Transitioning From being a Bedroom Guitarist Into being a Musician by Eliane Delage

I started learning the guitar at 10 years old. The love for music had always been there, the safe feeling of being immersed in sound and melody. The warmth of songs, the different turns emotions would take on a path paved by chords and harmony. In playing the guitar I found the key to enter the mysterious world of music. My own private Universe. The songs I was able to play at first unlocked doors to enter a new adventure. The first chord I learned on the guitar (it must have been a D or an A because I played a lot of songs with those…) held the power of opening the gates of that universe, creativity.

I felt tremendously empowered in playing entire songs, extremely simple at first, but nonetheless precious pieces of this beautiful puzzle, musicianship.

I spent hours in my bedroom practicing chords, trying new songs, treasuring my new found fortune, improving and polishing my skills, it was a fantastic journey to the most amazing places, but still… all in the bedroom. I was an incredible bedroom guitarist. And, that was fulfilling in itself but trouble is, it didn't make it "real".
Being a musician and playing music can really only exist if an exchange occurs, as simple as having 1 person playing and 1 person listening. Dogs are wonderful listeners but they don't make it "real",  sorry. The magic happens when the connection is made from one human being to another, validation.

A rush of reality felt true when at 11 y/o I braved up and would go play with a friend at mass every Sunday. Then, came recitals, local contests, High School performances, bands, studio recordings, radio contests, local gigs! Any outlet I could possibly find to play my guitar in front of people! It was true, it was real now. reality!

When teaching, my goal is to show students new chords, strumming patterns, lead technique, etc. But it is also to share the feeling of empowerment acquired by playing the guitar. A feeling that will be theirs and theirs only. The key to their world of music, where all is great all the time. A token to freedom.
Transitioning from being a bedroom guitarist into a musician is a scary but freeing process. Here are a few things you could look into:

• Playing the guitar at a friend's party!

• Joining a Group Jam Session! (Happy Hour Guitar http://nycguitarschool.com/intclasses/happyhour.shtml)

• Going to an Open Mic !(http://www.meetup.com/nyc-guitar-school-open-mic/)

• Joining a Band Class! (http://nycguitarschool.com/advclasses/adultrockband.shtml) 

• Forming your own band!

Whichever choice is right for you, I wish you the best of luck! Go on, get out of the bedroom!

Eliane :-)

The Upside of the Down Beat by Eliane Delage

Creating a rhythm is a process as simple as two distinctive clicks, claps, taps.
The first hit falls precisely on what we call the "down beat". The second one will determine how long is the duration of one count.
In making music we can only play on two different places, the down beat or the off beat. That's it. Pretty simple.
Once we establish a tempo (at least two beats) there will be a specific down beat, very precise, can't miss that, it is there always happening at the same point in time. Now, the "off-beat"…well, that is a vast green field that could stretch for miles before we encounter the down beat again. In practical terms; there are a LOT OF PLACES to play during the "off-beat". We could hit it right after the DB stuttering the beat or right before the next DB creating syncopation. The question is how far from the DB should we play to achieve a desirable rhythm? By being accurate and consistent we would be executing different "styles" of music. Reggae. Rock. Blues. Brazilian. Funk. Many more. They all rely faithfully on a specific distance between the DB and when we play again in the OB.
DB - - - OB - - - DB - - - OB
So, this line above is showing a consistent tempo where we hear the DB wait 3 dashes for the OB then another 3 dashes and there is the DB again.
When we play precisely on the OB we are playing in the exact middle point of the distance between the 2 DB.
That would be the length of an 1/8 note if we have one count as a 1/4 note.
The trick is to be extremely aware of where the OB sits in between the 2 DB so we can play different rhythms and give patterns the right "feel".
But it is not all a mystery. Even though there are many options for when to play in the somber OB space, we can pretty much narrow it down to specific sub points. Get your calculator out. That is right, we need to count now.

play - - - play - - - play - - - play - - - play = straight beat
DB  - - -  OB  - - -  DB  - - - OB  - - - DB

DB  - - -  play - - -  DB  - - -  play - - - DB = reggae
DB  - - -  OB  - - -  DB  - - -   OB  - - - DB

play - - -  play - - -  play  - play - OB  - - - DB = bossa nova
DB   - - -  OB  - - -  DB    -   -    - OB  - - - DB

play  -  -  -  OB  - play -  DB  - - - OB  - - - DB = funk
DB    -  -  -  OB  -    -   -  DB  - - - OB  - - - DB

Here are just a few examples of how the distance between hits will define a whole style of music.
The basic idea is to divide the "count" in half and equally separate the DB and OB, once we've done that we can then choose to anticipate or delay the hits in between. Pretty cool, right? There is a lot of science to rhythm and music and trying to explain how it all works is a crazy task. The important thing is to get in to the groove and let your body understand the rhythm on a raw level, just like dancing. Once you get grooving to the beat it will be a lot easier to choose when to play and, most importantly, when NOT to play. Creating the right space between notes and allowing for the beat to breathe is genius. Have fun!

Happy Hour Guitar in NYC

Happy Hour Guitar in NYC
May 26th, 2011, by Eliane Delage.

In a city of intense work and play, endless options are presented daily in the search of the perfect after work hang out, extra activities, a life of your own outside the office.
For those with a little guitar knowledge, or even proficient at the instrument, a fantastic blend of practice and entertainment has arrived; Happy Hour Guitar has been created and the buzz is building up around the city’s guitar community. Professional adults leave the office eager to hang out with other guitarists and improve their playing while having an amazing time. Here is the scenario.

It is 5:31pm...the doors of the elevator shut close and you descend into real life, it is Friday. Instinctively reaching for the tie, loosening up face muscles into a relaxed grin, it is time for a beer.  Holding the pick in your pocket you think to yourself:“I’ll play Hotel California even better today”, and the grin widens. “Last week’s practice was so much fun, I wonder if Jessica (is that her name?) will come and jam today...?”
You pay for your beers at the corner deli and head over to guitar world, what a perfect way to break between work and dinner, it is time for Happy Hour Guitar.

You get in your seat, your personalized coaster shows you have six sessions left, a room full of talk, guitar tuning, random rhythms, bottles opening, it is time to get settled. You pick up a guitar and all play a beautiful collective G, it is in tune.  The room quietens as the playlist is announced. Lights dim and the first song is cued up. A brief explanation of the chords and strum in the song is welcomed as you reassure confidence brushing up on the Fmaj7 chord. The video is fired up and the synchronized strum frenzy begins, it is time for Guitaraoke. As the first song ends, a cheerful burst of spontaneous applause and laughter emerges, yes, give yourself a hand, it is time to shine.

For more info and sign up go to:

Happy Hour Guitar at NYC Guitar School

Happy Hour Guitar in NYC by Happy Hour Guitar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.