British songstress Leona Lewis was Happy to share her fashion secrets when she dropped into MuchMusic studios in downtown Toronto at the start of the weekend.

The pop star - who recently bought a $2.5 million LA mansion - revealed that UK fashion designer Vivienne Westwood designs all of the clothes that she wears on tour now and says she loves working with her.

“She’s got very elegant clothing, but it’s also a bit punky and a bit funky so I love her kind of stuff”.

The fashionista rocked black thigh-high leather boots while on MuchOnDemand on Thursday. She admits that finds it difficult to find glamorous clothes and footwear that are not made of animal products.

But, she is reportedly in talks with fashion designer, Stella McCartney, about possibly launching an animal friendly fashion line together.

Both of the stars share vegetarian lifestyles and the 24-year-old singer had an opportunity to chat with former Beatle, Paul McCartney’s daughter backstage at a charity event in early November.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own fashion line, and that’s something I want to focus on next year,” she told a UK newspaper. “I’m on a mission. I’d love to promote a line of non-leather bags and shoes that are affordable. I think more needs to be available and not so expensive.

1. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
2. Only Rock ‘n Roll
3. Get Off My Cloud
4. She’s A Rainbow
5. Under My Thumb
6. It’s All Over Now
7. Don’t Stop
8. Happy
9. The Last Time

1. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Mere days after their release of “Beggar’s Banquet” in 1968, the band pulled together a real-life circus of a show. Designed as a television spectacle consisting of real circus performers, and some top rock acts of the day. Jethro Tull, The Who and Eric Clapton were in attendance, as were lions, trapeze artists, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The kind of show you might only now see on the very best of David Letterman.

The idea was to produce a unique showcase, but the footage was eventually shelved and hidden away for nearly 3 decades due to what was deemed sub-standard performances. It was not shown publicly for 27 years, except for brief excerpts in home videos. The Who’s performance of “A Quick One” was used in their own film/career documentary, “The Kids Are Alright”. The true landmark of the show for The Rolling Stones was it was Brian Jones’ last performance with the band.

2. Only Rock ‘n Roll

Before the Rolling Stones had galvanized their name as the World Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late ’60s, they had already laid a handsome claim to the title. The Beatles had paved the way for the British Invasion, but the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, hard-pounding blues-infused rock and roll that now defines the genre. Mick Jagger might be a tiny little man by many standards, but with no question he is the biggest front man to ever grace a rock stage. Wild. Macho. Campy. Sexy. He created the role of the rockstar.

3. Get Off My Cloud

To nightcap their hugely successful 1969 North American tour, the band planned a large, free concert in San Francisco similar to a successful concert they had done in London’s Hyde Park earlier that summer. But between permit denials, greed and a last-minute change of venue, the event spiraled from what was potentially a West Coast Woodstock to a jumbled chaotic mess.

Things turned for the worse with their bad choice of security, the biker gang the “Hell’s Angels”, contributing to a day-long sideshow of brutal violence and truly bad vibes. By the time the Stones took the stage that evening, things had already come undone with a dramatic stabbing of spectator by one of the Hell’s Angels. The stabbing was captured on film in the documentary, “Gimme Shelter”.

4. She’s A Rainbow

The band’s longtime acquaintance with law enforcement started with an infamous ‘pissing’ incident in March of 1965. Bill Wyman needed to use the restroom at a gas station, but was refused admittance and told to promptly vacate the premises. Mick Jagger and Brian Jones joined Bill in pissing against a wall, and the Rolling Stones’ image as bad boys was firmly established. In a remarkable show of solidarity and opportunism, which was not to be repeated, all five-band members showed up at court, several weeks later.

5. Under My Thumb

How can you be the next Keith Richards? Well, asides from several obvious personal decisions, to get his legendary sound, first you’re going to need to go out and get yourself a Fender Telecaster. Keith plays in open G tuning with his own customized 5-string version. Take your low E string off the guitar and then tune it low to high as GDGBD. You can always tune the low E string to D as well if you’re not into removing the sixth string. Keith sums up his approach with a simple phrase that only he could truly relate, “5 strings, 3 fingers, and one ***hole.” There’s no one like Keith Richards.

6. It’s All Over Now

The famous tongue and lip design and countless variations of such has graced countless official and unofficial Rolling Stones memorabilia and products since it first appeared when the band formed “Rolling Stones Records” in 1971. Credit for the creation of the original design has been mistakenly given to several people over the years. Many have stated that Andy Warhol was the originator. He did design two album covers for the band, but not the tongue design. In 1995, Billboard Magazine printed that it was from the mind of Ruby Mazur. Discovering their mistake, they later corrected their statement, identifying Mazur as the designer of the first official variation of the tongue design. With further research later that year, Billboard definitely uncovered that the original classic design came from John Pasch. Two years later, Mick Jagger confirmed that Pasch was the originator of the fabled logo.

7. Don’t Stop

Rolling Stones museum, anyone? Former Rolling Stones member, Bill Wyman operates a restaurant entitled, “Sticky Fingers” in the well-to-do Kensington section of London. The food is nothing to write home about, unless you consider the cuisine at the Hard Rock Caf© something to die for. The prices are so-so, no more than the one-two punch inflicted by Planet Hollywood fare.

What’s special here is that the whole place is a shrine the legendary rockers. Jam-packed with posters, magazine covers, guitars, gold discs and the like. Most of time, as you might imagine, you’ll be enjoying the soothing sounds of Stones tune while you munch your fish and chips.

8. Happy

If you never get a chance to stand live in the crowd and soak the sound waves as they emit straight from the wall of loud speakers, then the next best chance at the excitement is one many films made from their various shows. Perhaps the most famous is from their 1972 North American tour. Titled, “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones”, unfortunately the screening of it can prove difficult. Originally released in Quadraphonic sound, the original soundtrack, record as it is on the film in an unusual manner requires considerable labor to view properly. The effort is occasionally undertaken, as it was done in a September 1996 screening at New York’s Lincoln Center. Hmmm, maybe it would be easier to just see them live after all.

9. The Last Time

Is this their last world tour? They’ve been fielding that question ever since they were first asked it way back in 1966. Mick Jagger turned 59 this past July 26th and Keith Richards turns 59 on December 18th. Jagger will be 60 by the time they wrap up their European tour, perhaps that’s old enough to retire, but we’re betting that they’ll be back as long as they’re around. Why stop now?

To read more articles by Chad, please visit the American Pop Culture Encyclopedia at: www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com. If you would like to read this article, or others like it, on American Pop Culture Encyclopedia: www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com/rolling%20stones.htm

She has won the Critics’ Choice Award at the Brits and was this week nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. She’s even been on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, for goodness sake, not to mention Jonathan Woss. Florence and the Machine

This has all happened in the space of a couple of years, and it takes some getting used to.

Florence was born into an Anglo-American middle-class family. Her mother, Evelyn, is an American art historian and I worked in advertising. We lived in South London, we took holidays in Cornwall.

There was music in the house and there were books. There were performers and musicians on both sides of the family. I took Florence and her younger sister Grace to violin lessons (ouch) but it wasn’t their passion.

Because of her mother’s work, Florence did have an early exposure to Renaissance painting, which may have had an influence on the somewhat visceral world view expressed in her lyrics. As a child, she was particularly fascinated by Mantegna’s Circumcision Of Christ, and by various paintings of the martyrdom of St Agatha, who had her breasts cut off.

Florence, always a difficult sleeper, was often as an infant encouraged to nod off by being wheeled around the sitting room in a pushchair to the accompaniment of loud music.

Her earliest subliminal influences include The Smiths (whom she found highly soporific) and Syd Barrett (less so). We also tried works by The Soft Machine, REM, The Go-Gos.

The final stage in learning to play the guitar is learning to play the chords. This is the most satisfying part of learning the guitar because the beginner will already be playing music with the instrument. Playing a chord simply means striking simultaneously at least two or three strings on the guitar.

In order to play the chords, the beginner should first start with the three most common chords. They are the G major chord, C major chord and the D major chord. These are the easiest chords and they should be the ones practiced first.

When playing the G major chord, the guitar player should place the second finger on the sixth string of the third fret. Then he can place the first finger on the fifth string of the second fret. The third finger is then placed on the third fret of the first string. It is important to remember that the fingers should be curled and should not be touching any other strings that they are not supposed to touch. He can then strike all the six strings in one continuous strum. They should make the sound at the same time and not one at a time.

In playing the C major key, all he can do is place the third finger on the third fret of the fifth string. Then, the second finger may be placed on the second fret of the fourth string. He can finally place the first finger on the first fret of the second string. It is important to be careful and not hit the sixth string. Only the bottom five strings should be strummed when playing the C major key.

The D major key may be difficult for some beginners because all three fingers crowd into a very small area. After the technique id learned this should not be a problem to everyone. The beginner can put the first finger on the third string of the fourth fret. Then he can place the third finger on the second string of the third fret. Finally, he can put the second finger on the first string of the second fret. He can then strum the four bottom strings to play the D major key.

It is important to be familiar with these three basic chords before starting to learn the more complicated ones, as these are the chords that are commonly used to play many songs. He can start learning by choosing songs that only have these three chords for his practice and remember, it is by practicing that a person will be able to master playing chords with the guitar.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Techno Squirrels Releases Exclusive eTrack to Leverage Consumers’ Growing Demand for New Content

Summary: Amid decreasing CD sales, increasing consumer impatience, and an on-demand internet economy, some music artists are switching the entire way they make and release music to fans. Techno Squirrels’ latest release says goodbye to the album format entirely and welcomes the iTunes reality of track-by-track releases.

Press Release: Burbank, CA January 03, 2006 - Electronic music artists Techno Squirrels will be releasing their latest music exclusively to the popular “MySpace” Internet community on a song-by-song basis to satisfy a growing consumer preference for frequent content over less-frequent quantity.

The January 10th debut, “Om Mani”, marks their first exclusive release to the digital community. “Our fans and customers don’t want to wait a year or two between album releases,” says Ryan Harlin, one half of Techno Squirrels. “It’s a trend the whole music industry is experiencing right now.”

Across all genres, artists have taken to decreasing the time between album releases - from providing more frequent music videos for online streaming to releasing live albums featuring new takes on older material.

Techno Squirrels, an electronic music duo from Los Angeles California and signed to Rave Police Records, has convinced their label to take a gamble on a new strategy in the music business. As a sales vehicle, they’ve taken their latest track to MySpace.com, an extremely popular website among the music-buying public and one which regularly outranks internet powerhouses like Google in page views.

“iTunes has proven that the era of the album is over. When customers have the choice to purchase select songs from an LP release, it no longer makes sense to group those 12-14 songs together,” Harlin contends. “Because ultimately, you’re holding up the release of your 11 most recent songs until your 12th is done. It’s not good business in a song-by-song market.”

Industry analysts hope this trend may curb the runaway success of often-illegal music sharing software programs. While it seems almost futile now to ask a consumer to pay the once standard price of 13.99 for a full CD album, the artist community is hoping to strike a similar compromise with its audience - pay 99 cents 14 times for the same content. The pay off? Fans won’t have to wait anymore for their favorite music. It’s a deal Techno Squirrels is hoping their audience will appreciate.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/technosquirrels

Up from down under the Australian born Keith Urban continues to cement himself as a solid up and coming star with the release of his CD Be Here.

Throughout Be Here Urban distinguishes himself by easily transitioning between country, rock, pop and tinges of bluegrass, creating his own signature style. As has become his trademark, the depth and passion that he brings to his songs through the lyrics can have you in tears.

Be Here has such a great mix of songs. Everything from upbeat fun songs like Days Go By, and Better Life, to sweet romantic songs like Making Memories of Us, and the the ones that will really tug at your heart like Tonight I Wanna Cry, and Nobody Drinks Alone.

These days it’s a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs. I love every song on it and recommend it to anyone who not only enjoys country music but music in general. Urban, through his unique style, has a way of making the listener feel the lyrics.

It should be noted that Urban’s guitar playing is top notch as well. Providing stirring solo’s like that on She’s Gotta Be. Making him a really well rounded young musician.

The CD launches with a great track, Days Go By, that will definitely be heard on country music radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. From there Urban proceeds to display why he is quickly becoming one the best in the business as he mixes his signature style throughout the collection.

Overall Be Here is an outstanding release. Definitely must have music. I give it two thumbs up.

While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are Better Life [track 2], You’re My Better Half [track 6], and These Are The Days [track 13]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in “Stuck On REpeat”] is track 10, Nobody Drinks Alone. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Keith Urban originally released Be Here on September 21, 2004 on the Capitol record label.

CD track list follows:

1. Days Go By
2. Better Life
3. Making Memories Of Us
4. God’s Been Good To Me
5. The Hard Way
6. You’re My Better Half
7. I Could Fly
8. Tonight I Wanna Cry
9. She’s Gotta Be
10. Nobody Drinks Alone
11. Country Comfort
12. Live To Love Another Day
13. These Are The Days

To listen to samples of each song on Be Here by Keith Urban go to:
Keith Urban CD - Be Here MP3 Samples [ http://www.smoothlee.com/keith-Urban-be-here.html ]

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com is delighted to have as our guest, Dan Goldman, Guitarist, Song Writer, Poet,
Arranger and a musician of many other talents.

Dan is here to discuss his world of music and travels.

Norm:

When did your passion for music begin? What keeps you going?

Dan:

I can’t quite remember when my passion began. It seems to have been an inborn appreciation. My earliest memories are of listening to old records and 8-track
recordings that my parents had kicking around the house - anything from Kenny
Rogers to Neil Diamond sparked my interest at the time. My father played piano,
and I always loved listening to his romantic, albeit, slightly schmaltzy touch.
I’d press my ear against the soundboard to get the most out of the vibrations.

Norm:

Who were the musicians that influenced you?

Dan:

There are too many to mention; but if I had to narrow it down, I’d say, in order
of appearance: The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, my uncle Issac,
Classical guitar repertoire including Bach and most of the Spanish composers,
Joni Mitchell, Jim Hall, Bill Frisell and on and on.I’m currently into Wilco,
Joanna Newsom, Lisa Germano, to name a few.

Norm:

When on tour, do you notice any differences in audiences from one city to the
next, and if so, would you say that this may due to their geographical location.
For example, how would you compare audiences in Vancouver to those in Toronto or
Montreal insofar as your music is concerned?

Dan:

Yes, I’d say the main difference lies in how saturated the market is. In
Calgary, for instance, where there isn’t as much traffic in terms of touring
bands, I tend to get a warmer and more appreciative reception than in Toronto,
where, although I play plenty of great gigs, the audiences are somewhat numbed
by the sheer volume of musicians around. Then again, performances are always
different and anything I think is the rule is always put into question as soon
as I play an unexpectedly great gig in the least likely situation.

Norm:

What challenges or obstacles do you encounter while traveling and performing?
How did you overcome these challenges?

Dan:

I get nervous a lot. I’m fine when I’m actually performing, but I generally get
stressed a couple of hours before the show. It’s really important for me to eat
and rest appropriately so that the stress doesn’t take a toll on my
performances. I generally try to put aside a certain amount of time every day
that I’m on tour to warming up or to my sitting (meditation) practice.

Norm:

Which is your favorite city to perform in? Why?

Dan:

I can’t say that I have one. Anywhere where the people are receptive and
supportive becomes the best city.

Norm

How do you get the inspiration for your song and music writing?

Dan:

I love music. It’s not hard to get inspired, what’s hard is following through
and staying consistent with my writing practice. I find that the only way to get
to where I want to be expression-wise is to spend the time it takes; and you
never know how long that’s going to be, so you just keep going!

Norm:

What was the first piece of music you ever wrote? What was the reaction?

Dan:

I can’t remember. It was probably something in the classical guitar idiom. I’ve
always made sure to ask people who I knew would be supportive - a stacked deck,
if you will, in my favor.

Norm:

Do you set yourself daily, weekly, yearly goals? If so, what are some of your
goals?

Dan:

Yes, I definitely have to set daily goals, otherwise a whole day passes me buy,
and I feel like I’ve done nothing. These goals are rewarding because I can say,
for example, I’m going to work on words for an hour, and then at the end of the
hour I’ve done it - it might all be shit, but at least I’ve stayed with it, and
it’ll likely turn into something good at some point. In contrast, saying that I
want to tour the world by the time I’m 33 is a bit more difficult to
materialize. Ultimately, I know that if I keep writing and touring, I will get
led to greater accomplishments in my craft as well as a greater fan base with
more touring opportunities.

Norm:

You are a guitarist, song writer, poet, and arranger. Which of the above do you
prefer and why?

Dan:

At this point, I’m a singer-songwriter. It’s what I practice on a daily basis,
and it’s how I’m starting to become known.

Norm:

I understand that in Canada there are Music Festival Travel Grants as well as
other travel grants that assist professional Canadian musicians to perform at
festivals outside their province or territory of residence.

Apparently, these grants are given to introduce experience artists to new
audiences at an early stage of their career to a wider public. Have you ever
received this assistance and if so, could you tell our audience how beneficial
have they been from the point of view of furthering your career?

Dan:

Yes, I’ve received some assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts and it
has been extremely helpful. I got a tour grant last year, for instance, which
allowed me to tour across the country. Although the tour wasn’t as well
organized as I’d hoped for, it did provide me with a new network of people
across the country who have since become very supportive, including my current
manager, Candace Elder.

Norm:

Do you think there is some kind of a connection between music and travel?

Dan:

Absolutely. Traveling, whether physical or emotional, provides a new
perspective, or a new backdrop, if you will, to your old script. It makes your
story seem a little more vibrant, and therefore, worthy of being documented,
which of course, is one of the main purposes of art.

Norm

What is next for Dan Goldman and is there anything you wish to add that we have
not covered?

Dan:

I have a tour beginning in August that I hope will bring me from coast to coast.
I’m also working on some new songs and am really excited to record them in the
new year.

Thanks Dan and good luck with all of your future endeavors. Thanks Norm

To read more about Dan or listen to his music check out his site at www.dangoldman.ca

Norm Goldman is the Editor of the travel site, http://www.sketchandtravel.com and the book reviewing site, http://www.bookpleasures.com.

Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily Azerad-Goldman, the couple meld words with art focusing on romantic destinations.

Comments Off

Most musicians, independent or major, understand that the college market is one of their prime markets, if not their leading market for radio airplay and media coverage.

In contrast, however, most musicians do not seem to take complete advantage of this market and “milk it for all it is worth,” so to speak.

As an example, artists send their CDs to college radio stations and newspapers seeking radio airplay, feature interviews and/or music reviews. Even if you get airplay or press coverage, it is, at best, limited and short-lived.

However, since colleges also present the lowest rates for affordable and consistent advertising, musicians should take ongoing advantage of this market’s low-cost advertising rates through its various available media outlets.

In fact, many (if not most) musicians can afford to place a simple text line ad in a college newspaper that runs during the entire Fall and Spring school semesters (to economize, be sure to first select the college papers that publish weekly, as opposed to the ones that publish daily. You can always “move up” at a later time).

Doing so will keep your ad in front of college students, whereas, many students may have missed your airplay or press coverage.

Also, most college newspapers will also place your ad (at no additional charge) on their college newspaper websites, which is where many of the students read their school paper.

There’s no need to get into an expensive situation by running large display ads that include your photo or CD cover (students can see them when they visit your website, and eliminating the photos and CD cover from your ad piques their interest and causes them to visit your site).

At this point, the idea with the ad is to get the maximum results for the least cost.

You can limit your ad size to three text lines that simply consist of:

* Your band’s name

* Your band’s genre description

* Your website url

And, since college papers’ advertising sections tend to be fairly spacious, there is usually no need to worry that your ad will get “lost” among a glut of other ads (that is, unless a thousand musicians read this particular article and select the same college paper that you do).

The great benefit of the college market is that:

* It is diversified (practically, any genre is accessible)

* It is a HUGE market (The University of Texas alone has approximately 40,000 students during regular sessions)

* It is open-minded (meaning, it is ready and willing to give you a chance, whereby, much of normal society is jaded, cynical and doubting)

* One of the primary products college students spend their money on consistently throughout the year is *MUSIC*

This is a perfect time (October) to get started with setting up a regular advertising schedule with colleges, since students have settled down to a regular session for a few weeks now.

Again, don’t simply stop or be cut short of earning a great income from music sales all school year long by only going for college radio airplay or media coverage.

Take advantage of both free media publicity coverage as well as continuing sales through college media ads after the publicity has long disappeared.

And, a peripheral benefit is that, by continuing your ads in the school papers or on the school radio or television station, you should also get some regular gig interest from various campus organizations as well.

By the way…while you’re talking to college newspapers, be sure to also check with the college radio and television stations to learn what their ad rates are.

You may be very surprised to learn the positive sales results that you could have already been getting through colleges for some time by maximizing the potential of this market goldmine.

It was Schopenhauer who first said that all arts aspire to the condition of music. What he was referring to was the abstract qualities of music. The path between music and audience is a direct one, without the intervention of a medium of communication that is used for other ‘everyday’ purposes, which is unlike many other art forms! The architect expresses himself in buildings, which have some utilitarian purpose. The poet uses words, which we use on a daily basis in conversation. The painter usually expresses himself by representing what he sees i.e. the visible world. Only the composer of music is perfectly free to create a work of art out of his own consciousness, which performs no function, other than to please.

A testimony to the mystical nature of music is the unknown Polish classical composer who’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” sold more than pop icon, Madonna, in the year it was released and more than any other classical composer in the entire history of the world! However, this remarkable achievement only occurred 17-years after he composed it.

Polish Composer in Translation

The composer’s name is Henryk Gorecki and his success is nothing short of a miracle. When he wrote the symphony (his 3rd) in 1976, he and his wife were declared ‘non-persons’ under the communist regime and their passports were confiscated. His name was unknown, and according to records in Poland, he did not even exist. Gorecki had been born in Czernica, in the coal-mining belt of Silesia on The Czechoslovakian border. It is 20-minutes from the town Oswiecim, which the Germans would later name Auschwitz. This piece of music was so inspired, as to be a warning to future generations and to bear witness to what had occurred there. Corecki commented: “The fact that 17 years later, it seems young people all over the world have heard what I said, and understood: that my warning will not go forgotten into the world”.

Beauty and hope are firmly embedded in this piece of music that is played by taxi drivers and royalty alike. 300 000 copies were sold worldwide when it was released, unheard of for a classical piece which would hopefully sell 10 to 20.000 copies in a lifetime, and that’s about it.

A Symphony of International Value

The road to fame of the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” is an interesting one. 1976, the year it was composed saw the first performance in a Paris concert hall. After the performance a music critic whispered ‘Merde!’ into Goreck’s ear. The first recorded version appeared in Britain in 1987, and was basically ignored by the classical music magazines. In 1989, the piece reappeared; this time in concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, after the London Sinfonietta decided to champion Gorecki’s work. Bob Hurwitz, head of Warner’s Elektra Nonesuch label decided to attain the symphony for his label. In 1990, Hurwitz recorded it with the London Sinfonietta using young American conductor David Zinmaan and the soprano Dawn Upshaw. In September 1992, classic FM, Britain’s first commercial classical music station was launched and picked Gorecki’s symphony as the station’s first classic ’sure thing’. In October that year a sudden demand caused chart sponsors W H Smith to stock the symphony. In November BBC Radios 3 and 4 followed, then Radio 2, and finally, DJ Simon Bates on Radio 1.

A Multicultural Moment

January 1993 was a watershed moment for “Symphony of Sorrows’ as the album jumped from 71 to 27 in the Music Week pop charts. In February that year Gorecki received a gold disc for sales of 100,000.

Fascinating to think that a symphony, 54-minutes long, scored for a large string orchestra, would climb so high up the charts and sell more than a contemporary musical legend. It is a true testament to the universal language of music, the genius that lies in certain compositions and the infinite power of music to move people.

It really doesn’t take much to improvise. A few chords, a scale to play in and that’s that. But once these technical decisions are out of the way, we must allow our feeling to guide us.

Playing this way has many advantages. First, you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to play. You let your intuition guide you in this. The hands are placed on certain chords. The fingers move and the mind is in abeyance, waiting in surprise to see what the hands will discover.

You also don’t have to think about what chords to use or how you’re going to play them. When you take care of the technical aspects first, you free yourself to explore your materials. Of course, things can change and we must allow for this, but playing within a set of limitations will free the mind.

For example, in the improvisation exercise Monterey Beach, 2 chords are used. How they are played is determined and a Key is chosen. Now the improviser can relax and explore the possibilities available.

The other way of playing, the way where there are too many choices present, distracts the improviser from improvising. The mind must be free from these distractions so feeling can be expressed easily. Many students have a problem with doing things easily.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!