Practise Tips 4: utilising downtime

Everyone gets busy from time to time so how do we maintain practise while still managing to live our busy lives?

In my opinion the key is to utilise downtime. For example; if you need to travel somewhere then maybe the train is a good option? You could play your guitar and run something like scales, arpeggios, chord shapes etc while on the train. These are things that might be impossible on the bus and most definitely impossible while driving a car. Ha.

Another thing you could try is to leave your guitar on a stand while at home, rather than in the case. That way if you have 5-10 minutes downtime to spare while waiting for someone to arrive you could quickly grab that guitar and practise something. Anything. And the guitar is staring at you all the time saying... PLAY ME!

I consider listening to music to be an integral part of my practise. When I say listening, I mean really listening: not just having music on in the background when cleaning up etc. I often try to grab a few minutes here and there to listen to tunes. iPhones make this a breeze these days. If I can find 5-10 minutes spare that could potentially be 1-2 tunes I could absorb. At the moment I am trying to fill my ears with the new Scott Henderson record - Vibe Station. It's excellent. Check it out here. 

Another idea that might work is to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to practise. I remember hearing that Frank Gamble used to do this. For some people this works. For me, not so much. I am most definitely a night person. So, I do the same thing but at the opposite end of the day.


All these small moments during the day add up. It is totally possible for most people to find an hour per day if made up of little 5-10 minute segments. The real question is, how badly do you want it?


The reality of my life is I have to utilise downtime. People think that being a professional musician I just sits round practising all day then do gigs at night - I wish: this is most definitely not the case. I do get to play the guitar a lot. More than most people ever do and I feel fortune for this.

Sometimes practise just doesn't happen for a variety of reasons. If this is the case and you can honestly say that you are utilising your downtime effectively, then maybe you really do not have the time to be a musician. Thats ok, it's not for everyone. Or maybe you don't have the motivation. What to do then? Maybe listening to new music might help? ...or going out to check out bands might help (you should do this anyway!!). Jamming with other musicians might help? Having a practise buddy might help, in the same way people pair up to exercise? All worth a try.

There is a great video of Steve Vai talking about how to be successful on YouTube. It is a bit cheesy in style, but the message is good and applicable to this. Check it out here. The key point in this video is how Vai talks about making time to focus on your goal. Vai talks about how you first have to decide what you want to do then make time to do that. I would say if you want to be a musician then practise is a necessity, so why not make it a priority in your life - if you can.

I wish you all the best for your practise. Let me know how it's going!

Keep in touch:

Website: www.nickgranville.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

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Practise Tips 3 - five tunes to listen to for inspiration.

 One of the best things you can do for inspiration is to listen to music. So, where to start? There are literally millions of tunes on YouTube and many more on the streaming sites, iTunes etc. Here is a list of five tunes that I find particularly inspiring, all with links to youtube to make them easy to find.

 The key thing in my opinion is to listen objectively and to think about what you can and might be able to learn and implement it into your own playing via practise. For example there might be a particular tonal sound that the soloist is using. Try to figure out what that is then work on getting it into your playing. This takes time so don't be in any hurry. I have found most concepts take me about 3 months of solid practise for them become habits that sound natural and not contrived.

In no particular order:

1. Hiromi's Sonicbloom - Time Out.  Great band, loose vibe yet tight playing. Love it. You can listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmyujJ7QctI

2. Michel Camilo - On Fire. Anthony Jackson is a beast of a player and Horacio Hernandez is mind blowing. The energy these guys play with is astounding. The music has so much forward motion it is just ridiculous. Listen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdKObM2OJ8

3. Snarky Puppy - Lingus. Great band flying the flag for fusion music. They are really popular with the young players today and for good reason. The band is tight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_XJ_s5IsQc

4. Wes Montgomery - Round Midnight. I really don't need to say anything about this. Wes is a big inspiration for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm17yw__6U

5. Herbie Hancock - Headhunters 1974. This was pioneering work at the time. Some hate it, I love it. It is fresh still to this day and these guys are going for it. This is not just one tune but a whole concert. I got to play a concert a few years ago with Benie Maupin from this group. It was incredible. You could feel the mans energy in the air; I would imagine thats what Miles Davis' vibe was like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAlejqkd-gg

 There is a wealth of practise inspiration, information and general musicianship in these tunes. Give them a good listen and see what happens.

 If people have suggestions of tunes they find inspire them to practise leave a comment below. Let me know why you find it inspiring too.

Keep in touch:

Website: www.nickgranville.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

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... and you can download my latest album for free if you want from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

Practise Tips 2 - Priorities.

When considering what to practise it is very important to consider what is important. Many good practise sessions are ruined by noodling, so a way to avoid this is to practise the important things first. You guitar players know what I am taking about, and I am sure other instrumentalists do the same from time to time.

So, think about this: what do all great musicians have in common? I would say they all play with great rhythm and they all have great sound, among other things. No two people play rhythm the same, nor have the same sound, but these musical elements are clear and definable in every great player in my opinion. Think of Brian May or Miles Davis as salient example. These two musicians, while very different, both illustrate the power of good rhythm and sound.

So for me I put these two elements first on my practise schedule. The longer I practise the more likely I am to noodle (which isn't totally bad - it is still playing after all) and the more likely I am to be less focused so whatever is first on my list gets the best chance of being done effectively.

... and while I am at it, you should definitely have a practise list. This helps you to use your time effectively but also makes you to think before you practise. Maybe it's just me, but if I can do three hours of practise and get certain things down that would normally take four hours then that allows free time for other things (either work or fun). I like to think of it as working smarter not harder.

Maybe a big priority for you is reading music? If so, that should be first on your list.

Your list really is an individual thing, as you probably know your own playing best and what you need to work on... and be honest! You are not doing yourself any favours if you tell yourself you are a good reader (for example) when in reality you are not. I know this is tough, but it is the best way to get better. Try recording yourself then asking the tough questions.

So, make a list of things you want to practise and consider what is most important to you; put these first.

Keep in touch:

Website: www.nickgranville.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album for free if you want from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

Practise Tips 1

The most common question I get asked from guitarists is 'what should I be practising'. While there is no one answer to this question given each persons individual needs, there are some things I can offer that might help. I will do a series of blogs covering some ideas to try.

A big part of my practise involves playing along to recordings. Often when I speak with people I ask them if this is what they do, and usually they do not. For me, when I play along to recordings my goal is to match the timing as accurately as possible and the sound/tone. I want to absorb the feel, so to speak.

Here are a few tracks that I regularly play along to (click on the title to link to the tune). Some of these might be a surprise given that I primarily do Jazz and Blues gigs.

1. Rock With You - Michael Jackson. 

2. Rugged Road - Robben Ford. 

3. Josie - Steely Dan.

4. Chank - John Scofield.

5. Steve Vai - Fire Garden Suite (first tune).

... and one of my favourite things to do is to play along to solo drums. One of my favourite drummers to play along with is Keith Carlock. Check out this clip, it's a great example of his playing. Keith has a groove that I love and try to absorb. Another couple of favourite drummers are Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd.

I save these tracks as a hidden playlist on Youtube then when I practise it plays from beginning to end without interrupting. This is just the beginning of my list, there are plenty more ranging from easy to difficult.

Any thoughts or things I have missed let me know? 

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

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... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

Why I switched to the Apple iPad for Sheet Music: The Pros and Cons.

I have to be honest; I am very old school in many of my approaches to music. I use vintage style equipment - Victoria amps, various vintage style guitars, and some real vintage stuff. However, I do like to involve modern technology when I can. Enter the Apple iPad.

A couple of weeks ago I was on tour with an Elvis impersonator named Ben Portsmouth (check him out on the David Letterman show - LINK HERE). We were performing at an outdoor concert and Ben likes to change the set-list often. I was reading a lot of notes on the charts because it was the first gig of the tour. I had a plastic screen over my charts to stop them blowing away. At one point Ben wanted to jump back a few charts so I had to scramble through the pile. Just as I was doing this a big gust of wind came through and blew the page to the side of the stage. Unfortunate for me I was supposed to start this tune. It was at that moment that I decided to buy an iPad for my charts.

I have had the iPad for a little over a week. Here are some good and bad points to consider:

Good Points:

1. The iPad has a built in light!
2. You can store literally thousands of charts in a small package.
3. It is very easy to find and catalogue charts.
4. Set-lists are easily made, changed and recalled.
5. No more taping charts together!
6. Using forScore it is very easy to share charts with others - simply email.
7. Backing up is easy: make a copy and leave that in your dropbox folder (*Make sure you do this!).
8. The iPad is extremely light-weight. Carrying charts for long distances can be a major problem. The Rodger Fox Big Band pack has about 300+ charts. That is a lot of paper to carry and you will have a dead arm by the time you get to the gig if parking is bad and you have to walk a long way.
9. Wind is no longer a problem. I have had many charts blow off the music stand over the years. Pegs and plastic sheets help but you still have to remove these to change charts.
10. You can use the iPad for other functions too e.g Drum machines, synths, controlling equipment and much more.

Negatives:

1. I can no longer leave my charts on stage during set breaks and before the gig etc, as someone might try to steal the iPad.
2. iPads screens can be broken. This means you need to watch carefully when people walk past you. They only have to be careless and bump the iPad off the stand and disaster could strike.
3. The iPad is a computer and can crash and freeze up etc. This is less of problem these days, as iPads are super grunty and charts are really small files requiring very little processing power but worth considering.
4. I have found that while the rest of the band is sorting out their charts I have nothing to do. This means I have an extra 10-20 minutes to kill before the gig. Usually that just means I practise or play games on the iPad!
5. Turning pages is a real hassle. There are pedal turners (e.g. AirTurn), but this is still not the easiest or most reliable system yet.
6. The screen size is slightly smaller than an A4 page. This is not a problem for me, but for someone with poor eye sight it could be a problem when reading from a distance. However, if you crop the sides of the chart, the notes end up being almost the same size as on an A4 page. I recently did a rehearsal with classical pianist Michael Houstoun and he used an iPad for the rehearsal. He used it landscape to make the notes bigger. He also used an AirTurn. Also, rumours are there is a new iPad on the way - rumour is it will be called an iPad pro and have a bigger screen.
7. The iPad won't work for all musicians. e.g drummers... who can not change the page with their foot or hand while playing. Or harp players; they need the charts far enough away so they can play their instrument and that would mean the charts are too far away to read.

I do not think the iPad will totally replace paper charts, just the same as computers have not negated the use of paper. I work with orchestras often and they will have printed charts for me to read at the rehearsals and gigs. Also, there is many times where PDF's just wont be available and it might be more hassle than it is worth to put the charts in the iPad.

I can see the iPad being a big improvement and won't be going back to paper anytime soon when its practical to use. Imagine it like sending letters, who does that these days? Everyone emails, right?

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

What to try when uninspired to practise.

Photo by Ben McNicoll

We all feel a lack of motivation to practise from time to time. This can happen for many reasons. Sometimes it is just we have lots of other things occupying our time and energy. Sometimes it is just tiredness, sometimes it can be a lack of knowing what to practise. There can be many reasons for this but I find it best not to focus on these, rather to focus on finding ways to work around them.

Here is a few things to try when you feel uninspired:

1. Go to www.YouTube.com and search for new artists.  I do this by searching for people I already know and like and then look at the suggested videos. Often YouTube will suggest artists who are similar in style to what you are viewing and if I see someone I have heard of, or who has a big view count, I will check out their video. Occasionally I just watch videos that look interesting. As a general rule I give each video a minute of my time and if it has not grabbed me by then, it probably won't. If I hear something I like then I check out further videos of this artist. What often happens as a result is my own playing is lead in new directions.

2. Listen to a favourite CD / MP3 that you have not listened to in a while but that you remember being a source of inspiration at some point.  This can lead to concepts that you might have lost sight of. A few that consistently work for me are - Pat Metheny: Question and Answer, John Scofield: Meant To Be and Wes Montgomery: Willow Weap for Me.

3. Try playing a different instrument. I find every instrument makes me play differently - for example if I reach for my 12 string guitar I am going to play differently that my electric guitars. Nylon string acoustic guitar often inspires different musical output.

Photo during Penny Black movie sessions

4. Take a long walk and evaluate what is important to you. I often find life gets in the way of what really matters. You know, doing stuff we have to do rather than whats really important towards reaching our potential e.g. emails etc. Leave the lawns for another day and grab that guitar and work on something that will make you better. I find just getting some time to myself can be really important and is something I need to schedule into my days.

5. Attend a jam night. There is no substitute for playing with other musicians. Good or bad, jam nights can inspire practise. I have attended a few jam and open mic nights where I have played terribly and it has been a wake up call. I have also attended others where for any number of reasons the playing has reached another level and I've really felt inspired to practise for a weeks afterwards. Both can have a positive effect if you think about it in this way.

6. The other alternative is to give up music. Thats right, give up. If you give up there is nothing to feel bad about. Ha.

All the best for your musical journey. I hope this has been useful.

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

Keeping it simple - the 'Grease' setup.

I am often intrigued by the complex things in music; gear, harmony, rhythms etc but find I am constantly reminded that simple is usually best. Simple does not necessarily mean easy.

For the last three weeks I have been playing guitar on the theatre show 'Grease'. This is a light-hearted, fun theatre show and in many ways challenging; not least to play the rock 'n roll style authentically, to play consistently night after night and to play the parts super tight among other desirable goals. Rock 'n roll is simple music and I have found many jazz musicians struggle with this e.g. playing 7th and 9th chords when it should just be a triad etc. Luckily I have a background in playing rock 'n roll, blues and rock which has been invaluable in my working career as a musician.

Last night before the show there was a few minutes of free time in the theatre. So I recorded a quick loop of my guitar using my delay pedal and went out the front into the theatre to have a listen. I got the sound guy to crank my guitar up loud in the system. I was amazed at how big the guitar sounded yet the setup I am using is very simple.

In the past I have used big amps, lots of pedals, many guitars etc. For this show I used just one guitar, a small amp and a small pedal board. This is the first time I have listened out front on one of these shows and I was very happy with the tone that was filling the large theatre (1500 seat capacity). [Note: The acoustic guitar in the picture is being used by Conway Jeune who is playing guitar 2.]

My guitar is an Ibanez AR420 Artist (with coil-taps engaged the whole time). I really like this guitar for these gigs as I can get the sound of a Les Paul, a tele and more just by adjusting the settings. Does it sound exactly like a tele? ... no. Nor a Les Paul - but thats not the point. It sounds really good to my ear and is super versatile so any subtlety is not an issue here.

I have a big pedal collection but in recent years have been stripping it back to just the basics - a few drive pedals (Cusack screamer and BB preamp), a delay pedal (line 6 DL4), a tremolo (Empress), an octave (Boss OC2 my one guilty pleasure!) and utility stuff (tuner - Korg, volume pedal - Ernie Ball, Pickup booster - Seymour Duncan, reverb - Chicklet).  I power these using a BBE supercharger which is excellent. It is quiet, reliable and has switchable voltage so can be used anywhere in the world. I use a pedal train board in a soft case (it is the size of a laptop case).

The amp I am using is a Victoria 20112, their reproduction of the classic 1959 Fender tweed Deluxe. This amp is 15 watts with a 1 x 12 inch speaker. It is mic'ed up. Main thing I need from the amp is to produce the tone I want and as a monitor. Easy. Does the job extremely well, and is super reliable - which is hugely important on these gigs.

There is a lot of truth in the concept of it being better to have a small amp cranked up than to have a big amp on a low volume. I set the amp at the point of breakup aka Larry Carlton's concept. Also, the band area is tight (as usual) and a big amp would be in everybody's way.

Someone asked me the other day what they have to do to get these gigs. Hard question as things are definitely different these days than they were when I was starting out. However, I think being recommended for the gig is still the most likely way in. Thats how it happened for me and is likely how it will happen for others (I recommended the 2nd guitar player for this gig - now he is in there and likely to get future work). So, the only way someone is going to recommend you is if they know you can do the job e.g Do you have your rig together? Can you play the styles necessary? Are you RELIABLE? Can you read music? Is your timing good? Are you good to work with? etc.

One of the key skill necessary is reading music. Many guitar players I know read poorly. It is not necessarily their fault (laziness in some cases maybe?) but the fault of their teachers who likely did not read very well either and is not typical of how people learn the guitar unlike say violin, or other instruments. In saying this, guitar players will never read on the equivalent level of great sax players, trumpet players and keys players because the guitar is much tougher instrument in terms of reading - so do not beat yourself up if you are working hard at your reading and not of the level of other musicians.

Here is a sample of the first pages of two charts from Grease. I had to transcribe the chord changes to Grease Is The Word because it was totally wrong - same with Hopelessly Devoted. This is unusual, so ignore that for now, but this is pretty much what show charts look like - a combination of lines, chords, hits etc, etc.

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

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... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home