NLP modelling, skills and music.

One of the more interesting aspects of my involvement with NLP is the learning new things.

Within Neuro Linguistic Programming is the aspect of modelling new skills and behaviours and of course the best way of doing this is to go and learn something new so you can apply these tools.

Over the past few years I have studied foraging, Tai Chi, dowsing as well as various forms of music outside of my original training but one area that fascinates me and which I can see also interested Richard Bandler is that of Shamanism.

Shamanic practice is our most ancient way of communing with deep consciousness and creating theta level trances and NLP’s use of timelines is so close to the idea of shamanic journeying where the practitioner can travel back and forth ‘through time’ on an imaginary timeline to affect healing changes to be conclusive of NLP’s original source material in my opinion.

However my interest in Shamanism is the way that music and rhythm is used in its practices. The word Shaman comes from the Siberian visionaries but this label has stuck with many cultures and walks of life from the Amazon to the western trained practitioner who traditionally would have been called something else. The African, Aborigine and Native American still are referred to by their original terms, but for anthropologists Shaman seems to be the most favoured around the world.

What I find striking is their similar use of droning rhythms and chanting or repetitive melodies whether that is from a didgeridoo, drum, shakers or overtone singing as used by the Mongolians to encourage trances, sometimes this is joined with dancing and in some cultures the use of psychoactive plants but even the cultures that use ‘drugs’ also use music to ‘guide’ the traveller.

Music and rhythm is far more important and powerful than we realise and partly this is due to our Western ideas where there has been a disconnection with our subtle feelings and a’ dumbing down’ of creative aspects of consciousness but I think this will in time change as I have noticed some interesting developments and increased popularity in machines such as Mind Spa, and the general use of the computer and the windows format seems to act on the right side of the brain in fact the idea of an Icon seems to bear  this out. As I have mentioned in previous postings it maybe music and its use in ceremony that gave us the advantage over the more powerful but less cultural and communal Neanderthal’s.

For us as musicians and teachers music has so much potential for healing and self-development which many of our ancestors understood and it has been our teacher for well over 60,000 years possibly longer. In my mind that is proof enough to keep playing.

 

Vic

 

www.vichyland.com

 

For the amazing rock band experience www.bluescampuk.co.uk  

 

 

 

 

Covering songs and copyright

Covering songs and copyright
from www.makeitinmusic.com
Using someone else’s hit song has often been a way for a new act to get heard and recognised.
Covering someone else’s material or song isn’t so much of a problem when performing live, but if you want to record and distribute that song as a record or a download, you’re going to need permission from the song’s publisher.
Starting at the beginning, many musicians won’t understand that there are two copyrights in every ‘record’ – there’s the recording that you make (which you generally will own unless it’s a ‘work made for hire’) and then there’s the underlying song or composition. Think of that as the thing you could write on manuscript paper as notes and words before a recording even existed. That right is what is owned by the companies that run the other side of the music business – the music publishers.

When you record a cover you’ll own the copyright in that recording but you’re going to need permission to use the song as you don’t own that copyright.
It can seem quite daunting with a whole load of legal hoops to jump through, and in some cases it may be a little difficult, but, for the majority of songs out there, this can actually be quite an easy process. Not least since most of the time the person whose song you’re covering can’t object or stop you. It’s just a matter of ‘dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s'!

The mechanical licence

To be able to release your you’l need something called a Mechanical Licence. This is the permission you need from the publisher for you to record and distribute the song that they own the rights to.
You may be lucky, and the song you’re considering using may be in the Public Domain. This is what happens after the track is of a certain age and no longer has the protection of copyright, usually 50 or 75 years after the death of the writer. Once this time has passed, the publisher no longer has rights over the song and it is then considered public property. Anyone can cover and record a song that is in the public domain without permission.
The music business has realised that this time period needs to be extended as some of the earliest pop and rock ‘n’ roll catalogue are now getting to that age where they won’t be protected by copyright and so you wouldn’t need a mechanical license. So it always good to check!
Finding out who owns the rights has become a lot easier now we have the internet. There are organisations in each country to help to find out who the publishers are. In the US there is Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and/or ASCAP to get the publisher’s information.
Once you know who the publisher is, you can then apply for a mechanical licence.
There are also agencies that will set up the mechanical license for you. The Harry Fox Agency in the States has for years been the number one place to obtain a mechanical licence, and is still the largest provider of licensing agreements with a huge database. Alternatively, and very poular with the DIY musician fraternity you can also try Limelight, who also take care of the process from beginning to end. In the UK you can use the new PRS for Music, which is a merger of PRS and MCPS.
The reason that is it called a Mechanical Licence is that it refers to physical copies of a song, such as a vinyl record and or a CD (DVDs and Video tapes). You will have to pay a royalty to the publisher (which ultimately goes to the writer of the song you’ve covered) on the amount you manufacture, not the amount you sell. For doing limited runs under 2,500 copies there is a online system at Harry Fox called Songfile.
Using either Limleight or Songfile is very simple. After clicking the “Song Search” link and entering the title of the song covered, it searches the database for the types of licences available for it.
Select “mechanical license” and fill in the multiple-choice questions. Quantity of manufacture and country of sale, and country of distribution along with the type of company you are.
From this info they then calculate the fee to pay based on the length of each song and the number of units you plan to sell.  Based upon the statutory mechanical royalty rate, the money collected for each sale of your cover version goes directly to the songwriter and publisher.
Now there may be some cases when using these agencies that the song you wish to cover comes up saying “This song is not available for mechanical licensing“. This could be enough to put you off doing the cover version, but there may also be another path, and a legal one, because once a song has been commercially released by an artist, that artist’s song may be re-recorded and released by anyone who chooses to do so.
This is only the case if the melody/lyric isn’t substantially changed in your cover version, and you pay the proper fees/royalties directly to the song’s copyright holders.

Synch Licence

Another area that needs attention that’s often overlooked is what happens when you decide to make a video of the cover version. You may think at this stage that you have protected yourself enough making sure you have the required permissions, but video is another ball game all together.
What you are going to need here is a Synch (or synchronisation) Licence. You may think that you’re using your own recording here and that you have paid for permission to record the song, but you haven’t paid to have the lyrics and music synched to the video footage. Often overlooked, we hear of bands having their videos taken down from YouTube on occasion when this hasn’t been secured.
Users often think that as YouTube is required by law to have a number of broadcast licences, that they’ll be covered by these broadcast licences. You’re not covered.  These licences cover the broadcasting of each video and do not, however, cover your responsibility to secure all of the necessary licences and clearances required before uploading/publishing your video. You guarantee that you have cleared all necessary rights to the video when you upload or publish it to YouTube.
So if you’re planning to record a cover version of someone else’s song, please take care of this business before you record your tune.
Using YouTube is a great tool for promotion, so getting the licences early is something that all musicians should factor into their plans. It’s true of course that many times you’ll be able to record a cover and publish it to YouTube (or release it digitally or even on CD) and nothing will happen from the rightful owners of the song. But, equally, just when you least expect it, you’ll find someone demanding that you get the appropriate licence and pay them a royalty – or, much worse, they’ll have your song taken down from all over the web just when it’s starting to get you some attention.

www.makeitinmusic.com

Creativity through playing a musical instrument

Creativity through playing a musical instrument

For me piece and quiet is very important. When I get in the car I listen to podcasts but not music mostly it is the BBC and the World Service documentaries and news etc. When I get home I rarely watch TV but sit and read or of course work on a section of guitar music.

Listening to pop music or even classical music in the car after listening to someone else is rather tiring and I need a break at that point. So radio documentaries are the thing that makes the long journeys pleasurable.

There are a few real gems on at the moment including the programme ‘Fourthought’ on radio four.

I have mentioned this programme before but there ahs been a number about creative thinking that go along with the type of points I have been raising in this blog over the last few years.

It is good occasionally to hear that many others are sharing the same thoughts as yourself not that it will change the habits of governments and the way that they manipulate education in guise of making tings work better.

A good case in point is the new Ofsted regulations for inspecting schools which are not only draconian but also rather laughable if you do not weep first at the Victorian ideas.

It looks like remembering how to be creative by playing a musical instrument is even more important than ever.

Vic  

http://www.teachmusic.co.uk/ for the free email blog

The Magic of the Mind

The Magic of the Mind Recently I was on a foraging course with a lady that we have been studying with on the Sussex Downs coastline. What excites me about these days is the change of mindset that one goes through where you can spend time studying one tiny little plant for what was probably nearly half an hour but what seemed like only moments.
Anna, who is the teacher, is one of the most interesting people I have met of late, an expert in Archeo-biology, a musician, an expert in survival skills and a teacher of small and not so small children, like me.
What fascinates me about people like Anna is they have 'an eye' like musicians have 'an ear'; she can spot a plant that we are looking for from such a distance that she must be able to feel it.
This is an example of how the unconscious can be aware of things that we cannot physically or consciously be aware of like a business man who can 'see' opportunity that others overlook.
For me music has this where a song can appear fully formed from the unconscious when you least expect it, solos appear out of thin air as played by someone else; oh the magic of the mind!
Guitarshaman