Creative Strings with Violinist Christian Howes

Composer David Cutler discussed reimagining Suzuki Violin book 1 with new arrangements of the famous pieces in many styles.

In this episode of the Creative Strings Podcast Christian Howes dives into techniques for easily and effectively teaching music online.

How to Sell & Offer ANY Freelance services right now (for musicians, music teachers or anyone just trying to figure out ways to get work) Mindset- My attitude: I am not proud. I will dig ditches, wash dishes, or do anything necessary to survive. We can a) resign ourselves to defeat and give up b) lash out c) TRY to overcome. I prefer C. Obviously it is preferable to find work at higher hourly rates or generate passive income than working for $15 per hour. But if necessary, I will work for $15 per hour, or even on a volunteer basis, especially if that work affords any chance of Leveraging more opportunities. When Testing a new work/volunteer activity, dip a toe in the water. Do it once. Offer to do it for just a short period. What Kinds of Work Can You Do? Brainstorm a list of services you can provide. Write down everything. Ask someone you trust to offer you additional ideas and/or give their feedback on your list. Post your list here for feedback (in your personal post comment thread) One Time Free- I built my entire career on the "one time free" model. It's a great way to show people what you can do, and generate recurring revenue or repeat clients. -If you offer a one-time Free lesson, make the lesson 20 minutes instead of 60. if you offer to show up on someone else's live-stream, limit the time involved, or do it once as a test to see what kind of feedback you receive. Offer to do some kind of work for a new client as a "sample". It could be 5-20 minutes of your time. One free performance. One free consultation or lesson. One time free editing a paragraph of someone's copy. Free Youtube videos with call to action for people to hire you. Free emails (containing anything valuable from teaching to inspiration) w call to action Free performances on IG with links to hire your services

Andrea Whitt is a musician who is living the dream. She tours the world with rock stars, manages her own fashion blog, produces fine art, and plays a variety of instruments in a variety of styles. Given the common wisdom that string players must start by age six to have a chance at success,  she has defied the odds ever since starting the viola in public school at 8 years old. Listen to this full episode to hear the inspiring story of a classical musician who has gone on to create an extraordinary career.  In the interview we cover: How she began developing other musical skills alongside her classical training How putting herself through college also gave her skills to help her survive and make it in L.A. What skills she learned and nurtured beyond music How she managed to grow new skills while staying focused on many passions and ultimately tying them together in a multi-facted career and lifestyle how she explored beyond classical music in college and what was that like, i.e. doing all the orchestra rep and classical track but also starting to work on other musical skills? How she got her big breaks with gigs with Shania Twain and Zuccero Farinacci (the Brcue Springtein of Europe). What she learned from touring the world with rock stars.

Hamilton Hardin on Becoming a Complete Musician: Any Genre, Any Instrument Have you ever worked hard learning a jazz tune with all its 9ths, 13ths, half-diminished-whatevers, only to flip on the radio and hear a pop song with the same 4 chords over and over? Some musicians wonder how jazz and other styles are so complex but it’s the basic pop that sells mainstream. If you asked multi-instrumentalist and accomplished jazz musician, Hamilton Hardin, if he’d ever enter the pop world, he says he would have simply laughed. That’s why he surprised himself by serving as vice president of A&R (artists and repertoire), a multi-million dollar record label specializing in pop music. In this episode of Creative Strings Podcast, Hamilton reveals what makes pop music so appealing, how he gained a respect for the genre and what its like being producer, mixer, sound engineer, and editor for famous talent. This podcast also includes topics such as -What it’s like playing not 1 but 13(!) instruments -Why Hamilton practices first WITHOUT his instrument -How you can develop a “good ear” -Tips to grow your music business -The inside scoop behind his album “Just Wanna Say.” -Many stories, laughs, and inspiring moments When growing up, Hamilton Hardin was considered a music prodigy, touring Europe while playing everything from jazz to gospel in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Soon after, he arrived in Nashville, performed as a jazz session musician for singer Wendy Moten who happened to introduce him to legendary songwriter, David Porter. When Porter decided to launch his own music studio in Memphis, he turned to Hardin, offered him a critical job- vice president of Artists and Repertoire, the side of the music house responsible for recruiting and developing talent.

If you’re a classical musician who would like to join a band and play confidently in new styles of music, I put together a checklist to make it less overwhelming, The checklist will give you a few things: How to know when and what to play. How to avoid "writers block", i.e., the feeling of having no idea what to do. How to avoid getting "in a rut", i.e., finding yourself always repeating the same few ideas How to make the other musicians you work with feel really comfortable and always want to call you back

In my full interview with Jean Luc Ponty for the Creative Strings Podcast, we explore key points in his development, musical conception, elements of his violin playing, the state of the music industry in general, and more. For example, how he started playing jazz on violin, the influence of Stuff Smith, the role of the bow arm in improvisation, changes in the world of classical violin, attitudes about touring and music as a career, ways in which the music business has changed, and much more. View the full show notes at www.christianhowes.com/

When I was growing up people used to say that you should go into music only if you feel you don't have a choice. For those of us that made that choice to go into music, we were inspired by this feeling that we must do it. We had a passion, that kept us awake at night, kept us in the practice room, kept us developing new skills... That's why we went into music. The thing is, when people get out of college and they get into the real life of being a musician the drudgery often sets in. So how do we keep that passion alive? How do we re-articulate why we play music as it looks different through different phases of our life or career? The reason could change. Music could become less or more important to us, for different reasons. I think it's really important for us to ask those questions because ultimately we want to feel fulfilled by whatever we do. Any music in our life can be integrated with our own personal development and with whatever contribution we're trying to make to our communities Getting to the heart of these types of questions and telling stories about how different musicians grapple with this is what motivates me to want to bring this podcast out. This episode's guest is an amazing example of someone who has done this. Dr. Joan Griffing is a classical violinist and has taught at the private collegiate level for many years, with her current position as the Tim and Gail Buchanan Endowed Chair of the Fine Arts Division at Friends University. She's been a freelance orchestral chamber player and soloist for many years. Part of what I think is so interesting about her story is that she chose at this point in her career to take a sabbatical and make a journey to uncover deeper meanings for what it is to be a musician. You'll hear in this interview how she went to New Zealand and how she learned there about ways in which music is being used for peace and reconciliation. Prison reforms and to create healing between individuals in conflict and between cultures in conflict. It's a really fascinating story.  Check out the full blog post here: https://christianhowes.com/2019/01/07/dr-joan-griffing-on-music-in-peace-conflict-creative-strings-podcast-ep-34/

To be human is to make stuff; creativity is natural. Yet it feels incredibly risky to put our creative work out there for people to vote up or down. It feels personal, like people may accept or reject us. We're drawn to the ideas and voices of people who have the courage to take that risk and make something distinctive. Beyond possessing courage, you could say artists who do this consistently are audacious. Stash Wyslouch is a walking billboard of musical audacity; his music combines elements of thrash metal, old time fiddle, jazz, and the avant-garde.  You've got to hear his music to believe it. Delightful. Shocking. Raw. Human.  We put together a collage of his work + interview in the new Creative Strings Podcast. Bookmark it and listen whenever you want to be amazed and delighted.  If you love it, share, subscribe, or leave a review.  Check out the full blog post and video here: https://christianhowes.com/2018/09/26/stash-wyslouch-creative-strings-podcast-ep-33/

Jazz Violinist Regina Carter dives into her inspiring beginnings as a stand-alone jazz violinist, jumping to jazz from classical training, inspiring stories of encouraging mentors, and also, her tender experiences of supporting her elderly mother and other loved ones through music. Check out the blog post with show notes here: https://christianhowes.com/2018/08/13/regina-carter-creative-strings-podcast-ep-32 Regina Carter dives into the balance between approaching musicianship via theory vs ear, explaining how she personally finds this balance and offers encouragement to players desiring to communicate with soul. This episode also includes: -Regina’s experiences as the only string player in her college big band -Life as an “eclectic” musician- Do you lose credibility by specializing in more than one style? -Re: “haters”- What approach can we take to maintain respect but continue with enthusiasm? Inspiring stories for aspiring musicians Growing up in Detroit, Regina began her violin studies at the age of 4 and grew up to attend the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, only to transfer to Oakland University in Michigan to study jazz. After a season abroad in Germany, she returned to the U.S. and first came into the spotlight as the violinist for the all-female pop/jazz group, “Straight Ahead.” She has since continued her career in New York, releasing albums and playing in many other ensembles. Today she continues as an avid educator and performer in Maywood, New Jersey with her husband Alvester Garnett. Thanks so much to our sponsors Yamaha and Electric Violin Shop for supporting the Creative Strings Podcast. Their support makes it possible to invest in the production of each episode and bring you great stories like Regina’s. Please take a moment to visit Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order. Call 866-900-8400 to get your questions answered on “all things electric strings.” While you are talking to EVS, be sure to ask them about the new Yamaha Electric Violin (you can check out my video review here). I’ve been a Yamaha performing artist for almost 20 years now and am very proud to be a part of the Yamaha family. Learn more about Regina Carter: http://reginacarter.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Regina-Carter-269977394285/?ref=br_rs https://twitter.com/Regina_Carter Listen to Regina Carter: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/regina-carter/135462 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_music_1?ie=UTF8&field-artist=Regina+Carter&search-alias=music