Northwest Magazine.com
http://www.philfischer
12.22.05
Distribution is not easy for Internet Artist Northwest
Magazine Tim Emerson Seattle Artist Phil Fischer has had
to run to another continent to get distribution for his
debut album despite the many ROCKSTARS that offered
performances on the tracks. You see, unless you sign on
the dotted line with a major label, you will NOT get
distribution into the retail markets. That's the control
the labels have on the industry. "It's just crazy",
Fischer told Northwest Magazine "that the labels are so
powerful and years of hard work can never be heard".
Even after all that heartbreak, and spending over
$125,000 to make "wounded soul" a reality, Fischer could
not find distribution anywhere, not even at Starbuc.
Tim Emerson
Tim@northwestmagazine.com
Phil Fischer
Music Artist - Phil Fischer
How to Choose a Private Music Teacher
Whether you are considering a teacher for yourself or your child, a music teacher needs to have the right balance of likeability and strictness. This is crucial. Friendly teachers without firmness or insistence lack the ability to push students in the right direction with the benevolent detachment that is required. And stern teachers with no ability to show a friendly side can make the learning experience too intimidating.
If the instructor you are searching for is intended for your son or daughter, you need to be aware of how your child works with different types of personalities. While adults can often respect a person they don't care much for, some children find it hard to make that distinction. They respect whom they like, and they like whom they respect. If they find a tutor to be unlikable as a person, they will have difficulty learning from that individual. I have witnessed over the years many students who have struggled with their private teacher. And with children, the results of a bad student-teacher relationship can be disastrous. I know students, some with promising careers ahead of them, who gave up their instrument because they didn't like their teacher. They didn't just give up the teacher they gave up everything to do with music! So it is very important to choose a private teacher wisely.
Private instructors who are accepting students usually make their availability known through bulletin boards in malls and at local schools, by word of mouth, or by advertisement in a newspaper. In larger towns or cities, the choices are numerous. How can you filter through all of the ads to find the right teacher? There are some guidelines:
References
- Never choose a teacher without getting a list of references. If a teacher does not offer to provide references, avoid that one. Be sure to call at least two references.
- Ask the reference about the teacher's rapport with their son or daughter, strictness (strictness is good, but must be tempered with kindness) and reliability (does the teacher make a habit of canceling lessons, etc.)
Program
- Ask the teacher about the program of study. It is important that a teacher be at least somewhat interested in the student's interests. But at the same time, a good teacher will insist that certain techniques will need to be mastered no matter what style the student eventually specializes in. (Rock & roll pianists need to learn their scales as much as classical pianists.) Teachers who are too accommodating ("Oh, I'll teach whatever you want me to teach
") should be avoided.
- An instructor should show interest, and have some expertise, in a student's particular stylistic concentration. If you are interested in jazz, but your teacher knows nothing about it, look for a different teacher.
Policy regarding missed lessons.
- If the TEACHER misses a lesson: Most teachers who miss lessons will offer to make them up at a later date. A good teacher will minimize this circumstance. If the teacher is a busy performer/ clinician, they need to be upfront regarding the possibility of missed lessons. This is something you can discuss with the teacher and ask references about as well.
- If the STUDENT misses a lesson: You need to expect that a good teacher will be (and should be) intolerant of habitual absenteeism. If you are finding a teacher for yourself, ensure that you have made these lessons a priority, and that you have set aside the agreed lesson time. If your child is the student, a good teacher will guard that lesson time jealously. It is not usually acceptable to cancel lessons because of a birthday party, sporting event or other social activity. Hiring a private instructor means devoting time to that weekly lesson and keeping absenteeism to a bare minimum.
Some other bits of advice: While it is possible to "interview" a potential teacher over the phone, I would recommend arranging to meet if possible. You will get a better handle on their personality and demeanor, and this is so important.
You will need to discuss price. There tends to be a "going rate" for private instructors, and this will vary from one area to another. Perhaps you know of others who are studying privately; you might be able to contact them to get a ballpark figure. Teachers will usually offer half hour, forty-five minute, or full hour lessons. For very young children a half hour is sufficient. Forty-five minutes is great for middle school-aged children (12 15 years of age), and hour-long lessons are a good choice for older students.
Some teachers will request payment in advance while others will accept payment per lesson. Though most have developed a payment policy over the years, some can be somewhat flexible, so don't be afraid to discuss it with them openly. There are many instructors who have been "burned" in the past by students who have forgotten to pay, so you can expect such teachers to have fairly exacting payment terms.
People hire private instructors because they want to go further than they might go in a class situation. If you aren't ready to commit to the time to practice (at least forty-five minutes per day, or more for some instruments), private lessons may be a waste of time and money. Students preparing for university study in music should certainly be considering private instruction for at least the year prior to the audition. The private teacher can ensure that students know what is expected of them on a university-level playing test, and can suggest appropriate repertoire for the audition. And you will love the advancement that comes with private instruction.
___________________________________
Gary Ewer is a veteran music teacher, clinician, composer and arranger. He is most well known as the author of The Essential Secrets of Songwriting and Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory
Gary has taught music to students of every age group, from five-year-olds in elementary school, through to university-level musicians. This enormously wide-ranging scope has given him a unique perspective on how people learn. Teaching is his passion.
He is in demand as an adjudicator, clinician, conductor and composer. His music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles from amateur level through to professional, including the world-renowned Elmer Isler Singers, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Symphony Nova Scotia, and others.
He currently teaches orchestration, theory, ear training and choral conducting at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Your Free Acoustic Guitar Lesson
Here is a free acoustic guitar lesson to help you improve your guitar playing skills quickly.
This guitar learning techique will teach you how to fingerpick folk-style, but in a Latin rhythm in the key of A. This Latin rhythm has eight quick beats to the measure, and is accented on the first, the fourth, and the seventh beats.
This guitar lesson will focus on using your right hand, and your thumb will play the accented beats. Your fingers will follow. Finger number one, the index finger, is to pluck the third string on beats two, five, and eight, and fingers two and three will pluck the second and first strings together on beats three and six.
In the following acoustic guitar lesson, you will chord an A for the first sample. To keep it simple, let's take the beats one at a time...
Acoustic Guitar Lesson - 7 Steps to Chord an A:
1) First, the thumb plucks the open A string for a bass note.
2) Next, finger one plucks the third string, which is sounding an A.
3) Then fingers two and three pluck strings two and one together. These two notes will be a C-sharp and the open top E string.
4) Now the thumb immediately plucks string four, which is an E and works as an alternate bass string. That's beat 4.
5) Now beat five is just like beat two, with finger one plucking string three.
6) Beat six is just like beat three, with fingers two and three plucking the top two strings.
7) On beat seven, use the thumb to pluck the third string, then finish up with fingers two and three plucking the top two strings again.
When you've practiced the acoustic guitar lesson above a few times, it will become second nature to you to pluck this Latin rhythm.
Your next part of this acoustic guitar lesson is to try the same finger picking pattern using an E chord. Since the open sixth string is your bass note, you'll pluck it on beat one. Follow through with the rest of the measure in the same pattern, except your thumb plucks the fifth string on beat four and the fourth string on beat seven. When you've mastered the E chord the acoustic guitar lesson moves on to the D chord. With D, you can just use the fourth string for your thumb-plucked bass note each time.
Acoustic Guitar Lesson Tip:
Here's a fast acoustic guitar lesson secret for making the above finger-picking style of guitar playing a little fancier. Chord an A. Here's how...
When you pluck the fourth beat of the measure lift your chording finger - it's the ring finger on your left hand. Lift it and then press it while plucking. You'll get a little slur at the start of the note. This sounds great when you build speed up. Try the same little trick when playing the key of E, too. It will be finger two that you will be lifting.
Finally in this free acoustic guitar lesson for you, put everything together in a chord sequence. Play A for two measures, then D for two measures. Play E for two measures, then back to D for two measures, then A to finish up.
Article by Anna Rowe. Visit her online guitar lesson site to get guitar playing tips and guitar lesson program reviews. Learn how to play guitar with amazing guitar playing soluitons and free guitar lessons.
