Fireside Chat: John Patitucci

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Grammy-winning jazz bassist John Patitucci pulled up a seat to chat with our very own Charlie Doom.

1. If you weren’t a musician, what would you be and why?
If I wasn’t a musician I would like to be a pastor/theologian. Besides my faith and beliefs, I would also feel strongly about helping people and working at something that I think really is important and that actually makes a difference.

2. Honestly, how many hours a day do you practice?
It varies at this point in my life, because my schedule between family, playing , composing, touring, recording and teaching is constantly changing. If I am home, I try to put in a couple of hours at night. Sometimes, I go for a few days without practicing if I am working a lot. Sometimes I will practice for 3 or 4 hours. It really isn’t the same as when I was younger and single. Then, it was at least 3 hours a day and sometimes much more.

3. What are you listening to lately?
I listen lately to many things, African music like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Coltrane CD’s, Bach’s Goldberg Variations for solo piano, Al Green, Dutilleux’s piano music, etc….

4. How would you describe the music business today?
The music business today is harder than ever for young musicians to get started in. There is also a huge problem with the public thinking all music should be free, which will destroy a composer’s means of earning a living from royalties.

5. Stranded on a desert island, which bass would you take?
I have been asked many times to say which bass I prefer- Electric or Acoustic and I will not answer that because I love both. If I was stranded on a desert island, I would still take both basses.

6. Should world leaders learn how to play bass? Why?
World leaders could all learn about life, communication, self- lessness, a group identity and service orientation from bass playing. They could also learn to be both strong and flexible at the same time.

7. Let’s talk about what’s going on with you right now, your new album, and what’s next?
Right now I am doing gigs to promote my new trio CD called “Remembrance”, which features Brian Blade on Drums and Saxophonist Joe Lovano, with guest appearances from my wife Sachi on cello and percussionist – Rogerio Boccato. I am also playing gigs with Wayne Shorter’s Quartet, teaching at The City College of New York, composing, session work, etc… I will also be doing some teaching for the Thelonious Monk Institute in New Orleans this Fall as well as being a judge in the Monk Institute’s Bass Competition this October in Washington D.C.

Questions submitted to TrueFire via Facebook, Twitter, and our Forum:

8. From “Jason1782″ – What was it about jazz that attracted you to it?
The Spirit, passion, improvisation, rhythms, feeling and soulful power of Jazz attracted me to this great musical genre.

9. From “stratmaster09″ – what was it like to work with B.B. King? George Benson?
B.B. King and George Benson are 2 of the greatest guitarist/singers the world has ever heard. Their artistry and warm personalities have inspired so many musicians and fans that i can hardly describe their impact in words. I am humbled and honored to have played with them.

10. From “BassBruther79″ – The approach to bass guitar has seen a tremendous transformation over the past 3 decades, where do it you see it going today? Anything exciting you?
The history of the bass guitar over the last 3 decades is not something i can adequately address in the short time and space i have here. We have seen many stylistic, technical and sonic developments in the last 3 decades. I don’t know where it is going and i am always interested in watching what happens. In terms of getting excited about things, the technical pyrotechnics don’t really excite me too much, unless there is REAL MUSIC ALONG WITH IT . I think that there is sometimes a danger of just overplaying when people get bewitched by the techniques that are available today. I am all for new things when they serve the music and make things feel great.

11. From “Torr71″ – where did you get your inspiration from as a young artist? And who would you like to collaborate musically with that you haven’t already?
I got my inspiration as a young artist from my older brother Tom, Motown records, Blues records, Jazz records from Wes Montgomery, Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Rock and Roll records like: The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, my father’s opera records, my family in general. Most of the musicians that i haven’t collaborated with that i really wanted to, are gone. People like Coltrane, Miles, Gil Evans, Joe Henderson, Phineas Newborn etc….

12. And finally, any words of wisdom for your fans and fellow bass crusaders?
If you want to play music and want to make it your life’s work, i think it demands a love for this life of creating, a sense of passion and a calling. We play music because we MUST play , not because we think it might be a nice diversion or something that is just a trivial amusement ( even though it is so much fun). I play because i believe that this is the gift that God gave to me. I believe that we ALL get gifts and music is the one that i am responsible to develop to the best of my ability.

Check out Patitucci’s latest musical release, Remembrance, at his official website – http://www.johnpatitucci.com

In his own words:
“We’re paying tribute, but we’re also shaping the music to reflect who we are. We’re not just copying or resting on the musicians who came before us, we’re playing this music as our way of contributing to the evolution of jazz.”
- John Patitucci

A TrueFire Perspective:

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the bass is a guitar, too. But it is impossible to ignore the sublime sounds and moods those four strings can evoke under the fingers of a true artist. With the release of Remembrance, John Patitucci and his trio have produced what has become something of a rarity: an album you can listen to from start to finish. Whether you dig jazz or can just barely stomach it, there is a lot to be said about a recording that seems to find a place for itself in your everyday life. Admittedly, I am a lover of old school jazz, which is probably why I enjoyed this album so much. But it’s not a traditional or conventional jazz record. Rather, it captures the essence of what makes those old jazz comps so satisfying: the bloodless battles between fleeting moments of beauty, ugliness and pure inspiration. At the very least, Remembrance offers several tracks worthy of your Favorites playlist. But don’t just take my word for it. Have a listen and let us know what you think.   — Charlie Doom

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Recording Digitally: 7 Helpers for Guitarists

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by Rich Tozzoli

Whether you’re on your laptop running freeware or laying down tracks on a $75,000 digital rig, take a few tips on computer-based recording.

1. Clean and mean
Make sure your instrument gets into the DAW (digital audio workstation) as cleanly as possible. That means stepping back and taking a critical look at your signal path. Do you need to have that tuner inline? How many pedals are you using — can you lose any? Are your DI’s good and are they grounded? Are you using fresh batteries? Examine your recording chain and remove any unnecessary items.

2. Cable Man
Instrument cables are a top priority when recording. Are yours ten-year-old drawer busters or are they of a good quality? Spend a few bucks to make sure you have good ones. There are many excellent manufacturers, including Solid Cables, Monster, Mogami, and Planet Waves. Remember to keep your cables as short as possible — 15’ should be your absolute longest. Check the connections occasionally, and don’t forget to make sure the jacket is then screwed back in tightly. Reserve some cables for recording and have a separate batch for your live rig, since the ones in your gig bag tend to take a beating.

3. Seeing Red
Pushing VU meters into the red was acceptable on analog tape-based rigs, since hitting the tape hard lent some natural compression. But it’s important when recording digitally not to clip your signal on input. If you see the meters lighting up red, back off! While it’s good to get a hot signal, don’t overload or you’ll pay the price on mixdown. Remember, as long as it’s clean you can always boost it afterwards; either directly (with the fader) or with plug-ins and outboard gear such as a compressor or limiter.

4. Tune!
It shouldn’t have to be said, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t take the time to tune up before tracking each pass. You may nail that one-in-a-thousand take, but if your G string was flat … well, you can bet the listeners will hear it. Headstock tuners (the type that clips on) are perfect for constant retuning in the studio without adding any noise into your signal path.

5. Is it in yet?
Getting your guitar signal into a DAW requires some type of computer interface. Among the most popular routing options:
a) Plug into a guitar-amp simulator, then run the simulator out to the interface (or to a mixer that’s connected to the interface)
b) Mic an amp, and send the mics through the interface
c) Plug into a mic preamp and send the preamp through the interface
d) Plug directly into an interface that has a built-in preamp

If the preamp, mixer, or interface has ¼” Hi-Z inputs built in, that’s great because it helps keep your signal path short and clean. If you’re using a mic preamp or mixer with XLR inputs, you’ll need to turn your guitar’s ¼” Hi-Z output into a balanced XLR signal so the mic preamp can do its job. The common DI, or direct box (such as those available from Radial, Hughes and Kettner, Behringer), works wonders for that task. Just plug your guitar into the ¼” input jack on the DI and the XLR output will run directly into your mixer or preamp, allowing you the cleanest possible signal.

6. Get on the bus
A very clean and contemporary way to get your instrument into the DAW is by using a USB interface. Products like the M-Audio Fast Track Pro and the small CEntrance AxePort Pro allow you to hook directly into your computer via USB. Now you can skip the whole DI process; just plug into the interface, connect your USB cable, and the signal shows up in your DAW software. No muss, no fuss.

7. Split ‘em up
One great way to get maximum flexibility on your recorded tracks is to split the guitar’s signal on the way into the DAW. Using a splitter, or even a pedal with two outputs, you can run one clean signal directly into the computer and one to an amp for miking. Send the signals to separate tracks. Once the two tracks are in the can, you can add a processor/plug-in on the clean channel and blend it with your amp sound for a thicker, nastier tone. And what could be better than that?

Rich Tozzoli is an accomplished engineer, mixer, producer and composer. He has worked with artists such as Ace Frehley, Al DiMeola and David Bowie, among many more, and is the author of Surround Sound Mixing for ProTools. Rich is also a lifelong guitarist and composer. His work can be heard regularly on FoxNFL, HBO, and Discovery Channel.
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Top 50 Hardest Working Guitarists – Part 5

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And the final 10 are in! Rounding out our tribute to TrueFire educators, here’s our list of the Top 50 Hardest Working Guitarists in no particular order. Drumroll, please…

Mark Egan

eganMark Egan is considered to be one of the most respected and in-demand electric bassists on the music scene today. His unique fretless bass sound and style is both distinctive and versatile and his musical contributions incomparable. With three platinum & three gold albums to his credit, Mark has recorded with the likes of the Pat Metheny Group, Sting, Arcadia, Roger Daltry and Joan Osborne; performed with the Gil Evans Orchestra, Marianne Faithful, David Sanborn, John McGlaughlin and Sophie B. Hawkins and has added his musical prowess to such movies and television shows as; Aladdin, The Color Of Money, A Chorus Line, NBC Sports, ABC’s All My Children, CNN/Headline News and numerous award winning television commercials. Mark not only continues his recording and touring efforts which recently included studio performances with Joan Osborne, Michael Franks, Rory Block, Marianne Faithful, and tours with; Elements, Bill Evans and Marianne Faithful, but his passion and visionary approach to contemporary jazz music has led him to the creation of his independent record label, Wavetone Records. He brings his twenty years of performing, recording and producing experience to this new label, dedicated to providing an outlet for creative music projects. To-date Wavetone has released to critical appraise four albums; Elements, Far East Volume I and II, Elements Untold Stories, Egan’s, Mosaic Joe Beck, Finger Painting and the most recent release, Jeff Ciampa, Signs of Life. In addition, Mark has realized his dream with the completion of is own state-of-the-art recording studio, Electric Fields, designed by the highly acclaimed acoustical architect John Storyk. Electric Fields is equipped with a 40-track digital recording system and an array of vintage sound processing gear. Projects already in production include Mark’s solo project, guitarist Jeff Ciampa Trio and Element’s long awaited studio album. Mark continues to explore new sound territories through his extraordinary recording, composing and touring activities. His successful efforts as a musician, producer and label manager keep him on the forefront of the contemporary music scene.

Learn with Mark’s awesome interactive audio guitar lessons.
Check out Mark’s official website – www.MarkEgan.com

Josh Workman
workmanJosh Workman began playing guitar at age 10 and by the tender age of 13 was already out performing in the smoke-filled bars of San Francisco’s infamous North Beach. While still underage, he spent many nights hiding out in the back rooms of these clubs, as the venue owners tried to conceal him from the beat cops patrolling the area. At times, Josh’s school teachers would come watch him perform into the wee-hours, always wondering if he would be too tired to make it to class the next morning. Through his high school years, Josh attended the School of the Arts during the day, all the while continuing to perform and record at night and on weekends. Some of his earliest guitar teachers included Ray Scott, Tuck Andress (Tuck & Patti), Dave Creamer and Bruce Foreman. After a year at Berklee School of Music in Boston, at age 19 Josh left to finish his studies at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. This is where he fully immersed himself in learning to play jazz guitar. His mentors there included Gene Bertoncini, Jim Hall and Vic Juris. Thanks to pianist Armen Donelian, Josh began transcribing the music of John Abercrombie for German publisher, Advance Music. This led to a 5-year stint as house transcriber for Warner Bros., Hal Leonard and other publishers. Also during this time, he recorded and performed with artists such as world music ensemble D’Vash, The Jazz Passengers (featuring Deborah Harry of Blondie) and offshoots of the Groove Collective. Soon after his return to the Bay Area in 1995, Josh joined the renowned jump-swing band, Indigo Swing. It was during this period that he honed in on the jump-blues and early guitar styles of T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and Tiny Grimes. Besides his work as a bandleader, Josh continues to be in-demand as a sideman; he performs with actress/vocalist Lynda Carter, vocalist Connie Evingson, pianist Larry Vuckovich (which includes previous appearances at the Monterey and San Francisco Jazz Festivals), vocalist Kim Nalley and several other ensembles. In addition to his busy performance schedule, Josh writes for Guitar Player Magazine.

Listen to Josh’s killer audio guitar lessons.
Check out Josh’s official website – www.JoshWorkman.com

Andy Ellis
ellisAndy Ellis grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and Paris, France, where he started studying classical guitar. While living in Bonn, Germany, Ellis discovered electric guitar and formed his first band, the Abstracts. The young teen played “beat shows” alongside older German bands in the mid ’60s, and this experience pushed him into the abyss of rock & roll. After studying at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Ellis joined the ranks of professional musicians, playing and teaching guitar in both the U.S. and Europe. In the late ’70s, he took up the Chapman Stick, studying with its maestro and inventor, Emmett Chapman. Ellis’ Stick playing led to a profile on NPR’s Morning Edition and opened the door to studio work (he played the Stick solo on Amy Grant’s Grammy-winning song, “Angels”). Ellis joined Keyboard magazine as a staff editor in 1988; two years later he jumped ship to its sister publication, Guitar Player, where he worked for more than 15 years. At Guitar Player, Ellis interviewed many greats, including Carlos Santana, Tony Rice, B.B. King and Mark Knopfler. Ellis’ interviews and articles have also been published in Guitar World Acoustic, Acoustic Guitar, Frets and Fretboard Journal, and his lessons appear in How to Play Blues Guitar, How to Play Rock Guitar, Guitar Player Sessions and other instructional books. Currently, Ellis lives in Nashville, where he accompanies singer-songwriters on baritone guitar and works as a freelance audio and video editor in addition to being writer and host of THE GUITAR SHOW WITH ANDY ELLIS.

Listen to Andy’s audio guitar lessons – 25 Blues Licks You MUST Know
Check out Andy’s official website – www.TheGuitarShow.com

Jesse Gress
gressJesse Gress tours and records with Todd Rundgren and the Grammy®- nominated Tony Levin Band. A respected performer, music educator, and former music editor of Guitar Player, Jesse has hundreds of transcription folios and magazine articles to his credit, as well as five acclaimed reference books: Guitar Licks of the Texas Blues-Rock Heroes, GuitaRevolution – Lessons from the Groundbreakers & Innovators, The Guitar Cookbook, Guitar Lick Factory, and Guitar Licks of the Brit-Rock Heroes. He currently creates content for Guitar Player and Line 6′s GuitarPort.

Check out Jesse’s instructional book – Guitar Lick Factory
Check out Jesse’s official website: www.JesseGress.com

Adam Levy
LevyFor over 20 years, Adam Levy has been unlocking the guitar for students of all levels and varied interests. His teaching experience comprises several years with the National Guitar Workshop, the Blue Bear School in San Francisco, and private lessons for New School in New York City. He is the author of ‘Play the Right Stuff’ (book & DVD) and many of his lessons have been published in Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar magazines. He was the featured guitarist in Norah Jones’ Handsome Band for seven years. His playing can also be heard on recordings by Amos Lee, Tracy Chapman. Adam Levy now offers guitar lessons worldwide. One-on-one sessions are available to students in the New York area and Southern California. (Levy divides his time bicoastally.) Online video lessons are available via Skype or iChat. Learn guitar basics, improvisation, chord theory, and ultimately develop the understanding and awareness to take the guitar in any direction you can imagine.

Learn with Adam’s interactive audio guitar lessons.
Check out Adam’s official website – www.AdamLevy.com

Jim Campilongo
campBillboard Magazine calls Jim Campilongo, “an American treasure”, an accolade this guitarist’s artistry and influential career has richly earned him. With seven albums of original material and guest appearances on dozens of recordings; from the Bammie-winner’s contribution on Cake’s million-selling “Prolonging the Magic” to (most recently) doing lead guitar duties with The Little Willies, his band with Norah Jones, Campilongo’s virtuosity and originality has inspired a generation of guitar players. His songwriting uses a palette of the best in Blues, Country, Jazz and Rock with a sensitivity and wit that has also earned him the broad fan base most instrumental guitarists never enjoy. In addition to Chet Atkins and Roy Buchanan, Jim was deeply affected by Muddy Waters and the Sex Pistols. Around this time he was given a 1959 Telecaster by an appreciative student in exchange for successful bass lessons. “Playing that ’59 Tele changed everything for me,” Campilongo remembers, “It was like it told me to get serious.” Soon after, he formed the hugely popular Ten Gallon Cats, which featured pedal steel guitar and Jim’s ever-expanding Country/Jazz vocabulary. They recorded three CDs. Jim broke from the Cats and reached a creative pinnacle in his existing body of work with 1998′s Table For One, a collection of winsome and elegant compositions praised by Billboard as, “Americana at its most touching”. Guitar Player affirmed the CD as a showcase for Campilongo’s “darkly romantic melodicism”. The record also garnered Campilongo a new level of recognition. In 2002, Campilongo pulled up stakes and moved to New York, where he formed his Electric Trio, which toured Europe and Scandinavia and recorded the acclaimed CD American Hips, lauded by Guitar Player as “easily his best effort to date”. No Depression raved, “Campilongo meets himself every time he picks up his instrument; that brand of artistic bravery is rare and to be treasured.” Since 2004 the “Campy Trio” reigns each Monday night at New York’s Living Room, a residency that Time Out New York recommended as “one of the city’s strongest”.

Check out Jim’s interactive audio guitar lessons.
Visit Jim’s official website – www.JimCampilongo.com

Howard Morgen
HowardMorgenHoward Morgen, six and seven-string guitarist/clinician and arranger has written fingerstyle jazz guitar columns and arrangements for Guitar Player, Guitar World, Acoustic Guitar, Fingerstyle Guitar and is currently a columnist for Just Jazz Guitar magazine. In addition, Howard is the author of The Gershwin Collection for Solo Guitar, The Ellington Collection for Solo Guitar, Ten from Guitar Player, Solo Guitar Insights, Fingerstyle Favorites, Concepts, Preparations (Warner Bros.), Paul Simon for Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar (Amsco Pub.), and Fingerstyle Jazz Images for Christmas (Mel-Bay). His solo CD Howard Morgen plays Gershwin has won critical acclaim. He has been a guest artist/teacher during Jazz Week at the National Guitar Summer Workshop in Connecticut (1995-1997) and was on the faculty of the Guitar Study Center of the New School in Manhattan and the Jazz Studies Program at C.W.Post Campus, Long Island University. Among Howard’s students over recent years are singer-songwriter Paul Simon, Edie Brickel, Carly Simon, Christine Lavin. His bio is included in Maurice Summerfield’s The Jazz Guitar, Its Players and Personalities Since 1900. His new book Through Chord-Melody and Beyond (Alfreds)—with accompanying CD of songs and video by Howard Morgen and Howard Alden—is now available. His instructional video project, Fingerboard Breakthrough, from TrueFire.com, is expected to release soon.

Check out Howard’s interactive audio guitar lessons.
Howard’s official website – www.HowardMorgen.com

Jude Gold
goldA few excerpts from the Jude Gold interview:

JUDE, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING GUITAR?
Man, I don’t know. It’s been at least 17 or 18 … weeks. Ha!

WHAT’S THE MOST BIZARRE GIG YOU’VE EVER PLAYED?
That’d probably be the head cutting duel I had with none other than SPINAL TAP’s David St. Hubbins [actor Michael McKean] at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. We bloodied that stage, but both had a great time.

….AND THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Playing electric guitar and bass with the Oakland Symphony — which should’ve been a piece of cake ’cause I WROTE some of the music! By the way, there is no more amazing sound than sitting in the middle of a world-class orchestra.

HAVE YOU PLAYED ON ANY RECORDINGS YOU REALLY CAN’T PLAY FOR YOUR MOTHER?
Actually yes. I played a wild solo on 2 Live Crew’s “When We Get Them Hoes, We Let –” you know what, I can’t even say the rest of that song’s name.

WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO SLAP GUITARS LIKE THAT?
Probably from the fact that when I first turned on the radio as a kid, funk groups like Earth Wind & Fire, Lakeside, Heatwave, The Jacksons, Kool & The Gang ruled the airwaves and I loved that music and still do. Do that slap shit on a baritone guitar through a Marshall and you can have some fun.

WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE GUITARIST OF ALL TIME?
I recently met Nile Rodgers, which was a total thrill, because his licks on “Le Freak (C’est Chic)” and “Good Times” are what first inspired me to play electric guitar when I was still in the fourth grade. It’s either him or Eddie Van Halen for me. And hundreds of other genius players.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIG GIG?
Opening for Joe Satriani at the San Jose Civic in ’96 with ZENNER — when I walked in that arena for soundcheck and saw that huge floor and all those empty seats, there were some big ol’ butterflies in my stomach. I love that adrenaline rush.

DID YOU EVER STUDY MUSIC FORMALLY?
I have a bachelor’s in music from UC Berkeley — go Bears! — but, I also got an education at night playing in the Bay Area club scene.

Jude Gold’s interactive audio guitar lessons.
Learn more about Jude – www.JudeGold.com

Joe Gore
goreJoe has been a senior editor at Guitar Player for five years, writing about an eclectic group of artists. He’s an active player as well – his achievement was playing on Tom Waits’ Grammy-winning Bone Machine album. Joe worked on a ‘techno-acid-jazz’ project with John Hassell, which also included bassist Flea of the Chili Peppers. He has a bachelor’s in music composition from UCLA and a master’s from UC Berkeley. Joe’s self-written, full biography can be found on his official website.

Check out Joe’s interactive audio guitar lessons.
Full official website – www.JoeGore.com

Sid Jacobs
jacobsSid Jacobs was born in Miami Beach, Florida. Sid spent his first few years in Havana, Cuba prior to the revolution, after which, the Jacobs family returned to Miami. It is there, at the age of seven, he began his fascination with the guitar. When his family moved to Nevada, Sid obtained a position as guitar instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This made him, at eighteen, the youngest faculty member in the school’s music department. After moving to Los Angeles he developed the curriculum for the Advanced Bebop and Jazz Guitar course at the Dick Grove School and the Jazz Guitar class at the Musicians Institute (MI and GIT), where he continues to teach. In 1991, his CD It’s Not Goodnight was released. It is a straight-ahead blowing session featuring his original compositions. In 1998 Sid was the first North American jazz guitarist invited to perform in Argentina’s “Guitars of the World” festival. In May of 2001 he was invited to perform at the Ankara Music Festival in Turkey. 2007 saw the release of his CD Open Strings, a collection of pieces for solo guitar including his acclaimed arrangements of Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk tunes. Some of the great jazz artists with whom Sid has performed include Harold Land, Eddie Harris, Buddy Montgomery, Joe Diorio, Brad Mehldau, Larry Goldings and Javon Jackson.

Check out Sid’s instructional guitar book – Guide Tones For Jazz Chords
Visit Sid’s official website – www.SidJacobs.com

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How Musicians Can Rock Twitter

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Pistachio Consulting and publicist extraordinaire Ariel Hyatt (CyberPR) have come up with a number of guidelines for musicians who want to maximize their exposure for free by using Twitter. Here’s what they came up with (let us know what you think!):

1. Surround Yourself with Successful People
One of the oldest rules in the book of business success is to surround yourself with successful people. Find someone inspiring to watch and enjoy the little snippets of their life that they share.

2. Join or Organize a Tweetup. Get out there and Network
Invite people to come out for a drink or to watch a show. Any meeting in a public place provides an opportunity to meet and network with potential fans. Famous already? Do this the way you might do an in-store or other more controlled public appearance

The really major friendships and business relationships that have come to me have been a lasagna of different layers building on each other: connecting online, connecting in person, hanging out online, seeing each other at another event… it builds up to some very powerful, loyal connections.

3. Use Twitter to Share Audio and Video Links
Twitter is primarily text based, but that doesn’t mean you can only share text. Use Twitter to share links to other material, including photos, audio files, and video clips. You can even share a live video stream that you can deliver using nothing more than a cellphone using technologies like Qik.com or Flixwagon. Imagine letting fans watch (and then later embed on their own web pages) an impromptu jam on the tour bus. Your authenticity – and access that YOU get to control – is very enticing.

4. Use Twitter to give your fans a Sneak Peek
Speaking of which, imagine being backstage at a gig warming up and letting fans experience the sound check without any hassle or cost on your part. Again, that mobile video cellphone, or webcam live streaming, or even just links to audio, Twitpic.com put your fans there.

That type of content can make fans feel connected and it costs almost nothing to make available. It also lets you take back a fair share of the “Papparazzi economy.” Good money is made exploiting stars’ privacy. Go straight to your fans instead and use the content the way YOU want to.

5. Take Twitter on the Road with You
It’s hard to sit down and compose a blogpost when you’re on the road on tour. With a phone in your hand, it’s easy to share snippets as the mood strikes. And since it’s Twitter, people don’t expect well-thought out, composed and polished updates. They just expect you to be genuine.

6. Twitter is powerful because it’s not in-your-face
Don’t try too hard. Don’t be pushy. Just be authentic. Talk about stuff that you would remark on out of the power of your own heart. All the soulful things about musicians are the very same things that will make you successful on Twitter.

People want personality; they want authenticity; they want a genuine look at the person behind the music. You’re not dealing with the paparazzi coming in and invading. You’re saying, “I want to share something personal, and I’m going to let it get out there in a way that is totally on my terms and in a way that benefits by business as a musician financially.”

7. Don’t push; Pull instead
Get people involved in your life, in your artistic ideas and expressions. Share a photo and say, “this is where I write most of my songs.” You can get people excited and involved by letting them know when you have a new album, when you do a signing party, when you have a tour going… don’t send tweet after tweet saying “buy my album, buy my album,” because you won’t get an audience that way.

People can get a real sense of what you’re like just from reading 4 pages of tweets. It always astonishes me how well I know someone by the time I meet them, just fro those little offhand remarks.

BONUS: Be creative.

Creativity is what you do for a living, right? Try using your name, a song, album or venue to “tag” your tweet by putting a # in front of the word, especially when you ask a question. Instant communities have formed on Twitter by sharing a tag in common. Searching http://search.twitter.com for your tag (see hypothetical for The Beeristas: #Hartfordshow) lets everyone follow the conversation.

View the full post by clicking here.

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