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	<title>Chuck Anderson Jazz Guitar</title>
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	<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com</link>
	<description>World Re-known Jazz Guitarist</description>
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		<title>Discovering the Link Between &#8220;Jam&#8221; Bands Like Phish and Jazz Guitar</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/07/jam-bands-and-jazz-guitar/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/07/jam-bands-and-jazz-guitar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:27:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coleman Hawkins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grateful dead]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jam bands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phish]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=1045</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jam bands are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture that originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued in the 1990s with Phish. The performances of these bands often feature extended musical improvisation (&#8220;jams&#8221;) over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns and long sets of music that cross genre [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jam bands are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture that originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued in the 1990s with Phish. The performances of these bands often feature extended musical improvisation (&#8220;jams&#8221;) over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns and long sets of music that cross genre boundaries.</p>
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<p>While the seminal group Grateful Dead were originally categorized as psychedelic rock, by the 1990s the term &#8220;jam band&#8221; was used for groups playing a variety of genres, including those outside of rock such as funk, progressive bluegrass, and jazz fusion.</p>
<p><strong>Stylistic origins: Folk, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country </strong></p>
<p>Virtually, all American forms of popular music are fair game for a jam band.</p>
<p><strong>Cultural origins: United States 1960s with The Grateful Dead </strong></p>
<p>Continuing into the 1990s and beyond with bands like Phish, Umphrey&#8217;s McGee, Bela Fleck, Modeski, Martin and Wood among many others. Each group has unique inflections, stylistic influences and performing styles that help to create a loyal fan base, merchandise and an identifiable brand.</p>
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<p><strong>Instrumentation: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards &#8211; Guitar Dominant</p>
<p>Characteristics of Jam Bands:</strong></p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> Jam bands may be vocal , instrumental or a combination of both. The &#8220;jam&#8221; part is instrumental and improvisational. It is typically dominated by guitar.</p>
<p><strong>2.</strong> Taping, collecting and trading was pioneered by the Grateful Dead. This culture contributed to the popularity of the Dead and led the way for the jam bands of the future. This was so encouraged that direct feeds from the sound board were provided for &#8220;tapers&#8221; who wanted to archive the shows.</p>
<p><strong>3.</strong> Medleys, that is the stringing of songs together as a continuous song was typical.</p>
<p><strong>4. </strong>Song Quotation is the use of a small section of a famous song in the beginning, middle or end of another song.</p>
<p><strong>5.</strong> Theme &#8211; Extended Improvisation &#8211; Theme is not only the format of jam bands but as I&#8217;ll point out, characteristic of all types of musical styles and contemporary performing groups.</p>
<p><strong>6.</strong> Jam bands can exhibit one particular style or a fusion of different styles. This explains in part why there is such diversity among jam bands.</p>
<p>Each characteristic of a jam band is shared with a jazz group like my own. Jazz itself along with Blues is the original &#8220;jam band&#8221; music. An early example was jazz saxophonist <a href="http://www.redhotjazz.com/hawkins.html">Coleman Hawkins and his &#8220;All Star Jam Band&#8221;</a>. In a very real way, the word &#8220;jam&#8221; is a synonym for extended improvisational jazz.</p>
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<p>What often differentiates one &#8220;jam band&#8221; style from another is the sophistication of the chord progressions, melodies and improvisational excursions used in live shows. Virtuosity of soloists is typical though not essential.</p>
<p>Jazz, particularly guitar jazz, mirrors the approach of the jam band. Long extended improvisation is the rule not the exception. Perhaps the connection between jazz and jam bands has been blurred because so much of traditional jazz has been dominated by horns and piano. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m constantly discussing about my own belief in the jazz guitar as a market in and of itself. It&#8217;s not necessarily a subset of jazz. The guitar has its own market and legion of followers.</p>
<p>I hope that jam band followers will take a listen to guitar jazz a little closer then they would in the past &#8211; they just might hear the same spirit of freedom that they hear and feel in the jam band.</p>
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		<title>Understanding Your Musical Convictions</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/07/understanding-your-musical-convictions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/07/understanding-your-musical-convictions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[convictions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[showmanship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[songwriting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=983</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the biggest problems that musicians face is holding on to their own musical identity and integrity. It&#8217;s often tempting to bail out on your own direction and capitulate to an agent, an audience, a label or society in general.

Even with my experience in this business, I continue to be surprised by how a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One of the biggest problems that musicians face is holding on to their own musical identity and integrity. It&#8217;s often tempting to bail out on your own direction and capitulate to an agent, an audience, a label or society in general.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/guitar.png" alt="" title="guitar" width="346" height="421" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1042" /></p>
<p>Even with my experience in this business, I continue to be surprised by how a negative or even a neutral comment will often throw me out of balance. If someone says that my new CD &#8220;Freefall&#8221; is &#8220;nice&#8221;, it throws me. If someone doesn&#8217;t like my direction, my style, my songs or my sound, I feel emotionally like I should change what I do &#8211; what I am to please them. The logical side of me knows that this is not true. But the logical side isn&#8217;t the only side that operates. In the arts, it&#8217;s probably not even the most important side.</p>
<p>I love Bill Evan&#8217;s comments on the November 6th, 1978  Marian McPartland radio show. He said: &#8220;We must look at it as art. Otherwise, we&#8217;re going to get so confused because there are a million things you can do and so you just have to perfect your own art and hopefully, there&#8217;ll be room for it&#8221;.</p>
<p>Find the audience that likes what you like. You will never turn everyone in your direction. But you can find an audience!</p>
<p>My field is jazz, particularly the jazz guitar. But these comments are relevant to all sides of the musical world. The original band confused about direction and worried about how much cover material they should do. Or maybe it should be all cover or maybe not and on. The singer &#8211; songwriter who panics if everyone doesn&#8217;t love his or her material. Should I change the lyrics? Maybe they&#8217;re too deep or not deep enough. Maybe the chords aren&#8217;t complicated enough or maybe they&#8217;re too simple. Maybe my hooks aren&#8217;t memorable.</p>
<p>I think committed self conviction is the only road map. Use your own instincts to make decisions. Keep open minded. Stay single minded. Always consider the possibility of change but not the necessity of change. Don&#8217;t use every one&#8217;s negative opinion as a reason to change.</p>
<p>Change if you can justify and emotionally support change. If you don&#8217;t take that approach, you&#8217;ll be blown around by every opinion until you get to the point that you will not know who you are, what your music is for and where you are going.</p>
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		<title>Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist &#8211; Philosophy and Quotes</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/06/bill-evans-jazz-pianist-philosophy-and-quotes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/06/bill-evans-jazz-pianist-philosophy-and-quotes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:09:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bill Evans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Piano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pianist]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=910</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
“When you play music you discover a part of yourself that you never knew existed.”
&#8220;Actually, I’m not interested in Zen that much, as a philosophy, nor in joining any movements. I don’t pretend to understand it. I just find it comforting. And very similar to jazz. Like jazz, you can’t explain it to anyone without [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1027" title="billevans" src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/billevans.png" alt="" width="306" height="223" /></p>
<blockquote><p>“When you play music you discover a part of yourself that you never knew existed.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Actually, I’m not interested in Zen that much, as a philosophy, nor in joining any movements. I don’t pretend to understand it. I just find it comforting. And very similar to jazz. Like jazz, you can’t explain it to anyone without losing the experience. It’s got to be experienced, because it’s feeling, not words.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Words are the children of reason and, therefore, can’t explain it. They really can’t translate feeling because they’re not part of it. That’s why it bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It’s not. It’s feeling.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Sometimes it can happen that you see everything in terms of music. It’s like a fixation. You can’t help it. I get that way every time I’m trying to work something out. But it’s bad if you can’t pull out of it. Nothing should be that dominating. If it is, it is perverted.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“I want to play as good as I can, not necessarily as different. I am not interested in consciously changing the essence of my music. I would rather have it reveal itself progressively as I play. Ultimately, what counts is its essential quality, anyway, and differences vanish in a short time.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Bill Evans has always been my favorite jazz musician. Despite the fact that I play guitar, there has always been something about Bill Evans the man and the artist that fascinates me. His harmonic sense was legendary. His ability to swing – unparalleled. But the depth of this jazz artist and how he thought was to me, his most distinguishing and most valuable attribute.</p>
<p>Here are some of my favorite Bill Evans quotes. I find them realistic and inspiring. They have been a source of comfort to me throughout the development of my career in the creative world of  jazz.</p>
<blockquote><p>“In the long run, we must consider that what we do is an art.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“I hope, through my music, to contribute to creating a better world.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>”I had to work harder at music than most cats, because you see, I don’t have much talent.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Everybody talks about my harmonic conception. I worked very hard at that because I don’t have very good ears.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Now in retrospect, I think it was a good thing I didn’t have a great aptitude for mimicry though it made it very difficult for me at the time because I had to work very hard to take things apart. I had to build my whole music style. I’d abstract principles from people I dug, and I’d take their feeling or technique to apply to things the way I’d built them. But because I had to build them so meticulously, I think, worked out better in the end, because it gave me a complete understanding of everything I was doing.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Jazz is not a what, it’s a how. If it were a what, it would be static, never growing. The how is that music comes from the moment, it is spontaneous, it exists at the time it is created. And anyone who makes music according to this method conveys to me an element that makes his music jazz.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Intuition has to lead knowledge, but it can’t be out there alone.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“I went through a lot of mental pains and anguish about choosing between jazz and classical. I realized that where I functioned was where I should be, and where I functioned was in jazz, so that was it.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think some young people want a deeper experience. Some people just wanna be hit over the head and, you know, if then they [get] hit hard enough maybe they’ll feel something. You know? But some people want to get inside of something and discover, maybe, more richness. And I think it will always be the same; they’re not going to be the great percentage of the people. A great percentage of the people don’t want a challenge. They want something to be done to them — they don’t want to participate. But there’ll always be maybe 15% maybe, 15%, that desire something more, and they’ll search it out — and maybe that’s where art is, I think.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“To the person who uses music as a medium for the expression of ideas, feelings, images, or what have you; anything which facilitates this expression is properly his instrument.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Perhaps it is a peculiarity of mine that despite the fact that I am a professional performer, it is true that I have always preferred playing without an audience.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“First of all, I never strive for identity. That’s something that just has happened automatically as a result, I think, of just putting things together, tearing things apart and putting it together my own way, and somehow I guess the individual comes through eventually.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise…a part of yourself you never knew existed.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“I believe in things that are developed through hard work. I always like people who have developed long and hard, especially through introspection and a lot of dedication. I think what they arrive at is usually a much deeper and more beautiful thing than the person who seems to have that ability and fluidity from the beginning. I say this because it’s a good message to give to young talents who feel as I used to.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“A guy is influenced by hundreds of people and things,” he said, “and all show up in his work.&#8221; To fasten on any one or two is ridiculous. I will say one thing, though. Lennie Tristano’s early records impressed me tremendously. Tunes like ‘Tautology,’ ‘Marshmallow,’ and ‘Fishin’ Around.’ I heard the fellows in his group building their lines with a design and general structure that was different from anything I’d ever heard in jazz.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Technique is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument. This is a comprehensive technique…a feeling for the keyboard that will allow you to transfer any emotional utterance into it. What has to happen is that you develop a comprehensive technique and then say, Forget that. I’m just going to be expressive through the piano.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“When you begin to teach jazz, the most dangerous thing is that you tend to teach style…I had eleven piano students, and I would say eight of them didn’t even want to know about chords or anything – they didn’t’ even want to do anything that anybody had ever done, because they didn’t want to be imitators.</p>
<p>Well, of course, this is pretty naive, but nevertheless it does bring to light the fact that if you’re going to try to teach jazz…you must abstract the principles of music which have nothing to do with style, and this is exceedingly difficult. So there, the teaching of jazz is a very touchy point. It ends up where the jazz player, ultimately, if he’s going to be a serious jazz player, teaches himself.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“It’s performing without any really set basis for the lines and the content as such emotionally or, specifically, musically. And if you sit down and contemplate what you’re going to do, and take five hours to write five minutes of music, then it’s composed music. Therefore I would put it in the classical or serious, whatever you want to call it, written-music category. So there’s composed music and there’s jazz. And to me anybody that makes music using the process that we are using in Jazz, is playing Jazz.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“I’m using the insides of sounds to move around in a very subtle way which, I think, ends up being inevitable. I feel its the only solution to that particular problem that I presented myself.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Especially, I want my work – and the trios if possible – to sing.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“It bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It’s not. It’s feeling.”</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>“Im…a rather simple person with a limited talent and perhaps a limited perspective.”</p></blockquote>
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		<title>Chuck Anderson &#8211; Miles of Music Interview</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/06/chuck-anderson-miles-of-music-interview/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/06/chuck-anderson-miles-of-music-interview/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chuck Anderson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[miles of music]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=1000</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

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		<title>The Value of Music Education and Participation</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/05/the-value-of-music-education-and-participation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/05/the-value-of-music-education-and-participation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 15:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[expression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=847</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Music education has benefits beyond the obvious. It&#8217;s great to play an instrument or sing or write songs. But few people appreciate the long lasting value of studying music.
It&#8217;s beneficial at every stage of life. Youngsters benefit from the discipline, the logic, the process of learning itself. It can increase self esteem and balance out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Music education has benefits beyond the obvious. It&#8217;s great to play an instrument or sing or write songs. But few people appreciate the long lasting value of studying music.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s beneficial at every stage of life. Youngsters benefit from the discipline, the logic, the process of learning itself. It can increase self esteem and balance out personalities. Aggressive behavior can be balanced by a developing sensitivity. Overly shy behavior can be balanced by developing a more focused and assertive self. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/chucktrio.jpg" alt="" title="chucktrio" width="500" height="375" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-993" /></p>
<p>Social interaction and cooperation are invaluable assets to the developing personality. Team and goal setting are part of the process as they are in sports. Music, unlike sports, does not have the win &#8211; lose mentality nor the sense of competition. There is room for everyone in music. It&#8217;s not limited to the number of team members or to the number of teams in a league as in sports. The personality of every individual can be celebrated and fostered.</p>
<p>On the opposite end of the spectrum, music is one of the most valuable activities that seniors can enjoy. Here the value of mental concentration, hand eye coordination, self fulfillment, creative expression and accomplishment often makes the difference between a happy pursuit of the &#8220;golden years&#8221; and boredom and loneliness.</p>
<p>The idea that music must be started when you are young is not only wrong, it&#8217;s discouraging and nonproductive. My work through the years shows me that it is never too late to get involved with music.  Visit <a href="http://www.Musicafter50.com">Musicafter50.com</a> to get some great insights on Senior involvement with music. Whether someone is just beginning to do music or is returning to music after a long absence, it&#8217;s hard to find a more beneficial and fulfilling activity and pastime than music.</p>
<p>For everyone in between youngster and Senior, music offers unlimited opportunity to explore options. On the one hand, music can certainly be a career. There are a staggering number of jobs that involve music. Performing, teaching, writing, engineering, business etc. In another post, I&#8217;ll go into greater detail about the opportunities that music presents to anyone who is interested enough and persistent enough to follow a dream.</p>
<p>Many of today&#8217;s jobs don&#8217;t offer the creative atmosphere or opportunity that millions of people seek. Music does offer these things.  So, even if you have that full time job, there is nothing stopping you from developing a love affair with music. Many students that I have taught and continue to teach are successful attorneys, surgeons, dentists, investors and business owners. These same people have developed a love of and a commitment to music that has immeasurably enhanced their lives. Many say that their lesson and the time they spend on music is the best part of their day.</p>
<p>Their is something fascinating about how music works. Granted, it&#8217;s not always easy to find your direction or your path, but that&#8217;s where a good teacher comes in to the picture. With the help and guidance of a good teacher, you should be able to plot a course that will lead you through all the steps that you need to accomplish your musical goals. </p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t matter whether these goals are lofty or small, they are nevertheless goals and as such deserve to be pursued and attained. You will never regret the time you spend with music and in all likelihood, it will enhance your quality of living all through your life!</p>
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		<title>10 Fundamentals To Learning How to Play Guitar</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/05/learning-play-guitar/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/05/learning-play-guitar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 May 2010 22:09:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strums]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=939</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Introduction
Regardless of the resources you use to learn to play the guitar, it&#8217;s important to know what there is to learn and how that affects what you want to do. Whether it&#8217;s playing in a band, singing and playing or being a singer-songwriter. there are specific things to learn and specific skills to develop. Here&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p>
<p>Regardless of the resources you use to learn to play the guitar, it&#8217;s important to know what there is to learn and how that affects what you want to do. Whether it&#8217;s playing in a band, singing and playing or being a singer-songwriter. there are specific things to learn and specific skills to develop. Here&#8217;s an overview of the ten most fundamental things to learn.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/chords.png" alt="" title="chords" width="379" height="114" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-948" /></p>
<p><strong>1. Chords</strong></p>
<p>The first thing that almost all guitar players learn is chords. A chord is played by holding down multiple notes simultaneously on the fingering hand. The opposite hand makes a chord sound by strumming it or finger picking it. There is nothing more fundamental than playing basic chords.</p>
<p>The first 14 chords are E, A, D, G ,C, Em, Am, Dm, E7, A7, D7, G7, B7. C7. Typically, barre chords are learned next. Barres have an advantage because they can be moved to different keys. Their disadvantage is that they&#8217;re harder to play, at least initially.</p>
<p>The ability to play chords and switch them smoothly is the first requirement for playing alone or with a group. It immediately qualifies you for a band in the role of rhythm guitar. This job is an accompaniment job and does not have the attention given to the Lead guitar player but it is your quickest route to playing in a band!</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://chordfind.com/">chordfind.com</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/guitar/index_db.html">Guitar Room</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/technique.png" alt="" title="technique" width="423" height="245" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-949" /></p>
<p><strong>2. Technique</strong></p>
<p>Technique is the ability to control your hands individually and in combination. It is primarily a physical skill not a musical skill. The training and development of your hands is a prerequisite and necessary to develop musical skills.</p>
<p>Sports offers a good parallel. Football has physical skills and football skills. Passing, receiving, blocking, running and tackling are football skills. Running through tires, road work, weight lifting, wind sprints and stretching are physical skills. You need both to be successful.</p>
<p>There are many exercises designed to get your hands in shape. Finger independence drills, barres and stretches are just three good ways to develop your hands.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa121301a.htm">Technique Building Exercises</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guitarprinciples.com/Guitar_Technique/GuitarTechnique.htm">Guitar Technique Secrets</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guitarplayerworld.com/Guitar_Techniques.html">Guitar Player Techniques</a></p>
<p><strong>3. Notes on the Neck</strong></p>
<p>It’s unbelievable how weak guitar players are on knowing the notes on their own instrument!<br />
No other instrument suffers from this same fate. Imagine a piano player not knowing the note names of the keys…or a trumpet player not knowing what notes come out if they push specific valve combinations. Yet, an amazingly high percentage of guitar players don’t know the notes on the neck.</p>
<p>This problem has certainly been created by the guitar world’s penchant for tablature and chord picture diagrams. Despite this, there is no excuse for the failure on the part of guitar players to learn what is absolutely rudimentary on any other instrument. The notes on the neck must be not only learned but mastered!</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.brendanburns.com/Lessons/pdf/guitargifnote.gif"/></p>
<p><a href="http://guitarroom144.wordpress.com/learn-the-notes-on-the-neck/">Brendan Burns</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.totalguitar.net/guitar-resources/notes-on-guitar-neck/">Notes on the guitar neck</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/strums.png" alt="" title="strums" width="358" height="261" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-950" /></p>
<p><strong>4. Strums</strong></p>
<p>This skill is part of the rhythm guitar role. All songs, besides having chords, have a strum that is responsible for the &#8220;feel&#8221; of the song. If you play the wrong strum with a song, something will sound off.</p>
<p>The strum helps keep the tempo steady and propels the music forward.</p>
<p>Strumming captures the most primitive element of music &#8211; rhythm. That tendency to tap our feet when we hear music can often be traced to the strumming pattern of the guitar.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://guitar.about.com/od/guitarlessons/ss/strumming101.htm">Strumming 101 &#8211; A Beginner Guitar Strumming Tutorial</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/guitar-strumming-patterns">Easy Guitar Strumming Patterns for Beginners</a> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/picking.png" alt="" title="picking" width="405" height="289" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-951" /></p>
<p><strong>5. Finger Picking</strong></p>
<p>Finger picking is an alternative to strumming. Like strumming, finger picking uses the non-fingering hand and produces sound from chords. Fingerpicking was most common in Folk music but it has certainly made its way into main stream contemporary music through singer-songwriters and country artists. James Taylor is an outstanding finger pick artist who has fused Folk, Country, Rock and Pop music into a seamless original form. His influence has been significant ever since the beginning of the Folk-Rock movement.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.acousticfingerstyle.com/">Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar</a></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerstyle_guitar">History of Fingerstyle Guitar</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/">Ultimate Guitar Lessons</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/scales.png" alt="" title="scales" width="137" height="203" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-952" /></p>
<p><strong>6. Scales</strong></p>
<p>Scales are organized streams of notes that can be used to generate melody or improvisation. There are many kinds of scales to learn depending on the musical style you choose. The two most common contemporary scales are the Blues Scale and the Pentatonic Scale. The Blues Scale is used in the darker forms of Blues and in heavier Rock Music. The Pentatonic Scale is used in all things Southern: Southern Rock, brighter Blues, Country music and even Motown.</p>
<p>Beyond these scales, there are many more to learn if the music you play needs them. Santana used the Dorian Scale to great effect while Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits made a living from the Aeolian Scale.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chordbook.com/guitarscales.php">Guitar Scales</a></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Scales">Guitar Scales @ Wikibooks</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guitarists.net/scales/">Guitarists.net Guitar Scale Finder</a></p>
<p><strong>7. Lead Guitar Techniques </strong></p>
<p>The lead guitar embellishments are physical moves that impact the sound of the guitar in a very significant way. Bends, slides, glisses, vibrato and harmonics are just some of the techniques employed. These are &#8220;guitaristic&#8221; effects, not external effects such as reverb, chorus and distortion. As in all cases, the style of music dictates which embellishments are applicable. Traditional Jazz guitar uses few bends while Blues music lives on bends as well as the other embellishments.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OiVcOLV6QDM&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x006699&#038;color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OiVcOLV6QDM&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x006699&#038;color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/index.php">Lead Guitar Techniques</a></p>
<p><strong>8. Rhythm</strong></p>
<p>Rhythm is one of the three primary components of music, It encompasses several aspects. On the one hand, rhythm is the duration of a note or a chord. It also includes tempo ie beats per second as measured by a metronome  and the stability of the beat. Rhythm, as in tempo, can vary during a song. Some songs maintain a steady tempo from beginning to end. Other songs vary the tempo. Slowing down is called Ritardando and speeding up is called Acclerando. These are intentional musical effects and not the result of a guitar player not being able to keep steady time or rhythm. The ability to &#8220;keep time&#8221; is one of the most important skills a guitar player can develop.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm">Rhythm</a> &#038; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_guitar">Rhythm Guitar</a> @ Wikipedia</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ear.png" alt="" title="ear" width="200" height="298" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-953" /></p>
<p><strong>9. Ear</strong></p>
<p>The development of the ear brings your musical insides &#8211; out. Music is the only hearing art. As such, the ear acts as the intermediary between your musical ideas and the execution of these ideas. Solfeggio, the Italian art of sight singing has been used for centuries to develop musicianship. Ear training contributes to the ability to play what you hear. There are virtually unlimited applications of ear training from working songs out by ear to improvising to writing. The European tradition of ear training has been far more stringent than that of the United States.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.good-ear.com/">Good Ear</a></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_training">Ear Training</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.good-ear.com/servlet/EarTrainer">Ear Trainer</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/somgs.png" alt="" title="somgs" width="447" height="280" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-954" /></p>
<p><strong>10. Songs</strong></p>
<p>This area is your song list, your repertoire, what you can play from beginning to end. Without a repertoire, you have nothing to play. An audience is certainly not interested in listening to scales, arpeggios or exercises of any kind. They respond to songs no matter what style of music you play. It could original or cover but one way or another, you need to learn songs.</p>
<p>What does it mean to learn a song? The singer songwriter&#8217;s version of learning a song would be to memorize the chords, the strum or finger pick, the melody, the form, the chords and the lyrics. The jazz guitarist version is to learn the single note melody, the chord changes, the form, the melody and chord version (combining single note melody and chords) and the improvisational structure. Unless you use the lyrics as inspiration for the mood and feel of a song, lyrics are not part of the instrumental process.</p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.top100guitarsites.com/">Top 100 Guitar Sites</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.top100tabsites.com/">Top 100 Tab Sites</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guitartabs.net/">Guitar Tabs</a></p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Now that you have a sense of what there is to learn, you can focus on how you&#8217;re going to learn it. Whether it&#8217;s formal lessons with a good teacher, self teaching, books, DVDs or on line resources, get started! The rewards will far outweigh the effort.</p>
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		<title>Mastering The Modes for Jazz Guitar</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/mastering-the-modes-for-jazz-guitar/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/mastering-the-modes-for-jazz-guitar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:46:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Useful Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chuck Anderson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[modes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=462</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The modes are a system of seven scales dating back to Pythagoras of Ancient Greece. The scales are named: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.
Though many music schools teach the modes as versions of the C major scale, it is perhaps the worst possible way to teach them. This explanation is valid historically [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The modes are a system of seven scales dating back to Pythagoras of Ancient Greece. The scales are named: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.</p>
<p>Though many music schools teach the modes as versions of the C major scale, it is perhaps the worst possible way to teach them. This explanation is valid historically but is relatively useless for jazz guitar applications.</p>
<div id="attachment_463" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_0879.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-463" title="Modal Improvisation in the studio" src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_0879-300x168.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="168" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chuck records Flight from the &quot;Freefall&quot; CD</p></div>
<p>Each mode is characterized by a specific whole &#8211; half step scale pattern, a characteristic scale step and three primary triads. By focusing in on the scale tones while emphasizing the characteristic scale step melodically and the primary chords harmonically, you can get an authentic modal sound. Jazz makes particularly good use of modality. Early jazz use of modality would be Miles Davis and his work on Milestones, So What etc</p>
<p>For more information on modes,  look at <a href="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/products-page/digital/mastering-the-modes-e-book/">&#8220;Mastering the Modes&#8221;</a> in the Books section.</p>
<p>On my new CD &#8220;Freefall&#8221;, <em>Flight</em> is an example of Lydian tonality while <em>Diablo&#8217;s Dream</em> demonstrates the Phrygian tonality.</p>
<p><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNzE4MDc2NDEzMTImcHQ9MTI3MTgwNzY*MzQxMyZwPTI3MDgxJmQ9cHJvX3BsYXllcl9maXJzdF9nZW4mZz*xJm89/YmI*Yjk5YjQxMzQxNDNkNzk1N2I*OTg1MzFhNGNjYzQmb2Y9MA==.gif" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf" height="326" width="434" align="top" bgcolor="#ffffff" loop="false" wmode="transparent" quality="best" allowScriptAccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowFullScreen="true" seamlesstabbing="false" flashvars="id=artist_483584&#038;skin_id=PWAS1008&#038;font_color=333333&#038;auto_play=false&#038;shuffle=false"/><br /><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://www.reverbnation.com/widgets/trk/40/artist_483584//t.gif"/></p>
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		<title>RCA Cult Recording &#8220;I Can&#8217;t Keep from Cryin&#8217; Sometimes&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/keep-from-cryin/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/keep-from-cryin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:06:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[i can't keep from cryin sometimes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rca]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recording]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sonny casella]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=811</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 1970, I was a young jazz guitar player working at RCA studios in New York. This particular date was a session for an album titled &#8220;Deirdre Wilson Tabac&#8221;. Sonny Casella was the visionary producer. From this album emerged a hit record called &#8220;I Can&#8217;t Keep from Cryin&#8217; Sometimes&#8221;. Throughout the years, this recording has [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In 1970, I was a young jazz guitar player working at RCA studios in New York. This particular date was a session for an album titled &#8220;Deirdre Wilson Tabac&#8221;. Sonny Casella was the visionary producer. From this album emerged a hit record called &#8220;I Can&#8217;t Keep from Cryin&#8217; Sometimes&#8221;. Throughout the years, this recording has become somewhat of a cult classic especially in Europe. One copy of this record sells for what has been reported to be $400.00 to $600.00.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5p9Wh20s0gg&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5p9Wh20s0gg&#038;hl=en_US&#038;fs=1&#038;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p>What is interesting about this production was Sonny Casella&#8217;s vision to contrast a rock &#8211; blues guitar player with a jazz guitar player. Whenever a lead guitar was featured, it would alternate between the rock sound and the jazz sound. As such, it may well be the first major release that fused jazz and rock together, pioneering the term fusion.</p>
<p>The song is a very hip jazz waltz type of pop &#8211; jazz tune with great vocals and funky, jazzy horns. I just recently came across this song and it brought me back to the beginnings of my career. Recording in New York at that early age was a bit intimidating &#8211; but I survived and went on with my career.</p>
<p>I hear in the jazz guitar solos and fills the seeds that developed into my current CD &#8220;Freefall&#8221; on the Dreambox Media label. I&#8217;ve included a Youtube link to this classic recording.<br />
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording the jazz guitar parts so long ago.</p>
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		<title>Demystifying Cut Time in Performing Music</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/demystifying-cut-time/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/demystifying-cut-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:35:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cut time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazz Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[measure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pulses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=859</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cut time is a source of confusion for many musicians. What exactly does it mean and how do you apply it?
Too often cut time is thought of as having two beats in a measure. There are not two beats in a measure of cut time &#8211; there are four beats in a measure of cut [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Cut time is a source of confusion for many musicians. What exactly does it mean and how do you apply it?</strong></p>
<p>Too often cut time is thought of as having two beats in a measure. There are not two beats in a measure of cut time &#8211; there are four beats in a measure of cut time. So what makes this different than common time i.e. four beats in the measure?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-882" title="chucky" src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/chucky.png" alt="" width="372" height="323" /></p>
<p>The confusion all centers on understanding the difference between the concepts of beats and pulses. It certainly doesn&#8217;t help that virtually everyone who counts off cut time does so with a 1 &#8211; 2  1 &#8211; 2 count. The confusion about the beats is understandable, especially with this misleading counting convention. The 1 -2  1-2 is accounting for the two pulses in the measure, not two beats.</p>
<p><strong>In traditional common time, each beat is represented by a foot tap.</strong> Four beats in a measure &#8211; four taps of the foot. If you don&#8217;t tap your foot, think of a metronome which clicks on each of the four beats.</p>
<p>When you play in cut time, the beat will feel slower but it&#8217;s an illusion. The beat itself is exactly the same speed as it was in common time. It&#8217;s your foot or the pulse that&#8217;s moving half as fast.</p>
<p>Think of a measure of four in two equal halves. Beats one and two represent the first half of the measure and beats three and four represent the second half of the measure. The first half of the measure gets the first tap or click. The second half of the measure gets the second tap or click &#8211; two pulses to the measure.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a simple example: Four quarter notes in a measure of common time. The foot tap or click occurs on each quarter note. If the quarter notes were to be read in cut time, the foot would now tap on beats one and three. The speed of the quarter notes would remain the same as if being read in common time.</p>
<p>Since the foot now taps on beats one and three, the &#8220;feel&#8221; of cut time is established. Although I&#8217;ve never heard anyone do it, I always felt that the count off for cut time should be 1 &#8211; 3  1 &#8211; 3 not 1 &#8211; 2  1 &#8211; 2.</p>
<p><strong>When is cut time used?</strong> Broadway music, sambas, polkas, bluegrass, classical, many ethnic forms and anytime the tempo gets so fast that it would be unwieldy to count and tap in four. In the case of a runaway tempo, the cut time is used as a convenience, sometimes a self defense. In all the other situations, it is intended to produce a definite and distinctive feel.</p>
<p>When chords are being played in cut time on piano, the root is played on the left hand on beat one, the chord on the right hand on beat two, the fifth on the left hand on beat three and the chord on the right hand on beat four. The bass notes on beat one and on beat three create a strong stress that is responsible for the &#8220;two&#8221; feel of cut time. A guitar player hits a bass note on one,  a chord on two, an alternate bass note on three and a chord on four. These are all down strokes and produce the characteristic &#8220;Boom &#8211; Chuck&#8217; sound. These piano and  guitar applications are both in the accompaniment role not the reading melody role.</p>
<p><strong>Cut time is not as difficult as it seems.</strong> Play melodies in four and then in cut time so that you can see and feel the difference and similarities between them. You&#8217;ll find that they&#8217;re not as incompatible or as difficult as you feared!</p>
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		<title>Sleeping Through Life: How Sleep Apnea Can Affect Your Life Without You Even Knowing It</title>
		<link>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/sleep-apnea/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/2010/04/sleep-apnea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:51:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chuckanderson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anderson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apnea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chuck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sleep]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?p=832</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the mid 1970&#8217;s, I formed the Chuck Anderson Trio with Al Stauffer and Ray Deeley.The East Coast jazz group focused primarily on my original writing but also included unique interpretations of jazz classics. We gave concerts and recorded our first critically acclaimed album called &#8220;Mirror Within a Mirror&#8221;. My reputation as a rising young [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the mid 1970&#8217;s, I formed the Chuck Anderson Trio with Al Stauffer and Ray Deeley.The East Coast jazz group focused primarily on my original writing but also included unique interpretations of jazz classics. We gave concerts and recorded our first critically acclaimed album called &#8220;Mirror Within a Mirror&#8221;. My reputation as a rising young jazz guitarist was well on its way.</p>
<p>In the early 80&#8217;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.</p>
<p><strong>In 1984, I began to develop a problem with &#8220;Sleep Apnea&#8221;.</strong> I had never heard of this sleep disorder and didn&#8217;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.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-839" title="sleep_apnea" src="http://www.chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/sleep_apnea.jpg" alt="" width="326" height="265" /></p>
<blockquote><p>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 &#8220;sleep study&#8221;.</p></blockquote>
<p>- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea">Wikipedia entry on Sleep Apnea</a></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>In 2008, I was tested for <a href="http://www.sleepapnea.org/">Sleep Apnea</a>. The test results showed that I had a condition called &#8220;Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea&#8221;. 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.</p>
<p>I began sleep therapy immediately using a <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-bipap.htm">BiPap breathing machine</a> at night while I slept. For the first time in many, many years, I was actually sleeping through the night and waking up rested.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;ve become an unofficial spokesperson for the dangers of &#8220;Sleep Apnea&#8221;.</strong> 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 &#8220;catch up&#8221;. 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.</p>
<p>Today, at age 62, I have begun to rebuild my performing career. My energy and work ethic are at an all time high. I&#8217;ve recorded and released a new CD and have resumed giving concerts.</p>
<p>An often misdiagnosed and overlooked condition, if you&#8217;re feeling similar symptoms, don&#8217;t take the chance that you too could be affected by Sleep Apnea. Your career and livelihood depend on how much energy you have.</p>
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