Playing at the White House

I distinctly remember the day the phone call came in 1998 inviting me and my friend and musical partner Scott B. Adams to play at The White House.

I had been told it would never happen.

A store owner had given the Clintons a gift basket containing (among other things) one of my CDs, and, after that, anything seemed possible, even performing at the White House.

Of course, it took almost 4 ½ years to accomplish it.

I sent at least 4 different demo copies of CDs and multiple letters (sidenote--this persistence has earned me the nickname "Mr. Squeaky", a topic for a future post), until someone from the Music Committee (who even knew there was such a thing?) was compelled to champion us in. We played for the VIP Christmas Tours, when staffers from all over Washington were invited to come and see the decorations. We did not see or meet the First Family, but we performed in the East Room; what a thrill!

In 2002, I went again, this time as a soloist. The experience was about the same; that is, just as exciting. Once again, I did not see or meet the Bush’s, but I performed my Christmas arrangements in the East Room. The White House staff treated me like royalty and (trust me) they know how to do that!

Will I go back? Who knows at this point? Not me. I’m sure I’d like to, but it really is more a matter of time than anything else.

If the call comes again, I will let you all know.

From the "Life on the Road" Department

One of my favorite guitar arrangements is the Erroll Garner song “Misty”.

One day in the early 1990s, I was playing it as background music for a function at the Morrisville (NY) College campus; when I finished the tune, a little old (blue-rinse) lady appeared at my left elbow.

She said, “That was just beautiful. Could you play “Misty”? I hesitated, looked at her and said, “Sure.” And I played it again. She stood there and listened to the whole thing (again), and when I finished she said, “Thank you; that was lovely” and left.

To this day I have no idea what she thought she was listening to the first time I played it. I still occasionally play “Misty” and every time I do, I think of that lady. It’s a moment to be treasured.

To find out where I’m performing (which is rare), and where you can go to request “Misty”, check out the Schedule page on my web site: http://www.rasely.com/road.htm

In the Psalm of My Hand

Did you know that there are 150 Psalms in the Bible?

Did you know that the book of Psalms is often referred to as the songbook of Israel’s Second Temple, and that the literary genre known as Psalms began during the Babylonian Exile (1030 – 962 BCE)?

John Tesh would call that some very good Water Cooler material!

As a songbook, Psalms isn’t terribly long on melody, although there has been an attempt to work out some sort of melodic system; however, this book provides a composer with a potential 150 sets of lyrics!

Recently, I completed a set of 10 anthems based on the Psalms 20 – 29. My working title for it is “Psalms: The 20-Something Collection”. The challenge was to give each one its own musical “voice”.

One of these pieces was written over 30 years ago (not quite as ancient as the lyrics), and the last one was completed in March of this year. They are all for SAB voices and piano…no guitar. I’m hoping that a publisher will be interested in the idea, but I plan to make these available soon either way.

Do you have a favorite Psalm? Or a Psalm story? Why not share it here.

Practice Makes Perfect...Practicers!

Question: Hey buddy, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Answer: Practice!

Conventional wisdom says, "Practice makes perfect.” Usually, when you take music lessons, you are expected to spend a certain amount of time practicing. The truth is that sometimes the only thing practicing makes you perfect AT is practicing.

My idea has always been that, if you insist on using the word “practice”, use it in the same way as doctors and lawyers.

When doctors talk of practicing medicine, they do not mean that they are rehearsing in order to get better at it. The same goes for lawyers. It reminds me of what Yoda says in Star Wars, Episode V, “Do or do not; there is no try.” I tell my students to Play, even if it’s a simple exercise. Consider that every time you play, it’s a performance, even if you are the only one in the audience.

So, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? PLAY!

My First Composition

The first thing I ever wrote was a very (very) short piano piece called “The Robin’s Song”. Chances are that I was inspired by all that wonderful music in the Schaum piano method books; I think I only ever made it to Book B (I know the series went at least up to G). Anyway, I was 8 years old and riding in the back seat of the family car. I had a small notepad with me and I began by drawing music staff lines. Adding a g clef, I started to pen (or pencil) my master opus. The whole song lasts about 20 seconds. Frankly it isn’t very good, but it’s a first, and I still have that original sheet of paper.

Instead of laughing at it, my parents were quite excited that I had written musical notes of my own choosing. They always encouraged me, and I hope that I am passing that along to my students and friends.

Encouragement--pass it on.

GUITAR BOOKS

Along with recording more music than even I can usually remember, I’ve written quite a lot of instructional material to make learning the guitar easier…and fun. Titles include:

• 
  The Chord Chart Guitar Method


• A Complete Explanation of The Circle of Fifths


• The Un-dreaded Barre Chord


• Unlocking The Upper Neck


• Stuck in a Rut


• Writing for the Guitar
  
  The underlying purpose of all these books is Practical Theory. Too many guitar books either over-explain, or under-explain the operation of music theory in regards to the guitar. With concise text, plus a lot of musical examples and songs, these books can be a terrific help to the guitar hobbyist, or to the professional musician
  
  All these titles, along with a lot more information on each, can be found on my website athttp://www.rasely.com/book.htm and can be ordered through Paypal. They’re all well worth the price (if I do say so myself!).

FREE ON THE FIRST, "Six Days"

March's free download is called "Six Days" and is a fingerstyle piece with a bluesy feel. Enjoy it and share it with your friends.http://www.youpublish.com/tomrasely