Much controversy has arisen about whether or not the recordings of Robert Johnson we have been listening to for years were speed altered. Some musicologists are convinced Johnson’s released recordings are 20% faster than those he performed in two solo sessions in 1936 and 1937, and they wonder how this happened, when it happened, and why it happened.
Many blame advances in technology, some claim it to be a conscious decision made during the mastering process, and others claim that there actually is no speed alteration. If the recordings indeed were sped up by 20%, slowing them down would result in a significant change in pitch and tempo that would have a serious impact on the history of the blues and all of the music and musicians influenced by Johnson. Is it possible that we have never heard what this very influential singer-guitarist truly sounded like?
You be the judge:
“Crossroad Blues” – Fast (original):
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“Crossroad Blues” – Slow (revised):
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Steve “Red” Lasner has rubbed elbows and performed with many great and famous musicians including Buddy Miles, John Sebastian, Derek Trucks, Robben Ford and many more. In 2009 TrueFire released Red’s first instructional guitar course Blues Expose. Red continues to perform locally, nationally and internationally and continues to produce instructional material.
1. No agenda Make the most of the band’s time together by knowing what you plan to accomplish. Is it a writing session or a performance rehearsal? Do you need to tighten up a few tunes that were sloppy at the last gig? Plan it out in advance. If the group has vocal harmonies or dual guitar parts to work out, you might want to set up separate rehearsal times for just those band members.
2. Inviting friends and fans
Don’t invite anyone to your rehearsal other than bandmates. It’s fine if you need a manager or other business associate to hear what you’re doing, but keep your legions of fans out. Most musicians just don’t tend to work as productively, or even act normally, when there are other eyes and ears on them. If that many people are dying to hear you play, here’s a crazy idea: book a gig.
3. Free-for-all
It’s one thing to take a moment to adjust your tone or get a new riff under your fingers; it’s another to run a dozen lead lines when everyone else is ready to start working. If your band is populated with aimless, endless noodlers, try setting a new rule for rehearsal: Each player signals that he/she is ready to rehearse by not playing.
Stowell is, by all accounts, a calm man when you’re sitting face to face with him in an office kitchen conducting an interview. But if you bother to peer a little deeper you soon see the intensity – the l’esprit de feu that no doubt drives his playing. Playing that, for lack of a better word, can only be called jazz, but for the better part of 30 years has also been called “daringly original,” “transcending,” and “unique.”
Friends and fans of Stowell all say his playing is as original as he is. That to let his music in, you also need to let in a piece of his spirit; a slow-burning ember that will eventually grow into an inferno. And in the span of 30 years, Stowell has started a lot of fires with his music; bright beacons that lead him all over the world. He says he just tries to be inclusive.
”I want to try to, as quickly as possible, establish a flow of energy back and forth between me and whoever I’m playing for,” said Stowell. “And if we can invite them in, then we can take them on a little journey with us and in some cases ask them to listen to something that’s fairly challenging.”
In many ways, Stowell’s music is challenging. You’d expect that from a master guitarist. But listening to him play leaves the average person scratching their heads with heavy hands of awe, and respect, which unfortunately seems to leave their hands too busy to pick up his records. His music isn’t terrible, it’s hauntingly good, but Stowell challenges you to listen to music in a way that isn’t done anymore – with patience, curiosity and a sense of wonder.
And some would say that’s why John Stowell still has one hurdle: finding his next gig.
The harmonies of jazz are what attracted Stowell to the style. He got his start in Connecticut, before moving to a small town north of New York City in the 1970’s. “Every jazz musician spends some time in New York,” explains Stowell. Looking for more opportunities to perform, Stowell built a tightly knit network of musician friends and started traveling the country to play gigs. His motto and advice is that when an opportunity presents itself, see if you can go with the flow. Eventually, Stowell’s gigs were not only in different towns, but different countries. He hasn’t stopped traveling since.
“I don’t have any regrets,” said Stowell. Most musicians Stowell’s age are teaching, have homes, families and responsibilities. He admits that he knows very few guys in their late fifties who are out on the road as mush as he is. But John Stowell’s only responsibility is his music and that’s exactly the way he wants it, “I’m doing what I have to in order to keep the music out there.”
John’s dedication is slowly paying off. He’s cultivated a small international following which has allowed him to perform on over 4 continents — to audiences of sometimes no more than 50 people. But even when he’s performing in the living room of a fan’s home, Stowell often makes more money than if he had performed in a club. An interesting trend that’s starting to pick up momentum.
But after 30 years, it becomes clear that each gig is still only the beginning for him.
”My goal is to just be the best musician I can be and hopefully have some people enjoy it along the way.” Stowell says, looking out the window. It’s a gray November sky. “I’m not a money maker for anybody. It’s a little grassroots life that I still like enough to keep doing. I don’t have a family, no debt, so I can travel around as much as I want to. But I’m basically surviving on the road from the good graces of friends.” Stowell references an email he received, that basically said if you can find 1,000 fans in the world, you’re fine. I tell him he has a new fan in me. His response is humbling and gracious.
Hanging on the wall behind Stowell’s head is a framed print of Van Gogh’s At the Foot of the Mountains (seen right).
“In my case, my goals have been the same for the past 30 years. To be the best player and teacher I can, travel as much as I can, play with as many good players as I can, stay positive, stay ethical, keep going, document my work, record my CD’s and keep it growing,” Stowell said.
There is a famliar allure to Stowell’s life. He has no teather holding him back from his dreams. And perhaps that notion is the little piece of his soul you have to let inside. That is the ember that lights the path. Because to discover John Stowell‘s music, you are discovering what’s really at the end of a road less traveled.
Check out these two beautiful performances by John during his last trip to TrueFire:
“Useless Landscape”
“How Deep Is The Ocean”
Learn from John Stowell with his latest jazz guitar lessons in “Modern Jazz Improvisation” – now available for instant download
The ease and affordability of home recording technology has made it simple to produce music at your own pace, on your own terms, and on your own turf. But it has also left many players clueless when it comes time to move beyond the demo stage and enter a professional studio. If you are booking time in a pro facility soon, the guys behind the glass will thank you to mind these 7 Deadly Session Sins, each of which is nearly guaranteed to drive a recording engineer absolutely batty.
1. Arriving unprepared.
Unless you are Keith Richards and have an inexhaustible budget, coming unprepared is simply inexcusable (and often quite costly). Have your parts rehearsed ahead of time and know what results you want to achieve. Practicing the parts you intend to lay down is a simple but effective way to make sure the session flows smoothly. Before the session, think about the intented outcome: What exactly do you want to get done, and in what time frame? Have you done all you can do in advance to ensure the goals will be achieved?
2. Hanging your headphones on the mic stand.
Ouch. I can’t even count the small but meaningful pains I’ve had to deal with when clients hang their cans on the music stand or mic stand and then knock them off seconds later. Those 3- and 4-foot drops take their toll, and a busted pair of headphones can literally grind a session to a halt — and represent a significant replacement cost to the studio or engineer. When you’re between takes or a break, place the headphones on a table or even around the base of the mic stand on the floor. They are safer that way.
3. Halting the session to rethink your approach.
Engineers hate sitting behind the board while you rewrite on the spot — unless, of course, you’re paying them time-and-a-half for overtime. Try to record your practice (even on a handheld voice recorder or iPhone) to make sure you like what you hear before heading to the studio. You can then play that rough cut for the engineer to help him/her understand what you’re going for. More importantly, it helps you hear the parts and make any changes ahead of time.
4. A poorly packed gig bag.
Don’t leave for the session without spare strings, picks and batteries. Neither should you expect the studio to have capos or guitar straps or even a spare tuner. Even when your guitar is strung with fresh strings, bing extras of the exact gauge and brand you use. String-searching is a session killer, in terms of both time and vibe. Also, have plenty of your most-used picks on hand, and if you use pedals make sure they have new batteries. Don’t skimp on those 9 volts! Hit the music store the day before the session and stock up.
5. Pulling your cable out without warning.
It seems like common sense from where the engineer sits, but but I’ve had preamp channels blown because of this. When recording DI or with an amp, always check with the engineer before pulling your cable out. Just ask, “Is it cool to pull my cable yet”? He or she will then have time to mute the board/preamp, and then you’re good to go.
6. Keeping the lyrics and/or song map a secret.
Take the time to print out extra lyric sheets if you’re cutting vocals, and provide notes to show the song form to the engineer and other musicians. If you can put the chords and timings above each section (verse/chorus/bridge), that helps as well. This way the engineer can follow along easily and mark up a copy with any necessary production notes. It also makes the punch in/overdub process go much smoother since anyone can simply call out, “Take it from the 2nd half of verse 3” and everyone will be in the same place. When I’m tracking a vocalist, I remind them to the point of annoyance to remember those extra lyric sheets! It’s always worth it when the session rolls along smoothly and they’re psyched to hear that playback.
7. Inviting the entourage.
Do not bring friends/girlfriends/boyfriends/fans into a session. It’s a total vibe-changer. From experience I can say without a doubt those takes usually have to be re-recorded later. There’s a lack of focus, worsened by a show-off factor, that happens when non-band members are in the studio. They also tend to bug the engineer by talking and moving around. If anything, call them to come hear the final playback after you’ve finished tracking. It’s just as cool and allows you to focus on nothing other than putting down a great performance.
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.
Most people trying to learn guitar or taking guitar lessons are probably doing so because they either A) want to be a rock star or B) want to play guitar like a rock star. And naturally, most would prefer choice “A.” After all, becoming a rock star promises glitz and glam, women and booze, fame and fortune, right? Well… wrong. At least for the most part.
After taking a closer look at the music business and investigating how much money most musicians actually make when all is said and done, it seems keeping your day job and playing guitar on the side (choice “B”) is the most economical career decision. In fact, the pizza delivery guy who plays local gigs on the weekends might actually be richer than the lead guitarist of that band you just heard on the radio or saw on MTV (wait, do they even play music videos anymore? I think we meant YouTube). It all seems illogical, twisted, and just plain wrong, but unfortunately it’s the truth. We call it “The Great Divide.”
Now we here at TrueFire realize it’s not all about the money. In fact, if you’re in it for the money, you’re in it for all the wrong reasons and probably don’t deserve it. Making music is more than just a job, and many musicians willfully sacrifice career success in terms of dollars and cents for life success in terms of happiness and satisfaction. For that reason, musicians will always make music, bands will always tour, and young people will continue to learn how to play guitar and strive to be rock stars. In the end, music lives on. But wouldn’t it be nice if musicians actually got paid what they deserve!?
Much controversy has arisen about whether or not the recordings of Robert Johnson we have been listening to for years were speed altered. Some musicologists are convinced Johnson’s released recordings are 20% faster than those he performed in two solo sessions in 1936 and 1937, and they wonder how this happened, when it happened, and why it happened. 
