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Music Equipment and Learning to Play - jeff
I have a lot of experience buying musical equipment including Pro Audio, recording, PAs, guitars, harmonicas, etc. There are many things that I have learned to do and not to do.
The right equipment can help and without it, you will struggle. But, new equipment or the most expensive equipment is not a necessity. In fact, I kind of like equipment with miles on it. As most of you know, while not all old equipment is valuable, most of the most valuable equipment is older.
Take a bit of time and remember what you really want and need to improve your music. I have a $100 camping guitar I bought brand new and it plays well enough. I found a used and beat up Hohner acoustic for $200 years ago and most players like the sound of it better than my '72 Martin D35! ). They are crazy, but they all like it.
Have an experienced and smart friend with you perhaps when you shop. Get a few opinions, but when you find something that feels and sounds right to you, that is a great thing.
The Top Sites on the Internet in terms of traffic- jeff
It is an interesting community for Web Music. One of the things you want to do, is to try and build traffic. Not sure I will ever crack this list, but here are the Top 1000 sites as of today in terms of traffic. Thought it might be of use. it is from Alexa.com. All that traffic and they must be doing something right.
When learning to play, Relax - jeff
When you are playing, remember to relax.
If you're uptight, its going to be hard to let the music energy flow. Performing, even when its just to four walls, often can bring an anxiety similar to public speaking. Let it go.
When you're in front of a lot of people the first few times, you're likely to be at least a little nervous, maybe even totally stressed. That's natural. And its good news too.Eventually, all that energy can become a part of each performance. That same adrenaline rush can be your best friend, if it flows right. It can also kill a musical effort before it gets off the ground.
If you feel up tight and stressed, its likely to result in you not being able to play your best. Make sure you read how relaxed you feel from time to time and manage it. Remind yourself to relax. Then, taking a couple of deep breaths might be all it takes. In the end, once you get started you can just push through and things start to flow.
Think of some of the great performances you've seen. Most
times when someone is really good, they can make it look so easy and so
relaxed. One of the reasons is probably that they are feeling
comfortable and relaxed about what they are doing. Bet they've done it
way more times than you have, which helps a lot.
As you're playing, see if your hands, arms, and other parts of your
body are clenched tightly at times. If they are, practice relaxing your
muscles. Being tight isn't going to help anything. Music energy flows,
tightening up shuts the flow off like a faucet. Make sure you're
breathing comfortably as everything is going on.
We're not saying don't play with energy or enthusiasm, just try to make sure you give yourself a chance by not being uptight and stressed out. Let your mind relax a bit. Then regroup and try it again. And again, until it becomes habit.
The Personal Computer (PC, Mac, or other) and learning to play music - jeff
The most fun about music is playing, and playing well. The Personal Computer brings the musician an incredible advantage. For the aspiring musician, this is a revolution in learning to play.
The best part is, its a Jam Session Partner. 24x7, its there to play whatever you want, however you want it. When, where, how and who, its all up to you.
Check out some of the great free and demo software products around. I use download.com and they have a lot of great stuff.