So on my way to work today, I saw this accident on the side of the road. There were police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances and first responders everywhere. I was able to take this picture while moving at a very slow crawl past the scene of the crime.

What I could notice, was that the top of the car was totally off the car – The Jaws Of Life had been used! The Jaws Of Life, as they are commonly called in rescue operations, usually refer to specialized Hydraulic Shears that are designed to cut through metal. That’s why they’re so useful in rescuing people who have been trapped in their cars.

This picture which was taken from the Wikipedia’s Hydraulic Rescue Tools website, shows the Hydraulic Shears commonly known as the Jaws of Life!

The Jaws Of Life can take unexpected turns in so many ways, and when they have you it could feel like everything will be OK! Or that everything is going completely awry! It all depends on your perspective. How you react is determines whether you gave a Glass Half Full or Glass Half Empty experience! For Example:

Glass Half Full –  Yay! I’m saved!
Glass Half Empty – Oh no! My car is ruined!

There’s only one way that I hope to be in IF the Jaws of Life make an appearance in my life. And that’s with a smile, because I know that if I’m alive and kicking will enjoy my family and friends as we get together to Play It By Ear!

This is a re-post of a blog that I had earlier this year called – To Teach or not to Teach. I felt that it is worth mentioning again. There is even an update. So here it is:

To Teach or Not To Teach? That is the question. Well for some teachers its not even a question. It’s anathema to them. What am I talking about? Playing Music By Ear. It just is not done. I have had people come to me and tell me that they started experimenting with playing by ear and their music teacher forbade them from doing so. And so it is now that they “THINK” that they can’t play by ear so they don’t try.

I’ve wondered to myself, “Self! What is the reason for this kind of thinking by music teachers who insist on teaching ‘By The Book’?” And the answer is a simple “Lack of Understanding.” In my humble opinion and experience, people fear what they don’t understand and they can sometimes pass that fear on to their students. It is also true that you can’t effectively teach something that you don’t intimately know. Music is a performing art, and you have to be able to demonstrate the lesson as it happens.

One of the most important things that we  use as music teachers, students, and fans is the art of creative listening. Music is an auditory experience. We ‘hear’ music with our ears so we have to listen. As music teachers this is sometimes missed in the teaching. We don’t teach our students to listen critically to themselves, other artists and also to what the audience is saying. Always. Always. LISTEN.

There are people who say that playing by ear is just memorization of songs. And to a certain extent that is true. Playing by ear is more a matter of a coming together of a working knowledge of music theory, chord progressions, bass line movement, alternate harmonic anticipation and melodic interpretation. For some who have more experience playing by ear, you can utilize structures and chord progressions that may come from other songs and intersperse them into what they are playing as they are playing it. This is often seen in Jazz, Gospel, Country and other popular music genres of modern times.

So if you want to learn to play by ear does that mean you shouldn’t learn to read music as well? I answer that with an emphatic, “NO!” Learning to read music opens up a whole new world to the music performer and rounds out his or her education. It enables a musician to be more marketable and versatile when they can do both – Read Music and Play By Ear!!! Its quite interesting to note that musicians who can only read music look up to musicians who just play by ear. And musicians who only play by ear look up to musicians who only read music.

Oh for the day when musicians can be equally proficient in reading music and are also able to Play It By Ear!!

These 4 things – Music, Life, Business, & Marketing, have one thing in common. They are all sound and flow better if you have the ability to Play It By Ear.

Playing by ear involves the ability to take input or circumstances and create something beautiful and lasting. In Business it may mean being able to think fast on your feet and to make fast critical decisions. This may mean the difference between a successful performance and dismal failure (epic).

I remember one occasion where a young man was singing a song using a backing track on CD. Suddenly the CD stopped playing. As he kept on singing someone ran to the piano and started to play the song by ear. It saved the performance and everyone remembered it for a long time afterwards.

There is a method to the madness of playing by ear. It’s called PREPARATION. Yes PREPARATION. An accomplished musician has spent considerable time and effort playing different progressions and scales so that it becomes second nature. Similarly a small business owner can get a sale or create a networking opportunity by having his/her business cards or business product samples readily available when they meet someone looking for their product.

As a musician I think about this a lot. People have come up to me asked me, “I love your piano playing. How can I learn to play by ear like you?” At those times I wish I had my book on playing by ear already written so that I could give it to them to read. I would also point them to my blog on playing by ear.

The next key to playing by ear is to be DECISIVE.  In life sometimes you have to take things as they are, but when you make a decision based on the facts, then you go with the decision that made and stick with it. It helps to know your market and products and try to anticipate what you would face in each situation.

The next thing to remember is to be FLEXIBLE. You can’t play by ear if you are inflexible. That’s called playing by the book. For some people if it’s not in the book, it cannot be done. This will kill a business so fast your head will spin. There are some  business models that will not utilize social media to promote their products and services. But if you want to do business in this modern age, you have to use social media to promote and grow your business. It is one of the reasons why I’ve decided to take up blogging and my blog is now listed on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Path. More will be added later.

So just remember that Playing By Ear does not just involve music but it also can be applicable to life, business and marketing. You just have to be Prepared, Decisive and Flexible as you meet each challenge that you face. Just Keep Smiling and Play It By Ear.

Family is very important. And speaking of families, The Marsalis Family of New Orleans has emerged as one of America’s greatest musical jazz families in the last 20 years. The Marsalis Family is patriarched by Ellis Marsalis on piano. The most famous names in the family are older brothers Branford and Wynton, with younger brothers Delfeayo and Jason as upcoming stars.

This family is an inspiration to me because of the work ethic that they espouse. They are never satisfied with where they are at. Even though they have reached a very high level of competency with their craft, they still seek to be better, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s something that I hope that my family will take and carry on to the next generation and the next. Even though playing by ear is a very big feature of jazz and improvisation, playing with music is just as important to musical development.

I wanted to thank my father and my brothers for taking the time to teach me to play both by music and by ear. So I will keep working. I will keep smiling. And I will keep striving to occasionally use sheet music and also strive to Play It By Ear

Happy New Year to one and all. I’m back on the blog. I took a little leave of absence during the holidays for 2013, but I’m back on the wagon now. One of the phrases that you hear at this time of year is the phrase that I started this blog with – Happy New YEAR!!! It’s a phrase that means something. It implies a new start, which is exactly what I’m doing for this year. Part of this new start involves being resolved to do new and greater things and be a better person than you started the year.

In doing this I have resolved to do much this year. I’m going to write more consistently on this blog about music and life and playing by ear. I have also resolved to working out more consistently through out the year. There will be several blogs about that. Additionally I am determined to read through the entire Bible this year as well. There will be blogs about that as well. It will be a great year. And so I leave you with a song that my family recorded on Christmas Day! (It took a little over an hour to put together!) We wish you all the Blessings for 2014 and our Hope is that you find what you need this year.

I Wish You a Happy New Year and hope that you keep smiling as you Play It By Ear

So recently I had a conversation with my wife concerning this issue: When is it a good time to start learning to Play It By Ear? Or even when is it a good time to start learning to play music? Or if you are a singer, how and when do you begin training your voice? After a little back and forth we concluded that it was up to you.

How do you know when your voice is ready? How do you know when is a good time to begin Playing By Ear? The answer is really EXTREMELY subjective. There are some children/people that can grasp the concepts associated with making music at a very early age, and with the right coaching can excel. One case in point is Mozart. There are others who blossom later in life and they wouldn’t have understood the concepts if they had started as early as Mozart did.

Additionally one of the main issues here in finding your “voice” concerns the coach or music teacher that is helping you on your journey. It is imperative that you find someone who is skilled in playing the instrument as well as skilled in teaching the instrument. As far as is possible find someone who is skilled in imparting the knowledge needed to help you find your voice, to help you find your way. There will be more on this later. But in the mean time just keep smiling and Play It By Ear

So I’ve gotten away from talking about music. And I’ve been talking about life and current events. That in and of itself is a challenge, that is finding my voice. Speaking about the voice, I had to sing the U.S. National Anthem – the Star Spangled Banner @ the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Class 203 graduation today. It was a challenge that I met gladly!

But in addition to the blogging, I’m also doing a Personal Transformation Challenge called the 28 Days To A New Me – Personal Transformation. It’s a journey of commitment, and it basically provides encouragement and accountability. It’s what I’ve been using for the past year to lose weight and become a better person. It’s enabled me to go out of my comfort zone and try something like the the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Here’s a picture of what a daily post looks like in the 28 Days to a New Me challenge – Completed Insanity Core Cardio And Balance DVD and 336 push-ups & crunches!

Everyone faces challenges in life. Maybe you’re trying to do a new thing like this blogging challenge. Or you focus on your health and wellness. Or are you starting or continuing to run an enterprise? Or school? Or Domestic challenges? Or you may be facing a Medical challenge? Or maybe you are learning to play an instrument or sing? Or maybe you lost your job or a car recently?

Whatever challenge you face, it is what we do with those challenges that makes the difference between a great life, and a mediocre one or one that’s not so good. What are you doing about your challenges today? Some challenges require assistance from other sources. One of my sources is my Faith in God. I find all my strength there.

I know that I’m gonna smile, keep a positive attitude and face the challenge head-on while I Play It By Ear!