Find out the interesting things which have been happening in the world of aural skills development and ear training. Have we missed any?

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• Making Time for Improvisation
• The most relaxing song ever created?
• Silent Practice: The Art of Inner Listening
• Free Jazz Visualisation eBook
• Why Sound?

Making Time for Improvisation

In the post “Making Time for Improvisation” Joy Morin recently advised teachers to “encourage the student to play whatever sounds good to them” and provided some examples of simple exercises which can be used to draw out the student’s creativity at the keyboard.

The most relaxing song ever created?

The band Marconi Union have worked together with Click to read the rest…

Looking for fresh inspiration or guidance, or just some entertainment? Here are a few things from the world of music and sound which might be of interest!

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• Experts weigh in: How to improve the sound of your recordings
• Tips & tricks for transcribing music quickly
• How do beatboxers make those sounds? Let’s take a look…
• Top sites for music educators
• JazzAdvice.com on how to hear what you want to play
• The “Truck Driver’s Gear Change” through the ages

Experts weigh in: How to improve the sound of your recordings

Many keen amateur, semi-professional and professional recording engineers are now choosing the superb Reaper DAW software for making and editing their recordings. In this epic thread on the Reaper Forums, many of them weigh in on the classic question: “Why don’t my recordings sound good?”:

• Read their answers here

MuseScore Provides Top Tricks for Transcribing Music Quickly

If you read Matthew Abdallah‘s article on song transcription you might find this one interesting too: the MuseScoreTips website regularly publishes tips for the free score editing program Click to read the rest…

Ask a guitarist to name five famous Les Paul players and you’ll probably get Slash, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend and Joe Perry… and maybe Ace Frehley, or the late great Gary Moore. There’s plenty of players to choose from: a quick look at the Gibson website reveals that just amongst the models currently on sale there are 23 signature edition Les Pauls!

With so many legends making their name using Gibson’s most famous axe it’s easy to overlook the fact that every one ever made is a signature model of the “Wizard of Waukesha” Les Paul himself.

If, at this point, you’re wondering who Les Paul is you’re in good company. When I was a kid I had heard that he was the man who invented the electric guitar, and so I naturally assumed that he must be an engineer who worked for Gibson.

In this series I’m going to explore the life of Les Paul: the only man to be in both the Inventors and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and hopefully demonstrate why I believe he is the greatest example in history of musicianship and innovation acting in perfect (multitracked!) harmony.

First, let’s get a few things straight: Les Paul didn’t invent the electric guitar, the solid body guitar – or even the Gibson “Les Paul”! He did however have a key role in the development of all three. He was also responsible for innovations arguably even more important, which changed the way music would be made forever and paved the way for the jazz and country music of the 40′s to mutate into Sgt. Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon in the 60′s and 70′s.

We’ll start with a look at the classic Gibson “Les Paul” guitar, and Les’ role in its creation. In subsequent parts we’ll be learning about his vast contributions to the art and technology of recording, and audio effects.

Les Paul and the Birth of the Electric Guitar

As a youngster, Les Paul played acoustic guitar and harmonica in a hillbilly act under the name Rhubarb “Red” (where he invented the neck-mounted harmonica holder; but that’s another story).

After a show he was handed a note by an audience member saying “Your act is great, but no one can hear your guitar”. From that day forward he knew he needed to get amplified if he wanted to make the big time.

Click to read the rest…