by Todd McPherren, bassist for Loose Chords I signed up for the Summer 2016 course, and it was a lot of fun. I recommend the program highly. Of course, everyone’s experience will vary a little: The lineups will always be different, and who can say what songs your band will[…]
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From the blog
Every show is a story. The above statement isn’t just true for plays or operas or things that are intended to tell a story. All types of shows, like stories, have common elements: They all have a beginning, a middle, and an ending, and stuff happens during all of that[…]
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What does your band do: practice or rehearse? Good bands do both. Practice Practicing is something you usually do by yourself. Learning your part in a song, improving your skills, working on new techniques and exploring new styles in your own playing. It’s also known as ‘woodshedding’. When you practice,[…]
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Um….here’s like….a song we wrote….” Bands spend a huge amount of time & effort on selecting their songs, doing the arrangements, and then rehearsing over and over until everything sounds great. And then they get up on stage and have no clue what to say to the audience or how[…]
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Tenacity, determination, and camaraderie are all useful tools in any collaborative endeavor. But our Spring 2017 band used them in great measure, with fantastic results! The members of Some Assembly Required had a lot of obstacles to overcome. The term began with 2 nice-sized bands, then went to 2 small[…]
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Working with The WestSiders on their 3-show tour for Spring 2016, I realized that an important but overlooked part of doing shows is the terminology used within the performing arts. So, here’s the beginning of what will eventually become a glossary on this site. Suggestions are welcome, so don’t be[…]
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