Exploring the science of sound with kids is both interesting and fun! So what is sound?
Sound is a vibration that grows as an acoustic wave, through a medium like gas, liquid or solid. We interpret these vibrations and waves via our ears and brains. Only acoustic waves that have frequencies lying between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz can be heard by humans. Sound waves above 20 kHz are known as ultrasound and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20 Hz are known as infrasound. Different animal species have varying hearing ranges.
Sound waves travel into our ear canals until they reach the eardrum. The eardrum passes the acoustic vibrations through the middle ear bones and into the inner ear. The inner ear is shaped like a tiny snail and called the cochlea. Inside the cochlea, there are thousands of tiny cells that look like little hairs. These cells change the vibrations into electrical signals that are sent into our brains through the hearing nerve. The brain tells you that you are hearing a sound and what that sound is.(source)
With the following fun experiments you can demonstrate sound and experiment with music!
Xylophone Water Glasses
Musical instruments are so much fun to make!
This sound activity shows how different amounts of water in containers change the pitch of the sound created.
Supplies Needed:
4 empty glasses
Water
Wooden spoon
What to Do:
1. Fill each glass with varying amounts of water.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring to each glass to give it a fun twist.
3. Using the spoon, tap the outside or top of each glass. What sounds are being made? Which glasses have the highest or lowest pitch?
Play around with the water levels in each glass and experiment with pitch! You can even add more glasses and try to create your own songs. Try simple songs like “Twinkle, twinkle little star.”
Listen to Sounds Travel Underwater
Sound travels well through air, but it travels even better through water! This easy sound experiment is best outside on a terrace or balcony, or even perhaps in the bath. The best of course is if you can do it underwater in a pool or a beach.
Supplies Needed:
A bucket filled with water
A large plastic water or soda bottle
At least 2 kitchen knives/spoons
Scissors or sharp knife to cut the bottle
What to Do:
1. After filling the bucket with water, take a sharp knife or kitchen scissors and cut off the bottom of the plastic water bottle. Take the cap is off of the bottle.
2. Instruct your child to place the bottle in the water so that the cut bottom is in the water. Your child will then put his or her ear to the top of the bottle to listen.
3. Using the kitchen knives, clang them together to make a sound, but do this in the bucket of water as your child is listening. What does your child hear?
Your child has probably noticed that the sound of the clanging is loud and clear. Sound travels faster through water than in the air, and animals that live underwater are able to hear sound clearly. Whales and dolphins are well known to make sounds and communicate underwater. In fact you can hear whale sounds several kilometers away.
Whales can also emit low frequency sound waves which we cannot hear. These sound waves can travel very far in water without losing energy. Researchers believe that some of these low frequency sounds can travel more than 16,000 km in some levels of the ocean! Imagine being able to hear noises coming from that far away!
If you go to the beach this summer or are in a pool, try diving under the water and having someone make noise underwater. It’s interesting to use your sense of hearing in this way.
In some spas, they even play relaxing music in the pool water using underwater microphones. You can float with your ears submerged and listen to the music.
Paper Cup Classic
Supplies Needed:
2 paper cups
Long string, like fishing line, kite string
A sharp pencil or needle to poke holes in the cups
Scissors
What to Do:
1. Start by cutting a long piece of string of at least 10 meters.
2. Poke a small hole at the bottom of each cup.
3. Using each end of the string, thread it through the bottoms of the cups, tying a large knot so that the string does not fall out of the cup. If you make the holes too large, use a washer or paper clip to hold the string in place so that it does not pull out of the cup.
4. Now stand further enough apart so that the string stretches taught between you. Be sure that the string does not touch any other object and that it remains suspended in air as you complete the experiment.
5. Taking turns, talk into the cup, while the other person listens by putting the cup to their ear. Tell your child to repeat what he or she hears after you have spoken and do the same in return!
After the experiment, explain to your child what is happening: sound waves created by talking through the cup travel through the line to the other end, converting back to sound on the opposite side!
Chladni used metal plate covered in sand which he vibrated with a violin bow, and saw how the sand created various patterns depending on the kind of vibration.
Make your own Chladni Vibration Plate!
Supplies Needed:
A bowl or tub
plastic wrap or wax paper
an elastic band or sticky tape
salt
a mini portable bluetooth or wireless speaker
What to Do:
Turn your speaker on and place it inside the bowl. Your bowl needs to be big enough that the speaker sits inside.
Cover the top of the bowl with your plastic wrap or wax paper, making sure that it is taught and stretched evenly across without any wrinkles. Hold it in place with the elastic band or some pieces of sticking tape.
Sprinkle some salt onto the top.
Choose a song with a lot of bass or use the following video to play on the speaker in the bowl.
Watch to see what happens! Your child should be delighted at the way the salt dances on top of the bowl when the bass vibrates the plastic or wax covering.
Don’t forget, we rent instruments and offer online music lessons! Contact us!
The Ukulele is a small-sized, four-string instrument that we normally associate with Hawaii. The little instrument is vitally important in the area’s musical culture. It was created in 1880 by immigrants, before that there were no string instruments on the islands. Let’s find out more about this fun instrument.
Unlike the guitar, which has six strings, the ukulele only has four, so it is easier to learn to play it.
Types of Ukulele
The most common to find are: soprano, concerto, tenor and baritone. Others have also been built such as sopraninos (smaller than soprano), low ukuleles and banjoleles. There are even some ukuleles in an electro-acoustic format, known as electric ukuleles. While the “concert” ukulele has a sound with more body and depth, the smaller ones, such as the soprano, better preserve the bright and exotic tone so characteristic of Hawaii.
One fact which may help you to choose which ukulele to play, is that the bigger its size, the more “lower” it sounds.
Ukulele prices depend on many issues, like any other instrument, material, quality and method of production, brand. It helps to try a few out to see which sound you prefer.
Important accessories for your ukulele
It is important to buy a good case to protect the instrument from bumps and knocks and from natural exposure to the sun, air and dust. Some other things that will help you are a capo and a tuner. The capo is placed on the frets and allows you to raise the tone of the song or melody you are playing. The lower you place it the tone will be higher. If the tone is too low for your voice, if you are singing, you can lower it with the capo without problem and the same in reverse, to find the right match.
The tuner is another resource that makes things much easier when playing any instrument, it is inexpensive and easy to get, you can find one in any music shop.
Get Going!
On the internet you can find a lot of information, videos and history that will help you when you decide to start playing your ukulele, as well as practice videos and tutorials.
If you have the instrument and want to start testing yourself you can find a song that you would like to play and practice! You can also do this using the Ukulele-tabs or Ukutabs tabs that you can easily find online.
Besides being easy to learn, one of the best features of this instrument is its diminutive size, you can take it everywhere. It’s so lightweight that you can take it out for dinner at a friends house, or even travel across the world with it stashed safely in your hand luggage! And did we mention it’s easy to learn?! With very few chords you can play many of your favourite songs.
As with any instrument, practice is very important to incorporate sounds and rhythms. As you move forward with your ukulele playing, you can make them more complex.
Famous ukulele musicians
Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole is one of the main references of Hawaiian music, well known worldwide for his versions of the songs Over the rainbow and What a Wonderful World. His incredible voice, along with his skill at combining ukulele playing with jazz and reggae fusions, made him renowned.
Another of the musicians who loved this little instrument was Frank Sinatra, Fly me to the moon is one of his wonderful songs on ukulele.Paul McCartney, meanwhile, often plays the ukulele in his live recitals in his version of Something.
If you are a lover of Pearl Jam, you can not stop listening to the album Ukulele Songs, by Eddie Vedder. It is an unmissable album to always have on your playlist.
If you are interested in taking Ukulele classes, you can contact us as we have great teachers who will help you learn and improve very quickly. In no time you will be playing your favourite songs and composing your own music.
A decibel is a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale. Basically how loud or soft a sound is. Decibel meters are machines used to measure these units. Over half of Barcelona’s population is subjected to noise levels over 65 decibels during the entire day (0800-2200 hours) which explains why locals have to shout to make themselves heard. It also explains the rule of no noise after 10pm! As a music school that works with sound and music, we are aware of how vital it is to be mindful of the effects of sound.
One of the greatest benefits that a person feels from sound is relief from stress. Sounds are used in sound therapy, meditation, and in many locations to promote a peaceful setting. The soothing sounds help to re-tune your brain to cope with stress better by replenishing brain energy with high-frequency sound. Many people use sound therapy and music to get relief from chronic headaches and migraines, and music is proven to improve your mood, as well as your quality of life.
Normal conversation is about 60 dB, a guitar played loudly somewhere around 80 dB, a lawn mower is about 90 dB, and a loud rock concert is about 120 dB. In general, sounds above 85 are harmful, depending on how long and how often you are exposed to them and whether you wear hearing protection, such as earplugs or earmuffs.
So let’s sound it out:
-9dB The world’s quietest room, at Orfield Labs in Minneapolis, is so silent you can hear your internal organs. The longest a person may stay in the room is 45 minutes, as zero sound does strange things to the mind, causing hallucinations and schizophrenia.
44dB Birds singing.
The loudest purr by a domestic cat is 67.8 dB and was achieved by Merlin, owned by Tracy Westwood (UK), at her home in Devon, UK, on 2 April 2015. Merlin is 13 years old.
70dB The average volume of an opera singer singing fortissimo (loudly). French tenor Avi Klemberg hit a reading of 109dB, his personal best, in 2010 on Scottish TV show The Hour.
80dB Chamber music concert.
105dB How loud Jaime Vendera sang (at the right frequency, 556Hz) to shatter a wine glass — recorded and confirmed on Mythbusters.
110dB The noise inside a video arcade. This is also the average for a symphony orchestra, though it can get louder.
113.1 dB The loudest bark in the world, according to Guinness World Records, set by Charlie the golden retriever from Adelaide, Australia.
115dB A baby crying.
118dB The sound in a cinema.
121dB; The loudest voice in the world (says Guinness World Records), belonging to Annalisa Flanagan, an Irish primary school teacher.
127dB; The volume, give or take a decibel or two, of a vuvuzela (if expertly blown). The referee’s whistle blasts at 121 dB.
129.5dB The last officially recorded measurement for ‘Loudest Band in the World’ (metalheads Manowar) by Guinness World Records in 1984. It stopped including the category because of hearing damage caused by record seekers.
137dB Measured at a Leftfield concert at London’s Brixton Academy in 1996. It caused chunks of plaster to fall on the audience from the roof.
The loudest drummer in the world is Col Hatchman (Australia) who hit a peak reading of 137.2 dB during a gig with his band, Dirty Skanks, at the Northern Star Hotel, Australia, on 4 August 2006.
The world’s noisiest land animals are the howler monkeys (Alouatta) of Central and South America. Once in full voice they can be heard clearly up to4.8 km (3 miles) away. Their howl measured at 140 dB.
The loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium is 142.2 dB and was achieved by fans of the Kansas City Chiefs (USA), at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, USA, on 29 September 2014.
150dB A jet taking off, if you’re standing about 25 metres away from it.
172dB A shot from a 0.357—calibre revolver.
Not only did it cause serious damage to the island, but the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 created the loudest sound ever reported at 180 dB. It was so loud it was heard 5,000 km away.
188dB Blue and fin whales emitting a sound underwater that can kill other marine creatures.
From Documentaries to Mockumentaries, Dramas, Comedies, and Musicals, we cannot deny that music and musicians make great topics for movies. Stories of our favourite stars working their way to the top, with often many a stumble on the way up, to inspirational looks into what makes music an important part of our lives!
How often have you gone out and bought a movie soundtrack or perhaps even waited for the credits to see who wrote the music. Music and sound play play a critical role and is often what binds a movie together. Violins creaking and screeching indicate murderers lurking behind a door, about to pounce on unsuspecting victims. Evocative music can carry a film, lead you through the story, and stay with you for days. We can look into history changing soundtracks such as Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” in another post, but today we have rounded up a list of 50 movies about music or musicians that you can add to your movie list.
An innovative and revolutionary animated classic from Walt Disney, combining Western classical music masterpieces with imaginative visuals, presented with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The eight animation sequences are colorful, impressive, free-flowing, abstract, and often surrealistic pieces. They include the most famous of all, Paul Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Mickey Mouse as the title character battling brooms carrying endless buckets of water. Also included are J.S. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”; Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”; dinosaurs and volcanoes in Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”; the delightful “Dance of the Hours” by Ponchielli with dancing hippos, crocodiles, ostriches, and elephants; and Mussorgsky’s darkly apocalyptic “Night on Bald Mountain.” —Tim Dirks
Nicky and his friends find that their youth club is in danger of being flattened to make way for a new office block unless they can come up with £1500 to pay the new owner, the ruthless property tycoon Hamilton Black. To help raise the cash, Nicky records a song and his friends broadcast it via a pirate radio station, touting him as “The Mystery Singer” – the plan works and interest in their up and coming show is heightened by this new but unknown heart-throb. But Nicky has an even bigger secret and one that he cannot share, even with his girlfriend Toni. — Rhino
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000. – Dan Hartung
Pink Floyd filmed playing live in an ampitheatre in Pompeii. Several tracks from ‘Meddle’ as well as earlier LPs are included. Also includes interviews and clips of the band working at Abbey Road studios on what would become their landmark ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ release. — Scott Butler
In Berlin in 1931, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles meets British academic Brian Roberts, who is finishing his university studies. Despite Brian’s confusion over his sexuality, the pair become lovers, but the arrival of the wealthy and decadent playboy Maximilian von Heune complicates matters for them both. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic. — Jwelch5742
Cracked Actor: A Film About David Bowie is a television documentary film about the musician David Bowie, made by Alan Yentob for the BBC’s Omnibus strand. It was first shown on BBC1 on 26 January 1975. It was filmed in 1974 when Bowie was struggling with cocaine addiction, and the documentary has become notorious for showing his mental state during this period.
This film is an excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America’s greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, and discovered the suffering and strength of America’s working class. – L.H. Wong
The musical career of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly is chronicled, from the days when “Peggy Sue” was “Cindy Lou”, a song about his first girlfriend, to the meteoric run of “That’ll Be the Day” up the charts, to his marriage, breakup with the Crickets, reunion with the Crickets, and untimely death. – Jason A. Cormier
The Kids Are Alright is a 1979 rockumentary film about the English rock band the Who, including live performances, promotional films and interviews from 1964 to 1978. It notably features the band’s last performance with original drummer Keith Moon, filmed three months before his death at Shepperton Studios in May 1978. (wikipedia)
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was insanely jealous of Mozart’s talent and claimed to have murdered him. Claiming to have murdered the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the elderly Antonio Salieri recounts to a priest his dealings with the brilliant composer. Salieri was court composer to Austrian Emperor Joseph II when Mozart and he first met. The Emperor, a major patron of the arts, immediately commissioned Mozart to write an opera in German, rather than the customary Italian. Mozart is childish, arrogant, annoying and brilliant all at once and Salieri is simultaneously in awe and green with envy at his genius. Salieri uses Mozart’s difficult relationship with his father and his guilt over being a bad son to drive him slightly mad and into a downward spiral of ill health, leading to his death. – garykmcd
The band Spinal Tap first appeared in a video aired as part of a 1979 sketch comedy special called “The TV Show”, a project spearheaded by Rob Reiner and Michael McKean. Following this the movie was released as a spoof of a heavy metal band tour. The story follows the British band “Spinal Tap”, known as the loudest band in England on their comeback tour of America. “Hilarious behind-the-scenes footage is combined with faux-concert clips to breathe life into the imaginary group.- Greg Bole”
Biopic of the famed saxophone player, Charlie “Bird” Parker. Addicted to drugs from a young age, Parker suffered the corresponding highs and lows. Supported by his loving wife Chan (Diane Venora), who resisted attempts to have him placed in a mental institution, he continued to play his new style of music, revolutionizing jazz. – garykmcd
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in 1971.
Also known as Safe Journey. The journey of the Romany people told through musicians and dancers of India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France, and Spain.
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim. – Jon Reeves
The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.—Jojo Mac
After the death of her father, Little Voice, or “LV”, becomes a virtual recluse, never going out, and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father’s collection of old records of Dame Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, and various other famous female singers. But at nighttime, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother’s boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local nightclub, but several problems arise.—Lexicon – Perth, Western Australia
A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour. (IMDB)
Manchester 1976: Cambridge educated Tony Wilson, Granada TV presenter, is at a Sex Pistols gig. Totally inspired by this pivotal moment in music history, he and his friends set up a record label, Factory Records, signing first Joy Division (who go on to become New Order) then James and the Happy Mondays, who all become seminal artists of their time. What ensues is a tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous dance clubs in the world, The Hacienda – a mecca for clubbers as famous as the likes of Studio 54. Graphically depicting the music and dance heritage of Manchester from the late 70’s to the early 90’s, this comedy documents the vibrancy that made Mad-chester the place in the world that you would most like to be. —IGB
A young rapper (EMINEM), struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band. A funny and rocking tale for the whole family that showcases Jack Black’s talents.
Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.
The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s. The movie won two Oscars.
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash‘s life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
The film charts Walker’s career in music, with a focus on his songwriting, and features exclusive footage of recording sessions for his most recent album, The Drift including a memorable sequence in which Walker oversees the recording of the punching of a joint of pork, for the percussion on the song Clara. Rock legend David Bowie, who often professes to have been inspired by Walker, acted as executive producer of the film. (wikipedia)
A stark black and white profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.
Biopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf’s life was filled with tragedy.
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. The relationship between band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett is also explored.
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment.
The life and times of the rock band Queen – told in two parts covering in part one the 1970’s and in part two the 1980’s and beyond. Archive footage and interviews with band members help to explain the history of the influential band.
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez. This film resulted in an Oscar win, and world wide fame for Sixto Rodriguez.
Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition. A fun fuelled feel-good musical comedy for the whole family.
Follow a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles – some of them of his own making. – Production
A promising young drummer enrols at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realise a student’s potential.
In the 1960s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 1980s, he is a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.
Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. – Pulse Films
The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood. Nominated for an Oscar.
Vox Lux follows the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop super stardom. The film spans 18 years and traces important cultural moments through her eyes, starting in 1999 and concluding in 2017. Starring Natalie Portman, the film looks at the cult of celebrity and the media machine in all its guts, grit and glory. Features the music of Sia.
This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé’s celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.
So save or pin this list for future reference and add some compelling musical films to your repertoire. Perhaps you will learn something new and interesting about your favourite musician or your favourite genre of music!
Music was born to be shared; to touch the hearts of the people who play and enjoy it. When we listen to a piece of music, we probably don’t think about how important the collaborative effort made by each different musician is, but focus on the how the music comes together. Playing in a group, and creating music together, is another very enjoyable form of social interaction.
The combination of several musicians or instrumentalists, who form a musical group is commonly referred to as a “combo, ensemble or musical ensemble or band”. Regardless of the style played, any combo could include vocals, drums, guitar, and bass. Often other instruments come into the mix too, and often certain instrument combos are used to play certain musical styles.
At Shine, the members of a band learn to create a relaxed musical environment with each other in which everyone contributes something. The main objective of a combo, we would say then, is to learn to play in a group, recognising the other instruments that are played in addition to your own, and always having fun. It is very important to know the role of each member of the group. Over time the musicians will create and consolidate a repertoire of themes in various musical styles.
Whether you are beginning to understand the instrument you are studying or if you have a little more musical experience, participating in a combo will always help enhance your skills, apply the acquired knowledge such as technique, reading music, musical memory and improvisation, and learn to work in a team.
Shine School of Music has vast experience in teaching various musical instruments to people of all ages and musical levels. The group classes, and especially the Combos, are coordinated by our teacher David Marroquín, who throughout his musical career has collaborated in various international orchestras. Today he offers us an exclusive interview about his musical origins and tells us about the peculiarities of studying in a combo.
David studied classical bass in Mexico, and later completed his specialisation in Jazz at the Conservatorio del Liceo de Barcelona. If you want to know more details about one of our most talented teachers, keep reading below:
What was the first thing that got you interested in music?
At home when I was little, together with my brothers and cousins at family gatherings on Sundays we played “shows”. We would take rackets or baseball bats like guitars and put together a drum set with boxes and stuffed animals. The children “played” and the cousins danced to the rhythm of the hits of the time.
Who inspired you to make music? Any famous musician you admire?
My parents. My mother played the piano. And my father played guitar and sang. When I was about 7 years old together with my older brother we were part of the children’s choir of the church. A few years later I showed interest in drums and my parents were able to sign me up for classes. At the age of 13 I discovered bass and… “I saw the light” hehe.
Musicians I admire… J.S. Bach among the classics.
If we’re talking about bassists… James Jamerson, the bassist for Motown Records.
Where does your passion for bass come from? And with whom did you study this instrument?
At school together with some friends we formed a band of which I was the drummer. We had no bass player. There was another friend who also played drums and I thought I could switch to bass “for the good of the band.” At first I didn’t like it at all, it seemed like a “simple and boring” instrument. But before long I fell in love with the instrument.
I studied electric bass with Carlos González, Azael Escobedo, Alejandro Reynoso, and Hernán González. Great musicians from my hometown (Monterrey, Mexico). And classic double bass with Boyko Nonov.
In Barcelona I studied with Jordi Ruiz and master classes with Garry Willis.
What is the musical style that you enjoy the most?
For Listening … various styles.
For Playing … what I enjoy the most is funk, soul, contemporary gospel, and Latin jazz.
What do you think is the great advantage of creating group music?
Well, it’s usually more fun. It’s a different form of social interaction. New friendships can be created. It’s motivating.
Where can we enjoy good presentations of small bands or jazz combos in Barcelona (and in Spain)?
Places like the Jamboree, Milano Jazz Club, Big Bang, Robardors, Marula Café, Soda Bar, Sinestesia, Harlem.
How would you define the Combos courses that are created at the Shine School of Music?
For most of the students who join the combo it is the first time that they play in a group and it is normal for them to feel insecure. First, the student has to be relaxed, without pressure, without fear of making mistakes. You try to create this atmosphere. Choose music that is to everyone’s taste, and not too complicated. This will depend on the level of the members of course. The goal in the end is to have fun. In English the word “play” is used to describe both playing a game and playing an instrument. When I play an instrument, I like to think that I am really going to play and have fun.
How important is learning to play in a group for anyone who plays an instrument?
Playing in a group reinforces learning. It is motivating. It helps build your confidence as well as confidence as a group. It is where you can “get out” what you have been practicing and trying to internalise alone, and then free yourself and enjoy playing. Try new things. Learn to listen and respect the other members of the group.
What positive experiences does the Combo class generate, taking into account that the students have not been playing together for a long time?
Teamwork and sense of accomplishment. A song is chosen. Students generally go to their instrument class (if that is the case) and teachers help them learn their part. Then for the next kind of combo, the song or piece begins to be assembled. The support and help of the instrument teachers make the ensemble easier.
Any advice or tips for those who want to enter the world of music, and be part of a Combo?
To be part of a combo, to play and have fun, it is first necessary to invest time in learning an instrument to the level that allows you to start playing with more people. Have a little patience and avoid frustrations. Enjoy the learning process. When you play with your first band you will see that it has been worth it.
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Go ahead and sign up for your favorite instrument classes or a group class here:
