Novello Blog

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The Novello Blog is for any musician or connoisseur of music who seeks a deeper understanding of this truly universal language - a gift from the muses!

Surviving & Succeeding as an Artist

 

Artist:  Def: - one skilled in learned arts such as music, painting, sculpture, dance etc

Over the years besides delivering  over forty thousand  hours of private and on line instruction, seminars, clinics and writing and selling  acclaimed  music educational books and videos,  I have observed and experienced myself one common problem that constantly rears its ugly head to aspiring and for that matter  even professional musicians and artists, namely money and specifically  a)  how do I support myself while practicing and mastering my instrument so I can be competitive in the marketplace which is extremely important to one's success and b)  having the available resources to produce,  market and promote ones  career also  very important to one's success as having a great ability and product that no one knows about is well a real  drag!

I have given countless business seminars regarding this that focus on three  key targets:

1. Discovering your passion, your calling and having the courage to pursue that dream, that urge, that gift.
2. Spending the time and energy to develop  and fine tune that ability which can take many years of dedication, practice, discipline and persistence.
3. Marketing and promoting this developed ability - THE DREAM - your urge to communicate and share the dream with others.
 
All of this said, lets get back to that one ruinous problem money or specifically the lack and pursuit of it as I think you would agree that if you  had a good steady supply of it either by  good fortune, inheritance, winning the lottery or simply a sideline activity that could produce lots of passive* income in a short amount of time that was fun to do, didn't distract you from  your artistic goals and didn't require   much maintenance, well. that would solve that problem very nicely and allow you, the creative artist, time to breathe and expand into your art, master it and promote and market it.  For that matter, it doesn't matter what you do for a living as if you solved  your money rudiment well....! You say yes for sure!!! Sounds to good to be true right!? 

As a side bar here:  This is what occurred  in  Baroque and Classical   music where Patrons of the Arts supported   talented composers and performers and look at the affluence that occurred  at that time in the music that is still being performed today.
 
Well I have just discovered the holy grail for making  money even in these stressful economic times and if  you fall into the category of having major problems  that money would solve, problems you have been desperately trying to solve but to no avail,  problems that you stress about most of the day and at night before you retire and thus  have a great need for the  type of money making activity mentioned above that would solve this once and for all,  then please contact me privately to set up a time to go over the details.
 
This is a real jewel that anybody can do as a side line activity and succeed at! My intention is as it has always been: to help expand the area of the arts through education, good example and advice and counsel.  I have successfully made my living entertaining, inspiring and helping others  for over 35 years which is all the reward and pleasure I need.
 
Altruistically,
 
John Novello
www.keysnovello.com

Email: keysnovello@roadrunner.com
 
*Passive income -  income that comes in continually after you have actively produced some sort of product or service.  Examples royalties, commissions, investments, etc

 

Being A Full Time Musician

 

 

As this subject comes up a lot during music business seminars, I thought I’d blog on it.  So let’s take a look at this:

 

First it takes some courage! Yes courage to choose a profession notorious for its up and downs, rejections and long road and with no guarantees! I remember when I came to my crossroads - get a regular steady job or go for it as a pro musician.  For me it was easy as my passion for music and dislike for most everything else made it a simple decision.  But I had many around me, family and friends, constantly warning me about this choice and that I needed to have something to fall back on.  But the more they warned me, the more I knew this was my choice.

 

The next ingredient is persistence; persistence to study and practice as much as it takes to become proficient  on your instrument of choice in  order to   compete in the marketplace because after all……it’s all about your word of mouth. It also takes persistence to keep on going no matter what. Giving up is not an option.  The goal is the top of Mt Everest and the conviction is the  summit or die in the assault!

 

Next would be personal integrity which translates to being willing to be yourself, to play the notes YOU want to play and play them well and with confidence and intention. Sounds simple but not so easy to do yet therein lies the way for you to communicate YOUR inner self and that's what people really want you to do, trust me. Don't ever deny yourself; only YOU can deliver your message. Once you achieve this ability - to play honest notes - you are already successful! The rest will follow and simply takes competence and persistence!

 

The next and probably most important of all is the giving of more than expected!  Yes that’s right – ALWAYS give more than expected and what  was paid for as that’s what gives you great word of mouth, great PR. That’s how you get “call backs” and references.  Success in the entertainment industry is a) being referred to a gig and than  b) delivering the goods way beyond what was expected – home run!  You’re on your way!

 

Re: Delivering the goods:   This demands competence on your instrument and your ability to communicate effortlessly to an audience.  You should spend a considerable amount of quality time practicing the fundamentals of your  instrument whether it’s a music school, private instruction or self study or all of the above. In this stressful economy it’s even more important that you have the competitive edge so don’t skimp on your training. There’s still plenty of work for those who can really play and are willing to communicate.

 

Here are some tips for your success:

 

    1. Always envision the ideal scene - your dream as accomplished. This means whatever you want to achieve, imagine it as already done and achieved in your  universe until it is actually done in the physical universe.

    2. Make sure you’re on purpose as an artist meaning you’re doing what YOU want to do.  Passion is everything and if you’re not doing exactly what you want, how can you expect to have any passion? Audiences aren't stupid; they know sincerity and passion. Example: if your passion is progressive jazz fusion than that's what you practice and play and promote for. Never consult with anyone regarding YOUR purpose other than yourself! Anybody or anything that gets in your way should be  politely ignored and/or removed as the case may warrant. Once you achieve what you wanted in an area, keep doing those things that got you there and/or move on to a new game or area.

    3.  Be very  product and service oriented meaning finish to professional competitive industry standards all products - CD's, videos, DVD's, music instruction manuals, performances etc. The key thing here is finish so it can be released and exchanged with the public. (A CD idea in one's head is not a valuable final product. You must confront the time and money and production barriers and finish the bloody thing! Waiting for that illusive record deal is totally being a victim. Wait for no one and depend on no one!) Professional industry standards mean how does it stand up to the standard that's currently selling or has been exchanged in the past? One has to be brutally honest here, doesn't one? If one is a singer and sings a little out of tune, then one handles this; if one is a drummer and one's time is weak, well get it handled. Promoting a weak product and/or service doesn't work. When and if it does, it eventually fails anyway and besides, pride and accomplishment and work ethic apply here - that's what a pro is.

    4. Always try and make your  products and services a knock out so they produce an incredible effect on your audience and thus get great word of mouth. Always try and go that extra mile and give way more than what might be expected.

    5. Do lots of personal research in order to develop the correct business relationships to promote your products and services to. Personal research means - contacting those who might be able to help in some way, surfing the internet, reading the trade magazines, going to concerts/clubs, jamming with others; in other words pay attention to your particular zone. Hoping someone will contact you doesn't work. You must flow inordinate amounts of energy outwards for that to occur. Also, you must do it because you want to... not only for the money and/or fame. That's why number two above is so so important.

    6. There should be no such thing as giving up! Just keep on delivering your products and services until the tea kettle whistles. If it doesn't whistle (rejection), never let it affect you for very long; never stop practicing and creating, never. Simply get even more determined and refine your  products and services even further until it does.

    7. Always keep in communication with your developed personal and business relationships and flow them back the energy they flowed you  when they need it... this includes your fans!!!  

 

Here’s to your success!!!

John Novello

Developing Your Groove

Part 1 Theory

Question: How many musicians didn’t get the gig because their groove wasn’t quite right? Let’s explore:

In my last Blog “Finding Your Groove”, I discussed a little “groove” philosophy; in this Blog, let’s take a look at some practical exercises that can actually help you develop and fine tune your groove.

First a few definitions:

1. Rhythm - any measured flow or movement, symmetry; recurring with measured regularity; A general term used to refer to the position of musical events in time; The variation of the duration of sounds over time; a beat or meter; The tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event; A flow, repetition or regularity; A general term used to refer to the position of musical events in time; The variation of the duration of sounds over time; a beat or meter.
   
   Rhythm is simply the organization of music with respect to time. It is the sum total of pulse, meter, tempo and groove.
   
   
2. Pulse - The recurring basic equal beat which may be explicit or implicit (that is, heard or not heard, but there nonetheless).
   
   
3. Meter –The organization of pulses into units. These units constitute the time signature which is simply the numbers of beats in a particular unit of measure.
   
   
4. Tempo - the rate (slow, medium or fast) of some repeating event such as a pulse; the speed at which a musical composition is, or is supposed to be, performed; an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner.
   
   Tempo therefore is simply the space or length of time between each pulse.
   
   
5. Groove – The “feel” or interpretation of the basic rhythm; the rhythm superimposed over the tempo which helps project the musical idea. 
   
   “Feel” is accomplished by characteristic volume contrasts (dynamics), syncopation* and orchestration*.
   
   
6. Syncopation - a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent causing the emphasis to shift from a strong accent to a weak accent 
   
   
7. Orchestration - The art of arranging a musical composition for play by a large array of instrumental forces.

Groove is the right feel dictated by the musical style, and it enables one to produce the desired emotional impact. It actually makes it possible for the general audience to listen easily and without confusion no matter how complicated the musical details. It sweeps the listeners off their feet and makes for an inspired and professional performance.

A metronome or click track, for example, has good time, or tempo, but make no mistake about it…. It doesn’t groove! It is just a pulse generating device which is awaiting a groove! 

Part 2 Exercises

Playing accurately in time with dynamics and emotional content is a function of total control of one’s instrument in respect to one’s intention and communication. In order to develop this control, there are certain exercises that are helpful if practiced correctly. It is a fact that if you develop good control of your instrument relative to the pulse and the subdivisions of that pulse - quarters, eighths , triplets, 16ths and their permutations etc - than you’ll be able to a) play in time and with “feeling” (very important) by yourself and b) with others who can do the same. You should never lean, either intentionally or worse yet unintentionally, on other musicians for the time; on the contrary, each player has to have good time and then while performing, cocreate the time and groove and thus play and interact telepathically together. Time is not subjective while playing, it is a constant. However what you causatively superimpose over that time is your self expression and to the degree that you are causative determines a) your level of control and b) your resultant communication. There is only one time; you're either in time or your not…. the only exception being moments in a performance that intentionally are retarded or accelerated.

Basic exercises therefore would be:

a) Playing one note per beat (quarter notes) on your instrument at various tempos with a metronome until you are accurate. (Subdivision of one)

b) Playing two notes per beat (eighth notes) on your instrument at various tempos with a metronome until you are accurate. (Subdivision of two)

c) Playing three notes per beat (triplets) on your instrument at various tempos with a metronome until you are accurate. (Subdivision of three)

d) Playing four notes per beat (16th notes) on your instrument at various tempos with a metronome until you are accurate. (Subdivision of four )

More advanced variations of above would be adding ties and rests to these subdivisions and then syncopations and accents which help to create various stylistic grooves. Then I suggest improvising with these various subdivisions again playing to a metronome or drum machine. Once you begin noticing where you get out of time – rushing or dragging or dropping beats – then you’ll be able to not only correct these times of bad control but you’ll eventually be able to effortlessly create without any attention on your time.

If you have a sequencer program such as Logic, Cue Base, Digital Performer or ProTools etc, then you can actually record your performances and then go into the MIDI Events Editor and look at your accuracy. At first you may want to give up but just keep on practicing, you’ll eventually begin noticing that your time and subdivisions are getting better and better. Once you develop good control and accuracy, then you can practice “laying back” - playing a little behind the beat (pulse) as in blues, gospel and funk etc or pushing the beat as in Latin music etc.

At this point in your practice I would suggest listening to a lot of your favorite artists and doing transcriptions of their performances noticing their use of subdivisions, syncopations, dynamics and their over all “feel” and groove. Then lastly and if you can, practice playing along with them trying to duplicate not only their notes and phrasing but their emotional content. Its quote a trip and a worthwhile one if your serious about finding and developing YOUR groove!

John Novello

Finding Your Groove

It all comes down for me to the expression "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!" Translation: Music in the end is all about the pocket - the groove, the rhythmic flow that captures our souls, gives them a spiritual shower and transports them out of the normal time zone of the physical universe and it's trials and tribulations to the universe of no time and problems - the thought or spirit universe where our souls come from - our Home Universe! Music performed well actually softens the heavy effect of time on our souls; in fact anything that is pro-survival – actually increases one’s  survival potential vs contra-survival which actually decreases one’s survival potential… example  a great movie or play, an athletic activity, a good book,  a great hang with friends etc.

While I was growing up and a student of music which I'll always be, I noticed that certain bands and performers and/or certain songs increased my over all well being - my frequency of vibration. Initially I couldn't figure out why that was. Eventually I had the revelation that it was the almighty groove, the rhythm of life itself. I began taking notice of those bands and performers who did this and sought this with a passion - first for selfish reasons as it made me feel good but then... for more altruists reasons! At that moment, in hindsight, I finally became a musician! The word music is derived from the Greek mousike meaning any art presided over by the Muses - any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology. They were believed to inspire all artists, especially poets, philosophers, and musicians. The Muses sat near the throne of Zeus, king of the gods, and sang of his greatness and of the origin of the world and its inhabitants and the glorious deeds of the great heroes. From their name words such as music, museum, mosaic are derived….. interesting huh?

Yes true.... music by definition is "the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity" but I observed that the most basic response to music by most everybody was it's rhythmic element first and foremost! If that was missing, it's simply hard to go any further. True enough... great musical art consists of melody, harmony and rhythm performed with passion and competency but rhythm holds first place in my opinion as the basic expressive factor.

I noticed in fact that all great musicians, athletes, actors, public speakers etc had a fundamental rhythmic flow which made for an inspirational and effortless performance. So over the years this was always something I sought after in others and to improve in my own writing and performances, and in fact my live in general.   I try to live my life with a smooth flow, planning and not planning things, going with the flow no matter what happens, not resisting or insisting… just existing - being there and doing and having as I am able, looking at what is and what has come to me as a blessing, an opportunity instead of good or bad, looking for the flow, the groove, the “zone” as others refer to it, the calmness and serenity.  It’s there so the next time you play put your attention on the groove…. play from the stillness of the groove and intend for others to share your groove.  The audience is there to groove and that happens when they  listen to YOUR  groove. All else will take care of itself for you ARE the groove!

John Novello