CD: It’s Not That Complicated

Home: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Style: Latin Jazz

Quote: “Perfect for that Saturday dinner party, Sunday brunch or just about anytime there’s a martini and a chaise lounge nearby.”

By Derek Blackmon

Talent seems to manifest itself in some unusual places, and Tony Marino’s Latin jazz music is no exception. Indiana may be better known for John Mellencamp and basketball (not collectively, of course), but with his latest release It’s Not That Complicated, the sounds of the Heartland are being challenged and redefined.

From the brief but whimsical opener “Burgett,” this collection, featuring a handful of newly arranged singles, is perfect for that Saturday dinner party, Sunday brunch or just about anytime there’s a martini and a chaise lounge nearby.

“Do Me a Frevo” and “Philly Tango” best exhibit Marino’s skills on the ivories, and the funkiness of “Time Out” shows that an album doesn’t necessarily have to fit into one mold to be great.

“Meet Me Out Back” sounds like it lifted its skirt and stepped straight from the Eddie Palmieri songbook. If this doesn’t make you feel the Caribbean wind, nothing will.

“Mission Hill Drive” feels so familiar that after several spins it nearly becomes impossible to avoid. If public radio is looking to fill the gap between seasonal pledge drives, may I suggest throwing this on repeat and stepping out for a smoke while the money rolls in? I think I may.

If I had but one gripe, it would be that just as I found myself digging into the closing track “I Have To Go,” the damn thing ended. Now that wasn’t so bad. Was it?

As a whole, It’s Not That Complicated is fun yet relaxed while completely avoiding the pastiche of the powder-blue tuxedoed lounge acts that entertain lonely cougars prowling smoke-filled hotel bars across this wonderful land.

Reviews: Tony Marino ~ It’s Not That Complicated
Posted on Saturday, May 06, 2006 @ 08:02:37 PDT
Topic: Reviews
Reviewer: Derek Blackmon

To Compose Music, First Learn To Improvise by Kevin Sinclair

One of the greatest motivators of learning to play an instrument for most people is the thought of being able to compose their own music, to take their talent to a new level, and use their music to express their inner feelings. The first step to take to learn how to compose your own music is to learn the art of improvising. The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you think.

The sad thing about learning improvisation, is that many people put a lot of emphasis on the fact that they must first learn to master chords, notes, read music, and be able to play other peoples music well, before they can get onto the more important task of creating their own masterpieces. The result of these thoughts usually ends with the person becoming so caught up in getting everything right that they feel afraid to improvise, and compose simply because they fear getting it wrong, or creating something that sounds terrible.

Why Improvisation Is Important

Improvisation is vital to a musician, because it is a lesson taught in creativity, and it develops an ear for hearing music on a whole new level, and copying it. For those who want to learn to compose, creativity is the most important aspect of being a composer, it is even more important than knowing keys, notes, chords, or even reading music itself.

Improvisation at its greatest can be found in jazz music. If you want to learn about improvisation, be sure to listen to some of the classic jazz. Jazz is the type of music that was mostly improvised, and added to. It was rarely played to a set out strict music sheet, but evolved as it was being played, and only got better each time the musician played it.

How To Improvise

Improvisation is nothing more than experimentation, and creativity. We all have those two things. Don’t be fooled into thinking that, in order to improvise, you must first know all of the chords, or notes used to play your instrument. Improvisation can be started off as early as when you have learned your first couple of notes, or chords.

The best way to use improvisation is to experiment with the chords or notes as you are learning them. If you are taking lessons, use some your practice time to try out different chord, or note combinations. Try anything you like, experiment. Improvisation is all about learning the art of non-conformity to the average style of music, and how to learn to use your creative talents to make an expression of yourself.

How To Deal With The Internal Critic

Everyone’s a critic, but we are our own worst critic. Most people are afraid to try new and different things simply because they are afraid to fail. The first time that you improvise, you will probably sound terrible, and maybe even the second time, too. This isn’t failing, this is learning. As you get better at playing your instrument, you will also get better at improvising. If you start off learning how to improvise early, you will only get better at it as you learn more chords, or notes. By starting to improvise early on, you will never be concerned about when the right time to start improvising is, simply because right now is the best time to start.

Don’t be afraid of what other people will think, either. If you are afraid of someone criticizing your first attempts at improvising, just play your instrument when nobody is around, until you are more confident, and ready to share your music with others.

Taking Improvisation Into A Musical Composition

Once you have mastered improvisation, it is only a small step to take it to the next level, which is creating music of your own. Once again, composing music is a lot like improvisation, and to master it you need to be creative, and understand that it may not sound perfect at first. But with a little creativity and some tweaking, you have the potential to make the music in your head come to life through your instrument.

Conclusion

Composing is nothing more than letting yourself be creative, and letting that creativity to make your music unique. You don’t have to be able to play as well as Mozart to start to improvise, and from there begin to compose music. Mozart started out just like you, improvising, learning, and then composing. So let your creative talents flow, and remember that you don’t have to get it right every time. But you do have to want to succeed.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of musicianhome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

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Software Every Songwriter Should Own by Stan Swanson

Are you a songwriting prude? Do you sigh and shake your head when someone mentions “rhyming dictionaries”? Well, folks, I hate to break the news, but the information highway is plowing a great big road right through your creative process and perhaps it’s time to jump on board.

So if you have been hesitant to use all these “new-fangled” tools or just haven’t been made aware of them, here’s your chance to see what “high-tech” songwriting is all about. Don’t worry. It’s not going to tell your creative side to go sit in the corner. Rather it will open your eyes to just what is available. In fact, these tools will allow you to concentrate on that one thing you really want to do: write a great song!

Need rhyming software?

Rhymesaurus is the ultimate collection of computer reference software tools for songwriters needing to find “just the right word.” The rhyming dictionary portion of Rhymesaurus contains over 120,000 words and provides 21 different rhyme types including perfect rhymes, reverse rhymes, assonance, consonance and more. It also uses a unique “sounds-like” reference that uses two different algorithms for finding words that sound similar The software also includes Webster’s Dictionary with over 115,000 word definitions and Roget’s Thesaurus with over 1000 categories. Rhymesaurus is available from Purple Room Publishing.

Also available is Rhyme Wizard and easy to use. With over 100,000 words and phrases, all with cross-references to near rhymes only a click away, Rhyme Wizard is an indispensable tool for any songwriter. The program was created by a songwriter and teacher whose goals were to create a rhyming dictionary with features most useful for writers. It is easy to use. Simply type in a word or phrase and click. That’s all there is to it. Its a great tool to add to your bag of tricks. It’s not a crutch, but a faithful writing buddy that’s always there when you need it.

Whether you are a poet, a rapper or a marketing writer, there will come a time when inspiration leaves you and this is where the McGill English Dictionary of Rhyme can help. Operating the program’s interface is a snap. You simply enter a word in the search box and the application instantly displays rhyming terms in one of three columns. The first column is for standard, straight-up rhymes; the second is for rhyming phrases; and the third is for Roundex rhymes (words that sound similar but don’t actually rhyme.) And the best part about this software is that it doesn’t cost a dime! Anyone who routinely works with words will find this indispensable.

I’ve used Rhymer for years and find it compact and easy to use. You can use a free version of Rhymer online or buy an evolved version for your desktop at an affordable price. The desktop version contains a 93,000 word dictionary and can even be used inside Microsoft Word (Windows version). You are able to specify the range of syllables you want, the range of letters you might require and even choose from alternate pronunciations. (e.g., when you type “read” do you want it to sound like “reed” or “red”?) They also offer WriteExpress Phonetic Finder at no cost (Windows only). This phonetic dictionary software lets you find words that have whatever sounds you want in whatever order.

A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes, however, may be the best software rhyming dictionary available. In fact, The Philadelphia Inquirer calls A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes “one of the 6 essential writing tools” The program instantly finds single, double, and triple rhymes on literally thousands of words claiming to find more rhymes than any book in print. “A Zillion Kajillion Cliche’s” is also available from Eccentric either as a stand-alone program or purchased with “Rhymes”. You can download a free demo from the Eccentric Software web site. It is limited in scope, but you’ll get the idea.

Now for some cool software programs that not only help with the task of songwriting, but allows you to keep track of everything from lyrics to who you sent your latest demo to.

Lyricist may be the ultimate songwriting tool. No more folders full of unorganized document files. No more searching through the pages of your rhyming dictionary or scanning the thesaurus for just the right word. Lyricist combines everything you need for lyric writing and archiving into one package. If you’re at all serious about songwriting, you’re already using a number of tools to help you get the job done. If Lyricist is not among your arsenal, you are truly missing out. You’d be hard-pressed to find another program that incorporates so many essential features for the songwriter.

MasterWriter does not come cheap, but it might be the most complete collection of songwriting tools available. It includes a rhyming dictionary with over 100,000 entries, a dictionary containing over 35,000 phrases, idioms, cliches, sayings and word combinations, a rhymed-phrases dictionary with over 36,000 entries, an alliterations dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary and Roget’s II Thesaurus, a state-of-the-art database that allows you to keep track of all the lyrics, melodies and information related to the songs you’ve written or are writing, a stereo hard disk recorder for recording your melodic ideas, Songuard, an online date-of-creation Song Registration Service, a library of over 250 tempo adjustable MIDI Drum Loops and much more.

To put it simply, GarageBand may be the best bang for the buck currently on the market. The program combines the CD-quality samples of Apple’s Soundtrack software with the hard-disk recording features of Digital Performer and the canned rhythm tracks of Band in a Box. But what’s really mind-boggling is the way this program can turn the inspiration of musical novices into commercial-sounding demos. Imagine how many thousands of singers and instrumentalists, though blessed with enormous native talent, remain undiscovered because they lack recording studios and backup bands. For them, GarageBand may open a lot of doors–or just offer a lot of fun. My biggest complaint? It is only available for Macs! (For serious musicians it could be the one reason to invest in a new Mac.)

Cakewalk Home Studio is the newest member of the SONAR family and comes with a comprehensive feature set that turns your computer into a multitrack recording studio, giving you everything you need to take your music from inspiration to finished CD. If you have a PC and you are looking for an inexpensive entry-level sequencer that will record both audio and midi, you might want to take a look at this one. This program will turn your computer into a home recording studio although it isn’t near as easy to use as GarageBand for the Mac. (Sigh.). This is probably the best alternative for PC users however who are ready to take the first step into digital recording.

Finale Songwriter is another great productivity tool for songwriters. While Finale SongWriter makes it easy to create great sheet music at an affordable price, that’s just the beginning. Finale SongWriter allows you to enter notes from a mouse, computer keyboard, or midi keyboard. You can add chord symbols, fret board diagrams, and multiple verses of lyrics. Finale SongWriter can automatically add two and three voice harmony to your melodies and instantly add a drum part. The music you create sounds great through your computer’s speakers thanks to Human Playback and 128 professional sounds. You can import and export MIDI files, create MP3 files, and save your work as a standard Finale file which can also be shared with users of Finale Notepad (a free download). If getting music on the printed page is part of your songwriting project, Finale SongWriter is the perfect collaborator.

Band In A Box is also a bargain for songwriters and great for creating that next great tune. When the idea of fetching a song out of thin air seems a bit overwhelming, Band-In-A-Box can give you a plenty of chords, melodies – even a title – to get things rolling. Band-In-A-Box can create a solid scratch melody for you generating original chord progressions, rhythm tracks, bass lines, titles and melodies in various genres from rock to country to pop. (The Windows version can even record your vocals.) Using the software as a simple song generator is easy, but there is a bit of a learning curve when you start writing complete chord progressions of your own. You can download a free demo at their web site PG Music.

So invite the muse in for a cup of coffee and get ready to create. She’ll love all the new gizmos and gadgets too!

Portions of this article excerpted from The Songwriter’s Journal by Stan Swanson. The book is available from Amazon: The Songwriter’s Journal and Stony Meadow Publishing

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Three Basics for Success in the Music Industry by Ty Cohen

The music industry is full of talent that may never find success. It is unfortunate that it may take years to get a record deal, even if you’re awesome! And in the independent music world, it still takes hard work to succeed, even with the increased amount of opportunities for this group. The moral of the story is, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Basically, you have to really know your stuff, network with music contacts and know your goals. You don’t want to end blending in with the rest of the music industry hopefuls that don’t succeed.

Let’s be honest, we all know that too many demos and press kits end up in the trash. So, try stepping away from the idea of a record deal being your only way to success. The music industry is moving out of the traditional brick and mortar and into the digital realm. Independent music artists are finding more and more ways to get there music out of their sheds and into everyone’s iPod. Up and coming artists looking for play time will get their name out there not by sending out hundreds of demos, but by getting their face and name on the web, getting their music played for the people who will listen, and building up a huge fan base.

When you have been at it for years or if you are just starting out, forget fame and fortune for a second, and get down the basics of the music industry:

1. Literally, you have got to know your stuff:
If you’re truly devoted to making it in the music industry, then be committed to your music first. Practice and master your craft because we all know there is always room for improvement. This is the most practical yet significant recommendation you’ll ever get. If you want to make a lasting impact and develop a steady, long term music industry career you should take the time to develop your own distinctive sound. Whether it’s your voice or your piano, you should be unsurpassed at what you do. Only hard work and devotion will get you there.

2. Be Seen!

The key is to build a fan base and the only way to do that is to play live! Don’t be a snob about it either. Play anywhere and everywhere you can. Broadcast your performance schedule on your website, in local papers or through your friends and family. Music contacts in the music industry are obtained at performances and gigs.

In addition to playing live, you have to get your music heard. The radio, Internet radio, on your website, MP3s, ringtones, podcasts and web videos are all usable outlets. Take advantage of all the options out there available to independent music artists.

3. Lastly, Be Available.

Four out of five times, the first thing people do when. Find a way to connect to your website visitors. Tell stories, blog, put up pictures, schedules, freebies and anything else you can think of. Talk about what your music means or where you derive inspiration.

The bottom line really whether or not you have talent and are marketable in the music industry. Next, you have to put the time and effort into actually marketing your independent music to fans, music contacts and to anyone else who will listen. Take the time and put in the extra effort and success will come your way!

Owner of Platinum Millennium publishing, former record label owner & national music industry seminar speaker/panelist. Author/creator of best-selling music biz books, courses, audio products & “How to” resources that helped 1000s. Go to http://www.TheIndustryYellowPages.com for more info on music contacts, music industry & independent music.

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