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Music written during the Baroque and Romantic Eras was very structured. It usually starts out with a melody which is play twice. Then a second, counter melody, which is also played two times. Then other instruments repeat those melodies and there is a development. Then the same familiar melodies are repeated before the piece winds down to a conclusion. This is how I try to write when I am composing a symphonic movement. What this does is create order in the listener's mind. When there is order to music it is soothing and it helps the brain work well and think well. Educated listeners look for that structure when they listen to a composition. When one of England's kings was unable to cope with the stress of the job he commissioned what we call Handle's Water Music and Handle (who also wrote the Hallelujah Chorus) created that music along these universally accepted lines. Dr. Michael Ballam of Indiana University is of the opinion that the King of England commissioned the work because he had read about King Saul and the success he had with his troubled thoughts when David played the harp for him. Dr. Ballam, in a lecture called "Music & the Mind," states that in ancient Greece it was against the law for composers to write music that was not in a structured form and composers were imprisoned if they did. That is because music that repeats a melody more than two (max three) times becomes either increasingly monotonous and people tune it out or it becomes increasingly irritating and listening to it created riots in the...

Matthew Montfort Featured in December 2009 Issue of Guitar Player5 Page Guitar Player Magazine/GuitarPlayer.com Media Report (1.4 MB)Matthew Montfort's Purple RagaThe December 2009 collectible commemorative Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature with a photo of Matthew Montfort superimposed over psychedelic artwork portraying Jimi Hendrix and an interview with Montfort about the scalloped fretboard guitar, Indian raga, and his thoughts about the relationship of Indian raga to the music of Jimi Hendrix. The story includes links to related material on GuitarPlayer.com featuring Matthew Montfort's music:Free Music Lesson on GuitarPlayer.comThis is an online lesson created by Matthew Montfort entitled "The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga," which explains the...

Whenever I mention Song Writing to people it seems like a foreign subject to some, and to others not so much.  It seems like only the "music elite" can write good songs.  So we really just defer.
Well, what is Song Writing?  Song Writing is personal; it is you and I and whoever decides to think about...

By Ernie Mansfield
Tuesday, June 5, 20071- College Scholarships and Grants There are numerous scholarships offered by Colleges and Universities. A quick search on the Internet for “College Scholarships, Music” produced about 880 results. Although many of the music scholarships are offered to music majors, many are not. For example, some colleges are looking for special instrumentalists to round out their extra-curricular band or orchestra. Choral groups are often extra-curricular and looking for good singers and piano accompanists. Many independent music organizations also give out scholarships through private endowments. For example, there are a number of scholarships given to composers and songwriters from private endowments set up by some of the more successful commercial songwriters. There are also scholarships offered through musical rights organizations, music and arts-related unions, and other private endowments.The internet is a great source for finding these scholarships, and you do not need to pay for a scholarship service to find them. (A few years ago, we lost money on a “scholarship service” that was a scam. Please be aware of this!)One of the most important parts of qualifying for a music scholarship is an audition - usually a recorded audition. Therefore, it is important to seek the advice of the student’s music teacher when preparing the recording, or someone else who has experience in preparing professional audio recordings - or video recordings, which are sometimes required nowadays. (Apparently they want to see if the student is actually playing the part!) If the student is applying for a scholarship in composition, or anything else that involves scores or other visual information, they will also need high-quality samples of their work. Nowadays, this will mean...

By Ernie Mansfield*These guidelines will help you have a successful, rewarding experience learning an instrument. These are practical tips that have been discovered through years of teaching—both from my experiences, and those of other teachers. 1.)    How Young Is Too Young? How Old Is Too Old?For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons.  Some people will tell you “the sooner the better” but this attitude can actually backfire. If a child is put into lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to quit. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off music just because they had one unpleasant experience which could have been prevented. Sometimes if the child waits another year to start lessons their progress can be much faster. Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age usually do very well. (For a set of guidelines to determine how young a child can start taking music lessons, please email me and I will send you more information.) On the other hand, adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success is based on their willingness to commit to practice. The big problem for adults is that they can assimilate intellectual information much faster than “actuating” this information into their fingers and bodies. Another hurdle is that adults may already have an “ideal” of what they would like to sound like; it can be crushing to realize that you will not sound like Stan Getz on saxophone after five lessons—or even after five years! So what is the solution for this? The solution is to set realistic goals for yourself, and to understand that there are values in musical study that go beyond simply being “the best” or impressing your friends!It is never too late to learn an instrument. My oldest student this past year was 84!2.)    Insist On Private Lessons When Learning A Specific Instrument Group classes work well for ensemble...

Thursday, March 30, 2006A number of famous musicians have bragged that they can’t read a note of music - from film composers Danny Elfman, to Broadway composer Irving Berlin, to Rock star John Lennon - not to mention a whole slew of pop, jazz, country, and rock musicians. So, is reading music necessary? Yes, I think it is. Furthermore, I don’t think it is that difficult to learn. In fact, I question the claims of musicians who say they don’t read music - because it is my belief that most musicians do read music.... it is just that they don’t read it very well!You see, music notation is just a graphic representation of music. Every day you can pick up a newspaper of magazine and see graphs: of statistics, financial forecasts, or any number of things. Most everyone can understand graphs and charts in a newspaper or magazine. So, it is not...

To be totally honest, I would have to say that my art is not only a blessing. It is a double-edged, sword, if you will. On the one hand, I have wanted to be a professional musician ever since I was 10 - when I found out that it was possible to be such a thing! On the other hand, it is not so easy being a professional musician in this society. In our culture, the arts are often considered frivolous. That being said, here are some of the good things about being a musical artist:I have a discipline, similar to a spiritual practice. The discipline I developed in learning to practice my instruments has given me the ability to concentrate deeply. When I am playing music, my breathing changes; my posture improves; my mental state improves. There have been...

I have been studying music all my life, and have been a music professional since age 19. I spent over 30 years as a music professional, In the last 5 years, I have been teaching private music students full-time. In the past 6 I have taught almost 200 private students.I remember reading, when I was a kid, about the great magician Houdini, who, at the height of his career, posted how-to posters in the theatre lobbies where his performances took place. The posters explained how his magic tricks worked.Why did Houdini post these? Because knowing how the tricks worked only enhanced the appreciation of his skill as a magician. His performances were all the more remarkable because watching him perform was, in itself, magical. He was an artist.Now, I am no Houdini. But still, there are some very basic, simple methods anyone can practice to become a good musician. The trick is keeping at it long...

By Ernie Mansfield1-    It’s Fun! If you cannot have fun in life, then what is the point? It may not always be easy for adults to learn new skills. However, if music is something you enjoy, and you are willing to spend a few minutes a day practicing, you can have fun playing tunes that you like within a short time.2-    It’s Rewarding! Every time you learn a new skill, it can be rewarding. But this is true especially with music, because you can play tunes that you enjoy after learning the basic playing skills.3-    It’s A Good Diversion. We all have jobs to do, and bills to pay, and hundreds of mundane chores to attend to. But, spending every waking moment thinking about these tasks is too much! Take a break! Learning an instrument is a great diversion. And, because it does require a certain level of concentration, it allows your mind to focus on something other than work and chores.4-    It’s Good For The Mind. Learning music has mental and physical components. Learning to read music, and learning music theory, are...

The word Recession comes from the root word “Recess”. Remember Recess in school? That’s when we got to go out and play! What is so bad about that?My father, who grew up during the Depression, said the reason he worked so hard to attend college – at a time when money was very scarce – was because education was the one thing that could not be taken away from you. You can lose money, but knowledge is there forever. As long as you use it, of course!Someone in construction suggested to me that in a recession, people would cancel their...