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Musica Norteña literally translates to northern music or music of the north, referring to the northern geographic region of Mexico that encompasses the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa and Durango. It was in these states that the music that we know of today as norteño music originated from. A Brief History…

Jazz. It’s one of those purely American creations that took the world by storm when it first came out as a legitimate form of musical expression in the early 1920s. Some people love it while some people just don’t seem to understand it. Frank Zappa once famously said: “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny.”…

In the past there have been video games aimed at being able to allow players to experience music with more than just their ears. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band were amongst the first to enable players to feel as if they were actually playing instruments. By playing on guitar and other instrument-shaped controllers,…

Everyone has some affiliation with music, and it varies for people depending on what instruments they prefer listening to. Then some instruments speak right to your soul, but for this, you need to have the right instruments. Traditional instruments wield an extraordinary power when being played. The tune they produce is so sensual and can…

Wow, did you hear what happened at the 2022 Oscar Awards Ceremony? Duh, Will Smith smacked comedian Chris Rock! No! I was referring to the Best Original Song Award going to yet another James Bond film, it’s the third time in the last 10 years that this has happened! First in 2012 with Adele’s song “Skyfall;”…

The first time I heard this name was in middle school. I must’ve been in 6th grade when I overheard a couple of older kids talking about guitarists. And that was it. At the time my favorite band was AC/DC, particularly because of Angus Young who I swore was the greatest guitar player that ever…

As the seasons change, so do the sounds around us. While winter classics such as Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah resonated in music halls across the country, now that spring is near so will be seasonally appropriate music to fill our ears. They say all music is rooted in nature. As Shakespeare put it: “The…

The world is changing and many of us are anxious about these changes. We are used to the familiar and are uncomfortable with change. However, these novel circumstances push us to change, which is ultimately what drives progress and development. For instance, digital technology was not commonplace several decades ago. In fact, people were reluctant…

Still sheltering in place? More time to practice! The last step in the Internalizing Tunes tutorial from Chuck Sher is ‘Internalize the Song.’ Below are 5 steps to help you successfully internalize the song after you have worked on learning the melody, learning the harmony and using the melody’s phrases to create your solos. Step 4:…

We’re back with Step 3 from Chuck Sher’s free tutorial on soloing. Have Step 1 and 2 helped you internalize the tunes? Time to try using the melody’s phrases to create your solos. Step 3: Using the Melody’s Phrases to Create Your Solos Think of (or sing) the melody’s phrases to yourself while you are soloing, but use…