Tag Archives: music talk

Jazz Vocals, Music School, Vocal Technique Part 1 of 2 (with Darden Purcell) Ep063

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:37 — 63.0MB)

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Dr. Darden Purcell is a jazz vocalist and the Director of Jazz Studies at George Mason University.  Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have a wonderful time talking with Darden about her musical journey, her duties as a “Director of Jazz Studies,” how to transition to singing jazz music, and specifics on vocal technique and practice.
In part 1 of 1, Darden tells the guys about how she started singing jazz music, her experiences singing in the U.S. Air Force Band, her time working and performing in Nashville, and her experience in graduate school at the University of Illinois.  They discuss the music scenes in New Orleans, New York, and Chicago.
Darden explains her duties as the Director of Jazz Studies at George Mason.  They discuss trends in the incoming pools of students and how they are related to trends in society.  They also talk about Darden’s students and some of her teaching approaches.
Darden has released two albums, and she gives insight into her studio experiences, her influences while producing these albums, and the unintentional consequences of releasing an album with complicated arrangements (it’s hard to gig!).
 
Find out more about Darden at http://www.dardenpurcell.com/.  Find out more about George Mason’s music programs at https://music.gmu.edu/.
 

Backing Tracks, LA Music Scene part 2 of 2 (with Quist) Ep062

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:11 — 52.6MB)

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Quist has built an enormous online presence through his jam-backing tracks, and he recently performed as the lead guitarist for Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music).  This Danish guitarist has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Abbey Road Studios, and has established himself in the Los Angeles music scene.  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray enjoy an awesome conversation with Quist, diving into his musical journey, his jam-backing tracks, the LA music scene, and building and maintaining an online presence.
In part 2 of 2,  Quist talks more about the origins of his backing tracks, and how he built a following on YouTube.  The guys discuss balancing the work-load of YouTube video releases, other musical endeavors, and personal time.
Aaron and Joe ask Quist about opportunities to do session work and to tour.  Quist says that he is selective about the work he accepts – it has to be great music with great people or the right money!  His advice for acquiring this work involves 1) being great at what you do, and 2) networking, especially through jam sessions.
Quist reminisces about his most exciting performances and studio experiences: highlights include performances at the Hollywood Bowl and the Royal Albert Hall, recording at Abbey Road Studios, and performing in Colombia with Mike Dawes (fingerstyle guitarist).  The conversation ends with a discussion on the eternal quest to improve as a musician, the insane levels of talent that exist on the internet, and the importance of playing meaningful, emotive music.

Backing Tracks, LA Music Scene part 1 of 2 (with Quist) Ep061

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:42 — 49.4MB)

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Quist has built an enormous online presence through his jam-backing tracks, and he recently performed as the lead guitarist for Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music).  This Danish guitarist has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Abbey Road Studios, and has established himself in the Los Angeles music scene.  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray enjoy an awesome conversation with Quist, diving into his musical journey, his jam-backing tracks, the LA music scene, and building and maintaining an online presence.
Quist tells the guys about his musical beginnings, playing his dad’s guitar at age 6 and touring as a ballet dancer until he was 13.  After leaving the ballet world, he devoted himself to the guitar, eventually studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London, performing in New York City, and settling in Los Angeles.
Quist tells Aaron and Joe why he originally started creating backing tracks for practicing, and how they gained wide popularity on YouTube.  The guys have a healthy discussion of how to create mode-specific chord progressions, with lots of useful music theory.
Quist, Aaron, and Joe discuss the differences in the music scenes of different towns with a focus on the LA scene.

Jazz Flute, Piano and Voice (with Jennifer Gammill) Ep060

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:16 — 53.6MB)

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Jennifer Gammill is a jazz vocalist and flautist who won the 2018 VEER award for “Jazz Album of the Year” in southeastern Virginia.  She also performs with co-host Joe McMurray in a jazz duo called “Blue Orpheus.”  Aaron Sefchick and Joe talk with Jennifer about her background in worship music, jazz flute, teaching music to large groups, songwriting, jazz conferences, and online presence/social media marketing.
 
Find out more about Jennifer Gammill at: 
 

Papadosio, Synthesizers Part 2 of 2 (with Billy Brouse) Ep059

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:42 — 49.4MB)

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Billy Brouse is a founding member of Papadosio, a band that has enjoyed tremendous success playing a unique blend of electronic jam band music at major festivals and concert venues, including a recent performance at Red Rocks.  Billy plays keys/synthesizers for the band, and he joins Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick on the show to talk about Papadosio, music festivals, the band’s use of Ableton Live for both songwriting and live performance, other bands on the scene, and synthesizers.
Billy tells the guys about his musical influences.  Then he recounts the story of how he and the other guys formed Papadosio and decided to tour full-time.  He tells Joe and Aaron about their very own festival, Resonance Festival, which occurs this Sept 19-22, 2019 (https://www.facebook.com/ResonanceMusicFest/).
Next, the guys talk about Papadosio’s approach to songwriting and how they use Ableton Live to write and record from their own homes and on their own schedules.  Billy explains how the band uses Ableton Live in their live performances and provides some detail into how he uses PADs.
Billy, Joe, and Aaron touch on the subjects of gear damage/theft/insurance, practicing, and injuries before moving on to talk about Billy’s favorite bands on the scene.  Billy finally runs through his favorite synthesizers and effects pedals.
 
Find out more about Billy Brouse and Papadosio at: https://www.papadosio.com/
 

Papadosio, Synthesizers Part 1 of 2 (with Billy Brouse) Ep058

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:51 — 57.8MB)

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Billy Brouse is a founding member of Papadosio, a band that has enjoyed tremendous success playing a unique blend of electronic jam band music at major festivals and concert venues, including a recent performance at Red Rocks.  Billy plays keys/synthesizers for the band, and he joins Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick on the show to talk about Papadosio, music festivals, the band’s use of Ableton Live for both songwriting and live performance, other bands on the scene, and synthesizers.
Billy tells the guys about his musical influences.  Then he recounts the story of how he and the other guys formed Papadosio and decided to tour full-time.  He tells Joe and Aaron about their very own festival, Resonance Festival, which occurs this Sept 19-22, 2019 (https://www.facebook.com/ResonanceMusicFest/).
Next, the guys talk about Papadosio’s approach to songwriting and how they use Ableton Live to write and record from their own homes and on their own schedules.  Billy explains how the band uses Ableton Live in their live performances and provides some detail into how he uses PADs.
Billy, Joe, and Aaron touch on the subjects of gear damage/theft/insurance, practicing, and injuries before moving on to talk about Billy’s favorite bands on the scene.  Billy finally runs through his favorite synthesizers and effects pedals.
 
Find out more about Billy Brouse and Papadosio at: https://www.papadosio.com/
 

Fingerstyle Guitar, Acoustic Pickups part 2 of 2 (with Matt Thomas) Ep057

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:02 — 53.4MB)

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Matt Thomas has won several international fingerstyle guitar competitions (twice in “contemporary thumbpicking” and once in “open style”), is an avid harp-guitar player, and has played with some of the biggest names in the acoustic guitar world (Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bennet, and many more).  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray talk to Matt about his personal journey, fingerstyle techniques, acoustic pickup systems, recording, and gigging.
In part 2 of 2, Matt continues telling the guys about acoustic amplification.  As any acoustic guitarist eventually realizes, amplifying acoustic guitars can be difficult if you want to preserve the natural sound of the guitar and avoid the sometimes “quacky” or “tinny” nature of many pickups that come stock in acoustic-electric guitars.  Matt talks about different acoustic pickup systems on the market, including the K&K Trinity, the K&K Big Spot, the K&K Pure Mini, the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend, and the Skysonic Pro-1.  He also talks about different acoustic pre-amps on the market, including those from Grace Designs, Pendulum, and D-TAR.  The guys also briefly examine issues of phase alignment.
Matt tells Joe and Aaron about his performance goals and opportunities, and the guys discuss the complexities of booking shows as an instrumental musician.

Fingerstyle Guitar, Acoustic Pickups Part 1 of 2 (with Matt Thomas) Ep056

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:06 — 57.1MB)

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Matt Thomas has won several international fingerstyle guitar competitions (twice in “contemporary thumbpicking” and once in “open style”), is an avid harp-guitar player, and has played with some of the biggest names in the acoustic guitar world (Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bennet, and many more).  Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray talk to Matt about his personal journey, fingerstyle techniques, acoustic pickup systems, recording, and gigging.
In part 1 of 2, Matt tells the guys about meeting Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee, and Stephen Bennett at a harp guitar convention when he was a teenager.  He then goes on to explain and demonstrate percussive methods on the acoustic guitar: the use of thumb slaps on the 2 and 4, a palm kick on the 1 and 3, and a palm kick on the 2 and 4.
Matt gets deep into the details of amplifying acoustic guitars.  He tells Joe and Aaron about Tommy Emmanuel’s setup with a Maton guitar and AER amp.  He talks about sound hole pickups, magnetic pickups for running effects, and transducer pickups.
The conversation shifts to Matt’s experience recording with Kim Person (who has also recorded Tommy Emmanuel and Stephen Bennett), and her approach to recording acoustic instruments.
The guys talk about practicing their instruments and the need to practice properly to avoid injury.  Finally (for part 1 of 2), Matt talks about some modern guitar players who use effects and multiple pickup systems to create some very unique music.  Those players include Alexandr Misko, Adrian Belew, and Petteri Sariola.

Fingerstyle Guitar, Online Success Part 2 of 2 (with Adam Rafferty) Ep055

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:10 — 51.7MB)

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Adam Rafferty is a jazz guitarist-turned fingerstyle guitarist who has found huge success through YouTube, as an online guitar-coach, and as a touring performer. Check out his awesome fingerstyle arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, as well as jazz standards. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have the opportunity to talk with Adam about his journey, his internet success, his method of arranging for fingerstyle guitar, his gear, and his experiences with copyright law.

In part 2 of 2, Adam tells the guys about his Maton and Cole Clark guitars, his AER amp, and the rest of his gear.

Aaron and Joe are very interested in how Adam deals with copyright law as it applies to his YouTube videos of cover songs as well as his teaching business. He is incredibly open and informative!

Adam recounts his musical journey from his childhood and teenage years, to his classical training in college, his formation of a hip hop group, and his jazz studies with Mike Longo (pianist for Dizzy Gillespi).

Finally, Adam talks about life as a touring musician and how he practices and stays comfortable and confident on the road.

Find out more about Adam Rafferty at: https://www.studywithadam.com/ or https://www.adamrafferty.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adamraffertyguitar/. He also hosts the Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

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Fingerstyle Guitar, Online Success Part 1 of 2 (with Adam Rafferty) Ep054

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:35 — 56.6MB)

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Adam Rafferty is a jazz guitarist-turned fingerstyle guitarist who has found huge success through YouTube, as an online guitar-coach, and as a touring performer. Check out his awesome fingerstyle arrangements of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, as well as jazz standards. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick have the opportunity to talk with Adam about his journey, his internet success, his method of arranging for fingerstyle guitar, his gear, and his experiences with copyright law.

In part 1 of 2, Adam tells the guys about his career as a jazz guitarist and teacher in NYC and why he now spends the majority of his time touring throughout Europe with guys like Michael Fix, Don Ross, and Petteri Sariola. Then he talks about the early days of YouTube, how he tries to stand out in an oversaturated online video market, his stint working as a computer programmer, and his Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

The next topic is how Adam arranges for fingerstyle guitar: capturing the bass and melody lines and making sure it grooves. He also has a thorough knowledge of Bach 4-part harmony and utilizes it in his arrangements.

Find out more about Adam Rafferty at: https://www.studywithadam.com/ or https://www.adamrafferty.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adamraffertyguitar/. He also hosts the Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout podcast.

Subscribe for more videos like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq_-Theg14gom9gcgkmFk7g
Website: http://www.fretbuzzthepodcast.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fretbuzzpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fret_buzz_podcast/

http://www.joemcmurray.com