COVID 19 stinks right? I’m not going to sit here and write an article about it. What I am going to do is talk about some ways students can get better at their instruments, and have fun during this time of isolation. [Yes, I know that Governor Kemp has “opened the state”. However, the reality is that we will not be able to get back inside School of Rock Buford until June 1st, 2020 at the earliest.]
So, here are some tips for getting better and having fun with music during the break.
1. Use a metronome. [There are phone apps for this. Plus, the SoR Method App has a metronome.] Play your assigned songs using the metronome. Do you think you have it down perfectly? Good. Now speed the metronome up a little bit. Keep doing this until you can’t play it perfectly anymore. Then slow the metronome back down and practice until you can play it faster. See just how fast you can play the song. Show your instructor during your next remote lesson.
2. Try to figure out a song you like on your own. Use your ears at first and listen to the music. Do you know what notes the artist is playing? If you’re having a hard time, check out YouTube. Many guitarists, bass players, drummers, and keyboardists will show you how to play a song. Again, show your instructor the new song you’re working on in your next lesson.
3. This is the BIG ONE! This is what I’ve been doing with my spare time. Learn to record using a multi-track recorder. What? You don’t have a multi-track recorder? If you have an iPhone, yes you do. If you have a Mac computer, yes you do. If you have a Windows computer, yes you do. I’ll admit that the iPhone and the Mac are the easiest. They both use a program called GarageBand. It takes a little time to learn how to do it, but time is what you have right now. Again, pull up YouTube. There are many tutorials on how to record in GarageBand. Record a song you’re working on, or write a new one. Be creative. Have fun. Learn a new program. If you have a Windows computer, there’s a free open source program called Audacity that you can download. Again, look for YouTube videos on how to use it; record a song; write a song; have fun.
Neal Weaver - Owner: School of Rock Buford