#Rhythm is coming.
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@warrenlain
#Rhythm is coming.
Am I progressing well enough at the guitar?
Answer by Warren Lain:
You're doing great!
It depends a little bit on your goals. Definitely keep learning songs you love, no matter what. If your goal is to improve simply as a guitarist, then just choose more difficult songs with more complexity and technical demands. We live in the best time in the world to learn music. Look up songs in other genres. Try fingerpicking, strumming, flat-picking, and switch it up. Try jamming on songs. Study one artist's entire catalogue, or certain eras of that artist's work. These are great ways to not only improve, but even get a little glimpse of what is going on in the brains of the musicians you're emulating.
BUT... if your long-term goal is to improve as a guitarist and more generally, as a musician, just be sure to include some music theory in there, and get your ear involved. You'd be surprised how many people learn to play songs, but never learn to play music!
What am I talking about?
For example, tabs and tutorials can be great for one-song-at-a-time learning, but ask them to do anything more than that, and they'll fall flat on their collective faces. They can also become a buffer between you and real, long-term musical growth, as they tend to foster a short-term, song-based, technical approach that is dependent on pre-packaged musical info. With enough of a dependence on this material created/written by others, we may even become inocculated to musical growth... vaccinated against musicianship.
For a holistic, sustainable, long-term approach to growing as a musician, we need to go beyond single songs. We need to stop looking for all of our help from the outside, and we need to look within to our own ear and our own understanding of music, and develop those! To do this, as I mentioned above, we simply incorporate music theory and ear-training. One song at a time can be fun and even super challenging if you pick songs that have some tricky techniques and passages. But if you are interested in writing songs, improvisation, re-arranging parts, transposition, collaboration, exchanging ideas with other musicians--in those situations--you may find yourself get stuck from time to time. Thankfully, this sounds like it hasn't happened to you yet. But trust me, it always does when we pursue something that's really worth pursuing. In this case, what is so worth pursuing, I'll argue, is musicianship.
To really grow in leaps and bounds, you have to be able to take the music you love and not just simply replicate it, but do something new with it. I mean, by all means, break down the song you love into manageable pieces, put it back together, practice it until you sound amazing and can nail all of the little artistic nuances and techniques. But try to go one step beyond this and create something new with the musical insights you should start looking for in the songs you love. Until you challenge yourself to do something new with the musical ideas these songs introduce you to, you will find yourself stuck in familiar patterns.
For example, if I didn't study a really simple song by Radiohead named "Videotape," I never would have learned this amazing musical concept I call "hidden syncopation," something I shared with Consequence of Sound in an interview about what I do on YouTube with Radiohead's music. Now, when I write songs, I can think about how to use this concept in my own stuff. But I never would have if I hadn't thought about the song in a deeper, more musically insightful way.
I can't tell you how many people find themselves picking up their guitar and feeling like they've played everything they wanted to play but still have nothing to say musically of their own, or simply feel like they don't know what they want to play anymore. This won't be you for a long time, hopefully. But it does happen, and the way to break out of it is to get into the songs you love in a deeper, more insightful way. Not just to regurgitate the superficial stuff, but to learn to think like the musicians who wrote those parts themselves.
Practical steps: get a good teacher to supplement your already awesome drive to learn. Read up on or ask your teacher about how chords and scales work. How are chords named and built? Try creating your own chords, or different voicings of chords you already know to inject new life into old songs. Read/learn about scales and how they explain and organize melodies, and chords. Try soloing over the songs you love, writing auxiliary parts, coming up with counter-melodies. Read/learn about rhythm and the different ways songs are structured rhythmically. Try counting along to songs with different rhythmic structures, like songs in 4, in 6, in 3, in other odd/mixed meters. Try creating your own picking and strumming patterns. Try programming an online drum machine [1]to jam along with.
[1] HTML5 Drum Machine
Am I progressing well enough at the guitar?
What is Harmony?
If Melody can be thought of as a line, Harmony can be thought of as colorful structures.
Structures can be stacked up high like skyscrapers, or built up low, like one-floor homes. They can be plain and simple or vibrant and complex. They can be dark and ominous, or light and pleasant. They can be viewed and enjoyed from many angles.
We'll learn how to build these structures and appreciate their colors as we go forward in the WARRENMUSIC Series: Harmony Module.
Get music theory and ear-training tips as well as updates on the series, sign up for the newsletter today.
Happy New Year from WARRENMUSIC
Thanks for a great 2015!
Thank you for being with me one more year!
This was a huge one for me personally and professionally.
I have taught music for nearly ten years, but when I started, I thought I'd be teaching "Wonderwall," "Stairway to Heaven," and "Smoke On the Water" for the rest of my life until I won the lottery.
I never imagined I would be teaching online. And never in my wildest dreams did I think people would want to learn theory and ear-training from some nerdy dude with long hair and glasses who talks way too much.
A huge thanks to those of you who have supported this series financially by donating, tipping, and purchasing the Melody Module, but also to those who shared their time and efforts, and kind words. The ups and downs of launching a website can be dramatic, but your enthusiasm and friendship have been constant.
Looking forward to 2016, there are some big goals for WARRENMUSIC:
▪ more tutorials ▪ the Harmony Module ▪ the Rhythm Module ▪ music theory and ear-training app!!!!!!!!!! ▪ a more integrated and feature-filled website ▪ more videos about music in general (Cruisin' With Warren, maybe even some album reviews with theory insight)
Stay tuned and watch this space for updates. And be among the first to hear about new stuff when you sign up for my mailing list.
On a personal note, I got engaged. I'm truly blessed and lucky to have this awesome woman by my side as I continue on in this journey. She fully gets what I'm about and she supports my love for connecting with people through music. Love you, Ellen!
2016, we're ready for you!
Happy New Year, Warren
Melody Module Preview is UP!
Enjoy the first three episodes of The WARRENMUSIC Series, absolutely free.
After so many days of a somewhat shady-looking page that basically only takes payments, we’re so glad to present a site, even if it is just a preview, that finally has some videos, HA!
For those of you who have pre-ordered, please enjoy all TEN episodes of the Melody Module. But please, not all at once. We don’t want to be cleaning any brain matter off the walls.
For unrestricted access, order here. Make an investment in your musicianship today. You won’t regret it. Or your money back. I’m serious.
Interactive YouTube Piano
I made a nifty YouTube piano you can play with your keyboard. A quick music theory tool that’s sure to be useful. Best enjoyed on desktop.
I also created several Song Puzzles that you can try on this YouTube Piano. Song Puzzles are basically the method I use when teaching my Skype students to learn to play by ear.
I explain the Interactive YouTube Piano and Song Puzzles to my girlfriend here in the first episode of “Cruisin’ With Warren”.
Your Input MATTERS
We’ve implemented a comments system to make things easy.
Discuss, ask questions, leave comments. Our hope is that every video would be a jumping off point for passionate conversation, i.e. MUSICAL conversation! And many more features are coming soon.
We love your feedback, even if it’s a critique! We’re always looking to improve the site to meet your needs.
Keep an eye on the site. New features will be coming and they will be awesome.
Peace and joy,
Warren
I made a nifty YouTube piano you can play with your keyboard. A quick music theory tool that's sure to be useful. http://j.mp/youtubepiano
If you don't look like this when you're trying to learn a tricky song, you're DOING IT WRONG.
It doesn't matter how ugly or stupid I look here. What you don't see is how I'm actually
kicking.
musical.
ASS.
In this seriously scary photo, I'm making Atoms For Peace's "Ingenue" bass synth my, cough, um, cough, for lack of a better word, my bitch. I'm OWNING one of the squirmiest, twisty, jumpy, convoluted, yet infectious melodies in the entire album.
The way I see it is, if you don't harness 100% of your musical energy into truly LISTENING (and I don't mean passive listening, I mean engaging your whole body and mind), then you are not growing your ear.
If you lift weights, then you know that you have to squeeze out that last rep to get them GAINS. You have to use every muscle fiber, until you FAIL.
Well, ear-training is no different.
The best thing you can do for your musicianship is, for five minutes a day, listen with FULL INTENSITY to a melody you love and try to work out what's happening in it, musically.
Ask yourself:
* Is it moving up? * Down? * Staying the same? * Is it moving by a little, or a lot? * Does it use the Major Scale? * Can you match it? * Can you tell the distance between any two given notes? * Do you know whether it's a "1," or a "5," or a "♭7?"
Transcribe what you hear until you FAIL. And then you'll see the greatest musical gains. Because it's when you actually find the limits of your ear that you discern what's been holding you back. Only then can you actually do something about it.
Don't know how to transcribe? Well, I have a series for that at warrenlain.com.
Or don't do any of the above, and keep reaching for that next tab, or tutorial. And you'll just stay the same.
So this is my intense music learning face. How about yours? Do you have one? Put up a photo of yours here or on Instagram with the hashtag #musicface. I think it's time the world sees how intense music students can be!
By the end of the Melody Module, what will you come away with?
- You will see Melody in a fresh way... - We'll begin to de-mystify Melody via the WARRENMUSIC Grid System - You'll be introduced to a codebreaker for Melody, The Major Scale - You will make your way towards a more finely tuned sense of pitch - You will learn how musicians approach playing by ear - You'll be given a clear way to process Melody, through the skills of Matching, Relating, and Feeling - You'll discern what's been holding you back. - You will have a clear picture of the ultimate goal of Ear-Training - And lastly, you will learn to make songs your teachers.
Perhaps best of all, I'll be taking your suggestions on where the series should go next. With your input and my obsession to communicate every musical insight in my brain, I think we can go pretty far.
Are. you. ready?
Pre-order the Melody Module today for $99.
You'll receive:
* Unrestricted access to all TEN Melody Module Episodes (up to 30 minutes in length), launching in December * Topics include everything listed above * Innovative Music Theory Aids * Challenging Ear-Training Exercises * 100% satisfaction guarantee.
You can also pre-order all THREE modules, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm now. These three will form the foundation of the series.
Order Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm Modules together, and receive the above PLUS the following:
* Unrestricted access to TEN Harmony and TEN Rhythm Episodes, to launch in early 2016. * Topics will include how to identify different types of chords, and entire chord progressions, rhythmic structures, syncopation, and much more... all by ear.
And if you want access to all future premium WARRENMUSIC Series content, you can purchase it now and have access to all premium modules, forever. Every module. Every exercise. Every chart. I've never offered anything like this before. But I firmly believe this is actually the best value of all three.
Buy Lifetime Access today and receive:
* Unrestricted access to ALL future WARRENMUSIC Series Content * Future topics will include improvisation, modes and scales, modulation, alternate tunings, fretboard exercises, phrasing techniques, chromatic harmony, chord substitution, altered chords, poly-rhythm, hidden syncopation, and the list goes on and on!
Pre-order now.
From Sufjan Stevens to The Snowman, I've recorded seven songs for Christmas over the years. You can enjoy them below. #8 is still up in the air... Listen to the WARRENMUSIC Christmas Playlist here.
Also, today is the last day you can pre-order the WARRENMUSIC Melody Module at a discount.
LEARNING SINGLE SONGS IS GREAT BUT...
...luckily, there's more when the tutorial fades away.
So much more.
The truth is, you are your own limit to how many songs you can learn.
You limit how much you will absorb from the songs you love.
You, friends of WARRENMUSIC, can go beyond tabs and tutorials. You can achieve something much greater for yourself...
Musicianship.
A better ear. A better grasp of what's happening in music.
Pre-order the Melody Module* today for a special discount. Or order all three modules--Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm*--for an even greater value. Or, for the best value of all, purchase Lifetime Access to every future premium module I'll ever create. Forever.
Don't wait until the promotion ends...
*Melody launching in December. Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm in Early 2016. ***
The first 10 episode titles of the Melody Module have arrived:
1. What is Melody? 2. Intro to WARRENMUSIC Grid System 3. The Major Scale Is The Codebreaker 4. Intro to Ear-Training: Melody (Rough to Fine), Mistakes Are a Part Of the Process 5. Towards Playing By Ear: The Melodic Process 6. Listen: Matching 7. Listen: Relating 8. Listen: Feeling 9. The Goal of Ear-Training 10. Conclusion: Songs Are Your Teacher (Creating Your Own Song Puzzles), and Looking Ahead
The seventh and FINAL installment of this introductory series is up. It's called "The End Of the Beginning," and that's for two reasons.
1) It's the last video in this introductory series. Duh. 2) It's the end of the "beginning" stage in your journey towards musicianship.
That's right.
Because beginners don't stay beginners long when they look to build their musicianship.
When you unlock the musicianship you have within, YOU CAN'T stay the same.
It's just impossible.
When you develop your ear and your understanding of music, the GAP between the music you love and the music you make starts to disappear.
You can grow your musicianship.
You can BRIDGE the GAP.
Now it's time to take that step. It's time to usher in a _better way_ to learn music.
It's time to listen and think the way musicians do.
Pre-order the Melody Module, the Melody + Harmony + Rhythm Bundle, or purchase Lifetime Access for a discount today. This limited time offer ends Thursday, December 10th.
With each order, you will get:
* Unrestricted access to all TEN Melody Module Episodes (some up to 30 minutes in length) * Topics include an "Introduction The WARRENMUSIC Grid System," "The Melodic Codebreaker," "The Three Aspects Of Listening," and "The Goal of Ear-Training..." * Innovative Music Theory and Ear-Training Visual Aids * My full satisfaction guarantee.
Let's build your musicianship together today.
Pre-order before this promotion ends!
If you recall Episode 6, which was first published back in July, it introduces what I call "The Sidewalk Test."
The Sidewalk Test is two simple things:
1) Identify the melody, harmony, and rhythm of a song without outside help
2) Reproduce it ON THE SPOT.
You pass the test if a stranger who knows the song is walking down the street would recognize it as they pass by.
Would you pass the test?
If not, then today you can do something about it. You can invest in your own musicianship by developing your ear and your understanding of music. And I'll show you how.
Signup at warrenlain.com for my newsletter today. And don’t miss your opportunity to pre-order the Melody Module, which will drop VERY SOON. It will be available at a special price for a limited time.
And until then, watch this new cut of Episode 6, now live.
What are you hearing when you listen to your favorite music? How do musicians listen to music differently? And what is at the core of a song...? Learn the answers to these questions and more in Episode 5 of The #WARRENMUSIC Series, "What Are You Hearing? (The Core Of a Song)" now live!
Where does this series begin? How will the course content be structured? What about really strange, creative music? Will we talk about that?
In Episode 4, "The Trajectory Of the WARRENMUSIC Series," I walk you through a visual representation of what it will look like to come along for this musicianship ride...
The vision of WARRENMUSIC, through my covers and tutorials, chord charts, and now this website has been and always strives to be simple: to help people get more out of the music they love. This website represents the latest and greatest attempt, by providing an approach to music that helps connect the gap we all experience between the music we love and the music we make through music theory, and ear-training. In the near future, we hope to bring you an amazing ear-training and theory app to help you develop your musicianship like never before.
And in the WARRENMUSIC Blog, it'll be similar. I'll be posting useful resources I find for the benefit of your ear and your insight. Feel free to post your greatest finds there, too!
All the best, Warren
What does musicianship actually look like? Episode 3, titled “The Power Of Musicianship,” is now live. See what musicianship can do for you!
And while you're at it, catch a snippet of a previously unreleased song from my forthcoming album...
How do we get from the music we love to the music we make? We answer that question in Episode 2, entitled: "Introduction To the Bridge." It is now live...
Announcing my newest video project: The #WARRENMUSIC Series - a fresh, innovative way to learn music and guitar.