We've got a ton to do to prepare for our concert!

Preparing for live performance takes everything you've got. We're practicing late at night, double checking notes and standing in front of the mirror to practice our rock-and-roll stance. There never seems to be enough time.

Curtis Kamiya Music has just made this a little easier for all of you.

From now until our concert, which is on Mother's Day, I'm throwing in a free lesson.

Until May 14th, 2017, If you buy a package of 5 lessons you'll get one more free.

This way you can get a few more last minute lessons in before the show! You don't even have to participate in the concert to get the deal.

Good luck practicing!

Curtis

It's that time of year again! Download the flyer here.



Time for us to start preparing for our Spring Student Concert again. You are all welcomed to participate.
Get in touch with me and let's start practicing!

Here are the details:

Performance:
Sunday, May 14, 2017 (Mother's Day)
12 noon to 2pm
Hard Rock Cafe
280 Beachwalk
Honolulu, HI 96815
$6 Parking @ Bank Of Hawaii Building
Reserve a table get 15% off your bill (808.955.7383)

Band Rehearsal:
Sunday, May 7th, 2017
12 noon to 5pm (by appointment)
Curtis Kamiya Music
550 Halekauwila Street
Suite 310
Honolulu, HI 96813

Hello All,

A few weeks ago our students took the stage at Hard Rock Cafe in Waikiki to show the people how we rock. We had 10 performers doing 15 songs, and the afternoon was full of cheers and great music. If you missed our show, there's still a chance to see it.

You can find video of all the performances here:

Here are a few that went particularly well:

This week we have a guitar lesson for the absolute-total-never-picked-up-a-guitar beginner. This one is simple and easy by design. It will teach you how to hold a pick, how to get good sounding notes out of the guitar, how to use your thumb, and where to place your finger in the fret.

I call it the strength builder exercise. Here's what you do:

1. Place the guitar on your right leg as you're sitting, with the waist of the guitar sitting on your leg.

2. The strings are numbered 1 through 6 with the 1st string closest to the ground. The frets are numbered from 1 to 22 or 24, with the first fret closest to the tuners. The frets are the spaces between the metal wire along the neck of the guitar.


3. Use your index finger on your left hand and press at the 6th string, first fret. With your right hand, use your pick and pluck only the 6th string. You're looking for a tone that is open and clear, with a long sustain. If you get any buzz, or if the note sounds dead, you should press harder and try again.

4. Use your index finger and play the 1st fret, middle finger and play the 2nd fret, ring finger and play the 3rd fret, pinky and play the 4th fret. Play each note one after another on the 6th string. You're going for good tone, using the correct finger, and steady tempo.

5. Repeat this sequence, 1, 2, 3, 4 on each subsequent string until you get to the 1st string.

6. As you play through the exercise, pay attention to a few things:

• Make sure your thumb is positioned on the back of the neck, squeezing the neck between your fingers and your thumb.
• Place your fingers towards the "front" of the fret, just behind the fretwire, on the side of the fret closer to your picking hand. It's easier to get a good tone and it takes less force to fret your note.
• Hold your pick between the thumb and index finger on your right hand. Make sure the pinky, ring, and middle finger are straight and not curled up into a fist as you pick.

7. When you complete the exercise forwards, turn around and do the exercise backwards. Start on the first string and play the 4th fret with your pinky finger, 3rd fret with your ring finger, etc.

8. This is a great exercise to use as a warm up. Play it forwards and backwards. If you can do that without making a mistake, play it 3 times without making a mistake.

Today I've got my top 3 tips for beginning singers. These are things that I tell almost every new singer with me that is just starting as a vocal student.

1. Know your vocal range, know where your break is.

Almost everybody has a chest voice and a head voice, and there is a point at which you can't sing any higher in your chest voice. For me that note is around F# above middle C. This knowledge is vital to understanding how best to use your voice, what key is good for your voice, which songs are in your range, etc. I use this little piece of knowledge in considering any song that I sing. You should know where your break is also.

2. Sing songs in the right octave.

Almost never does it sound good to sing a song an octave below where the song is written. Almost never. Certainly if you are singing a song that is written for your gender, then sing the song in it's intended octave. The sooner you get used to doing this, the sooner you'll make progress in your singing.

3. Commit to singing the right note.

You must sing the note that is written, regardless if the note seems too high, is uncomfortable to sing, you sound bad singing the note, etc. You must ask your voice to sing the note that is intended. Only then can you develop your ear accurately. Only then can you make some decisions about key, range, etc. This seems so simple as to be obvious, but I'm going to write it again. Commit to singing the correct note.

Hopefully these tips will help you as you start your journey as a singer. Good luck practicing, and I'll see you all next week!