In the early 80′s, the group disbanded as we all pursued different musical directions. I continued working in the industry dividing my time between teaching, writing, researching and playing.

In 1984, I began to develop a problem with “Sleep Apnea”. I had never heard of this sleep disorder and didn’t recognize it as such. I assumed that I was tired, very tired but nothing beyond that. My wife, Coreen was the first to suspect that a serious problem was developing.

Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English) is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea (Greek: ἄπνοια (ápnoia), from α- (a-), privative, πνέειν (pnéein), to breathe), lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep.[1] The standard definition of any apneic event includes a minimum 10-second interval between breaths, with either a neurological arousal (a 3-second or greater shift in EEG frequency, measured at C3, C4, O1, or O2) or a blood oxygen desaturation of 3–4% or greater, or both arousal and desaturation. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a “sleep study”.

- Wikipedia entry on Sleep Apnea

My oxygen level had dropped dangerously low, debilitating my energy and will to perform. Since the oxygen level affected my metabolism, I gained a huge amount of weight, further complicating the energy issues. There was barely enough energy to teach but not enough to give concerts.

In 2008, I was tested for Sleep Apnea. The test results showed that I had a condition called “Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea”. Two measurements of the severity of this disorder are the number of times you wake up per hour and the number of times you stop breathing per hour. The report showed that I woke up 108 times per hour and stopped breathing 106 times per hour! I had the answer to my long struggle after years of fatigue.

I began sleep therapy immediately using a BiPap breathing machine at night while I slept. For the first time in many, many years, I was actually sleeping through the night and waking up rested.

The next issue was the weight. I modified my diet severely and began to exercise regularly. With the help and support of my wife, I turned the condition totally around, lost 110 pounds and began to feel like the young 24 year old jazz guitarist who had formed the original Chuck Anderson Trio.

I’ve become an unofficial spokesperson for the dangers of “Sleep Apnea”. It is a disorder that is easily confused with typical symptoms that many people show in society: stress, poor diet, fatigue, lack of energy and motivation, getting up frequently through the night and a general feeling of never feeling rested and never being able to “catch up”. Sound like anyone you know? How about you? I have been able to get quite a few of my students into sleep therapy programs and it seems to be working for them.

Today, at age 62, I have begun to rebuild my performing career. My energy and work ethic are at an all time high. I’ve recorded and released a new CD and have resumed giving concerts.

An often misdiagnosed and overlooked condition, if you’re feeling similar symptoms, don’t take the chance that you too could be affected by Sleep Apnea. Your career and livelihood depend on how much energy you have.

What makes one different than another is not the external factors of technique but the unique projection of personality that comes through the music. Just as you meet one person that you like and another person that you don’t like, the audience is only affected by their own individual response to a player.

Does the player move them or not? After all, the audience is not in a position to judge a player on the basis of his or her technique or knowledge. The audience can only react. This is ultimately a good thing.

Bill Evans said something that I always admired . He said you must please yourself. Play what pleases you. You can’t chase players or styles or trends. In essence, he was saying find your own voice.

From a marketing point of view, you have to find an audience that likes your style, your sound, your personality.

If you become your own unique self, you’ll never be disappointed with the results!

On the flip side of this, there is another issue to consider. Using my career as an example, I was highly reputed in the show side of music and worked in that field for many years, I then got tired of it and went hard in the direction of Jazz concerts. From there, I returned to show playing and studio work. In time, I switched my focus to composing, working in corporate, radio and television advertising. Next was an eight year period of Neo Classical guitar with concerts, recordings, radio and television appearances. From that endeavor, I began writing instruction books on music. And through it all, I continued to teach and consult. The only activity that has been constant in my career has been teaching.

So where’s the problem? Recently, I made a hard shift back to jazz concert work. But in my absence, everyone forgot who I was. It’s like starting over. The same is true of all my contacts in each other field.

If you can maintain a series of activities simultaneously, it’s more realistic considering how quickly the world forgets you. If you leave a field behind and don’t go back to it, no problem. But all in all, it’s good to have consistent activity in as many areas as you want to pursue.

Balance as always is the key to virtually everything.

These words are Practice, Play and Rules.

Practice – This implies boring repetition. It’s uncreative and unproductive.

Play – This connotes casual fun – a frivolous, optional activity.

Rules -These are a rigid set of “laws” which must be followed.

I would suggest that the word Practice be replaced with the word Explore.

I would suggest that the word Play be replaced with the word Work.

I would suggest that the word Rules be replaced with the word Principles.

Why?

When you explore music, it becomes fun and exciting. To explore is to discover!

Work in the music business is not like work in any other field. Most musicians feel blessed to make music their career. So work in this context is joyful not tedious.

The Principles of music hold the key to the development of your potential. Within these principles, there is unlimited opportunity to expand your creativity.

Back in the day, a manager was necessary to pursue this field. Today, things have changed so much that I’m not so sure that it’s as necessary as it once was.

What do you absolutely need today? An agent’s job is to get you performances. That’s essential! There is no performing career without performances. How about a lawyer, an accountant, a road manager, a sound company, a lighting company, roadies etc,etc. Well, all in good time.

But I want to focus today on the role of Public Relations. At one time, this may have been considered a fancy luxury. But, considering the changes in the industry, I feel that the role of PR is now one of those necessary things to have. Of course, it has to be a good firm that can deliver what they claim to be able to deliver. That will take some searching and some interviewing – both on your part and on their part.

Some simple guidelines. The firm or individual should have been in business at least 10 years. They should specialize in music – in particular your kind of music. They need to be flexible as far as the programs that they offer and the fees that they charge. After all, you’re not usually rolling in money at the beginning of your music career.

It’s a search but it’s well worth the effort. So that’s my overly simplistic suggestion. You need an agent and good PR. The rest will be up to you!

A songwriter writes a single melody line and lays it over a chord progression. Lyrics are added if the song is to be a vocal tune. The order in which he or she creates these elements is irrelevant.

Sometimes these elements are created by a pair or team of writers. Sometimes they are created by a single writer.

A composer, on the other hand creates multiple streams of melody which harmonize at certain points to create harmony ie the chords.

Songwriters tend to use chord symbols in generating their songs – composers don’t tend to work that way. Many songwriters start their songs with a chord progression – composers don’t.

Songwriters tend to use basic harmonic rhythm and standard theme lengths and structures – again the composer does not.

Certainly writers can operate in the song field and the composer field but it does take the development of the knowledge, experience and the techniques of both fields!