Do you live & breathe in the digital world?
Interested in the Music, Mindfulness & Self-Development industries?
This Junior-middle position will include everything from Social Media, Visual-Audio Content Creation & Editing, to websites, emails, landing pages & project management.
more details NirMusic.com/Hiring
Venues are closed, but guitarists still want to share their passion and their music.
So we’ve decided to start a “FingerStyle: United in Isolation” show.
Every 3 days, 4 guitarists from around the world perform. (update: its now every Tuesday)
More info in our FingerStyle: United in Isolation
I decided to go to a Fingerstyle guitar competition in Poland in early April 2019. This was for 2 reasons. 1) I wanted to see how I fair compared to guitarists in the world & 2) because I wanted to see the headliner, Maneli Jamal, a fantastic Canadian/Iranian guitarist.
and boy oh boy, what a successful trip.
Firstly, I came 2nd in the competition, which is flipping awesome. I performed my “Middle East Song” from my first EP Album. Here is a link to a live performance of the song. (Note: It’s the same song, but this recording is not from poland)
and secondly, Maneli is one of the most amazing performers. I was blown away with his music, his sensitivity, his skills, and his beautiful stories.
I’ve decided that I need some help in expanding my reach in Israel and Europe (and more). I’ve been managing people & projects in the business world for years, so why not take my skills and apply it into the music world?
And so… I’ve decided to recruit someone in Israel and someone in Europe to help in my music strategy. I have to take risks if I’m going to get somewhere. Its part-time work 40-50 hours per month, so if you know anyone who is interested in an Assistant Artist Manager role, have a look at the job specs below.
Israel – Assistant Artist Manager – Job Spec
Europe & the World – Assistant Artist Manager – Job Spec
Super excited. It’s been a long time coming. A collection of songs, beautifully recorded…. have a listen.
It’s got 6 wonderful tracks. 2 of them are sort of remixes, so let me explain below:
When I’m in my living room with friends, I always seem to play “a kind of intro” to my song “I Sat Down and the Journey Started”…. I really wanted to share that whole vibe with you, so I made a version with a longer intro.
Another track that comes in two forms is “Middle East Song”. The official song includes the amazing percussionist, Ronan Skillen. But.. since my living-room doesn’t always have Ronan available, I have also released a solo version of the song. I’ll write more about the song when I release the music video – I think it’s going to be my best video yet.
Anyways, you can order the album digitally on bandcamp (or on all the other regular platforms). Its pretty cheap, but if you really really REALLY like me, you can pay-more on the bandcamp system.
and… If you want a physical copy, (which has turned out to be so beautiful – really), please let me know.
If ever I wrote something Funky, this is it “Soldier in Arms – PartII“… And it’s a great way to open 2018…. yeehaaa! (Video Below)
I did record the entire track, but I simply wasn’t happy enough with the first part. It might be a lame reason, but its the truth.
of the song actually becomes very evident when you hear Part 1. Alas you won’t know until I release it (hehe). For now, I’ll tell you that it gives me the “Game of Thrones war scene” feeling.
You can download TABs & Sheet Music (Free). There is also a beginner’s version – so that everyone can kinda play the song.
If you want to support my music (which would be awesome), you’re welcome to purchase the single on BandCamp or any of the other platforms. This would totally let me know if I’m doing a good job.
… but before you do, read on (below the video)… why?
Well, you can pre-order the EP that is releasing soon, and get the single included.
After much work, the EP Album is set to release on Feb 11 2018. Finally.. oh my!
How much I have learned through this process. Dear me.. You’d think that having a business degree would have made it easier… but not really. 🙂
I’ll write much more about all the songs and where/why/what..
… for now, I’ll tell you that
I wish you all an amazing 2018, full of joys (and pains when needed) …
A while back I recorded an old favourite for many guitarists – Angelina by Tommy Emmanuel.
I’ve decided to add percussion: performed here with Ronan Skillen on the Tabla.
This is a story of tragedy turned into creativity, and a new creative process…
I’ve been playing this composition of mine… a happy tune for many years – since I was a teen actually. I tune the guitar strings in a special way that even if you don’t play guitar, you’ll be able to play something happy on this tuning.
And on no specific day, I decided “what if I changed one or 2 strings, and made sure that the song sounds sad” – we can do that as musicians, cause we know what works and doesn’t. So I changed 2 strings, and thought “what a great way to start this song” . And there, dabbling with a Open-minor-chord-tuning melody, I formed perhaps a theme or 2, some phrases… a section of a melody… but nothing really complete.
The next day, my father had a stroke. He was on holiday with my mom in China. And suddenly, aged 67, a stroke left him unconscious. News was: they weren’t sure if/when he’d wake up. And they were quite sure he wouldn’t be himself if he did wake up. BOOM!
… My father: My father is on his death bed?
I’ll tell you a little about my father:… a fun, witty, intelligent, hard-working & caring man. A gem of man.
Born in Egypt, but moved to Israel as most Jews did in the early 50s… Jump a few years later, in his mid-thirties, he was offered a one-year job contract. And so seeing an opportunity for adventure, he took us (the family) in 1985 from Israel to South Africa. To check things out. He never took us back.
He was the self-made man, who started his career in a textile factory floor, fixing machinery, to 30 years later, being a CEO of a 800+ textile company. I remember going around the factory with him in my early 20s, and he knew everyone by name – it was one of the first ‘real cheesy’ moments where I was so proud. He’s also the reason I started playing guitar, not only because there was so much guitar music playing in the speakers, but also because he taught me how to play my first chords when I was 11…
And now… he’s unconscious, and probably never waking up 🙁
But… His sudden stroke, from a musical perspective… the timing was unfortunately-perfect.
Basically… it was only yesterday that I created the foundation of a sad song. and so I had, one could say, a semi-structured platform, a framework of a melody to build on- and of course: a sore, confused, passionate & angry heart which was ready to write music.
From confusion to pain, to ‘get a grip’, to soft cries… Melodies and themes just started flowing. A whole journey of emotions. The themes I had build yesterday matured, with nuances that brought out my every thought. From sad classical music to fiery Tango, my fingers played while waiting for my plane to China the next morning.
I decided, 2 hours before I left to the airport, that I would film & record the melody. In my bedroom, with my Android phone, a decent microphone, and my girlfriend sleeping (it was 2am), I recorded a few times.
I didn’t make it in time to see my dad.
The story of my trip to China can be a story in itself. From no English, to a mom that refused to cry until we get my dad back home (South Africa), to the consular officer saying that no South African body has ever been taken out of China. You see, in China, burial is illegal, Cremation is the only way. And the process of getting Dad back, is so complicated and expensive, that bodies were just cremated in China eventually. From Quasi-Communist processes to “computer says no” moments, mom and I worked 20 hours a day for 5 days, until all the permits & checks were in place.
and when all permits were behind us, and we knew dad was going to be on a flight home.. I decided that I was going to inform the world about my father’s passing and funeral (on facebook of-course) by releasing the song. So I spent an hour editing a little, wrote a paragraph about the song… and sent it away.
And with that “authenticity is the name of the game” The song spread, and was shared, and spread a little more.. and although this was really the start of my guitar career, and I had only few hundred followers – the song was viewed 10K+ times in a few days. It resulted in a guitar magazine in the USA doing a piece on me… as well as discussions with a guitar label wanting to release the song through their channels.
whoa!
.
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I’ve learned so much through this process. About longing, and missing, but -here specifically- about being authentic as a creative. To be a musician, you need be a person first, and a musician 2nd. Often in my creative process now, I try to be Nir in a moment. To think about what I’m composing, feel what it means, see the beginning and end… Get Zen with the song (that is about to be written).
I’ve found that when I do that, when I meditate into the emotional state of the story… the music falls into place.
Many musicians feel like they’re “selling out” when they do cover-songs. I know – cause I’m kinda one of them. But I’ve slowly started learning about a secret formula “C + Y = R”
Although I’ve been playing for over 20 years, I’ve only performed about 60 times in front of an audience. My experience is limited, but enough to make these claims:
Every guitarist knows the scenario: You’re in a living room, a camp-fire, or even while on stage… and then people start make their various requests for songs. Having grown to love guitar through classical music, I’m not a big fan of most cover-song requests. (I also don’t know that many covers)
But…. I am a fan of ‘connecting’ with my audience. So how do I resolve? Well, unknowingly, I’ve been using Adam Rafferty’s formula of “C + Y = R”
Those who have been to my performances know that I do some covers. But I do them in my very own way. One of my popular live songs has always been my Gypsy Jazz version of the Beatles’ : Honey Pie. Sometimes I sing it, sometimes I use a “kazoo”, sometimes I do a “mouth trumpet”.
What I do know, is that I always get positive feedback from the song.
So what is the formula:
C + Y = R
Cover + You = Relationship.
Like in a romantic relationship, when we feel secure, we’re open to exploring new things together. After a reassuring ‘cover song’ everyone is receptive to my style of playing. People are ready to explore with my original compositions, and they journey with me 🙂
I’m free to play more of what I want, and give more of my personal expression in my original pieces.
PS: for those die-hards who still think “playing what the crowd wants” is selling out. Well, Think about it: even the most successful musicians are forced to play their ‘hits’ from 3 albums ago.
My first feature in a Magazine.. the American FingerStyle Guitar Journal. It is a paid magazine, so you won’t be able to see it all, but here are some links to the section about me: with lovely photos and an interview.
