This is my baby of which I am well pleased

I guess this is how I learnt to buy a guitar and also a little knowledge of why I bought Taylor guitar which Mike thinks makes no difference from a RM60 guitar. Now if you all remember me saying, I never had my own guitar prior to this. Therefore before this, my knowledge of guitars were relatively limited. Even now I don’t claim to be an expert but I definitely know how to choose a good guitar and tell what is a good guitar now.

This post will hopefully help most of you get the basics of choosing an acoustic guitar. Come to think of it. Should I teach you all how to choose other instruments? Please vote on this too ok?

The back of my baby

Why I am doing this is because I realize there are hardly people patient enough or even made the effort to teach me all these things. I don’t see simple articles that help. Also many articles make me feel stupid rather than help me know that everyone has the right to own an instrument that is worth their money. Some even sound like they look down on our knowledge and make us feel small. A lot of what I learnt is from oral tradition and of course experience. I do not hold to the thought that this guide is perfect. But I hope to help some to just start off into the big huge world of music easier. I also believe that everyone can play music someway or another if we only help them patiently. So I hope this post will help ignite an interest to learn music too for some. Read the rest of this entry »

I came across this article the other day and I think this should be read by everyone. It is important as musicians to really see this perspective but overall this has a principle of life that is very true to me and should be to you too. Are you listening or hearing? Enjoy your reading!

Have you ever noticed how an impression of a song or album can change with repeated listens? Thank goodness it doesn’t happen too often for me, but there are times when I’m nagged by the feeling that I got a review wrong because my opinion of the album has since changed. Depending on that change, I call it erosion or accumulation.

Erosion occurs when an album I initially love begins to wear on me—not within the first two or three spins, but maybe after five listens, or a year after an album’s release. I don’t want to give examples here, but I’m sorry to say that there are a few discs we’ve put on our annual Best Albums list that I’ve enjoyed less with time. I’ve also noticed from my own listening that erosion happens a lot with modern worship music—so many new songs remind me of great songs from five to ten years ago that I end up growing tired of both the new and the old.

Accumulation is the opposite of erosion, occurring when albums seem to get better with each listen. I typically notice this with dynamite songwriting, when a strong lyric suddenly resonates more because I hear it in a new way or it takes on deeper meaning after a new life experience has occurred since the last listen. It also happens with newfound musical nuance in the performance or some “hidden” layer to a textured production. Though I’m still only on my third listen, Brooke Fraser’s Albertine continues to connect with me more and more in both ways.

It’s only natural for our tastes to change with time and repetition. Sometimes it’s because of changing musical trends, sometimes we simply outgrow the music, and sometimes we hear music with new ears or a fresh perspective that causes us to reconsider it.

One thing I miss about the Top 40 radio of my youth is that it forced people to listen to things repeatedly, enough to form an educated opinion one way or the other. Today, I wonder if we give things the same due attention with our information-overloaded, sound-byte-packed, quick-to-blog culture. A friend of mine said it best: With so much at our disposal, it’s as if we’re more interested in hearing than listening, always eager to move on to the next thing.

If that’s the case, what does that suggest about our pursuit of meaning and substance, not just in art, but in bettering our faith walk? It scares me sometimes that we become so obsessed with the new and the instantaneous that we miss out on deep and lasting truths by judging things as too simple or too subtle, based on things like an artist’s performance or a pastor’s presentation. After all, while some things lose meaning and erode with repetition, others take root and accumulate with time.

Hence, why I like to revisit the albums released and reviewed within the year they released. While driving home from a recent concert, my friend and colleague Andy Argyrakis asked, “Why are you still listening to that?” referring to an album that we had recently given a less-than-favorable review to. I told him I was just making sure that I wasn’t missing anything.

God bless,

Russ Breimeier

Now this album is not that new but I never saw it in Malaysia. It came out in 2004 and I thought, well why not! I put the CD into my computer, jacked it into my monitor speakers and this cutest voice began to play. They really gave a huge punch to the beginning of this album to kick listeners in. I love that.

You see two individuals there but it is the lady who sings. Very nice sweet tone, folk like in texture and has a wonderful soft falsetto to her voice. I was mesmerized by her voice for quite some time. The album has a very nice flow to it all credit to the wonderful mastering done! You will generally see flow that is somewhat like how a worship leader would arrange their songs. Lyrically and musically I hardly noticed the pauses in between tracks when I was just getting lost in the songs.

I will say that some songs even have the potential to be used in our worship service. The range, the lyrics and melody works! They even give a full lead sheet with the CD! I am so amazed. I mean not a chord chart but a full LEAD SHEET! Wow!

I am so captured by the first song! My Covering. Even the second songs chorus just makes me want to sing. Somehow it just sticks in my head. The songs get more reflective on who God is and is just so moving to direct us to just marvel at God. Other tracks like ‘The Glory of Your Name’ and ‘You Come as You are’ are magnificent examples of what great worship songs should be like. ‘Captivate Us’ really captivated me though it was so simply acoustically arranged.

It is a pop gospel album and is probably too sweet for some. Honestly it isn’t so to me though. This album as far I know would be what my youth will like. Now I am not rating these album biased because I bought them not knowing how good they are except for knowing them with some song in the past. This album far supersedes my expectations. Don’t miss this album and start singing some of these songs in your churches! Just a suggestion because these songs have a more contemporary feel to them.

This album Christian Music Today says is their best album so far. They were writing songs and trying to write original songs for some time and I didn’t like their albums then. They recently decided to switch back to worship songs! It’s a wonderful decision as I miss worship songs that are so lyrically beautiful.

Rating : 9/10

Now it may seem that I am not much of a ROCKER but actually I’m a great fan of great rock!!

Here is a rock album I stumbled upon by chance. I was on a cd shopping frenzy upon the Doulos ship. Originally known as Blisse but changed their name when they realised there was another band having the same name, this album ‘I Wish We All Could Win‘ was their first major album and rightfully so. I love it! Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping up with what is current in our stores though it has been out for quite a while is this album. Many people I know already have this so if you don’t already have this it’s a must have. It is entirely a different genre from the earlier one I recommended. This is very gospel style but again it’s a fusion of so many styles.

The interesting part is Read the rest of this entry »

For those aspiring song writers. I’m going to attempt to write a guide on how song writing can be done. Before that one must realize that song writing is a creative process and therefore there is no steadfast rule that it must be done a certain way. It however has been proven that there are certain methods that generally work or else there is no point in music education. This however is how I approach song writing.

Step 1:

Determine the type of song you are about to write. Love song, sad song, break-up song, happy song and etc….

As for me I am going to write a wedding song.

Some people get inspired by a tune in their head then start penning it down. But my favorite song writer of all time Diane Warren apparently does not do it that way. She locks herself away and just brainstorms. You see, if we wait for inspiration all the time then it’s going to be very difficult to write songs constantly because let me ask you this, which of us are constantly inspired?

You can go to www.realsongs.com and preview all Diane Warren’s top hits around the world. You’d be surprised by how many of them you have fell in love with.

Step 2:

Find a killer HOOK

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m in the process of writing a song for a friend’s wedding. Would like some feedback so I will post it up asap. The lyrics first perhaps. Looking forward to the comments. Maybe I would also give tips to those who want to write songs in a later blog. At the moment this is due in May and I have to get it translated into Cambodian because this is going to be sung there.

As you will see in time to come, I will provide some of my music for free. If you like it share it. I am more than happy. I’m not planning to make money out of them but I hope that nobody will take my music and copyright them as their own. You won’t will you? I trust you. haha.

Oh I will be performing the song to on the wedding day and I will also be the best man. Exciting day for me. So wait for my update with great anticipation!!

Man! Can he sing! I am not an american idol fan but i have been following this season because of him….

I’m a vocal teacher and when I heard him sing I just wish all my students would see him sing and get inspired. The best part is he has this glowing charasmatic character too. He smiles all the time and I tell you the girls sure dig him! Even I think he’s cute and I’ve never thought that way before.

So I googled him and guess what? We have some similarities. He’s a big fan of Les Miserables. My favourite musical of all time. In fact my favourite female singer of all time sang in that musical! Lea Salonga…..ring a bell? She sings the song you hear on Malaysian radio once and a while ‘We Could be in Love’.

Anyway for those of you who have never watched this musical (nice!) nor heard Lea Salonga (hot!) sing even David Archuleta (cute!), I recommend you check them out immediately

I’m so imspired to sing now. La la la. Come to think about it I’m going to go listen to the songs again now….