All Six or None is a nod to one of my favorite musicians--and humans--of all time, Joe Strummer. He's probably most famous for fronting The Clash, but he also played with the 101ers, The Mescaleros, had a terrific solo career, and wrote some movie scores that I adore. Poet, philosopher, down-to-earth punk rock statesman, and personal inspiration. He died way too young, of an undetected congenital heart defect, in 2002. The universe has just seemed imbalanced without him ever since. Watch the embedded clip to see him perform one of my favorite Mescaleros tunes live on Letterman a few months before he died.
Anyway, the story goes that he got his nickname "Strummer" from being a rhythm guitarist who could only bang out full strums because he was left-handed and had been taught how to play guitar the right-handed way. I read an interview with him once where he said something like, "I can only play all six strings at once or none at all. I never learned to do the fiddly bits."
I love that quote because I too struggle with the fiddly bits! Coming from a piano background, the neck of the guitar confounds me because I can't help but see six mini-keyboards all in a row--which is too much for my tiny brain to process. Even though I've been playing for a long time, I still have to just take my hand off the fret board sometimes and say, "Ok, wait. If this is a G, then that's a G#, and that's an A, and..." making my way up the neck one note at a time to get my bearings (and usually by the time I figure out what note I want, the song's over!)
I may never be the kind of guitar player who takes searing solos and does the meedly-meedly-noodly-noodlys all up high on the neck. That's ok! I'll keep working at it, but simply strumming the chords was good enough for Joe and it's good enough for me. Actually it's better than good--there are SO many things you can do with strummed chords. I love adding just the right layer of texture to whatever my lead guitar player is doing. I can enhance and augment and flesh out--dot the t's and cross the i's (wait...what?), and add color and flavor simply by strumming! I'm like the secret seasoning mix in the bbq sauce that makes the ribs taste soooo good.
So if you're just starting out, and all you can play is a couple of open chords--congratulations! You have the keys to musical greatness already in your hands. You're in the company of great guitarists who know when to play and when NOT to play like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Steve Cropper, The Edge, Chrissie Hynde, Tony Iommi, Curtis Mayfield, Johnny Marr, Pete Townsend...
Just keep on strummin'.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Who Are You?
Hello internet! I'm Jane. Nice to e-meet you.
All Six or None is a page where I will post info relevant to the classes that I teach at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It's a nifty place where, for over 50 years, zillions of people from every imaginable walk of life have come to learn how to play music with each other on just about every instrument ever conceived, and in every style. I started taking classes there in 2006, and in February of 2013 I joined the faculty as a guitar instructor.
So who am I? I grew up in the Chicago 'burbs, the only child of a pair of extremely artistic teachers. According to legend, a jolly, Santa-like piano tuner came to our house when I was only two, and--after I got underfoot and sang along with his work--advised my mother to "get that kid into music." She obeyed, and I began piano lessons at the ripe old age of 2.5. (Thanks, old dude!)
I studied classical piano through the Suzuki program for the next 10 years, followed by another 5 under award-winning pianist Annie Sherter. At some point in there, I also picked up the oboe and played it for about 8 years, studying with Debra Freedland. I performed in a number of youth symphonies, decorated school bands and orchestras, and even a jazz band--though, alas, I don't have any particular aptitude for jazz piano.
I came down with a bad case of being 18 and went off to college, abandoning my formal musical training for quite a few years in order to be an egghead and earn a couple of degrees in non-musical fields, followed by a non-musical marketing career.
Music came back into my life around 2004 when I was asked to play keyboards in a rock and roll band. After awhile I realized that I wanted to be cool like the guitar player in my band, so I signed up for Guitar 1 at the Old Town School--and I was hooked. Nowadays, I still perform with that same band--called Vamplifier--on keys, synthesizer, guitar, bass, and vocals (though not all at the same time).
Those are my credentials, such as they are, for teaching music. If you've signed up for one of my classes, welcome! We are going to have a lot of fun together. And if not--think about it! Anybody can learn and everyone is invited. My e-mail address is posted here somewhere. Send me your questions, comments, concerns, and smart remarks. Now let's go make some noise together!
All Six or None is a page where I will post info relevant to the classes that I teach at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It's a nifty place where, for over 50 years, zillions of people from every imaginable walk of life have come to learn how to play music with each other on just about every instrument ever conceived, and in every style. I started taking classes there in 2006, and in February of 2013 I joined the faculty as a guitar instructor.
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| I was into trucker hats and ukeleles WAY before anyone else |
I studied classical piano through the Suzuki program for the next 10 years, followed by another 5 under award-winning pianist Annie Sherter. At some point in there, I also picked up the oboe and played it for about 8 years, studying with Debra Freedland. I performed in a number of youth symphonies, decorated school bands and orchestras, and even a jazz band--though, alas, I don't have any particular aptitude for jazz piano.
I came down with a bad case of being 18 and went off to college, abandoning my formal musical training for quite a few years in order to be an egghead and earn a couple of degrees in non-musical fields, followed by a non-musical marketing career.
Music came back into my life around 2004 when I was asked to play keyboards in a rock and roll band. After awhile I realized that I wanted to be cool like the guitar player in my band, so I signed up for Guitar 1 at the Old Town School--and I was hooked. Nowadays, I still perform with that same band--called Vamplifier--on keys, synthesizer, guitar, bass, and vocals (though not all at the same time).
Those are my credentials, such as they are, for teaching music. If you've signed up for one of my classes, welcome! We are going to have a lot of fun together. And if not--think about it! Anybody can learn and everyone is invited. My e-mail address is posted here somewhere. Send me your questions, comments, concerns, and smart remarks. Now let's go make some noise together!
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