Jam Class! Washington, D.C. Guitar Lessons

10 and 20 Thousand Views!

2012-01-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

The two most popular videos on the Jam Class Video Channel thus far.

At Nearly 20,000 Views, Coldplay:

At Nearly 10,000 Views, Bob Seger:

Gregorian Modes Light Until Dark

2011-11-22T12:13:00.001-05:00

A quick lesson on the basis of Western Harmony:

<br><br><br>Thi

This year, I am thankful for Western Harmony.
And for YouTube!

Please subscribe:

http://youtube.com/jamclass

Johnny B. Goode Speed Trials

2011-10-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

Jam Class had a little fun in our homage to Jackass. Enjoy, and by all means, try this at home.

The Runner's Resting Heartbeat

2011-10-01T16:31:00.000-04:00

When you wake up in the morning, before the cacophonous clutter of the day, let your tempo slide slowly south of 60pm to 48pm. Slow down before life winds you up.

Instead of 60 times a minute, 48:
The Runner's Resting Heartbeat
Just like life, but 20% slower.

Use your favorite metronome if you choose.

Last Minute Gig At Strathmore: Music of Paul Simon Tribute

2011-08-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure that anyone actually 'chickened out', but I'll be filling in last minute tonight at the Strathmore 'Tribute to Paul Simon'. Hopefully you already have tickets, 'cause this thang is already SOLD OUT! If you're out of luck, try a little tenderness with one of your friends. Who knows?

Butterflies in my stomach, sure. But I'm no Turkey. I'll be there, slide guitar in hand to pay tribute to one of my heroes.

Thanks to Band House Gigs for the opportunity.

Hope to see some of y'all there!

One Rhythm, Three Beats:What I Learned From Ghana

2011-06-21T10:34:00.008-04:00

I'm going with 'a picture is worth 1000 words' with this particular blog post.

Suffice it to say, I think about this when I hear Keith Richards talking about 'The Ancient Art of Weaving'.

Here is an Agbekor Clavé within three different metric contexts.

Don't just look at it. Do it.

Get the Clap:
1) Print it out.
2) Have a friend clap the different Cowbell beats while you clap the Clavé.
3) Then, switch: you clap the different Cowbell beats, and your friend claps the Clavé.

Getting good at this will make you super duper funky:

Well, perhaps it won't bring out the 'African Child' in you:

But, at least you can get 'The Clap':

Carry on....

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall Verse Variations

2011-06-15T13:24:00.002-04:00

Verse One (A and B Sections):

Variations:

Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall Intro: 18 Seconds Covered in 7 Minutes

2011-06-14T11:06:00.004-04:00

Here's Coldplay's new song:

Here's my idea for playing the 18 second intro, lovingly explained in about 7 minutes:

Stay tuned, I'll be posting the other parts of this song (as well as tabs!) as soon as I can.

Thanks for watching.

Coldplay: Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

2011-06-13T19:43:00.003-04:00

Here's Coldplay's new song:

Here's part of the guitar accompaniment I've created for your pleasure. This is the bit that begins at about 51 second into the above video. Coldplay uses lots of tunings and guitars. This is arranged for one guitar. Standard tuning, second fret capo:

Stay tuned, I'll be posting the other parts of this song as soon as I can get them uploaded.

Thanks for watching.

First Friday FREE-for-ALL

2011-06-04T11:05:00.001-04:00

Initiated the DC GUITAR First Friday FREE for ALL last night. Had a handful of folks come by and jam through some Bluegrass, Coldplay, Elvis Costello (More properly, Nick Lowe!) and even Robbie Fulks.

It made me feel like watching this totally 80's Elvis Costello video:

But don't take my word for it, take the word of one of my students straight afterwards:

Thank you, James. Thanks everybody who came out, learned a thing or two, and let the good times roll. Keep in touch on Facebook and find out where the next DC GUITAR First Friday FREE-for ALL is going to be.

Stay tuned,

dc

PS In the meantime, here's some more live Elvis from the 80's:

THE GRAND CANDY: I Can See For Miles

2011-06-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a little footage from the Jam Class Throwdown at Bangkok Blues. DC Guitar instructor puts a solo acoustic twist on The WHO's iconic 'I Can See For Miles':

Enjoy!

Please go to Youtube and check out The Grand Candy!

Rest Strumming: Right Hand Muting Techniques

2011-06-01T16:46:00.025-04:00

As a teaching tool for my students, I've started creating video summaries at the end of each lesson that I am able to immediately email to them. It's good practice for working on my video lesson technique over at the Jam Class YouTube Channel.

Here are a few videos I made at my friend Deb's lesson last week. (Check out her funky axe featured in the video!) I wanted her to have a few different strumming techniques she could practice while on vacation.

Each of these stum patterns is demonstrated on an open G chord.

I call this technique a 'rest strum' as it involves placing the side of your palm on the strings to mute them, creating a musical rest. The first étude, ex. 1, has you playing a downstrum on beats 1 and 3, and muting the strings on beat 2 and 4.

Ex.1:

In the second étude, Ex. 2, add some up strums:

Ex. 3 adds even more up strums for the full 'Proud Mary' strum pattern:

After the familiar 'Proud Mary' strum, another classic rhythm that you can employ rest strums to create is the rhythm from 'Hava Nagila'. This rhythm is so old we don't know where it came from. Here it is:

Musical notation of this rhythm, ex. 4:

Finally, take this rhythm and add a simple second bar for a two measure phrase, notated here in Ex. 5:

And here you have it, the iconic 'Bo Diddley Beat':

Enjoy these rhythm patterns. If you have any questions, come ahead and post them on the Jam Class Facebook page.

The Grand Candy's 'Red House'

2011-05-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

Matt Wise is a phenomenal guitar guitar player. He's one of a few guys who've come in for a lesson where I thought, 'Oh My God. What am I going to teach him? I'm certainly going to earn my paycheck today!' Did I ever!

Since Matt took a series of lessons with me in 2004, we've become great friends and sometimes collaborators. Check out Matt's phenomenal blues shredding and singing with The Grand Candy on Jimi Hendrix's iconic 'Red House':

Double Digit Pete Townshend Birthday

2011-05-18T10:43:00.018-04:00

Pete Townshend once opined: 'I Hope I Die Before I Get Old'.

Well, that didn't work out so good for Pete, as he'll be 66 on Thursday.

To celebrate those doubled digits, I'm doing a two day throw-down at Bangkok Blues.

Thursday night at 7 I'll do a quick solo set of tunes including a bluesy variation on The WHO's seminal, and seldom performed live, 'I Can See For Miles' on Baritone Slide guitar. I'll also play some tunes by my band, The Grand Candy.

Friday Night at 10PM, Jam Class rides again. We'll have a few WHO tunes in store for you.

Pete Townshend stands on his own amongst his generation of iconic electric guitarists. This may have something to do with his 'See Me, Feel Me' proclivities.

However you slice him, however, you can't argue that he wasn't influential. He helped define hard rock guitar amplification as we now know it. Long Live Rock, now go get your hearing checked.

I gotta go practice for the shows. Hope to see some of you out there.

In the meantime, here's a link to a whole bunch more fun Pete stuff.

Here's the WHO's 'I Can See For Miles' live in 1979:

And a rehearsal from 2002:

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

2011-04-12T19:00:00.000-04:00

A student asked if I could break down an easy way to play Adele's 'Rolling In the Deep' today. What a great recording that song is!

Here are a few clips we shot at the end of the lesson today. A few barre chords, some palm muting, a little finesse and you are on your way.

Enjoy!

If you work up a version, put it on youtube and let me know at youtube@dcguitar.com

Do the right thing and pay the girl:

iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/21/id420075073

Amazon:
http://amzn.to/g6MdfD

Prepared Rest Strokes: Go for The Boing!

2011-04-04T19:47:00.006-04:00

Prepared rest strokes are fingerpicking 101. The very core of your tone as a fingerstyle guitarist is formed by practicing this elementary gesture. This is from a video I shot for a student on Saturday. Normally I try to keep these under 60 seconds, so I can email from my iPhone. This is about ninety seconds. It's unedited.

Have fun and go for the boing!

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3: Set, pluck, relax.

If you have any questions about this guitar instruction, email me at youtube@dcguitar.com

The Grand Candy Seeks Bassist

2010-12-28T14:00:00.005-05:00

My band, The Grand Candy, is looking for a bassist. Here's what things looked and sounded like without a bassist a few weeks ago:

Know anybody good?

Please send 'em our way.

http://TheGrandCandy.com

Jam Class: Caught On Tape

2010-12-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

Here's a little video evidence of the Jam Class performance on Saturday at Bangkok Blues. Some of these students have only been playing less than a year!

We've been having a lot of fun with these Rolling Stones classics. We had a great time Saturday night, and I dare say these overachieving DC peeps make me very proud.

Love In Vain:

Brown Sugar:

Not a Stones tune, but I think these two guitar newbies had a lot of fun with Oasis' Wonderwall. A little nerves are in order for two guys who've been playing guitar less than a year. I tried to make them feel as comfortable as possible:

Weaving A Little Sympathy for The Devil

2010-12-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

I am very excited about the Second Annual DC Guitar Keith Richards' Birthday Party: Happy Birthday, Keith Richards. Seriously. I'll be playing some of my own songs with my band, The Grand Candy and jamming some classic rock with some of my students from Jam Class.

One of the Rolling Stones songs we've been playing in Jam Class is 'Sympathy for The Devil', because I want to teach my students about what Keith calls 'the ancient art of weaving'.

The way Keith talks about weaving, or playing independent rhythms that intelligently and bootyliciously interlock, reminds me of James Brown. If you want to learn about this, you could do well to check out Funkmasters by Allan Slutsky and Chuck Silverman.*

This also reminds me of what I learned of Ewe drumming from David Locke at Tufts. Check out this video of an Ewe music and dance performance. When the drum ensemble gets going, see if you can pick out what the individual instruments are doing:

Keith actually does this weaving with guitars, but for now, we'll start with the percussion and bass groove on 'Sympathy For The Devil':

To anyone familiar with progamming a drum machine, or anyone familiar with a grid notation for rhythm, here's a rhythmic grid showing the different parts in the intro.

It looks like a kind of woven tapestry. Hmmm.... A sort of rhytmic notation, even for those who don't read music.

The first thing you hear is Handdrum** in the left channel for two measures.

Then The Conga joins along in the third and fourth measures.

Maracas join on measures 5 through 8. Sometimes, when things get hot, they play triplets. Supposedly, Bill Wyman played the maracas.

Then, what I called the 'guiro' part.

Finally, after a verse or two, the Bass enters, playing clavé, or 'rhythmic key' of the song.

OK, gotta get back to work on the '2nd Annual Keef Gig'. Hopefully we'll see you there.

*My only complaint about that book is that they didn't transcribe the horn parts for guitar.

**I don't know what kind of drum that is. And I actually think it's being played with a stick. But whatever. I don't have time to re-draw this this week. That's the price you pay for analog. Let it Bleed.

Stay Tuned for Keith - Tune in for Margot

2010-11-23T13:21:00.009-05:00

I'm afraid I've been a little busy since the Hank gig getting Jam Class ready for our next performance.

Please stay tuned for details on the 2nd Annual Keith Richards Birthday Party at Bangkok Blues on Saturday, December 18th.

In the meantime, here's some video of a couple of Jam Class numbers from the Hank gig in September, featuring my friend and music student, Margot MacDonald. Thanks to Den Holliden for editing and posting these videos.

Radiohead's 'Creep':

Led Zeppelin's 'Bring it On Home':

Who Is Hank Williams?

2010-09-04T13:48:00.025-04:00

Friday, September 17th DC Guitar presents "Who is Hank Williams?":

In an effort to answer this question musically, my two Jam Class bands, as well as my own band, The Grand Candy, will perform a number of Hank's most famous songs in the context of some of the greatest songs of the 20th century. Stay tuned for details about the setlist!

'Who Is Hank Williams?'

Preparing for the show, I've been reading Colin Escott's fine biography of the man.

Spoiler Alert! This passage sums it all up:

Please join us on Hank's 87th birthday for an evening of memories, mirth and music:

DC Guitar Presents "Who is Hank Williams?"
10pm, Friday, September 17th
Bangkok Blues
926 W. Broad St.
Falls Church, VA 22046

Reserve a table now online or by calling the venue at (703) 534-0095.

Conquer Your Fear of Music: Be Playful

2010-07-12T10:49:00.002-04:00

New music making is a fraught process. The fear of making a mistake can be paralyzing. The fight or flight response may kick in almost as soon as you pick up a mysterious new instrument: foreign, out of tune, or ill timed sounds are scary. What is scarier sounding than fretting flat? Sounding Sharp.

What's the solution? Going very slowly, very gently, and listening. Taking music lessons, perhaps. Having someone to guide you through the process may assist not only with getting better, faster results, but also with helping you get through that flight or flight problem. The latter is very important to the former.

However, it's tricky:

Taking music lessons is a humbling process. This creates not a little bit of fear in the lesson studio. Imagine that, in a way, a music lesson is like going to the doctor or psychiatrist. You are submitting yourself for examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and a prescription. Or, let's call it, in today's jargon: a wellness plan.

What creates the fear for some here? The better analogy is probably the therapist. Listening to and playing of music is a highly personal, deeply emotive human behavior. Our own personal musical experience is deeply emotional: in some way, it exists in a murky place, deep inside of each of us. And can be very scary to have someone, anyone, a stranger, particularly an 'expert' look deeply inside you.

This is why, on my lessons site, I call my lessons 'seriously fun':

I try to make sure that both the student and I remember the operative verb for making music: to play. To remain true to the spirit of the verb, I endeavor to find more creative and playful ways for students to interact with their instruments and to be musical, all the while cultivating fundamental skills. The more I work on this, the better my students get.

'Don't Practice...' perhaps I will start to encourage my adult students, instead to "play." Kids seem to have no problem finding a playful place to work on their musicality, but the upwardly mobile set that I see in D.C. do. One of the most important things I do is

Cultivate a playful practice on your own by thinking of your practice as exploration. When you make your next mistake, and the hairs go up on the back of your neck, do this:

Laugh at yourself. You made a boo-boo. To err is human. Thank goodness you are not a robot.

You breathe!

So, breathe through the impatience and frustration, and then listen to the sound of your mistake in you mind. What happened? The only way not to repeat this mistake is to be sure you understand the nature of it: those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.

Perhaps, if you can, repeat it so that you can understand the nature of your mistake.
Who knows?
It's possible that you will actually like the sound.

In jazz, there are 'no wrong notes, only poor choices'. What kind of choice did you make? How was it different than the choice that you intended? Is the problem musical or technical? Left hand or right hand?

Then, after you evaluate that mistake, figure out what you need to correct in your performance: slowly, gently perform the musical passage you are working on one time. Breathe between repetitions, and during the playing of music. Repeat as necessary.

If it's not working, put the guitar down... go for a walk... listen to some music....

Then, gently and very slowly, come back and try it again.

Last Minute Candy Gig:

2010-06-24T11:33:00.009-04:00

Breaking news: The Candy has been asked to fill in this Friday night at The Red And The Black in D.C. Due to scheduling, we are doing this gig as a rock duo, White Stripes or Black Keys style, if you will. I'll be playing a lot of slide, fat and low baritone. The musical freedom afforded by having only one harmonic instrument will be very enjoyable. Come down and check it out!

Why Take Lessons?

2010-06-17T09:39:00.011-04:00

Occasionally, at cocktail parties, I am asked this question:

"Why take lessons?"

My second best answer for this is: Music has been taught, one on one, for tens of thousands of years. That's how it is done.

There are exceptions, but most often, these exceptions are placed in bountiful musical surroundings. They may not take 'lessons' or have a 'teacher' per se, but they learn the musical language in the method about which every language teacher effuses: they learn by immersion. So, if you can afford to quit your job, run away, and start a band, go for it. That is, indeed, how it is done.

If you can't afford to do that, get yourself an instrument, find some guidance, and get going. It's always better late than never, but it's never too soon to start.

My best, simplest, most succinct answer for "Why take lessons?":

"I do."

Learning music is a practice, and there isn't an end to the road. I revel in continuing to learn music. Here is a list of my current teachers. Really, they should each get their own post. And perhaps they will. I have some other teachers I'd like to thank, too, so I'll be back with a post about my earlier teachers.

My Current Teachers:

W. A. Mathieu

http://coldmountainmusic.com/bio.html

Allaudin, as I call him, is a genius, who is famous in many circles. He was one of the founders of the legendary 'Second City' comedy group, as its musical director. John Coltrane called him 'one of the best minds in music theory' or something like that. His book Harmonic Experience has been hailed as 'The Rosetta Stone of music'.

I'm lucky to have found him, and even luckier still that he will entertain my music and musical questions twice a month via speakerphone. His tutelage is invaluable to me.

Mick Goodrick

http://www.mrgoodchord.com/newSite/buzz.html

Mick was my teacher at New England Conservatory, and the whole reason I went to N.E.C. I should give a quick shout out to Eric Byers, one of my informal teachers, for introducing me to Mick. Mick's book, The Advancing Guitarist, is considered a seminal work in Jazz Guitar education circles. I make a point to see Mick when I am in Boston, and he always has excellent suggestions for enhancing my creativity and my knowledge of the guitar.

Larry Snitzler

http://www.larrysnitzler.com/home.html

Larry is a fantastic teacher of music and classical guitar technique. If you want to learn classical technique and repertoire, look no further. Larry is your man. I don't see him as often as I wish I could. However, his mentoring on teaching and technique issues has been, and continues to be, very helpful. He is a wonderful human being, and a good friend.

The Grand Candy

2010-06-13T10:29:00.016-04:00

It's been a few years since I felt like being in or promoting a band. Making music is a wonderful thing. Finding like minded musicians another thing. Schlepping gear and cajoling a fanbase are something else altogether.

I've finally found a few like minded musicians in the D.C. area, and the result, currently, is something akin to Gospel Death Metal.

Two songs, available for free download now at the Candy's ReverbNation page (or through the magic of Facebook) are the yin and yang of the eternal question:

Salvation or Damnation?

'Made A Devil' is a fire and brimstone blues song of the 'I done her wrong' and now there are 'Hellhounds On My Trail' variety. Hell hath, apparently, exactly the fury of a woman scorned.

'I Need Liftoff' is the story of an angel fallen from grace. There are no guarantees for angels, even, apparently.

These tunes are not light reading: this is some heavy, heavy music. To wit, the gear I'm going to have to schlepp in order to reproduce this sound live will be mammoth. My back hurts just thinking about it.

Please check out The Grand Candy for yourself: If you are willing to be cajoled into joining The Candy's ReverbNation fan list, you get a free download of these songs. Please join! But don't say we didn't warn you first:

DC Guitar, Daniel Cohn and The Grand Candy assume no medical or fiduciary responsibility if these songs bend your mind. Please consult your physician if you have a heart condition or other health condition that precludes strenuous musical activity. How do you say Caveat Emptor when the tunes are free? Enjoy.