https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com By M.J. Murphy Mon, 09 May 2022 17:13:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/image-2.jpg?w=32 https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com 32 32 27631099 noCpopyright 2011, Twilight Storm Media, All Rights Reservedmusic,philosophy,of,music,music,theory,musicology,guitar,lessons,instruction,scales,chords,soloing,improvising,songwriting,zen,composing,rock,jazz,blues,classical,art,arts,essay,audioblogEssays on music from M.J Murphy's Twilight Guitar blog. The podcast covers a wide range of topics including music theory, techniques, philosophy and musicology. Welcome!Essays on guitar playing, music philosophy, music reviews, interviews and more.M.J. MurphyMjmurphy61@gmail.comM.J. Murphy https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/facing-the-fear-of-practicing/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/facing-the-fear-of-practicing/#respond Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3409 Continue Reading →]]> "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek. " Joseph Campbell In the basement of my childhood home there was a big, dusty, menacing piece of furniture that nobody ever went near. My first memory of it was being warned to stay away from the “monster” because it would crush my... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/facing-the-fear-of-practicing/feed/ 0 3409 Saint_Michel_combattant_le_dragon mjmurphy61 Saint_Michel_combattant_le_dragon 450px-Tommy_Emmanuel_flickr Joseph_Campbell_(cropped) Heroesjourney Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/05/02/classic-guitar-solos/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/05/02/classic-guitar-solos/#comments Mon, 02 May 2022 09:17:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/classic-guitar-solos/ Continue Reading →]]> Guitar solos have long been part of what makes a good song great. They have inspired millions of us to pick up a guitar (or a broom, or a hockey stick) and get busy learning our scales. The guitar is such an expressive instrument that is can sound like like many different instruments, not in... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/05/02/classic-guitar-solos/feed/ 4 1688 mjmurphy61 HEMtouralex&geddy Pink_FloydWall-front ah via musicom 220px-Van_halen_album_cover moving-pictures ozzman johnny-b-goode-chuck-berry-cd-cover-art led zeppelin 4 boston sultans Surfing_With_The_Alien nevermind Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/music-and-memory/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/music-and-memory/#respond Mon, 28 Mar 2022 12:06:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=2855 Continue Reading →]]> “The true art of memory is the art of attention.” — Samuel Johnson A good memory is the single most important skill a musician can have. If you haven't been blessed with a great memory, don't worry, it is something that can be improved and enhanced. Memories are like muscles and they can be developed... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/music-and-memory/feed/ 0 2855 Nature Photos mjmurphy61 chinese_symbols_for_memory Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/music-blast-from-past/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/music-blast-from-past/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2022 05:27:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=1509 Continue Reading →]]> A few years ago I went to see the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven's Symphony Number 3, "Eroica". I had heard it many times before on the radio and on CD but when the lights went down and the orchestra hit those first two monster chords, I thought to myself that Beethoven was surely... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/music-blast-from-past/feed/ 2 1509 mjmurphy61 Beethoven_2 Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/16/why-classical-guitar/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/16/why-classical-guitar/#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2022 23:29:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=4198 Continue Reading →]]> "The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." - Albert Einstein Mention "classical guitar" to many beginning guitarists and you will get a whole host of reactions, from "What's that?" to "Do you mean classic rock?" to "Why would you want to play that on guitar?". Despite a brief... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/02/16/why-classical-guitar/feed/ 14 4198 tarregga mjmurphy61 Christopher Parkening diaz Francisco Tarregga Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy)no"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." - Albert Einstein Mention "classical guitar" to many beginning guitarists and you will get a whole host of reactions, from "What's that?" to "Do you mean classic rock?" to "Why would you want to play that on guitar?". Despite a brief...... Continue Reading →M.J. Murphy"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." - Albert Einstein Mention "classical guitar" to many beginning guitarists and you will get a whole host of reactions, from "What's that?" to "Do you mean classic rock?" to "Why would you want to play that on guitar?". Despite a brief...... Continue Reading →music,philosophy,of,music,music,theory,musicology,guitar,lessons,instruction,scales,chords,soloing,improvising,songwriting,zen,composing,rock,jazz,blues,classical,art,arts,essay,audioblog https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/3061/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/3061/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2022 13:06:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3061 Continue Reading →]]> We can thank the Internet; it is now possible to listen to nearly every piece of music ever recorded. This is staggering to think about, but it is true. Today, there are millions if not billions of recordings available for download or streaming over the Internet. I haven’t done the math, but it’s a fair... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/3061/feed/ 2 3061 mjmurphy61 phonograph itunes Rhapsody Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/27/guitars-distortion-teslas-cat/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/27/guitars-distortion-teslas-cat/#respond Thu, 27 Jan 2022 14:50:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3859 Continue Reading →]]> "I wish they'd had electric guitars in cotton fields back in the good old days. A whole lot of things would've been straightened out." -Jimi Hendrix Nikola Tesla, great scientist, inventor of alternating current (AC), bringer of man-made lightning, pioneer of radio, and all around electrical visionary, once described his thoughts upon witnessing static electricity... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2022/01/27/guitars-distortion-teslas-cat/feed/ 0 3859 20130817-173908.jpg mjmurphy61 746px-Tesla_colorado schenker distortion settings bigmuff jimmy-page-bow-solo Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/adagio/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/adagio/#respond Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:26:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3191 Continue Reading →]]>   “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson The musical instruction "adagio" comes from the Italian phrase "a dagio" which means "at ease". It's a good word, and it got me thinking. The question always comes up: “How long will it take me to learn to play guitar?” as... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/adagio/feed/ 0 3191 IMG_0690 mjmurphy61 7-spiritual-laws-620x480 Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/music-across-time-and-space/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/music-across-time-and-space/#respond Sat, 11 Dec 2021 05:32:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=4293 Continue Reading →]]> Image of Ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, including a lute. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) “When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.” - Yo Yo Ma A few years ago I attended a cello concerto... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/music-across-time-and-space/feed/ 0 4293 mjmurphy61 Image of Ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, including a lute. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy)noImage of Ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, including a lute. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) “When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.” - Yo Yo Ma A few years ago I attended a cello concerto...... Continue Reading →M.J. MurphyImage of Ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, including a lute. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) “When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.” - Yo Yo Ma A few years ago I attended a cello concerto...... Continue Reading →music,philosophy,of,music,music,theory,musicology,guitar,lessons,instruction,scales,chords,soloing,improvising,songwriting,zen,composing,rock,jazz,blues,classical,art,arts,essay,audioblog https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/08/3146/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/08/3146/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2021 17:07:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3146 Continue Reading →]]> I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings. - Gustave Flaubert The ability to read music well is part of every musician's eternal quest for proficiency. If you want to improve on your current abilities (and who doesn't?) this post is for you. Two Types of Reading... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/12/08/3146/feed/ 1 3146 mjmurphy61 800px-InkErosion sheetmusic musicphoto Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/28/the-8-modes-of-practicing-music/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/28/the-8-modes-of-practicing-music/#respond Sun, 28 Nov 2021 13:06:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=2758 Continue Reading →]]> This article is about how you can maximize your productivity during practice sessions. It is also about rediscovering how to enjoy practicing again. We all know that having clear goals is the most important thing you can do to accelerate your rate of learning. But what exactly does it mean to say that we should... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/28/the-8-modes-of-practicing-music/feed/ 0 2758 mjmurphy61 Vielle Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/20/my-top-guitarist-picks/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/20/my-top-guitarist-picks/#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2021 00:45:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=1820 Continue Reading →]]> Over the years (and there have been many) I have found myself returning and listening to many of the same rock guitarists and saying "wow." This is a list of those players. I have narrowed it down for now by sticking to rock guitarists as opposed to traditional blues, jazz, classical, etc. (No need to... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/11/20/my-top-guitarist-picks/feed/ 1 1820 mjmurphy61 jimi_hendrix-1007 Jimmy Page, Earls Court London. Foto by Barry Plummer May 1975 05 AF2Ktouralex PRZ-001122 jimi-hendrix andy_summers EDDIE VAN HALEN V2 steve-hackett-out-of-the-tunnels-mouth-back-cover-44303 Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/10/22/five-albums-to-listen-to-while-reading-writing-or-studying/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/10/22/five-albums-to-listen-to-while-reading-writing-or-studying/#respond Fri, 22 Oct 2021 18:23:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=2219 Continue Reading →]]> Need to finish that writing or studying assignment but finding it hard to focus? Playing carefully chosen music in the background can help create the perfect atmosphere for concentrating while working and may even help inspire you to write that new novel or short story. There are a couple of things to consider when picking... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/10/22/five-albums-to-listen-to-while-reading-writing-or-studying/feed/ 0 2219 mjmurphy61 800px-Lewis_Hine,_Boy_studying,_ca._1924 51KD7mzxtdL._SL500_AA300_ amsterdam-loeki-stardust-quartet-nocturne 41E8T6BGFNL._SL500_AA300_ 41x1L+WxzuL._SL500_AA300_ 51UNSlS1HGL._SL500_AA300_ Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/4223/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/4223/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2021 03:15:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=4223 Continue Reading →]]> "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you are reading this, it is likely that you play music at some level. Maybe you're a solo performer, maybe you're in a band, or used to be in a band, or maybe you are practicing hard and... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/4223/feed/ 9 4223 20130721-224039.jpg mjmurphy61 20130721-224039.jpg 20130721-223649.jpg 20130721-222948.jpg Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy) https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/the-tools-of-attention/ https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/the-tools-of-attention/#respond Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:42:00 +0000 http://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/?p=3511 Continue Reading →]]> "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." - Michelangelo This is an excerpt from the ebook, "Midnight Arpeggios". Did you ever notice how right everything seems when you are busy doing something you love to do? At those times it doesn’t matter how much money, power or status... Continue Reading →

]]> https://twilightguitar.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/the-tools-of-attention/feed/ 0 3511 mjmurphy61 436px-Angel_by_Michelangelo_-_12 Alexander_Melville_Bell Mjmurphy61@gmail.com (M.J. Murphy)