Spirit Of Sound

09/04/2023

In-Home Guitar Lessons Available:
What's your skill level?
________________________

Beginner?
Plan out your musical goals, and come up with a plan on how to get there in the most efficient manner. That means, trim away some superfluous material, concentrate on what will bring the largest gains in the direction you want to take your playing. This won't always be the quickest way to get there, it will be the way to get there in the way that is most valuable to your vision. It also happens to usually be the quickest way to get there.

Intermediate?
Learn a system based on what you know, and how you see the fretboard. This is not a magic system that lets you unlock the full fretboard, this is creating a system especially for you, to show you ways to join the parts you know into a bigger picture without having to learn every technique, mode, extension and substitution. Chances are that you know much more than you realise, but might need some help looking at how to anchor that into your playing.

Advanced?
You may have hit a plateau, or you may be looking for ideas to expand your musical knowledge. Maybe it's time to learn a new style. You can even learn how to employ aspects from other genres into your preferred style to add some unique flavour and dynamic elements that help your playing to really stand out.

Better guitarist than me?
I can admit it. I'm not the greatest guitarist on the planet. I'm not even the greatest guitarist on the Sunshine Coast. But I understand learning and I understand teaching. I can help you to refine your techniques and I can point to additional resources and may have tips on new techniques you man not have considered.
It also helps a great deal to have someone who can help to interpret concept jargon, and offer an objective perspective on what's working well, and where to focus practice time.

Whatever your skill, whatever your style, Spirit of Sound Music lessons can help you to move towards your musical goals.

Visit: facebook.com/SpiritOfSoundMusic
Message: [email protected]

26/02/2023

In-home lessons for guitar and bass available for students in Caloundra West and surrounding areas.

* Acoustic / Electric / Bass
* Wide variety of styles
* All ages and skill levels

Simply complete the Expression of Interest form at:
facebook.com/SpiritOfSoundMusic
Or email [email protected]

Learn more than just the song. Understand how the music works and create your own unique style.

21/02/2023

If you're ready to discuss your musical goals and next steps, fill out the Expression of Interest form below.

Please click the link to complete this form.

12/02/2023

In-home guitar lessons available for Caloundra West and surrounding areas.

* Variety of musical styles
* Acoustic / Electric / Bass guitar
* Suitable for all skill levels

Message at:
Facebook.com/SpiritOfSoundMusic

Or email:
[email protected]

Learn more than just the song. Understand how the music works and create your own unique style.

05/11/2022

After some rescheduling, I have availability for another guitar student in the Aura/Baringa/Caloundra West area.

Acoustic, electric or Bass.
Lessons tailored to suit your preferred musical style and goals.

Suitable for all skill levels.

facebook.com/SpiritOfSoundMusic

06/10/2022

"Why do you create?"

I believe this is an important question, and not just for setting up and engaging post.

"Creating" is what we do. Not just myself, as a musician, as a teacher, and as someone establishing an online presence which will attract attention from people eager to engage; I mean "Us" as a people, as an organism, as a culture, and as an expression of life.

Creation is so natural to us, that I think many people are largely unaware that they are even doing it...every moment of every day. We create memories, we create friends, we create experiences, we sometimes create trials and obstacles, and when we succeed or overcome we create an elated sense of victory and achievement.
Our creation is really a happy by-product of our very existence, and just like any "recognised" expression of creativity, the highs and lows act as dynamic counterpoint, allowing us to experience a much broader scope of...well everything.

So I guess that if the question is, "Why do I create music?" or "Why do I create music lessons?", my answer would be this...

I create music to express how I feel and experience the world I have created around me. Music is like adding an extra sense, adding depth to the story. "This is what happened, but THIS is how I felt. THIS is what the moment meant to me."
I create music to help to express my story. Not to help others understand my story, but to help me to better understand it.

As for why I create music lessons, it's simple. The creation of music has done so much for me that I love the opportunity to see others develop their ability to express and convey themselves and their stories through music. I love knowing that they are also gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, and of their world around them.
And I love seeing the joy and freedom that this allows in their lives.

All the Best in your daily creations.

- Michael

22/09/2022

Lessons Available - Aura and Baringa

Spirit Of Sound has availability for some new in-home music lessons on Weekday Afternoons (Aura and Baringa areas only).

Learn guitar, songwriting and music theory from Beginner to Advanced, focusing on the styles you want to develop, and working towards your own personal musical goals.

Message to discuss your musical background and goals, to find out if Spirit Of Sound will be a good fit for helping you to achieve your musical goals.

- Acoustic, Electric or Bass Guitar focused
- Group lessons available for Duos or if you want to learn music with a friend

*Limited availability, so please contact to see if a suitable time for you can be arranged.

19/05/2022

Alright!

How great is progress!!

It can be easy to miss sometimes, when were locked in on a goal, or comparing ourselves to others (or maybe even to our own expectations of ourselves).

But when we take a moment to stop...
..

Those small steps add up.

Sometimes when we miss a step, miss a day, or when the week just gets away from us, we feel like we're back at square 1. Most of the time, this is not really true. It's just what we tell ourselves to justify putting an idea to the side for a while.

But here's the thing...

Every time we forge a path, and especially when we create a neural connection, it becomes that little bit easier to recreate that pathway. So even if all progress is "lost", you've still made inroads. You're still closer to your goal, even if the distance seems the same.

Personally, I think sometimes we just don't give ourselves enough credit. Getting to your goal is fantastic, but take the time along the way to just enjoy where you are.

Bringing this back to music, what I mean is this:

So what if you can't play everything you want to play, just the way you want to play it, every time you pick up your instrument?
You're not the next Hendrix yet? So what!

Have you taken the time to stop for a moment, and just enjoy playing?
Have you taken the time to enjoy listening to yourself play?

What do you hear?

Does it sound like progress?

09/05/2022

Hi All,

It's been a while, I know. There's been a whole lot going on for awhile lot of us lately. I'm sure everyone can understand that sometimes things can get a little bit ahead of us.

Anyway...

I'm working on some really cool new stuff! I hope to have updates here fortnightly to let people know what's happening.
But if you have questions, feel free to message them through, or email [email protected].

Talk soon!

10/11/2021

Spirit Of Sound now has lesson times available for term 4, and for school holiday bookings.

• Professional lessons conducted in your home, or online via video link for your convenience.
• All ages, any skill level
• Multiple styles, acoustic, electric, bass
• Detailed lessons tailored to each student's goals
• Blue Card certified, and with 10+ years teaching experience

Message to check availability for your preferred lesson time.
www.facebook.com/spiritofsoundmusic
[email protected]

Learn more than just the song. Understand how the music works and create your own unique style.

14/03/2021

Developing a Personal Style

How do we develop our own unique, personal style? The greats are all distinct in their own approach to playing, so how do we approach creating this musical distinction in ourselves?
How do you learn to spontaneously play like yourself?

If we look at the examples of the big names in any generation of guitar greats, we see that the freedom of developing your own style comes through studying the music we enjoy the most - to learn from those who inspire us.
When we learn to play our favourite songs, we are learning more than just the notes. We're learning the styles of our favourite artists, why they played the way they did - just as they did with the greats before them.

Our own styles come from learning to fluently play in the styles that appeal to us. Hendrix is more than just the wild licks and dominant 7th #9 chords. His style blends loves of blues, jazz, and the styles of his contemporaries.
Lindsay Buckingham's style shows hints of baseline thumb picking techniques of players like Mississippi John Hurt.
Les Claypool's signature bass sound is largely influenced by claw-hammer banjo picking.

Of course there's more to it than that. It takes persistence, practice and time to become comfortable enough playing in the styles that we learn, that our own style starts to become apparent.

So to answer the initial question - there's no one book to read that will show you how to play your own style. No magic trick that works every time, and no guarantee of success in any given time frame.
It's all about the practice, and the way you learn.

Developing your own style may take years, and once you're there, it will continue to develop over time, growing and changing as you do.

It's a process, and one that you will need to work at. But the reward of playing freely, of expressing yourself fluently through your music...

Well, that's the pursuit that drives us all.

All the best.