SOMA Broadcasting

Not everyone can do it; sing and play an instrument at the same time. We can walk and chew gum, we can talk or text and do anything else. However, after reading this blog hopefully you will have a new appreciation for those who are performing musicians who also sing.

Most of my younger years were spent sight reading music and singing classical. I rarely, if ever, picked up an instrument. I played the piano and guitar sparsely but I was in a chorale group and I was good at singing so I didn’t have any problem. After high school I joined a reggae band, frat band and rock and roll band as well as attended college full time. I loved performing other people’s songs with bands, being a lead singer was as far as I went. Once I picked up the guitar and started learning to play it was another ballgame. I had to memorize (yikes!) and practice! (God forbid). I actually learned pretty quickly, in fact after three weeks I could play every chord and 100 songs. I took my place in the back of our church guitar group, there were 12 of us! I liked being in the back, un-noticed.

That, my friends, took guts. Once I was well rehearsed and knew the songs,  I would be sent out with my group and THEN I started to learn to play and sing. I wasn’t afraid because I was in the background. No one would hear me or see me if I screwed up.  It was a gradual progression for me. Ultimately, my church hired me to sing and perform solo. I was shaking in my tree! I did that for several years and discovered that I could hold an audience and not make a complete fool of myself, stumbling through words, chords, etc. It became like breathing, effortless and energizing.

Eventually, and exactly 16 years ago, I started writing my own music, lyrics, composition, the melodies and the music. I had the desire to perform them to live audiences wherever I was called to. Here again I was put to the test; not only was I playing guitar and singing solo, but I was performing my very own music. It seemed so personal to me at the time. I was brutally self-conscious and sometimes I would even cry if it was a deeply emotional song (which I had a tendency to write, especially at the beginning). After years of performing that feeling has gone by for the most part. The only difference is now, when learning a new song, I get a little nervous.

I will always remember my father’s wise words to me; Once you decide to make your music public you offer it to others for them to call their own. How many times have you heard someone say, “That’s my song” or  “Our Song” perhaps from a particular memory or relationship. In any case it’s out there for someone else to enjoy. I have no right to mock it or laugh at it or take it lightly. Original music is serious business.I enjoy playing and singing for people and watching them grab a hold of the music. That, in itself, takes the pressure off and allows me to be myself and play like I want.

Creating;  the process of live performance jamming. Creation is intrinsic to the human race and is the basis of all life. Creating music is just as fundamental as creating in any other medium.

Have you ever watched a band on stage in awe, wondering how do they do it? How do they all synchronize at different frequencies,  emphasize different sections of each measure and yet it is one harmonious sound?  It is marvelous and beautiful to watch and hear.  It appears effortless.  This is what we strive for.

Skill, talent and experience are all elements that need to go hand in hand with each other.  Skill comes with practice.  Practice comes from a desire to master the instrument,  whatever it may be. Talent is a wild card and can have complex interpretation. It has been said that when Frances Glum came onto the Hollywood scene,  she was neither talented or particularly skillful but, was very young. Her mother put her through years of gruelling training so she could grow up to become Judy Garland. Because of her uniqueness and the times she came up in, she was a success and became an American icon.

The point here is that talent is relative and is not easily measured but, once you get into a nice jam session, skill and experience are key to avoiding what most musicians would call a “train wreck”. More often it’s the other way around.  At a particular jam in Rhode Island recently,  I found myself on stage,  acoustic guitar in hand, surrounded by a saxophone, an electric guitar, a bass and drums!  Nothing was planned,  sort of like ad libbing if you are a comedian and have no agenda as you walk out on stage.

I called out the key,  “A”, to the band and just started to play.  Anything goes! The other players had enough experience and skill to make it an adventure seeing what they came up with with their respective instruments based on the songs I chose. It’s exciting to be a part of that and to feel the dynamics unfold.

The audience may not know or even be aware that perhaps this was the first time this ensemble had ever played together before, or for that matter,  even met! In this case,  I had played with them before just not those songs.  The music was seamless and every note was played with ease. It was upbeat,  jazzy,  bluesy,  fun with a sprinkling of Western thrown in for audience satisfaction. A good time was had by all!  Until next time,  don’t be afraid to be you!
Peace,  Mardi

We all listen to music, we hear it everywhere, sometimes spontaneously. We
may land on a website while surfing the internet and music will suddenly
appear. It’s not unwanted, it just wasn’t expected. So, do we listen to it
or just hear it? Is there a difference between the two?

Hearing is a physical function and one of the 5 senses. It doesn’t require
any effort, it just happens. Listening is different. The impact of
listening is felt by all of us. It is a conscious effort to listen. Picture
yourself trying to hear someone who is speaking very softly. You have to
focus, intent on comprehending what is so delicately spoken.

As a musician and a music lover, the art of listening is appreciated and
absolutely necessary for the full completion of the process of the creation
of music and live performance. The listener benefits with auditory
nourishment and the performer is satisfied that his work is not in vain.
Someone caught it, many heard, but some listened.

In some scenarios the music and the performer are heard only, not really
listened to such as in restaurants and shopping malls. In these settings it
is not as likely that a performer would be able to deliver the same type of
performance verses a listening setting. It is possible, however, that a
random person will be listening unbeknownst to them and is thoroughly
enjoying it.

Ultimately, regardless of whether the audience is listening intently,
interacting with the performer or the audience is engaged in their own
conversation and perhaps not even be aware that music is playing at all,
the creation of music in some people’s beliefs is still completed.

Choose to be a listener. Listen and engage in live performance and recorded
music as it enriches your life and completes the process of creation to
performance to response.