Rob Zuzin

This one will take your breath away...literally.  The melody from the piano sonata Opus 49, no. 1 by our good friend Ludwig van Beethoven appears here without the ornamentation found in the piano version.  All phrasings have been omitted as…

One-time band-mate and friend, Ross Metcalfe is cranking out some good music.  Splitting his time between two bands, Harlan County Kings and 12 Gauge Sunrise, he has recently released a new full length album with each project. 

Ross…

I play the opening movement of Beethoven’s piano sonata opus 31 no. 3 with a lot of rubato.  The piece is marked allegro, and though the multiple ritardandos liberally sprinkled throughout are more dramatic when following the original tempo, the…

9. KNOW WHEN YOU’RE COLD.  Don’t judge your performance until you have warmed up.  You are nowhere near your best until this happens.  Avoid critical assessment in the first 15 to 30 minutes of playing.  Sometimes…

Does practice make perfect?  It depends on how you practice, of course.  Musicians learn quickly that homework is a requirement to play an instrument.  Most sign up willingly.  It can be very rewarding to watch as your technical ability on…

Rock and Roll, like most styles of music, has debatable origins, but it is safe to say that it has been around as a popular music for over sixty years.  A quick scan through local radio stations reveals that it's…

All songs are a manifestation of a unique feeling.  Not simply a feeling that we have quantified and given a heading in a list of human emotions, but an entirely independent emotional expression.  That same expression may be interpreted differently…

Guitar maintenance and repair can be intimidating at first.  I can remember when even the process of changing strings felt like something to approach with caution.  I would only change one at a time so I could use the remaining…

THE LIBERATION OF THE ANTHROPOMORPHIZED NOTE 

As musicians, we devote a lot of practice to the pieces we perform.  Hours tucked away from civilization trying to arrange an assortment of notes into a memorable performance.  There are many aspects…

I recently read Sing Me Back Home by Dana Jennings. The book details the role of county music (authentic country music – think Hank Sr. and Johnny Cash) in post-war rural U.S. up to the mid 1970’s. By painting a…