Drones – Ostinatos By Mattie O’Boyle What’s the difference between hearing a melody played on a flute and hearing it on a bagpipe? The drones, of course! And you can hear drones in so many different styles of music from around the globe. I would venture to say, from their geographic ubiquity, that drones form … Read more
From Motown to Appalchia By Mattie O’Boyle What do Motown, Appalachian fiddle kicks offs and Blues Bass lines have in common? In this video blog we’ll dive deep into a short rhythmic phrase and follow it through a surprising journey across musical genres. At the same time, you´ll discover a technique that can help stimulate … Read more
Open Strings versus Closed Strings By Mattie O’Boyle This blog entry is key for string players If you play violin/fiddle, viola, cello, bass, guitar, banjo, mandolin or any other string instrument, you will need to make the choice of playing a the same note on an open string or a closed string. Is there a … Read more
10 Common Chord Combinations For Harmony Ear Training By Mattie O’Boyle Get ready to learn thousands of songs If you play chords on your instrument, and you play them in popular or folk music (ie: Pop, Rock, Soul, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Metal, Country, Bluegrass, Old Time, Irish etc….), here are 10 common chord … Read more
Walk around the house for impeccable musical timing By Mattie O’Boyle How can walking around a house develop impeccable musical timing? Earl Scruggs, shook up what was country music when in 1945, at just 21 years old, he joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys band. The impact of his three finger banjo picking was immediate … Read more
Extracting the underlying rhythm By Mattie O’Boyle Use rhythm to improve composition and improvisation Extracting the underlying rhythm from your favorite musical melodies or chord progressions is a powerful tool to expand your musical vocabulary and to drive your compositional and improvisational creativity. Furthermore, it is a technique that is actually really easy to do, … Read more
