Articles of Interest for Musicians by Ellistrations: 01/07/2007

Friday, January 12, 2007

Goal Setting for Musicians Part III
From the Series: Playing in the Mental Key
Brought to you by:Ellistrations Music Apparel and Gifts

In the last segment of this series, we talked about the importance of setting down and writing out your musical goals. In this segment we would like to talk about the importance of setting down and writing out your long term goals first and then your short step by step plan to get you where you want to go.

You need two plans, one long term and one short term. I carry around with me, on a daily basis, two types of planners. One is a small day- to -day planner and the other is a long-term planner. The short term planner is from the company, At a Glance . This is a small 8 in. by 5 in. sized appointment schedule that can be used for scheduling your day and even writing down practice times and goals that you will have.

The planner is split down the middle so that I can write my day-to-day plans down on the left and on the right side I can write my specific music goals for the day. I also have a journal, which is the same size, and it has nothing in it but lines. I usually write my long-term goals in the journal and I like to write my short-term day-to-day plans in that book as well. This journal is like a sketch pad for my brain so I can write out daily ideas, plans and thoughts.

Now, to make sure that this idea works, you need to purchase these items and then use them. This plan will work for anybody or in any type of situation, be it music, art, business, etc. However, the one major factor that I talked about in a previous lesson was that in order for any of this to work YOU MUST TAKE ACTION!!! (Preferably massive amounts of it!)

Now to recap briefly what you must do let me restate the main poits of this action plan.

1. Prioritize your goals
2. Determine what they are
3. Keep a planner and plan out your music lessons from day to day.
4. Keep a journal and write daily your short and long term goals, sketching out and jotting down ideas and plans that come to you.
5. TAKE ACTION!!!!

Next week we will have more musical motivating factors to really get you rolling!!

How to Set Attainable Goals For Musicians Part II
From the Series:
The Mental Key of Music

Ellistrations Music Apparel and Gifts

In the last lesson from The Mental Key of Music, we discussed the fact that without a goal you are like a ship without any direction. The captain of the vessel (you) is a very frustrated individual without any clear objective or target. You were given a specific assignment of listing and establishing your main goal or purpose.

In this issue, our priority is to focus on the steps required to attain that goal

Notice: If you missed the last issue, please access it by going to www.ellistratioins.com and clicking on the archives page.

Ok, now you have taken the required first step and decided what it is that you want to get out of your musical life. The next step is to break down that goal into smaller attainable steps or “mini goals” An ancient Chinese proverb states, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” These mini goals, or steps, must be measurable, based on a timetable and they need to be realistic. There is no point in setting a goal of memorizing all the major and minor scales within one week, because it is too unrealistic.

Mini goals or steps must be measurable, based on a timetable and need to be realistic…

When I was in Jr. High School, (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I took private lessons on my instrument. My lesson teacher required that I purchase a copy of the Beginning Rubank Method Book. At the front of the Rubank book, there was a weekly schedule showing how many of the lines I was to learn and practice for the week. As I completed each lesson, there was a series of boxes on the schedule that an “X” was placed in as I completed each lesson. The plan took you all of the way through the entire book.

It was very effective! Many of the lessons were easier and able to be completed much quicker than the timetable established. Sometimes, the lessons had to be repeated because they required more skill to learn. The bottom line of this experience was that the Rubank book had a VISUAL set of mini steps or goals that you could actually look at and see your progress. It actually got to be a very exciting motivator, because you could actually see your progress through each lesson.

In this case, the overall goal was to complete the entire Rubank Method Book. The mini steps the lessons and lines I had to learn on a weekly basis. So here is a breakdown of the Goal Formula:

1. Determine your goal. (Discussed in the last issue)
2. Design a series of mini steps that will take you through one of your goals.
3. If you can, make a visual checklist that will chart your progress. Put this chart up where you can see it daily and keep track of your progress. Definitely look at it before each session. It will be a great motivator!!!

Assignment:

Using a weekly planner (which can be bought at any office store) or using a word processing program on your computer, make or design a chart of mini steps of action. Make sure you have room to put your assignments, dates and times. Put your chart up on a wall where you practice so you can see your results.

TIP: It is one thing to read these assignments and fantasize about them. It is a totally different experience to actually put them into action. Do yourself a favor, go out there and do them!!

In the next installment, we will cover Your Major Purpose on your instrument and how all of these smaller steps will get you there.

Goal Setting for Musicians Part I
From the Series:
Playing in the Mental Key
Ellistrations Music Apparel and Gifts

Imagine if you will, that you are on a trip and you are traveling on foot. On this journey, you take along all of the provisions that you need; you packed up a certain amount of food, and water and put shoes on your feet of course, clothe yourself. You carry maps, and a compass and even an inventory of everything that you will need. You have also prepared yourself physically for this by walking every single day and even running. Wow, you are totally ready for this trip and you stick your chest out with pride, as you head out the door and down the street. This is going to be the most awesome excursion that you have ever taken in your entire life……NOT !!!

You forgot one simple element! Even though you took everything that you needed and you prepared yourself for this event, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!! Now, I know at this point that you are probably saying,” Well, duh, I knew he was gonna say that.” However, I can guarantee that you are among the 95% of the musicians out there that have not defined any goals or objectives for themselves.

I have known musicians that buy the best instruction books, the finest instruments and have access to the greatest educational services in the world, but have not grown one single bit!!!

If you don’t have a target or an objective, how do you know where you are going? How can you measure your success on your instrument or even tell if you are growing as a musician? I have known musicians (and business people for that matter) that buy the best books, instruments and have access to the best educational services in the world, but have not grown one single bit!

It is a strange dichotomy that we expect these qualities from our politicians and leadership in America, yet the majority of us do not set goals ourselves. Can you imagine what success you would have as a musician if you had an actual plan for yourself? Have you wondered why some people effortlessly master their craft and music while others seem to flounder and loose interest in what they are doing?

Well, wonder no more! The reason you are not motivated to practice or improve your musicianship is because you do not have a target or goal in the first place. By placing a goal in front of yourself and a definite time limit, you are not only greatly increasing your chances of success, but you are creating motivation.

Motivation is basically the desire to do what you need to improve (practice). So, in reality, both goal setting and motivation are essential elements that create the necessary desire to improve.

As you may have noticed in the first paragraph, that without a sense of direction you are really in big trouble. So easily, the first thing you have to decide upon as a musician is which direction that you want to go. Do you want to learn how to perform jazz improvisation? How about developing a better range or tone on your instrument? Would you like to be the first chair flutist in your school or play in a major orchestra?

The very first thing you absolutely must do to begin your journey is DECIDE WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!!

Assignment: This week take some time to sit down, think and ponder what do you really want to get out of music. You may want to take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to think about it. Take out a piece of paper and write out as many goals as you can. Get real serious and aggressive about this. When you have a list, put the letter “A” next to the goal that is most important to you. After you have done that, you can place a “B” next to the next most important goal and so on down the list until you have listed those musical goals that you want to accomplish. For now, we will focus on the letter “A” goal because we want to focus on one thing at a time.

After you are finished with this assignment, pat yourself on the back because you have just done something that 95% of the musicians out in the world have not done….SET A GOAL!!!

Next Week

How to set attainable goals and actually improve your musicianship in just a few weeks!!!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Bassoonist.... Reinvent Yourself !
by
Ellistrations Music Apparel and Gifts

Go ahead, take inventory. You've been laughed at. Ridiculed. Youv'e been called "bed post holder", "double reed geek" and the worst insult of all..."sewage pipe sucker". It's not your parent's fault and it certainly isn't the bassoon's fault. You really can't blame anyone but yourself. Look at your appearance, you look like a reject from "Leave it to Beaver".

Yeah, sure, you know all of the answers to Jeopardy and you probably have a clean driving record, but that does not cut it in today's world. You have talent, there's no doubt about that. But talent isn't required anymore, because it's all about image. (If you don't believe me, watch a few reality shows on TV and you'll see what I'm saying is true.)

We know what you need. You need an image change and a check up from the neck up. To make it simple, you need a personality enema. Take a good long look at the image below. Isn't this the way it is? (Unless you're a female bassoonist, then just add a purse.) All nice and polite. A real dream boat. At this rate you'll probably wind up as an Accountant or a Human Resource Specialist, a fate worse than death.

Now, scroll down the page to see the new direction that your life is going to take. Don't be afraid, you can always resume your Clark Kent lifestyle when you go home to Mommy every night.

From the mild mannered you, to.......

The New You !

You are no longer unsure of yourself. You swagger down the the street of life with a renewed confidence that says, "Yeah, I'm a double reed player, a BASSOONIST in fact. Wanna rumble, huh? I've got a nice, sharp reed shaving knife in my back pocket and I'm not afraid to use it either, punk!"

You have all kinds of new biker buddies to hang out with. The opposite sex that is now attracted to you, is no longer the variety that takes a dump in your front yard. No longer do you hear snotty little nicknames like, "bazooka blower". Now, your neighbors refer to you with cool monikers like "Buzz" or "Reed Double X"

As if you haven't noticed, your clothes have changed too. Now, you are wearing the hippest new apparel. Click here to see what I mean. Not only have your clothes changed, now you are listening to different kinds of bassoon music. Music that you probably never knew existed. What kind of music am I refering to? Well, click here you radical!

Now, you are ready to take on the world, or at least the rehearsal hall and never forget that you heard it at Ellistrations Music Apparel first!

The Violent History of the Bassoon
By ELMO
copyright 2005 Ellistrations

Most people know nothing about the brave and distinguished history of the Bassoon and the role it has played in the Marital Arts.

During the feudal Heiji War in Japan(c. 900 AD) it was not uncommon to see Samurai Warriors carrying Bassoons.

Later, China would pick up the mantle with the little known "Bassoo

n
Revolt" in which bassoons were fitted with a sharp, spear like
projection.

Many cultures throughout Asia, to include the continent of Africa, have
used the bassoon in the past to use as a blow gun. Certain parts of the bassoon were blown through, launching a deadly, poison dart which could instantly cripple any prey or enemy.

The tradition of launching projectiles from bassoons was not used in modern times until World war II when the United States 6th Infantry was deployed
in what would become known as the "Battle of Beer Tent Hill".

So, bassoonists be proud of your heritage because it was forged by blood and double reeds!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The Basics of Breathing For Wind Players ...
By Elmo

Originally Posted 01/13/06

Students always seem to neglect the importance of the air ?stream and therefore suffer from consequential problems; poor sound production, lousy intonation, limited range and the inability to phrase efficiently. Any woodwind player or brass player can eliminate these problems by developing the ability to control breathing while playing . Usually the proper application of correct breathing can correct problems such as these.

Believe it or not, we don't use very much of our breathing capacity ! Usually when you breathe, you only use about 28 per cent of your full breathing capacity. The real problem is when you need to increase the capacity sufficiently to fill your instrument. When you inhale you use two forms a vacuum. One created by the diaphragm, the other by the muscles around the rib cage.

Diaphramatic Breathing

Here is a good demonstration of Diaphragmatic Breathing : Exhale all the air from your system, open your throat as if yawning and pant rapidly using the diaphragm ensuring the upper part of your body and chest area stays perfectly still. This rapid panting action creates a vacuum that sucks air into the lungs. If this is done correctly you will feel not only the stomach area expand, the top of your hips and back of your trunk will expand also.

Costal Breathing ?

The costal muscles are situated around the rib cage and they can create a vacuum when inhaling. An easy way to demonstrate this method is to follow the these simple instructions: Exhale all the air in your body and form a slightly stooped position, drooping the shoulders and leaning forward slightly. Pinch your nose with your fingers and keep your mouth closed. Then, straighten your body, as if a standing to attention. Once you are in a fully upright position, quickly open your mouth. You will feel an immediate suction of air into the chest cavity demonstrating that the costal muscles create a substantial vacuum.

1. Continuous Breathing

First of all set your metronome to 60 beats per minute, release all the air from your system like a deflated balloon. Slowly breathe in through your nose to the count of 10 (if you can hear yourself breathing in you are inhaling too quickly), then exhale through your mouth for a count of 10 then immediately repeat the exercise ensuring an even and smooth inhalation and exhalation of air.

2. Yoga Breathing

Again, set a metronome to 60 beats per minute, inhale to the count of 10, hold the breath for a further count of 10, then exhale for another account of 10. If you do this slowly and evenly, over a period of time you will increase your breathing capacity substantially.

You will also find that if you suffer with nerves these exercises will help relax your body and reduce those unwanted tense and stressful performances.

By studying the styles and teachings of some of the world's finest performers I have learned that the ability to control your breathing is the most important fundamental of playing a wind instrument. Spend at least 10 minutes a day doing simple breathing exercises with and without the instrument and you'll find that your control of the basic elements of your playing will improve dramatically. Alternatively, if you lose sight of your fundamentals they will some day come back to haunt you!

What inspires you?
By Elmo
Originally Posted 12/22/05

Ellistrations Music Apparel and Gifts

We all know the music is pretty inspirational thing. We you’re in a parade or on a stage, maybe even marching on a football field…people take notice. The melody of an instrument or the smooth sound of a singer’s voice can often times leave people standing in their tracks. And in many situations it can lift a person’s spirits, bring pride to a community or even increase the enthusiasm of fans watching a football game.

But to inspire, one must first be inspired. Very few musicians have the natural talent of a legendary guy like Mozart, a man who seemed born to create beautiful music. But most of us (including the mega-popular Christina Aguilera who debuted on the talent Show “Star Search” at a very young age) need endless practicing to get our music to the level of performance quality art. But that takes work…A LOT of work.

What exactly is it that motivates musicians to work tirelessly to improve their musical talent? What inspires them? What inspires you? Somewhere along the way you’ve been encouraged, inspired and motivated. What happened to make you endure the countless weekends and summers spent with band mates, participating in band camp? Was there a role model in your life that made you want to be a musician? Maybe a parent, a friend or an older brother or sister who has had a big impact on your life? Or was it something entirely different? Maybe it’s simply the music itself that inspires you to practice and improve day after day.

Whatever the reason, share with us some stories of the people and things that inspired you to become a musician. We’ll share your feedback with other readers on the next newsletter. You never know, your words might just be inspirational to someone else.

KEEPING THE FIRE IN YOUR BELLY:
A summertime guide to motivation

Originally Posted 12/12/05

Summer stretches ahead, enticing you with sleeping in and hanging out with friends. Who wants to mess with practicing music or guard work for a marching show that doesn’t mean squat to you now? That sheet music tucked neatly inside your instrument case is probably the last thing on your mind…. right up until the night before band camp despite your good intentions. So how do you keep musically motivated over the summer?

Famous, successful people are masters at being motivated. They weren’t born that way! What is their secret? Let’s look at two things that are the cornerstones for motivation. First, think about why you chose band in the first place. Was it a fascination with music? A form of expression? Did you take up band because it was a good way to get out of gym? Let’s assume you’re in this for the right reasons: the love of playing, the joy of creating, and the satisfaction of mastery. When you've lost motivation to practice, keep in mind what got you here to begin with. Dig down deep and ask yourself why. To keep the fire in your belly, you must have passion for what you are doing. Then write the reason(s) somewhere you can see it and refer to it. Keep the "I" in why you are in band: I love to pay; I want a music scholarship; I love being section leader; I want to make finals at BOA. No one can motivate you better than yourself!

Second, find out what is making you unmotivated. Is it because you don’t know the part and hate what you’re trying to play? Get a recording of the entire song/show. Listen to it from the standpoint of the whole piece, not just your part. Listen to it to enjoy it. Learn to feel the music and anticipate what's going to happen. Then listen just to hear your part. Is the music too difficult? Don’t tackle it all at once. Master a little bit each day and add to it. Before you know it, you will have learned it. Next, you can't create if you don't understand the show. Figure out what the director's concept is. Is it just playing music, or an interpretation of the music, or telling a story on the field? If you're using movie music, rent the movie and understand the story behind the music. Learn all you can about what you are being asked. Take away the fear of the unknown. Finally, if you're not motivated because you think you've got all summer, think again. Life gives you no summers off. Musical mastery and creation is a daily, never-ending road. Don’t put off learning your music. Do a little at a time-today. If you keep delaying until "tomorrow", pretty soon all you will have is a lot of empty yesterdays.

Chopsticks for Dummies"
Originally Posted 11/04/2005
By Elmo

As all percussionists know, how well you play is directly influenced by
your wrist strength and your ability to control that strength. Many
percussionists develop this strength by doing many repetitive exercises that
strengthen the wrist. These exercises are called "chop builders". In this
article we will talk about building chops and controlling your hands.

The first part of chop building is stick height. A stick should never be
more then 4 inches off the drum in my opinion. By never letting the stick go
above this point you can easily move the stick in the right stickings and
right rhythms without struggling to get back on beat on time. Remember stick
height is the key.

To maintain a steady stick height stand in front of a
mirror, and make a mark about 4 inches above your snare on your mirror with
an expo marker(these are erasable). Next practice with just one stick. Let
the stick freely bounce on the head, but do not let it pass the line on the
mirror. Every time you pass it start over and do it again. I recommend doing
this for around 20 minutes on each hand. Your hand may be tired after this
the first couple of times but I guarantee it will make your stick height
uniform.

The second part of chops building is hand control. Your hand should
never move the stick, that is the job of your strong wrist. Moving your
wrist and not your hand increases speed. I know this by experience my first
year in marching band I used my hand to move the sticks...it drastically
slows down your response time and playing ability.

The best way to practice on improving your wrist is to play a simple rhythm on a pillow. The pillow
strengthens your wrist because of the no rebound property of the pillow. I
recommend doing this in an 8 beat one handed pattern.

RRRRRRRR LLLLLLLL...etc.

And when you can do the quarter notes with out moving your
wrists, move to a new patter.
RRLLRRLL LLRRLLRR...etc.

After one week of
this simple exercise you should start to notice and change in your wrists.
If at anytime your wrists begin to hurt, discontinue that exercise until the
muscles in your wrists heal. It is very easy to strain your wrists if you
move to fast through this exercise. I recommend doing it for at move 10
minutes a day for a week and then gradually move up.

Practice is the key. If you practice these exercises at least 3 times a
week your chops will begin to become stronger. To maintain strong chops, you
must have a steady practice schedule. I recommend practicing using this
schedule: Monday #1, Wednesday #2, Friday and Sunday-do both exercises.
Until next time drummers, play that drum with all of your spirit
and heart.

Originally Posted 09/15 /2005

A Brief Dissertation on
Trumpet History
by Mark Ellis

History is sometimes a very difficult subject cover because events, ideas, inventions and civilizations are not always compartmentalized into one geographical area or one particular time frame. For example, the history of something like, let’s say umbrellas, may have been a scattering of different ideas, in many different cultures, in several time frames throughout the world. You could have had a development of umbrellas in ancient China around 1000 B.C., while there may have been a similar development in Africa at a much earlier time. This device could have possibly developed in many different places at many other eras.

The other problem with tracing an invention like the trumpet, is that once certain civilizations began to become aware of each other, they began to adopt these inventions and modify them.

I heard a joke on America’s funniest Home Videos the other night wherein the host of the show said in a humorous tone, that Thomas Crapper (Yes that was really his name and yes, that is where we get the wonderful term “crap” from) around 1860’s in England, was the inventor of the toilet. In reality, Thomas Crapper simply took an idea that had been around for a long time and modified it.

The Tale of the Trumpet

Historians do know that before1900 BC, (a time known as the Bronze Age) that ancient civilizations began to use something similar to the trumpet in one form or another. Some of the earliest trumpets in history were used for magical and religious reasons. Sometimes they were sung into (it was always a better sound if you had a good voice) or shouted into. I think there may even have been a man that tried to blow his nose through one, but don’t quote me on that!

The earliest of trumpets were made of wood and some were even made of conch shells with holes carved into them. These kinds were found in Africa, South America and the wooden ones were found in places like Switzerland, France and even Brazil.

The Shofar

The ancient Hebrews called their horns keren and they were usually made of the horn of a ram or an ox and could emit a few different pitches. The Hebrews eventually used these as ritual signal horns called shofar.

Note!
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It is a strange fact that these instruments are still made and in use today in the same form that it was in way back in ancient times.

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The shofar produces only two tones and they are really not that clear. In parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls there is a reference of using the shofar as a war cry and they were litterally called “the trumpets of killing”

Sometime around 70 AD the use of all instruments by the Hebrews were banned except for the shofar. There were all sorts of restrictions on this instrument as well. there could be no improvement (modification) on it and decorating or painting it was restricted. Also you couldn’t use the horn’s of a cow (maybe the Hebrews were lactose intolerant) and you could not fix or repair a cracked or broken one.

Later metal trumpets of the ancient Hebrews were fashioned and called hatzoroth. They were made of silver, short straight and ended in a slight bell shape.

Greek and Roman Trumpets

The Greeks and the Romans both had their own versions of the trumpet. The Greeks had a thing called the salphinx and the Romans had something similar to that later on which was called a called a tuba. (Which, of course, is not to be confused with the modern day tuba.) These horns were made of silver and other metals similar to brass and were long funnel like instruments that had a straight bore. Similar instruments like these were found in the tomb of Tutenkhaman’s tomb.
Another trumpet that the Romans used was called a buccina and it was a bent instrument usually used by the Roman army.

Note!
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Have you ever watched movies about the Roman Empire like Cleopatra or even Gladiator? Pay attention to the incredible trumpet fanfares that you will hear in these movies. They may make the move sound incredible and a lot more dramatic, but they are very far from reality. In order to play fanfares on trumpet like that you would have to have trumpets with valves, which did not come along until somewhere around 1840 AD.

******************************************************************

Mouth pieces on the earlier Greek horns were removable while the adopted Roman version were not for some reason. The Eutruscans had an instrument which was a forerunner to another Roman trumpet called the litui and kind if resembled a slightly hooked “J”.

The Roman litui served as a calvary signal instrument and they are also mentioned quite a bit in Roman literature. However, they are rarely depicted in pictures or talked about in roman military campaigns.

The Roman tuba which I mentioned earlier, looked a lot like a modern bugle that had two bends to it which made it a lot easier for a cavalry man to carry it on horseback during battle. This modification made it about one third its former size.

The Celtic Trumpet

Celtic peoples who invaded the fertile northern part of the Roman territory called the Po Valley around the 6th century AD, carried a martial trumpet around with them called a carnyx. This was a long, form with a straight tube and the bell end of it resembled the open mouth of an animal. Scholars believe that the Celts had adopted this desig and horn from Italy. The bell of the instrument is usually held well above the players head as was depicted on a silver cauldron found in northern Germany.

Note!
**********************************

The bell or mouth of the carnyx had a movable tounge that made it sound even worse than it already did. But this was used to really scare the Celts enemy in a time of battle. Think of that the next time someone tells you have lousy tone!

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any of the things that we still use in the world today are a result of the advancements made during the Roman Empire.

Articles of Interest for Musicians by Ellistrations

Friday, January 12, 2007

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

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