Another one of my favorite guitar instrumentals is The Ventures' version of Harlem Nocturne. This song was actually composed by Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers in 1939 for the Ray Noble orchestra. It has been recorded many times by a variety of artists. This version is from 1960. I really like the sparse sound of it. The main theme makes use of the minor/ major 7th chord, which gives the song a particularly haunting sound. The melody begins with an E minor chord that starts by

Have you ever discovered that a song that you knew and loved was actually a cover? It has happened to me many times. Actually, I love when it happens. It is a shock at first but it also generates a type of excitement, like you have just stumbled on a mystery and you are about to get to the bottom of it. My most recent experience like this was with a song called Jump Into The Fire. The version I knew was by LCD Soundsystem. I remember seeing them live in the early 2000's in Mo

I am a fan of Twenty One Pilots and an even bigger fan of MUTEMATH so when I found out about this collaboration I was pretty excited. I really didn't know what to expect when I pressed play. It was even better than I expected. The two bands went into the studio together and rerecorded five well know Twenty One Pilot songs but re-imagined. These bands can play. The musicianship is really good and if you are a drummer, you will enjoy it even more. In my opinion, all the songs a

The past few weeks, I have been rehearsing with all my students for Live From The Garage 16 - my end of year student show. There has been a fair amount of discussion about song order. How do you write a good set list? Here is my two cents: The order that a band performs their songs on stage is an extremely important part of their show. Here are a few tips on how to write a good set list: Preliminary Considerations The best order for any given performance depends on several fa

One of my students introduced me to Twenty One Pilots. I really like their sound and songwriting. Their album Blurryface has been getting a lot of play at my house this past year. I think my favorite song by them is this one, Tear In My Heart. It has a lot of energy and it is really fun to play. One of my student bands will be performing it in a couple of weeks at Live From The Garage 16. Here are the chords and structure if you would like to take a crack at it... Quick quiz: