Welcome to Classical Music Guide
NEW! Classical Music Videos
Instrumental Classical Music Article
Let the Music Take you there
Dennis Walsh
Even when you don't know where you're going and what you plan to
do with your music when you get there, you have to start
somewhere. Trading places with a superstar isn't going to
happen. Getting a "hit" record is about as likely as winning the
lottery.
In the work-a-day world, no one starts at the top. Why would
music be any different? More often than not, we begin at the
bottom. The music industry has always had an unspoken
development hierarchy. There has always been a night club
circuit. High schools and colleges have always been a stepping
stone to larger venues for emerging artist. Major concert
producers control entire geographic territories and high profile
venues. If you're lucky enough to get a hit record, the door
will open to bigger and better audiences and fatter paychecks.
Creativity, like history, is a work in progress. It is a never
ending journey in search of a perfect form of expression. Even
great artists can produce mediocre work. In a few short years,
The Beatles produced more than a dozen record albums with good
songs on each one. But, for all their prolific genius, they are
remembered for only a handful of those songs. Most of those had
some connection to cultural changes that were taking place at
the time.
Suddenly, the sixties were over. The artist, friendly musical
environment was gone. Disco took the stage and leisure suits
came into style. Some say it was the Nixon administration that
put an end to all the cultural commotion. There were rumors of
conspiracy. The hippies grew up, graduated and got establishment
jobs. The music industry had simply had enough and decided it
was time to recoup their losses. Whatever it was, the Disneyland
adventure that was the sixties ended shortly after Woodstock.
Icons were overthrown. Music lost it's bearings and for a while
even country took a swing. The night fell. Darkness came
together with hackneyed claims of new music that wasn't really
new.
Long before the sixties, the roots of rhythm and blues could be
traced back to ragtime. Ragtime was a forerunner of jazz; a
synthesis of African-American syncopation and European classical
music. Early classical composers such as Aaron Copeland and Igor
Stravinsky became fascinated with jazz. They didn't know where
jazz was headed but they decided it was going somewhere and they
were going to do something with it; even if they made themselves
look a little foolish doing so. Obviously, there was a big
difference between classical and jazz music: jazz performers
improvised, classical performers didn't.
Still, the influence of classical music on jazz was
unmistakable. Who would have ever imagined that European harmony
would lead to the development of the blues scale? Rhythm and
blues was born. By all means, take a few ricks but if you want
to go somewhere, start at the beginning and let your music take
you there. You never know what might happen.
Dennis Walsh progressofmusic@hotmail.com
About the author:
Publisher of Progress of Music a popular music magazine, Dennis
Walsh is a music specialist in journalism and marketing. He is a
media expert in advertising and retail merchandising developing
music marketing campaigns for corporate entrepreneurs. Through
Music Enterprise, Dennis enjoys giving emerging artists a head
start in the music business.
You can read all of his articles through the Progress of Music
at http://www/progressofmusic.com/articles.htm
Instrumental Classical Music News
Radio K "Now Like Photographs" Epic Instrumental Night - City Pages
Now Like Photographs, Radio K's Wednesday night instrumental space cruise, hosts its last official Epic Instrumental event. Likely named for The Six Parts Seven track of the same name (coincidentally clocking in at exactly 4:20), the show features ...
Read more...Amador Student Music Fund seeking 'instrumental' donations for student ... - Amador Ledger-Dispatcher
A student musician, one of the students in the "Pick up the Baton" lesson led by Jeff and Steve Chambers of Pioneer, plays during a recital in a music performance at Faith Lutheran Church in Pioneer. Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch Amador ...
Read more...Classical to contemporary - Deccan Herald
At Seva Sadan Auditorium, Malleswaram, in a span of two and a half hours, the audience got to experience two performances that were poles apart in rendition, music and choreography. B angaloreans saw two dance recitals at the same venue on Monday ...
Read more...2009: A year of anniversaries for the classical greats - Times Online
Essential facts: 250th anniversary of death. Like the monarchs he served, George I and George II, he was a German who became a pillar of the British Establishment. Wrote 42 operas, mostly for London theatres, then turned his prolific pen to oratorios ...
Read more...The Book of Disquiet - Guardian Unlimited
Linz got its tenure as Europe's new capital of culture (a title it shares with Vilnius) off to a distinctive start with the world premiere of the latest music theatre piece from leading young Dutch composer Michel van der Aa, written for the German ...
Read more...Taking music to another level... - Times of India
Music-lovers in Mumbai were in for a treat on Thursday evening as Dr L Subramaniam’s annual musical concert, held in the memory of his father, made a stop at the Tata Theatre of NCPA, the prestigious venue of all great theatre and music events in ...
Read more...