A good musician can play more than one instrument. Usually they can play their primary instrument well, and maybe a few others to a lesser degree. Learning other instruments helps expand your musical understanding, as well as your sound.

An instrument I have recently picked up is the mandolin. It is a small, five stringed instrument with the same tuning as a violin. It is primarily used in folk music, but it is not limited to that. In fact, the mandolin is one of the primary instruments in local Trinity band Jaspers Cast. I highly recommend learning various instruments. It helps keep things interesting and fresh, and it is easier to make those mistakes that turn into something great on an instrument that you are not as familiar with.

It is just as important to maintain your instruments. For example, I play everything from blues and rock to jazz on my guitar. But jazz requires crisp notes and clean strokes, and I needed to get some work done on my guitar in order for this to be possible. I took it to Krazy Kat Music Store and they did a good job. Being happier with the way my guitar plays, sounds and feels makes me prone to playing more, and therefore, becoming a better musician.

Musicians Guide to life at Trinity by Clay Ford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Recording

The home studio

The recording process requires a few things; some sort of recording software, a quiet place, and normally a computer. Depending on the kind of quality you are looking for in a recording, you may want to use microphones, better software, sound panelling, etc. Obviously, recording in a dorm room is very limited, but I have found a few ways to make it work.

Audacity is a simple yet efficient recording program that is free to download. It is good for multi-track recording and simple editing. This is good for the songwriter or someone who layers multiple instruments. Garageband is another basic software that comes on macs. These are good alternatives dropping hundreds of dollars on Logic or ProTools.



In order to eliminate unwanted reverb that is always a giveaway of low quality recordings a closet or small room can be outfitted to dampen reverb. I have draped towels and blankets on the walls of my closet to deaden the sounds. It works well but it does tend to get hot.

Musicians Guide to Life at Trinity by Clay Ford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Networking

One of the most important things you can do to be a successful musician is to meet lots of other musicians. Anyone can play music by themselves, or even with a small number of other people, but the more people you know, the more opportunities you have to play.

For example, I know people who only play rock or blues, and I know people who only play jazz and classical. This is a good start if you want to play those kinds of music, but if you are interested in performing or starting a band, you want to meet as many people as you can to figure out who would be the best fit for the music you want to create.

Right now I am starting a jazz trio to play in restaurants. I have met lots of other musicians in my music class, and just by asking around. I love to play music on my own, but had I not networked with many other musicians I would have missed out on this opportunity (and playing jazz in restaurants normally pays pretty well).

At the same time I am working with other musicians to play a variety of genres including folk, blues, and some experimental music. I do all this for my own enjoyment and don't expect to play too many shows, but that's the great thing about networking; you never know when an opportunity is going to come your way.

Meet lots of musicians. Then meet who they play with. Even if your musical taste is different than these people it can still be very beneficial to be well networked.


Musicians Guide to Life at Trinity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How to Get Started

Don't be afraid to use your dorm as a music room

Trinity is not a school centered around it's music program, however many passionate and dedicated musicians go to Trinity. San Antonio is also steadily becoming an active live music city many free weekly concerts, open mics, and music festivals.

If you are interested in finding people to jam with, or possibly starting band of your own, Trinity is a good place to do this. Despite the close proximity in which most of us live to each other, it is possible to play loud music during the day in your dorm. Just make sure your hall mates are okay with it or are deaf. If this is not an option, or if you are having trouble finding people to make music with, there is a great music store called Krazy Kats Music within walking distance from Trinity. Krazy Kats is a good place to meet other musicians and to look for people to jam with.

Musician's Guide To Life at Trinity by http://tumusiclife.blogspot.com/ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.