By Keith Augeri
As another new year approaches, all of us should take some time to engage in a review of our musical activities of the past 12 months, and prepare a sort of musical “state of the union”. I like to present this to myself to re-live the ups and downs of the past year, in an effort to further my musical goals in 2007.
I am going to challenge myself (and hopefully some of you readers) to seek out some new music – preferably in a style that’s foreign from those which we regularly inhabit. I hope to gain an appreciation of some other forms and styles, by scheduling some time for what I refer to as “active listening”. I feel that this can serve to inform my own playing style, and make some connections between the differing styles I have some experience with, and those that are unfamiliar to me.
As to the more mundane concerns (practicing) of maintaining our abilities, if you can find ways to work on several things at the same time you may be able to get more out of a limited practice schedule. I’ve found some ways to combine 3 or more types of things that I know I need to work on, simultaneously. I’ll give a drumming example. First - coordination between the 4 limbs, Second - fine-tuning the “internal clock”, Third - finger/hand/wrist technique, Forth - movement between various sound sources, and Fifth – working out different intra-limb sub-divisions (quarter-note, triplet, sixteenth-note) are all things I know need work. I’ll set up a 2 over 3 poly-rhythm with my feet, while moving between my floor tom and snare drum (#4 and #5) as I move from playing sets of triplets to sets of sixteenth ( #1 and #3) notes, as I attempt to “stay with a metronome (#2). If I only have 15 minutes at least I feel that I’ve “practiced smart”. I’m sure that the same principles can be applied to the fret board – using a metronome to vary some cross-string lines, then mixing up the sub-divisions (while tapping out a 2/3 clave with your foot & whistling Dixie!) – well maybe not that extreme – but employing different parts of your brain and break free of those muscle memory type runs and licks.
What do you want to accomplish with your music in 2007? How about the business aspect of the “music business”? This is a key area that we all of need to cultivate, our networking. My objectives include playing different styles of music, with different people who have knowledge in these areas; as a consequence I need to dedicate time to “smooze” and seek out the venues and the players that inhabit these other musical realms, and to enlist them in my pursuit. I’ll need these contacts to help me expand my musical vocabulary in these other fields of music.
If I’m serious about this I’ll need to update my resume and my current promo packet. My band is in the process of updating our web-site, and adding new recorded material to the site for further exposure, which will hopefully generate some more gigs for us.
Another area is education – this past year my band did several concerts for youngsters, which had, as a component, a question and answer session after the performance(s) - sharing some information on playing concepts, gear, etc. Some of us have plenty of current students, and add new students all the time; but when was the last time you re-vamped your curriculum? How’s your sight-reading – I know in my case that mine needs help – my bare minimum currently consists of reading through Modern Drummers’ monthly “style and analysis” section – and if I can get a copy of the recording, to listen along with my reading. I know I’ll need to do more if I want to get my reading chops together.
Another area that you might be interested in is the recording engineering – what with the lost cost of digital recording gear & the current software that’s out there (relatively easy to understand I’m finding) – maybe a tutoring session with someone you already who has those type of skills would help you pursue that objective.
At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes a realistic assessment of the benefits of “down-time” may be in order. I’m speaking about the restorative power of recharging one’s batteries: emotionally, spiritually and physically. Get yourself outside and enjoy the wilderness and explore a new place, find some new work-out routine to incorporate, or read some articles or books by authors that you aren’t familiar with. I believe that these sort of things can give us all “something to say” when we step back behind our instruments.
It has been said that when really good musicians solo, they tell a story musically; without new experiences to draw from, our “tale” can become staid and uninspired – so go out there and attempt something new(to you)! I hope that some of you find these ideas useful, as we all strive to become “ a bit better” than we were last year.
In their final session, Ken and Matt discuss how Matt's musical life has changed due to the shortage of live venues in New England and how he promotes himself and his music, plus the current projects that he is involved in today. Enjoy!
