I'll see you then.Thanks for reading Guitar Serious Fun! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guitarseriousfun.substack.com

Guest: RICHARD HURLEYIn this episode, you'll learn from our guest today some of the great advice for musicians and musicians-to-be and we are glad to have him on the show today! We're pleased to introduce our special guest today, Richard Hurley, a Canton, N.C. native, and UNC grad who is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, a former radio DJ, and a renowned award-winning songwriter and musician. He is active in community work, serving on various boards and as an emcee for Folkmoot, Shindig on the Green, the Mountain Dance & Folk Festival, and the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival, while also promoting area musical events along with his own musical projects –Cataloochee, and My Mountains, My Songs. He now resides in Asheville, N.C. In this podcast episode, he will discuss the North Carolina mountain music scene, his involvement in the community, his first (and second) music project as well as upcoming events in the area. https://richardhurleymusic.com/Tune in for this fun conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.SHOW NOTESSEGMENT 1August 1963 WBTL station was when it opened. He worked there during college promoting rock and country to other younger people. He got to do MC gigs in which he picked skills from people around him. Florida Boys and Old Kingsmen were some of the music they played. He admits to being naive when starting off playing, but now has a collection of guitars. He had the opportunity to work with JFK's personal naval aid. In the Navy, he got influenced by the chief of naval operations, and so he wrote a song on guitar and got it recorded. His song was inspired by Zumwalt (chief) and his z-grams, he got to meet up with him as Zumwalt thanked him in person and over letter for the song.SEGMENT 2In 1981 he made a record called The Ballet of Old Fort. He worked with the Crow Brothers, Raymond Fairchild, and Arnold Freeman. He used to casually play it for people and got encouragement to record it. Jimmy Haney and he worked as disc jocks. He was one of the speakers at Fairchild and stated “there's only one Raymond Fairchild''. They both had a close friendship and also looked up to each other as artists. Eddie Swan worked for Regal Media, he recorded people like Ben Skill, David Wilcox, and Brian Sutton over the span of his 50-year career. He had a homemade washtub bass and he used to carry it to a tomato festival in Canton with his brother to play there.SEGMENT 3His first project is called “My Mountain, My Songs”. He started it with a throwback, Old Fort. He received an award from the North Carolina Society of Historians for the historical value of his album. One of his songs was about the Coal Mountain Bomber Crash. He also sang about the floods of ‘04.SEGMENT 4He's been taking part in volunteer activities. Shindig on the Green starts this Saturday at the courthouse 7-10 pm. Mark Pruit took part in that event. Bearshare started in 1979, it was a great festival. His website has places to purchase his albums. Towards the end, a child breaks into the podcast recording to blow a raspberry at Hurley.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------TRANSCRIPT00:00:41.040 –> 00:00:48.600 Joseph McElroy: Howdy, Welcome to the Gateway to the Smokies Podcast, this podcast is about America's most visited National Park.00:00:48.960 –> 00:01:01.410 Joseph McElroy: The Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the surrounding towns. This area is filled with ancient natural beauty, a deep-storied history, and rich mountain cultures that we explore with weekly episodes. 00:01:01.890 –> 00:01:12.990 Joseph McElroy: I am Joseph Franklyn McElroy, a man of the world, but also with deep roots in these mountains. My family has lived in the Great Smokies for over 200 years. My business is in travel, but my heart is in culture.00:01:13.650 –> 00:01:24.330 Joseph McElroy: Today we're talking about Songs and then Cataloochee Valley by Richard hurley but first, let's talk about our sponsors.00:01:25.590 –> 00:01:34.470 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place evocative of motor courts of the past, yet modern and vibrant with a “Chic Appalachian” feel. A place for adventure and for relaxation.00:01:35.130 –> 00:01:44.040 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout stream, grill the catch on fire, and eat accompanied by fine wine or craft beers.00:01:44.850 –> 00:01:57.420 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place with old-time music and world cultural sounds. There is no other place like the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley, NC – your Smoky Mountain Adventures Start with Where You Stay.00:01:58.770 –> 00:02:04.080 Joseph McElroy: and others sponsor smokiesadventure.com that smokies plural adventure singular.00:02:04.740 –> 00:02:19.200 Joseph McElroy: The Smoky Mountains and surrounding area is a vacation destination for all seasons. Some of the nation's best hiking trails, waterfalls, outdoor adventures, and family entertainment can be found right here.00:02:19.890 –> 00:02:30.780 Joseph McElroy: Start your adventure by using SmokiesAdventure.com to explore all the wonderful features of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: trails, waterfalls, Cades Cove, and more.00:02:31.200 –> 00:02:37.680 Joseph McElroy: Then check out all the awesome family attractions and entertainment you and your entire family can enjoy.00:02:38.100 –> 00:02:51.930 Joseph McElroy: And if you look at it, have a life event somewhere like a wedding or a honeymoon and we got you covered there go to smokies adventure.com is one of the leading information portals for adventures and experiences and the Great Smoky Mountains.00:02:53.370 –> 00:02:57.390 Joseph McElroy: So welcome you can see we're sitting in the basement of the Meadowlark Motel00:02:58.620 –> 00:03:05.730 Joseph McElroy: At the Speakeasy where we have underground speakeasy and we're gonna have some upcoming events at the Meadowlark Motel will tell you about.00:03:06.120 –> 00:03:19.920 Joseph McElroy: On July 9 we're having a wildcrafting and mother nature's natural garden program with the legendary Illa hatter it starts on Saturday, July 9th at 10 am with the program featuring.00:03:21.210 –> 00:03:30.570 Joseph McElroy: legendary wildcrafting expert, renowned author, filmmaker, instructor, and tour guide for the GSM National Park's elite GSM Field School educational programs, Illa Hatter.00:03:31.260 –> 00:03:42.090 Joseph McElroy: she's an is an expert on edible plants, medicinal herbs, and anything pertaining to wildcraft foraging and Appalachian plants, trees, and flowers.00:03:42.420 –> 00:03:56.190 Joseph McElroy: She has been featured on a variety of national television shows, videos, and books, and has worked as an advisor for multiple movies and television shows. she is an iconic female a smoky soon-to-be featured in one of our name theme groups.00:03:57.900 –> 00:04:13.350 Joseph McElroy: She will be presenting her beloved program Mother Nature's Natural Garden and leading a short tour of the grounds identifying nature's bounty that can be found in our own back yards.00:04:14.520 –> 00:04:20.640 Joseph McElroy: And then there'll be a free Barbecue supper and music by  Mike Ogletree and friends Saturday evening.00:04:21.210 –> 00:04:26.760 Joseph McElroy: $20 per person per night guests and it's free for motel disappeared as club members.00:04:27.540 –> 00:04:46.140 Joseph McElroy: Now a big event coming For those of you who want to learn how to write songs is August 12 and 13th we're having SONGWRITERS CAMP AND CONCERT WITH GRAMMY-WINNING ARTISTS JIM LAUDERDALE AND CHARLES HUMPHREYS III, ALONG WITH AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS DARREN NICHOLSON, CLAY MILLS, AND CHARLES CHAMBERLAIN.00:04:48.690 –> 00:04:54.420 Joseph McElroy: You won't get an opportunity like this very often in your life if you're wanting to really balancing.00:04:54.690 –> 00:05:01.140 Joseph McElroy: hanging out with grammy award-winning artists it's a two-day event of interactive songwriting structures with world-class musicians.00:05:01.440 –> 00:05:13.260 Joseph McElroy: a demo tape produced for each participant, a concert by the Songs From the Road Band on Friday Night, and a BBQ dinner and all-star concert on Saturday night.00:05:14.010 –> 00:05:24.150 Joseph McElroy: This is a unique event, no other place there's nothing, nothing else like it, and it will be a space will be limited to make sure that every participant gets into the.00:05:25.680 –> 00:05:31.110 Joseph McElroy: Attention the price is 675 dollars per person including all activities and the DEMO tape.00:05:31.440 –> 00:05:51.840 Joseph McElroy: The concerts and the dinner and everything else and their special room packages available for those that want to stay overnight at the meadowlark motel so call 8289261717 for details and the reserve your space and the reserve room again 8289261717 to get your place.00:05:52.860 –> 00:05:58.260 Joseph McElroy: there are also limited tickets available, just for the concerts and you can get those as well.00:05:59.850 –> 00:06:03.420 Joseph McElroy: Today, I have a great guest his name is Richard Hurley.00:06:05.010 –> 00:06:08.400 Joseph McElroy: He's a Canton, N.C. native, and UNC graduate I won't hold against.00:06:11.970 –> 00:06:21.270 Joseph McElroy: Is a vendor to the US day my friend, yeah he's a former radio DJ and renowned award-winning songwriter and musician.00:06:21.840 –> 00:06:34.710 Joseph McElroy: is active in Community work in service and serving on various boards and as an MC for food shindig on the green the mountain dance and folk festival, and the basket l'amour longsword festival.00:06:35.130 –> 00:06:47.010 Joseph McElroy: while also promoting area music events, along with his own musical projects will talk which we'll talk about Cataloochee and my mountains my song he resides in Asheville North Carolina my new home.00:06:50.820 –> 00:07:01.740 Joseph McElroy: So let's jump into something exciting, you are a DJ or w pto, and can we just spend about 17 years they tell us that actually a.00:07:02.430 –> 00:07:09.420 Joseph McElroy: station opened in August of 1963 there's already one station there that started in 1954.00:07:09.810 –> 00:07:16.080 Joseph McElroy: And the guy who made fresh they won't have a country station, because there was no kind of crustacean camp, so the open web GL.00:07:16.500 –> 00:07:27.660 Joseph McElroy: August of 63 what I wanted to have a high school kid that could bring in the hospital audience, so I got the gig has to be asked this jockey and that's back when Lou I for.00:07:28.740 –> 00:07:39.630 Joseph McElroy: us back in the dark ages, but I work there you're in college and before all the service in 1970 so was there off and on and had a great time and.00:07:40.410 –> 00:07:48.480 Joseph McElroy: learn a lot and got to play a lot, a lot of old country music at that time, some Gospel music rock music listening music play with it at all, it.00:07:49.140 –> 00:08:01.020 Joseph McElroy: was quite a fun time in my early career, yes, and how was it was help you in your career-defining experiences where your performance ability to do a performance there did yeah.00:08:01.560 –> 00:08:11.400 Joseph McElroy: It led me into doing some MC gigs which I carried on time I'm an MC stuff so yeah it was helpful in that regard and.00:08:12.810 –> 00:08:22.290 Joseph McElroy: You know, having to work there are a lot of people that came through that well you kind of pick up something from everybody you're exposed to in the music business like that so yeah it was quite helpful, then.00:08:22.560 –> 00:08:34.320 Joseph McElroy: Then, when I started doing shows later on the 80s and a lot of these old records I'd played back in the 60s were songs I learned back then, of course, I was influenced by a lot of those artists in the country and.00:08:34.680 –> 00:08:43.950 Joseph McElroy: The Kingston Trio, and some of the folks to hit 1958 when the case, the tree okay mouth Tom ui that just changed the world because I love it.00:08:44.820 –> 00:08:58.110 Joseph McElroy: It made this country teammate all the char key so so that is kind of what got me started running into that my folks got me Wendy when I was about 12 and I learned to play that and I bought a 10 hour day guitar for buddy mind.00:08:58.650 –> 00:09:04.170 Joseph McElroy: And that's kind of how I got to start making music and you got it you started, playing on the radio.00:09:04.680 –> 00:09:12.660 Joseph McElroy: Some early on to write a little bit i'd written a song about the know smothers market there and cam oh I just had his father's on.00:09:13.590 –> 00:09:24.960 Joseph McElroy: The smothers the sun yeah is that resembles they have here on the show granddaddy yeah and so, and that was mathers have a at the grocery store back man.00:09:25.470 –> 00:09:35.400 Joseph McElroy: And I wrote a song called Underwood it was like under what don't you wish we could anyway, we my brother's nice to play some of the only played at the Cannes first and made a festival.00:09:36.900 –> 00:09:45.930 Joseph McElroy: The new old why gone now when I recorded that just to you know they track tape back then, which both your sprinkler so, can you play that song.00:09:50.310 –> 00:10:00.420 Joseph McElroy: ready to record the, yeah Those are all good experiences, did you click Gospel to play Gospel on the air Yesterday we had a program called the Gospel care of and it's like 11 to 12.00:10:00.930 –> 00:10:08.850 Joseph McElroy: That I can just come in at nine, it was cold country star time in the guy named Jimmy hey Andy was a big influence on me early on, see behind there's a local musician he's.00:10:09.210 –> 00:10:20.250 Joseph McElroy: been gone number of years, but he was a he's an award-winning folk singer in fact team is the national focusing champion, I think it was 1950 or there abouts and a big influence on me, because he used to come to the grammar schools.00:10:20.610 –> 00:10:30.780 Joseph McElroy: And play programs us wow i'm going to be that one of these days, so that was kind of started Jimmy used to sign on six gutter 999 to 11 of.00:10:31.170 –> 00:10:40.860 Joseph McElroy: Country music and 11 to 12 Gospel man i'd come back to and go to two 330 with the country music and not go the easy listing is 330 to sign off.00:10:41.790 –> 00:10:52.890 Joseph McElroy: But it has to the rock the rock show was like 330 to 630 or something likely no experience I asked about the Gospel and I am one of the one of the.00:10:53.430 –> 00:11:11.550 Joseph McElroy: You know i've traveled a bit and one of the most popular brunches I ever saw was actually in Barbados yeah they had a Gospel brunch right they have run some even have a good old Gospel music right yeah people love that I would say that would probably go well, here too, yeah.00:11:13.770 –> 00:11:27.120 Joseph McElroy: Gospel me to certainly been popular in the south, for years and years yeah no he's play a lot of the old groups that you know the old Florida boys and the old kings cream local group and people like that.00:11:28.080 –> 00:11:39.120 Joseph McElroy: Number number of those great and there were some local people are bigger than the Gospel music did quite well Francis play lock and dam was a locally that's a big hit here and Haywood county back in the 60s there.00:11:40.860 –> 00:11:43.500 Joseph McElroy: But what was the what how did you learn to play.00:11:44.730 –> 00:11:51.090 Joseph McElroy: I got a Mel Bay 50-cent book shows the three chords C D E, F, and G.00:11:51.720 –> 00:12:05.880 Joseph McElroy: And the other progressions and I just kind of picked it up, but I was so naive, but that i'm embarrassed to say this, but i'm going to tell you to know, I was so naive I didn't have another you know but it's a play on territory, I didn't realize you had to change strings.00:12:07.740 –> 00:12:19.950 Joseph McElroy: Okay, once you know it doesn't matter you get a string I didn't even know that I learned later on, but that's how long did you almost entirely learn to do today, did you have some mentors are learning almost.00:12:22.110 –> 00:12:36.630 Joseph McElroy: All the gifts little G one gifts in the problem of 50s model for about I think I paid $25 for a buddy of mine and I eventually I got an Aston Martin guitar years later, that you know goes collects the guitars.00:12:38.400 –> 00:12:54.210 Joseph McElroy: that's pretty cool so you went off to your high school, then you went off to unc first are going to go the baby first went to usc usc usc yeah I started at usc I tell people is back when the tar heels we're still playing woman gym.00:12:56.250 –> 00:13:04.020 Joseph McElroy: Dean Dome that was before carmichael born with a we're playing a little again music Cunningham, was a senior housing right right so.00:13:04.800 –> 00:13:11.580 Joseph McElroy: that's how I got started when I would come home from school breaks, I would go back to the station and do vacation relief stuff like that and.00:13:12.060 –> 00:13:17.940 Joseph McElroy: I worked at Campo networks, the mail can't mill one summer season seven which is great experience paper.00:13:18.900 –> 00:13:29.040 Joseph McElroy: Paper data that helped me with my career later I got an extreme rarity coming so then after you and see you another baby yeah it was it was during the.com era where I.00:13:29.400 –> 00:13:36.330 Joseph McElroy: went out and did had one job interview, and they said come see us when you're through the starters, nobody would argue you got the service.00:13:37.350 –> 00:13:45.900 Joseph McElroy: So I ended up going to the program that required drilling for a year and then I went in on D for two years and then another three year obligation but.00:13:46.410 –> 00:13:52.620 Joseph McElroy: I was fortunate, I was on the USS wash, which is an aircraft carrier and we were in the North Atlantic up there.00:13:53.370 –> 00:14:06.390 Joseph McElroy: Doing maneuvers and but i've had the privilege to work with JFK personal naval eight so that was quite an experience I learned a lot from those guys and that all all those experiences help you later in life, you know I got it.00:14:07.500 –> 00:14:20.790 Joseph McElroy: cool and that was that was also the start of some my songwriting is in the navy the navy because i've got a memo zoom Lol Chief of naval operations back and he was loosening up the navy, let the skies where.00:14:22.380 –> 00:14:28.770 Joseph McElroy: He would come out these see grams, you know for some walls, the grams, and so I wrote a song called the balance is a graph.00:14:30.090 –> 00:14:47.970 Joseph McElroy: The Admiral heard about it, he called me to stay room and i've already guitar on our platform he wanted to send it to zoom wall record a little fork and say yeah little real real three inch screen record it you send it to zoom wall and month or so later I get this letter for.00:14:50.580 –> 00:14:56.760 Joseph McElroy: letter their little list of the guy says, you know, dear petty officer hurley Thank you so much for your song about.00:14:58.620 –> 00:15:05.910 Joseph McElroy: And he and I connect about seven years later, when he was out, and I was it came to Asheville to bait nuclear-armed with some retired general.00:15:06.360 –> 00:15:13.560 Joseph McElroy: And I walked up to him after the speech I said, George space, I do not remember the side of the road song about you and he said yeah I said on that side.00:15:15.570 –> 00:15:25.500 Joseph McElroy: Of the thought, he just met john, okay well cool well, we have to take a break now Sir so then we'll come back we'll talk more about your career in business and then in music, thank you.00:17:40.830 –> 00:17:47.430 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the Gateway to the Smokies podcasts and my guest Richard Hurley.00:17:47.880 –> 00:17:57.960 Joseph McElroy: So Richard after the navy, you had a long career as an HR manager for square D how's that good company well I just got real lucky because I come home.00:17:58.770 –> 00:18:08.460 Joseph McElroy: About three months before i'm supposed to get out of service and put an application and I had a cousin worked over there, and he put in a good word for me, I went into.00:18:08.940 –> 00:18:16.560 Joseph McElroy: That time I called personnel supervisory like backwards personnel manager personnel his word I started out the second seat and moved up.00:18:17.010 –> 00:18:28.140 Joseph McElroy: For years later I guess the first seat and and but my own volition, I wanted to stay in Nashville yeah so I thought Tom to I might have to move, but it worked out and it's great company they trade as well.00:18:28.590 –> 00:18:37.920 Joseph McElroy: And it was very giving kind of very caring complete and coming to the law united way and give a lot give a lot of bucks to the Community and various organizations out there.00:18:38.820 –> 00:18:57.540 Joseph McElroy: So I had a wonderful career cool did you get to play music, while you're while you're in that career not not in that role ticket I was out playing places i've crossed I did a record not team at one a coma valuable for mountain yeah remember that record a really.00:18:59.130 –> 00:19:08.730 Joseph McElroy: good idea as a 45 and dude legendary greatest of all banjo player Raymond Fairchild light on and Raymond I go back way back.00:19:09.540 –> 00:19:17.670 Joseph McElroy: The guy got Mr freeman has gone also and then the programmers who are popular good a tour with Raymond he's played with picking the brain.00:19:18.120 –> 00:19:29.040 Joseph McElroy: So i've written the song battle for mountain i've seen at parties and people see all the record that so as last time and then one day I said i'm not gonna turn around 10 years from now, and say what If so, I.00:19:29.730 –> 00:19:46.980 Joseph McElroy: called her brain is that would you got me and he said sure be led to some are also we got together having to be August 12 at one i've been coached now when you go to that studio do you're rehearsing before you go in there because that's money yeah right.00:19:49.980 –> 00:19:54.900 Joseph McElroy: Back stuff order ish will be asked our our weekly break door.00:19:55.650 –> 00:20:03.480 Joseph McElroy: And i'm sweating bullets and walk in that studio is following our with now on the studio and they said, like three Max back in those days now.00:20:03.870 –> 00:20:14.520 Joseph McElroy: According whole different ballgame instead of like three months and I kicked off on the guitar right and they jumped in this music, it was just fabulous and they just made that song so.00:20:15.540 –> 00:20:27.270 Joseph McElroy: It was 45 rpm so we took pto course never wc and w devotees but they all start playing on a call, so I saw him through angles markets, not so.00:20:27.870 –> 00:20:35.370 Joseph McElroy: pressed a couple of thousand problems, so I get a few hundred bucks but it kind of summer here when I was a kid yeah I also you know was looking.00:20:35.820 –> 00:20:39.240 Joseph McElroy: yeah well I don't know a while back, I was looking at what rate and fairchild.00:20:40.050 –> 00:20:48.030 Joseph McElroy: That record came out with him being on air yeah Yes, he was something else, but he he helped me out with that and it's all my first albums.00:20:48.510 –> 00:20:59.220 Joseph McElroy: Are all the songs on my to our songs i've written and the first album my mountains my songs I put that on air as a bonus track all the other tracks are things that we recorded so.00:20:59.790 –> 00:21:09.270 Joseph McElroy: cool yeah Bob Plott, you know, is the GM of the Meadowlark Smoky Mountain Heritage Center and he also helps put together.00:21:09.570 –> 00:21:17.610 Joseph McElroy: Some of the information of your questions and he mentioned that you mentioned one of them already rent Fairchild and when the other big musical influence was.00:21:17.940 –> 00:21:28.020 Joseph McElroy: Jimmy haney yeah I mentioned Jimmy a little bit earlier that we'd work together is discharged and he was like say when I was very school didn't come around to schools and play.00:21:28.500 –> 00:21:36.510 Joseph McElroy: ramin here's the store matt Ryan, that when Raymond was very before he became Raymond Fairchild famous like he was.00:21:37.200 –> 00:21:43.080 Joseph McElroy: He was working around these parts and he had done a wreck he'd done his first record old similar record was and.00:21:43.920 –> 00:21:56.910 Joseph McElroy: my brother came home with that record now listen to that man, this is just difference it's just it was like a snake charmer he just he had he had a way of playing songs that just drew me in.00:21:57.360 –> 00:22:08.040 Joseph McElroy: So I got some maintenance management time to evaluate he'd give me copies of his records without playing them on my program and then occasionally he another guy we have breakfast down.00:22:08.310 –> 00:22:17.460 Joseph McElroy: Little restaurants can either bottomless pit of on the show and play for 20 minutes or so, so that was how my friendship with Raymond started way back when.00:22:18.240 –> 00:22:30.120 Joseph McElroy: But, but he was he was really something else, and then, when he went to the brand debut the grand Ole opry and 78 he invited me to go live in essence up with down lana pick your brother.00:22:31.020 –> 00:22:39.030 Joseph McElroy: Already about for went over to the national we got to go backstage and all that one written bill Monroe balls hot dogs that would.00:22:40.980 –> 00:22:46.290 Joseph McElroy: Go out there Raymond walked out there and start playing and they had never heard it.00:22:47.700 –> 00:22:51.330 Joseph McElroy: encores of standing ovations yeah Raymond Fairchild00:22:53.160 –> 00:22:56.190 Joseph McElroy: Or, he was His grace banjo I think grace man.00:22:58.350 –> 00:23:05.160 Joseph McElroy: You could do it yeah and then, when he played here in the valley you remember the matter with me about the Opera House yeah like there.00:23:05.520 –> 00:23:16.650 Joseph McElroy: For years and was there, so yeah yeah but every time I would go in case, yet they see in his wife sure we had that business for number of years for writing and passed in October Tina thing was.00:23:17.070 –> 00:23:26.550 Joseph McElroy: Every time I go in the shadows he'd see me in the audience and so on his old friend is richer heard he used to play my record, so they played he played my record so much that they fired.00:23:28.530 –> 00:23:40.800 Joseph McElroy: Their more banjo players just ran and fell out there yeah true, of course, I had to build a service that is a That was a good story, and you can you got you did is you, with the right.00:23:41.790 –> 00:23:54.240 Joseph McElroy: Top right, I did I was asked to speak and I much some other people, but I was extremely flattered to be part of the one of the speakers that spoke there yeah it's up the stomping ground appear Maggie badly.00:23:55.440 –> 00:24:02.850 Joseph McElroy: And part of my comments, where I said, you know there's only one Elvis there's only one hank liam's there was only one Raymond fair to.00:24:04.140 –> 00:24:12.960 Joseph McElroy: One of my many comments talking about on a great person he was a good family man, he was a loving father and husband and just a great guy.00:24:13.560 –> 00:24:26.400 Joseph McElroy: But he had a gift he had to give a few few they have yet so the way he played that manager, I heard that he's a you know i've been from a value of them, and I have seen him a couple times and I think my dad.00:24:27.720 –> 00:24:28.770 Joseph McElroy: Daniel and i'm sure.00:24:30.660 –> 00:24:36.510 Joseph McElroy: yeah but you know my understanding was he was a great friend, but he was also a little cantankerous.00:24:40.170 –> 00:24:47.520 Joseph McElroy: He raised his music good yes very busy i'll tell you one thing is the Raymond was noted for.00:24:51.150 –> 00:24:52.800 Joseph McElroy: Aware of was.00:24:53.970 –> 00:25:03.510 Joseph McElroy: You know, some towns that have been leaner audiences than others and goes, you know, whatever reason, traffic or whatever, if there was one person that audience about ticket Raymond well and say that.00:25:03.870 –> 00:25:11.730 Joseph McElroy: will be 500 or whatever we're going to play them a good show he whether he play a whole show for one person, but the only matters i'm sorry cancer, he.00:25:12.210 –> 00:25:18.480 Joseph McElroy: said that person management and 500 miles to your show we're going to plan the show that's right he's very caring shorter guy.00:25:19.350 –> 00:25:35.280 Joseph McElroy: Very caring yeah he was the one guy, yeah well yeah we know we're talking about your records that's real Famous people on those records, but there are other Famous people to work with I've got some pretty heavy hitters all my albums.00:25:36.780 –> 00:25:56.130 Joseph McElroy: yeah but they they're people that I work with a guy named at swan yeah and regal music regal media it's a medical media.net website, but but he's he's been in business about 50 years he's reporting people like Ben scale and he's reported recorded David Wilcox.00:25:57.300 –> 00:26:09.330 Joseph McElroy: Brian sudden the great brown certain he's recording squire parsons that great deal and land song right dollars per summit be recorded that and he's worked with a lot of the great spirit.00:26:10.590 –> 00:26:14.370 Joseph McElroy: Anyway, yeah I got to work in an ad and Prince mountains together.00:26:15.600 –> 00:26:17.760 Joseph McElroy: Well, you got some some great ones.00:26:18.930 –> 00:26:27.030 Joseph McElroy: But before we get there, you know what I wanted to do understand you know your your songwriting right and you did some great songs i've read that.00:26:27.570 –> 00:26:37.110 Joseph McElroy: I was looking at, we listened to one and i've seen some of the others and and you're playing a guitar but you play anything else I don't really i'm not play I took a few.00:26:37.530 –> 00:26:46.110 Joseph McElroy: banjo lessons from mark pruitt the grading where he's on one of my hours to market and Martin our friends from way back, but I never could quite get into the banjo so I just like.00:26:47.430 –> 00:26:52.470 Joseph McElroy: I heard you got the the walk handmade watch the bass bass yeah so.00:26:53.610 –> 00:27:04.200 Joseph McElroy: what's that everybody should probably seen, or at least nothing prompts and you'll watch the bass bass so most folks have are not familiar he's turning on tobacco really be go watch.00:27:04.860 –> 00:27:14.250 Joseph McElroy: The one i'm not is over 70 years old, oh yeah sequence and during the home that middle of it and you take an old broomstick and just run a quarter size core.00:27:14.730 –> 00:27:21.450 Joseph McElroy: And you put it on and you hold the stick down the edge of your pocket, and that gives you a base, and it goes because of the tub and I was.00:27:22.440 –> 00:27:38.820 Joseph McElroy: awkward so you could have a vibrant right, so my brother's not playing at this tomato festival years going can't so I carried on part of my act and I tell people I said don't worry I get beaten up your audience the basement and then key is Spanish Oh, because.00:27:40.230 –> 00:27:54.990 Joseph McElroy: that's what that's that's a real fun part of my program and I always preface it by saying that don't worry this tub is is over 70 years old and literally the stick and string have been on there since 1969 oh my gosh it's been British.00:27:57.240 –> 00:27:59.730 Joseph McElroy: Is the shirt but don't worry it'll be okay.00:28:01.140 –> 00:28:02.430 Joseph McElroy: Yes, that's the fun part.00:28:03.510 –> 00:28:12.360 Joseph McElroy: Well, you know I don't know if you ever walked out white wines mainstream you know they have all sorts of sculptures on there yeah what i'm one of the sculptures as a duo.00:28:12.750 –> 00:28:22.680 Joseph McElroy: musicians are there 10 foot tall oh yeah I want them to watch oh yeah you see there, so people you definitely should make a pilgrimage there.00:28:24.180 –> 00:28:31.740 Joseph McElroy: is surprising people don't realize how long a sound that that will make and that's why people develop a years ago they didn't have money to go out and buy things that.00:28:32.370 –> 00:28:50.400 Joseph McElroy: improvised just like my good friend, David holds things on my album you know, David term Doc Watson about 14 years and David plays he plays a number of different instruments on his show when we're doing live shows he played paper bag and plays spoons like bones slugger.00:28:51.900 –> 00:28:56.220 Joseph McElroy: ization improvisation music over the years of development me.00:28:57.780 –> 00:29:02.190 Joseph McElroy: Well, we have to take another break now, when we come back we'll talk about some of your out straight.00:31:08.700 –> 00:31:18.690 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the Gateway to the smokies podcasts and My guest Richard Hurley, so Richard you've got two albums out right?00:31:19.440 –> 00:31:29.760 Joseph McElroy: Can you tell me about your first project was what my mountains by sounds so project called my mountains my songs and I can hold it up to the camera and those people watch it there.00:31:32.640 –> 00:31:46.470 Joseph McElroy: We started out with the old for the song which I mentioned I've written back in the quarterback in 81 I thought well Okay, this is 2013 just a few years later I bought a new cut a record over 30 years or so yeah all right yeah like it's in.00:31:47.520 –> 00:31:50.430 Joseph McElroy: Your cadence or is this musical okay yeah.00:31:53.190 –> 00:32:04.590 Joseph McElroy: I have written a bunch of songs over the years and just take them back in the files and whatnot so I'm sad pull them out and see what we can do with them, so I called a that holds a date I'm thinking about doing an album 20.00:32:05.760 –> 00:32:12.990 Joseph McElroy: Some recommendations well, you need to call josh to go forth josh go forth his genius musician the literature Madison county.00:32:13.620 –> 00:32:19.140 Joseph McElroy: He played all mile they played the lead guitar the rhythm guitar banjo the base the mandolin and fiddle.00:32:19.680 –> 00:32:29.940 Joseph McElroy: Allah and woven together oh wow so so that's how this thing started and we put these 15 songs on here with the old for a song being a bonus track, one of the.00:32:30.300 –> 00:32:41.580 Joseph McElroy: One of the ones you look at the reward thing here that North Carolina society of historians actually gave me a reward the reward for the historical significance of the project.00:32:42.330 –> 00:32:51.450 Joseph McElroy: And there's a song on here about the cold mountain bottom and crash oh yeah a lot of people saw the coal mountain movie, in the end, it was written by Charles Fraser.00:32:51.840 –> 00:32:57.300 Joseph McElroy: Franklin who has connections back to my hometown Cantonese model from their reason anyway.00:32:58.260 –> 00:33:08.640 Joseph McElroy: So the thing, most people don't realize, is that all Friday the 13th September 46 a beat 25 bomber was coming from Detroit to Tampa.00:33:09.180 –> 00:33:25.800 Joseph McElroy: And crashed into the topical mountain Mr bell about 150 feet, they call the Tower at that time in Bristol Tennessee, and so they wanted to go visual So be careful because of kind of nasty and rainy down there the next thing you know lamb youngest general near a core to sergeants to kernels.00:33:27.060 –> 00:33:29.250 Joseph McElroy: Imagine what that was like Crusoe big.00:33:30.360 –> 00:33:41.310 Joseph McElroy: yeah so a lady named George ron's cannon is deceased now she wrote a book about it and back about I guess was in 2012 I saw this book in the movies books here and label.00:33:41.820 –> 00:33:51.270 Joseph McElroy: And I got to look at so Now I know some of these and I read the book and I remembered hearing about it because, as a kid my late brother point over there and mountain across from where I grew up so that's that.00:33:51.840 –> 00:34:03.990 Joseph McElroy: that's plane crash okay fine my scoutmaster you talk, Okay, but it never text on the hack up there, so I went up the mountain couldn't find confining it crashed evidence is all in picked oh.00:34:05.130 –> 00:34:10.890 Joseph McElroy: Really, I wrote the song, so I got doors to a guy named.00:34:14.460 –> 00:34:22.080 Joseph McElroy: Having everything or guy helped me out down the road Moody help me out with this make sure my atma factor accurate.00:34:22.740 –> 00:34:34.290 Joseph McElroy: So, then, we recorded that song and Doris simplest thing to the north county historical society and they basically this whole thing because I got some other historic going on about the slides ago for over a year and i've got some other.00:34:34.770 –> 00:34:44.460 Joseph McElroy: songs similar and they gave you the historical and okay yeah I want to know why people get that but it's still a nice it's nice to get it yes.00:34:45.930 –> 00:34:49.980 Joseph McElroy: it's not a participation prize it actually does work.00:34:51.540 –> 00:34:53.370 Joseph McElroy: yeah exactly exactly.00:34:54.660 –> 00:34:58.830 Joseph McElroy: So you have you gotta go you gotta know saw you got a real a.00:34:59.340 –> 00:35:07.080 Joseph McElroy: Real it's real work, so you got a good thing, so this one, this one came out 13 and josh these musics is famous for singing swan the engineer, I mean he knows what he's doing.00:35:07.950 –> 00:35:21.060 Joseph McElroy: His fifth year so fast forward to 2021 I came out of this album fleet song Cataloochee, which is you know you know music to my heart to them now you alleys.00:35:21.510 –> 00:35:25.650 Joseph McElroy: Post account Lucy Lucy bow they've got the elk and everything else so.00:35:26.160 –> 00:35:26.760 Joseph McElroy: So tell us.00:35:27.000 –> 00:35:35.130 Joseph McElroy: Tell us the story of this one, the backstory is that there's a guy named Steve what he's a friend of mine, and he is a descendant of the old woody family, the life back in capital h.00:35:35.190 –> 00:35:43.800 Joseph McElroy: er and Steve one time there nationally known each other for years, he said, I said I understand you're having your big reunion coming up having here like first second weekend in August.00:35:44.100 –> 00:35:49.920 Joseph McElroy: Is yeah why don't you come about gifts, so now let's do that because I never been reading i've been Cataloochee00:35:50.310 –> 00:36:02.130 Joseph McElroy: So I went to the reunion and he got monitors church service there and during the shirts or is he going to do some politicians, then introduced me and said somebody might know Richard you know to pay with boy write songs just.00:36:02.760 –> 00:36:05.370 Joseph McElroy: said, I think he already song that Kevin did you, what do you all.00:36:08.460 –> 00:36:09.360 Joseph McElroy: feel blackmailing.00:36:11.250 –> 00:36:12.090 Joseph McElroy: wrote a song about.00:36:13.890 –> 00:36:25.710 Joseph McElroy: This research on it and the song and then he asked me to come play it, so I went back and played what that was 19 in August of 19 I played it live at church service oh that's Nice.00:36:26.310 –> 00:36:35.370 Joseph McElroy: I don't mean this to sound right people got emotional I got it I got emotional I don't know which one i'm Scott materials.00:36:36.900 –> 00:36:46.710 Joseph McElroy: emotional standing there and then I said i'm going to have to record it so we record it and got us some different players on this, some of the phone you got some great people on this.00:36:47.280 –> 00:36:53.670 Joseph McElroy: I mean, these are credible yeah TIM CERT and Darren Nicholson, both with balsam range or on their tone increases.00:36:54.150 –> 00:37:01.620 Joseph McElroy: percussionist that works these kind of movement else's grammar need work to Glen Campbell waylon are not waiting merle haggard and.00:37:02.010 –> 00:37:12.060 Joseph McElroy: James Taylor some of those guys and then, of course, David holds on Bobby hicks won a grammy with ricky skaggs the same time that mark did and RON said another little boy.00:37:12.600 –> 00:37:19.470 Joseph McElroy: So he's a 10 time grammy award actually bring to get him to help us out thanks to my buddy so we got some.00:37:20.010 –> 00:37:31.260 Joseph McElroy: Pretty heavy hitters not a dedicated this album to my old friend Ray M and fairchild there you go but he's got the cattle he song and it's got a number of other so there's one song on there you got the legend of losing weight.00:37:32.400 –> 00:37:39.600 Joseph McElroy: This week, there is Buddhism, can you give us a short version of what that is not sure what is a boogeyman.00:37:40.110 –> 00:37:44.100 Joseph McElroy: is actually a story that goes back in the legend goes back in the 1800s.00:37:44.370 –> 00:37:54.150 Joseph McElroy: And up like Logan which used to be on a champion paper back in the old days you had a little boogeyman cave in there is big picture of the boogeyman which is now in the in the downtown teflon.00:37:54.630 –> 00:38:05.010 Joseph McElroy: Remember yeah so patch mathers was the Mayor of can now he was he's been Mayor of can he called me up so we're going to the festival about food too much come in and see if I said to.00:38:05.430 –> 00:38:17.400 Joseph McElroy: And I said we'll go around song about it, so we wrote record a song called the legend of the blue, and it's all about the history of the book eight foot shaggy and eight foot tall and Shay you catch you move from.00:38:18.570 –> 00:38:21.480 Joseph McElroy: That it was it was that a big thing in canton.00:38:22.710 –> 00:38:36.570 Joseph McElroy: Where there was a bigger because he doesn't really remember, since he was in 1616 2016 so the legend came up with us from played the song, I wrote the song for that festival it only had that one year didn't.00:38:37.650 –> 00:38:46.920 Joseph McElroy: see that didn't happen after that, but you know the songs the songs on there and there's a guy named Dave Johnson place about 20 different instruments it's quite.00:38:47.400 –> 00:39:02.220 Joseph McElroy: Another local board down so that old for somewhere plays a mean plays everything he did all the music God and it came out pretty well and there's The thing is that when when i've given this to folks to original head is a single the kids get into this any kid.00:39:04.590 –> 00:39:11.850 Joseph McElroy: I guess it's the sound of the name boom oh yeah with it, but the story was a he had a penchant for two things he liked to go.00:39:12.390 –> 00:39:20.400 Joseph McElroy: He would hide out in the Bush is he was he was he was haven't counted version of victory right yeah see it out our leads there and he'd see the girls and their.00:39:21.240 –> 00:39:30.720 Joseph McElroy: Different pools, and then he said, the thing was he likes to go out and found all these precious stones and he had a cave and he'd go take them to that came storming or liquid jugs to fill them up many chat.00:39:31.620 –> 00:39:41.880 Joseph McElroy: Those two things so one day is how man is this young girls she's in the cooler swim and she sees the Buddha in their eyes walk and they fall in love.00:39:42.690 –> 00:39:49.470 Joseph McElroy: They get married and they go back to the mountains, but he still had to go out look for all these precious stones so she would get it out.00:39:51.870 –> 00:40:01.650 Joseph McElroy: Get lonely and share the harder for him and he had a holler back to the power till they came together and her name is Andy okay therefore came the word good man.00:40:04.440 –> 00:40:07.860 Joseph McElroy: that's Barclays really knows he's a hooter.00:40:10.050 –> 00:40:19.470 Joseph McElroy: So that's all in the song the legend wow that's that's a little tears a boogeyman yeah drinking booze and talking about losing this guy this.00:40:20.850 –> 00:40:23.160 Joseph McElroy: is given given oh i'm going to yeah.00:40:24.240 –> 00:40:29.370 Joseph McElroy: What is some of the other favorite songs is the one I think I think about the question.00:40:30.030 –> 00:40:45.780 Joseph McElroy: I think about some of the historic stuff is vascular marlins for Dino that name and he was he was the the minstrel the appalachians he was born on the campus plus now Marshall university and he started our mountain dance folk festival in 1928 and actual.00:40:47.010 –> 00:40:55.800 Joseph McElroy: Madison county ashbury it's the longest running folk festival in America well in America have you been on the board of that too right well i'm on the advisory.00:40:56.310 –> 00:41:06.510 Joseph McElroy: Playing there, and you see there yeah i'm involved with it for years and years but pete seeger came down to learn about the banjo from Boston the marlins for.00:41:07.020 –> 00:41:20.220 Joseph McElroy: pete seeger many of fans who know the music fans know he had that long neck banjo story was he got that from Boston oh so i've got a tribute to baskin here on on my album that I want other songs.00:41:21.480 –> 00:41:27.300 Joseph McElroy: i've got one on this placement about is called god's special children and it's about special needs kids oh.00:41:28.530 –> 00:41:34.950 Joseph McElroy: I was doing some volunteer work already worth and Center over ashfall which should help special needs kids and.00:41:35.250 –> 00:41:40.950 Joseph McElroy: A lady i've worked with came in and she said, well, you did so i'm going to volunteer what are you doing here she's talking pick up my son.00:41:41.460 –> 00:41:52.020 Joseph McElroy: And this was years actually both retired and our flashback and remember she has a son named our special needs kid adding them in the next mourners Christmas Eve.00:41:52.530 –> 00:42:02.040 Joseph McElroy: And I woke up and I wrote the song called god's special children, and I remember as a kid my mom used to say, and she lived to be rather than one she used to say.00:42:02.850 –> 00:42:10.350 Joseph McElroy: If you'd see you know, a special needs child she's it will sound Those are just god's special tool well that just made everything everything.00:42:11.340 –> 00:42:20.010 Joseph McElroy: That so we did God special to integrate at our producer was able to pull in a later that same with me on that harmonizing you read it came out pretty well.00:42:20.820 –> 00:42:37.440 Joseph McElroy: Actually we've got goodness the number of the things I don't call the leaning sound about what about columns guitars i've got one about monocle house burnett he was he was a great storyteller and fox theater okay now tell me Bob and his plot.00:42:38.730 –> 00:42:52.680 Joseph McElroy: State dogs, we all know that fox fox fox fox hunting, the thing, but my grandfather was a lousy he loved the Walker have the upper hand the latter house and I guarantee that we've known each other yeah.00:42:53.730 –> 00:43:04.590 Joseph McElroy: Big talks louder so I had written a song about him back in the 70s and I pulled out my files and revising David told plays washboard on it, and this David Johnson did some music.00:43:05.100 –> 00:43:12.870 Joseph McElroy: I said, you know we need some dog barks on this supposed to do is lackey do that and they weren't you and he put dog barks we're.00:43:14.100 –> 00:43:19.890 Joseph McElroy: Going on the mountain gotta go gotta go home because he's house burns, and he grew.00:43:22.050 –> 00:43:23.430 Joseph McElroy: up so we let the dogs.00:43:26.040 –> 00:43:36.690 Joseph McElroy: favorite their local flow but we're gonna have to take another break here and come back we'll finish up with some of the other things to do and how you can help people get the CDS right all right.00:45:37.980 –> 00:45:45.240 Joseph McElroy: Howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the Gateway to the Smokies Podcast and my guest Richard Hurley, So, Richard.00:45:45.810 –> 00:45:52.560 Joseph McElroy: You were born and raised in Canton but now you live in Asheville your most of your life so yeah why just stick in Asheville for?00:45:52.950 –> 00:46:03.210 Joseph McElroy: Well, I just love the mountains, like your intro when you're talking about your hotel and the great smoky mountains and the fishing stream all those things you talked about it's made me realize how fortunate I am to00:46:04.260 –> 00:46:05.460 Joseph McElroy: stay here in Asheville.00:46:06.540 –> 00:46:13.500 Joseph McElroy: Western North Carolina you know a lot of volunteer activities I'm involved with taking all across Western North Carolina but.00:46:13.890 –> 00:46:24.060 Joseph McElroy: I thought there was a time to do my career, I was gonna have to leave and move to another location or leasing company and do something else, and I was blessed lucky that I didn't have them leave.00:46:24.450 –> 00:46:31.920 Joseph McElroy: How do you like, how Asheville grown, oh I see it really changed and scrolled a lot, and this is an interesting place that's.00:46:32.460 –> 00:46:37.770 Joseph McElroy: what's that sort of a music city right? yeah, there's a lot of you know, the best years on every corner seemed like that.00:46:38.520 –> 00:46:47.850 Joseph McElroy: You know, we have a couple of events of advanced downtown like the shindig on the green which I also wrote a song about on the first album we have shindig on the green in front of the courthouse there on Saturday nights.00:46:47.970 –> 00:46:59.880 Joseph McElroy: These seven Saturday nights during the summer in fact we'll start this coming Saturday seven to 10 freebies right people bring a lawn chair or blanket and spread out there and they sit three hours, and we have all these musicians to come in.00:47:00.330 –> 00:47:09.750 Joseph McElroy: I'm going from deep in the hollers and some bones wherever square dance teams and all that and a lot of the greats like mark for it and Brian session, you know the hottest guitar player.00:47:10.200 –> 00:47:19.770 Joseph McElroy: In Ashville, I things the number one call guy over there and studios he cut his teeth or they've known split tons of big names play at home, Shindig on the green stage.00:47:20.700 –> 00:47:27.720 Joseph McElroy: But I know you've been involved with a lot of those different revenue festivals you're involved with bells here right.00:47:28.740 –> 00:47:40.830 Joseph McElroy: I wrote a song about that I know I saw that I was wondering what happened, the bell share it just finally ran its course really started in 1979, yeah and I don't remember what year it.00:47:41.700 –> 00:47:50.550 Joseph McElroy: folded video is a great festival, I mean how many times, do you walk down the street of Main Street drinking beer and eating a hot dog or whatever, and all this great entertainment oh my gosh.00:47:51.150 –> 00:47:58.080 Joseph McElroy: Is it that Doc and nice to have Skaggs and a lot of the big nice fact I mentioned a number of them in my song really yeah.00:47:59.010 –> 00:48:12.000 Joseph McElroy: So give people the flavor of what that was it was a special sort of vessel that folks got to get it back and 79 to have a street party with a sound about a phone on the phone or something different than normal kind of fair that got together got shows together and started a bill share.00:48:13.710 –> 00:48:21.240 Joseph McElroy: me just a beautiful life yeah the kids you grant end wife, which feed on the street, when the sun goes down music in the air and actually.00:48:21.960 –> 00:48:31.080 Joseph McElroy: There you go, of course, well you've been involved with a number of what other what other your favorite festivals well, those are pretty much it on ice.00:48:31.770 –> 00:48:37.380 Joseph McElroy: least try to go see Doc every time you come around I never played I played on the same show waiting one day out the.00:48:37.770 –> 00:48:45.180 Joseph McElroy: monster festival that marciel that's another big festival the basketball marlins, for it was the only festival, is he would let us his name.00:48:46.140 –> 00:48:59.220 Joseph McElroy: And it started, I think, somewhere, back in the 60s and 70s, but it was a Mars hill moving on bringing a lot of evil talent back in Madison county and other Mecca for musicians so that's a great fast.00:49:00.480 –> 00:49:14.160 Joseph McElroy: But I never I never got to play on the stage leap, but I did REP with chat room some backstage few few times on some of these programs but but tell us about the mountain DAS it falls fast again it's the granddaddy of all focused.00:49:15.300 –> 00:49:24.600 Joseph McElroy: that's the one yeah other venues what Ben is like the cholesterol killer well you know I like to go to some of the things that happened at the.00:49:25.080 –> 00:49:31.920 Joseph McElroy: Civic Center and some of the problems that happen there, and like you know, let us go back to see balsam range I've introduced those guys sometimes.00:49:32.370 –> 00:49:47.850 Joseph McElroy: Of course, my friend at work for those guys to the studio and he worked with the Steve can you arrange boy is not allowed, but anything in these venues that like your met your Maggie valley festival grounds here on some programs there and I played there actually one time.00:49:52.860 –> 00:49:53.700 Joseph McElroy: promote myself.00:49:57.120 –> 00:50:12.840 Joseph McElroy: I did a fair amount of volunteer work I go to Assisted Living Binion's places like that and people call me I go to a program they can come to a pool party that's not my opinion, without being a concert you got pretty much listen to the lyrics yeah right just.00:50:14.010 –> 00:50:24.120 Joseph McElroy: Because what so somebody coming to Western North Carolina asheville every county what you put in some things they shouldn't miss shindig on the green, they should not miss that.00:50:24.660 –> 00:50:34.470 Joseph McElroy: that's every every Saturday night not ever said that we break for the mountain dance folk festival start the 25th this it's always the first weekend around the fourth of July.00:50:35.070 –> 00:50:49.830 Joseph McElroy: 25 of June, this time, and then we have starting second on through the break for the things of the sixth of August basketball we said, our focus was always the first weekend long about sundown.00:50:51.180 –> 00:50:55.710 Joseph McElroy: What i'm saying is OK, for you folks were watch mean seven o'clock yeah.00:50:57.030 –> 00:51:13.050 Joseph McElroy: So that's a must see there yeah of course they'll share was pulling that was that was but there, there are a lot of fans out there that probably need to get around go visit some of them haven't visited all me I like the orange peel myself yeah.00:51:14.250 –> 00:51:23.040 Joseph McElroy: I did my bell share something there when when a buddy mine was chairing the camp chair and bill share asked me to come play it so we did that kind of kick it off.00:51:23.850 –> 00:51:35.100 Joseph McElroy: I just saw like 11 I think in New York City winery but he was also at the art of appeal to the Glasgow plays he plays a callings guitar that's brand new guitar and I played.00:51:35.700 –> 00:51:45.990 Joseph McElroy: college to the dishes mark i've got a song called the column guitar song oh really are you are you do, do you have a, you said you have a collection guitar.00:51:48.210 –> 00:51:50.790 Joseph McElroy: Like like nobody's saying you can't have too many guitar.00:51:52.950 –> 00:52:02.160 Joseph McElroy: When I wrote this song about the colonies that's your favorite yeah it's like the head of me my servers back 34 years I said, good bass print my name and she had severe.00:52:02.520 –> 00:52:09.930 Joseph McElroy: will spend it on the new and follow this new and following a hot rod car, no, no thing so good rather have a college, maybe.00:52:11.730 –> 00:52:12.420 Joseph McElroy: Not kick off.00:52:14.760 –> 00:52:20.010 Joseph McElroy: spent many years, making money and then decided to buy a hotel yeah That was a better.00:52:21.750 –> 00:52:36.150 Joseph McElroy: guitar yeah well, it was all the time I bought it because yeah yeah being home homestead and big ideas have been doing things with it now it's become something else, but I did get to touch Tony Tony robbins guitar when they.00:52:37.440 –> 00:52:38.010 Joseph McElroy: got to reach over.00:52:39.960 –> 00:52:51.630 Joseph McElroy: Well, how did How do people buy your albums well not my website and I was hoping might go take a look the websites Richard hurley he already why returning music.com.00:52:52.050 –> 00:53:00.660 Joseph McElroy: And the various tabs if they work through the tabs their maintenance places to pursue them and also my two videos are on that video about Kevin lynch.00:53:01.410 –> 00:53:10.380 Joseph McElroy: saw with all the beautiful pictures pictures make hundreds and i'm pretty sure not together a video there's a video about shindig on the green locally.00:53:11.370 –> 00:53:18.360 Joseph McElroy: leverage books here in waynesville strange for music Scott my album and can you get the picture of a mercantile maddie.00:53:19.170 –> 00:53:34.860 Joseph McElroy: actually got the Chamber of Commerce over there, but the average American music.com can lead you in the first place, and you have your Facebook or anything like Facebook, to look you up there yeah alright cool well yeah Thank you very much for.00:53:36.570 –> 00:53:49.920 Joseph McElroy: appreciate it, and you know it's just it's fun to come up with a song strikes you something happens that makes you want around a song it just feels really good you get it recorded.00:53:51.090 –> 00:53:58.440 Joseph McElroy: she's got a great show here I want you to be here what's nice about the smokies and the culture and everything, are you better than that.00:53:59.640 –> 00:54:00.000 Joseph McElroy: and00:54:01.350 –> 00:54:06.390 Joseph McElroy: my daughter just walk well hey there, this is the gateway to the spotify asked why do.00:54:06.870 –> 00:54:14.700 Joseph McElroy: You want to be on the show the show here my daughter's on this show is the gateway to the post focus podcast you can find out more about us at.00:54:15.270 –> 00:54:27.150 Joseph McElroy: Facebook COM says gateway to the smokies podcast and we're on the talk radio dot nyc network, which is a live podcast network with blocks of.00:54:27.690 –> 00:54:35.400 Joseph McElroy: Everyday alive podcasts that, ranging from small business to travel to self help to any number of things, but it's a really good network.00:54:35.790 –> 00:54:49.800 Joseph McElroy: If you like listening to podcast I would recommend you take a listen to some of the other shows all of us that work, I actually have another podcast on this network called wise content creators well, but we talked about you know, using modern content marketing practices.00:54:52.950 –> 00:55:01.140 Joseph McElroy: To help your business so that's on Fridays from noon until one, so I appreciate it that's an interesting you're just looking at us look us up, but this podcast.00:55:01.500 –> 00:55:16.470 Joseph McElroy: Is every Tuesday from six until seven we talked about the smoky mountains and hey we're county actual and Tennessee even and things to do, and things and doing the culture and the people that are here so take a take a look look up come back again.

Julie Henigan is a performing musician (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, and fiddle) of primarily traditional Irish and old-time American material, as well as original songs and instrumentals, with one CD ("American Stranger"), tracks on other albums (including "Sean-Nós cois Locha"), and two guitar books with Mel Bay.  Julie is also a folklorist and literary scholar, with publications in various academic journals and a book with Routledge ("Literacy and Orality in Eighteenth-Century Irish Song"). She has also published poems in a number of poetry magazines, as well as the anthology Open-Eyed, Full-Throated, and creative non-fiction in several publications. She has taught undergraduates and worked as an archivist, and oral historian. She sees all of her work as interconnected and part of a whole. In this episode we talk in depth about the essentials of anyone going into the tradition, some of the greats of the tradition, and immersion-style song catching from the 1970s, what makes traditional music a singular craft in any culture, and dive into what is it about the music that draws you in, making songs your own, and then, we talk maybe NOT going into academia, and learning from the greats, and finish with, her answer to the muppet question.  Purchase Julie's Mel Bay trad music Instructional books: https://independent.academia.edu/JulieHenigan  For current updates, projects and events,  FB https://www.facebook.com/JulieHeniganMusic and Contact direct for copies of her audio CD, American Stranger email: jhenigan@alumni.nd.edu Intro Music, Irish Trad Song, Adieu my Lovely Nancy, including guitar and vocals from American Stranger, by Julie Henigan with Permission for MixedMedia TalksSupport the show

Jordan Perlson has spanned about as wide a stylistic reach as one can imagine. Be it with jazz legends Seamus Blake and Gary Burton, folk heroes Alison Brown and Missy Raines, reggae giants Matisyahu and Trevor Hall, cutting edge music innovators like Becca Stevens, Snarky Puppy, and Jeff Coffin, progressive innovators Adrian Belew or Kaki King, or fusion megastar Hiromi, Jordan has become a known force in these many circles. With credits on 100+ recordings, including national and international ad campaigns, Jordan is as at home in the studio as he is on stage. Having taught at prestigious institutions such as Berklee College of Music, New York University and masterclasses all over the world, Jordan is a passionate educator. An author of 2 books for Mel Bay publishing, Jordan's books have been translated into several languages and are used the world round by teachers and students of many levels. In this episode, Jordan talks about: Why he moved to Nashville after 12 years in New York Curating musical situations that line up with momentum in a direction, even if the end goal is abstract Being more intentional about not just what he says yes to, but why he says yes How New York shaped his personality, and how that shapes his musical identity Trusting that his instincts and intentions will make good music, even if the execution isn't quite perfect His "asynchronous" drum coaching approach to private teaching

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for an all-new episode of the Chasing Tone Podcast!Brian rewrites Tolkien with an all new character and it is established early on that Brian has some weirdness within him as the guys talk about his new hobby of turning songs into country versions. Blake has been talking to the fine folk over at Chibson and tells us a little bit about the mighty meme wizardry that they produce. Richard is impressed with Mark Tremonti and discusses why the world needs more nice people right now before Brian drops one or two names and then an Eagles based pun fest ensues.Do you like to learn guitar solos note for note? It's not easy to memorize every solo and a lot of players choose not to but Richard makes a point about why sometimes it can be a good idea for pleasing an audience that may not care about your shred speed. Brian is listening to Taylor Childers and his faith in country music is being restored and the guys touch on this before the guys talk about early Rap and Hip-Hop via Brian's hideous vocal stylings. The shortage of vacuum tubes is dominating guitar threads all over the interwebz so the guys discuss the false article about about Joe B manufacturing tubes and the market for tubes for guitarists and high end audiophiles alike.  Line 6 have re-released the classic DL4 delay in a new package and Brian is excited! The price at the time of recording was given as $420 but that was inaccurate however amusing.Also, Gnomespores...Why can't we be friends, Australian pirates, Brians Bells, Nammthrax, CD commitments, Doug. E Fresh...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!We are on Patreon now too!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)DIY mods:https://modyourownpedal.com/collections/booksFind us at:https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdVrg4Wl3vjIxonABn6RfWwContact us at: podcast@wamplerpedals.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Episode Notes Support the Mandolins and Beer Podcast at my Patreon page! My guest on the podcast this week is Ben Winship. Ben has been part of many cool projects as well as helping found the Great Targhee music camp. He's owned a studio for 25 years, co-authored two instructional books with Mel Bay and has a new release called Mandolin Tales! Go over to Ben's website and buy some books and music! As always, a big thank you to my sponsors for this episode and welcome Elderly Instruments! Mandolin Cafe Peghead Nation Northfield Mandolins Pava Mandolins  Ellis Mandolins Siminoff Books Straight Up Strings Elderly Instruments       Song clips featured in this episode:   “Tangled Roots, Magic Foot” Loose Ties – (Tangled Roots) “Katy Bar the Door” Brother Mule – (Jawbone) “Shakin Down the Acorns” – Ben Winship (Acorns) “One Shoe Left” – Ben Winship (One Shoe Left) “Waterbound” – Growling Old Men (Chicken Feed and Bailing Twine) “What's a matte with the Well” – Ben Winship (Toolshed) “What's Happening” Mike Dowling – (Pink Guitar)

“If you don't figure out by ear you're doing yourself a disservice because you're not gonna able to reason through things without referencing something.” - Tommy Armstrong-LeavittMusic teachers employ a variety of approaches to assist pupils in learning to play a musical instrument. Learning to sight-read music and learning to play by ear are the two main methods. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, but which method helps students learn to play an instrument more easily, quickly, and proficiently? Tommy Armstrong-Leavitt has some suggestions for you.Tune in to this episode, learn about music approaches, and hit that subscribe button! If you like this podcast, don't forget to share it with your friends!Highlights:[11:23] What was the reason why he developed a program when he was teaching?[15:35] The Story Behind his Guitar Method Books  [16:29]The advice from Mel Bay that helps him sell his book[23:24]How did his parents introduce him to music?[35:20]How shape-shifting works in music?[38:04]How does Theory in Music give excuses to a lot of things?[39:58]The Story of Chad Wackerman[43:00] What are some bands that he played when he was younger and how did he wind up playing with Tesla?[48:33]How did the HURT band start?[01:03:31]Tommy's Transition to EMG PicksLinks:LinkedIn:Tommy Armstrong-LeavittFacebook:Tommy Armstrong-LeavittInstagram:tommyarmstrongleavittTwitter:Tommy Armstrong-Leavitt

Hello friends! Today I have two musician/authors on the show! Singer-songwriter and author, Russell Boyd talks bout his latest single, "Bright Flame Burns Higher", playing over 3,000 piano bar shows starting in Florida, his book, "The Chorus Effect", his blend of Americana, rock and hip-hop, the stories in his songs and much more. Go to russellboyd.com for all of your Russell Boyd needs. Also, Cotton Mather guitarist, Harold Whit Williams stops by to talk about his lo-fi, indie, solo project, Daily Worker and his new EP, "My Drug", his latest book of poetry, "My Heavens", his first book of short stories, "Mel Bay's Book Of The Dead", touring the world with Cotton Mather and more! Find his music and books at haroldwhitwilliams.com. Two great convos with two great dudes. Let's get down! Rehearse loudly AND safely at Space Rehearsal And Recording spaceatx.com

Hello friends! Today I have two musician/authors on the show! Singer-songwriter and author, Russell Boyd talks bout his latest single, "Bright Flame Burns Higher", playing over 3,000 piano bar shows starting in Florida, his book, "The Chorus Effect", his blend of Americana, rock and hip-hop, the stories in his songs and much more. Go to russellboyd.com for all of your Russell Boyd needs. Also, Cotton Mather guitarist, Harold Whit Williams stops by to talk about his lo-fi, indie, solo project, Daily Worker and his new EP, "My Drug", his latest book of poetry, "My Heavens", his first book of short stories, "Mel Bay's Book Of The Dead", touring the world with Cotton Mather and more! Find his music and books at haroldwhitwilliams.com. Two great convos with two great dudes. Let's get down! Rehearse loudly AND safely at Space Rehearsal And Recording spaceatx.com

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (St. Martin's Essentials, 2021), Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together. The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville. Morris Ardoin is author of STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY (2020, University Press of Mississippi), which was optioned for TV/Film development in 2021. A communications practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. Twitter: @morrisardoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (St. Martin's Essentials, 2021), Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together. The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville. Morris Ardoin is author of STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY (2020, University Press of Mississippi), which was optioned for TV/Film development in 2021. A communications practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. Twitter: @morrisardoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (St. Martin's Essentials, 2021), Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together. The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville. Morris Ardoin is author of STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY (2020, University Press of Mississippi), which was optioned for TV/Film development in 2021. A communications practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. Twitter: @morrisardoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (St. Martin's Essentials, 2021), Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together. The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville. Morris Ardoin is author of STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY (2020, University Press of Mississippi), which was optioned for TV/Film development in 2021. A communications practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. Twitter: @morrisardoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (St. Martin's Essentials, 2021), Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together. The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lavette, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm and Candi Staton. Saved by a Song is her first book. She lives in Nashville. Morris Ardoin is author of STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY (2020, University Press of Mississippi), which was optioned for TV/Film development in 2021. A communications practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. Twitter: @morrisardoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

433. Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier joins us to discuss her new memoir, Saved by a Song. Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. As an adult, she went to an open mic with a friend realized that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. This week in Louisiana history. September 5, 1814. Pierre Lafitte 'escapes' from prison in the Cabildo. Shortly after an alliance was formed between the government & the pirates to repel the British. This week in New Orleans history. The post-Katrina evacuation of the Superdome was completed on Sunday, September 4, 2005. The same day, 29,588 Army National Guard and 4,596 Air National Guard were deployed (34,184 total). This week in Louisiana. Louisiana Libations In Louisiana, we dine with gusto, but did you know we're also home to America's first cocktail - the Sazerac? In celebration of our cocktail culture, we've created a place for visitors to explore our Louisiana craft breweries, distilleries and wineries before planning your trip.  Our Louisiana libations are hand-crafted and infused with local ingredients to create flavor profiles you won't find anywhere else in the country.  Postcards from Louisiana. Long Haul Paul. "Mercy Now."Listen on iTunes.Listen on Google Play.Listen on Google Podcasts.Listen on Spotify.Listen on Stitcher.Listen on TuneIn.The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.Like us on Facebook.

Misha Stefanuk speaks about teaching students to play convincingly in a variety of styles, his jazz piano exercise books, and his bestselling easy piano arrangements. In the episode, Misha takes us through some of the exercises from his book “Jazz Piano Lessons.” You can access sheet music for the exercises he discusses here. You can see more of his publications on his Sheet Music Plus and Mel Bay pages.

Western Maryland guitar player Ed Barney is a solo artist, a sought after sideman and an alumni of Up With People.  From guitar lessons on a Harmony nylon string at the age of six, completing many Mel Bay lesson books, to jazz, blues and bluegrass,  he now sees the fretboard as Math. A great guitar player who loves Tony Rice, he's an interesting guy.

040 - Johnny HattonDon’t miss the latest episode of VG’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast with host James Patrick Regan. He speaks with bassist Johnny Hatton, whose current gig is with Brian Setzer but has also backed Elvis, Liza Minnelli, and The Righteous Brothers. They talk about his ’61 Fender Precision, which his dad bought new at the Mel Bay store, as well as his session work, early bands, life on the road in the ’70s and ’80s, and his passion for sail boats!"Please like, comment, and share this podcast! Download Link

Catching up with Dan Levenson as he passes through the Pacific Northwest. We learn about his upcoming Mel Bay publication and hear the tale of his cross A fiddle built by a local legend from West Lafayette, Ohio. Dan also talks about lessons learned from the old guys, some of his heroes and shares some really cool tunes with us. We may or may not have had some special guests stop by during this episode..like a cuckoo and Gilbert Gottfried, but you will have to listen and decide for yourself.a the northernmost city of Southern Appalachia, Dan now calls Tucson, Arizona his home when he is not on the road.Tunes:Durangs HornpipeWhistlin RufusWays of the WorldCuckoos Nest

Described as “playing a mean guitar” (Wichita Eagle), William Flynn is a Kansas-based jazz guitarist and educator currently serving as Director of Jazz Studies at Wichita State University. William’s recent professional engagements include performances at the Overture to Overtown Jazz Festival (Miami, FL), the Charlie Parker Celebration Festival (Kansas City), The University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab, and The Blue Room (Kansas City). William’s recent releases can be heard on Armored Records and Artists Recording Collective. Widely respected as a leading educator in his field, William has presented and adjudicated at conferences and universities across the country. His educational writing has been published in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, and he is the co-author of Mel Bay’s 2016 publication Jazz Guitar Duets. Additionally, William is the founder of @thejazzwoodshed, an educational Instagram account followed by thousands of users from around the world. William holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Capital University (Columbus, OH), and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, where he taught as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. From 2011-2012, William held the guitar chair in the world-renowned and Grammy-nominated University of North Texas One O’ Clock Lab Band, and can be heard on Lab 2012. In his position at Wichita State University, William teaches applied guitar and jazz improvisation, and directs both the Jazz Arts Ensemble 2 and the Guitar Ensemble. http://www.williamflynnmusic.com/

This week, we conclude our two-part feature offering live recordings in this time of sheltering in place due to the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. We'll hear classic live recordings from Guy Clark, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt, Steeleye Span and many more. We’re still LIVE … this week on The Sing Out! Radio Magazine. Episode #20-18: In Concert, Pt.2 Host: Tom Druckenmiller Artist/”Song”/CD/Label Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer”(excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle / Smithsonian Folkways Tom, Betty & Nathan Druckenmiller / “Arkansas Traveler/Soldier's Joy” / Back Home / Little Cat Guy Clark / “Introduction” / Songs and Stories / Dualtone Guy Clark / “LA Freeway” / Songs and Stories / Dualtone Dry Branch Fire Squad / “Mel Bay” / Live at Newburyport Firehouse / Rounder Dry Branch Fire Squad / “Lonesome Fugitive” / Live at Newburyport Firehouse / Rounder Bonnie Raitt / “Kokomo Blues” / Philadelphia Folk Festival 40th Anniversary / Sliced Bread Richard Thompson / “Beeswing” / Philadelphia Folk Festival 40th Anniversary / Sliced Bread Arlo Guthrie / “Ring Around the Rosie Rag” / Philadelphia Folk Festival 40th Anniversary / Sliced Bread Tom, Betty & Nathan Druckenmiller / “Sourwood Mountain - Jimmie Johnson” / Back Home / Little Cat Paul Rishell & Annie Raines / “Custard Pie” / A Night in Woodstock / Mojo Rodeo Mississippi John Hurt / “Candyman” / Blues at Newport / Vanguard Lightin' Hopkins / “Shake That Thing” / Great Bluesmen-Newport / Vanguard The Pentangle / “I've Got a Feeling” / Sweet Child / Castle Steeleye Span / “Blackleg Miner” / Back in Line / Shanachie Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer”(excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle / Smithsonian Folkways

My conversation with harmonica player and legendary educator Phil Duncan. In this episode Phil tells his journey as a music teacher and writer for Mel Bay publication, his favorite Hohner models, advice for beginners and much more!Connect with Phil: FacebookFor more episodes please visit: harmonicastudio.yvonnickprene.com Harmonica Studio Podcast features conversations with pro harmonica players from all over the world, hosted by me, Yvonnick Prené.Instagram: instagram.com/HarmonicaStudioFacebook: facebook.com/harmonicastudioDiscover Yvonnick's books: yvonnickprene.com/bookOver the past year, I have produced over 500 step-by-step lessons to help chromatic harmonica players to practice better. Whether you're just starting out or a pro harmonica player I have something for you to work on! Harmonica Studio is THE place to gain directions, encouragements and most of all be inspired to get your harmonica playing to the next level! Try it FREE today at harmonicastudio.yvonnickprene.comDo Enjoy Listening to This Podcast?If you enjoyed this episode help us out by leaving a star rating and review on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. Thanks for your help!Support the showSupport the show (http://harmonicastudio.yvonnickprene.com)

This week on the Mandolins and Beer Podcast, I talk with Tommy Norris of The Barefoot Movement! Tommy is not only an incredible mandolin player, he is also an author that has published two books for Mel Bay and he also has a company that provides music for video games. Check out more about Tommy at his Website and be sure to follow him and the band on their Instagram pages Tommy Norris and The Barefoot Movement A big thanks to my sponsors this episode, The Mandolin Cafe and Scott Enloe Woodworking! You can check out Scott's incredible wood work on his Website or his Facebook Page And finally, to hear the full versions of the songs discussed on this and all other episodes, be sure to follow the official Mandolins and Beer Spotify Playlist

Corey Christiansen is becoming recognized as one of the preeminent jazz guitarists in the world. In the fall of 2008 Corey assumed duties teaching at Utah State University and the famed Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Because of his life in the music business he brings a “real world” environment to the classroom. Even with a busy academic schedule, Corey still tours and continues to record. This professional experience enhances his teaching as he is able to bring real-world experiences to his students. He is also an artist-in-residence at Atlanta Institute of Music (Atlanta, GA), and Broadway Music School (Denver, CO). Corey Christiansen has a number of publications with Mel Bay and has conducted countless guitar clinics and concerts across the country and beyond including Europe, South Africa and Australia. He has also performed at many notable festivals and venues including John Pisano’s Guitar Night in Los Angeles, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, the Clearwater Jazz Festival, the Monterey Next Generation Festival, the Daytona Beach Jazz Festival, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, the Park City Jazz Festival, and the St. Louis Jazz Festival. He has also performed and/or recorded with many outstanding jazz artists including James Moody, Jeff Coffin, John Benitez, Terreon Gully, Steve Davis, Eric Alexander, Matt Jorgensen, Byron Stripling, Jeff Hamilton, Alan Pasqua, Randy Brecker, Jeff Coffin, Peter Erskine, John Pisano, Willie Akins, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jim White, Steve Houghton, Steve Allee, Pat Harbison, Jack Wilkins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ed Soph, Jim White, Christian McBride, Keyon Harrold, George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Riley, Dave Pietro, Danny Gottlieb, and many, many others. Thanks for listening and keep thriving! Show notes: www.SpenserLiszt.com/blog/TMP26 Free list of potential tax deductions: www.SpenserLiszt.com/p/TaxDeductions Join the Thriving Musicians closed Facebook group: www.Facebook.com/groups/ThrivingMusician Email questions, comments or nominate a Thriving Musician to spenser@spenserliszt.com Follow Spenser online: Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SpenserLiszt Twitter: www.Twitter.com/SpenserLiszt Instagram: www.Instagram.com/SpenserLiszt

Sean McGowan discusses his jazz guitar lessons available on TrueFire, performs, and answers questions. To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.About Sean McGowan: Sean McGowan is a fingerstyle jazz guitarist who combines many diverse musical influences with unconventional techniques to create a broad palette of textures within his compositions and arrangements for solo guitar. His first recording, "River Coffee" won the Best Independent Release of the Year Award (2002) from Acoustic Guitar magazine and music from the recording has been featured on BBC’s “Great Guitars" radio program, Maine Public Radio, and has been published in Japan’s Acoustic Guitar magazine and Mel Bay’s Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar, Vol. 3 (2005). His recordings Indigo (2008) and Sphere: the Music of Thelonious Monk (2011) offer compelling portraits of classic jazz standards performed on solo electric archtop guitar. Sphere was named one of Acoustic Guitar magazine’s “Essential Albums of 2011". As a soloist, Sean has performed at several festivals including the Novi Sad International Jazz Festival in Serbia, the Healdsburg Guitar Festival in Napa Valley, Copper Mountain Guitar Town, the Newport Guitar Festival, and the Classic American Guitar Show in New York. He has also collaborated with several dance and improv companies, as well as with jazz and acoustic musicians throughout the Rocky Mountain region.Sean is an avid arts educator and currently serves as an assistant professor of music and the Guitar Program Director at the University of Colorado Denver. He earned a DMA in Guitar Performance from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and has conducted jazz guitar workshops at Berklee College, Bowdoin College, USC, University of Maine, University of Oregon, McNally Smith College, String Letter Music School in San Anselmo, and for the Seattle Jazz Guitar Society and Cheyenne Guitar Society. He has also presented and performed at the Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans, the International Symposium for the Performing Arts Medicine Association in Aspen, CO, and numerous College Music Society national and regional conferences. Sean is a strong advocate for injury prevention and health education for musicians, and his workshops incorporate a holistic approach to playing. He is also a contributing editor and educational advisor for Acoustic Guitar magazine. His latest book/DVD instructional project is Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Essentials (String Letter/Hal Leonard).

Pat Rush is an internationally acclaimed guitarist. He has played and jammed with Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and many more. He toured with James Cotton for three years. Pat was also a member of The Jeff Healey Band for twelve years. I was so honored to schmooze with him on Hatradio! this April 2019, all the time sensing I was with someone very special and highly accomplished. The interview felt historic in nature.   Pat was thirteen when he learned how to play guitar. He bought his first axe for $13.99 from his neighbor Bobby Miles. His mom loaned him the cash of which he repaid mowing lawns at .50 cents each. After a few months of lessons using the Mel Bay method, his teacher, Don Russell, told Pat’s mom he couldn’t teach Pat anymore as he’s already so far ahead in the books. He said, “you don’t need me anymore. Let Pat learn and he’ll teach you (Pat’s mom was taking lessons with him).”  And that’s what happened. Pat grew and grew as a guitarist playing churches and school venues. His first paid gig was in a church. He received $20 and shared it with the band members. The years passed and eventually Pat launched a band called Thunderhead. “We filled the places we played. Thunderhead was a big band,” Pat said. The iconic guitarist, Johnny Winter sat in. He also produced one of their albums. Edgar Winter played piano on it. Ultimately Pat came to see Johnny and Edgar as dear friends. Later on Pat toured with Johnny, and they lived together. “Edgar used to beat me in pool,” Pat said, “even though he was legally blind”.   Pat, as mentioned, has played with the gurus of rock and blues including, James Cotton and Muddy Waters. He learned slide guitar from Duane Allman (in Holiday Inns where they stayed after gigs in the South) and later on taught Jose Feliciano how to play that same style of guitar. One evening, during a concert at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Muddy called Pat up on stage. They jammed and then Muddy told Pat he wasn’t feeling well and wanted him to play the encore. Pat figured he’s use Bob Margolin’s (a band member) guitar but Muddy handed him his red telecaster instead. Muddy exited the stage and they played ‘Dust my Blues’. Pat said the place went nuts. Later, Bob said to Pat, “do you have any idea what happened here tonight? Muddy won’t even let me touch that guitar”. Bob said Muddy never loaned his guitar to anyone in fact denied Eric Clapton the right to play it one night. Pat is special and Muddy got that.   Pat loved Jeff Healey. They traveled together. Listened to records together. And of course, played the blues and rock together for a dozen years. Pat describes his time with Jeff as magical and says he misses him dearly.  He spoke about him in very fond terms. “Jeff had an uncanny ability to remember the titles, tracks and musicians on all of his 35,000 albums”, Pat said. Pat made up a game called “Stump the Jeff”, in an effort to trip up Healey. Pat said, “I never did. Not once. He was a savant. “   By the way, the name of this episode - 'Slide Patty, Slide!' is from a YouTube video I saw where Jeff instructed Pat during a wicked rock song, to play a lead. Jeff said to him, "Slide Patty, slide". And he did. I loved that!     Pat Rush is indeed a special man. He is soft spoken and has a sweet way about him. And, Pat is  one hell of a guitar player, a prodigy, who is an integral member of the rock and roll and blues world. I was proud to have him as our guest and to hear about his life, his history, his stories. Have a listen to my schmooze with Pat Rush and let me know what you think. Thanks so much for listening! Happy Passover and Easter. Fight for freedom. Unlock the chains of slavery. Today, in our world, there are still 45 million slaves, 10 million of which are children. Hatradio! The show that schmoozes    

Today we're talking with David Barrett, one of the world’s leading harmonica teachers and experts in blues music. David is the author of over 70 music education books including Mel Bay’s main harmonica tutor books, he is the founder of bluesharmonica.com, the leading online training provider for learning blues harmonica, and he has also somehow found the time to found and run the world’s only music school dedicated to the blues, the School of the Blues in San Jose, California. He is also a Grammy-Nominated blues harmonica player who still regularly performs and records.   We were really eager to pick David’s brains on harmonica, the blues and also improvisation, and he delivered 110% on all three.   In this conversation you’re going to hear:   • Why harmonica is both a very difficult and also a slightly easier instrument to figure out by ear • Why it is that harmonica and the blues are so closely associated with one another • What characterises blues music • And how David teaches his students to go beyond just memorising licks and riffs and build musically-meaningful improvised solos that will connect with the audience   This is definitely not a conversation only for those of you into blues music or who play the harmonica. There is a ton packed in here that’s relevant for any instrument and style of music. That said, we suspect that by the end you may have had your mind and ears opened to the possibilities that blues and harmonica might hold for you, too...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 108   Links and Resources • BluesHarmonica.com • School of the Blues • David’s Harmonica Masterclass • David’s harmonicas of choice: Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas customized by Joe Filisko   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Dino Monoxelos has shared the stage with countless household names, recorded numerous sessions and performed in the pit orchestras of many Broadway shows. He is the author of four books with the legendary music educator Mel Bay and has written instructional columns for Bass Guitar Magazine and Bass Frontiers Magazine. Currently, he is an active educator and clinician, currently serving as Senior Product Specialist/Clinician for Ampeg Amplifiers, where he is affectionately known as “The Ampeg Guy.”

Frank Briggs has written over 10 instructional books and 2 DVDs on drum set for publishing companies Mel Bay, and Hal Leonard. His educational books and videos have been used worldwide by professional drummers, educators and music schools. He has traveled extensively giving master classes and clinics on drum set vocabulary and performance.    

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, old time fiddling husband and wife duo “Spencer & Rains” recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this fascinating duo. A performance from old time fiddle legend Dan Levenson, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of singer/songwriter Jimmy Connor performing his hit song “Grandma’s Featherbed.” Spencer & Rains combines the talents of two extraordinary traditional fiddlers, Kansas fiddler Tricia Spencer with Texas artist and fourth generation fiddler Howard Rains. Together, the husband and wife duo Spencer & Rains have performed and taught nationally and internationally, preserving and building upon the traditions of their region. The duo are known for their twin fiddle harmony, which is a product of the influence of midwestern Scandinavian fiddlers Tricia heard as a child.  At the same time, Howard’s distinct repertoire reintroduces listeners to the pre-contest styles of Texas fiddling. That same sense of harmony is in their vocals as well, which they pull from all manner of American folk music. Both multi-instrumentalists, they are steeped in tradition and are dedicated to the preservation, performance, and teaching of old time music. A Southern Appalachian native, Dan Levenson was raised with old time music. He has become a true master musician and teacher in both the Clawhammer Banjo style and Old Time Fiddling. His dad called square dances and his mom played guitar, piano and sang. With 14 Mel Bay publications including his innovative Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch and 10 recordings to his name, Dan is one of the undisputed influences on today’s old time music aficionados. Dan Levenson is a modern day troubadour in the truest sense of the word. A full time musician, he travels the country with banjo and fiddle, singing songs and telling stories of the road, his musical journey and his Southern Appalachian roots. Dan is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now makes his home in Tucson, Arizona year round, when he is not on the road. His stage show, “An Evening with Dan Levenson" is an intimate evening of musical conversation that combines old time fiddle, Appalachian banjo, stories, and song in a storytelling format, celebrating life in rural Appalachia and life on the roads of America via the music of our country. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of singer/songwriter Jimmy Connor performing his hit song “Grandma’s Featherbed,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

At the age of thirteen, Stephen Bishop found himself at a crossroads. A clarinetist with hopes of becoming a History teacher, he was forever changed after watching the Beatles one night on "The Ed Sullivan Show." His brother Denny bought Stephen an electric guitar and a "Mel Bay" chordbook and turned his stereo into an amp so Stephen could play music. Stephen began to learn to play guitar and make up his own chords as well, writing his first song, "Surf's Turf.." a pathetic sounding intrumental. He formed a band called, "The Weeds" and began to play at local fraternity parties incorporating his own original songs with various songs from top 40...Stephen made a trip to Los Angeles at 17... eventually landing a publishing deal at $50 a week. After years of trying to make it, a good friend, Leah Kunkel got some of Stephen's songs to Art Garfunkel, who wound up recording two of them on his gold recording, "Breakaway." He started playing around town singing his songs in person for artists like, Barbra Streisand...Bette Midler..Diana Ross." Shortly thereafter, he was signed to ABC Records who released his first album, "Careless." He had two hits from the album.."Save It For a Rainy Day," and "On and On".. Soon the album went gold, as well as his next album, "Bish." He sang the hit theme,"It Might Be You," for the movie, "Tootsie," as well as writing and/or singing 13 other films including, "Animal House."and composing "Separate Lives," for the film "White Nights." His songs have been recorded by: Beyonce, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Art Garfunkel, Steve Perry, Stephanie Mills, Kenny Loggins, Johnny Mathis, Phoebe Snow, David Crosby, The Four Tops, Aswad and Pavarotti. He appeared as the "Charming Guitar Player" in "Animal House," wherein John Belushi slammed his guitar to smithereens in the Toga Party scene. Stephen was nominated for two Grammys and awarded an Oscar nomination for his song, "Separate Lives," which became a No. 1 hit for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. In Eric Clapton's autobiography, Eric mentions Stephen as "One of the great singer songwriters." Stephen just released his 25 year Anniversary Album, "Bowling in Paris," Remastered with new artwork and the album features Sting on bass and vocals, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins and is produced by Michael Omartian and Phil Collins.Stephen has released two new albums last year.."Be Here Then," a new studio album and "Stephen Bishop LIVE," an album of his hits and popular favorites as well as a few new songs. He has also returned from a successful tour in Asia last year.. "His newest single is called, "Pretty Baby." from his new studio Album, "be here then." Recently, Beyonce released her Platinum Beyonce Album which includes, "Ring Off.." co-written by Stephen and Beyonce. Stephen just released his newest album, “Blueprint,” Produced by Jon Gilutin.

Electric bass, as an instrument, has come a long way, since the late 1950's, early 1960's, where it made its impact on the music scene. Besides the multitude of styles and techniques used by bass players today, the demands on amplification has also become more critical. With 5-string basses and beyond, bass players need a wider range amp with greater dynamic range and frequency response more than ever! Gary Roudenko, of the Bass Exchange, and Andre Lomov, of Form Factor Audio, show us their new bass amp system: The Bi 1000 head and the B 210 speaker cabinet. Joining us are bassists Pancho Tomaselli (War, Tower of Power, George Lynch), and Corey Dozier (author of several bass methods for Mel Bay, teacher and session musician). Join us as we explore an incredible new amp with some great tone!!

Electric bass, as an instrument, has come a long way, since the late 1950's, early 1960's, where it made its impact on the music scene. Besides the multitude of styles and techniques used by bass players today, the demands on amplification has also become more critical. With 5-string basses and beyond, bass players need a wider range amp with greater dynamic range and frequency response more than ever! Gary Roudenko, of the Bass Exchange, and Andre Lomov, of Form Factor Audio, show us their new bass amp system: The Bi 1000 head and the B 210 speaker cabinet. Joining us are bassists Pancho Tomaselli (War, Tower of Power, George Lynch), and Corey Dozier (author of several bass methods for Mel Bay, teacher and session musician). Join us as we explore an incredible new amp with some great tone!!

Electric bass, as an instrument, has come a long way, since the late 1950's, early 1960's, where it made its impact on the music scene. Besides the multitude of styles and techniques used by bass players today, the demands on amplification has also become more critical. With 5-string basses and beyond, bass players need a wider range amp with greater dynamic range and frequency response more than ever! Gary Roudenko, of the Bass Exchange, and Andre Lomov, of Form Factor Audio, show us their new bass amp system: The Bi 1000 head and the B 210 speaker cabinet. Joining us are bassists Pancho Tomaselli (War, Tower of Power, George Lynch), and Corey Dozier (author of several bass methods for Mel Bay, teacher and session musician). Join us as we explore an incredible new amp with some great tone!!

TRANSFORMATIONSJazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur has earned a sterling reputation as a musician and educator, renowned for his golden tone, improvisational brilliance, compositional lyricism and ability to charm peers, students and listeners alike. Eminent jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote in the Village Voice: "A limber and inventive guitarist, Ben-Hur keeps the modernist flame alive and pure, with a low flame burning in every note... [He's] a guitarist who knows the changes and his own mind." Ben-Hur - born in Israel in 1962 but a longtime American citizen, now based in New Jersey - has released nine albums as leader or co-leader, with Time Out New York calling him "a formidable and consummately lyrical guitarist." The Star-Ledger of New Jersey summed him up this way: "A deep musician, a storyteller, Ben-Hur works with a warm, glowing sound and has an alluring way of combining engaging notes with supple rhythm." Along with releasing acclaimed educational products - including the instructional DVD Chordability and method book Talk Jazz: Guitar - Ben-Hur has directed international jazz camps for nearly 15 years. Jazz guitar star Russell Malone got it right when he said: "Everything Roni does is beautiful. He has the magic touch."Ben-Hur's latest album is Our Thing (Motéma Music, 2012), a co-led trio project with Panamanian-born bassist Santi Debriano that also features Brazilian drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. Marked by soulful grooves, telepathic interplay and a rich, organic ensemble sound, Our Thing ranges from deeply swinging interpretations of Thelonious Monk's "Green Chimneys" and Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance" to a pair of poetic tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim and several beautiful originals that channel the players' Middle Eastern, Latin and Brazilian heritages through a post-bop prism. One of Ben-Hur's compositions is a fresh rendition of a longtime favorite in his songbook: "Anna's Dance," written for one of his two daughters. DownBeat called Our Thing "mesmerizing," while New York City Jazz Record captured it colorfully: "Ben-Hur, Debriano and Da Fonseca sway with the grace of palm trees, exuding a laidback introspection." The Buffalo News encapsulated the album by describing it as "delectable jazz internationalism of near-Olympic variety. Ben-Hur and Debriano are players of first-rate fluency and taste."Ben-Hur's family relocated from Tunisia to Dimona, Israel, where he was born into large family - teaching him good ensemble values early on. The guitarist began playing in wedding bands and in Tel Aviv clubs as a teenager enraptured by the recordings of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell. The young musician also came to love the classical Spanish repertoire via Segovia, hearing a Moorish sound that resonated with his family's North African roots. Later, after moving to New York in 1985, he would fall for Brazilian music, particularly through the work of guitarist-composer Baden Powell. When Ben-Hur came onto the New York jazz scene, he was fortunate to be taken under the wing of veteran jazz pianist Barry Harris, a Monk disciple and Grammy Award-winner who led the influential Jazz Cultural Theater during the mid-'80s in Manhattan. The up-and-coming guitarist played in Harris's band, absorbing musical wisdom and life lessons.Teaching has become increasingly important to Ben-Hur over the years, as he has developed an international reach as an educator. As founder and director of the jazz program at the Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Center in Manhattan since 1994, Ben-Hur has educated a multitude of jazz enthusiasts in ensemble playing, improvisation and jazz guitar. Along with his jazz camp with Santi Debriano in the South of France, Ben-Hur led camps for years in Patterson, N.Y. More recently, through his company Adventures in Jazz - which he operates with his wife, singer Amy London - Ben-Hur conducts jazz camps in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, in Istanbul, Turkey, and in Schroon Lake, N.Y., teaching workshops in straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz and Brazilian jazz with Debriano and other teachers. With Brazilian bassist Nilson Matta, Ben-Hur also co-leads Samba Meets Jazz camps in Paraty, Brazil, and in Bar Harbor, Maine.With his partner in the Samba Meets Jazz camps, bassist Nilson Matta, Ben-Hur released the album Mojave (Motéma, 2011), which also featured drummer Victor Lewis and percussionist Café. The album was the second in Motéma's Jazz Therapy series. The series was co-founded by Ben-Hur and the label to raise money and awareness for the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund of New Jersey's Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, which provides care for uninsured jazz musicians. The first album in the series wasSmile, Ben-Hur's 2008 duo set with veteran guitarist Gene Bertoncini.Ben-Hur and Matta are each masters of a musical tradition, the guitarist with bebop and the bassist with samba. Mojave sees them meld the two worlds, in league with New York jazz drummer Victor Lewis and Brazilian percussionist Café. They range from pieces by such Brazilian icons as Jobim, Baden Powell and choro pioneer Pixinguinha to Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" and deftly rhythmic originals by all four players. One of Ben-Hur's contributions is the moody beauty "Eretz" (Hebrew for "land"), another of his signature tunes interpreted afresh. The Rochester City Newspaper offered a glowing review of the album: "Mojave is magical from start to finish... The combination of Matta's samba and Ben-Hur's swing is a marriage made in heaven.Acclaim for Smile, Ben-Hur's dual-guitar album with Gene Bertoncini, was equally wide-spread. The New York Times lauded the "sophisticated and lyrical" musicianship, and DownBeat simply called the album "stunning," as the players stretch from the Charlie Chaplin title track and the Arlen-Mercer standard "Out of This World" to an enterprising take on Roberta Flack's hit "Killing Me Softly" and two of Ben-Hur's personal standards - his "Anna's Dance," written for one daughter, and "Sofia's Butterfly," penned for the other. Jazz sage Nat Hentoff praised the "lyrically meditative dialogue" between the two guitarists in the Wall Street Journal, while the Washington Post was enamored by "the dazzling dexterity and tasteful elegance of these duets."Two other key albums in Ben-Hur's discography are Fortuna (Motéma, 2009) and Keepin' It Open (Motéma, 2007), both quintet sets with piano vet Ronnie Matthews and ultra-swinging drummer Lewis Nash, plus percussionist Steve Kroon. Keepin' It Open, which also includes bassist Santi Debriano and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in the group, has a wide purview, from Monk's rollicking "Think of One" to a dark-hued old Sephardic melody, "Eshkolit." Tapping into his family's Sephardic Jewish roots and his love of the Spanish classical guitar repertoire, Ben-Hur recasts Granados' "Andaluza" as an ensemble piece. And the guitarist's originals include the finger-snapping "My Man, Harris," a tribute to his mentor Barry Harris. JazzTimes called the album "a delight from start to finish," while critic Scott Yanow singled out the guitarist on All Music, saying that Ben-Hur "can swing as hard as anyone."Fortuna, which has Rufus Reid on double-bass, sees Ben-Hur recast Albéniz's "Granada" with an ear for the early Israeli popular music influenced by the Moorish sound. Along with two Jobim numbers, the disc includes the Irving Berlin ballad "I Got Lost in his Arms" and Ben-Hur's funky original "Guess Who." Jazz scholar Dan Morgenstern listed Fortuna as one of his top 10 discs of 2009. JazzTimes described the album this way: "A keen story teller, Ben-Hur's dexterous, melodic and emotive playing is supported by a tight-knit cast of stellar musicians... his skill and warm tone underscoring the band's chemistry." All About Jazz said, "Fortuna is a sparkling ode to the brightness of life."Ben-Hur's album Signature (Reservoir, 2005) put the guitarist in the company of pianist John Hicks, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Leroy Williams, again plus percussionist Steve Kroon. The tracks include the first appearance of Ben-Hur's gem "Eretz," plus two pieces by Villa-Lobos and tunes by Jobim and Cole Porter. DownBeat said: "Signature is a collection of consummately played music that matches the six-stringer's consistently creative melody reading, soloing and comping with the supportive work of superb sidemen. Ben-Hur's original compositions are similarly impressive, from opening burner 'Mama Bee,' which dazzles with a brilliantly constructed guitar solo, to 'Eretz,' a gorgeous ballad intended as a tribute to the guitarist's native Israel that feels like an instant standard."For Anna's Dance (Reservoir, 2001), Ben-Hur convened a combo of elders: Barry Harris on piano, Charles Davis on saxophone, Walter Booker on double-bass and Leroy Williams on drums. The highlights include the debut of Ben-Hur's title composition, as well as the Billy Strayhorn ballad "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing." In the Village Voice, Gary Giddins said: "As eloquent as a cool breeze, this understated exercise in bebop equilibrium goes down so easy that you might underestimate the magic. Ben-Hur and Charles Davis, who trades in his Sun Ra baritone for suave tenor, speak Harris's lingo like natives." Ben-Hur's kick-started his discography with two bebop showcases.Sofia's Butterfly (TCB, 1998) saw the guitarist - with drummer Leroy Williams and bassist Lisle Atkinson in tow - offering much promise; there's the ultra-fluid virtuosity of his take on Monk's "Four in One," not to mention the first appearances of his original title tune and "Fortuna." Ben-Hur made his initial splash on record with Backyard (TCB, 1996), which presented him with the Barry Harris Trio.In addition to leading his own bands, Ben-Hur has shared the stage and the studio not only with the heroes and great peers mentioned above but with the likes of Cecil Payne, Etta Jones, Marcus Belgrave, Charles McPherson, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Earl May, Teri Thornton and Bill Doggett. Ben-Hur regularly performs in the top jazz venues and in major festivals across the country and around the world. As an educator, he has established jazz programs in New York City high schools, along with presenting workshops for students of all ages in the U.S. and Europe. His instructional releases include the DVD Chordability (Motéma, 2011), which offers 20 lessons on chord voicings and jazz harmony for intermediate and advanced guitarists. He also translated "the Barry Harris method" to guitar with the publication Talk Jazz: Guitar (Mel Bay, 2003), which has appeared in English and Japanese editions.Ben-Hur’s latest album is Our Thing (Motéma Music, 2012), a co-led trio project with Panamanian-born bassist Santi Debriano that also features Brazilian drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. Marked by soulful grooves, telepathic interplay and a rich, organic ensemble sound, Our Thing ranges from deeply swinging interpretations of Thelonious Monk’s “Green Chimneys” and Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” to a pair of poetic tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim and several beautiful originals that channel the players’ Middle Eastern, Latin and Brazilian heritages through a post-bop prism. One of Ben-Hur’s compositions is a fresh rendition of a longtime favorite in his songbook: “Anna’s Dance,” written for one of his two daughters. DownBeat called Our Thing “mesmerizing,” while New York City Jazz Record captured it colorfully: “Ben-Hur, Debriano and Da Fonseca sway with the grace of palm trees, exuding a laidback introspection.” The Buffalo News encapsulated the album by describing it as “delectable jazz internationalism of near-Olympic variety. Ben-Hur and Debriano are players of first-rate fluency and taste.”To Visit Roni Ben-Hur's website CLICK HERE

Joe Deninzon has been called the Jimi Hendrix of the electric violin, and is the world’s expert on alternative violin technique. He’s just released a book through Mel Bay called Plugging In – A Guide to Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist. Joe’s band Stratospheerius also has a new record out – their first in five years called The Next World. A blend of progressive rock, metal, jazz, funk, and maybe even the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure.

This is the arrangement from my new Mel Bay book "The Best of Jack Hatfield"

Here's my arrangement of the Christmas classic "Carol of the Bells" also known as "The Ukrainian Carol." This is from an article I wrote for BanjoSessions.com, a Mel Bay website that I edit. You can find the full article at http://archive.banjosessions.com/dec03/carolbells.html

Here's my arrangement of the Christmas classic "Carol of the Bells" also known as "The Ukrainian Carol." This is from an article I wrote for BanjoSessions.com, a Mel Bay website that I edit. You can find the full article at http://archive.banjosessions.com/dec03/carolbells.html

The Rights of Man Instructional mp3 from Mel Bay's BanjoSessions.com. Go to BanjoSessions.com for the tab.

The Rights of Man Instructional mp3 from Mel Bay's BanjoSessions.com. Go to BanjoSessions.com for the tab.

Remember this my honorable conquerors. My demon knights, and evil Queens. Listen here! Every soldier on the front line of the revolution. Music not only holds with in it every answer, but offers the ability to ask every question. In this battle against the commercialism of our air waves. In the bloody war for our very earballs. It will take all for armies. Each possess the riffs and axes needed to claim victory over the mediocrity, and it will be the strongest Metal, Punk, Rock, and Alternative survivors that, when its all said and done, when the last overproduced, lip synching, generic, performer is laid into obscurity, Will they only then get to tip their chalice toward their brothers. Thank you to @Haubits, @Psychoside @Unchained-Beast @Crafty-Fuzz @Shoot-the-Breeze But until that moment in time arrives. We fight. Here in no specific order are our April honor guard. Please take the time to support these bands. As it it they that fight this month to save your bloody fucking withering and unsatisfied earballs. Gates of Dunbr By:Unchained Beast https://soundcloud.com/unchained-beast/gates-of-dumbr-demo Just enough to break my heart By: haubits Https://soundcloud.com/haubits/just-enough-to-break-my-heart Tears By: psychoside Https://soundcloud.com/psychoside/tears BAD BLOOD & BEEF By: Shoot the Breeze Https://soundcloud.com/shoot-the-breeze/bad-blood-beef Struggle Struggle By: Crafty Fuzz https://soundcloud.com/crafty-fuzz/struggle-struggle Also joining the fight is Sir Derek Cornett.An independant composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist (primarily guitar) living in So. California. Unencumbered with the limitations of a professional career (haha... laugh now) Derek is able to explore and create his own musical universe using Soundcloud as a "virtual music/idea distribution center for anyone who is willing to listen. Past professional highlights include two works for solo classical guitar published by Mel Bay and an Electric Blues Guitar play-along method book published by Hal Leonard and available in boot-leg form in Japan.... Visit him on Soundcloud @https://soundcloud.com/derek-cornett Our continued thanks to Sir Derek for his wisdom and presence. We at The Unsigned Countdown are proud to include him as cohost, Friend, and musical judge.