In his 1976 hit, “I Write the Songs ,” Barry Manilow sang about putting “the words and the melodies together.” In the simplest terms (although the process can sometimes be quite complex), that’s what songwriting is all about: the blending of lyrics and music.

A question people sometimes ask us is this: what do I create first– the music or lyrics? This is just like the age-old brain teaser of what comes first, the chicken or the egg? We are not about to debate the issue of the chicken versus the egg, but when it comes to songwriting, there is no definite “right-or-wrong” answer. If an idea or a theme strikes you, you will likely write the lyrics first and then create the music that matches the song’s mood. On the other hand, if a melody swirls in your mind, you might want to expand it and then add words to it. Either way, it works!

Words and music

History tells us that various musicians have their own, individual approaches to the process of song creation. For instance, opera composers like Puccini and Rimsky-Korsakov wrote music first, and then had the librettists create words. However, the famed team of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein usually wrote the lyrics before the music. While many musicians may disagree with this statement, English theatre and film director Peter Brook said in an interview, that “never in history has a guy written the tunes, and someone has come along and put the words to them. I once asked Richard Rodgers whether he had any tunes in his bottom drawer waiting for a lyric. He told me that it was only when he heard the lyricist’s precise words, such as Hammerstein’s ‘O, what a beautiful morning,’ that the melodies emerged.” Others may argue with this “lyrics first” approach. For instance, The Beatles’ hit “Yesterday ” began as a melody in Paul McCartney’s dreams. Later, he added lyrics to it. But Elton John reversed the process – at least in this particular case . As you can see, he created an impromptu melody to match an existing text!

In a word…

Whether or not you are interested in writing your own songs or playing the ones already created by others, our teachers can help. When they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, they will offer their guidance and inspiration, no matter what instrument you play. And if you take voice lessons, you’ll be able to belt out any song – music AND lyrics!

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On August 3, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set sail from the Spanish port of Palos. He was in command of three ships – the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. The goal of this historic journey was to find a new sea route to China, India, and other parts of Asia.

More than two months later, on October 12, Columbus’ ships found the “New World” – the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. But despite the myth that had persisted for hundreds of years, Columbus didn’t “discover” America — in fact, he never set foot here. Of course, in the 15th century, America was already settled by Indians; historians are not sure who actually discovered the continent, but we do know it was named after another Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Still, October 12 is observed in the United States as Columbus Day, which celebrates the contributions Italian immigrants have made to our country.

Music of the Renaissance

There are some songs that commemorate Columbus’s discovery of the New World . They are decidedly modern, but what about the music that was in vogue in Columbus’ home country of Italy, as well as in the rest of Europe, during his lifetime? The music of the Renaissance era is not as widely known to us as the styles that developed in the next century. Baroque had given us Johann Sebastian Bach, George Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi, whose music is still played and loved to this day. But that is not to say the Renaissance compositions are not worth listening to. A lot of the music from that period, both religious and secular, is based on modes, has a rich texture, and harmony . Among the most popular Renaissance instruments were the cornamuse, cromorne, shawm, clavichord, and virginal. None of them is still commonly used; the only instrument of that era that remains popular to this day is the recorder. We have no idea whether Columbus listened to music while he sailed the ocean blue, or, for that matter, whether he was a music aficionado. But we do know that the music played in churches and royal palaces during his lifetime was really beautiful! That’s the kind of music Europeans were fond of. But what about the inhabitants of North America, which Columbus allegedly discovered? Native American tribes of the 15th century were quite evolved and their music often included drums, rattles, flutes, wood whistles.

That’s amore!

As we said, Columbus Day is a holiday in the United States, a celebration of the rich Italian heritage. In New York, where approximately 1.8 million people of Italian descent live, a parade takes place today (as it does every year) along Fifth Avenue. As always, it’s lots of fun! Even if he didn’t actually discover America, Columbus still went down in history as an explorer and an adventurer. Learning to play a musical instrument is also an adventure of sorts – your curiousity will help you discover new sounds and other musical elements that you never knew before. That’s where our teachers can help. When they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, your music lesson will be smooth sailing!

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Welcome to October! The whole month unveils before us, so let’s get organized. We mean this literally because the first week of October is the National Get Organized Week. What exactly does this entail, you may wonder? Actually, it could mean a variety of things, from organizing your closet and drawers, to organizing a labor union! In other words, any task or activity to which you give an orderly and coherent structure.

What about music lessons? We are so glad you asked because, while there’s absolutely nothing wrong (and a lot of good) about improvisation in music, when it comes to lessons, good preparation and advance planning – in other words, organization! – are very important.

Get ready!

You want your lessons – and music experience in general – to be both productive and enjoyable, don’t you? We do too! To achieve this synergy, we suggest that you follow these simple steps: First of all, make sure your instrument is in good “working” condition, which means that you always protect it from harm and damage, and generally take excellent care of it. Now that you’ve taken care of your instrument, take care of yourself. Sit (or stand) comfortably and hold your instrument correctly. Proper posture is very important – not only because it helps you play better, but it also prevents aches and soreness. How do you make sure your body is ready? Start by stretching and strengthening your wrists, hands and arms before your lesson. Simple exercises like squeezing a tennis ball or lifting a dumbbell will be useful. Building up the core strength of your diaphragm trunk muscles is essential, especially if you play a woodwind or brass instrument. If you take voice lessons, learn how to use your abdomen muscles and have proper breathing techniques. Your instrument and body are ready, but what about your attitude? Are you enthusiastic, motivated, and focused? We hope so, because mental readiness is just as important as the physical one. Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to schedule your lessons on regular basis and practice in between.

Always prepared

Now that we’ve given you some tips on how to get organized for your lessons, you may be wondering what to expect of our teachers? We can assure you that besides being excellent music instructors, they are also very organized. For instance, they always show up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office on time and well prepared for the lesson. It’s true that we can’t micro-manage everything, but when it comes to music lessons, we have the right …key! With our organizational skills and yours, we’ll make quite a team!

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Hey Joe Guitar might be one of NYC’s top guitar schools, but that doesn’t mean we have no other interests. We do – and we are especially fond of gripping “whodunit” mysteries.

Recently, we came upon a news report that caught our attention. It’s about a Mozart museum in Vienna putting on an exhibit focusing on whether Antonio Salieri had really murdered Mozart – as many people believe.

The article inspired us to look into other music mysteries, which, like the one surrounding Mozart and Salieri, remain unsolved to this day.

Carrying their secrets to the grave

Let’s start with Mozart. Did the Italian composer Salieri poisoned his more famous rival, as the 1984 movie, “Amadeus” suggested? Rumors of intentional poisoning started circulating soon after Mozart’s untimely death at 36 and, in fact, Salieri had allegedly confessed to the act. All this, however, is speculation based on diverging reports, and there is no evidence to prove (or disprove) Salieri’s guilt.

As a matter of fact, there are several different variants of what (or who) might have killed Mozart – including kidney failure, rheumatic fever, and eating bad pork chops – but no definite answer. One thing we are fairly sure of is that the butler didn’t do it.

The plot thickens…

The mystery around Mozart’s death has captured the public’s imagination the most, but it is certainly not the only one. Here are just a few of other unresolved music whodunits:

• Baroque violinist Jean-Marie Leclair was stabbed to death in Paris in 1764. The suspects included his ex-wife and nephew, but that’s all we know.

• Another famous composer whose death is shrouded in mystery is Peter Tchaikovsky, who died in 1893 at age 53. The official cause listed was cholera, but there were some suspicions that Russia’s ruling Tsar had something to do with Tchaikovsky’s demise. We’ll probably never find out what really happened to the composer of “The Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.”

Enquiring minds want to know…

You might be thinking by now that all the music mysteries relate to suspicious deaths. True, some of them do, including the one about Baroque composer Alessandro Stradella, who was stabbed to death in 1682 but his killer was never found.

Still, there are some mysteries that are not about death at all, but rather about puzzling events associated with renowned composers or pieces of music. For instance, questions are still raised about the identity of Beethoven’s “immortal beloved” to whom the composer sent a love letter in 1812. Or where the 16th century English composer Thomas Tallis was buried – the site remains unknown to this day.

There are also other intriguing music facts that are still inexplicable.

What about mysteries that have been solved at last? Let’s fast-forward to the 20th century, 1972 to be exact. There had been a long-running speculation about who was the subject of Carly Simon’s hit, “You’re so vain.”

The usual list of suspects included past boyfriends Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, and Kris Kristofferson, among others. In 2010, Carly finally shed light on a nearly four-decade-old secret: the “vain” man she sang about was record producer David Geffen. We really didn’t see this coming!

We have nothing to hide!

Here’s one fact that is NOT a secret: the excellence of our New York City music teachers.

Whatever instrument or music style you’d like to learn, a competent instructor will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you personalized lessons.

There’s no mystery about that at all!

Photo by: Celisa B.M.Serra

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Chances are that wherever you go these days, you hear traditional Christmas carols. Yes, they are beautiful and, for many of us, bring memories of Christmases past. “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Do You Hear What I Hear,” are among the carols that usually carry the Yuletide season into the New Year.

We at Hey Joe Guitar love those songs too, but, let’s be honest, sometimes we would like to hear something new – or, at least, something that is not as widely played as the traditional carols.

Do such songs exist? Yes they do! There are plenty of lesser-known tunes that beautifully express the true spirit of Christmas. We hope that, among the ones listed below, you will find some that will… strike a chord with you and your family.

Put on your listening ears

These are among our favorite not-so-well-known Christmas songs. Do you agree that they are worth listening to?

There is a Star that Shines Tonight – Sheryl Crow

Christmas Celebration – B.B. King

New Star Shining – Ricky Skaggs

Dear Santa Tim McGraw

Please Come Home for Christmas – The Eagles

Notice how this selection includes different genres, from jazz and blues to pop and country. So whatever kind of music you are partial to, chances are you will find exactly what you like!

Sounds from near and far

Speaking of lesser-known Christmas songs, have you ever wondered what traditional tunes are most popular in other countries? Of course, we all know the one from our south of the border neighbors, but how about these tunes from around the globe:

Yes, we know, the world is a vast place and the wealth of Christmas musical traditions is huge. Unfortunately, we can’t include all of them here, but at least you have an opportunity to hear some of them.

All you want for Christmas: New York City Music School

Say your interest is piqued and you want to pursue music – Christmas and other. Nothing could be easier and more enjoyable than getting involved with our NYC music school

Whatever instrument you want to play – guitar, piano, drums, or anything else – (or whatever songs you would like to sing), our excellent teachers will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office to give you personalized music lessons.

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When you think about Thanksgiving, do images of a succulent Butterball turkey with all the delicious trimmings jump to mind?

To most people, that is what Thanksgiving is all about – good food, good company, a good football game and, of course, expressing gratitude for all of life’s blessings.

But wait. Have you ever thought about what our country was like when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on a blistery December day in 1620? That historic event, and a harvest celebration that followed, eventually spawned the Thanksgiving holiday, as we know it today.

When the Mayflower docked and the colonialists disembarked onto dry land, they were met by Samoset, a Native American from the Wampanoag tribe. There was also Squanto, a member of the Patuxet nation, who helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter in the New World. By bringing the settlers corn and turkey, the locals had unwittingly started a Thanksgiving tradition that is still observed today.

Yes, Native Americans formed an early version of the “welcome wagon,” and yet their story is often left untold during the Thanksgiving celebrations.

Beyond the pow-wow

When the Mayflower sailed to the New World, science, philosophy and the arts thrived in post-Renaissance Europe. Native Americans, meanwhile, lived in far more primitive and perilous surroundings.

Yet, they had their tribal music, which – no pun intended – played a major role in their religious and ceremonial rites. Unlike their European counterparts, who played (or listened to) music for the enjoyment, indigenous American music had a specific, utilitarian purpose, such as the healing of the sick, the bringing of rain, or the success in battle.

Drums, flutes, rattles, whistles, and other instruments were (and still are) routinely used, producing a plaintive and poignant sound.

Then, there are Native American songs, which – by our Western standards – may sound monotonous, flat, and even off-key. But that unusual sound reflects the true spirit of the indigenous people and the many struggles and hardships they have had to overcome in order to survive – all of which make the music so special.

For the past decade and a half, these unique sounds have been celebrated at the annual Native American Music Awards ceremony, which not only recognizes outstanding musical achievement among Native Americans, but also gives indigenous musicians a greater – and much deserved – exposure.

Then and now

Have you ever wondered what our city looked like at the time of the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock? It certainly didn’t resemble the vibrant metropolis it is today. Called New Amsterdam at the time, it was a Dutch settlement and only the southern tip of Manhattan was inhabited. The rest of the territory that now forms New York City was wilderness where deer, bears, and coyotes roamed.

Aren’t you glad those days are over? Our NYC music teachers certainly are, because they go where no early settler had gone before – all over Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn, as well as Riverdale section of the Bronx. Needless to say, they wouldn’t want to encounter a coyote on their way to give an in-home or in-office music lesson because all they have to defend themselves is an instrument!

We mean it when we say that our Manhattan, Brooklyn and Riverdale music lessons are danger-free. Try us and see for yourself!

Photo by: California State University

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