Improvisation

I love improvising. I was drawn to jazz and latin music when I first picked up a guitar and it was the improvisational element that really resonated with me. The wonderful songs and melodies of the time were the foundations and I would always find myself singing alternate melody lines and "impro" phrases and seeing how far I could take it. The world of improvisation is a fascinating world indeed. In essence you need to be a composer. You need to understand harmony, rhythm, chord sequences, phrasing and the like. The more knowledge you have of these essential elements of music the better you will be at making music through improvisation.

As an improviser you are in fact a composer who delivers an idea there and then, in the moment. To do this successfully you need to be very familiar with your instrument. Good improvisation is singing your ideas through your instrument and so the heart, mind, hands, instrument connection needs to be established through lots of practice.

Guitar lesson specifics

One of the questions I always ask my students is "What music do you listen to?" This helps me to establish a good connection with the student. I then will ask "What is it that has attracted you to the guitar?" The conversations that follow really give me an insight into the musical awareness of the student and help me to formulate the best teaching program. I believe it is very important to not have too many preconceived plans about how you want to teach the guitar. It has to be a creative process. Of course, you must have a very firm method for imparting the basics of technique but it is very important that the student sees the reasons behind these disciplines and the benefits therefore attained. The student may love to listen to songs in the acoustic/singer songwriter folk style genre and so will respond well to any techniques directed to that particular style. If the student has never really heard music with long extended guitar solos then there is little point in commencing a program of detailed scale study. What works for one student may not work for another. As an extreme example, there is no point in setting about teaching someone a whole set of altered jazz-based chords if they have never listened to that style of music. Of course that is not to say that you never introduce your students to new styles of music. Some students who are very receptive and talented will really enjoy delving into different styles and more challenging concepts. Again, what works for one may not work for another.

For an in-depth look at my guitar technique method go to the link below.

http://knol.google.com/k/rory-o-donoghue/playing-guitar-with-a-pick/222g3fw3z5e9o/2

Teaching news

Once again it's a busy time working with the Year 12's at Abbotsleigh as they prepare for their HSC Music performances. As usual we have a variety of singers and instrumentalists and it's my role to accompany them either on guitar or on bass as part of an ensemble consisting of my tutor colleagues in the Music department. The standard is invariably high and it's enjoyable working with the girls in rehearsal and passing on various tips of the trade to help them achieve their utmost potential. With plenty of rehearsal dates, workshops, assessments, assembly and concert performances, trial exams and the final HSC, it is a busy time indeed but extremely rewarding.

Holidays

I'm on holidays at present from my position as guitar tutor at Abbotsleigh School and during this time I'd like to add more material to my YouTube channel. I have many pieces that I'd like to video but we have tradesmen here at present doing some work on the house so it's a little too noisy to begin recording.

Last week I completed a new 45 sec music track for the Outback Spirit bus tours TV commercial featuring some spectacular footage of Lake Eyre. Prior to that I performed at a corporate event in Pyrmont for The Cancer Council with my daughter Jessica and son Ben and last Sunday Jessica and I performed at a wedding expo in Terrey Hills. There is footage of the Pyrmont gig on Jessica's YouTube channel

I did manage, during a lull in the hammering, to post a YouTube clip of a song with my new ukulele. It's a great little instrument and I have many more ideas of good material to do with it. My next video will probably be with my Fender Strat through my new Roland Cube 80XL, a hot little amp with some sweet sounds.