We’d like to highlight some arrangements that are perfect for the winter holidays. Scoring varies by song, so for your convenience we’ve remarked what individual arrangement is.

• Sleigh Runners for Brass Quintet with optional percussion
• A medley of What Child Is This? / Coventry Carol for Brass Quartet
• We Three Kings for Brass Quintet with optional Tuba intro
• Jingle Bells for a French Horn Quartet
• O Come All Ye Faithful for a French Horn Quartet

For more arrangements, be sure to visit our selection of sheet music for Canadian Brass. It’s perfect for the holidays!

Popular New Songs from Your Requests!

We have a few songs that went up this week that you’ve asked for. Jump Then Fall by Taylor Swift and Change by Carrie Underwood are two, recent songs that several of you were asking for. We’ve also received Broadway sheet music for THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Composed by acclaimed songwriter Jason Robert Brown; you can sing or play twelve songs from this unique one-act musical experience.

15 Percent Off Coupon for Your Next Christmas Musicnotes Edition Purchase

Are you interested in getting the best value on Christmas sheet music this year? Then you’ll want to take advantage of this money-saving coupon that includes our Christmas Musicnotes Editions. Whenever you see that little, green note, you’ll know you’re getting a phenomenal value because our Musicnotes Editions allow you to print unlimited copies of your sheet music and you’re granted both performance and recording rights for the piece! The average price of our Musicnotes Editions is $4.95, and the coupon is good for 15 percent off your entire purchase. No minimum purchase is required!

Christmas Musicnotes Editions include arrangements for vocalists, pianists and choirs. We’re also arranging and offering Christmas Musicnotes Editions for C, E♭, and B♭ instruments, too!

%15 OFF!	Stretch your fingers and dust off your keys! From now through December 25, 2009, Save 15 Percent off of your next digital sheet music purchase. Simply enter in MNEDITION when you check out and enjoy a %15 off savings on any digital music download from our Musicnotes Edition catalog. Limit one coupon per customer.
Offer Expires: Midnight, December 25th, 2009  – Use coupon code MNEDITION when you shop at Musicnotes.com and enjoy 15 Percent off any digital purchase that includes a Musicnotes Edition. Includes sheet music, guitar tab or Guitar Guru Session.

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Special Reminders from Musicnotes.com

Just to let you know, we have two special promotions ending on Monday, November 30th. First, our Save Up to Thirty Percent Off Select Christmas Sheet Music Books and Songbooks Sale will wrap up on that day, so if you haven’t checked them out, be sure to do that this week. Second, if you want to enter our Winter Holiday Song Suggestion Contest only entries entered through midnight, November 30th will be considered for the contest.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and be sure to stay tuned for more updates!

We are happy to announce that we’re now able to offer sheet music for NEXT TO NORMAL. This Broadway show about a family trying to deal with a mother’s bipolar disorder has been extremely popular, and has continued to be a highly requested collection of songs.

Now you can play or sing songs from a wide selection of Broadway sheet music from this Tony award-winning show. Some of the more popular songs include: Superboy and the Invisible Girl, I’m Alive and Light. Thank you to everyone who requested sheet music for NEXT TO NORMAL. We hope you enjoy these arrangements from this Broadway show.

For those of you who love movie sheet music, we’re proud to announce two films that are debuting on Musicnotes.com. The first film is the animated movie UP, about an older gentleman named Carl who takes the adventure of a lifetime. We are now offering movie sheet music downloads for Disney’s UP, which includes songs like Married Life and Stuff We Did. Feel free to browse through our selection of sheet music from UP if you’re looking for a different song.

Do you love science fiction movies? Here at Musicnotes.com, over the years we’ve had epic musical battles between Star Trek and Star Wars sheet music. We’ve added several new instrumental solos including CLONE WARS sheet music in our effort to provide fans with the music you want to play. This week, we’ve added STAR TREK sheet music. Let the music fill the air and let a new space battle…BEGIN!

Winter Song Suggestion Contest Reminder

Special thanks to everyone who entered our Winter Song Suggestion contest so far. Just as a reminder, there’s still time left if you would like to enter for your chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to Musicnotes.com! Simply go to our Suggest a Winter Holiday Song Contest, read the instructions, and enter! It’s really easy! GOOD LUCK!

Sheet Music for Songs You’ve Requested

In addition to new movie and Broadway sheet music, we’ve also added a few songs that come straight from your song requests. They are:

• Everybody In Love (Put Your Hands Up) by JLS
• Satellite Heart by Any Marina from NEW MOON
• Slice by Five for Fighting
• Sans Day Carol (The St. Day Carol)> for Choir
• Everyday by Carly Comando

The song Everyday was composed for this YouTube! video of Noah, who took a picture of himself every day for six years and then set it to music. Garnering over 14 million views, this video set to music is a shining example of how there truly is a song for everyone. We are thrilled to fulfill this unique song request, and hope that you enjoy being a part of this unusual sheet music experience.

For our free piano sheet music download, we are featuring a holiday medley of the songs Jolly Old St. Nicholas and Up on the Housetop.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas is a traditional Christmas carol that may have been composed in the early 1900s. The simple lyrics are about someone wishing for St. Nick to come and leave them presents in their stockings. Up on the Housetop (Ho! Ho! Ho!) is an older traditional Christmas carol from the 1860s. Composed by Benjamin Hanby, this popular tune is also about Santa coming down the chimney to fill the stockings of little kids with presents. Combined, the two carols together create a fun, holiday medley that we hope you’ll enjoy singing and playing.

This holiday medley is available as a free sheet music download from now until the end of November. We have provided abridged lyrics as part of the medley, so you can sing our arrangement as a solo or with your family and friends!

Guitar Guru Lovers! Download the Russian Dance for Free!

This month’s free Guitar Guru Session and guitar tab, is a movement from The Nutcracker Suite composed by Tchaikovsky. The Russian Dance, which is also known as Trepak, was composed as part of the ballet in the early 1890s.

Now you can learn how to play the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker Ballet on guitar for free, through the month of November. Simply visit our free sheet music page to download this seasonal arrangement. We hope you enjoy it!

New Songs from YOUR Requests!

We have been hard at work adding a ton of new songs that you’ve asked for. First, we’d like to point out that we are expanding our selection of alternate instruments solos. This week, we added a ton of popular flute sheet music solos by some of your favorite artists. We’ve also added quite a few fun songs for guitar, including new guitar tab by Taylor Swift.

Here are some new songs we’ve added from the songs that you’ve requested:

• For Emma by Bon Iver
• Chances by Five for Fighting
• I Know It’s Today by Jeanine Tesori
• Guitar Guru Session for Cold as Ice by Foreigner
• So This Is Love by Cinderella
• Does It Still McFly? by Michael Giacchino and other songs from the new STAR TREK.
• Come Back to Me by David Cook
• Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Buble

Contest News! Guitar Guru Headset Give-a-Way and New Contest!

For the month of November, be sure to check out our Suggest a Winter Holiday Song Contest for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Musicnotes.com!

We’ve contacted our Guitar Guru headset winner for October’s contest. Thank you to everyone who entered for a chance to win.

Until next time, remember… practice really does make perfect!

With music and lyrics written by Joss Whedon, the songs offer a range of styles from jazz to rock to Broadway. Now, you can download digital sheet music for Once More With Feeling. Here are some of the more memorable songs from this popular episode:

• I’ll Never Tell which was sung by Xander and Anya
• Going Through the Motions was sung by Buffy, but was also sung as a reprise.
• Rest In Peace was sung by the vampire Spike to Buffy.
• Under Your Spell was sung by Tara to Willow
• Standing was sung by Giles
• Walk Through the Fire was sung by the cast from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In addition to songs from this musical episode, we also have more sheet music from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including the theme song.

Hit Songs from Your Song Requests

We are pleased to announce that we’ve added these brand new songs straight from your song requests from some wonderful performers!

• Fallin’ for You by Colbie Caillat
• Doesn’t Mean Anything by Alicia Keys
• Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood
• Wild Horses by Susan Boyle
• Winter Snow by Chris Tomlin
• Bridal March by Jonathan Cain
• Happy by Leona Lewis
• Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z with Alicia Keys

Stay tuned for more news about your song requests and Christmas sheet music. We’ve heard that some of you are already practicing Christmas carols, and we want to ensure that we get you the sheet music you need to sing or play for this year’s holiday season!

ONE WEEK LEFT! Take $1.00 Off Your Next Digital Music Purchase

SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a Broadway show that first appeared on stage in the late 1970s. Based on a character from the Penny Dreadful serial novel from the mid-1860s, this spooky barber cut more than his client’s hair. Assisted by Mrs. Lovett who bakes his victims into her pies, this is definitely one of the creepier shows ever to hit the stage on Broadway. Songs include Green Finch and Linnet Bird, Not While I’m Around and The Worst Pies in London.

Man-eating plants from outer space, frightening dentists and big hair run amok in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. The show has a little bit of a “B”-movie feel to it. A popular show for a lot of kids, songs include Suddenly, Seymour, Somewhere That’s Green and Feed Me.

Both PHANTOM and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA were inspired by the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra written by Gaston Leroux. The story of a disfigured man-in-the-shadows who falls in love with a beautiful girl named Christine may be part romance, but it’s also a terrifying and tragic story, too. Over the years, the phantom’s signature mask has inspired many Halloween costumes. The new PHANTOM is more like the original novel than the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, but both offer memorable and haunting songs like Think of Me and Home.

Other Broadway shows perfect for Halloween include WICKED, JEKYLL AND HYDE, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

New Moon Sheet Music New Releases!

This week, we’ve added two classical pieces from the brand new NEW MOON soundtrack. Both of these songs are part of the bonus track on the CD, and sheet music is available for instant download.

• Die Fledermaus — Duettino: Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir performed by APM Orchestra
• Wandrers Nachtlied II, Op. 96, No. 3, D.768 performed by Ulf Bastlein

Be sure to watch Musicnotes.com for more updates about upcoming sheet music for New Moon.

Join Your Fellow Music Lovers on Facebook!

Have you visited Musicnotes on Facebook? We have been having a lot of fun on our Facebook page. Many of you have chimed in and offered us feedback or enjoyed our Facebook-specific contests. When you become a fan of us on Facebook, we’ll offer you some sneak previews that will show up in your updates.

Thank you so much for sharing your love of music! We hope you continue playing and practicing your favorite songs!

And if you’re on Facebook…we’ll see you there!

Trick or Treat! Take $1.00 Off Your Next Digital Music Purchase

Musicnotes.com is proud to highlight Georgia in this edition of our Songwriter Spotlight. We’d also like to mention we offer a great selection of sheet music for songs by Georgia Stitt or the Alphabet City Song Cycle sheet music for piano and vocals, too!

Is there a difference between writing songs for a stage production versus a movie or a TV show?

Well, yes and no. In both cases you’re writing on assignment, as opposed to writing a song just because you feel like it. When writing for a project, either a stage musical or a TV/film project, you’re trying to capture the essential mood of the scene, the needs and voices of the characters, and you’re trying to take the listener from point A to point B in the storytelling. This is songwriting with a purpose.

Between the musical theater and the film world, there’s a real difference in the expected style of the music, but the essential task of why you’re writing the song feels more or less the same. The real difference is not between writing stage vs. TV/film, it’s between writing theatrically and writing pop music. There are rules in theater music that just go out the window when you’re writing pop songs, and vice versa. For example, in theater music, lyrics have to rhyme perfectly; anything else is considered a cop-out. In theater music, the singer makes a discovery over the course of a song and winds up knowing something at the end of it that he or she didn’t know at the beginning of it. In pop music, songs aren’t structured that way. It’s perfectly acceptable — even desirable — for you to sing about an emotion for three minutes without ever questioning that emotion. Pop songs say “I feel good.” Theater songs say “I feel good but it’s not going to last because you’re married but even so I’m just going to enjoy this moment while it’s here.” They are both unbelievably difficult to get right.

What are some things that you think about when composing choral pieces?

Like writing in any vocal style, I try to find the music within the words. Sometimes the rhythm of the words presents an idea, sometimes there is imagery in the words or I’m just responding to the fact that there are a lot of vowel sounds in these particular words. (Unlike other songs, I have always started choral music with the text first.) And then I have to think about what kind of ensemble I’m writing for. Is this piece for high school voices? Professional voices? Women’s choir only? What are the vocal ranges that limit me? (They’re bigger in professional groups than in high school or youth choirs.) How difficult do I want this piece to be? And because I come from a musical theater background, I’m always looking for ways to make sure the lyrics can be understood even when sung by a choir.

Some choral composers seem to enjoy just writing for the sounds of vowels or repeating words over and over again just because they’re there. (Of course, I love a piece of “Alleluia” music as much as anything else, but so far I haven’t written anything like that.) I want to make sure that at the end of a performance of a piece of my music, the listener has experienced something both musical and verbal.

Can you describe your role as vocal coach for AMERICA’S GOT TALENT in 2008?

“America’s Got Talent” was the third reality show for which I worked on the music staff. The first one was “Grease: You’re The One That I Want” in 2006 and the second was “Clash Of The Choirs” in 2007. On all three shows my job was to be a liaison between the singers and the producers. On the “Grease” show, most of the contestants were trained musical theater singers. They were amateurs, to be sure, but they had been in musicals before and many of them had studied voice in school. They were the musical theater kids. Then on “Clash,” the contestants were choirs. And again, though they were amateurs, these folks, both kids and adults, had experience singing in choirs. They knew if they were tenors or baritones, most of them could hold harmony and read music. They were the choir kids. And then, finally, on “America’s Got Talent,” the show’s contestants weren’t all singers, because it was a variety show. We had dancers, magicians, comedians, gigantic dancing balloons and an Elvis impersonator.

Of the 40 semi-finalists that year, however, 19 of them were singers, and several of those people had never had any kind of music training at all. So I was coaching them (one-on-one, several times a week) about vocal warm-ups, introducing them to concepts like singing harmony, using natural instead of forced vibrato, and musical phrasing. In one case I was desperately trying to get a contestant to quit smoking. (He didn’t.) One of our singers won the whole contest, though, and that was thrilling.

How has your educational background affected your ability to write and arrange music?

I can’t imagine being able to do what I do without having had the education I got. I started piano lessons at seven and played classical piano (competitions, juries, Guild) until I went to college. By the time I got to college I had a deep understanding of musical theory (thanks to my fabulous and diligent piano teachers) and breezed through a subject that was tough for a lot of my classmates.

In college at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music (Nashville) I majored in music theory and composition and had exposure to so many different subjects — orchestration, conducting, accompanying, arranging. And because of the wonderful liberal arts requirements at that school, I had to take classes that had nothing to do with music — philosophy, languages, history, English, computer science, and so on. I remember one of my professors telling me that you couldn’t be a composer unless you had something to write about, and that’s what the rest of your education was for. I will admit that a huge amount of my education since college has come just from doing it — getting hired to do a job and then figuring out what it is I needed to pull off. But I’m eternally grateful for the basic education I got at the beginning.

Have you ever directed performances of your own music? What was that like?

I have played the piano for many performances of my music, and I’ve conducted others. Honestly I have more experience being involved in performances of my own music than I have of seeing other people do it. I do a lot of concerts where I play and sing my own material, and I often invite other singers and musicians to join me on stage. I love pulling those things together, and I love it when a singer teaches me something about my song that I didn’t already know. What’s hard for me is sitting in the audience (or worse yet… watching on YouTube!) when someone sings one of my songs badly. I know that once the songs are out of my hands they’re out of my hands, but in that case perhaps it’s better if I just never know about it.

Which comes first for you – writing music or writing lyrics?

I usually start with an idea for a song. I try to find a point of view or an expression of an idea that I’ve never heard anyone else say quite the same way. Sometimes it’s the title, or the hook of the song, sometimes it’s a musical idea, a rhythmic or melodic theme. Either way, once that original gesture is in place it’s completely back and forth between the music and the lyric.

In my world, it’s absolutely important that the rhymes are perfect rhymes, so I spend a lot of time trying to find just the right words to express the idea without forcing the rhyme. And lately, I’ve been trying to make sure I don’t just regurgitate the same musical ideas over and over again. I find my fingers on the piano want to go to the same chords over and over again, so I challenge myself to write away from the piano, or to try something different just to see where it leads me. The best thing about writing both the music and the lyrics is that if you find yourself veering off in a different direction than you originally intended, you just let yourself go there. That’s where I always discover the best work.

Can you talk about the songwriting process for ALPHABET CITY CYCLE?

Sure. Marcy Heisler is a musical theater lyricist I have long admired, and I approached her about the possibility of finding something for us to write together. She gave me a file-folder of poems she had written that weren’t exactly theater songs but weren’t exactly art songs, either, and told me I was welcome to take a crack at anything in there that seemed appealing. It was like a treasure trove of possibility. There were so many fantastic words. Some of the songs lifted right off of the page; others required a bit of re-structuring to turn them into the pieces they became. But the twenty-minute, five song cycle (for soprano, violin and piano) that resulted is a special little gem that’s unlike anything either of us has written with anyone else.

Kate Baldwin recorded the songs so beautifully (for PS Classics and available on iTunes), and I’m thrilled that other singers are discovering them and responding to them so positively.

Is there a difference working in Broadway or stage productions now versus five or ten years ago?

Probably, but I’m just here in my studio plugging away. The economic state of America (and of Americans) has been a huge problem for Broadway. If people view theater as a luxury item then it’s one of the first sacrifices they make when their budgets tighten. In some ways it feels like Broadway has become so much more commercial than it used to be. A show won’t sell tickets unless it has a TV star in it, a title won’t appeal to the masses unless it’s recognizable because it was first a famous movie, a show that strings together a bunch of hits from a faded rock band sells more tickets than an original musical drama. It’s enough to make writers really discouraged, and then every season there’s at least one truly original, fabulously dramatic and beautifully-crafted new musical, and it keeps us all inspired and writing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring vocalists? Songwriters?

Find the thing that makes you unique and make sure you know how to showcase that to the best of your abilities. I grew up thinking it was so important to be well-rounded, and in my life, that has proven to be true. But in my work, the more sure I am of my own voice the better my songs tend to be. A singer/actor who can do everything well often winds up being the understudy. The star is the person who is so original you can’t imagine the show without her.

What to you is the most important element of a song and why?

Honesty. When a person tells me my songs are honest I feel like I’ve gotten it right. We all steal from musicians in the past, we all are the products of the music we’ve listened to all our lives, and we all are trying to write something that will appeal to a wide-spectrum of listeners. But if the choices you make are watering down your material, making it more generic or more derivative, then you’re not being honest. Sometimes the most honest and original voice winds up being the most universal.

What’s Next for You?

On the professional front, I’m finishing up a musical revue that I’ve been writing with songwriter David Kirshenbaum, and we’re hoping to start development on that in 2010. Cheri Steinkellner and I have a 30-minute musical piece that will be presented in NYC around the end of the year, and I have two book musicals that I’m shopping around: THE WATER (written with Jeff Hylton and Tim Werenko) and BIG RED SUN (written with John Jiler). Finally, I’ve started recording a new album that I’m really hoping to release in 2010 on PS Classics, the same label that released “This Ordinary Thursday” in 2007. On the personal front, however, I’m having a baby in October and that’s pretty all-consuming right now!

Musicnotes.com would like to thank Georgia Stitt for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions. We would also like to extend our thanks for the photos she supplied to us and would like to mention that Maia Rosenfeld took the photo featured in this post. The photographers for the main image are (from left to right) Maia Rosenfeld, Mike Rozman and April Mills.

For more about this talented songwriter, be sure to visit the official website of Georgia Stitt or visit Musicnotes.com for our catalog of sheet music by Georgia Stitt.

Musicnotes.com is thrilled to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Wizard of Oz by featuring beautifully-arranged sheet music and a gorgeous songbook. We’ve just received a brand new sheet music book entitled The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Deluxe Songbook from Alfred Music Publishing. This full color book marks the first time some songs from The Wizard of Oz sheet music have been published in over a century. Arranged and transcribed by Tod Edmonson and Ethan Neuburg, you’ll find movie stills, two songs from the 1903 Broadway musical production of The Wizard of Oz that include lyrics by original Oz author L. Frank Baum, biographies, fact-filled essays and more!

Cary Ginell, who works for Alfred Music Publishing, wrote the history essay for the newly published sheet music book. Not only is he a music historian, musician and author of five books on American music, he has a deep love of music that shines through his writing. We would like to extend our thanks to Cary and all the folks over at Alfred for sharing the news with us about this collector’s item, and offer our congratulations on a beautiful book. Here are a few more points we’d like to share about this sheet music book:

• For the first time, all the songs from The Wizard of Oz are presented in their original keys.
• Songs are newly arranged from rare M-G-M studio manuscripts & the original motion picture soundtrack.
• Includes biographies of songwriters Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, as well as music director/conductor Herbert Stothart.
• The “Munchkinland Musical Sequence,” is presented for the first time as it appears in the film: as an uninterrupted operetta, with all songs, dialog, and themes included.
• Music is included for “The Jitterbug,” a rare song that was deleted from the original film.

In addition to this collector’s item, we also offer the songs through our digital sheet music format.

The Wizard of Oz Digital Sheet Music

For those of you who enjoy downloading sheet music from our site, we also offer many of these songs as a digital sheet music download. If you’re a big fan of The Wizard of Oz, you can also check out our selection of The Wiz sheet music and Wicked sheet music, too.

Here’s a list of some signature song titles from The Wizard of Oz that we recommend:

• We’re Off to See the Wizard
• If I Only Had a Heart
• Over the Rainbow named “Song of the Century” by the RIAA!
• Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead
• The Lollipop Guild
• If I Only Had a Brain
• If I Only Had the Nerve
• The Merry Old Land of Oz

Be sure to place your order today for this spectacular collection of sheet music from The Wizard of Oz. We hope you take the time to watch the film or read the books, too!

For example, we have sheet music for Meet Me On The Equinox from Death Cab for Cutie. This song is the first song announced for the movie NEW MOON, the sequel to TWILIGHT. The song Magic by Selena Gomez, on the other hand, is a song from the 70s that many of you have asked for.

Here is a list of some other great songs that we’ve been adding to fulfill your song requests:

• Send It On by Disney Channel Friends for Change
• Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
• Bad Things from TRUE BLOOD
• Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
• Sort Of by Ingrid Michaelson
• Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
• Fire by Augustana

For those of you that prefer Christian sheet music, we’d also like to point out a few songs that we’ve added for your requests, too.

• Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig and Dean
• Follow You by Leeland with Brandon Heath
• He Is by Mark Schultz
• More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz
• Wait and See by Brandon Heath
• Lay ‘Em Down by Need to Breathe
• Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North

If you’re interested, please feel free to add your sheet music requests through our song suggestion tool.

Up to 25% Off Vocal Method Books

Are you a vocalist who wants to improve your skills? How about a singer who wants to improve your sight-reading? Whenever we talk about things like How To Find Your Vocal Range or offer some Sheet Music Sight-Reading Tips, you often tell us how much you appreciate the information. To help you become a better singer, we’re putting a great selection of vocal method books on sale.

From now through midnight, September 30th, enjoy up to twenty-five percent off select vocal method books. The price is automatically deducted from the books you want to buy; there’s no minimum purchase nor do you have to enter a coupon.

Included in our sale are vocal method books like The New Voice (How to Sing and Speak Properly) or the The Contemporary Singer (Elements of Vocal Technique) which we’ve pictured on the left. The New Voice method book has more of an emphasis on singing mechanics and is originally $15.95, but it’s on sale for $12.76, while The Contemporary Singer is perfect for vocalists wanting to appear on stage. We also recommend the book Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, for those of you who want to improve your skills in that area.

To take advantage of this sale, we invite you to visit our vocal method books page to browse our recommended titles.

Take 10% Off Guitar Guru Sessions

We recently had some fun promotions for Guitar Guru, like our huge $10,000 give-a-way, but we’re not done yet! From now until midnight, September 30th take ten percent off of your favorite Guitar Guru Sessions. Just enter code GG3TEN at checkout to take advantage of the savings. Limit one per customer.

You might want to check out some of the hot new Sessions we’ve added. This Guitar Guru Session of Yesterday by The Beatles has already hit our top five! With the release of the remastered CDs and BEATLES: ROCK BAND, Beatlemania seems to have literally struck a chord with guitarists. Check out these Guitar Guru Sessions for The Beatles to see some of the new Sessions we’ve added.

If you’re not sure what you want to play, here’s a few more suggestions from a broad range of musical styles for you:

• She Talks To Angels by The Black Crowes
• Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley
• Fridays I’m In Love by The Cure
• Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
• Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet
• Breaking the Law by Judas Priest
• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones

Well that’s all the time we have for this week’s edition of The Whole Note. Until next time, make sure you tighten those strings and flex your fingers!

Performed by big bands, orchestras and solo artists, there are many memorable songs from the 1940s that continue to resonate through the years. For example, there are quite a few songs from the Irving Berlin sheet music repertoire from this period, as well as several more from the collection of sheet music for songs by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra.

In addition to music written in this era, there is no shortage of powerful movie scores and songs for films set during this time period. Sheet music for Schindler’s List and the collection of songs from the Sound of Music are just two examples, but there are several others.

Here are some popular songs from this time period that we recommend:

• G.I. Jive
• Dancing in the Dark
• On the Atchinson, Topeka and the Santa Fe
• Take the ‘A’ Train
• Warsaw Concerto
• I’ll Walk Alone
• (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover
• I’ll Never Smile Again
• When The Lights Go On Again (All Over The World)
• Comin’ In On A Wing And a Prayer
• Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

If you haven’t already, be sure to read Before You Go a Patriotic Song’s Story, for a moving story behind a song written to honor veterans from WWII and other wars.

Among Gavin’s sheet music offerings is his piano version of the Death Cab For Cutie favorite I Will Follow You Into The Dark, which has become a hit with fans of the movie Twilight.

Gavin revealed that, “I’ve always loved playing the song, and although I’d never intended to record it, we went ahead and filmed a one-take performance our last night at Peter Gabriel’s studios. Not only did the people in my camp end up loving the arrangement, but fans of the ‘Twilight’ series discovered the track, and we’ve been flooded with emails asking if I created it specifically with Edward and Bella in mind. Although that isn’t the case, I’m honored that they connect with the song on such a deep level.”

Gavin is a shining example of how an independent artist/songwriter was able to leverage new technology to build a following of fans. For almost five years, fans have been able to follow him through the Gavin Mikhail on MySpace page, the official website of Gavin Mikhail and even a blog for Gavin Mikhail, too. Recently, he launched a YouTube channel for Gavin Mikhail to attract listeners and offer devoted fans exclusive videos as well. Although Gavin wrote songs, produced and recorded music professionally prior to launching his online presence, once he did, the quality and clarity of his music shined through, garnering him an average of 800 to 1,000 new followers per day. The online success of his album Like Normal People Do subsequently reached overseas to Japan, where he was able to sign a licensing deal to sell his music there. One event in particular that helped Gavin launch his career was the Real World Studios contest, in which fans voted for their favorite artist to record their next album in England at Peter Gabriel’s studios. (Be sure to read “Richard Marx, Peter Gabriel, and the Real World Studios Contest” which is a blog post written from Gavin to his fans. The post details his appreciation for their support and his deep connection to Peter Gabriel’s music).

Our Interview with Gavin

From winning this fan-based contest to having his music appear on MTV, VH1 and ESPN, Gavin is a savvy independent artist who’s always looking toward the horizon. Even though Gavin is a popular independent artist today, his story originates in his love for music and songwriting many years ago. Please join us as we ask him a few questions about his origins in music and some exciting new opportunities on the horizon! After you read his responses, be sure to watch Gavin Mikhail performing his interpretation of I Will Follow You Into The Dark, which debuts this week!

What was the turning point for you from amateur to professional musician/songwriter?

That’s a great question, Monica. Unlike some artists, I can’t really point to a specific moment in time. My career has definitely been one loooooong slow build. (just ask my wife *smiles*) But, if I had to pick a turning point, it would probably be early 2006… that’s when the MySpace thing really started to take off. Prior to that, in all honesty, I had very few fans. Like anyone starting out, I was just a guy writing songs in his basement in the hopes that someone might connect. As social networking grew in 2006, my exposure increased exponentially, and for the first time, I was able to actually describe what I was doing as a ‘career.’ I really can’t thank my friends and fans enough for that. Truly an unbelievable year for me.

What message do you have for aspiring songwriters and musicians today?

As simple and cliché as this might sound… take the time to find your own voice, and you’ll do great. Everyone has something to say, and in order to really do justice to your music and your message, you have to find your own voice. Often it won’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, but with time and effort, one day you’ll wake up to realize you’re actually pretty good at this thing you work so hard at. (haha) Seriously, as “un”-new-agey as I can make this sound… the planets will kind of align for you. At the same moment you realize you’re getting somewhere, everyone else will start to realize it as well… As a side note to that, we’ve all seen the YouTube phenomenon – a kid doing Coldplay karaoke with 15 MILLION views… That kind of exposure is an amazing byproduct of technology (and a tempting ’shortcut’ to success), but if you look at the most successful artists, in general, they aren’t the YouTube kid. I guess the point I’m making is that it’s better to work at your craft, and find your own voice FIRST… THEN go for the exposure. If you’ve taken the time to develop, people will respond to you. They really will.

Can you tell us about the song history behind “Brave?”

Given that the story behind Brave is about my wife… and today’s our anniversary? Absolutely. (haha) Seriously, I’ll start by saying that my wife is an amazing person. This has been a long hard road for both of us, and throughout she’s been a constant source of support and inspiration. Brave, as well as the rest of the Like Normal People Do record, was written during her pregnancy with our daughter, Fiona… definitely one of the most soul-searching times in my life. Between doubts about my career and the stresses brought on by having a child for the first time… I was feeling pretty lost. We had a conversation one night in which I basically said I wasn’t sure I could do this (be in music) anymore. That maybe it was time to let go. Her response to me is the song itself. Even today, it’s hard for me to talk about without tearing up, but she essentially said… “I love you, I believe in you, and you need to keep doing it. You’ll get there…” I owe her everything for that.

What was it like recording “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” at Peter Gabriel’s studios?

Indescribable. Truly indescribable. Peter Gabriel is hands down my favorite artist, and not just because of his music. He’s a positive force in the world. From his songs to his soundtrack work to his studios to his philanthropic efforts, he’s a phenomenal human being and most definitely my template for success. Just BEING at the studios was overwhelming for me, but getting to record there affected me on a truly visceral level. I’ve always been a perfectionist when it comes to my music, but the studios somehow lessened that perfectionism, and the acoustic tracks we did there were, without a doubt, the most honest work I’ve ever done. Not controlled… just… laying it out there. I Will Follow You Into The Dark is, to me, probably the most beautiful love song ever written. To say to someone – I love you so much I would follow you into the afterlife… unbelievable… let’s just say I hope I did the song justice. *smiles* Anyway, the engineer Dom, my video producer Kyle, and I went back into the studio by ourselves late the last night, and we recorded that song as well as my cover of Peter Gabriel’s Secret World and the acoustic versions of my songs Brave and Sight Unseen. They were all one-takes start to finish, and I can honestly say I’ve never been more in-the-moment than I was with those songs. We released them as ‘The Real World Sessions – Volume I‘ in April of this year, and they stand as some of the work I’m most proud of in my career.

How long does it take you to produce a song versus an album?

Great question… I’m definitely a songwriter first and foremost, so I tend to write pretty quickly. It isn’t uncommon for me to go from inception to finished piano-vocal recording in one or two days time. That said, I’m excruciatingly SLOW when it comes to production. (Just ask my fans! *smiles*) Idolizing people like Peter Gabriel, Daniel Lanois, Pierre Marchand, Trent Reznor… I believe in taking the time to craft arrangements that take a song to the next level. Add to that my perfectionism, and yeeeeeaaaah… doesn’t make for speedy.

How has the internet affected your ability to song-write and produce music?

That ties in well with your previous question, actually. The internet has radically changed not only the way music is delivered, but even more so -- the SPEED with which people demand it. As sad as it is to say, I think the days of epic production albums are going away. Attention spans are shorter, and most people aren’t willing to wait around for the ‘masterpiece to be unveiled.’ So, to me, that’s the negative side of the internet revolution. The positive side is that people are completely accepting of (and even craving) raw content. In a society oftentimes driven by image over substance, they’re looking for something real. And, that presents an unbelievable opportunity for independent songwriters and musicians. If you’re honest, and you’re willing to put yourself out there… people will respond. What all that translates into (to me at least) is not to put out albums, but instead, focus on single-song releases. I’ll be announcing next week that, moving forward, I’ll be releasing SOMETHING on the second Thursday of every month… for the next few years, at least. Whether it’s the fifteen new full-production songs from the Peter Gabriel studios trip, acoustic versions of new songs, the concerts we recorded in Munich and Chicago last year… whatever. Constant content. Although the releases will be download only, if enough people want physical copies, we’ll try to accommodate that. Maybe for every five songs, we’ll do a digipak and roll in extra content – additional footage from the trip to England, new songs, etc. Lots of options, for sure…

The bottom line is that this is an exciting time in music. If you’re reading this, and you’re an aspiring artist, songwriter, or musician, realize that the direct line to the people who will appreciate your music has never been more readily available. Just take the time to develop your voice, and then… put yourself out there. If you can think you can, you can.

Ok… yeah… that last part sounded like a self-help seminar. I’ll shut up now. Thanks for listening.

Be sure to download sheet music for Gavin Mikhail through Musicnotes.com or order his music through his website located at www.gavinmikhail.com. We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our Songwriter Spotlight, and we’re excited to share with you Gavin’s brand new video!