Wednesday, September 22, 2010

God Bless the World

Is it too late to react to the events of September 11, 2001?

 Never.

 As I was driving down the road one day near where I live, I saw a roadside business sign that read “God Bless the World” and I was quite struck by the contrast between that sentiment and the God Bless America that we hear so often.

The World Trade Center was not simply an American tragedy; it truly was a worldwide disaster.

Unfortunately, opinions have become so polarized that there seems to be no reasonable dialog, no true search for understanding, no seeking for peace; instead we look to place blame, and the result is hate in equally disastrous proportions to the event itself.

A few years ago, I finally put these thoughts together and created this song. It attempts to remind us all that there is something greater than our own reactions, some wider view that can be adopted. It is offered in the hopes that we will all come to our senses and seek peace. It can be a reality, not just a dream.

It is available as a download single at CDBaby, or Amazon, or iTunes.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Significance of 10,000


In Chinese traditions, the number 10,000 stands for “all things in nature”. In internet traditions, the number 10,000 is fairly low, especially when considering hits for a web site or for a video.


Be that as it may, I am celebrating this week because I just passed the 10,000 view mark on Youtube. That means that over 10,000 times, someone somewhere in this wide world took the time to look at one of my videos. The ones that have received the most attention are the “Brahms Lullaby” and my arrangement of “Jupiter” by Gustav Holst.

Hey, I realize that these musical performances aren’t anywhere near as interesting or captivating as some young girl telling us what’s in her purse, but then I like to think that I appeal to a more sophisticated audience…you.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who watched even one of these vids, and to invite you to watch the rest; and to pass the link along to a friend…or 10,000 friends. It would be really remarkable to see the number go over 20,000 sometime this year; you can find my various videos here Tom on Youtube

Friday, September 3, 2010

Yet

Yet. This is one of the most important words in my guitar studio. I teach it to all my students. “Yet” is the explanation of a learning curve. It is a positive point of view. It works like this:


- I can’t play these chords…yet.

- I don’t know how to coordinate my right hand and left hand…yet.

You get the idea.



Of course, you can try this with non-musical problems. Anything that you are attempting to do or learn can be tempered by the addition of the word Yet. What it really means is that you eventually WILL be able to do, or know, whatever it is.



Side note: lose the word “but” from your vocabulary. Replace it with the words “and so” and you will be the road to a much more positive approach to…well, everything!