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MUSICAL EDUCATION
Learning music isn't at all different to learning how to dance, kiss, paint, drive or speak. Depending on the path(s) you want to take - performing, writing, arranging, producing - it can be a sport (e.g. there's a rather complex muscular activity involved in playing drums), a science (e.g. the way certain chord-progressions include tension and resolution involves both psychology and physics), a technique (self-explanatory), a language (music conveys feelings, and has its very own syntax and typology) or all of the above. What I'm trying to do with this website is favoring the following concepts: - Adult (i.e. Continuous) Education: Who says one only learns while in elementary-school, high-school and college? Well, lots of people do (or imply it), but that's plain absurd: you can always incorporate new labors, skills and interests to your life. Remember Jim Steinman's lyrics, "it doesn't matter what we lose it only matters what we're going to find". - Applied Pedagogy: Musical theory may be dull for many, but it's actually quite fascinating (yes, I'm a nerd, and I couldn't be more proud about it), and if you see it exemplified by the tunes you're familiar with, it's much more fun! For instance, Paul McCartney's a parallel-modulation master: there are lots of things you can learn from the way he changes key in Fool on the Hill, Lady Madonna or the beautiful Here, There & Everywhere. - Self-Teaching: IMO, there's no such thing as being an automath - you always learn from somebody or something. If you deduce a concept by reading a book, then whoever wrote the book is your teacher, even if they didn't make you take exams or take a class with schedules, grades, ranks and diplomas. Yet, a gracious and incredibly useful ability is to teach yourself (with the help from whatever may come handy) something you don't know. A large part of what I've written in this site consists of topics I had absolutely no idea about when I first started. If I can do it, anybody can. - Conform, Inform, Uniform, Deform...: One of the most interesting aspects of musical pieces is how they're organized in certain constructions, called forms. 'Bechstein Debauchery' intends to illustrate some song-structures ranging from generic to irregular, in the clearest possible way. - Royal Court: If a dude buys a nice car, he's automatically seen as a role model by society, because he's "doing something with his life"; if a dude decides to walk or take the underground instead, and invests on guitars, he's often seen as an irresponsible underachiever with a weird hobby. Again, not everything's black or white (or gray), so here there's a small tribute to the phenomenal world of musical instruments. - Coming Soon(er or Later): More detailed info on production, mixing, gear (amps, mikes). The more the better!
For any sort of learning process, especially unschooled, I'd personally recommend eight simple rules. Acquiring (or enhancing) your knowledge of an art, a language, a sport or anything isn't an exact science - there are no magical formulas or secret potions. But these guidelines may help you (feel free to apply them, criticize them, reproduce them or whatever): - Don't be self-deprecating or fatalist: If you think music (or anything for that matter) is only saved for a limited number of chosen ones, you won't get anywhere. For some it may be more difficult than for others (due to many different reasons, some small some big), but the fact is you can do it. "You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be". - Don't under-estimate it either: Mastering a discipline isn't a matter of days. Millions have learned how to play instruments, millions have failed. Which group do you want to join? - How far do you wanna go?: The type of training largely depends on the approach you're seeking. In soccer, the way a goalkeeper works out is very different from the way a midfielder does, yet they're both based on some common principles (breathing well, warming up, finding their on-zone, having adequate nutrition). If you're clear about what you want to achieve, it's easier to prepare for it. - Find a suitable routine: Depending on your time, your money, the sacrifices you're willing to make, your goals, design a semi-flexible timetable and practice it. Don't be too calculated but have some sense of duty. - Get tested: Evaluating your process is helpful, valuable and constructive. Try different approaches, different perspectives, different opinions, so you'll get a good grasp on where you are and what you need to do to progress. - Don't get anxious about short-term results, they probably won't come: This is a process, not a product. - Take one step at a time: Make your learning course another habit for life, like brushing your teeth or reading the horoscope. Smaller sacrifices with a steady tempo will get you farther from where you'd thought you'd end. - Be demanding on a fair amount: It's the same as lifting weights - if you try 200 pounds at once, you'll get seriously injured and ruin your route; but if you stick with 20 pounds, you may never advance at all. |
