CD Giveaway

Late winter seems like the perfect time for some grassroots marketing; let’s keep me inspired with some new readers.

Tell one new person about the Musician in the Middle of Nowhere and then post here about who you are and that you spread the word about Tom Rasely’s music (or on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/trasely) .

You don’t have to walk up to strangers either. Write the blog address on a post it note and leave it at the music store. Email a coworker who likes music; leave the Facebook link scribbled on a napkin at the Open Mike night. The idea is to spread the word about the nowhere guitarist and help my readership grow.

So post today who you told and that’s it--you’re entered in the drawing. At the end of the week, I’ll pull a name out of the hat and announce it on the blog and Facebook. Then you email me and I’ll send you the free cd; couldn’t be easier.

(Thanks to Jenna at Coldantler Farm for the idea).

My drummer buddy, Bob Tousignant

Not all of my friends are guitarists. Bob Tousignant (too-SEE-nyahnt) is a drummer…an extraordinary drummer. I met Bob through a mutual friend, Chris Natoli. Bob is one of the more serious students of drumming; he practices rhythms that he’ll never get a chance to use, just for the joy of learning them.

You probably have heard Bob play. He was the drummer for The Music Explosion (“Little Bit O’ Soul”) and Crazy Elephant (“Gimme, Gimme Some Lovin’”). Bob has performed at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame where the Music Explosion album is part of the Bands from Ohio display. One of the biggest differences between Bob and me is that I had to pay to get into the R&R Hall of Fame, and he was invited to play in the main foyer.

Bob has no web site, but if you are anywhere near Chenango County, NY you might catch him playing with Eric Porter and/or Jes Sheldon some night. You can also hear Bob on “Tea with the Man in the Moon” on my HALFWAY CD, and “Mon Ami” from my ONE TO ONE CD.

Who is the Best Guitarist?

Get two or more guitarists get together, and the discussion will eventually wander to the question: Who is the best guitarist?

With so many players to choose from, in so many different styles- let's face it, there never was, and never will be just one "best"; and after all, what we really mean by "the best" is "my favorite". Insisting on your favorite will only prolong an argument, not end it. It's a classic case of apples and oranges, or even fruit salad.

Don't get me wrong; it's good to have guitar heroes. It's good to have opinions about players. However, a better question to ask might be: WHY do I think that (fill-in-the-blank) is the best guitarist? When you answer that question, you actually begin to learn something…or teach something!

One of the reasons that guitarists look for "the best" is that we secretly want to BE the best. And even the best players have other players who they look up to. Andres Segovia, the grand master of the classical guitar, had the inspiration of Gabriel Ruiz de Almodovar, of whom he said "I felt like kissing the hands of a man who could draw such beautiful sounds from the guitar"; and although he'd never met Tarrega, the maestro reverently referred to him as the man who "created the soul of the guitar".

So, here's the bottom line: aspire to be the best (at whatever you do), and remember that even the "best" players are trying to do the same thing.

My guitar buddy, Bill Cooley

Bill Cooley is not a household name...unless you happen to live at Bill Cooley’s house…or at Kathy Mattea’s house. Kathy Mattea is one of the truly great musical artists whose voice lends itself to a variety of musical styles. From “18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses” to “Where Have You Been?” to her provocative CD “Coal”, her constant musical companion has been lead guitarist Bill Cooley.

I met Bill on the forum at http://www.guitarnotes.com/ and it turns out that we not only share a love of guitar playing, we share a birthday. We also share that birthday with Jimmy Page and Les Paul!! That’s all “good company”.

Bill has released several CDs of his own music that deserve attention. You can find out more at http://www.billcooleymusic.com/

Ave Verum

A video of my arrangement of Mozart's "Ave Verum" is now available on Youtube http://youtube.com/tomrasely. Also available for the guitar players out there, is a chart on my website http://www.rasely.com/music.htm.





The experience of video recording this motet was a summation of some of the joys and trials of being a Musician in the Middle of Nowhere.





--Finding a room in our 900 square foot house large enough to position the camera for two difference angles.





--Working with our noisy surroundings--the slim but real possibility that the phone might ring, a rooster who crows morning, noon, and night, and the ticking of the wood stove (you can hear this last one at the end of the song).





--Lousy lighting 'cause it's the middle of winter in upstate NY, although the sun did shine enough to cause a reflection on the guitar.





Hope you enjoy!

Quotes About the Guitar

Did you know that Ludwig van Beethoven once called the guitar a “miniature orchestra”? Did you know that Beethoven never wrote anything for the guitar?

Frederick Chopin, the Polish piano composer once said, “Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two.” Chopin also never wrote anything for the guitar.

The eminent guitarist Charlie Byrd once said, “The guitar is the sound of simplicity in a technological age.” Perhaps that is why it is so difficult to write for.

And classical guitarist Andre Segovia said, “Among God's creatures two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes, in order not be separated from the man” which doesn't have anything to do with the other quotes but sure sounds impressive!

My guitar buddy, Chris Woodward

Chris Woodard is an extraordinary musician: a fine guitarist, a teacher, a recording artist. I met Chris in 1982 in Ithaca, and over the years I was privileged to play on several recordings of his with Celtimorphosis, visit http://www.orchardbeat.com/ . Chris not only plays classical and fingerstyle guitar, he also plays a variety of pick styles, as well as lead guitar. Chris gave me my one and only lesson on slide guitar- over the phone!

Chris’ solo album “Guitar Stories” is available through his web site: http://www.smilingcollie.com/