The Good Musician

The Good Musician introduces a new project: TGM exclusive interviews with local Texas musicians.
Today we’re talking with Rick Blincoe, who just released his first solo CD, “Don’t Bet the Farm.” You can listen at Rick’s My Space page, or at CD Baby.
Rick has been a musician most of his life, and paid his dues down through the decades as a solo and band performer. You just can’t pigeonhole Rick. His musical influences come from classical, rock, jazz, country, and he distills his musical and life experiences into thoughtful, highly listenable material. In case you’re wondering, the reason his backup …read more

3 Comments

Here is a video which is significant in that

the cellist was one of my longest-standing, dearest friends
it’s an excellent example of a jazz-classical-pop ’60’s mashup
that’s my black cat, Saturn, in the window
shows our corner of Topanga Canyon
great example of John Martin’s classical guitar
great example of Wilson Fisher’s writing/singing for 12-string guitar
that was my life

Listen to all the Green cuts, accompanied by photo-montages of the band and what the life of a musician was like in the ’60’s

Comments Off

While browsing YouTube I found some videos of my old pals Little Feat. This is the original Little Feat, before we lost the brilliant Lowell George. Here’s a loving tribute to one of the best rock ‘n roll bands ever. Tune in tomorrow for videos of the reincarnated Little Feat with the addition of musical genius Fred Tackett and the incomparable Shawn Murphy. Fred and I went to music school together, and Shawn has sung backup with many of the greats, including The Silver Bullet Band.

Comments Off

Heard of tapping? This is a stringed instrument played by tapping the strings on the frets, sorta like playing piano–no strumming or picking. The Tappistry Guild is a whole mess of people who play this style on guitar, bass, et al.
Traktor Topaz put out a very cool series of lessons for the tapper, you should definitely check out his in-depth pedagogy/musicology, delivered via the “Multi-String Shopper” newsletter.
The ultra fabulous Mobius Megatar dreams of taking over the world, one tapper at a time.

Comments Off

a new world
Sydney, Australia was home from 1994-96. Sights, smells, sounds, Australia has the best of just about everything. I was wildly fortunate to sing for most of that time with the Sydney Philharmonia Choir, performing in the Sydney Opera House and the ABC Orchestra studio.
Classical music was abundant, but so was phenomenal music on the rock, film, and pop scene. Here’s another link to Diesel, a.k.a. Mark Lizotte, whose work is electrifying, plugged in or not. Then there’s the Cruel Sea, headed by another magnetic singer, Tex Perkins. Australia Music Online (AOM) is not currently supported, …read more

1 Comment

We all face situations in which we are tested. I know you do. So frankly, as a musician I always face that moment of fear prior to a concert that let’s me know I’m not going to be playing at my fullest potential. So how do I try and get the engine warm before throwing myself to the wolves? Well here’s a few pointers.

Focus. In the meaning of the word, try to remove everything else from your mind, make it a clear pathway for absolute sole focus on your music. Ditch thinking about the audience, your teacher, your cold fingers. …read more

1 Comment

As you may know, I’m of Indian origin. That said, I would like to share some Indian music with you this time around, and show you an instrument that seems to be a variation of what Westerners would describe to be a guitar: The Sarod.
The instrument is highly interesting because in comparison to the guitar, the fretboard is made of steel and the left hand needs to have healthy nails to play. You actually play by pressing the edge of your nail to the string, not your finger! This allows bottleneck-style slides (try sliding a nail edge on your guitar).

1 Comment

Here’s the first in our upcoming series of Sunday Goodies.
I’ll use this platform to present to you my favorite musical stuff, from instruments to performances, mostly guitar-related.
Today we’ll kick it off with one of the most beautiful and most talented classical gutiarists out there, Ana Vidovic. She plays a piece I played for my music baccalaureate last year. Fantastic piece: Sonatina Meridional: 1. Campo by Manuel Maria Ponce.

2 Comments

Have you ever felt disorganized about your musical stuff?
Sure you have, and there’s a simple remedy: Keep a supply drawer. If it works in offices, it will work for musicians too. Make sure you keep it nicely organized. Some items you may need:

Personal hand care: Nail clippers are a common tool for pianists and anyone whose nails might be a problem. Nail files are guitarists’ best friends, and some hand cream is always good to keep you sore-free.

Instrument tools: A string winder, sandpaper for your oboe, a tuning fork, plectrums, and all those little tools you need.
Instrument care: A good …read more

1 Comment

Classical guitarists need to take care of their nails. Even the occasional finger-picker out there should make sure he has a good set of right-hand nails to achieve a major shift in tone quality.

2 Comments