To those of you who haven’t had the pleasure yet - Meet Ana Popovic Guitarist and blues goddess.
Anna was born in Belgrade in 1976 and grew up in a wonderfully warm and loving family. She became a guitaraholic in the early 90’s but decided to follow her fathers footsteps and study graphic design instead.
However luckily for us she changed her mind at the last minute and sent a tape to Utrecht’s Conservatory, and of course she got in right a way…. dumping graphic art she sets out on her way to become a musician. in 1999 she signs with a German record company, leaving the conservatory. Her first record is released in 2001 and in 2002 she wins all kinds of rewards like best guitarist best singer…. need I say more.
In May of this year Anna gave birth to a baby boy and by June was already on the road for a 5 week tour of the U.S and Canada. According to strato blogster guitar blog she is playing all over in blues festivals during August so if you haven’t heard her yet - Don’t miss her and if you have - go again!!!
You Can Find her schedule and some great music on her site
This is a video of parts of a Artist workshop that Megadeath’s Dave Mustaine gave at the hollywood guitar center.
There is not a whole on the video, but he does share a few of his techniques…
As you can see there where a whole lot of people trying to get into this session, and apparently a lot of them were left outside in bitter dissapointment.
In the art of making music Listening is crucial. That sounds like a given, and most musicians think they are listening, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Dave Isaacs says on Guitar Player Zen:
Let’s define “listening” from a musician’s perspective as an active rather than a passive activity. In other words, a musician who is listening is constantly evaluating and reacting to what they hear, and those reactions are expressed in how they play or sing. Simple example: if the lead singer feels that a certain part of the song should be delivered with a softer, more relaxed energy, a band that is listening will simply react and follow the singer’s lead. The first rule of accompanying is that the lead voice/instrument sets the tone: volume, intensity, feeling - and the accompanists (e.g. the rest of the band) follow suit. In a good band, this happens easily and the entire performance is dynamic and musical.
So why WOULDN’T someone not be listening? It’s generally not a question of ego, or childish onstage behavior…..for the most part, people want to do their best and for everyone to sound good. But because playing an instrument or even singing comes from certain physical/mechanical movements and actions, it’s often easy to get more focused on that aspect than on the sound that’s being produced….
…What all of this means to any musician is that your goal is to be an active, attentive listener. And while musicians who study formally take classes in “ear training” these skills can be picked up simply by paying attention to the right things. Listen for dynamics, the rise and fall of volume and energy. Listen for who has the primary voice at any moment….if it’s you, grab the spotlight, and if it’s not, stay out of the way until your turn comes. If you’re jamming along with a band you’ve never played with before, don’t play your guitar licks WHILE the singer is singing but in the spaces in between. A great performance in almost any genre of music is a conversation in which each member gets to have the floor….sometimes the spotlight shifts quickly and you might only have a moment to add something, but a moment is all you might need. It’s as simple as choosing to pay attention and being as aware of what’s going on around you as you are of what you’re doing yourself…..and that’s a worthwhile thing to strive for in many aspects of life, not just music.
Amen to that.
You need to think of your playing as part of a whole. In this way you can elevate your awareness of the other segments that make up this whole. Sometimes the guitar is icing the cake and sometimes a conversation will develop between the guitar and the lead vocal - it shouldn’t be a shouting match but a mutually inspiring collaboration that will leave a dynamic in the air that no monologue can.
To read more of what Dave says about listening go over to Guitar Player Zen.
I know this is a guitar blog, and as you will soon hear if you click here to download her free EP, Brooke Wagner is more piano than guitar,but music is music and I loved what I heard.
She IS: a female singer/songwriter who sits at the piano
She ISN’T: a female singer/songwriter who sits at the piano and lulls the audience to sleep
She IS: classically trained
She ISN’T: stuffy and snobby
She IS: based in Nashville
She ISN’T: Country
She IS: giving away her EP “Fresh Pair Of Eyes” as a free download on her website
She ISN’T: crazy
Eclectic lyrics, staggering technical skills, infused with an inherent sweetness, this is fabulous music. It’s engaging and warm nature is shared by Brooke herself, who’s openness and approachability is surprising to those reared on rock pomposity and remoteness.
Click To read the interview Rock Sell out did with her
Anne
MYLOVE_795
Paulomars