How and where to learn music?

As a singer, standard questions that I am getting are: "How did you learn singing?", "Where did you learn music?", etc.

I find these questions quite interesting. Think of it for a moment: haven't you observed that every child knows how to sing and they are happy when they do sing? Or, in less civilized cultures than today's globalizing, consume-oriented Western cities, thanks God it's still a natural part of life to sing! In certain villages at my part of the world (Hungary, Eastern Europe) for instance, hundred years ago everybody still knew the songs, everybody would sing when working, having a party, or just when happy or sad.

Then why don't we?

This way a more appropriate question would be "How did you manage keep on singing as an adult?", "How did you become a singer?", "When did you decide to have singing as your profession?" or something along this line.

A bit similar with music: the ancient Greeks played 3-4 instruments by the age of 11-12 and it was an integrated element in their education - why is it then so uncommon today that somebody learns to play an (1, one!) instrument or knows something about music?

The musicians are on a break - took this photo at a party for children in a Hungarian village in Moldva or Moldavia, Romania, in 2008

Do you know somebody who says: "I would also learn how to play ..., but", "I always wanted to learn ..., but", "Oh, how I would like to learn ..., but" - but, but, but?

Maybe you are one of them?

Here is the best thing such a person can do:
Meet Duncan Lorien.

Just in a short time of a few days, this fantastic guy will give you everything there is to know about music theory and he will teach you how to play piano, guitar or basically any instrument. Sounds incredible? It does, I know.

Duncan Lorien in Vienna, 2008. Photo: dlorien.com

I did his seminar Understanding of Music first in 1998 and still today I am thankful for one piece of information I learned there, which gave me a big kick in my decision to become a professional singer. Sure I learned more stuff, but that one particular datum was kind of life changing for me.

When I was a child, I went to music school for 3 years (learned guitar and cello), but quit - most probably because I couldn't understand how and why the musical notes were named: why does the alphabet in music start on C and not in A? And other such questions of mine were not answered. If you are here in Europe and are/were taught according to the German system, you can get into even much fancier questions.

What is more, now I realized that I didn't even understand the word music! Yeah, music is the stuff one is listening to when somebody plays it on an instrument. Cool. But what is it? This they don't tell you in the music school.

Does this look like Chinese to you? You are at the right place, keep on reading.

How on Earth are you supposed to do music when you don't even know what is it?

Duncan solved this riddle for me in a way so that it will never be a problem any more.

After this seminar 11 years ago, I was practicing on the synthetizer for 1 or 2 weeks (I don't remember exactly), maybe half an hour, an hour a day, and then I played the song What Child Is This? with two hands, without having to look at the notes - never learned the keyboard before!

And what is maybe even more important: one single piece of info I got at the seminar helped me to confirm my decision I was making just that time, that I should be a singer...

Last year, my husband who had nothing to do with music (except as a fan of classic rock and a great supporter of my singing career in terms of logistics and such), after this seminar bought a synth and a guitar for himself, and ever since, sometimes when I am away and we speak on the phone, he plays a riff or two for me.

Just last weekend, Duncan was here in Budapest with this seminar with an attendance of 70 or so, including music professionals.

One half of the room - Duncan Lorien in Budapest, 2009 May
Writing success stories - my son is on the pic too, can you guess where?

My kid who is 16 and besides learning a little bit of drums is a teenager on the computer and his video games all the time, decided to study from 9am to 6pm for 4 days, while his buddies were loafing around on the long weekend. Boy, he had such a great fun, one can't stop him telling about this seminar! After the second day, he went over to his father (who is a professional musician, doing his college to become a music teacher, spending years and a fortune on it) and practiced a couple of chords on the piano and on the guitar. Then he presented a list to me with the instruments he wants to learn.

I guess no need more saying.

Duncan has an awfully busy schedule, travelling around the world with his seminars, find out here when is he coming close to where you live.

He is in Stockholm at the end of next week, hurry up if you still want to reserve your place! And say hello for me to my friends (the organizers) over there.

Email to jens at bluelemononline dot com or you can write to me as well: info at andreagerak dot com


And of course, say hello to Duncan :-)

Have fun and let me hear your story about learning music: how did you learn it, why didn't you, what was/is your main difficulty in learning music, how was Duncan's seminar for you?

On learning more about how to sing, another time.

(Photo of sheet music on this page: Joel Rossol)

Read this one too: What Is Music?
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About Andrea's Survival Guide
www.andreagerak.com