Archive for category Music and Life

Give the Gift of Music Lessons!

Nov 23

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | 1 Comment

 

2009 Gift Cert

 

Hello!

 

It’s time for my Holiday Gift Specials!

At this time of the year, people often give loved ones music lessons as a gift.

Many people either want to study and haven’t, or used to play and would like to again: there are many situations.

The common factor here, is they would like to get some private instruction… but haven’t!

Now is your time to give them the chance to take their musical lives to the next level.

Browse through my teacher pages to see what I do, then get some lessons as a gift!

 

Here are the specials:

  • Normal rate: $65 / lesson (an hour)
  • Gift Rate #1: $55 / lesson — Buy two lessons (minimum) at $110
  • Gift Rate #2: Same price with a four-lesson package at $220 (Normally $260)
  • Gift Rate #3: A five-lesson package for $275 and you get one free! (This is a good deal.) This applies to anyone paying before the end of the year and starting by the 1st week in January.

All lessons need to be weekly, at least one a week. (More is always fine.) Until a student is stable with the learning process, it’s easy to get off track when a week is missed. Once someone is grooved in, occasional misses aren’t an issue.

 

Here are some starting links to see how things work:

Introduction
Teaching Method
Student Comments

 

Take advantage of this offer!
(Click here to download and print the gift certificate.)

 

Marty B.
(818) 242-7551
Email
(And remember that I deliver lessons by phone and Skype to your out-of-town friends and family.)

 

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Buttwinick Musical Services Update ~ Nov 2011

Mar 12

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | No Comments


Greetings!

As 2011 comes to an end, activity is activated and production is purposeful!

I hope all is well with you, and here is an update from my zones of creation:

Composing

 

I’ve finished mixing some live music with Richard Robinson and have released four tunes! I should have the next project completed in a month or so. We completed a funk ballad, swing tune, rock fusion piece, Latin piece and a few others. I’m very excited about this! The music is posted at my music, and there is more of my music here as well. :-)

 

 

Teaching

My student’s are winning like crazy. (Sometimes ya have to brag…) My personalized curriculum continues to expand, and every lesson is really fun. One student is recording some guitar & vocal tracks, another is learning classical bass, a piano student went from focusing on reading to grooving and playing blues while an alto sax is being assaulted by another! You can see a list of current students here, success stories here, and more about what I do here.

Also, anyone you know who is bogged with their current musical studies or wants to start some enhancement yet doesn’t know what, should click here. I’m a good trouble shooter/consultant and this page will tell you more about it.

And now is a good time to check out my Holiday Gift Packages! Music lessons make great gifts! You can get them for someone else, or have someone else get them for you!

 

Musicians’ How-To Series

Book publishing continues to expand. We recently developed a new customer who purchased all 15 titles and is getting ready for his band consultations.

And what is this about? Read on…

“There is more to being a musician than fingering notes on an instrument. There are the subtleties of group interaction, musicianship, repertoire, the business side (if you are a professional), and many additional subjects.

The Musicians’ How-To Series consists of short- to medium-length e-books about a variety of music-related topics. This series provides musicians and singers with supplemental information that for the most part isn’t taught in schools and might or might not be learned on one’s own or from a private instructor. Much of this information has never before been in print.They are designed to throw in your bag or instrument case, take to your gig, rehearsal or jam, and PUT TO USE!”

 

That’s all folks!

Well, there’s always more: gigging, new books, blogs, a regular rock-band-teaching gig I have, copywork, etc. But the above are the main points I wanted to tell you about.

So I did.

And thank you for reading this!

Let me know if there is anything I can help you with. OK?

Marty B.

================>
Marty Buttwinick
(818) 242-7551
http://buttwinickmusic.com
http://musicianshowtoseries.com

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Music Seminar Survey #1

Sep 2

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | 2 Comments

 

Hello. Thanks for stopping by!

This is a survey for a series of upcoming music-related seminars. On the first question please pick three answers. Fill out the second question if it is relevant to your life.

Thanks!

Marty B.

 

 

#1. Which topics are you most interested in learning about?









#2. What do you think is the weakest part of your career as a singer or musician?



 

 

 

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Buttwinick Musical Services Update

Apr 8

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | No Comments

 

Hello!

I hope this post finds you in a magnificent frame of mind! (If it doesn’t, contact me and let’s fix that!)

Here is a short update of happenings in my areas. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you or someone you know. OK?


Teaching

Teaching moves a long nicely. Each student’s lesson is a little different, very different actually. Though the subject matter and skills are the same, the individual focus and goals are as varied as each individual. You can click on my Student Bulletin Board and see what my current roster is doing, or my Student Comments for more specifics. (I have room for a few more students if you know of someone who should come study with me.)

I’ve also started an online “Glossary of Musical Terms“. It contains the basic terms anyone who plays or studies should know. I’ve worked on these definitions for years and they seem to be excellent entry-level definitions. (If you are an old-hat in music you most likely do not need these. I just started the project and it should take about two or three months to complete. Check it out and let me know what you think! Leave me a comment as well. OK?


Upcoming Lecture Series

I’m designing a series of free, one-hour lectures on various aspects of gigging, as well as the in’s and out’s of reading “sheet music”. (It’s amazing how many people never fully got what all those squiggly lines on music paper mean!) They are designed for “The beginner or the Confused!”. It should be great fun and a free, useful service at the same time. You’ll hear more about this soon.


Gigs

I’m mainly concentrating on writing and teaching, but am gigging a bit. Some gigs with the Marvelous “Marc Bosserman Trio“. We are available for bookings, so please check out the link to see what we do! Also, I’ve recently started playing with Steel Drum man, Nate Middleton. It’s a cool trio with steel drums, guitar, bass and drum tracks. If you don’t know what steel drums are, clink on this link and check them out. They are very cool! (Also called “pans.”) (No musicals so far this year.)


Publishing

The “Musicians’ How-To Series” website is almost open for business. The site has fifteen down-loadable booklets of my published works about various technical aspects of the music-playing business. (That’s a word I coined for “Guitar Player” magazine a few handfuls of years ago.) I’ll let you know when the site is released. (Lot’s of helpful information there!) I’m also trucking ahead with my various notation books and continue to pilot them on my students. So far so good. They should complete and on the market by summer.


Chart Writing

I also continue doing “copywork” for my regular clients. Yesterday I transcribed a cool piano piece for a new client. The piece is “Capture the Moment” by David London. Gotta love it. (Look in my glossary if you don’t know what “transcribing” is. :-) One of my regular clients is the fabulous Filipina Jazz Vocalist, Charmaine Clamor. Fun gal to work with. (I did all the charts for the albums you hear at her site.)

That’s all for now!

Thanks for reading this, and drop me a line anytime…

Marty B.

==================>
Marty Buttwinick
(818)242-7551

http://buttwinickmusic.com

 

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Buttwinick Classical Music is Finally Available!

Aug 20

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | No Comments

Nonet Picture

Years ago I wrote a series of piano studies (etudes) for my great-niece, “Julia.” (I actually wrote them in my car while driving home from her four-year birthday party.)

A few years later I orchestrated and expanded them into a series of Nonet’s, which means “nine.”

Why nonet? Why not!

Though they are recorded, this is the first time I’m at a site where you can buy the sheet music and perform the pieces with your group. They are relatively simple and cover various classical styles from Mozart to Bach, of course with a Buttwinick fling to it! This “suite” comprises eight pieces, of which two are available as of this posting. (The rest will be up within a few weeks.)

You could most likely sing them with a vocal group as well. Hmm, I like that idea.

Anyone want to write lyrics to these?

You’ll find the sheet music and recordings at the “Independent Music Publishers” website at: http://www.imusicpubs.com/index.php/private.profile/view.other/id/77

Marty B.
(818) 242-7551
Email
Personalized Music Lessons

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Improvisation in Music and Film

Aug 16

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | 2 Comments

Tanna Gig_Marc

I played for an awesome birthday party tonight for actress Tanna Frederick, held at the home of film director Henry Jaglom.

I recently attended the opening night of Henry’s recent movie, “Irene in time,” and stayed for the question and answer with the cast after the film. A point of interest was a few of the scenes were totally improvised. As the cast grew into their roles they “became” the parts so completely that a few scenes ended up being more effective when improvised then when following the script. The actors knew the story line, purpose of the film and just lived the parts. It was so “real” that it superseded the script and became part of the film. (Or something new evolved and was added–I don’t remember which.) I recall a few “4077 M.A.S.H.” episodes that were totally improvised as well.

 

Film: Topic ~ Story Line ~ Actors ~ Script ~ Improv

Music: Song ~ Song Style ~ Musicians ~ Melody ~ Improv

 

In the early part of the gig we played a lot of jazz. We’d pick a song, play it in whatever style we did, then improvise on it. The song stated the main idea, concept and form, then we would play around with it–making it our own creation. That’s what I like about jazz!

A “commercial” song has a set format and arrangement; verses are so long, a solo goes in a certain spot, etc. Though jazz can be that way, it lends itself to being more spontaneous. We’ll shift through whatever sections we want at which ever moments feel the best.

As the cast in a film can interact improvisationally once the characters are fully established, the more comfortable the musicians are with each others style and feel, the more fluid the improv is.

All art forms have similarities and it’s cool to inspect them. I’ve had a few enlightening conversations with my artist brother, Ed, about the similarities between art and music.

Any views on this topic to share?

Marty B.
Email

 

Cell phone photo courtesy of Doctor Fun aka Herbie Katz, who is an awesome harmonica player. Doctor Fun is available for sessions and live gigs. Check him out! (Dr. Fun was in “Irene in Time” playing with Harriet Schock, whose music was featured.)

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Music and Life

Aug 7

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | No Comments

This is an ongoing blog about “Music & Life.” As a teacher and professional musician, I have the privilege to experience, first-hand, how music affects life–and life affects music.

Feel free to contribute to this discussion.

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Music and Life

Jun 9

Posted by Marty Buttwinick in Music and Life | No Comments

This is a blog about Music & Life: motion, emotion, aesthetics, sounds, living.

Melody, Harmony and Rhythm: all things have these elements.

Through being a professional musician for thirty-five years and a private instructor for about twenty-eight, I’ve experienced interactions between these elements time and time again. The personal experiences of those I’ve met are often quite different from my  own. Sharing these things can be enlightening, expansive and extremely beneficial.

I would love to hear some of your experiences, so please join in!


And for various registration purposes: 5iqdszrvnh

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