Tag Archives: ear training

Drums and Public School Music Teachers Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Shaun Rodgers) Ep041

April 11, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, band, band practice, drumming, drums, ear training, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, gigging, gigs, guitar, guitar lessons, jamming, Joe McMurray, Kairos Quintet, learn guitar, music, music talk, music teacher, play guitar, podcast, rehearsal, rock, Shaun Rodgers, talk show, teachingFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:47 — 57.7MB)

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In the 2nd half of our interview, we continue our conversation with Shaun Rodgers. In part 1 we talked a lot about Shauns current projects and teaching music in the Virginia public school system, and in part 2 we talk about the University of Maryland’s music department and about drum kits. Shaun is a former colleague and bandmate of hosts Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray, playing drums in their original band, the Kairos Quintet.

Shaun graduated from the University of Maryland’s music department, and we ask him to detail his experience. He tells us about his reasons for choosing the University of Maryland, the teachers (many of whom perform with the National Symphony), the amazing music facilities on campus, the classes, and the overall vibe of the school.

We dive into the world of drum kits. Shaun explains his different kits, and how he chooses which one to use for each gig. We discuss drumming techniques, choosing drum sticks, snare drums, the sounds of different drums based on the types of wood that they are made from, electric drum kits, and hand drums.

Shaun currently plays in several bands around Northern Virginia including:

– Broken Ground Band: a 1990s/early 2000s cover band (www.brokengroundband.com)

– Half Pint Harry: a band featuring tiny instruments (www.halfpintharry.com)

– FarAway: an acoustic duo (plus drums) (www.farawaysongs.com)

Drums and Public School Music Teachers Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Shaun Rodgers) Ep040

April 4, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, band, band practice, drumming, drums, ear training, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, gigging, gigs, guitar, guitar lessons, jamming, Joe McMurray, Kairos Quintet, learn guitar, music, music talk, music teacher, play guitar, podcast, rehearsal, rock, Shaun Rodgers, talk show, teachingFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:06 — 44.2MB)

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Shaun Rodgers joins the show to talk about drumming, teaching music in the Virginia public school system, and the University of Maryland’s music department. Shaun is a former colleague and bandmate of hosts Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray, playing drums in their original band, the Kairos Quintet. The guys reminisce on the collaborative writing approach and overall professionalism of that band.

Shaun tells us about the different bands that he is currently playing in around Northern Virginia including:

– Broken Ground Band: a 1990s/early 2000s cover band (www.brokengroundband.com)

– Half Pint Harry: a band featuring tiny instruments (www.halfpintharry.com)

– FarAway: an acoustic duo (plus drums) (www.farawaysongs.com)

Shaun tells us about life as a general music teacher in the Virginia public school system. He teaches Kindergarten through 6th grade and although it can sometimes be exhausting, Shaun points to the beauty of having a full-time salaried position in the musical realm. We discuss why he is choosing to teach younger kids versus older kids (no after school programs!), semester planning, “Standards of Learning” (SOL), teaching young kids how to “school,” teaching recorder in public schools, and the usefulness of the piano and guitar for teaching.

We then talk about melodic drumming, a topic that we have discussed in the past with Joe Hamm of El Sistema in Episode 038. Shaun, who has an incredible ear, tells us about his past ear training and how it helps him to sing harmonies. We also talk about the importance of designated listening for ourselves and our students.

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep030

January 24, 2019Episodes5150, Aaron Sefchick, amplification, Berklee, biasing, brown sound, capacitors, coil tap, conversation, ear training, fat switch, fender, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, fuzz, fuzz pedal, guitar, guitar lessons, guitar pickups, guitar wiring, Harshman, humbucker, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, marshall, McMurray, Miles Harshman, mod, mods, music, music talk, music theory, phase reversal, pickups, play guitar, podcast, power tubes, preamp tubes, red plating, resistors, Sefchick, signal flow, single coil, solid state, talk show, teaching, tube amp, twin reverbFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 45.8MB)

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Who doesn’t love to talk about guitar tone?? Aside from the obvious fact that much of your tone comes from your fingers, it is also greatly affected by your beloved gear: your instruments, amps, effects pedals, etc. Lots of the gear that you purchase off the shelf can actually be improved or changed through mods / modifications to the internal circuitry – some of which you can do yourself. We bring in guitarist, amp technician, music teacher, and Berklee graduate, Miles Harshman, to give us the ins and outs of musical equipment.

In Part 1 of this conversation we dig into guitar tone, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robin Trower. Miles talks about his love of different types of fuzz pedals, an effect that Joe rarely uses. While Joe uses several types of overdrive and natural small amp distortion, he commits to giving fuzz another try. Miles presents an overview of how tube amps work – their different gains stages, how the tubes break up, the feeling of a tube amp due to the sag/sponginess in the rectifier tube.

Miles tells us about his journey to becoming a gear technician, including building his first stratocaster in high school and his more recent telecaster with unusual switches.

We talk about clean guitar tones, and how hollow, semi-hollow, and chambered bodies affect the your sound.

Miles begins telling us about his experiences at Berklee College of Music, including the many ensemble choices, the enormous practice room amps, and the general atmosphere. Check out next week’s episode to discover who was Miles’ freshman year roommate!