The Little Lehle Dual is a stereo pedal. The company describes the product as a “maximum signal-fidelity amp switcher” and it certainly lives up to the claim. With a combination of gold plated relays and switches and an on-board LTHZ transformer, the pedal is ultra quiet in operation with AC or DC input. (8-20v) polarity is of no importance!

Many of you might have experimented with using 2 guitar amps from stereo pedals or just in tandem to beef up your wall of sound. One of the difficulties that we face when using two amps is a ground loop hum.  This might be tolerable at “home practice” levels, but out in the club or theatre at louder volumes it becomes unacceptable. Some recommend lifting the ground plug on one amp with an adaptor. That might work but there is high risk of electric shock, especially if you are singing through a PA that is connected to a different circuit in the club. Any of you who have experienced a good zap to the lips from a mic during a show will testify that this is not the way to go!

With 2 electrically-isolated ins and outs, the Little Dual allows you to have 2 amps running simultaneously with your sound. Another mode of operation is to connect your stereo output from, say, a digital reverb or delay left and right to the 2 inputs of the Little Dual out through the 2 outputs to 2 different amps (with no hum!). You might set it up to A/B between 2 different types of amps for different applications, such as a Marshall amp for the rock songs and a Fender amp for the blues songs. You can even use the 2 inputs for 2 different pickup types simultaneously, e.g. acoustic pickup and a magnetic pickup. It is an amazing little product that opens up a realm of possibilities for not much pedalboard real-estate. Through the years, I have experimented with many A/B boxes and I am very, very  happy with the Little Dual. Solid, sturdy build with whisper quiet operation.

So now the end result is that I have been experimenting with using lower wattage dual amp configurations in lieu of higher powered single amp rigs. I really love the sound of the 40w-50w combos. It feels to me like higher power pushes the sound to something more physical (and dangerous!). In addition the smaller combos need little in the way of pushing to get them to that proverbial “sweet spot”. Usually more than 45w provokes stage-volume confrontation with your sound engineer!

I have an Allston Combo and a Tremulator made by Rob Lohr of Allston Amps in Boston. The Allston Combo is a clean platform amp with a Master Volume that allows you dial in clean to overdriven sounds with Reverb. The Tremulator is a clean platform amp with Tremolo and Reverb with no master volume. Both amps are around 45w of great tone.

For louder gigs, using both amps with the Little Lehle provides a bigger sound without getting into painful volume levels. Having 2 separate 12″ speakers in separate amps working at 45w each, gives me a much bigger sound without the need for ear plugs if in close proximity to the speaker. In addition, I  find that my playing in this configuration is a little more consistent. This might be because the sound is very familiar, since I play the lower power amps regularly at home when I am practicing.

Please post and share all of your dual amp experiences and recommendations in the comments section.

Here is a video of Kurt Rosenwinkle talking about Lehle products:

Now, onto the other side of the coin. This choir group doesn’t stick to Hymns. Pastor Burns loves “The Band” and we often play some of their tunes for special events. After several years of listening to the chorus of “The Weight” performed incorrectly, I hit my breaking point and decided to lay some knowledge on the choir. The part that always gets everyone flustered is after the last “Take the load off Fanny” line where the singers rest on the first beat, then have an arpeggiated “And, And, And…..” followed by two singing “You put the load right on me” staggered by a beat. That is a tough enough sentence to write, so you can imagine how difficult it was to try and explain it verbally. The concept of a time signature is the missing link here. You need to understand how 4/4 time and 3/4 time works to hear this accurately, and perform it as The Band intended. The “You put the load right on me” measure switch to 3/4 time is quite significant.

To explain the concept, I notated the chorus for “The Weight” with a program called noteflight we have been using in our Theory courses. It is my first go at using the program so bear with me.

Notice measure 5 is in 3/4, meaning there are only 3 quarter notes in the measure. Try playing the file while counting out loud and see how it goes. The little numbers on the top are beat numbers so you can count, clap, stomp along with the tune. I am not going to get into what time signatures are in this post but we do cover rhythm in our Music Theory courses. If you are interested in learning about notation, rhythmic dictation, and harmony, you should check out the Music Theory 101 course.

RIP Levon Helm

-Michael

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

What an honor it was for Debbie and Friends to participate in Berklee’s Early Childhood Symposium on April 9, 2012. The symposium was sponsored by Berklee’s Music Education Dept, under the leadership of Dr. Cecil Adderley, and included presentations and performances by Paul Reisler, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and Debbie and Friends. It was a very special day with Berklee students, faculty, staff, and lots of families from the greater Boston area all focused on making music together.

Here’s a picture of Berklee’s Music Ed Majors on stage with Debbie and Friends having a great time with the kids and families in attendance. This was particularly special to me being an alumna of that program.

Debbie and Friends with Berklee’s Music Ed Majors

Berklee constantly strives to be a great place to learn, teach, and work. Events like the Early Childhood Symposium are just one more example of this.

Auto Tweets

This is something I actually fell victim to. A lot of your social media is going to be tied together. Be careful not to blast your followers with multiple copies of the same tweet in short succession. For instance, my band’s WordPress Blog was set-up to push any new posts to Twitter and Tumblr. Problem was that our Tumblr was also set-up to push to Twitter! In a matter of seconds our followers were hit with redundant tweets. I quickly put a stop to this, I know personally I have unfollowed people for such things.

Ask for Followers/Likes

This is something that I see all the time. It’s one thing to promote your Facebook page or website on Twitter. Those two sources are where people can get more information about upcoming dates, news and listen to your music. Asking for likes on social media is not the way to build a dedicated fan base. “Liking” something for “Following” someone is a passive act. Seeing a high number of “Likes” or “Followers” is definitely an ego boost and feels good…but are these fans buying your record and coming to your shows, or just clicking “Follow” and forgetting about it? If you’re nearing a personal milestone such as 500 followers or 1,000 likes, it can’t hurt to point that out and maybe garner a bit more attention. Look at it as a relationship though; you don’t want to seem needy.

One too Many Retweets…

Share what YOU have to say. It’s great to retweet interesting stuff and share things your fans are saying but people are following YOU! I have unfollowed on a number of occasions because all they did was retweet things over and over. You might think, you don’t have anything interesting to say and that is where you are wrong. Conor Oberst of @brighteyesband could tweet “I prefer Skippy brand peanut butter” and 90% of his fan base will think “WHOA! Conor Oberst likes the same peanut butter I do!!!” You can keep it light, just remember to keep it you.

Don’t Think You’re Better Than Your Followers

Too often I see major stars openly dissing their fans. Most recently, Rihanna went after a fan on twitter. Not cool Rihanna, not cool. You have to remember that not everything you do will jive with your fans but never under any circumstances should you attack them. People might talk trash, but let it go. No need to go after them. You could very easily loose more fans by doing so, let them talk, no one will notice.

So these have been my thoughts on the Twitter game. This is the approach I am taking and it seems to be going well! Let me know what you all think! What are you doing to keep fans engaged on Twitter?

Doug

www.thefieldeffectmusic.com
@thefieldeffect

Check out our Online Music Marketing course if you are interested in leveraging all of your digital marketing efforts.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Content, Content. Content!

Not a day should go by with out a tweet from you or your band. But Doug, I have nothing cool to say or talk about! That’s where you are wrong. Your fans want a little glimpse into your day to day. What are you doing when you’re not rocking faces? Something as simple as “Listening to the new @yellowbirddd_ track and it rules!” puts you on their level and might help them discover artists you enjoy. Bottom line is don’t over think it. Share what you’re doing, listening to even eating. Tweet a picture of your view from your seat in the back of the van while you’re touring. People connect to your music. Let them connect to you as well.

Interaction = Awesome Sauce

No doubt you follow some of your favorite musicians on Twitter. How often do you see fans soliciting re-tweets and replies from the superstars? It would just make by birthday if I got a RT from @KarminMusic!!! Obviously the more popular you become and the more followers you amass it will become difficult to respond to every tweet, but setting aside just 10 or 15 minutes a day to tweet at some fans can make their week, month or even year! Let them know they are appreciated, welcome new followers, it takes all of 30 seconds to write 140 characters or less. If they tweet back at you then you’re showing up in their feed and all of their followers see it as well. Don’t forget your fellow musicians in all of this. You’re playing the game together, always nice to have some allies!

Navigating the Vast Realm of the Twitterverse

So your music rules and people are paying attention. You’ve been interacting with your fans and pumping out the tweets but now there are so many you can’t keep up! There are a few tools out there that can really help you manage all this awesome madness.

TweetDeck – Personally I use TweetDeck. It’s the official aggregator of Twitter and is super easy to set-up and use. You can use it through the web, install it as a Chrome App if you use Google Chrome as your Browser or install it on your Mac through the Mac App Store. It displays your Twitter Feed, Mentions, Direct Messages and custom searches all on one screen. It can also sync up multiple accounts so if you and your band members all have personal twitters you can manage those as well!

HootSuite – HootSuite tends to take things to the next level. With a paid subscription you can get detailed analytics on your Twitter traffic and even further customization in terms of display and search options. A label rep, manager outside marketing team, and not the band itself will most likely utilize the paid options. You do need to save sometime to write songs and practice after all.

Twitter Mobile App – Chances are at least one if not all of your band members have a smartphone. Great way to hit your followers on the go, the van can be a boring place on those long drives between gigs…unless you have a small TV and a VCR, but seriously you can only watch Twister so many times! Tweet a picture of the audience from stage, let them feel the thrill of staring out into a packed house!

So for a quick recap – stay active, interact with your fans, there’s an app for that. Share your thoughts below and be on the lookout for a follow-up blog about some things NOT to do on Twitter!

Doug

www.thefieldeffectmusic.com
@thefieldeffect

Check out our Online Music Marketing course if you are interested in leveraging all of your digital marketing efforts.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

I love this juxtaposition with the original bicycle musician, Frank Zappa, in 1963:

As usual, Frank Zappa ahead of his time.

After years of studying every instrument I could get my hands on: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Harmonica, Trumpet, Trombone and Sax I realized I have been delaying the inevitable…Slide Guitar!!!

I have been a fan of slide guitar since I was in middle school, but never got the courage to attack it. Now that I have a decent amount of musical education under my belt I figured I would take the plunge. Oh what a plunge it was, or should I say is! It’s like relearning how to play guitar; which to me is exciting more than words can express.

For those of you not privy to slide guitar, it is one of the most expressive ways to play the instrument and no one personifies that nowadays more than, my personal hero, Derek Trucks. You’ll notice that in the video clip below Derek makes his SG take on a vocal like quality- something that can only be achieved with slide guitar. Plus he has a killer touch on the instrument which reinstates the mantra “tone is in the hands of the player”.

Derek plays slide, much like his predecessor Duane Allman, in open E tuning which takes a bit to get used to when you have been playing guitar for over 20 years in standard tuning. How do you get used to open E – well I am not sure there is a right and wrong way to go about it, but I can tell you a few things I am doing that have drastically helped me.

1) Take your guitar to someone who knows what they are doing that can set up your instrument for open E slide. Make sure you do not set the action too high because you will want the option to go back and forth with the slide and fretted style.

2) Draw a map of your fret board (writing in all notes) from 1st to 12th fret so you can familiarize yourself with the differences between standard and open E. If you know your theory this will immediately help you visualize your fret board.

3) Find a slide that feels comfortable. It shouldn’t feel bulky and obtrusive. Also, find one with a timbre that really resonates with you (no pun intended). I prefer glass, but a lot of players dig on metal/brass as well.

4) Buy some CD’s and start listening and copying everything you hear. Don’t just buy Allman Bros. and Trucks albums, get the best of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin etc… Learn to play lyrically and vocal like. This will in turn spill over into your standard tuning skills as well.

That is a great place to get started. Now let’s learn a few things to get the ball rolling! In this first clip let’s discuss vibrato.

Now that you have that under your belt let’s examine one of the most important aspects of learning slide…Right Hand Technique.

I hope this was interesting to you guitar nerds out there. I am really enjoying the process of slide guitar; and if you, like me, want to play more soulfully inspired music- this is one way to get yourself to that next level.

Best of luck guys!

-Mark Hopkins

www.markhopkinsmusic.com

Check out our new Acoustic Blues Guitar course which gets into some awesome bottle-neck slide techniques.

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on June 25th, 2012.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

• “8va” and “8ve” are both generally interpreted to mean “play an octave higher than written.” Why do we need two different symbols that mean the same thing? 8va is Italian (al ottava) and 8ve is French (a l’octave). The translations of these abbreviations mean “at the octave,” which technically can indicate either above or below, so staff placement of the symbol and bracket helps clarify exactly what is intended.

•  “8va basso” and “8vb” (for “octava basso”) mean “play an octave lower than written”
•  15ma means “play two octaves above.”
•  15mb means “play two octaves below.”

Does anyone know what the 15’s m stands for? I think it might be an Italian equivalent of our th in 15^th, but I’d like confirmation, if anyone knows for sure.

Not that I have anything against France, but I recommend 8va and 8vb, to keep the language consistent. Also, it’s easy to remember “a for above” and “b for below,” though that’s not what they really stand for.

In all cases, set these symbols above or below the staff being transposed, to clarify which way the transposition is going, and a bracket that extends over all notes being affected.

As a musician, I feel like I have about the same odds of winning the lottery as getting organized. For years it has been this unattainable goal, this ideal sitting high above me on a lofty pedestal.

The problem about getting organized is that, if you don’t start out organized, it can seem like an insurmountable task. I’ve been trying to dig myself out of a hole ever since moving to Boston 5 years ago, and while I’ve gotten started a few times, I’ve ultimately fizzled out. Being organized is not simply something that keeps you from finding an important document come tax time (although we’ve all been THERE). It has gotten to the point in my musical career where being disorganized is literally keeping me from moving forward, making connections, and potentially making money.

I’ve realized that there is no silver bullet to getting organized – it will take time and hard work. However, I’ve been working on a few steps that can be applied to anyone who is in my position. So far, it seems to be working out, and while I’m only on step 2 it is certainly better than doing nothing!

Step 1: Identify the areas of your life and career that need to become organized. For many, it could be finances – self-employed musicians need to track everything in order to not pay through the nose come tax time. For me, it is compositions – being a composer, it is important for me to have a comprehensive list of works with all of the relevant information in once place.

Step 2: Choose one of the areas identified in Step 1, and create a system that you can use to organize this area from today forward. For me, it ended up being a google document – it’s something I can update easily, quickly, and it’s always accessible. It also means I don’t need to worry about having multiple files and versions sitting around. By creating this system, you provide a way to start getting organized simply by inputting everything that is new. Don’t worry about the old stuff yet – establish good habits by updating this system regularly and not falling further into the ‘disorganization hole’.

Step 3: Start working through the back-log. This is the scary part, the part I’ve been avoiding. It’s also the most difficult part to tackle first, which is why my previous attempts at organization have failed. Most people who try to get organized think they have to have everything caught up before they can move forward with ‘being organized’. By pushing this bit to step 3, it allows you to form good organizational habits while actually making less work for yourself by the time you get around to this step.

At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that being disorganized is potentially costing me money. In terms of being a composer, I want people to buy and play my music. However, because I have never been organized I am missing critical pieces of information for every piece I’ve written. This missing information prevents me from registering music with performing rights organizations, from getting them copyrighted, and finally from getting them up on a website in order to make them available for other musicians to find/purchase/perform.

How is being disorganized costing you money? Remember, time is money – stress is money – missed opportunities are most definitely money. If you have other techniques or strategies to get organized, I’d appreciate you sharing below – I need all the help I can get!

-Brian J

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on June 25th, 2012.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Debbie and Friends has a new song/cartoon entitled “When You Were One.” The song celebrates a child’s life and special moments from ages 1-5. Here’s a link to our YouTube channel where the song is featured.

After receiving several requests from our fan families, we made the mp3 available to our to use as a soundtrack for their own family movies and slideshows. See the download link below.

We also encouraged folks to post their movies to YouTube with a hash tag #WYW1 so we can see their creations! The results are TBD. For now, the responses have been very positive.

Here’s a link to the campaign.

How have you used media for fan engagement? Please share your thoughts.

Every so often, I post a blog on a chord or harmony that I think is interesting.  This blog will be about a series of three chords that I think are interesting, particularly when used as a group.

Chord 1

Below is an augmented triad, built with D, F#, and A#.

Now, let’s add a B in the bass the above chord.  This creates a B minor triad with the major 7th scale degree above the bass (A#) added.  This will be “chord #1″ in the series.

Chord 2

Now, let’s return to the initial augmented triad, but respell the A# as a Bb.  This is enharmonically equivalent to the first augmented triad.

Next, let’s add a G to the bass of the above chord.  This creates a G minor triad with an added major 7th.  This is “chord #2″.

Chord 3

Now, let’s return to the previous augmented triad, but respell the F# as a Gb.  This is enharmonically equivalent to both augmented triads above.

Next, let’s add an Eb to the bass of the above chord.  This creates an Eb minor triad with an added major 7th.  This is chord #3.

Possible Uses

This creates three chords that are sonically related—they are all minor triads with added major 7ths.  As such, they have a similar sound quality, particularly dark and brooding.

In addition, they share three common chord tones, which ensures a very smooth transition between the chords.

One possible progression using these chords is below:

Happy writing everyone!

If you are familiar with the site www.soundcloud.com, or have produced any music with a DAW, you are familiar with what a waveform looks like. When looking at a waveform, we can easily see where the relative loud and quiet parts of a song will be. Basically, what you are looking at is a summary of the songs dynamics.

In the below waveform you can see that the music starts quietly, pauses a couple times, then swells with a large crescendo which brings the overall intensity to a peak. Eventually it quiets down again and finishes with one last swell. A large amount of dynamic range is typical in orchestral pieces (which this is).

Kamaishi City by Michael Moyes

On the other end of the spectrum, here is a contrasting piece from the artist “mysticgroove” that you can see has a smaller dynamic range. This is a common sight in much of (but not all of) today’s electronic, pop, and rock music.

Planet X by mysticgroove

This visual ‘wall of sound’ is very much compressed whereas the first example is hardly compressed at all.

What is compression?

Compression reduces the volume of loud sounds while amplifying quiet sounds so that the waveform pushes, pulls and shapes itself into a more uniform looking figure. The end result is a volume level that is more or less steady throughout the piece. Depending on the amount of compression added, you may no longer see (or hear) subtle or even obvious dynamic changes. If I wanted to, I could even attempt to compress that first piece so that the waveform looks the same as the 2nd.

Here is another example. This is 2 audio files of the same piece, one compressed and one not. (The compression is crude and is overdramatized to illustrate my point) The selection is from the dynamically diverse Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – 3rd movement…

One personal advantage to having a compressed audio file is being able to listen with headphones on the subway without having to constantly adjust the volume. When listening to film or classical music I often times turn up the volume so I can hear a solo piano line only to have my eardrums blasted when a chorus of trumpets enters the mix. Compression has the positive effect of making your mix sound loud which is a real benefit in many types of music.

A big disadvantage (and this is a big one) is losing the dynamic intricacies of each instrument, the room’s natural reverb, and the composer’s intended sonic landscape. In a pure listening environment like a concert hall, a living room with good speakers, or even a quiet car, dynamics in all sorts of music add a great deal of emotion. Berkleemusic professor and author Ben Newhouse writes in his Orchestration 2 course…

“Part of what makes orchestral music exciting is the vast dynamic difference between a flute solo and a full tutti (multiple instruments all playing the same notes in unison). Compression would reduce the difference between those extremes, minimizing a characteristic we love about orchestral music.”

In pure orchestral CD releases, compression is typically not used to keep the experience as close as possible to a live listening experience. In Film music, some limited compression can create some sonic space so that dialogue, sound effects, and music can live together.

Compression may be a necessary evil depending on how you intend to have your music listened to. This is a hotly debated subject and you can find countless articles about it online. Now you are hopefully armed with some information to make the call for yourself!

-Michael

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Here is how it works:

From the Export Audio/Video window you can now choose to upload to Soundcloud when the render is complete.

Unfortunately the Soundcloud export option is disabled when choosing to render All Tracks. I hope this is changed in the future, would be really handy to upload all the stems in one pass.

Once the render is complete a separate SoundCloud uploader application opens.

Works as expected with standard options including privacy,license, sharing, tags, name, and picture. There are no options to add to a set or group, again hopefully that will come in future updates.

So, I am really pleased with this addition, I think it is a great step forward and in line with all the trends in pervasive computing and social networking.

If you want to check your render before uploading(and you should) you can go into your file system and play it there before completing the Soundcloud upload, I think a simple playback should be part of the SC uploader though, again maybe in a future update.

Oh, and watch out, Live is now installed in a new place. It is now directly in your Applications folder and called “Ableton Live 8″, so any of your dock icons will open the old version till you change them out!

Many of you know Berkleemusic as the award-winning online school where you study with musicians from all around the world, learn from Berklee faculty, and connect with our advisors and customer service folks for support. You may not be aware that Berkleemusic is comprised of a staff of nearly 50 people, all of whom are passionate about music and the work we do to provide music education opportunities to musicians all over the world. And, most of the staff are musicians, too.

The show on Saturday included guest performances by two of my Berkleemusic colleagues: Milan Kovacev and Luke Stevens.

The following is a picture of Milan Kovacev—Berkleemusic’s Director of Interactive Marketing—joining us on bass. Milan is also the creative force behind Hipson Music and Clash of Civilizations.

Milan Kovacev with Debbie & Friends

Also joining Debbie and Friends that morning was Luke Stevens, our Web Software Developer. Luke plays a mean Ukelele (among other things) and has been known to lead office jam sessions from time to time when he’s not working on improving the online learning environment for our students.

Luke Stevens with Debbie and Friends

Berklee really is a great place to learn, teach and work. I’m happy to introduce you to some of the many folks who help to make it so.

Twisted Blues is Oz’ latest release on the Abstract Logic label. Every cut on this CD is a tonal journey of joy. Oz Noy is a master at using effects as an extension of his instrument, solely for the purpose of orchestrating his compositions. If you close your eyes and listen to his use of effect pedals for different sections of the tune, you can almost see the sections of the orchestra or  big band playing the arrangements on queue from the conductor! Throughout all is Oz’s respect for the tone power of the strat and tele, changing pickups midstream to add that vocal quality that we have all come to know and love at first attack.

The tunes on Twisted Blues run the gamut from the funky harmonic nod to Monk of the title track to the New Orleans gumbo flavor of “Oh Really”.  ”You are the State” and “Light Blue” take you on a silky sleepwalk through the late 50′s, while “Whole Tone Blues” gives you a 21st century take on a Stevie Ray Vaughn vibe. “Steroids”, “Two Centers” and “Twinkle Twinkle” might be closer to the standard Oz fare that most fans will recognize, but this release shows his versatility as an artist who can create work that covers a broad spectrum of guitar genres. Oz’s playing is no less than stellar. He is certainly a master of the genre of jazz-fusion, but quite frankly I think this latest recording easily shows that Oz is not just a great guitarist but a great musician and orchestrator.

Recorded in both and Austin, Texas and New York, Twisted Blues featrues an all star cast and special guests: Eric Johnson on guitar, Chris Layton on drums, Roscoe Beck and Will Lee  on bass, Reese Wynans on the organ, Vinnie Colaiuta and Anton Fig on drums, John Medeski and Jerry Z on organ, Allen Toussaint on the piano and Ralph McDonald on percussion.

Here is a documentary teaser of the making of the album:

Here is an interesting video series on Oz’s pedalboard and his approach to using effects:

For more info on the guitar wizardry of Oz Noy, details on where to get the CD and to check out Oz’s performance schedule, check out his website at:

http://oznoy.com/

People who study the science of project management sometimes bicker about the actual worth of maintaining to-do lists, but there’s no talking many of us out of them. Even if their actual efficiency is open to debate, lists are likable. Even respectable and effective people use to-do lists. It just feels nice to see a finite, manageable mess, and then watch it gradually come under control.

A graphical variant of the to-do list is the burndown chart. A burndown chart graphs the completion of tasks against time. It is an intuitive way to show a group of people the progress being made on a body of work.

Recently, during an instructional music DVD-filming session, I found a burndown chart to be a helpful tool for focusing the production crew on the work at hand. I drew the chart on a whiteboard in the classroom we were using as a studio. We had a set of eleven scenes to shoot. So, the initial state of the chart looked like the one below. We planned to finish setting up at 9:00 a.m., begin filming at 10:00 a.m., and then end at 5:00 p.m. To begin the chart, I graphed a line starting from 11 scenes needed at 10:00 down to 0 scenes required at 5:00. That is what perfection would look like: done just in time to break down the set and have an early supper.

Many of the participants came from out of town, so running late would have been a major problem. It would be fine to work into the night, but the studio could only be reserved until 11:00 a.m. the next morning, so if we blew the schedule, the project would be cooked.

As Murphy’s law would have it, the morning began with the director and crew running 45 minutes late because they got lost. Then, an assistant hired for the day didn’t show up. Also, a piece of equipment wasn’t working right. So, perfection went out the window, as is its wont, and we didn’t actually start shooting until about 11:30 or so. Every hour, I’d draw a dot and extend a red line showing how many scenes remained. When we were ready to break for lunch at 2:00, we had only two scenes in the can, and the burndown chart looked like this:

Then, the power of the chart was revealed. To get a real sense for how the rate of progress is going, you can extend a line (shown in green) through the actual progress lie (red), all the way down to the time line, and thus predict when all the tasks were likely to be done, based on our history. Below, as you can see, it was looking like we were on track to finish at 8:00 AM the next morning—if we worked straight through the night, without a break. Not our first choice!

So, with the chart now looming like a specter, we all got very focused. Lunch was short. Then, when we resumed filming, it was all business and no monkeying around. (Well, just very focused monkeying around that didn’t take a lot of time. They were musicians, after all….) We picked up speed and efficiency, and were able to wrap things up by 11:00 that night. No need to dip into the next day. Whew! At the end, the chart looked like this.

The chart I think was a good motivational tool. Rather than me, as producer, having to nag everyone to hurry up and be more productive, the burndown chart provided a simple, objective measure for all to see. Whenever I’d put a new dot on the wall showing progress, there was a little cheer from the crew, as we inched our way down towards zero things left to do (and therefore, dinner). It was a relatively fun way to see our progress, and so I recommend this as a tool for keeping certain types of group activity on track. Often, the list of work represents tasks—even hundreds of to-do items (sometimes, chunked in units of 8 required hours or more), with a timeline showing periods of months, rather than hours. It’s a flexible device. Burndown charts are one of the principle tools in the Scrum approach to project work, which is particularly popular among software developers. They are a convenient and easy-to-understand way to chart ongoing progress.

If you’ve read my blog before, you might be struck that this post is an unusual topic for me, as I generally write about language and details related to writing about music. I’m branching out a bit now, and am excited to be launching my new Berkleemusic online course “Project Management for Musicians” this semester. Moving forward, I will be discussing more topics of managing projects in our industry, as well as my usual scope. Feel free to email me with any questions about doing music projects that you might like me to cover.

This is a pretty crazy Live technique that you need to check out for that Skrillex style quick edited synth sound.

This is an amazing series on creating a DJ mix, I learned so much from watching it.

A big thank you to all my students!

Have Fun. Make Music.

Loudon

Over the past few weeks, Berkleemusic has added several new courses to our award-winning online curriculum.

Check out these great new courses, now enrolling for April 2nd:

Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice by Pat Pattison This course is designed to help you write clearly and strongly in your own unique voice, bringing your full self to your writing process every time you write.

Rock History by Steve Morse Discover the history of rock ‘n’ roll in more detail than you can imagine from the people that lived it. Learn about the musical and business trends in rock, major technological innovations, the prime innovators, and the historical context that has seen rock alternately flourish and struggle over the past 60 years.

Project Management for Musicians by Jonathan Feist Working in the music industry involves a never-ending series of projects. These projects come in all sizes, budgets, and levels of complexity, but for each, setting up a process for planning, executing, and monitoring your work is crucial in achieving your goals. This course will provide you with an overall approach, with many specific tools, to help you successfully complete your music industry-related projects

Microphone Techniques by Andy Edelstein Effective microphone techniques resulted in some of the most iconic music ever committed to tape. Consider Phil Spector’s signature “Wall of Sound,” which relied heavily on appropriate microphone techniques, or Led Zeppelin’s iconic recording of John Bonham’s drums on “When the Levee Breaks,” recorded with a stereo microphone on the second floor stairway at Headley Grange Studio. Whether your sessions feature a single vocalist or rapper, metal trio, or large big-band jazz ensemble, the ability to get good sounds is essential to producing competitive results.

Language of Film & TV by Lori Landay Gain a thorough understanding of film and television, and learn to communicate effectively with directors, producers, and others involved in the production of these media.

Music Video Editing with Final Cut Pro by Mehdi Hassine Learn all the steps and tools necessary to create a high-quality audiovisual experience, including how to assemble, enhance, and maximize the use of video, audio, and graphic content.

The marketing courses that I teach, as well as all the other online music courses at Berkleemusic, start this Monday, April 2.

With the release of Reason 6.5 (due sometime in the second quarter of this year) featuring a newly unveiled third party effect development system called Rack Extensions, and a spanking new iOS App called Figure, I’m excited to report that Propellerhead is definitely back in action and firing on all cylinders.  I think that Rack Extensions is a brilliant move both from a business and creative standpoint, and the complaint that Reason doesn’t support third party plug-ins will be a thing of the past.  Plus, Figure looks like an absolute blast and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

While I’m talking about Reason, I should mention that we’ve been having a ball with Reason 6 in my Producing Music With Reason course at Berkleemusic.  The projects students have been cooking up with all its new features and the audio tracks are amazing.  It’s really exciting to be hearing students put all these creative tools in Reason 6 to good use.  I can’t wait to hear what our community does with Rack Extensions in the next version of Reason.  But now, enough of me talking, check out this video detailing the new music-making wonder tools from Propellerhead.

For anyone who will be at SXSW this year, come by my Pro Tools clinic on Friday, Mar 16. I’ll be speaking at 2-3pm in the Austin Convention Center… more specifically in Artist Central in Ballroom E.

I’ll be discussing Pro Tools concepts, production techniques, and the new features of Pro Tools 10, using a song I co-wrote and produced that is the theme song for USA Network’s “Fairly Legal” TV show. Some specific topics will include recording strategies, Pro Tools system optimization, editing and mixing techniques, and the use of virtual instruments. At the end, I’ll give a quick overview of educational possibilities for learning Pro Tools at a high level.

Join me for the talk, or if you want to meet up at another time, connect with me via twitter @UndergroundSun.

Hope to see you there!

Here’s the rest of what I said, which didn’t make the piece:

American Songwriter: 2011 is over. I just recorded the best song I ever wrote. What’s the new model for getting my music heard? What to do with my demo?
Do I post my music on Facebook, or is there a better place for music?

Mike King: This is a long answer. I think there are really so many paths and so many options for musicians now to get their music heard. That’s both a blessing and a curse. I think the key is to think about this from a consumer, or fan standpoint. For consumers, there has never been a better time to listen to music. It’s everywhere. The floodgates are open, and if I want to check out practically anything I can do so in a matter of seconds.

I think the tricky thing, and something that a lot of folks are trying to figure out, is curation. Although larger gatekeeper-based vehicles still do have an effect at exposing folks to music, like commercial radio exposing folks to pop music, I think that for the most part consumers are moving towards niches, and are finding new music through trusted sources within these niches. For example, there are some rooms on Turntable.fm, and some DJs, that I totally trust to turn me onto new music. In one of the soul/funk rooms I’m part of, one of my favorite DJs is also a musician, and occasionally he “spins” his own music – which I love. So for me, that DJ is a trusted source, and that is where I am finding some of my new music. Same thing for blogs. A site out of LA named Rollo and Grady has the exact same taste in music as I do, and I have been turned on to some great music there. The other way I find new music is by providing my contact info to artists that I love, and I let them deliver new music to me. For example, I found a band Fanfarlo a couple years back, and because I gave them my email address, I am among the first to get new music from that band prior to release, and then can be one of the first to purchase when a new record is out.

All of this should filter into how bands release their music, and their plan for getting heard. I think that everything in a marketing plan should be integrated, and there are a lot of moving pieces that include live events, press, online retail, your own site, PR, and more, but from an overview standpoint, I think that realizing that A) fans are more niche based and look to certain outlets to curate music for them, and B) it’s possible to connect directly with fans to deliver music to them, are both key. I would approach both of these areas separately, using some of the developing marketing / technology tools and best practices. Starting by identifying who you think your core fans are, and then looking at pitching the niche outlets where they hang out is a good first step. I think that acquisition is also extremely important for all artists, and I suggest using email for media widgets from Topspin, Official.fm, SoundCloud or other marketing/technology companies to help retain a permission based contact for future communication and up sell. I also think that optimizing your site for the search engines, and making your site an awareness and conversion engine by providing media in exchange for an email address is a best practice, too.

Finally, I think you have to develop a content plan for your release. This is something that I think Metric did a great job with for their last record, Fantasies. Metric sketched out what type of media (single, acoustic version, live version, demo versions) they were going to release on their site and through widgets on third party sites prior to the release of their full length. This allowed them to acquire email addresses prior to the pre-release of their record. They were then able to reach out to these folks across the full timeline of the record release, and engage with them, make them aware of what they were doing, and also provide them with the opportunity to buy. I think that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Thisismyjam.com, Turntable.fm, YouTube, and more could all fit into your plan, but I think having a plan is key.

American Songwriter: If I do post it for free, will anyone want to buy it?

Mike King: The short answer is that case studies, examples, students experiences, and data I have seen say yes, but I think the long answer is more nuanced. My personal opinion is that artists have to think about sales differently. I think artists have to romance new fans a bit – it’s really kind of like dating. I don’t think going in for the kill immediately makes for the best long-term relationship, you know? I mean, I suppose sometimes that works, but I think a better option for retaining a fan for years, which is much less expensive than finding new fans for every record, is to treat your fans respectfully, offer then what they want, provide them with some free gifts, communicate with them regularly and effectively, and then offer options for monetization. Again, not so different than any other relationship you might have in your personal life. This is the difference – artists now have an option to provide music for free, and engage with their fans in ways that was not quite possible before. I think the new technology / marketing companies that have emerged to foster this relationship have been really helpful.

But to say it simply – I think that providing free music is key to building up your larger community, and I think that in terms of sales, you are going to want to sell a variety of items to your fans from your own site, with the idea that you can sell items that are more personal, and not available in traditional retail. Talk to any of the third party direct to fan companies like Topspin, Nimbit, Pledge Music – they will all tell you that the average revenue per sale is over $20. This is because artists have this relationship that they have built with fans, and they are monetizing much more than a single song on iTunes.

American Songwriter: Should I sell it on iTunes, CDBaby, Spotify? What sort of cut will I get?

Mike King: Yes, absolutely. There are folks that only buy music on iTunes, and are not interested in buying from an artist directly. I think for some larger artists, the volume they see from third party sales on iTunes is much greater than what they will see on their own site, but I think that the margin has the potential to be much greater by selling from your own site. In terms of the cut, every service is different. iTunes takes 30%, and if you use CD Baby as a distributor, they are going to take a 9% fee, too. So for a $.99 cent sale on iTunes, an artist would see about $.63 if they were using CD Baby. TuneCore takes no fee on sales, but has an annual fee for distribution. I consider Spotify now as more of a way for folks to discover music, not unlike radio, and I think that artists have to be there. They certainly don’t pay artists anywhere close to what iTunes pays, but I tend to think that is more because of the deals the labels / distributors made with Spotify than it is an inherent problem with the service itself. I am optimistic that as the service, and other streaming services grow, we’ll see better deals, and larger payments to artists. But I think worse than the lower payments from these streaming services is being anonymous. I have Spotify and Rdio open all day long, and if I hear or read about a new band, I have the option of immediately looking these artists up on a streaming service to check out the whole record. If I fall in love with it, I’ll then check out their site, perhaps download something interesting, and the relationship between the band and me starts. The band now has a direct, permission –based contact with me, and can up sell me on live events or other items. This all starts on Spotify. If I didn’t see the band on a streaming service, I am likely to move on and find some other music to listen to.

American Songwriter: What if only ten people buy it? Will I still get digital royalties? Via Soundchange? How do I protect my recordings?

Mike King: There’s a lot of confusion around how digital royalties work. SoundExchange collects and distributes royalties from statutory licenses, including digital cable and satellite television services, non-interactive webcasters like Pandora, and satellite radio services like Sirius XM. SoundExchange only covers performance rights, and doesn’t collect for downloads, interactive services (like Spotify, Rdio, Mog, Rhapsody), or traditional radio or TV. It really depends on where the “sale” originates to determine how much you will be paid. So, 10 sales on iTunes will pay you much more than 10 listens on Pandora or Spotify, and 10 sales off of your own site has the potential to pay you much more than all of these services. In terms of protection, copyright exists as soon as you have a tangible version of your music, such as sheet music and/or CDs. In the US, you can register the copyright to your music here: www.copyright.gov/eco. I also think that Creative Commons, which sits on top of copyright and reserves some rights, can also be a positive thing for artists who are interested in allowing their fans to participate in their work via remix contests or other forms of “participatory culture,” as Clay Shirky would say.

American Songwriter: Next, how do I get people in the industry to hear it, so I can get a record deal or have it placed in a commercial?

Mike King: You have to build up leverage. I think you can look at some recent success stories to see how other folks have done it, but all paths are different. For the most part, a label is not going to care about you unless you have leverage – unless they see that you have a base of fans that you can leverage to sell your music. Things are much harder for labels now, and while I think some labels can be great for artists, I think that artists should really consider building up their own base, hopefully with a smart in-house team. Once they have some leverage, then can then determine if they want to keep things in-house, or partner with a label. I think Karmin is a good example. Amy, Nick, and their manager Nils focused on creating great content on YouTube for years. They slowly built their base through some really great cover songs, and then did a cover of Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” which exploded with over 30 million views on YouTube in a couple months. They got on the Ellen show, they were featured on Ryan Seacrest show, and built up a huge following on Twitter, Facebook, and via email. This is leverage. The labels saw this, and Karmin had deals with all of the majors on the table in the course of a few weeks. They ended up signing to LA Reid’s Epic sub label on Sony. All paths are different, but I think leverage is a component to whatever you do.

American Songwriter: The response has been great but I haven’t been signed or picked up for a commercial — what’s my next move? Tour? Hire PR?

Mike King: It’s different for everyone. Getting in a commercial is great, but if you are having problems with getting folks interested, perhaps you have to look critically at yourself and see what you can change or do better. There are so many data points musicians can analyze these days, supplied by companies like Next Big Sound, Google, Topspin, and many others. If you are not building up a base online through strategic release of content, if you are not generating interest on your site, if you are not seeing an increase of fans at your live show, I think it makes sense to look at what you are doing from a holistic standpoint. Perhaps your music isn’t there yet. Maybe your live show isn’t quite right. Perhaps you’re marketing to the wrong people. Data can help you to see what is working and what isn’t, and I think you can iterate your campaign and your approach. Also, I think that not everyone is going to make music their full time career. Steve Albini has a good quote that I think is accurate: “Not everyone can become a professional artist. Maintain a realistic perspective on your art that allows you to enjoy doing it.”

If you would like to hear a couple of the EDM tracks I’ve been producing in Reason lately, check out my new singles,  “Energy” and “Hiccup”.  “Energy” is out now (available everywhere, including iTunes, and soon Beatport), and “Hiccup” will be released next month on my Synchronized Music label.

“Energy” on Juno Download

“Hiccup” on Soundcloud

 
Hiccup (Original Mix) by Erik Hawk Music

In these situations, the two parts should be broken into separate “voices”.  Each voice should have enough beats to complete the measure.  The top voice should be written “stems up” and the bottom voice should be written “stems down”.

Let’s look at some quick examples.

In the example below, two oboe parts are notated on a single staff.  The top part is for oboe player 1 and notated “stems up”.  The bottom part is for oboe player 2 and notated “stems down”.

Without using separate voices, these parts would have to employ a creative and less-than-elegant use of ties.  Something like the notation below…  (This solution is very difficult to read and should never be used.)

It’s important to note that, when using voices, both voices must have enough beats to complete the measure.  In the previous example, both voice 1 and voice 2 had four beats per measure.  If rests are needed in a voice, then they should be notated above or below the staff.

Notably, it is possible for the two parts to be in unison.  In this instance, the two voices share the same notehead but retain the “stems up” and “stems down” system.

In the example below, the two oboe parts are briefly in unison on beat 3.

Using voices is one way to indicate that only one of the players should play.  In the example below, player 2 rests while player 1 has a part.

Using voices is most important when the two parts have different rhythms.  When the parts have the same rhythm, it is acceptable to notate the parts with one voice—using one stem direction.

One last, but important note…  These techniques should be used in the conductor’s score only and not in the player’s parts.  In the case of the individual parts, only the part specific to that player should be included.  So oboe player 1 will receive a part notating only the oboe 1 part, and oboe player 2 will receive a part notating only the oboe 2 part.  This removes the need to use voices to separate the individual parts.

One of the toughest parts of recording in a home studio can be tracking vocals. Your bedroom most likely wasn’t designed with room acoustics in mind. Maybe you have roommates or younger siblings moving about and making noise. Or if you’re like me you live in the city on a busy street and with all kinds of traffic at all hours of the day.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a blog post in some random corner of the interweb about how to build a portable isolation booth for under $30. At first a kind of scoffed at the idea, thinking it was most likely a scheme to get you to open a credit card and once you spent “X” amount of money you got some kind of a gift card you could use to buy all the supplies you need for such a project. In reality it turned out to be one of the simplest and straightforward ideas I have ever seen.

Here is what you’ll need:

1 Collapsible Storage Cube – (This is a set of two but you should be able to find just one for around $5 to $7 at your local Target or Wal-Mart)

1 Sheet of Acoustic Foam – (You can find a 12 pack here but should be able to pick up a single sheet from you local Guitar Center)

I think perhaps the most difficult part of the project is going to be cutting and fitting the foam into the cube. I suggest beginning with the sheet for the rear of the cube. Take your measurement and cut the foam to fit. Keep in mind this is soft foam so it doesn’t have to be perfect you’ll be able to mash it in there.

Once this is done cut the piece for the top of the cube. Remember to take into account the space that is being taken up by the foam you just put inside.

Repeat this step for both sides.

And there you have your finished portable isolation booth!

I actually didn’t build mine for the portability factor. I ended up measuring my height and actually mounting it to my bedroom wall. By cutting a whole in the bottom I was able easily take mics in and out. For those of you on the road touring or travelling for work this is the perfect solution to help improve the quality of your demos on the road!

-Doug

Check out our Acoustics course if you want to get REALLY deep into sound isolation!

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Previously reviewed in the Quest for Good Guitar Tone blog, is a pedal-sized rechargeable power supply, the  Sanyo KBC-9V3U Pedal Juice. The Pedal Jeanie takes this concept of having a smart rechargeable power supply to the next level of having an entire pedalboard with its built in permanent rechargeable power supply.

The Pedal Jeanie Jr is the perfect size. At 23″ x 11″ x 3.5″ it easily accommodates the typical wah-wah pedal (e.g. Cry Baby) and still leaves room for another 6-10 pedals depending on size.

Grid 1 surely did their homework on this product. The fully enclosed batteries are rechargeable with the provided smart charger. An indicator light on the charger tells you when a full charge has been reached. During operation of the board, there is an indicator light in the top middle that shows you the status. Green means 60%-100%, Orange/Yellow means 40%-60% and Red 30%-40%. Less than 30% triggers the auto shut-off that protects the batteries. A sturdy push-switch on the front of the board beside the handle allows you to switch the entire board on or off as needed.

Eight 9v connections and two 12v connections are provided under the pedalboard for a total of 10 pedals. A green LED indicator lets you know when a stable connection has been made.

The top of the pedalboard is riddled with conveniently spaced holes about a pedal’s width apart. The holes are the perfect size for your pedal power cable plugs to reach your pedal. You simply choose the closest hole to the power input on your pedal and feed the cable through! Ties are provided for you to organize your cables and pedals. I found it more convenient to stripe the top of the board with velcro (in between the holes) for fastening the pedals. I also striped the underside of the board with velcro, allowing me to neatly organize my power cables under the board. For this, I used velcro tape (single side, hook, non-adhesive back). If you wish, you can also easily connect your pedals through the holes, under the board using custom George L connectors and cabling. I used under-the-board cabling for the longer lengths and over-the-board for connecting adjacent pedals. This makes for a very very neat, organized board. In addition you can route the signal path any way you wish under the board, regardless of the order in which the pedals are physically placed on top of the board.

Now I know many of you are wondering how long this board will power up your pedals before requiring a charge. The Grid 1 websites says that the board will charge up to 10 standard 9v pedals for up to 50 hours. My test run was done with the pictured fully loaded pedalboard. I would hardly call my pedalboard selection standard since some of those pictured like the EH Freeze draw quite a bit more power than standard pedals. Still I ran the pedalboard non-stop for at least 9 hours with no battery shut off in sight! So I feel quite confident taking this board out for a night of gigs with no risk of running out of juice. Of note is the fact that you can recharge the board while it is in full use, so in a pinch, you can plug it in and use it in the way that you might for a typical board with a non-rechargeable supply such as a voodoo lab pedal power plus.

Construction is solid steel and altho I did not try it, it seems like you can stand on this thing with no consequence!:) A sturdy handle at the top allows you to pick it up and carry it as you would an attache case. Very nicely designed and thought out product from Grid ! AAAA+

Here are some specs below from the Grid 1 website: Check it out for more info on the product

Features

• 10 built-in DC barrel connections
• 8 individual 9v connections (750mA ea.)
• 2 dedicated 12v connection (1500mA ea.)
• DC Cables, battery charger and tie wraps included
• 16 gauge steel chassis
• Master stomp switch for easy on/off operation
• LED fault indicator light for each pedal connection
• Battery level LED (Green, Orange, Red)
• Dual rechargeable batteries (4.5 Amp Hr.)
• Universal smart charger
• Stainless steel carrying handle
• Ultra quiet operation
• Powers 10 standard 9v pedals for up to 50 hrs

Optional

• 15v/18v/24v in-line cable modules
• Tip adapters (All barrel sizes and polarities)
• Case Xtreme hard case
• Padded carrying bag
• Car Charger

I also talk about the Wu Tang Clan.

The Winter month’s are here and with the harsh weather abound, I’m constantly battling a cold. The bigger picture is that I should consider a trip to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist to have my tonsils removed, but for now while that isn’t feasible for me, I’ve developed a series of “work-arounds” to keep my voice ready for performance and daily use.

I usually develop a cold right when the Autumn temperatures turn wintry. As a vocalist, this is a big problem for me. Early mornings seem flooded with mucus and phlegm… sometimes it’s difficult to breathe… how do I sing around this, how can I get rid of it?

A remedy I’ve discovered, without hacking all morning, is to sit in the bathroom with the shower running (steaming hot water, of course) for about 15 minutes; creating a sort of sauna-type atmosphere. Anything blocking the breath passage eventually starts to come up and rather than coughing it out (sorry for the graphic description) you’ll spit it out. Alternatively, you can stand in the shower with hot water running over your head and allow everything to drain from your mouth. It’s not environmentally friendly, wasting so much water (it can take a while) and I know it reads pretty gross, but it works! Why this elaborate process when you can just cough it out? Coughing is really bad for your vocal chords and potentially damaging:

Coughing is a natural reflex which helps to get rid of anything that may block our breath passages, but it’s often rather violent and can cause severe damage to your vocal chords. The harsh rush of air when coughing is like sand paper on your vocal chords… I’m probably exaggerating a bit here, but the bottom line is, it’s terrible for your vocal chords; so bad you’ll feel it over time. Ever notice how it hurts to talk and your voice is a bit scratchy after a coughing fit and or consecutive days of battling a cough?

Instead of coughing, try a warm glass of water. Gargling salt-water in the AM is also helpful (the salt will help to breakdown the yucky things like mucus or phlegm). Cough suppressants also come in handy, especially when attempting to get some shut-eye or in a public/office setting where coughing too frequently, too loudly can be disruptive.

You can also try ice-cream. It’s fatty properties will help coat your throat. Maybe there isn’t a scientific explanation for ice cream as a remedy, but again, it works! Give it a try. Proof is in the pudding… er, ice cream.

Throat clearing is another “remedy” we often resort to when sick with a cold or even in a performance setting before singing. Ever notice singers are always clearing their throats before singing. I think it’s our subconscious way of making sure our voice is good and ready to go before letting out the first note. Reason aside, it should be done minimally, if at all.

Clearing your throughout, similarly to coughing, presents a harsh “attack’ to the leading edges of the vocal cords. Try clearing by humming a low note. If throat clearing is unavoidable, do it gently and moderately so as not to wear out the cords.

Limit extreme temp. liquids in the Winter months, we all have a tendency to reach for really hot coffee, or cocoa (what a better way to warm up, right? NO!). Really hot or really cold beverages are harsh on the vocal folds and in the long-term can cause severe damage. Taking this a bit further, keep this in mind when choosing temperature for foods you eat as well; the same applies! Go for something tepid… keep it warm/room temperature if you want a drink on the toasty side of things.

Rest: rest all the time- the amount of sleep one should get each night varies from person to person, so if you’re not sure how much you may need, I’d suggest taking some time to experiment when you’re schedule is flexible. Your body will tell you.

Another aspect of resting applies to resting your voice… while awake. Early on in my singing career, a voice teacher recommended I rest my voice for a full hour after waking in the morning. As a 13 year old, I’m sure you can imagine how daunting this was. At that age, it didn’t seem feasible. Fast forward a decade plus later, it’s still unrealistic, but important that I attempt to remain silent during the first waking hours of the day to allow my voice to warm-up. Much like a car’s heating system during Winter, the voice needs time to warm-up and adjust. Think about it, we walk around our homes a bit in the morning, from room to room; some of us may take a shower, back to the bedroom to clothe ourselves for the day then out the door. All of these location changes have temperature changes as well, which in the first hour of the day can be harsh on the vocal chords and the general anatomy of our voices. If it isn’t feasible for you to remain quiet, keep conversation to a minimum and for further protection, consider the next thought (especially in frigid temperatures).

Protect your neck: keep it warm! Your neck is what shields your vocal chords from the cold air! Easiest fix, wear a scarf. Already wear one? Make sure it’s nice and snug around your neck, but not too tight… you want to have mobility of course.

There are a host of other useful tips out there, but I’m hoping this information helps. Be on the look-out for vocal health round two. We singer’s have a delicate and sometimes temperamental instrument. It’s important to treat it with care; it is, after-all, the only one we’ve got.

For more information on vocal heath and voice technique as well, look into our Voice Technique 101 course. Here’s a link to the course description and syllabus pages for further reading:

Voice Technique 101

Voice Technique 101 Syllabus

-Jason

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Congratulations to online student Justin Klump on being selected to play at Berklee’s 7th Annual South by Southwest Party in Austin on March 16th. The Portland, OR-based singer/songwriter was chosen from dozens of submissions to represent Berkleemusic at SXSW.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this year’s Berklee party at SXSW!” say Justin. “It’s an absolute honor to be chosen to perform alongside many great acts.”

Justin is currently working towards a Master Certificate in Writing and Producing and has already completed six courses. “It has been invaluable in the development of my songwriting and producing,” he says. “Both the coursework and my instructors have helped me to hone my voice as a writer, and strengthen my skills as a producer.”

Watch the official music video for Justin’s single, “I Love You So,” below.

Read the full press release from Berklee College of Music below.

News for Immediate Release
From: Berklee College of Music
Contact: Margot Edwards 617-747-2004

Berklee Hosts its Seventh Annual SXSW Day Party
Friday, March 16, at Friends
Featuring The Shills, Ume, The Grownup Noise, Lucius, and more

Boston, MA, February 21, 2012. Berklee College of Music will be well represented among the thousands of bands, music fans, and industry members converging on Austin for the SXSW Music and Media Conference. Berklee is the only college to host an official day party at one of the music industry’s biggest events, presenting its seventh annual SXSW Party on Friday, March 16, 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at Friends, 208 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX. In addition, dozens of alumni and students will play showcases and parties across the festival and speak at the conference.

The party features up-and-coming Berklee, Berkleemusic.com, and Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) alumni and students performing rock, pop, punk, dance, electronic, Americana, and folk. Artists include The Shills from Boston; Austinites Ume; Boston’s The Grownup Noise; Brooklyn-based Lucius; Queen Caveat from Los Angeles; Canary (HRR) from Boston; Justin Klump, from Portland, OR; and Boston and New York-based Mrs. Danvers (HRR).

Berklee’s SXSW Party is 21-plus and open to SXSW badgeholders. The public can email sxswrsvp@berklee.edu to attend free of charge. Free copies of HRR’s latest release, Under the Influence, will be given away. The album features Berklee students and alumni covering some of rock’s biggest names and the seminal bands that influenced them. Listen at HeavyRotationRecords.bandcamp.com

The Shills, comprised of Berklee alumni James Zaner and David Sicilian, and Bryan Murphy and Ryan Jackson, walk a fine line between delicate beauty and jolting, body shaking rock. Since forming in 2004, they have cultivated a sound built from exacting musicianship and creative flexibility. Their last full-length, Ganymede, is a concept album about a misanthrope who gets shipwrecked after leaving society to be alone. He is forced to turn inward and slowly drives himself toward insanity. The Shills have built a solid following in Boston and New York with their passion and precision on stage.

Ume is an Austin-based group fronted by guitarist Lauren Larson, with husband Eric Larson on bass, and Berklee alumna Rachel Fuhrer on drums. Exploring the artier and heavier sides of indie rock and post-punk, the trio marries searing and soaring fretwork with indelible pop hooks, radiant choruses and Lauren’s gossamer vocals. Ume’s music offers beautiful juxtapositions: loud and soft, aggressive and ethereal, buoyant melodies bursting through wall-of-noise dissonance. “Distortion-heavy jams invite comparisons to Sonic Youth, but Ume do more headbanging and wailing,” said Rolling Stone.

The Grownup Noise, from Boston, bridge the gap between Americana and indie-pop. All five members – Berklee alumni Paul Hansen and Adam Sankowski; Katie Franich, Aine Fujioka, and Todd Marsten – are multi-instrumentalists and equal contributors to the group’s latest album. “The Grownup Noise’s best asset is the songwriting, with lines of love and the changing seasons coming out as gently and colorful as the music itself,” said The Onion’s AV Club. They spent much of the past three years touring the country in a van that ran on recycled vegetable oil converted by tour mates Piebald.

Lucius, from Brooklyn, is fronted by Berklee alumnae Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe. They have been described as “luscious, luminous, lilting lullabies,” by the New York Times and the song “Don’t Just Sit There” is currently being played on NPR’s All Songs Considered. While writing their new EP, Lucius lived in an old Victorian house in Brooklyn, not knowing it had been a recording studio and music school for 60 years. So many treasures were left behind – like the 100 year-old Steinway piano that nurtured their writing. The fortress also housed bandmates and fellow alumni Danny Molad and Peter Lalish.

Queen Caveat, a hard-hitting four-piece from Los Angeles led by ferocious frontwoman Lauren Little, has been quick to turn the heads of rock fans throughout the west coast in 2011 on the strength of their infectious anthems, unrivaled musicianship, and riotous – and sometimes downright dangerous – stage show. The group is rounded out with Berklee alumni Will Weissman and Jesse Magnuson; and Ben Epand. Queen Caveat’s new EP, Slap on the Wrist, comes out March 6, and the group can be seen on the TV show 20/20 in March .

Canary is a Boston-based rock/pop and blues band comprised of Berklee students, vocalist Jackie Berkley, drummer Dean Davis, keyboardist and saxophonist Alex Hartley, bassist Kyle Hovland, and guitarist Amy Mantis. Their music falls sonically between Coldplay and the Who with a touch of Eric Clapton. In less than a year, Canary has played all around the Boston area, including the House of Blues, released an EP and four singles, and was featured in the Emerson College TV show “4 Iroquois.” Canary will appear on HRR’s next release, Dorm Sessions 8.

Justin Klump, a Portland OR-based Berkleemusic.com student, has established himself as a talented songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer. Klump began writing at 16 and quickly developed a keen sense for composing beautiful melodies and engaging lyrics. The Seattle Post Intelligencer wrote, “[Justin's] acoustic guitar and heart-on-sleeve lyrics will make you wish you’d never stopped keeping that personal journal!” Touring in support of his debut album in 2009 and 2010, he logged well over 100,000 miles performing from coast to coast.

Mrs. Danvers, a Boston and New York-based indie dance/rock band, formed in 2009 and has been packing clubs with a growing and devoted fanbase. Berklee alumnae Ann Driscoll (guitar/vocals), Randi Bernier (trumpet), Steph Barker (drums), and Dhy Berry (bass) win over diverse listeners with their blend of 60’s-inspired melodies, funk-electro dance grooves, and rich synth/trumpet/vocal arrangements – all performed with infectious onstage energy and impeccable musicianship. Mrs. Danvers has released two EPs with a full-length on the way.

Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) gives music business/management majors at Berklee hands-on experience running a record company. The students oversee all label functions, including A&R, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media, and accounting. HRR’s releases since 1995 include Shekinah: 13 Artists, distributed by Epic; Apollo Sunshine’s second album, co-released with spinART; and Dorm Sessions 1–7. Many up-and-coming artists have appeared on HRR compilations, including Annie Clark (St. Vincent); members of Passion Pit (as the Peasantry); Christopher Barnes (Gem Club); Madi Diaz; Elizabeth and the Catapult; and Big D and the Kids Table. The label also serves as a springboard for careers in the industry. Alumni have gone on to work at Interscope, Capitol, DreamWorks, BMG, Universal, Live Nation, AEG Live, and RightsFlow, among other companies.

Berkleemusic.com is the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, delivering online access to Berklee’s acclaimed curriculum from anywhere in the world. Berkleemusic’s award-winning online courses and certificate programs are accredited and taught by the college’s world-renowned faculty, providing lifelong learning opportunities to people interested in music and working in the music industry. As the business of music continues to move online, Berkleemusic is taking a leadership role in educating the next generation of producers, performers, and entrepreneurs on this evolving industry landscape. Berkleemusic’s students come from over 130 countries around the world, and include Grammy Award–winners, managers, artists, publishers, music business entrepreneurs, and major international touring acts.

Here’s the completed combinator patch that I demonstrate in the video so you can explore how it’s put together right in your own Reason Rack.

Combinator Patch [COMING SOON]