Masterclass

• How To Sound Unique - By Chris Standring
  So where to begin? Well, the first thing to understand is that uniqueness is nothing that will happen over night, simply because you have now decided it is important to you. It will take years of refining. But it starts with the decision to want to be different. And I should also point out that, no doubt, some great players didn't even decide, they just sounded different. Luck maybe? I don't think so, I just think they focused on all the right things early on.
  
  
• How To Move People With Your Music - By Chris Standring
  I have never been more interested in musical phrasing than I am now. Perhaps it is because I have recently been hearing young technically astounding players with chops up the yin yang and I am not satisfied. Why? I have been asking myself. And I think the answer is that, to me, it appears they are not 'in the music', they are simply showing off their astounding technique. "Look what I can do!" in other words. This is not the way of the peaceful warrior.
  
  
• Observe Yourself - By Chris Standring
  Distractions, they come a plenty and in all shapes and sizes. One must be ready to deflect them but these days my approach is a little different. I embrace them. Why? because they are simply everywhere and the days of me torturing myself because things were not perfect are over.
  
  
• Interpretation, Individuality & The Miracle Of Music - By Chris Standring
  The one thing that I always come away with from these classical maestros is the deep respect they have for the original composition. Of course this is a very classical musician's approach, and quite different from the jazz musician who is free to take a composition and butcher it as he or she sees fit!
  
  
• Put That Guitar Down! - By Chris Standring
  From that time I have gone through many periods of practicing and letting go, practicing and letting go. Personally I like music to breathe, I don't like it cluttered, so if I want the music to breathe I feel it is necessary for me to also. It's as simple as that.
  
  
• Take A Breath, Listen To The Spaces - By Chris Standring
  As jazz guitarists, there is a terrible tendency for us to play a lot of notes, firstly because the genre historically has given us permission to do so, and second, archtop jazz guitars don't generally lend themselves to sustaining notes, so in order to 'get over', guitarists fall into the trap of overplaying.
  
  
• Thoughts From A Robben Ford Masterclass - By Chris Standring
  An artist becomes a truly great artist when he or she is thinking about their own music and how to make it unique. The struggle for an identifiable and distinctive voice becomes the number one goal.
  
  
• Take Command Over Your Instrument - By Chris Standring
  "What do you really want to say musically? Play a phrase and damn well mean it! Every note from beginning to end!"
  
  
• How To Seriously Improve Your Guitar Playing - By Chris Standring
  There are bedroom guitar players and there are live performers. There doesn't seem to be anything in between. The minute you walk on to a stage (whether you get paid or not) you are a professional. You are in the business of entertaining and displaying your wares, so to speak. And if you really want to seriously get your guitar playing together it is the latter you need to strive for in my opinion.
  
  
• Developing Good 'Time' - By Chris Standring
  How do we approach improving our 'time'? Well first, it is extremely important that we are aware that it is one of the most important aspects of music. At all levels, we need to work on this.
  
  
• Playing With Conviction - By Chris Standring
  Imagine you are in a club or even a concert hall. Play a musical phrase and imagine that the people in the back of the theater need to "feel" that phrase, just like you mean to feel it. How would you do that?
  
  
• Building A Relationship With Your Guitar - By Chris Standring
  To become a wonderful guitarist takes time. This article addresses the idea that positive results often happen in their own time and that we must let things ebb and flow, just like a healthy relationship.
  
  
• Defining the True Artist - Do You Have What It Takes? - By Chris Standring
  Great artists are uniquely different from the norm. But what makes those true greats really stand out from the crowd? This article explains why real talent is so elusive to many and what musicians need to focus on in order to reach dizzying heights of success.
  
  
• Reaching For The Soul Zone - By Chris Standring
  That Zen like trancendental state is what all serious searching musicians are striving for. The question is; why is it not always possible to get there? This article answers that question and presents some thoughts on the subject.