Author Archives: rileylaurie

Learning obviously comes from many sources and in many ways. We can learn music from our families, peers, friends, teachers, recordings, and/or You Tube. We can learn from notation or tablature, by rote, by ear, and/or from observing performances. We learn aurally, visually, and/or kinesthetically. Many of us rely on just a few of theContinue reading “Full Benefit: the Many Ways of Learning”

There’s no denying that we tend to treat professional musicians differently from non-professionals, and exceptionally good amateurs differently from those who skills are average. It seems natural to be deferential to those whom we deem special in some way, to be perhaps overly polite, and even to be timid around them. Maybe we should takeContinue reading “How We Relate to Professionals”

This is a continuation of the previous post (Part 1). The last post discussed how to make a melody stand out from an accompaniment clearly. In addition to the actual melody line, other elements that make a melody “make sense” are: emphasis, tempo, beat, rhythm, and accuracy. Harmony choices in an arrangement are also important.Continue reading “Making a melody recognizable – Part 2”

Have you ever wondered what tune someone was playing, only to recognize it quite far into the piece when it should have been apparent much sooner? Let’s assume that rather than being arranged in a purposely obscure way, the player intends it to be recognizable, in which case the problem is not with the listenerContinue reading “What Is That Tune? (part 1)”

How nice it would be if we could automatically be good musicians, with little or no effort involved; just sit down and play brilliantly! Many people assume that’s what musicians do! I think what is largely responsible for that assumption is our culture’s misuse of the word talent. When someone picks up a new instrument,Continue reading “What is Talent, Really?”

“But you’re playing it wrong!” “That’s how I learned it from so-and-so.” “Well, it really goes like this.” How often have you heard that? Probably quite a lot. In classical music it is, of course, important to play a piece exactly as it was written. But in many other styles, “right” is much more flexible;Continue reading “The Folk Process – Embrace the Change!”

Below is a new blog post. In addition, you’ll notice that this site has a new look, and several new pages.  That’s because I’ve made it into a full website. It now contains  my online store, complete bio, testimonials, info on therapeutic music, and more. Why this new website? To better represent ALL of theContinue reading “New Posts and New Pages on this Site!”

Some research indicates that when we actively (rather than passively) listen to music  –  in other words, when we focus and pay attention to the music we hear  –  it is processed in the same area of the brain as language. The same is true when we learn music by ear. In all respects, musicContinue reading “Music is a Language”

The audience sits ready to hear the musician in concert, looking forward to an enjoyable performance. The musician stands backstage, ready to begin. He or she may feel quite confident, or may be scared to death. Chances are that if the performer has practiced adequately, he or she has some confidence that the concert willContinue reading “In Defense of Imperfection: Thoughts on Our Attitudes About Performance”

Making Your Music Your Own, Within the Style You Play  There are purists whose aim is to preserve every piece of traditional music in the exact form they find it. This preserves musical styles, but the folk process (the natural tendency of aurally-learned music to undergo change) is an essential part of our heritage, too.Continue reading “Styles – part 2”