Author Archives: Mike

Guitar In World Music Article at Guitar International Magazine

A new article of mine is available at Guitar International Magazine’s website. This is the first in a series of articles about the guitar in world music cultures entitled “Going Places with the Guitar: World Music.”

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African-American History Month: Representations of Race in American Music

February being African-American history month, I’m sharing some of my research on representations of African-American culture in twentieth-century American music. This series consists of short installments from my research as an undergraduate at Kenyon College. The Harlem Renaissance and the … Continue reading

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New Year’s Resolutions

It’s a little late, but one month into 2013, I’ve finally settled on some resolutions for this blog! I’m adding a couple of new running topics to the blog such as album and concert reviews, instructional book, DVD, and website … Continue reading

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The Role of the Shishya in Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music, or Hindustani music, is revered as one of the world’s more complex and theoretical musical systems. Despite the values placed on demonstrating this necessary knowledge base and observing the conventions of musical performance, Hindustani music remains to … Continue reading

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Free Guitar Resource: Open Chord Bass Notes

Here is a very useful chart for rhythm guitar, alternating bass, and for fingerpicking, bluegrass, and old-time accompaniment. It provides the root, third, and fifth of all of the basic open chords in multiple positions. Open Chord Bass Notes

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Indian Music Article at Guitar International Magazine

Guitar International Magazine just published my Intro to Hindustani Music primer and reviews of two Indian classical guitar DVDs. Give it a read here.

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The Role of the Guru in Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music, or Hindustani music, is revered as one of the world’s more complex and theoretical musical systems. Despite the values placed on demonstrating this necessary knowledge base and observing the conventions of musical performance, Hindustani music remains to … Continue reading

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Jazz Article at Guitar International Magazine

Guitar International Magazine has just published my article “Jazz Improvisation: Licks as a Learning Tool” on their website. This article provides a method for getting the most from pre-composed licks as a model of jazz improvisation.

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From the Archives 2

Just added another old tune to the Music page of this site. I actually dug up the first solo instrumental I ever composed. This dates probably from October 2007. The song is called Leo’s Hedges, inspired by Leo Kottke and Michael … Continue reading

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Review: Soundscapes and The Vancouver Soundwalk Collective

Soundscape refers to all of the aural features of a locale. This includes musical, natural, and man-made phenomena such as speech, machinery, automobiles, birds, flowing water, etc. The Vancouver Sound Walk Collective describes itself as “a community of listeners that … Continue reading

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