Help Find How To

If you can cope with not being up front on lead guitar, then keyboard music could be the way to go. 

I had been playing guitar for years, but I was really getting sick of it.  It’s not the guitar that I don’t like, but the whole culture that goes around it.  There is a certain attitude that almost all guitar players have, and that they are expected to have.  If you are not brash, swaggering, self-centered, and obsessed with showing off, no one wants you to play guitar in a rock band.  I was done with it all.  I wanted to take up the music keyboard.

I got myself a nice, high end Casio keyboard to start off with.  It was not top notch, but it was pretty close.  But once I had it set up, had fiddled around for a while, and was ready to actually start studying, I realized some of the problems that keyboard music has. 

 If you play guitar music, you can just pick up your favorite rock songs and learn to play that way.  If, on the other hand, you play keyboard music, it is not that simple.  Almost all keyboard players out there study classically at one point or another.  A lot of the most popular keyboard music, in fact, is taken directly from the classics.  You can not even become a good keyboard musician without formal training.

Of course, the upside of this is that, with a little bit of keyboard music training, you can play almost any rock ‘n roll song ever written.  The keyboard music might sound perplexing to an untrained ear, but to a keyboardist with even a little bit of training, it is all quite obvious and easy.  Of course, if you want to be truly great, you have to study for years, but this is true with any instrument. 

Now that I’ve gotten pretty good with keyboard music, I’ve discovered another good thing about not playing guitar.  Absolutely everyone plays guitar, and so it is difficult to distinguish yourself.  People have certain expectations of who guitarists are and what the guitar can do, but few people have actually played with keyboardists in popular music bands. 

If you are reasonably good at keyboard music, people will be interested in hearing what you have to say musically.  You have a lot of freedom in the band, even if you don’t get to act as band leader.  All in all, I am happy with the switch to keyboard music, although I do miss being a rock and roll God.

Most of us will experience debt at some time in our lives.

If you are in debt, advice below should assist in relieving your financial situation

Life can start to get rough after high school. We don’t typically think about it until it hits us head-on. We just get so used to our parents forking out the dough and paying all the bills.

Debt is the last thing on our minds. Then college comes. This is our first big reality check. Especially if we’re left to cover the costs on our own. Suddenly we have rent, food, and tuition to pay for. Oh, and don’t forget a good two hundred each quarter for books. Even with a part-time job and student loans, this can get hairy. Next thing we know, it’s credit card time. Then we’re using three different credit cards to constantly make the ends meet.

Everything seems great and finally we’re able to relax with school, and maybe have a latte. But, then what do you think happens after graduation? I mean besides the acceptance of your degree. You realize you’re in debt. From one credit card, to student loans, to another credit card, you’re in over your head, and you don’t even have a real job yet. Now it’s time to get out of debt, and do it wisely.

We all want out of debt. In fact we want to squash the entire concept of debt. It shouldn’t even exist. Well, one place you can start is with a financial advisor. This is someone, who can tell you how to cut costs and most likely consolidate. What are the current APRs on your credit cards? In my opinion if their above 7 or 8 percent, they’re too darn high.

Do you have student loans, and if so, how many different lenders are you paying back? Now, you should consolidate your student loans. This is typically always something you can do after college to help get out of debt quicker. This way you will have one low monthly payment, instead of two or three high ones. Also, you can probably take out a low interest loan in order to consolidate those credit cards. Stop paying all that interest. You’re just throwing money away. Try a nice small monthly bill with a fraction of the interest charges. That financial advisor can help you find this.

I am no different than most Americans. I too want out of debt, and I want there fast. I did the student loan consolidation, and the loan to pay off credit card debt. Both helped me a ton. It’s not just about having a lower monthly payment. It’s also about getting those APRs down as low as possible. Are you out of debt yet?

In community college, one of the best courses I took (which was a requisite, actually) was on how to improve communication skills.  The teacher was a trip, and was equally adept at making the class interesting and engaging as well as informative.  I still recall the tools and techniques often.  In fact, just the other day I was discussing the practice of clear communication whereby one person (a.k.a. the speaker) sends information, the receiver (or listener) takes in the information and then reiterates in his/her own words, and the sender confirms that the listener received it the way it was intended. 

I won’t get into the metaphysics of how words/language can be misinterpreted, unheard, neglected, abused, etc., but will instead stick with the basics for how to improve communication skills as I learned them and as I try to practice them.  And I will share what I remember for those who wish to speak in public, not for those in an interpersonal relationship or what have you….

First, acknowledge that public speaking sucks for most human beings.  [One comic—or maybe it was an ad—said that if the number one fear is speaking in public and the number two fear is death, does that mean people would rather die than talk aloud to a crowd? ]  Anyway, this is what I do: I think of the material/topic I will be speaking on; I realize how much I love the subject; and I focus on my love for the subject.  I trick myself, that is, into shifting my focus from how I will speak to what I will speak on…forgetting all about being afraid! [Screw that “imagine the audience in their underwear” thing.  I am not sure that works anymore.]

Next, stand tall, and speak out.  If you speak out over the heads of the audience, you should get a good thing going with the acoustics in the room.  I know you need to look down at your notes, but since we all understand that notes are involved, there is no need to try to hide the notes…so how about holding them in your hand at chest level when you refer to them?  Screw the podium—unless you are nervous.  If you are, the thing blocking you will relieve nerves a bit.  If it doesn’t refer back to the first suggestion for how to improve communication skills.

And finally, take ownership.  Just as you will stand proud and just as you will feel the love, so shall you learn how to improve communication skills by owning that stage, pulpit, podium space, or head of the table area in the conference room.  Look at the listeners.  Imagine you have knowledge of something they know much less about and therefore they NEED you to be good, kind, and direct.

And, for God’s sake—and your audience’s—be interesting.  If you aren’t a typically funny person, smile.  Studies show a smiling presenter gets more positive evaluation anyway.  Move about.  Change your tone.  Try it.  Try yammering away to a crowd, then suddenly dropping into a whisper.  Check out how many will perk up all of a sudden.

You are in control.  Take it and respect it!