In Tune and On Time
In this age of social connectivity and virtual virality there are literally millions of ways in which you can become immersed in music and a lot of it is just a click or two away: Competitions to win the latest gear, online reviews and demos, YouTube vids, pretty apps for your phone, 'free' online lessons, feature blogs with world class players, Skype sessions with your fave Guitar Hero...and so on. The possibilities are really rather astounding when it comes to guitar or music-based education.
Sometimes your curiosity just won't stop and you realise you've spent 3 hours (or more!) reading interviews and reviews, learning a magical new chord sequence or riff, signing up for every newsletter, jamming with endless fusion backing tracks...and wondering where the time went! Sound familiar? It can definitely be overwhelming and inspiring in roughly equal measure :)
Even with all these great distractions I still try to impress upon my clients / students the importance of being 'in tune and on time'. Instruments that are out of tune sound horrible, even if you have the most expensive gear. Players that cannot keep steady rhythm sound horrible, no matter how many fantastic chops they have. These are cold hard facts in the music world whether you are just staring out or a seasoned pro.
I personally prefer a dedicated digital floor tuner and an electronic metronome (or click-track) but economics being what they are, I can now also have an inexpensive back-up. Here are a couple of free apps for your phone that I like to use but there are plenty more to choose from with a varying degree of extra features or purchasable add-ons. Find one that suits your needs. Anyway you slice it, there is little excuse for not being 'in tune and on time'.
Until later
Shane
