The Playground
The Simply Music blog
DJ Sasha – From the Booth to the Barbican
Sasha is one of the most successful and respected DJs and electronic music producers in the world. A multiple award winner and Grammy nominee, he has performed worldwide to huge audiences and remixed artists like Madonna, Seal and Hot Chip. So what does this have…
Story of a Song: Happy Birthday & How to Play It!
This month we celebrate a birthday of an unusual kind. You might call it the birthday of the right to properly celebrate birthdays. And surprisingly, it’s just a first birthday, because on June 30, 2016, after a very long and tortuous process, the most familiar…
‘Less is More’ – One Chord Songs
I once attended a workshop with the British singer Sheila Chandra in which she sang a whole bunch of songs from various world cultures over a two-note drone. It was amazing the rich variety of sounds that flowed from such a simple source. It made…
A Way of Listening – Autumn Leaves
In our last discussion about the diversity of Jazz, we cast a very broad net to show how varied music can be under the jazz umbrella. This time I thought we could explore just how varied can be the interpretations of just one song. I…
Seasonal Songs – 2016
We’ve already shared our favourite songs from seasonal celebrations, so for something different, we thought we’d celebrate the seasons themselves, with some of our favourite songs for each season. See which ones transport you to another time of year. Here in Melbourne, it’s almost a…
A Way of Listening – The Diversity of Jazz
Welcome to A Way of Listening, an occasional series where we look at music from a range of angles designed to open you up to new listening opportunities and hopefully teach you a little along the way. It’s a big, exciting musical world when you…
Recording Yourself Part 4 – Sharing Your Recordings
In previous posts we have discussed some benefits, learning value and methods of recording yourself, mostly from the perspective of developing your own playing. But what if you feel the urge to share your work? The playing field of recorded music has never been flatter. No…
Ted Talks and More on Music & Creativity
A picture is worth 1000 words, but a 1000-word online talk is free! Here’s a selection of interesting and informative Ted Talks and other Talks about music and creativity. Enjoy! 1. Daria van den Bercken: Why I take the piano on the road … and…
Recording Yourself, Part Three – How To Record Yourself
Credit: http://www.intuneaudio.ca/ In the last two articles, we talked about the benefits of recording yourself and what to listen for when reviewing your recorded efforts. In this installment, we’ll discuss some practicalities of making recordings. Even if you’re simply making a cheap and cheerful recording…
Recording Yourself, Part Two – What to Listen For
Credit: http://sepeusz.blogspot.com.au/ In the first instalment of this series, we talked about the value and benefits of recording yourself. It’s amazing what you’ll notice about your playing when you listen back to it without the distraction of having to actually play. But there can…
