Thankful for '23!

Thankful for sooo many things in 2023.....

On stage, December 2023, charity event.

Last year, I wrote a fairly comprehensive piece on being thankful, loaded with a fair bit of detail, professionally speaking.

This year I'd like to focus on something more personal and more general. I do focus on some 2023 highlights in my annual birthday post if you're interested, however....

It is often bragged - in song, poetry, moving pictures, literature, & the like - that one has made it on their own. That no one provided any assistance. That the person clawed out of the gutter and climbed the mountain all on their own.

This is a romantic vision and is, perhaps in some cases, absolutely true. But it isn't true for me.

From my first gigs to the first key to a recording studio door all the way to the day before yesterday, I have been blessed with opportunity and a helping hand from all manner of people - some family, some friends, some almost complete strangers.

I am blessed beyond belief.

And I am as grateful as I can possibly be.

I definitely have NOT done it all on my own. The life of a self-employed musician is hard, but mostly its hard on those around you. Every woman with whom I've had a failed relationship (that's ALL of them) and every woman I've ever been involved with will attest to that. My kids and my family and my friends can attest to it as well. Its a volatile industry and an incredibly stressful lifestyle for those who love us....or even just like us a little bit, for a little while - a few moments in time.

So, yes, it can be hard personally and financially and about any other way one can think. But its also incredibly rewarding, incredibly fulfilling, incredibly....magical. And it stuns me every day to realize this has been my life for decades.

On stage, June 2023, Woodsongs.

And I never could have done it on my own. 

So cheers to YOU, everyone who has ever lent a helping hand (financially, emotionally, or let me crash on your sofa when my life was falling apart), put cash in my tip jar, shared my music, attended my gigs, recommended me to others for music instruction, gotten me a gig, trusted me to teach a loved one or to play on your record, hired me to compose music for your business or to play music at your event or to produce your recording, collaborated with me (music, teaching, events, etc), and the like.

Saying "thank you" seem inadequate, to say the least. But being less than gifted as a wordsmith, its all I can find to say, I'm afraid.

But I can say: Its been a wonderful life and I look forward to every single day.

Thank all of you for making my dream a reality.

HAPPY 59

on stage with Michael Johnathon, June 2023

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" - Satchel Paige

My annual obligatory birthday post!

Sooo...another trek around the sun, as they say - 59 such treks. This year, as every year, has been quite the roller-coaster ride...from another successful Lexi Music Awards event to hosting open mics to performances at local charity events to national TV to a couple of fabulous studio sessions to performances at both the Prince Tribute show and the Tina Turner Tribute show and so much more on the professional & creative front!

And, of course, its been amazing to continue to watch students & former students go out into the world and be creative and chase their dreams!

Eddy, Carol, & me!

Here at SD Universe, I made 12 entries, including a percussion workshop article, a lesson article of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", and four RIP pieces (Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Gordon Lightfoot, and Jeff Beck).....while at SD Magazine we published two "Sonic Sorcery" lessons, a Superbowl Music lesson, and two "Looking Back" articles ("Synchronicity" by the Police and Revel Yell" by Billy Idol).

So....my birthday weekend:

Friday (10-20) was a hard workout at the gym (final pre-birthday workout) and included 60 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes full body resistance work, and capped it off with weighted carries (45 pound plate in each hands while walking laps around the gym).

a coupla random adults hanging with my main man G!

Saturday (10-21) was a set at a charity gig for Greenhouse 17 organized by Ned Bellau at The Cellar, and then a pizza party with the kids!

Sunday (10-22) was the annual Birthday Jam! We packed the patio at Goodwood and had a blast! I also broke a 30+ day alcohol-free (also an annual thing for me) with a really good scotch!

Serena w/ backup from me and Haywood!

Monday (birthday) I got up feeling a tad ragged from the weekend festivities, but after getting the kids off to school, I hit the gym HARD, then went home to a super-rare steak with shrimp and guacamole, raw mixed nuts, and a nap! 

Unfortunately, the ragged feeling turned out to be a cold or mild flu which lasted for over a week, but if that's the worst thing that happened, nothing happened (haha!).

Also blessed to receive hundreds upon hundreds of birthday wishes via text, email, snail mail, social media, phone calls, & the like...and as I do each year, I took my annual ODIS (Old Dudes In Shape) pictures as a challenge to my buddies who also post ODIS pics. Good accountability and keeps us all motivated and disciplined! (pic at bottom)

On the off chance that you are interested in the stories & photos from past birthdays, you can punch THIS LINK, which will list them all.

That's it for now. Gotta get to work prepping lessons, Lexi Music Awards, my annual "thankful" post, and more....and please check out my Patreon page ($5/month for Total Access to writings, performance clips, music instruction, diet & fitness writings, AMAs, etc)!

See y'all soon...in person, online, on TV, or wherever we shall meet!

#StayFierce #SkinnyDevil #FierceAF #SDMLguitar #LexiMusicAwards #ThisIs58 #PirateLife

SUMMER FUN: Free Resources, Gigs for You, Lessons, More!

How is it we're almost halfway through 2023?!

Well, I hope you are enjoying the year so far...and I have a LOT of resources for you on your musical journey! Before we hit them all, I thought it prudent to share some basic background info for those interested. You can read my bio & student success stories HERE.

OK, here we go....

1) Summer Lessons - We have a new summer group session of guitar classes starting Thursday, June 1st at Willis Music (attend in-person or via Zoom).....and I have several private lesson slots open NOW!

Contact me for details at sdmusiclab@gmail.com or 909-929-2007.

2) Free Articles/Lessons - Already this year, I've written (free for the public) lesson articles on Tina Turner, Gordon Lightfoot, & Harry Belafonte, plus a piece on "found percussion" (& basic concepts), lesson article "The Music of O Brother Where Art Thou?", and more all at SD Universe......as well as my entries at SD Magazine, which include pieces on "Heart of Glass", a tribute to Jeff Beck, lesson on Chris Stapleton's Superbowl performance of "Star Spangled Banner", another "Sonic Sorcery" lesson exploring alliteration, as well as the first two entries of the new LOOK BACK series, Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and the classic "Synchronicity" by The Police.

Active students also have access to our supplemental pages, where we've included a lot of info plus over 60 song charts so far this year!

3) Gig Opportunities - In addition to 4 solo/duo recitals per year and an additional 2-3 "rock band" recitals per year, we've also kicked off the "Second Sunday Open Mic" where we have students and non-students alike on stage to perform! We prioritize students participation, but the idea is also to allow greater networking with area musicians of all ages and all styles!

Contact me if YOU want to perform!

4) Field Trips - We're attempting to organize and confirm dates NOW to local radio stations and more, including a trip to be a crew member at Woodsongs Oldtime Radio Hour (shot in Lexington, KY and broadcast on 500+ stations worldwide and dozens of public TV stations across the country).

Details soon!

5) Misc - We'll be setting some VERY specific goals for summer to keep current students on track.....I'll be conducting several songwriting workshops in Lexington, Nicholasville, & more during the summer & fall.....you can subscribe to my Patreon Page for only $5/month - and for current students, at NO EXTRA COST (the $5 monthly fee for patreon will be deducted from your lesson tuition).....and all of my social media can be accessed via my FB page.


That's it for now - stay in tune and I'll see you soon!

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If you value my work and want to support it......contact me for lessons (guitar, electric bass, ukulele, social drumming, songwriting, etc) or feel free to leave a tip (one-shot or monthly):

PayPal (one-time or monthly options)
http://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic

Venmo (one-time only)
www.venmo.com/David-McLean-47

AMA - Thoughts on Tyson Fury & Jon Jones Controversy

I got a good laugh at this question, as I'm a musician, not a fighter (and when I fought, I was average at best, and that was long ago).

Be that as it may, I figured it might be fun to weigh in on this.

"Did you hear what Joe Rogan said about Tyson Fury and Jon Jones? Now Tyson & Jones are talking back and forth on social media. Who do you think would win?"

Yes, I heard what Rogan said, yes I heard some of the back and forth (though not sure of the chronology or who said what first following Joe). Who do I think would win?

Well, I think boxing and MMA are two entirely different sports. Sure, they're both combat sports. But understand the rule set of boxing and the rule set of MMA are radically different, and the salient point of "different" in this case is that boxing enjoys a MUCH more limiting rule set.

So how a fight between them would turn out? 

RIP Tina Turner

The undisputed Queen of Rock-n-Roll.....RIP Tina Turner.

Her influence began almost immediately, showing young ladies the far boundaries of what was possible in the music business. Tina's career spanned from roughly 1960 until well into the 2000s, and every generation was profoundly impacted by her voice, her music, her style, and her sheer force fighting against all odds.

Performing & recording with Ike Turner & his Kings of Rhythm in the late 1950s, she exploded onto the airwaves with her debut single "Fool in Love" in 1960.

RIP Harry Belafonte

The world lost a huge talent in April of '23 - bigger than most of the 21st century music press realized....

Today, we look very briefly at his life & career (with song charts and video below).

Harry Belafonte was born March 1, 1927 in New York City, his father & mother both born in Jamaica and moved to the US before Harry was born. He spent his first 5 years in Harlem, but then moved back to Jamaica to live with his grandmother and attend school. Moving back to the US in his teen years, Belafonte, he dropped out of school, served briefly in the Navy (serving in WW2), and worked as a janitor throughout the remainder of the 1940s.

It was then that he met Sidney Portier (also completely unknown at the time) and fell in love with theater, radically altering the course of his life. 

RIP Gordon Lightfoot

We'll not give this folk legend a proper biographical showing here so that we can get right to the music, but I strongly suggest reading his bio at his Wiki Page or visiting his website.

In short, Gordon Lightfoot is known for songs like "If You Could Read My Mind" (his first #1 hit), "Sundown" (his first US #1 hit), "Rainy Day People", "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", and many more, all of which appeared on a variety of albums starting with "Lightfoot!" (1966) and across his certified gold & platinum selling albums "Sit Down Young Stranger" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Summertime Dream" (1976), "Endless Wire" (1978), and "East of Midnight" (1986), as well as his platinum selling compilation album "Complete Greatest Hits" released in 2002.

Lightfoot was a favorite of artists like Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson (of The Band), performed at the opening of the winter Olympic Games in Calgary (1988), won 5 ASCAP Awards, one Grammy Award (with 5 Grammy nominations), 16 Juno Awards, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Order of Canada, an honorary doctorate of music from Lakehead University, and so much more...including a Lifetime Achievement Award from SOCAN in 2014.

Please read more about him and explore his fabulous music, available in music stores and online at all major platforms.

Percussion Workshop: "Found" Instruments

 WORKSHOP: Found Instruments & Body/Vocal Percussion

HELLO! My name is David McLean, and I’m your instructor today. This handout is what you will receive at our "Found Instruments & Body/Vocal Percussion" workshops.

Let’s quickly cover a few items….

The Assignment!

(ED NOTE: I'm not sure why this jumped to today's note when I added an up-date. The original piece is over a decade old - The Affordable Care Act was under discussion in 2009 and signed into law March of 2010....so this discussion, and what I wrote below, is quite dated.)

It started at Facebook. The discussion was over the (then) newly proposed Obama-Care plan (though we could be discussing ANY hot-button topic). The original post:

Class - Today's POLITICAL LESSON: With all the fighting going on about health-care and such, today you must argue CONVINCINGLY for the OTHER side. If you can't do that, then you not only don't understand any other option but the one you support, but cannot see & address the problems with the plan you support. Sooo...who is up for the challenge?

Ignoring the discussion that ensued (for the moment, anyway), here is my entries (I argue both sides):

The Music of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Mid guitar lesson the other day, my student (and Patreon patron) Kit mentioned the soundtrack to the 2000 award-winning film "O Brother, Where Art Though?" and we decided, during the conversation, I was long overdue in writing a lesson article on the movie's soundtrack (similar to my Black Widow and James Bond lesson articles).....so this writing exists to correct that oversight!

The soundtrack, which also won accolades for its soundtrack (including 2022 Grammy Awards for both "Album of the Year" and "Best Compilation Soundtrack" as well as several other Grammys, CMAs, IBMAs, & more) and hit #1 on the charts and sold over 8 million copies, was produced by legend T Bone Burnett.

Let's leap right in and look at each song (charts provided where there is musical accompaniment, though much of the album features a cappella performances - the term "a cappella", it should be noted, simply means there is no harmonic instrumentation supporting the singers).

What a Month Coming!

WHAT A MONTH coming up! 

w/ Max Corona of WBVX-FM

1) GIGS - Starts this Friday with Skinny Devil First Friday at Goodwood (hoping to have a few guest players along!) and the Sunday is the 9th Lexi Music Awards at the beautiful The Lyric Theatre w/ 30+ awards (including Lifetime Achievement, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, etc) & performances by The Wallace Sisters, Devine Carama & J.k. Wyche, Trippin Roots, & Mojo Tones, w/ Bill Meck hosting!

The we have our "SECOND SUNDAY" invitation open mic (lineup TBA) and.... 

2) LESSONS - ....I start a new 8-week group session Guitar Classes - Beginner & "Boot Camp"! for anyone who wants to learn guitar, ukulele, or electric bass!

I also have private lesson slots open NOW!

3) WORKSHOPS - I'll also be announcing the year's workshop schedule (including social drumming, songwriting, improvisation, & more) and additional shows!

4) PATREON - For anyone interested in my Patreon Page, its just $5/month ALL ACCESS! Mini-lessons, performance videos w/ song charts, "Fitness Fridays", and much more!

Aside: All my social media links are available on my Facebook page HERE.

If YOU are interested in lessons, workshops, or performances in YOUR area, contact me ASAP!

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If you value my work and want to support it......contact me for lessons (guitar, electric bass, ukulele, social drumming, songwriting, etc) or feel free to leave a tip (one-shot or monthly):

PayPal (one-time or monthly options)
http://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic

Venmo (one-time only)
www.venmo.com/David-McLean-47

http://www.skinnydevil.net
http://www.sdmlguitar.com

RIP Jeff Beck, Titan of Guitar

JUST GOT THE NEWS.....phone was blowing up while I was teaching, so I took a look between lessons and had a load of texts telling me Jeff Beck had died....so I took a breath....and then I took a moment & told my students a little about this GIANT of the guitar world.

Now I'm sitting with a glass of scotch and Jeff's music soaring out of the speakers.

This is a HUGE loss to the world of guitar AND to the world of music. I'll write more about it soon at Skinny Devil Magazine - something to sum up his career and cultural impact for not only his fans but for the uninitiated. 

(ed: the story is now HERE)

But right now, hours after hearing the news, I want to write something personal; something probably selfish....because I'm sitting here alone and totally bummed out. So I want to write about what Jeff meant to me.

I was a kid, a teenager and new to guitar. But I consumed a lot of '70s gold, "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth and all the early Aerosmith and Nugent's "Double Live Gonzo" and the live Kiss records and Rush's "2112". Excellent material all, no doubt.

But then, all in a year, I was hit by a handful of artists....I had no idea the guitar could do those things!

Of the handful of artists & albums that turned my world upside down, inside out, I'll name two from opposite ends of the spectrum, as it were: In the acoustic realm, 1980's "Friday Night in San Francisco" (Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia), and from the electric realm, 1976's album "Wired" by Jeff Beck.

I didn't understand what I was hearing from either album at first. Simply couldn't wrap my head around either. But nothing sounded the same after. 

"Led Boots" melted my brain and "Sophie" both compelled & confused me. So I grabbed "There and Back" (1980) and then went in reverse, buying a scratched up copy of "Blow By Blow" (1975) and even more scratched copy of "Jeff Beck w/ Jan Hammer Group Live" (1977), obsessing on songs like "Freeway Jam" and "Blue Wind".

It changed how I heard sound, how I conceived of the instrument, and later (when I understood the underlying musical concepts), how I both wrote and taught music. How I write and teach music today.

Jeff never stopped. Like the Miles Davis of rock music, he kept changing, evolving, rebelling against his own musical past. Never satisfied with what he had already done, and instead carving a new name into new stone.

Those who know me know my love of the ancient story of Prometheus (I'll expound on this later when I write a less selfish piece about Jeff). Jeff was a God...a Titan. Jeff was the Prometheus of modern electric guitar. That's all I can say for now.

Thank you, Jeff....for all the strange and beautiful noise.

January - Guitar Lessons

Howdy, everyone!

WBVX DJ Max Corona (left) and me (right)!

Just a note to let everyone know a few details about guitar lessons for 2023! For anyone who needs info on me, my complete instructor bio is available HERE.

1) GROUPS - We're starting a new group guitar class (with both in-person AND Zoom options) at Willis Music, Thursday, January 12....beginner G1 class is at 5pm and we also have our G4 "Bootcamp" class at 4pm for experienced players.

2) PRIVATE - As I write, I have several early AND "prime time" private slots available. If you are interested in private lessons (or if you are a current student who needs to switch days/times), contact me asap, please.

3) AWARDS - The SAGE Awards program has been re-launched. For those new to lessons, this is our 3-tiered awards program as a student demonstrates competency across an array of fundamentals, leading them essentially from "novice beginner" to "intermediate beginner" to "advanced beginner". 

Once the three levels are complete, the student moves directly to our component based approach which allows them to learn at a highly accelerated pace.

As always, contact me with any questions! I can be reached at sdmusiclab@gmail.com or 909-929-2007 (text or call).

January...."Lifestyle Challenge" and a 2023 Challenge

HELLO January & hello 2023!

I hope this note finds you each happy & well, and looking forward to new challenges for both January AND for the entire year!

Let's take a look first at SHORT-TERM goals using our usual format....

Monthly Lifestyle Challenge

For those new to the challenges, it isn't to compete against others. It's to push yourself to greater heights, have some company & inspiration along the way, and a few ideas the help get us focused. For example, you can use this waving of the analytical knife to help organize your goals:

1) Exercise/Diet - Set a specific plan or goal(s). Keep us posted weekly (or more) on your progress!

2) Creativity - Music, art, writing, acting...set a goal to complete by month's end. Keep us posted!

3) Personal life - Re-affirm your personal relationships, get to that project/chore you've been avoiding, or just read a book you've always wanted to read!

4) Professional life - Set a work goal or change jobs or....just tell us what it is and keep us posted!

I will post some of my goals in the comments below.

New Year Goals

We typically use a similar format to set goals/resolutions for the year...but I have a simple challenge for you, in addition to whatever specific goals you have...and I'll be doing a version of this, also!

Again, in addition to whatever your normal workout would be, choose a particular exercise (I'll be doing both pull-ups AND push-ups) and do 23 reps every single day of 2023! 

If you can commit to this small task (60 seconds per day?), you will have managed well over 8000 reps by year's end! To be precise, 8,395 reps!

So....there's your challenge!

And yes, I'll be doing these 8000+ reps in addition to whatever my normal reps would be for these exercises (Lex Fridman has said 24000 pull-ups for 2023, so I'm looking to top that....and interestingly, if I do the 23 reps three times per day, that's 69/day, the total will be 25,185 by year's end).

Please feel free to keep us posted in the comments below or, if you wish to be more private about it, keep me posted via DM, text or email!

Novus Annus....and stay fierce, my friends!

Post Script: I was asked about the different courses I've taken over the years. I try to do at least one college course every year and have for many years, studying everything from Greek Myth to Music to Economics to Philosophy. My primary resources are Open Culture (1700+ courses) and, in recent years, EdX (3000+ course). Between the two, they've allowed me to access old lectures as well as register for classes from MIT, Berklee School of Music, Standford, NYU, and more. For musicians, I highly recommend all 11 hours of Leonard Bernstein's music lecture series, "The Unanswered Question" (Harvard)....available directly from Open Culture.

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If you value my work and want to support it......contact me for lessons (guitar, electric bass, ukulele, social drumming, songwriting, etc) or feel free to leave a tip (one-shot or monthly):

PayPal (one-time or monthly options)
http://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic

Venmo (one-time only)
www.venmo.com/David-McLean-47

http://www.skinnydevil.net
http://www.sdmlguitar.com