Tag: Chicago drum lessons

  • Improvisation. Part 2

    I am a drum and piano teacher. And I teach improvisation on both instruments. It is a lot of fun. I’m pretty good at it, but I also know there are things I can’t teach. I can go step by step and tailor the progression to everyone personality and abilities. I can design different exercises…

  • Improvisation part 1

    Improvisation used to be a tenant of American music. Almost every instrumentalist was required to play a little something on his or her own. Yes, I am talking about Jazz. Or Blues. Then, in the beginning of the 50’s, rock and roll changed that landscape. Band would go on stage performing exactly what they had…

  • Teenage years

    I remember being a teenager and listening to music while contemplating the ceiling. I liked what my parents liked, mainly. French singers and composers: Jacques Brel, Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers. Artists of the time. I am surprised today to still listen to those old recordings. They haven’t left me. I also listen to classical music,…

  • Nervous

    My family band had a gig last Friday, January 25th. We played at Sully’s, a very nice place where they gave us a big room for a big crowd. The owner even let me set up the gear around noon, when we were scheduled to play at 8 pm. Like I said: a very nice…

  • Wrong.

    Music is sometimes very cruel. I just had a student yesterday who was confronted to the harshness of this art. He had had a good lesson last week. He had left my studio with a big grin, his mum congratulating him on the job he’d done. He was beaming with pride. Whether it was the…

  • All at once

    The world of musicians is sometimes similar to the one of people with 9 to 5 jobs. There are some instances where it crosses path. And not because the politicians decided it, but because of fate. Yes, fate, absolutely. Bam! I’m going strong. Follow me. This way, please. Mind your steps. My daughter, this week,…

  • Don’t let the crowd get to you. Part 3.

    Once you have rehearsed and prepared your performance, you’re just about ready to go on stage. Just about. Because there is something else that needs to be addressed: don’t let the crowd get to you. Yes, we are finally coming to the title of this series of blogs. Let’s look at the wrong script. You…

  • Don’t let the crowd get to you. Part 2

    Once you have chosen what your direction will be, what you want (hope) the audience will get from your performance, it is time to prepare. That’s where the discipline comes in. And the creativity. Because, no two ways about it, playing music is a handicap. You have to use an instrument to entertain crowd. Yes,…

  • Don’t let the crowd get to you. Part 1

    The power of a performer can be a deadly thing… for the performer. He or she can get carried away, and destroy the show he had spent so much time putting together. But, before he steps on stage, a performer has to ask himself this question: what is a party? No escaping that. We need…

  • Burn out

    Being a musician is the most beautiful job in the world! Can you imagine being able to make a living at exactly what you love doing? What a thrill! A lot of people trapped in a 9 to 5 day job dream of being musicians.  And yet, so many musicians do not enjoy their craft…