Posted by zero360 on November 17, 2008
The Charlotte CMA’s are this Thursday Nov 20th, Jeff Cheen, Roger Cullis, Walter Stewart & team have planned an awesome evening. There will be lots of VIP guests including our very own Carolina Country Artist Jimmy Wayne.
Visit the website at www.charlottemusicawards.org or get tickets at www.carolinatix.org.
Please tell all your music friends. Thanks and hope to see ya there!
Posted in Events | Tagged: charlotte music awards | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on October 31, 2008
Tickets are $10 at the door BUT, if you order your advance tickets through www.etix.com they are only $8 each (and you can print out your ticket on your own computer printer!).
But that’s not all! The Sylvia Theater has agreed to give a $5 credit at the concessions stands (all food and beverage) when you flash your eTix ticket. What’s not to love about this deal?!
Essentially for what amounts to $3 you get to see two of the best hard rock bands in the region, you get to attend an exclusive Halloween bash with more lights and effects than you can shake a stick at, and you get to be a part of the fight against cancer. You will never find a better value for your entertainment dollar. Oh! And you can win a $900 Michael Kelly Custom Valor guitar with hard shell case.
Otherwise, search out your favorite band and writers and catch a show!
Not going out? Tune in this Saturday, Nov 1st at 8:30 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 21 (Access 21) for this months “The Naked Truth” TV show. This is the 85th monthly show in this series and features Ashley Chambliss from Ashville, NC, Hanna Thomas from Covington, GA and host performer, Paul Finnican. Access 21 is available on Time Warner Cable in all of Mecklenburg county, NC.
Posted in Events | Tagged: Naked Truth, Sylvia Theater | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on October 22, 2008
It’s been more than a week since our meeting and I thought I’d take a few [belated] moments to post a some thoughts on our theory discussion and a couple of other key items.
Then we moved into our discussion on basic music theory. With the wide variance in knowledge of theory within our group, I began with my perspectives on what elements of theory songwriters should invest time and energy into learning. Sure, many of us depend on our ears and intuition to craft the music side of our songs. But music, as defined by Wikipedia, “is and art form in which the medium is sound organized in time”, and it behooves us as songwriters to learn how to “speak” music as a language. Again, perhaps not as theorists or composers, but to enable us to be effective at co-writing and in rewriting.
The foundation for our discussion was a handout titled Music Theory Survival Guide for Songwriters by Danny Arena. While we had several excellent interactive viewpoints on how to interpret and apply the relationship between the linear scale degrees of a tonal center (or key) and the vertical triads built on each scale degree, the handout covers this information well, and is worth keeping handy.
Steve Simpson also graciously provided notes from a theory session he attended this year at Swannanoa, plus a table he developed for building triads off scale degrees (key of C) that folks seemed to latch onto. There was at least one other artifact copied and passed around, and at the end of our discussion it seemed that most had gotten something worthwhile out of the session.
Developing our theory “chops” isn’t much different than learning an instrument, it takes practice. There’s a lot to learn, but as songwriters, being well versed in fundamentals goes a long way and doesn’t have to be a daunting regimen. I’ll share one site I found that appears to have a well rounded practical approach to theory, it’s simply www.musictheory.net.
Now, this whole idea for a theory discussion started at the recent Steve Seskin workshop in late September when Steve heartily commented on the value of basic theory for songwriters. While we only scratched the surface during our discussion, I enjoyed it, and hope you did, too.
I’ll leave you with a couple of tips for practicing music theory:
By the way, Fiona, who wasn’t at our last meeting (missed ya’), also has an excellent handout she’s developed for use when teaching theory at dulcimer workshops that you may want to get from her. Lastly, please feel free to comment and add your personal ideas and favorite resources relative to basic music theory for all of us to enjoy and add to our songwriting toolkit.!
Cheers — angelo
Posted in General Business | Tagged: Craig Bickhardt, music theory, Tosco Music Party | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on October 4, 2008
Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather, here’s a quick line up for October (also on Happenings page). Leave a comment if you have a musical/songwriting event you’d like to share!
Saturday: October 4 @ 8:30p The Naked Truth TV Show - Time Warner Access 21
Tuesday: October 7 @ 8:00p Artists for Hospice/Sylvia Theater - York, SC
Saturday: October 11 @ 8:00p Craig Bickhardt - Blue Ridge Performing Arts Center/Hendersonville, NC
Tuesday: October 14 @ 7:00p Regular Workshop Meeting - The Well - Pineville, NC
Tuesday: October 28 @ 7:00p Song Finishers - The Well - Pineville, NC
Posted in Events | Tagged: happenings, NSAI Charlotte | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on September 22, 2008
Time to say goodbye to the hot weather and hello to Song Finishers again. We will restart this Tuesday 9/23 at 7:00PM at The Well in Pineville.
I’ve talked to several people anxiously awaiting the restart of our co-writing sessions. People who liked or experimental Song Finisher’s Song Circle have also commented favorably about that format. So… How about this – we do the traditional Song Finishers co-writing from 7 to 9 PM then gather to play the new songs to each other - AND also share some of our favorites from the past.
This may be the best of both worlds. People who want to co-write and or find someone to set their lyrics to music or find lyrics for their music will have the usual opportunity to make contacts and create new songs that would not have been done without Song Finishers. AND folks who have some favorite songs from the past can also spend an hour or so swapping songs and getting comments. See box below about our May experiment.
So you can come out at 7:00 for the whole experience or stop by at 8 or 9 PM to swap songs. As always, we’re trying to find the right combination to serve the most songwriters the best way possible.
Your feedback is encouraged and welcome. See you Tuesday!
FYI: Posted from email sent by Bruce Johnson
Posted in General Business | Tagged: co-writing, song finishers, songwriting | 2 Comments »
Posted by zero360 on September 18, 2008
The Festival in the Park kicks off today at Freedom Park in Charlotte, for the 44th year in a row, and there will be lots of live music there. I just wanted to highlight the performers who are NSAI members or who have some association with NSAI. All of them will be performing on the Charlotte Folk Society stage. A map of the festival showing the location of the Charlotte Folk Society stage can be found on the festival’s website at www.festivalinthepark.org.
Thursday, September 18
6:30 - 7:00 pm: Paul Finnican
8:00 - 9:00 pm: Mer Laney and David Holtzclaw
Friday, September 19
10:00 - 10:30 am: David Wulfeck
11:00 - 11:30 am: J.C. Honeycutt
11:30 am - noon: David Wulfeck
4:00 - 5:00 pm: GB & ME (Greg Baker and Michael Everitt)
5:00 - 5:30 pm: Fiona McAllister
5:30 - 6:30 pm: Steve Simpson
Saturday, September 20
11:30 am - 1:00 pm: NSAI songwriter round featuring (from 11:30 am til 12:15 pm) Bruce Johnson, Ken Widis, and David Wulfeck, and (from 12:15 til 1:00 pm) Angelo Melendez, Allen Szyrwiel, and Karen Nason.
8:00 - 9:00 pm: The Stevens Mill Band, with Rob Webster
Sunday, September 21
12:00 noon - 12:30 pm: Fiona and Jason McAllister
12:30 - 1:00 pm: Susan Sherlock
2:30 - 3:00 pm: J.D. Wilson
For more information about the type of music each of these performers plays, and to find out about other performers not listed above, take a look at the festival’s website.
If you get a chance, please come out to the festival, and stop by the Charlotte Folk Society stage to see some of these performances. You’ll have fun!
Posted in Events | Tagged: charlotte, festival in the park | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on August 20, 2008
We’ve got a humdinger of a songwriting workshop coming up this month! Steve Seskin is coming back to Charlotte! Steve is an amazing songwriting teacher, and you don’t want to miss his workshop! We announced his workshop at our monthly NSAI meeting last week and 18 people signed up on the spot. Steve wrote Tim McGraw’s #1 hit, “Grown Men Don’t Cry,” Mark Wills’ #1 hit, “Don’t Laugh at Me,” and many other hit songs. Steve’s website address is www.steveseskin.com.
His workshop will be held on September 27th from 9:30 am til 4:00 pm, at our regular NSAI meeting place, The Well, in Pineville (directions at www.the-well.org). Steve will be covering melody, writing/rewriting, rhyming, metaphors, hooks, payoffs, and, time permitting, point of view. More details about those topics are outlined at the bottom of this email. The cost for the workshop is $50 for NSAI members, or $75 for non-members. We’ll provide pizza and soft drinks for lunch at no additional cost.
If you signed up for the Saturday workshop at our NSAI meeting last month, please choose your method of payment and complete the sign-up process, either by PayPal or make out a check to NSAI Charlotte and send to:
Steve Simpson
1147 Thornsby Lane
Matthews, NC 28105
If you have a PayPal account, you can sign up using one of two PayPal links below - one for NSAI members and one for non-members. If you choose the PayPal option, a PayPal fee of $2 will be added to the cost.
Steve will also be doing one-on-one sessions the following day, Sunday, September 28th, from 12:30 pm til 5:00 pm, also at The Well, for $60 for a half-hour session. But those sessions sold out at our monthly meeting last week. However, you’re welcome to come and listen to Steve’s one-on-one sessions as an audience member. You will learn a whole lot by listening to him critique other people’s songs.
If you signed up for the Sunday one-on-ones, you’ll be receiving a separate email from me with the details on that, including a schedule for the sessions.
Also, Steve will be performing at The Evening Muse on the Friday night before his workshop. You owe it to yourself to see him in concert.
So, sign up now. The workshop may sell out… you don’t want to miss this one!
Steve Simpson, NSAI Coordinator
Melody - In focusing on melody writing, I teach from a place of writing melodies for lyrics. Prosody is the marriage of music and lyric. We explore ways to determine if the overall vibe of the music feels right, and look at specific parts of songs in terms of choosing an appropriate melody that milks the emotion that the writer would like the listener to feel from the lyric. I also talk about phrasing and accents. There is an important word in every sentence. We look at choosing accent places that stress the right syllables and help drive home your point. Music can actually change the meaning of a lyric when used to its fullest potential. We also discuss rhythm and range and how to use them effectively in songs.
Writing/Rewriting, There is a Difference - Writing can more easily come from that dreamy/stream of consciousness place. Rewriting involves considering what you’ve already written and in many ways is a lot more tedious. In this seminar we examine all types of rewriting. Are you rewriting because the content is not serving the moment in the song, or is the problem the tone of how you put forth your idea? We’ll also look at how to know when a song is done and the wisdom of sticking to the task versus putting a song away for a while and giving it a rest. Many times I write more than I need just to give myself choices.
Rhyming and Metaphor - Rhyming is our best friend but it’s also our worst enemy since it constricts us and makes it harder to say what we want to say in a song. We’ll look at inventive ways to use rhyme that sound natural, not drawing too much attention to the rhyme and letting the listener concentrate on the content of the lyric. We’ll also look at metaphor and figurative language and how they can deepen the emotional experience of a song.
Point of View - In this seminar we explore eight different perspectives to choose from when deciding how your characters can best tell their story. We will look into figuring out how to find the most powerful way to tell any given story. We’ll talk about 1st, 2nd, 3rd person and various combinations as well. We will then look into more complex ways to use perspective to bring out the most emotion in all your lyrics. I believe this is one of the most important lessons on the road to writing great songs.
Posted in Events | Tagged: nsai, seskin, songwriting, The Well | No Comments »
Posted by zero360 on August 14, 2008
Thought I’d post this information just sent by Herschel Lee Brown… enjoy!
CLASS: VOCAL CLINIC
INSTRUCTORS: SIOBHAN QUINN & MICHAEL BOWERS
1. Singing is not just about the throat, it is a full body exercise and experience requiring athletic discipline as well as artistry.
2. Any athlete knows that an effective warm-up is essential for optimal performance.
3. Ideally, the warm-up should be unhurried, allowing adequate time for gradual loosening and coordination of countless muscles, large and small, which contribute to vocal production.
4. Begin by warming up the entire body with gentle physical exercise (e.g. stretching, yoga, Tai Chi). Pay close attention to the breath.
5. Next, warm up the muscles of articulation (jaw, tongue, lips, soft palate) using appropriate exercises.
6. Example followed in class: Book and CD by Anne Peckham, The Contemporary Singer(Berklee Press) the one with the purple cover
7. Example I demonstrated at our meeting is by: Eric Arceneaux and can be found here:
Vocal Warm-up Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Q5CWsFaVnWM
Vocal Warm-up Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jZ_RwV52DMw&NR=1
Vocal Warm-up Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=lSOn-b3V6rQ&NR=1
Vocal Warm-up Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=AnmlpVe3B40&feature=related
8. Maintain good posture while performing. Keep your spine straight. Don’t stretch your neck up or forward.
9. If you hold a guitar while singing, hold it in a ‘dancing’ position, as if you and your partner were waltzing.
10. When you are finished performing or rehearsing, cool down your voice by gently repeating a series of the warm-up exercises.
GENERAL HEALTH TIPS FOR SINGERS
1. Maintain a balanced diet. Eat protein. Reduce the amount of sugar, caffeine, and carbonated beverages. This will help reduce mucus in your throat.
2. Drink plenty of water. Room temperature water is best. Allow plenty of time before a performance to hydrate.
3. Stay physically fit. Your body is your instrument!
4. Do not smoke.
5. Don’t sing if it hurts.
6. Develop good rehearsal habits. Warming up before rehearsals will help you avoid straining your voice. During a long rehearsal, be sure to take breaks and drink plenty of water.
____________ _________ ___
Herschel Lee Brown
803.627.0052
www.brownemusic.com
Posted in Performance | Tagged: michael bowers, siobhan quinn, swannanoa, vocals | No Comments »
Posted by nsaicharlotte on July 5, 2008
Thanks to Greg Baker/Second Wind Music for his years of service in maintaining the NSAI Charlotte website. Greg’s growing scope of business and volunteer activities require that he transition site maintenance responsibilities back to the chapter.
In order to preserve the current level of functionality with minimal impact to user base or chapter coordinators, the plan is to migrate the site as follows:
We hope a blog format will increase interaction and broaden the scope of information we can make available to current and potential members.
– The Management
Posted in General Business | No Comments »
