FREEDOM!!! Here in the United States the Fourth of July is a very important day. It signifies and denotes a day of Freedom. It is a day when we gained our independence, and is called Independence Day. Each country has its own Day of Independence and this day happens to be ours. I am glad for it.

I am glad that I have the Freedom to live in peace and the Freedom that comes from a belief in a loving God that loves every man. That freedom was hard fought for by the men in the Armed Forces and I am forever grateful. They still stand on the borders today to defend the land that I call home. I am forever grateful. I thank you! Happy Independence Day!

Playing by ear also comes with its own freedom.  It gives me freedom to interpret songs that I hear and re-harmonize them as I am playing it. Since I have been playing music for a number of years, when I play a simple tune, I have the freedom to play it in a variety of styles, using alternate chords and rhythms. It is awesome. I hope and pray that we will always have the Freedom to Play It By Ear.

The concept of playing by ear in music is a very interesting thing. Some people may have the idea that it is a haphazardly constructed process whereby you play notes and chords as you feel like it. I have found that this is not the case at all. In fact the truth is exactly the opposite. It actually mirrors life in a lot of ways.

For example, if you have to do any task in life, you have to follow the rules of completing that task. A GOOD carpenter just doesn’t nail the pieces of wood that he or she has in any manner that he chooses. A GOOD electrician just doesn’t connect wires in any way that he happens to feel like on that particular day. A computer technician just doesn’t create ethernet cables in any color combination that looks good. NO! They all have to follow the rules or the plan that they have been given in order to complete the tasks.

Similarly, playing by ear, whether in music or in life requires you to follow the rules of music. It may be that the carpenter, electrician or computer technician is so good that they don’t need to “look at the paper” in order to follow the rules. This is because the know the rules so well that it seems like they don’t have to think about what they are doing. But they still have to follow the rules.

I have been playing the piano for a long time, and recently I have been playing the guitar as well. I can play the piano much better than the guitar because of the length of time that I have spent learning the rules of the piano – where the notes are; what the scales are; how to make chords using the scales; and how progressions and patterns are derived by playing the chords in different sequences. So to get better at recognizing the patterns, I have to practice the patterns according to the rules of music.

Life is the same way. It’s like the saying goes – Art imitates Life and Life Imitates Art! You have to know the rules intimately and keep practicing so you can Play It By Ear!!!

What does it mean to be diminished? Does it mean that I’m less than desirable? Does it mean that I don’t belong? Does it mean that it’s bad? These are all questions that people ask all the time, both in life and in music. The answers are actually very similar. I’ll tell you what I mean.

To be diminished in life sometimes mean that you may be in a place that seems to offer no hope. But as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, “There’s Hope For Everyone“, there’s always a way out of your situation. You just have to look hard enough, and the answers will be there. In other words, your situation is TEMPORARY or is just a passing phase. Similarly in music the diminished chord is more often than not a PASSING chord! Most musical pieces do NOT end on a diminished chord, but rather on a Major or Minor Chord. I will elaborate on that later.

The diminished chord is a chord that has equidistant spacing between the notes. Each note is a minor 3rd away from the other. For example, the C Diminished 7th chord is made up of the notes C, E flat, G flat and A. Each one of these can be used as a passing chord at least 4 different ways. So the diminished chord becomes the conduit to four different solutions in music.

Similarly I believe that many of the ‘diminished’ situations we face have more than one solution. We just have to look for the way out so we could continue to Play It By Ear.

Hello World. It’s me again. I haven’t written anything for awhile, not because I didn’t have anything to say. I have a lot to say, but sometimes I don’t get to say it. However I am writing to say that just as I can begin writing again about Music, and Life and the world, then you can know that there is hope.

I have struggled with the thought that I don’t seem to have the time to write and make a statement with my music. I have struggled with the thought that I don’t have what it takes to make a difference with what I am mainly writing about, and that is playing music by ear. I have recently come to the conclusion that you do not have to be perfect to make a difference. You do not have to be the most eloquent person on the internet. You just have to be WILLING!!! So with that thought I have decided to pick up again and write. Who knows if this is the time that it sticks… (I Smile).

The mere fact that I’m here is a testament to HOPE! When I came to this country (USA) I had very little money and no idea how it would all play out. I had the will and the determination to succeed and here I am 21 years later and I think that I have made progress towards my life goals. I have a beautiful family and fulfilling job and my family works together with me to help fulfill that goal. Our main goal is to help people through music and also in whatever way we can, spreading the message that no matter what your circumstances, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how dark it seems, there is a way out. There are people out there who are waiting to help you. Just keep looking and keep on Playing It By Ear.

I could never do what I do without great support. I’m just saying. You are usually able to do better when you have great support. When I’m out front on stage singing or playing it’s usually the result of the support of my support network.

Who is my support network? My support network is my wife and family. As today is my wife’s birthday and it’s also the weekend we celebrate the armed services of our country, I want to say thanks. To all who wore and who wear The Uniform I say, “Thank You!” To My family and friends, I say “Thank You!” To my wife I say, “Thank You!”

I. Thank. You.

And to you I sing this tribute, You Raise Me Up:

You. RAISE. ME. UP.
And that’s why I’m able to Stand On Mountains as I Play It By Ear.

Rhythm is the life force of Music. It drives the music and keeps it moving along. In reality you can’t have good music if your rhythm is off, especially in a band, group, or orchestral setting. But what is rhythm exactly?

According to Wikipedia, Rhythm is defined as “the timing of events on a human scake; of musical sounds and silences.” This means that rhythm encompasses what you do play as well as what you do not play. It is just as important as what you do play. I’ve even had one drummer tell me that the spaces of silence is more important than the spaces of musical notation. This really needs to be expanded on. Managing silence – what a concept!

This concept of managing silence as it relates to rhythm is something that a lot of musicians would do well to heed. In a lot of instances just knowing that “you can do something, doesn’t mean you have to do it. For a lot of musical situations, the old saying of,” Less Is More,” is true. The older I get, the more this concept resonates with me and I hope it resonates with you as well as you continue to Play It By Ear!

Harmony is one of my favorite musical terms. When I think about it, it brings joy on so many levels. But what is harmony? According to Wikipedia, Harmony, is defined as the simultaneous use of other pitches and chords. Now these pitches and chords are used to support the melody.

From as early as I can remember I have  always loved harmony. I grew up in a house where we always sang in harmony. We would gather around the piano for family worship and sing together. While listening to gospel choirs and quartets, my brothers and I would pick out the various parts and sing them. My ear training started way before I could talk.

What do you mean? I mean that I was surrounded by musical people from my parents to my brothers, and someone was always singing a “second or third” part. So it became a natural thing for me to hear the notes from various harmonies as I grew up.

I would like to think that those early days also helped me learn to live in harmony with my blood brothers so much so that i became My Brother’s Keeper. Living in harmony is even more important than singing in harmony. When you sing or play in harmony you have to listen to the other parts to make sure you blend in with the ones around you. Similarly, we should live our lives in harmony with nature and with each other. Sing in harmony and live in harmony as we Play It By Ear!

Have you ever heard the words You Gotta Practice, and that Practice Makes Perfect? Back in October I wrote a post about practicing and how important it is. There are so many musicians that believe that Practice does indeed make Perfect. They hold this to be self evident. And to a certain degree they are true. However I want to contend that Practice Does NOT Make Perfect! All practice does is reinforce what you have learned so far. Basically it perfects what you’re able to practice.

This simply means that if you practiced a wrong note or sequence of notes in the wrong frame, then you will get it perfectly wrong every time you play that sequence of notes. You’ve got to practice the right thing and be consistent and persistent. If you think about and look to people who have made it big in this world, you will find that they put a lot of time and effort into becoming who they are and what they can do. In other words they practiced the right thing and did it consistently for a long time.

What are some tips that you can do to practice and play perfectly? Well one thing that you can use is a METRONOME. For any musician this is a KEY element for any practice session. Playing in time grows you as a musician in ways that can’t be measured. It is an intangible that is often missed by music teachers and students alike, that is, being able to play in time.

Similarly in life, not just in music, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. It shows by what we PRACTICE on a day to day basis. There is a lot of things that we do that could make the world a better place. I want to practice SMILING at my neighbors and co-workers. I want to PRACTICE being a man of my word and always following Through. I want to PRACTICE Paying It Forward just as someone paid it forward for me this week. What have you been practicing this week? I want to be able to continue on my journey to PERFECTION as I Play It By Ear!

A Beautiful thing happened to me today!

A wonderful little lady paid for me to get my gas tank filled with gas. It was a very beautiful thing for he to do. And so I will look for someone else to help them. Not that I wouldn’t help them before, but that I would make a special effort to be nice to others as this lady was to me. She made a point to let me know that she was having a bad day and was insistent on me accepting the gasoline so that she would feel better about her day and herself. Her only stipulation on this was that I would Pay It Forward for someone else when I can.

WOW! What an attitude to have when you’re having a bad day. If the world could adopt this attitude, the world would be a much better place. I will definitely keep this attitude for the rest of the week and hopefully for the rest of my life – Be nice to others ESPECIALLY when you are having a BAD DAY!!! Oh what a world we would have if everyone thought like this.

I think about some of the knowledge transfer in the world today as well. This attitude can be useful in reaching others. There is nothing better than to help each other out and pay it forward as we go. I know that my world view has been tipped farther toward this concept having experienced it in this way. I’m DEFINITELY going to Pay It Forward as I Play It By Ear!!!

Every Day Is Mother’s Day! At least it should be, as far as I’m concerned. That’s why I’m posting this message today instead of yesterday! It’s because of the hard work of mothers everywhere that we have all the great things in the world today. I am the man that I am today because of the impact that my mother had on me and my life. From my earliest days I remember my mother praying for me, and  encouraging me to excel in school and in life. Failure was not an option. She made it such a part of our framework that I have adopted that mindset even to this day! How does that relate to legacy? I believe that Legacy deals with the positive impact of someone or something on the lives of others. One of the ways this really impacted me, and by extension everyone around me, is in the area of Music. From as early as I can remember mom would encourage music around the house. She was always singing some song, even though she would tell you that she didn’t sing very well. She sang the Psalms that she learned while she was growing up. She sang different hymns that we all sang as a family, which is where I learned harmony. When I was about 8 years old, She actively encouraged my oldest brother to teach me piano. And then she made sure that I practiced and practiced my lessons until i could play them “properly!” I was also called upon to play the piano for our family devotion. And then u was called upon to play for church. And the rest is history. I hope I can pass on my Mama’s legacy as I continue to Play It By Ear!

While traveling through through New York on my way to Pennsylvania I saw a sign that showed the elevation of how high above sea level we were. I tried to take a picture but it was blurry as you can see from the collage above.

The reason that the picture was blurred was myriad, with the weather conditions as well as the instability of the smart phone camera when zoomed in. But regardless of the conditions it was I didn’t have have a clear picture of how high I was or how much higher I could go.

A lot of people, including myself, are in the same position when it comes to their dreams and goals. The problem for most of is that I believe we have an unclear picture of our full potential and even the way to clarity is blurred.

How do you realize your full potential? How do you get clarity on such a fundamental question of life? I believe that  the answer lies in finding your purpose in life. When you find your purpose, then you will begin to realize your full potential. You may even be able to pick up a musical instrument and Play It By Ear!