Tag: Chicago piano instructor

  • Making peace with music part 5

    Here is a good question: How do you pursue a hobby for a long time? Here’s an answer: passion and moderation. Another answer: Humility and confidence. Another answer: put something at stake that you can control. Another answer:relate to the work at your level. I’ll review those answers one by one. When we want to…

  • Making peace with music part 4

    We all have obstacles that prevent us from playing an instrument. Even musicians have a hard time practicing. Yes, even us! Practicing music and staying motivated to learn will always be a challenge (even if playing music is your job). Life gets in the way: cleaning the house, spending time with the family, running a…

  • Making peace with music part 3

    Fun is a very important element of music. It is easy to remember, easy to pass on and easy to talk about. But how many people talk about it? How many do some books about it? Fun is in doing. Absolutely. And feeling. Yes. And understanding. Maybe. And studying. Whaaat?! Studying? You lost me. It…

  • Making peace with music part 2.

    I want to talk about the process that gets a person to accept music into their life. They are many traps awaiting the potential hobbyist. The first one being that everybody knows what it is to be a musician. At any level. Anyone can tell you what being a musician is. Even if you just…

  • Making peace with music part 1

    I teach two kinds of students, mainly. The kind that is pro, and the kind that is not a pro and needs to understand how to make room for music in her life. This blog is about the second kind. The ones that will eventually make music their hobby. So, here goes a typical script.…

  • The unknown drum set. Part 8

    Anyone knows? No? Yes? What are the most common woods used for drums? All right, here it is: maple. You thought there were several kind of wood? In nature, yes, there are thousands of different essences. In drum making, 99% of the shells are made of maple. That’s the sound we hear on the radio,…

  • The unknown drum set. Part 7

    This is my longest blog. Let me know if you like it. May be the next one will have 20 parts. Or 56. What can be done when you know that you will always face drum makers that leave your sound up to chance? A lot. It is time to reveal to this modern world…

  • The unknown drum set. Part 6.

    When you have 15 different woods in one drum kit, you should get something homogeneous. But, as a tuner, you quickly discover just the opposite. They are always some discrepancies. One piece will go its own way compared to the rest of the kit. Always. Now, the drum makers have an easy counter argument: the…

  • The unknown drum set. Part 5

    Let’s go to the big Kabloey drum factory (The name doesn’t matter). What do we see? Someone is making a snare drum. He’s got all the special gear for it. As a matter of fact, this factory has a department that makes just snares. Day after day, poof! snares! 150 per week. Further along, we…

  • The unknown drum set. Part 4

    As a tuner faced with a set of drums who’s got an unruly shell, you have to commit a little crime. You have to compromise. No other way. That medium tom will not have the same controlled decay as the rest the kit: very well, the rest of the kit will have to compromise and…