The kind people of Unclutterer.com are showcasing my home studio as their Workplace of Week this week.  Check out their site for all of you Uncluttering needs.

Thanks Rob, keep it up!

Written, directed & edited by Valerie Thompson of Goli.

The entire guitar BMS department is guitastically thrilled to bring you this guitarrific event.

GUITOBER GUITALENDAR:

Thursday, Guitober 16th: Guitar Night I
Student Concert at Bakalar Recital Hall, 7:30PM
An open recital for guitar students at BMS. Talk to your instructor if you are interested in performing.

Friday, Guitober 17th: Garageband for the Guitarist
Studio J, 7:30PM
Scott Pittman is teaching a special edition of his Garageband class designed specifically for guitarists. Learn to record, edit & practice with this easy-to-use program. Sign up with Hollie Fleming (617-277-4593; hfleming@bmsmusic.org). Must be a BMS student to attend.

Saturday, Guitober 18th: Clinic Day 1 (Open to the Public)
3:00 – Duets: Brendan Burns, Will Dick & Valerie Thompson (cellist for Goli & Fluttr Effect ) talk about playing guitar with other musicians. This clinic demonstrates techniques for expanding or simplifying your playing style to fit any situation. It also covers ways that different instrumentalists look at music and how a guitarist should present written music to another musician. A great clinic for those who want to jam, play or write music with other musicians.
4:00 – Songwriting: Will Dick & Brendan Burns discuss how to write songs from a guitarist’s perspective. Whether you are writing songs for other people or singing and playing the guitar yourself, a guitarist’s way of writing music can be unique. Will & Brendan demonstrate some common song forms, playing techniques, and compositional exercises to get the songwriter in you out and into the music world. Songwriters are welcome to present material of their own.
5:00 – Finger-Style: Bob Ward, Will Dick & Brendan Burns demonstrate the wide ranging stylistic opportunities that finger-style techniques present to the guitar. Classical, Flamenco, Folk, Rock & Jazz styles will be explained and put into context with the a brief history of the finger-style guitar.

Sunday, Guitober 19th, 2PM: GUITOBER at the MFA!
Come to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to see and hear the Guitars in the museum’s fabulous instrument collection! Curator Darcy Kuronen promises to show us “a broad range of really cool and significant guitars.” To sign up, contact Hollie Fleming (617-277-4593; hfleming@bmsmusic.org) BUT HURRY! Our group is limited to 25. Must be a BMS Student

Tuesday, Guitober 21st: Guitar Night II
Student Concert at Bakalar Recital Hall, 7:30PM
An open recital for guitar students at BMS. Talk to your instructor if you are interested in performing.

Saturday, Guitober 25th: Clinic Day 2 (Open to the Public)
3:00 – Blues: Jason Yost, Joe Conley & Brendan Burns talk about Blues fundamentals from the 12-Bar Blues form, to comping & lead techniques. Chord Voicings & Pentatonic forms will be discussed. This clinic is a must for any guitarist interested in the Blues and/or Early Rock.
4:00 – Guitar Effects: Joe Conley, Jason Yost & Brendan Burns will explain and showcase their favorite guitar effects and stomp boxes. Jason, Joe & Brendan will demonstrate common pedals and their different playing possibilities.
5:00 – Guitar Repair: Jay Cannava, from Mr. Music, will share his wisdom of servicing & repairing hundreds of guitars in the Boston area. Jay will show us what to look out for when caring for a guitar and explain how to diagnose and fix some simple problems such as intonation, loose jacks, warped necks and changing strings.

Friday, Guitober 30th: Faculty Concert (Open to the Public)
Bakalar Recital Hall, 7:30PM
We’re turning the tables and putting on a concert for our students. This is our chance as teachers to say “Thank You” to our students for all the great work they do. The Guitar Faculty will play solo pieces & in small ensembles for a night of guitar awesomeness to remember.

Thanks from the 2008 Guitober Team: Will Dick, Bob Ward, Jason Yost, Joe Conley, Scott Pittman, Justin Meyer & Brendan Burns.

Guitober – It’s Guitabulous!!!

Cambridge – Tunefoolery Concert Ensembles from Cambridge, a group of 50 musicians living with mental illness, has a simple yet powerful message: Emphasize people’s strengths and focus on abilities, not disabilities.

In May, Tunefoolery members will share their music with the release of a new CD, Tunefoolery II, and a CD release concert. The two-disc CD is a compilation of 32 songs covering early and classical music, jazz, gospel, folk and rock. The concert, featuring more than 30 musicians, will be held Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m. at the YMCA Theatre in Central Square.

While most psychiatric treatment programs are focused on minimizing the effects of depression, hearing voices, etc., Tunefoolery helps its musicians move away from the mental health patient role and embrace new identities as professional musicians and performers. This transformation is essential for women and men with long-term illnesses who often get the message that they are not “well” enough to be creative contributors to our communities. As one member puts it, “Tunefoolery is a great example of how non-traditional mental health treatment truly can change people’s lives. Music is powerful medicine. I have a tremendous feeling of belonging with Tunefoolery. I have found great friends here. It’s a job and a creative outlet at the same time.”

The Tunefoolery musicians, who perform as solo acts or in small ensembles, play 75 to 90 gigs every year at mental health treatment programs, hospitals, nursing homes, and anywhere else where music can bring joy and inspiration. To increase the level of professionalism, Tunefoolery also offers its musicians music lessons, workshops, and a yearly three-day retreat in the Berkshires. Another inspiring project is the education outreach program, where musicians visit schools and other institutions educating children and adults about psychiatric disabilities, focusing on people’s strengths and abilities rather than on the negative effects of mental illness.

Tickets, at the door are $8 for adults, $5 for children under 13 and consumers of mental health services, and $22 for families. The CD will be sold at the concert and is also available at the Tunefoolery Web site at www.tunefoolery.org.

“I’m excited to tell you about some exciting news about Tunefoolery. First, we just released a two-disc CD where almost 40 of our musicians areplaying. To celebrate the CD, we’re having a CD Release Concert on Sunday May 18th at 3 PM. It will take place at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Central Square, Cambridge. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children 6-12; Families are $22. Parking is free (Sunday). Please join us to celebrate our creative community.”

I had a wonderful time at my Faculty Recital last month. Vessela Stoyanva, Valerie Thompson & Will Dick all provided themselves as great musicians and amazing associates for the evening. Thank you to all my students who attended. I’m so happy I could share my work with you. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to teach, perform and share with the amazing community at Brookline Music School.

Here are two mp3s from the show:
Au Clair De La Lune – This is a duet by Will Dick & myself. I had so much fun playing with Will at the show and rehearsing with him the weeks before. We intentionally did not set an arrangement of this tune and just relied on listening to each other to give each other the support that was needed. Will is a phenomenal player and it was great to interact with him on this tune.

Ellen’s Tune – This is a song that I wrote for my mother a few years back. I think of it as a sweet country/jazz waltz. Vessela & Valerie were kind enough to lend their beautiful musicianship to the tune. It was really nice to play with them.

This morning I sat down with my laptop and gig book, and flipped pages, noting titles & artists. I’ve uploaded the list as a PDF. The download link is available below, or you can just click on the photo.

This is my gig book (in order) as of this morning and is subject to change. As the wedding season approaches, more classical selections will enter the book, and towards the end of the year Holiday Tunes will find their own little corner. Things change, and tunes ebb & flow. Definitely let me know ahead of time if you would like a specific tune so that I can sure it hasn’t been pruned since this list was published.

Brendan Burns – Solo Guitar Tune List

Last year I showcased music for the WAlbum, this year I will be featuring music that I’ve been studying, writing and transcribing. It will be made up of the most significant work that has come across my practice stand in the past 18 months. Selections include pieces by Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, Sylvain Luc, Tim Miller, Wolfgang Muthspiel and an original composition. I’m very excited to share this music that is very important to me, and I’m thrilled to have a great list of guest musicians.

Valerie Thompson will be joining me on Cello, Vessela Stoyanva will be playing vibes and the chair of the guitar department at Brookline Music School (Will Dick) will be assisting on guitar.

If you want to see what I’ve been up to, stop on by:

Brookline Music School (Bakalar Hall)

25 Kennard Road

Brookline MA

Wednesday, January 23rd 7pm