daveisaacs

Well, CD number 8 is "officially" released: "Torch", by DI3 (formerly the Dave Isaacs Trio but now an equal partnership). Having done this so many times there's a part of me that enters into this with some trepidation....once again, you pour time and money and care and a lot of raw emotion into a little square package and put it out there for the world to hear. Sometimes people freak out and you're the greatest thing ever. Sometimes they could care less. My experience, like most people's, has... Read Full Story

Over the past three years I've been so focused on teaching that I spent less and less time creating and writing. That began to change last winter when I realized that I was in danger of losing touch with a part of my life - and a part of myself - that I don't believe I can be happy without. In the past nine months I've started and finished two CDs - one with my trio DI3 and one for my friend Rebecca Hosking - and written and recorded lots more new music. Getting back in touch with my own... Read Full Story

I gave a workshop on bluegrass and mountain music this evening. It was fun to go through the music I had to prepare, but it was challenging, and reminded me what practicing meant. I love this music, but it's a difficult style to play well and I'm not immersed in it the way the best bluegrass pickers are. So I felt a real need to prep, and I was glad I did. Played a lot of mandolin, that was fun. I had a realization the other day in a lesson: that once a student reaches a certain level of... Read Full Story

I've been using this blogspot account more as an archive of articles than an actual blog. Maybe it's the real-time part that's a challenge, although I suspect the real issue lies in the lag between my thoughts and my two-finger hunt-and-peck typing. I haven't been a journal-keeper in a long time, and my excuse has often been that I'm too busy, or I'm not interested in keeping a chronicle. Neither is true. I've finally admitted to myself that while I do enjoy writing articles, it's... Read Full Story

Nashville is home to some of the best guitar players on the planet. And while there are many, many great guitar teachers and no shortage of students, none of our many academic institutions have a reputation for turning out great guitarists. There are many smaller, well-established private programs that do very well, with strong reputations and a steady clientele, and some of the same people that teach for the small businesses also teach at our colleges and universities. I fall into this... Read Full Story

This article first appeared in the Songwriters E-Tip . One of the biggest and most formative reality checks in my life came when I was sixteen years old. I had signed up to attend a summer program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the day my Dad dropped me off I was brimming with excitement. Then I walked in the door and saw hundreds of people with guitars in their hands. I knew plenty of people who played guitar, but I had never seen so many in one room, most of them older than... Read Full Story

First of all, a disclaimer: as a musician and dog lover myself, I mean for that statement to be a little flip. But there’s real truth there, and understanding this will make every one of your interactions with musicians go more smoothly onstage, in rehearsal, or in the studio. Put aside the obvious jokes about shedding and the desire to be loved. To musicians, “shedding” means practicing, as in “going out to the woodshed to practice”… and we all want to be loved, right? This article is really... Read Full Story

We all have strengths and weaknesses as writers, and as we learn what they are we often begin to seek out co-writers who are stronger in the areas where we are less skilled ourselves. A writer who is primarily a lyricist will seek out strong musicians, and vice versa. This can be a very effective way to work, and there have been iconic lyricist-composer teams throughout the history of popular music…from the Gershwin brothers to Rodgers & Hammerstein, Leiber & Stoller, and John & Taupin. A... Read Full Story

Does Your Work Have A Sonic Signature? The concept of “sonic signature” is something more often applied to bands, singer-songwriters, and producers, but it’s a worthwhile thing to consider even if you are not a performing or recording artist. A sonic signature is the sound that makes music instantly recognizable and memorable. It could be as simple as the type or style of guitar you might play, or the timbre of your voice, or as complex as the use of layers of parts or sophisticated harmonies... Read Full Story

Guitars come in more shapes and sizes than a casual observer might think. There’s lots of variation in the depth and width of the body, not to mention the neck….then you need to take the size and proportion of your fingers, hands, and arms into account as well. Yet many students who come to me are playing essentially the same style guitar, and don’t have a sense of how the physical shape and size of the instrument affects their ability to play it. Part of the problem is that entry-level... Read Full Story