Weekly Worthy List #6: Keeping your musical ears fresh!

It is no secret that if you have a question about your car, you need a recipe, or you are dying to hear a song you haven’t heard in ages; all of these can usually be handled and satisfied in a couple of keystrokes on the internet. I’ve noticed that with all forms of information so readily available that I, personally, get “satisfaction fatigue!” If that term has not been coined yet, it should be. Who would’ve ever thought that a person could get tired of getting exactly what they asked for? Here are a few things that I do that keep my musical ears “fresh,” some of them are intentional, some are just a natural part of the way I operate, maybe some of them will be of use to you guys. At the very least they’ll be interesting enough to get you to the end of the article. Please share and DON’T BE SHY!!!

1.) I use Grooveshark quite a bit when I want to hear whole albums. I like to use this site to hear the song I want to hear and then the rest of the tunes that came out of the same sessions. When I hear of a new album that I feel the need to try out, it is easily found here and the quality of sound is pretty good. I recently spent a whole day listening to Buffalo Springfield’s Box Set, a band I’ve loved since I was 11 or 12, and really enjoyed the demo’s and all of the CSNY, Neil Young, and Poco songs that resulted from unused Springfield material. I got really inspired, and I would not have had this experience had all the tunes not been in one place.

2.) Comcast radio is really cool, I go to a gospel station, an oldies station, a big band station…you get it, and I just wait to see what they play next. It is programmed really well and often accompanied by historical facts about the songs and artists. I imagine satellite radio could work in the same way.

3.) Youtube can be used in so many ways, they have singles, live videos, whole albums, and a great selection of lessons and “how to play” tutorials. Recently I watched and hour video in which Joe Pass taught viewers how to add chord substitutions to their repertoire and the logic behind choosing chords to suit the melody. I was so floored and took so much from the lesson, I’ve watched it four times since!!! I also watched Iron Maiden perform in 2013 and saw a bunch of guys pushing 60 kick some serious arse…so needless to say, I was humbled AND inspired!!!

4.) Go local-loco!!! Public, college, and community radio is AWESOME!!!! In this part of California I have a few favorites. There is usually not any set format, so until you are familiar with their schedule, you never know what they are going to play. I listen to KVMR out of Nevada City and KZFR and KCHO out of Chico…and no matter what the day or time…one of them has something “fresh” on the air!

5.) Follow the trail of musical notes!!! It is no challenge to appreciate our favorites! Try following your favorite artists by researching them and their influences…and then listen to the influences instead of your favorites! This exercise will lead you to some pretty interesting places and ultimately it will be a very revealing experience exposing the true interconnectedness of all music. I loved Peter Frampton when I was a 6 year old, because of this I was listening to Django Reinhardt as a 12 year old! I hate to play favorites, but of all the options on this list this one is EASILY the most constructive if a person actually follows through without hesitation or bias.

6.) Join an online musical community!!! If your rut is really deep…or shallow (depending on your way of perceiving) join an international online musical community. You’ll hear great music that you would have went your whole life without hearing!

7.) Stop listening to music for a month!!! Seriously, listen to the wind, cars, and birds…and consider not even picking up your instrument, write in your notebook instead. ‘Nuff said!

The next time you are looking for a thermostat for your car or you need a good guacamole recipe, why not try one of these techniques OR create some new methods to throw yourself a curve ball…and last but not least; try picking up your instrument when you are in a bad mood or when you are REALLY tired. I have had a few breakthroughs with those circumstances pending.
Don’t be shy!