GospelSkillz - Musicians Blog

Is Your Anointing More Important Than Mine?

Letron Brantley — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:37:29 GMT

Hello everyone,

Me being primarily a saxophone player (20 years), I want to use this blog opportunity to touch on a subject that has been on my mine for a while. I had a friend tell me a couple of weeks ago that the most important instruments in the church were the Organ and Keyboard. His argument was that EVEN without Bass Guitar and/or Drums, an organist or keyboardist can carry a service by themselves and the others can’t. Now this statement was not something that was a shock to me. Any musician who’s played at a church, for money or not, knows who the MVPs (Most Valuable Players) are, typically. I was just surprised to hear someone put it out in the open like that. With that said, am I to believe that my anointing is less valuable than the equally anointed keyboardist or organist?

Psalm 150:1-6

“1) Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2) Praise him for his might acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3) Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: Praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4) Praise him with the timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5) Praise him upon the loud cymbals: Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6) Let everything that hath breath praise ye the Lord.”

In the Word, the command has been given to use all instruments to praise the Lord. So why should one instrument be more important than the other. Every musician is charged with helping to set the atmosphere for God’s presence. I’ve been in many services where the other musicians would drop out completely to let God use me to prepare the atmosphere. I have seen situations where the power went out and the drummer went OFF!! I have also heard situations where the keyboard player and drummer never showed up for weekday revival so the bass player and the drummer turned it out. For those of you who know about the United House of Prayer for All People then you know what I’m about to say. If anyone tells you that HORNS can’t hold down a service, then you need to check out the clips below. It will blow your mind.

United House of Prayer Bands

http://www.gospelskillz.com/watchvideo.asp?id=85

http://www.gospelskillz.com/watchvideo.asp?id=84

http://www.gospelskillz.com/watchvideo.asp?id=83

http://www.gospelskillz.com/watchvideo.asp?id=82

There seems to be this stigma even in many churches and unfortunately between musicians that if you don’t play keys, then you don’t play. Now I play keys myself, but sax is my primary instrument. God has given me this gift and as much anointing as an equally good organist. It’s the same for many of the other instruments. So where is the breakdown? Granted, the organ and piano are chordal instruments and harmony is important. But the guitar is also a chordal instrument. Bass can be too. Other than quartet groups, you don’t see many guitar players or bass players holding it down. (Someone educate me please). One of my previous blogs (Are Musicians Hard to Find?) focused on whether or not musicians should be paid, but what about the scale at which musicians are paid? Is this a representation of the worth of a musician?

What are your thoughts? Is this bias real? Is it here to stay?

God Bless,
Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

The Contemporary Gospel Sound

Letron Brantley — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:03:23 GMT

I have gotten a lot of feedback from those that say they are still having problems with achieving the “Contemporary Sound”. “I can play the chords in exercises, but when it comes time to put them in a song, I’m lost!” Some even go as far as to conclude that some people HAVE IT! and some people DON'T! and therefore want to quit. COME ON PEOPLE!! We got enough complications with the 2008 Democratic Primary. Let’s not bring it to the music!! It’s supposed to be fun and rewarding and we have to keep it that way or we will all be confused and frustrated – just like we are with the Democratic Primary, but I won't go there :o) Let’s talk about this Contemporary Sound.

Well when we say “Contemporary Sound” in Gospel Music, we typically talk about the added tension in the music. The great philosopher Plato stated that musical harmony has the power to manipulate human emotions. This extra tension in contemporary gospel music moves people. Think about all of the great songs out there and the music that’s played with them. Each song moves you in a different way. Here is another example for those of you who had the opportunity to grow up in a church that didn’t have the greatest musicians. In my hometown church, our musician didn’t play contemporary style at all. Everything was root position triads and 1, 4, 5 movements. But for someone who didn’t know any different, that was fine for me and everyone else in the church. It wasn’t until (at 18) I moved to Atlanta to attend school that I heard something was different about church music. The first church I attended in Atlanta was World Changers Ministries led by Creflo Dollar in College Park, GA. In my first service there I couldn’t believe the difference in the music. I didn’t know what to call it at the time, but it caught my attention. I was hooked to that “Contemporary Sound” and from there, I got introduced to John P. Kee, and Hez and my world changed completely. Like I said, I am from a small town :o)

So what was it about the difference in the music that reeled me in? Well the sound is no mystery. It all has to do with (as I stated earlier) tension created by intervals. An interval is basically the distance between two notes. Therefore the distance between “C” and “C# or Db” would be 1 half step also known as a Minor 2nd interval. The distance between “C” and “D” would be 2 half steps also known as a Major 2nd interval. See Figure1. Well there are some key intervals that give that tension in the music to make it more interesting. Some of the more popular tension intervals are the Minor 2nd (described earlier) and the Tritone. A Tritone is 6 half steps between two notes. Ex: “C to F#” is a Tritone and if you play it you see that it has a very distinct sound. Minor 2nds and Tritones are two intervals alone that can spice a song up to make it more interesting.

Figure 1:

Interval Name	Interval Abreviation	Half Steps
Half Step - Minor Second	H - min 2nd	1
Whole Step - Major Second	W - Maj 2nd	2
Minor Third	min 3rd	3
Major Third	Maj 3rd	4
Perfect Fourth	4th	5
Tritone - Flat Fifth	b5th	6
Perfect Fifth	5th	7
Minor Sixth	min 6th	8
Major Sixth	Maj 6th	9
Minor Seventh	min 7th	10
Major Seventh	Maj 7th	11
Octave	8va	12

Tritones and Minor 2nds are not normally played by themselves (although they can be) they usually sound more interesting when played with other chords. (Note: I will be doing a series of video theory lessons soon that will get you squared away with understanding chords and intervals better, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t quite understand everything yet.)

Example:
Try playing a dominant chord on your keyboard or piano. Let’s play a “B” dominant chord. B-D#-F#-A. Dominant chords are played all of the time in not only Gospel Music but all kinds of music; Jazz, Country, R&B etc. This chord can be played in many different inversions (or positions), but the quality will essentially be the same…Dominant. Now Dominant chords function as transition chords to other chords such as the 1 chord or the 3 chord, so as transition chords, it’s great that we have some options as to how the chord transitions. This is done through altering the dominant chord. For the sake of time I want you to try playing this example chord: Leave the root “B” off and just play with both hands (LH: A-D#) (RH: G#-C#-F). How does that sound? What you have just played (Assuming that “B” is played in the root with your foot on organ or by a bass player) is a B13b5 named “B Thirteen with a Flat 5). In the left hand we played a Tritone (A-D#) and in the right hand we played a G#-C#-F (C# Major Triad in 2nd Inversion where the Root and 3rd are moved to the top). This is a rootless voice which even when played without the root (or bass note) sounds interesting and contemporary. You see how it sounds like it should go somewhere? I won’t keep you hanging. Let’s resolve this chord to a Bbm11 (B Flat Minor 11) rootless voicing. (LH: Ab-C-Db-F) (RH: Ab-C-Eb)

There are plenty of other chords and techniques that contribute to the contemporary sound, but I can hear the question now, “Letron, all of that theory and everything is good, but when it comes time to play it, how do I fit it in?” Well the key to this is very simple. Listen, Listen, Listen! Think about all of the musicians around you that play like you want to play. 95% of those musicians learned what they know from growing up around other musicians and being exposed to the music on a regular basis. It’s like learning a language. The only real way to become fluent in a language is to spend time with people that speak the same language that you do. Same thing with learning to play by ear, you need to be able to recognize how these chords fit into songs. There use to be a time where I couldn’t hear these transitions or contemporary chords at all. I would struggle trying to figure out how these musicians could just throw them in. It’s because they have heard the chord progression so many times that they can hear and anticipate placement of these chords. Another name for this is “Substitutions”. Now with all of this said the point is you have to listen to the music you want to play. There is enough GREAT Gospel music out there with AWESOME musicians that it should be no problem for you to expose yourself to the music. Listen as much as you can and also when you are around other musicians, listen to what they are doing. Even if the musicians around you are not contemporary players, if you listen enough to contemporary music, you will find that you can hear transitions that they could have done. This is when you know you are on the right track.

Thanks for reading this blog and please share your thoughts on this.

Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

Press Release: BlackGospel.com Interview

Letron Brantley — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:40:43 GMT

-by Christopher Heron

This is an interview I did with BlackGospel.com. I thought I would share it with the GospelSkillz.com family. Let me know what you think?

Question:
Letron, your online company is dedicated to offering musicians the tools they need to enhance their musicianship. What are the essential skills or level of proficiency a musician must have before they can benefit from your offerings?

Answer:
GospelSkillz.com has something for musicians of all levels. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player, you will find something at GospelSkillz.com that will meet your needs.

Question:
In a very simple and straightforward way, could you please explain what exactly your services and lessons through GospelSkillz.com offer to the musician?

Answer:
Well the site offers many features to musicians. I am constantly updating and adding to the site to make it as rich with content as possible. One of the features I'm most proud of is the "Free Lessons" section of the site. This section is filled with chord progressions, scales, licks, runs, theory lessons, and videos to help get musicians to that next level. I have sound clips as well to accent the topics being discussed in the lessons. It is my vision that this area of the site will overflow with useful and FREE knowledge to all of the musicians that visit.

I also have my musicians’ blog which I use to discuss topics that are relevant to musicians today. This is a place where musicians can express their concerns and views with each other as they relate to the topics being discussed.

Last but not least, I have tons of products on the site that I have gathered from the many musicians out there who have been given the charge to commit their talents to a form which will benefit others. I have books, DVDs, CDROMs, and software products on the site that musicians can browse and decide whether it will fit in their musical studies. One of the key features that I believe is really beneficial is the fact that you can PREVIEW the videos BEFORE you buy. This is very important in our time, because you would want to make sure that the product suits you before you make your purchase.

Question:
Could you tell us a little about how these lessons were designed with the purpose of improving musicianship? And who are the individuals responsible for offering their knowledge and expertise in this area?

Answer:
The lessons and DVD videos offered on the site come from an array of accomplished musicians who have answered God's call to teach the world how to worship through musicianship. I am a musician myself and I sought out individuals that had the same goals and mindset for raising the standard for musicians in the church. I have been blessed to work with Mike Ross, Sebasten Wheat, Paul Whitley, Akeem Downs, Jermaine Griggs, Jamal Hartwell, Rhett Jarrett of Soulful Productions and many others towards this goal.

Question:
What was the inspiration for launching a site like GospelSkillz.com?

Answer:
Well as I touched on in the previous question, I wanted to help build a new age of musicians that are serious not only about their craft but also about God. I have seen many musicians that are very talented, but they take advantage of what they have been given and don't really acknowledge God for their blessing. They just go through the motions. On the other hand, you have those that have a true and sincere heart for God, but their skills are lacking to the point where they can't be as effective. It is my desire and goal to bring these two individuals into one, to create an army of talented soldiers for God's Kingdom.

Question:
There are so many styles to Gospel music. There’s Praise & Worship, Traditional, Contemporary Gospel, etc. Are your tools helpful for any and all musicians or is it best utilized by a certain type of format or musician?

Answer:
No, GospelSkillz.com caters to all styles of gospel music from the old hymns of the church to the more contemporary songs played on the radio today. It is important to learn all styles so that you will be able to function in other areas. One of the keys to this is being able to recognize the styles and play them by ear. With the products and services offered on my site, you can get there relatively quickly.

Question:
Gospel music, like certain other styles of music for instance Jazz, World Rhythm, Reggae, etc leaves the musician to reinterpret the music and steadily improvise throughout the song. Can a musician learn how to improvise and reinterpret music or is this an inherent quality, almost a 6th sense that’s more of a feeling than a skill?

Answer:
Well I believe you are referring to playing by ear or improvisation based on recognition. It is sort of like a 6th sense in that it really relies on your intuition of the song and situation you are in. If you are familiar with many songs and many styles, you can use your knowledge and experience to transform the tunes you know into something totally different but recognizable to the audience. GospelSkillz.com gives tips and techniques for building your ear and memory so that you can get to the area you desire quicker. Playing by Ear is a skill that has to be developed and we help you cultivate and nurture that skill.

Question:
And finally, what are the spiritual and musical rewards to enhancing your gift as a musician, whether you’re a music minister, a band member of a Gospel group or just a closet musician with a passion to master your instrument?

Answer:
Well the great philosopher, Plato, said that music has the power to move people. It is the job of the musician to help set the atmosphere for God's presence. A talented musician who is ALSO in tune with God can achieve this. It doesn't always have to be in a church either. It could be at home with your family, or in your private studies. Once you get to the point where God is moving through you because you've done your preparation, then that's the reward or feeling that makes it all worth it.

Multi-Instrumentalizing...Does it Pay Off in the Long Run

Letron Brantley — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:49:14 GMT

In this day and age it is common to see musicians playing more than one instrument. Common combinations I see most often are Sax-Flute-Clarinet, Bass-Guitar, Piano-Organ-Drums, etc. My question is..."Does it really pay off in the long run?".

Well, I’m one to talk. I play sax, bass, flute, and piano. Now my main instrument is sax, but I shed on the flute, bass, and piano pretty intensely. I have heard several musicans say that in order to make it in the gigging world, you need to be able to play multiple instruments. There are a few out there that hold down multiple gigs on different instruments and are doing well. But is it true that in order to make a living as a musician, you should play more than one instrument? Hmmm...I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but I would say that if you do have the abililty to play more than one instrument well then you are in a good place to take advantage of a multiple of opportunities whether it be the dinner club gig, studio sessions, musicians pit, private lessons, workshops, or other performing gigs.

Is the desire to play multiple instruments driven by earning potential? Well certainly the more talent you have, the more valuable you become. But think about it...someone in the business world completes an undergraduate in business and then goes back after a few years to complete an MBA. Why? To make themselves more valuable. The concept is the same with musicians to an extent. I myself play multiple instruments because I have something to say on them and I can live with the side effect of maybe picking up a gig here or there in the future. I remember reading an interview in JazzIzz magazine several years ago where Phil Woods woods was asked a question of whether he thought it was necessary for saxophone players to double on clarinet. He basically said that you should only really study another instrument if you have a "voice" for it. Having a "voice" for another instrument means that you have a burning desire to express yourself through it.

Playing another instrument just for the sake of playing another instrument could be counter productive to your musicianship in that your soul won’t be in the act of playing and study and therefore there would be little growth or growth at a slower rate. In conjunction, you have those that feel that if you decide to go the route of the multi-instrumentalist, then you end up just spreading yourself too thin and won’t be any good at any of them. Well I think this is a function of how serious the musician is. Now if you are very busy like me with a wife and child, then finding time to practice is hard sometimes. I have resorted to practicing late at night when everyone is asleep (in my soundproof practice room) or early in the morning. Regardless of the time, I always make a point to get my practice time in on ALL of my instruments. It is my belief that if you can make the time to devote to the instruments, why not. And besides having an "intimate relationship" with other instruments gives you deeper understanding of what it takes to make music from the instrument and you have a better appreciation of your band mates.

Ultimately the decision is up to the individual musician. But surely if you have the gift, it’s yours to exploit!

Any thoughts?

Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
HotJazzChops.com
GospelSkillz.com

Are Good Musicians Hard to Find?

Letron Brantley — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:05:06 GMT

I want to take this opportunity to talk about musicians in the church or should I say the lack there of. I've heard and witnessed churches soliciting musicians because either their musician left or they've never had a consistent musician. Many of them say that good musicians are hard to find. Is that really the case or is it that the good musicians are being pulled in another direction? There is a long standing debate over whether musicians in church should be getting paid. There are many supporters on both sides of the camp, but the one thing that I have noticed is that the ones that oppose musicians getting paid as well as those that don't have a sizeable budget are the ones suffering this issue the most - (Simply Observations). Musical standards have grown over the years where musicians are expected to "perform" or operate at a certain level. With this increased skillset comes an increased worth and many musicians have figured this out. We live in what I call the Multi-Media Praise Age where we have lights, cameras, big screens, dvds, cds, and great music. Most very successful ministries have most if not all of these. These items attract a larger congregation which allows the budget to be increased for things like music and musicians. Musicians today (especially younger musicians) are being drawn to better paying opportunities. Many times the opportunities are not in the church. What is the answer to keep our musicians in the church and allow them to be fulfilled? Any Ideas?

Click Here to view the MSNBC Video on musicians in the church...

Letron Brantley (Sax / Flute / Piano)
CEO & Founder
GospelSkillz.com

How Do You Approach Ear Training?

Letron Brantley — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:50:36 GMT

OK for the ones who may be confused as to what ear training is, let me explain...

If you are blessed enough to be able to hear, then you have been a student of ear training for as long as you have been alive. In the womb our ears were trained to recognize and distinguish mom's voice as well as other sounds we were exposed to. As we grew older we were exposed to other sounds of the world which our ears were trained to distinguish such as a train whistle, school bell, fire truck siren, dad's voice, etc. As a musician, when you listen to music for a long period of time, you eventually train your ears to hear where it will go even when the music is not playing. This is a very important skill for a musician because he/she needs to be able reproduce the music that they hear ultimately in their head.

Ear training consists of:

Memorization - (of chords and melodies)
Anticipation - (of progressions)
Disection - (of songs to individual instruments)
Recognition - (of chord qualities, key signatures, rhythms, and melodies)
Imitation - (of progressions, melodies, and rhythms)
Familiarity - (with your instrument and tunes)

Memorization is an important part of learning to play. It's been said before and it will be said many times more... "Commit as much as you can to MEMORY!".   I sometimes fall in the trap of being overwhelmed with everything I don't KNOW. I eventually make myself understand that the path of a musician is a long and fulfilling journey where you try to memorize as much as you can along the way.

Anticipation is very important result of ear training. There are two ways to anticipate: 1) If you understand progressions and their functions, you can anticipate where a chord or a progression might go. But ultimately you want to get to the point where 2) you can anticipate by hearing where a chord or progression might go. I have seen many organists and pianists over the years back up a vocalist where it is the ultimate exercise in anticipation, because many times vocalists can be very unpredictable in where they may take a song.

Disection is a skill that is developed from ear training. Many non-musicians listen to music as a whole. That means they don't hear individuals instruments within a song. This is usually not the case with musicians though...just ask my wife. She is a non-musician, so when a song comes on and I make a crazy noise, because that bass lick was just crazy, she looks at me like I'M crazy. Being able to single out instruments and study them in a piece of music is critical.

Recognition. Can you hear a Major 7th, Minor 7, m7b5b9? Being able to hear chords and distinguish their qualities is very important. I would have to admit that as much as I practice trying to recognize chords, I still get a little confused sometimes. There are so many ways a chord can be voiced and sometimes when a keyboardist or guitarist plays a very "Close" chord (chord that has been inverted to the point where there are minor 2nd and major 2nd intervals) it can be difficult to decipher the chord. Don't get discouraged though because this is a talent that will just increase with time.

Imitation is critical to ear training as well. In my practice time, I actually practice playing what I hear on my saxophone or the piano. It could be music from cd, radio, tv, or something I'm thinking about.  This is a VERY imporatant exercise that helps to bridge the gap between your mind and your instrument. You should take every opportunity to practice by ear that you can.

Familiarity with your instrument and tunes is essential. If you don't know your instrument, you will have a very hard time trying to imitate what you hear.   A very well respected musician in my area was asked the question once, how he is able to play the things he does on the sax. His response was, "I try to play as much as I can..." When you practice make sure you take advantage of the whole instrument so that you can use it in your solos.

Incorporating Ear Training in Your Practice Time:

If you don't have the ability to Dissect music, then that is where I would start. Take a few minutes each day and listen to music of your preference. It could be Jazz, Funk, Rock, Blues, Country, Gospel, etc. Practice listening to the music as a whole and then dissect the music and pick out each individual instrument and concentrate on that one. This can be a little tricky, but keep trying until you get it. Then when you think you have it, start listening to accapella vocal ensembles and try picking out the lines each vocalist is singing. This is more difficult to me because, the voices tend to blend together more than instruments with more distinct tambers. After you have this licked, start memorizing and imitating lines you hear.

If you surround yourself with the same type of music all your life, eventually that music becomes a part of you. There are many non-musicians with better ears than musicians in our world. The only problem they have is that they just don't have an instrument to get the music out of them. Basically you must spend quality time in your practice session on your ear. There is no getting around it. You ear is as important to your musicial development as your technical ability on your instrument.

Well that's my time!

Good Luck!

Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

"Perfect Practice Makes Perfect"

Letron Brantley — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:21:03 GMT

One of the most common things I hear when talking with other musicians is that, “I practice and practice, but I don’t seem to be going anywhere…” This is the unfortunate case for many musicians. They spend hours and hours trying to get better only to realize that they aren’t growing much at all. I myself have gone through that same thing and it can be very frustrating. I have since made a few modifications to my practice habits that have allowed me to see growth QUICKER with LESS practice time. After all there are only so many hours in the day and if you have a day job and kids you know that those hours can get filled up pretty quickly. It’s no big secret but it will require you to break some old habits. The answer is NOT “Practice Makes Perfect”, but “PERFECT Practice Makes Perfect”.

Now you may be asking yourself what you can be doing more than you already are to get the most out of your practice time. Well let me describe two musicians to you so you can see the difference. Instead of using Musician A and Musician B, I am going to give them names. Musician A = Curtis and Musician B = Charlene.

Let’s take a look at how Curtis practices:

Curtis sits down at the piano and starts to play some scales. He starts on the C Major Scale and works his way up chromatically (by Half Steps) to G. After he finishes the G Major scale, he starts to think of the song that he heard on the radio. He hums the melody and tries to remember the chords. He is able to pick some of them out but not all. He then gets frustrated after 45min and starts working on some hot progressions that a friend taught him. He spends another 45min working out these progressions and trying to see where else he can take them. After he gets bored with that, he then starts working on a song he has been writing for 3 years, but just never got around to finishing. This lasts for about 1 hour. He then doodles on the piano for an hour and calls it a night. Curtis’ total practice time is 3.5 hours.

Now let’s take a look at Charlene:

Charlene sits down at the piano with her practice journal and metronome in hand. She opens the journal and looks to see if there is anything left over from her previous practice session that she needs to work on. There is nothing. So she writes the current date in her journal signifying the start of this session. She then writes “Major Scales around the Circle of Fourths” and sets her metronome at 80 bpm (Beats per Minute). She then proceeds to practice her major scales around the Circle of Fourths first at normal time and again at double time. When she’s done, she writes down the time it took her to complete the scales and the tempo which was 5min. Now that she is warmed up, she writes in her journal “Progression Exercises”. With the metronome still set to 80 bpm, she works though Major 2-5-1, Minor 2-5-1, 1-4, 1-6-2-5-1, 6-2-5-1, 3-6-2-5-1, and 7-3-6-2-5-1 progressions ALL around the Circle of Fourths. She then writes in her journal 20 min. She also makes a note that she was having some problems with Minor 2-5-1 progressions. She will ask someone about that later. Now that she has the fundamentals out of the way, she pulls out her choir book. (Charlene plays for the church choir) She writes in her journal “Practice choir song (Awesome God) for Sunday.” She puts the CD into the CD player and listens to it one time all the way through. While she is listening, she identifies the key and any key changes that may occur in the song. She then sets it back to the beginning and plays again and begins learning the song. When she is done, she writes 35 min. She reflects on the practice and feels good about it. She knows she will need to work on the song more, but she has 6 more days until Sunday. She feels that she will be ready by Wednesday, but right now she has to get dinner ready for the kids. Charlene's total practice time is 1 hour.

So we have seen two individuals and how they both practice. Which one do you think would get the most out of their practice time? … Charlene is very focused in her practice time. She has a journal and is able to review what she did in her last practice session so she knows not to spend too much time on it in the current session. Curtis on the other hand, lacks focus in his practice session and ends up all over the place. He doesn’t really identify any areas that he needs to work on. He just kind of goes with whatever.

It is very important to be extremely focused in your practice time. You should always have these aspects included:

Warm-ups – Scales or Finger exercises

Fundamentals – Scales and Progressions (Also reading, even if it’s at a basic level)

Ear Training – Playing a song by ear, learning intervals, chord qualities (Major vs Minor)

Extra stuff – Learning a song, Improvisation

Having these elements will allow you to get the most out of your time so that you can achieve great results quicker. Since I started doing this, I have noticed a tremendous increase in my ability to play. Remember that FOCUS and CONSISTENCY is the key to getting where you want musically. Try it and let me know your results. Always remember "PERFECT Practice Makes Perfect".

Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

Basic Progressions - Part 2 - "Oh How I Love Jesus"

Letron Brantley — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:31:42 GMT

In this video blog, I go into some of the more advanced chords and substitutions of "Oh How I Love Jesus". If you haven't already, I encourage you to view the first video in the two part series. Part one covers the very basic progressions of the song. Understanding the basics is critical to building further upon the foundation it sets. I also explain some of the chords in the substitutions that I use in this video. If you have any questions at all, I encourage you to post them to this blog because we have a wealth of musicians that can help you gain a better understanding. And as always if you are an acomplished musician and have some insight to share with everyone else, please do.

Letron Brantley
CEO & Founder
GospelSkillz.com

Basic Progressions - Part1 - "Oh How I Love Jesus"

Letron Brantley — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:32:15 GMT

In this Video Lesson, I cover some of the basics of music such as Major Triad chords and Inversions. I also introduce you to the Number System. These are all concepts that you will use as you go through your musical career. If you are already an acomplished musician and you have any feedback, please offer it as I am always open to sugguestions for uplifting musicians. If you are a beginner and you have any questions regarding the content of this video, please post your questions or comments to the Video Lesson Blog so that everyone can take advantage of it. Thanks for visiting my blog and Be Blessed.

Letron Brantley
CEO & Founder
GospelSkillz.com
Division of Brantley Enterprises

Message to Beginning Musicians - I Dare You to Get Serious!

Letron Brantley — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:32:37 GMT

I get asked the question a lot, "Do you have any advise for beginning musicians?" I always say, "Sure" and give them what I have been priviledged to learn over the years. But this time I thought I would just write it down so that others can take advantage of my message.

It doesn't matter what instrument you play (piano, bass, drums, guitar, horns, or other strings); musical excellence is a discipline that can be quite rewarding if you take it seriously. There are all levels of musicians that play professionally in the world. In fact, you have a wide range of levels from those musicians that don't have much skill but are making millions of dollars to those that are just AWESOME in skill and technical ability but only play for family and friends. My point in bringing this fact up is that you have to decide for yourself the musician you want to be and what would make you happy. This is the number one task. As a beginner, you have your whole musicial future ahead of you (no matter what age you are).

Once you have decided what your musical goal is, your approach needs to then fall in line with your goal. This is VERY IMPORTANT because one of top reasons musicians quite before they reach thier goal is that they get frustrated because they feel that thier chosen path is not in line with thier goal. Here's an example: I have a friend who wanted to learn piano because he has always heard great Jazz and Gospel piano players growing up. He made up in his mind that he would play. He went out and bought a really nice keyboard and amp. He purchased books and dvds and even made up a practice schedule. Then it came time for him to find a teacher. He looked in the yellow pages and found the first teacher he saw. After the first lesson, he was already discouraged and didn't have the desire to play. This was because the teacher, didn't like Jazz or Gospel and totally killed his desire to learn. Beginning musicians are ESPECIALLY supseptible to discouraging comments. This is why it is important as a beginning musician to sourround yourself with the people you wish to play like. Go to concerts and performances. Hang out with them if they would let you (some musicians can be jerks, but there are A LOT of good hearted musicians out there too. Find them!!)

Now after you have decided on your musical goal and sorrounded yourself with like-minded musicians, you need to define your musical progression. In other words, you need to realistically evaluate your personal situation as far as time constraints are concerned and decide how your musical preparation will fit. I have seen many musicans fall by the way side because they can find no way to fit music into thier daily lives. It could be for any number of factors ranging from lack of time to opposition from family members. All I can say is that when I decided to pursue music from an educational level and also increase my own playing ability, I told my wife what my plan was and then shared with her the steps that I needed to take to get there. I told her that there was going to be A LOT of practice time and work involved. I then began to see how I could fit it into my life. Now with me, I have a new son who just turned 1 years old in May 2007. It is a PRIORITY for me to give him my time even if it's only a couple of hours a day because he is a young man and he needs to be in the company of his father. It is important to get your family involved in what you are doing. Let them know what you are after and how they can be a part if they desire. Cooperation is key to those who are married and or have kids. You have to think "Outside of the box" in making the time to spend on your craft. If you are a single parent for instance, you may have your young kids stay at a friend or family member's house while you get some practice time in. Or you can do like me and build a sound proof practice room in your garage so that when you put the babies to bed, you can practice for an hour or two. If you are married, you can work with your spouse to watch the kids while your practice and then you return the favor when he/she wants to do something they like. If you do this, you WILL be able to find the time to fit things in. There have been times when I would take my son in the practice room with me and let him play around while I practice and my wife sleeps. It's funny sometimes to see him stand on his tip toes just to press the keys on the keyboard, but he loves it!! As you go through your schedule, you may also identify those things that are taking up your time but are not really adding value to your life such as playing checkers at the gas station for an hour a day with Ralph and the boys.

As a beginning musician, you already have the chips against you because it is so easy to quit at this stage. You are not really playing anything that gives you any encouragement to keep going and the older you are the more things that are out there that can pull you away. Just remember these important points:

1. Make up in your mind the kind of musician you want to be. Set your goal as a musician.

2. Gear your approach to the type of musician you want to be. If you want to be a classical pianist, listen to classical piano music and find a teacher who plays classical music well. Go to concerts and find other musicians in your area that play classical as well.

3. Evaluate your schedule and get your family involved in what you are trying to do. Find the time to fit your practice time in. Practice is very important and CAN NOT be overlooked.

With that said, I will leave you with one piece of truth. I have been a musician for 20years, but how many of you know that it doesn't take that long to get REALLY good. If you follow these steps above, there is NO REASON you can't become a professional musician in 4-5 years. I dare you to get serious!

Letron "LTrain" Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com
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Music Theory - Is it REALLY that important?

Letron Brantley — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:33:02 GMT

I hear musicians all the time talk about this subject. I would even venture to say that there is probably an equal number of supporters on both sides of this issue. The question on many musicians' minds is... "If I am already playing and it sounds good to myself and others, then why do I need theory?" First of all I would like to start off by saying that it is hard being a working musician and not know SOME theory about music. Most musicians, whether they be Gospel, Blues, or Jazz musicians know at least the notes on thier instruments, major and minor chord qualities, and scales or "keys". With that said, I guess the question is really what level of theory is needed in order to play well?

I know many piano and organ players that will tell you quickly that they don't know theory, but the truth of the matter is that they do. They just don't have a high level of theoretical knowledge. They do know thier scales, notes on the keyboard, and for the most part harmonic qualities like major, minor, diminished, etc. If you have at least this, I'm sorry to say that YOU ARE NOT THEORY ILLITERATE! What you have is a strong foundation for building your musical knowledge.

If you don't have at least a basic knowledge of music, does that mean you are not a real musician? Certainly not! If you are playing at a church with a crew of musicians and you all gel together to a point where it's in the pocket and you all have a strong ear, then you may be just fine. The problem may come when you get with some other musicians who are schooled in music and they start talking, "...Hey yo! Go to the 7 - 3 - 6 - 2 ..." If you have a strong ear and your reflexes are good, you can kind of anticipate and adjust, but many of you already know, if you are off from hitting the deadline by just a fraction of a second, sometimes it can throw off the pocket and take away from the whole groove of a song. Another problem with just being able to play by ear is that you can only play what you've heard. There are many other types of sounds and chord combinations that can be created, and if you understand the foundations for building those combinations, you can shorten the time it takes for you to reach your goals. Music theory is a universal language that allows musicians to communicate EFFECTIVELY. Everyone may have their own way to describe and communicate musical ideas. Just look at the MD for a church on organ or keyboard. Many of those cats look like baseball coaches with some of the hand signals they give. Hand signals are good and needed, but if everyone ALSO had an understanding of the language, it would make playing that much better in many different situations.

Now the title of this blog is geared towards the importance of music theory as a tool for not only communicating, but introducing yourself to new sounds. I don't want to get it twisted. I am not FOR theory only. Being able to play by ear is EQUALLY as important as knowing theory. There are many people who know music theory like the back of thier hand and can read thier butt off. But I have had many of them tell me in frustration that if you take the paper away from them, they become paralyzed. They don't know what to play! In this case, if the extent to your musical enjoyment is reading charts then THAT's OK, but you could open yourself up to a more enjoyable and soulful experience, if the ability to play by ear was there.

Ok, now that I have covered myself on both sides of the debate camp (Playing by Ear vs. Music Theory), I can talk about the benefits of being a well rounded musician. I have to say that I am very thrilled at what I am seeing today with relatively younger musicians in the church. Many of them are going off to college and majoring in music where they are getting the tools necessary to becoming great musicians. These cats are the ones that are coming out and doing some new things. I have a friend of mine who is a music major in college and a great keyboardist. He has an ear for odd rhythms and he writes very good music in that style for his gospel group. He understands rhythm and how it works with harmony to create a final package. Traditionally in churches and groups, the keyboardist or the organist is usually the MOM (Minister of Music) or MD. Now with cats going to school and understanding music you got drummers, bass players, guitar players, and horn players taking that lead role. There is no doubt that if you understand music from all angles, you can be an effective leader and stand out musician in whatever environment you are in whether it be church, concert, studio, or shed session.

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