As we strive to develop a deeper connection to music we must all confront the reality that the most important factor in our musical growth and development is practice.  Practice can be fun and it also requires discipline.  Here are 7 tips to practice music that will help you stay inspired, grow musically and sound like a pro. 

1. Consistency

Creating a rhythm and pattern is crucial in establishing a solid music practice.  
Carve out time daily to spend playing and practicing your voice and/or instrument.
Create a space that is quiet and conducive so you are focused and not easily disturbed.  

Set goals and work your way thru those goals, repetition is key.  Take your time with each exercise or song you are working with to master that technique.  It is best to be able to play something consistently before moving on.
 
Commit to practicing for set periods of time.  Ideally a minimum of two hours a day for an aspiring musician although four to eight hours is required in some instances.  Even if you commit to a half hour or hour a day that is great, the key is commitment and consistency.

2. Breath and Posture

Having breath and posture awareness are two critical aspects to reaching your full potential as a musician.  This applies to vocalists and wind players but is equally important for all instrumentalists as well.  

Having breath awareness centers you in the present moment and gives you the tools to remain focused.  

Take a simple moment before you begin your practice to ground your energy and connect to the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body.  Become fully present in your body and create awareness around your neck position, your shoulders, your back, your arm positions and how you stand or sit.  Try and remain relaxed throughout and allow your muscles to work efficiently. 

3. Set Goals - Write them down

Having goals for you practice is key to moving forward and growing as a musician.  It can be a goal of learning a song, a scale, chords, working on your tone or timbre, understanding theory, practicing harmony, there are so many things to work on with music it is really just a matter of focusing first on what your goals are then how to get there.  

For instance if your goal is to play piano and sing at the same time then simple goals would be to practice piano and singing separately to master each one then bringing them together. Create a log for your practice goals and write them down to track your progress.

If your goal is to become a blues guitarist then you should practice the pentatonic blues scales.  If your goal is to become a fluent composer then studying theory and harmony could be some obvious places to focus.  They key is to set long term and short term goals.  What are your bigger goals and how can you work your way towards those goals today?  

4. Play in Time - Practice to Rhythmic Pulse

This is such a crucial aspect for every musician no matter what instrument, style or level.  The best musicians in the world practice to a click track.  Rhythm is a fundamental aspect to all music and learning how to play in time is crucial if you want to be taken seriously and grow as a musician. 

Practice everything to a pulse.  I say pulse because that can be a simple metronome app such as this () or a more complex drum machine or software program such as this () If you are a practicing singer/songwriter practice to a pulse, if you are vocalist practice to a pulse, if you are an instrumentalist practice to a pulse. 

Playing to a click is crucial in the recording studio as timing is everything in recording. Practice everything to a pulse and when it comes to time to play with other musicians, especially your drummer friends they will respect you.  

5. Play in Tune - Use a Tuner and Record

Playing in tune is as critical to playing in time is to your music and practice.  If you don't take the time to really refine and master the art of not only tuning your instrument but playing in tune then you will always sound like your music is off in some way no matter what. 

Before you begin tune your instrument, use an accurate chromatic tuner or if you are capable tune by ear.  If you are a singer tune up by practicing scales and long tones using a tuner.  Practice and make sure to continue tuning throughout.  Practicing staying in tune will serve you when it comes time to hit the stage.

The other side of course is playing in tune and this is critical to being a high level musician.  Record yourself so you can hear if your playing or singing is out of tune somewhere.  Slow it down, work with simplicity and repetition to refine the problem area.  You may find it is one or a few specific notes that are causing issue or a hand position on an instrument.  Most important, take time to work on it and your audience will thank you!

6. Listen Deeply and Play Dynamically

Be present and focused while you practice and work on your skill to listen deeply.  Really try and do your practice in a quiet place and work on listening as deeply as you can to your instrument, the tone of how you play or sing a note, the dynamics with which you play.  

Dynamics are one of the best tools you can use to express emotion in music.   Playing soft or loud, fast or slow and other dynamic techniques will give your music a pro sound!  The best musicians play with incredible dynamics.
(read my article)

When you practice, practice dynamically.  Use different techniques and variations in your approach to different exercises to play with dynamics, if you practice dynamics it will become a key part of your playing and you will sound like a pro!

7. Learn from the Pros

One of the best ways to become a better musician is to learn from the pros.  Attend live performances of your favorite musicians and study their performance.  There is nothing like seeing a musician play live to really feel and hear them in the room they are playing, this is WAY different then watching videos.

With that said, videos and the access to youtube is a fantastic way to learn music from pros. You can watch their performances or find lessons online for just about any instrument and technique.  This is an incredible library and one of you greatest tools as a musician.

Study with a teacher!  Find a great teacher, there is nothing quite like learning one on one or in class group settings from someone who has mastered their craft.  When you have this kind of immediate interaction and studying with a great teacher you can shave sometimes years off your learning and move ahead much quicker then on your own.  A great teacher can give you form and techniques that are based on real world experience and are invaluable.

Listen to a lot of music! Listen, listen, listen.  Close your eyes and listen to music, really listen deeply to what you love and study what the musicians are doing, how they are playing off each other.  Closing your eyes and listening gives you a special perspective that watching someone performing doesn't give.  When you close down your visual sense and listen to music you hear it in a different way.  (Article on deep listening)

Conclusion --  Love what you do 
Most importantly, love what you do with music! If you are bored, got to a concert to get inspired, go to youtube and watch some performance videos, listen to old albums that were your favorites at an earlier time of your life. 

Create a consistent practice schedule and make sure to begin by establishing breath awareness, body awareness and good posture techniques.  Always set goals and create an organized system of logging and documenting your practice and progress.  

Practice playing to a click and master playing in time.  Practice playing with a tuner and master playing in tune.  Listen deeply to your playing, listen for the nuances and the dynamics, when you listen deeply your audience will listen deeply.  

Watch and study the Pros in your musical styling that inspire you, go to concerts, study with great teachers!  Keep the musical fire stoked and burning bright.  Play with other musicians, go to songwriting circles, take a workshop, book a gig.  Stay inspired, love what you do and you will stay motivated to continue to practice and grow as a musician!

Do you have any stories or tips you would like to share about how practice has supported your growth as a musician?  Please leave a comment below and let us know.

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One is the anxiously-awaited follow-up to composer/multi-instrumentalist Todd Boston’s award-winning 2012 release, Touched By the Sun. Although several of the eleven tracks sound like ensemble performances, this is truly a solo album with Boston performing all of the instruments (a variety of guitars and percussion instruments, flutes, etc.) as well as composing, producing, recording and engineering the album. The guitar parts on two of the tracks were recorded during the making of Touched By the Sun at Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studios and the album was mastered by Tom Eaton. Five years in the making, this acoustic new age/ world fusion music is gentle, peaceful and uplifting - a very welcome respite from the craziness of today’s world. 

One begins with the title track, a short intro with flute, the sound of birds, and strings. “Fresh Strings” follows with acoustic guitar, bowed strings and slide guitar (and maybe a few more!) plus some light percussion - a very warm and friendly welcome! Instead of being “food of the gods, this “Ambrosia” is heavenly flute and guitar that is light and enveloping. “Astral Heart” combines the sounds of plucked and strummed strings with the grace of bamboo flute - a favorite. “She’s Home” is more on the ambient side - relaxed, spare, and very free. “Realization” is also a favorite. Its catchy rhythm and lighthearted movement reflect on the fact that “every thing is constantly changing.” (quoted from the liner notes) “Early Reflections” is more somber, dark and ambient. “Blue Pearl” is mostly acoustic guitar, with some bamboo flute and slide guitar for additional tonal color. Haunting and mysterious, it’s another favorite. Light and carefree, “Hawk Medicine” soars effortlessly. “Kalyan” returns to a more serene mood - open and very spare and then segues into the hypnotic closing track, “Dreamtime.”

As I mentioned above, One is a wonderful antidote to the craziness and fast pace of contemporary life. Like a long walk on the beach or in nature, everything just kind of settles down and the mind relaxes for the duration of the experience. One debuted in the Billboard Top Ten New Age Albums for October 2017, so expect to hear a lot more about this album! It is available from Amazon, iTunes and CD Baby. Highly recommended!

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John Diliberto 10/30/2017

We’ve always had a soft spot for Todd Boston. We first heard him with his east-west duo Urban Nature with percussionist Ramesh Kannan in California. But he grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs with his radio dialed into Echoes on his local radio affiliate, WXPN. He became immersed in the sound of Windham Hill Records and guitarists like Will Ackerman, Alex De Grassi and Michael Hedges. He also got exposed to Indian music and studied sarod with Ali Akbar Khan, which turned out to have been a gateway to an even wider world of music.

Todd Boston’s second album, Touched by the Sun, was an Echoes CD of the Monthpick in 2012, as was his first solo album, Alive, in 2010. Touched was produced by one of his heroes, Will Ackerman, and that influence elevated Boston’s game immensely. Since then, he’s become a pretty good producer in his own right, making records with artists around the Kirtan scene. And now he applies those skills to his latest album, simply called One.

The title comes from the fact that there is only a solitary musician on the record: Todd Boston. But he turns himself into a one-man world music ensemble, playing guitars, dobro, the Chinese guzheng zither, African djembe and udu drums, Indian bamboo flutes, and others. The result is a contemplative, pastoral journey full of vivid colors.

The second track, “Fresh Strings” lays out the framework for the album, a languid country-tinged piece with lap steel guitar accents and chamber modes coming from the GuitarViol, an instrument whose sound and look you can divine from the name. Boston uses it as a cello-like undertow.

“Fresh Strings” is an idyllic slice of Americana, but the following composition taps Boston’s global side. On “Ambrosia” the bamboo flutes, multi-tracked, carry the main melody with a counterpoint from a mini-guitar ukulele that he plays more like a mandolin. It’s one of those world-influenced pieces that floats without country, but out in the ether of unity.

One has a kinship with Mike Oldfield albums like Ommadawn or a bit more obscurely, Mark O’Connor’s 1982 album of multi-tracked strings, False Dawn. Like those recordings, Boston’s One creates a space, and sets a scene in a beautifully arranged world. “Astral Heart” suggests a perfect autumn day in New England, and the perfectly balanced and resonant sound of “Blue Pearl” evokes a Zen garden.

“Realization” takes Boston back to his Urban Nature sound with udu drums providing a loping groove while Boston plays the melody on guitar, bending and dragging notes as if playing a sitar.

Most of One is light and vibrant, in a good way, but Boston dips into some deep contemplation on “Early Reflections,” featuring the GuitarViol in multiple overdubs, etching a deep Arvo Pärt-like elegy.

One ends on the very contemplative “Dreamtime.” There’s no acoustic guitar, Boston just plays electric guitar swells while he ruminates on flute, finally fading into crickets. It’s the only standard new age move on the album, and it’s still really good, a quiet close to an album that has been a journey from beginning to end. It makes you become One.

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Todd Boston is no newcomer to the conscious music scene. His albums have topped the list of various World/New Age listening charts throughout the years. A composer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, he fuses world music together with live looping and computer technology. Todd tours internationally supporting concerts, festivals, and yoga classes. He performs regularly with artists such as Snatam Kaur and one of my personal musical heroes, bassist Tony Levin.

ONE by Todd Boston

ONE is Todd’s latest album. It is a project that has been in the making for five years. He plays all of the various instruments on ONE as he takes the listener on a sonic journey of organic textures of guitar, percussion, orchestral instruments, and environmental field recordings.

The title track “One” begins the immediate shift into a tranquil sonic world. In “Fresh Strings,” Todd begins to flex his refined musical muscle with layers of beautiful guitar stylings, topped by lap steel guitar mimicking the flavor of sitar.

Favorite Tunes on ONE

“Ambrosia,” my favorite track, is a stripped down and mysterious track combining bamboo flute, GuitarViol and guitar ukulele. This song could be the beautiful sonic backdrop in a movie scene showing the rustic countryside going by through a train window. It reminds me of the high-quality and lush recordings you can often find on Putamayo world music compilations. Not surprisingly, Todd’s songs have been a part of those compilations.

Another one of my favorites is “Hawk Medicine.” Here, more of Todd’s guitar magic shines. He really makes the guitar a contemplative extension of himself. I also appreciate how he layers so many stringed instruments in one track without having them compete too much in the arrangement.

Todd Boston describes music as an “ally, teacher and friend.” His aim is to spread this same positive musical healing to listeners. I’d say Todd has more than accomplished this on ONE.

More music by Todd Boston

Read Dan Blanchard’s review of Todd Boston’s album Touched by the Sun here.

Learn more about Todd Boston and his music on his website ToddBoston.com

original article link - https://layoga.com/entertainment/music/one-todd-boston/

McKenna Rowe

McKenna caught the “yoga bug” as a little girl, watching Lilias Folan on PBS. She leads an active life hiking, running, sometimes snowboarding, and once was a nationally-ranked equestrian. After years of working in the digital industry for clients in entertainment, publishing and fashion, she took a sabbatical to acquire her yoga teacher certification. A desire to help people heal soon followed. Also a successful musician and composer, McKenna shares cutting-edge music during yoga classes, recruiting musicians and DJs to perform with her. She owned and operated East Hollywood’s Chakra 5 Yoga studio throughout 2011, creating a vibrant community on and offline, but decided to shift to a mobile model. Now Chakra 5 brings yoga classes on site and by appointment to businesses, schools and organizations throughout greater Los Angeles. McKenna was certified in Hatha/Kundalini at Karuna Yoga, and has additional teacher training in Restorative Yoga with Master Teacher Judith Lasater. She teaches yoga at Chakra 5 classes and international retreats.

http://www.chakra5.la

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Hi Friends...here is some new music and a behind the scenes Music Vlog! 

Filmed in Nara, Japan. I traveled with Will Ackerman to perform at the Kasuga Shrine ceremony which was one of the most beautiful concert experiences of my life. Will is quite famous in Japan from his days at Windham Hill Records which had such a big impact on the Japanese People. This was his first time returning there in 30 years. Our hosts were so gracious and friendly, Takamine provided all our guitars and we played amazing music together with brilliant Japanese Musicians. On my last day, I woke up at sunrise and hiked to the top of a nearby mountain in the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. On the way I stopped at many of the 1500 year old shrines and temples to capture the stillness of the atmosphere. In the forest I recorded a flute song inspired by this amazing place (I will put the link for that video in the comments) Nara is the ancient capitol of Japan and a national treasure. I love Japan so much and hope to return in the near future! To travel with my friend, musical collaborator and mentor Will Ackerman was truly a gift and an honor. This is the first of many...please let me know what you think and share with your friends!  

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with gifted Guitarist and Composer Shambhu.  Heartfelt and Soulful music from an intuitive artist.  Currently we are in production with scheduled release at the end of 2016. Join us on the creative journey and watch these making of videos…

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Then came two women riding horses. I was sitting playing the flute and the horses curiously came over to listen. The Mare came in front of me and began to yawn, stretching her face and relaxing her body. Then she literally proceeded to relax into what I can only describe as a meditation. She listened quietly while I played the flute, eyes closing, it was an incredible and magical experience.

After talking with the owner of the horses Karin Dilou and her friend Meta, we shared our experiences, how none of us had witnessed anything quite like it and how special a moment it was. There was something beautiful and simple that happened, it was the power of music to transform not only us as the humans but also this beautiful majestic creature named Duchess.

We received an invitation to Danehill Manor, Karin’s property and what I can only describe as a horse/nature sanctuary. We visited with her and some new friends Meta, Candra and Karin’s herd of 7 horses and 2 dogs! I of course brought my flutes and Andrea her camera.

What we experienced delighted and surprised all of us including Karin as the Horses responded in such interesting and unpredictable ways to the magic of the flute. There were all kinds of interesting dynamics that played out between the pecking order of the herd and how individual horses responded.

Karin is an incredible teacher into how our subtle energy affects the animals. When we tense up, they tense and when we are confident, calm and breathing they are relaxed and able to be calm, trust and follow you as the leader.

The experiment will continue and we look forward to spending more time with these amazing animals and our new friends. Thank you Karin!! And thanks to my brother Bo Fain who makes these amazing flutes that have forever changed my life!!

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We all know the phrase, Life is a journey not a destination." Well it can be said,
"Music is a journey not a destination."

A few months ago my wife Andrea found an instrument online called a GuitarViol made by a master luthier and multi-instrumentalist named Jonathan Eric Wilson. A few google searches later I came across some videos and a website named TogaManGuitars.com.

Something inside of me screamed "you have to play one of these!!" We visited with Jonathan and his wife, Nela in LA and it that was it, I was hooked. It set a series of events in motion that culminated in this moment!

The GuitarViol is an instrument that was designed and created completely by Jonathan based on his desire to play a bowed guitar. Over the course of years he formed his own unique instrument combining elements of the guitar, viol da gamba, cello and viola. The result is an instrument that sings with passion and soul.

Jonathan hand crafted a unique acoustic GuitarViol with spruce top and spalted ambrosia maple sides and back specifically for me! In my many years playing music and collecting instruments this was the first time one had been built specifically for me. She has been appropriately named Ambrosia. I am honored and grateful to have begun this journey of learning to play, it is challenging but rewarding everyday advancing and going deeper. I look forward to sharing music with you soon! ~TB

www.ToddBoston.com

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Believe in something bigger than you, bigger than your limitations. Believe in a something that is a larger collective, something that incorporates both seen and unseen beings. Envision that you are tapping into a larger circle of power, one that is enveloping you and assures that you are always taken care of. One that supports you in all ways. One that gives to you a place of rest and comfort and still motivates and assures your success. You are too big too fail because you are surrounded with a collective energy of support, encouragement, brilliance, talent, contacts, networks, gifts, opportunities and Love. Shine Bright! ~TB

www.ToddBoston.com

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