Have you ever seen an orchestra play in a car park?
Strange question, I know.
Well, about 7 or 8 years ago, Sarah (Archie’s mom) and I booked tickets to see the Multi-Story Orchestra play in Birmingham.
…In a car park.
It was literally a full orchestra playing on one level of a built-up car park.
It was a great set-up with a bar (always good).
The idea was that this would be a new way of experiencing classical music, making it more accessible for everyone in a relaxed way.
It was stunning.
The symphony they played was Beethoven’s Fifth.
What made it more exciting was that before playing it, the orchestra split up into sections and did mini workshops involving the audience.
The string section, brass section, and woodwind section all took a corner of the car park and isolated the parts they were due to play from the symphony so we could hear each individual section.
Then, when they joined forces and played the symphony in full together, it helped everyone understand and appreciate it better.
We loved it, and it highlights something I tell guitar students.
That is…
When listening to a piece of music, it’s great for your aural skills if you listen to all the parts.
For instance, when listening to a song, don’t just listen to the guitar.
Listen to all the parts such as the bass, drums, vocal harmonies, etc.
Being able to pick out and hear all these elements that make up a song is one of the subtle skills that can help all guitarists improve.
Your listening skills get better, your understanding of the music improves, your awareness, concentration, and appreciation of the music will all get better too.
This will help your guitar playing so you can refine and improve all the microelements that make your playing more musical.
Give it a try.
Of course, you don’t have to go see an orchestra in a car park to do this (although if you get a chance, I recommend you do).
You can listen to music at home, and using headphones helps.
…But seeing live music and immersing yourself in it is something I recommend we all do more of.
Funnily enough, my best students over the years have often been the ones who would see a lot of live music.
I’m not sure if that’s because they would do the things mentioned above, or because they were just super passionate about music, or more likely, both.
Either way, live music is great.
Anyway, speaking of Beethoven’s Fifth, the intro is one of the most famous of all time.
In my 7-Day Transformation Course, you get to learn multiple fun, simple, and instantly enjoyable pieces like this.
It’s just $7 to get the course with lifetime access, and there are some wonderful bonuses, and the ability to track your progress and download the course.
Find out more about the 7-Day Transformation Course
You never know, after taking the course, you might even want to park your car, get your guitar out, and start playing for others!
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
Add Comment