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Frosty, drummer for Lee Michaels passes…

71 seems to be a popular number this 2017 year for departed musicians…

Now, another powerful musician, drummer… Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost, aka: Frosty has moved on to the next musical dimension on April 12, 2017.

Ever since the day my face was melting after hearing Lee Michaels and Frosty play a small venue in Southern California in the late 60s, my appreciation for Frosty had never faded.

Be sure to treat yourself to some of the earlier work of Frosty and Lee (videos)… and of course, many of Frosty’s Austin bands.

Jam On!
-Ron

Frosty with Lee Michaels

(credit given Peter Blackstock via Austin 360 .com)

Born March 20, 1946, in Bellingham, Wash., Smith was raised in the Bay Area and also worked extensively in Los Angeles before relocating to Austin. He played on many of Austin’s biggest rock, country and blues records of the 1980s and ’90s, for artists including Alejandro Escovedo, Junior Brown, Roky Erickson, Butch Hancock, Marcia Ball, Tex Thomas, Doug Sahm & the Texas Mavericks, Toni Price, Guy Forsyth and Omar & the Howlers, among dozens of others…

Eagles Glenn Frey died…

As noted in Wiki… Glenn Lewis Frey (/fraɪ/; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and actor, best known as a founding member of rock band the Eagles. During the 1970s, Frey played guitar with the band, as well as piano and keyboards. Alongside Don Henley, Frey was one of the primary singers of the Eagles; he sang lead vocals on songs such as “Take It Easy“, “Peaceful Easy Feeling“, “Tequila Sunrise“, “Already Gone“, “Lyin’ Eyes“, “New Kid in Town” and “Heartache Tonight“.
RIP, Glenn… Jam On!
-Ron

More to learn at the official Eagles website here…
https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/

Play by Ear

Today, we’ll learn how to play music by ear intrinsically.

Hi, it’s Ron Greene here,

awhile ago we discussed how music theory, and how you might discover some insightful ways to play better on your musical instrument. Also, I provided you with a blurb about my development experiences with the Music Dial. Play music by ear in a band setting

Within this posting I’d love to discuss some thoughts with you, regarding your ability and feelings about… playing music by ear.

Here’s my take on playing music by ear or “play by ear” if you will. It might reference a typical means of playing music without wanting or needing to read notes on a music staff or on a tablature. The ability to play by ear, no doubt, means a lot of different things to a lot of people. To me it seems that on many occasions, playing music by ear would be a practical thing to learn and do. Continue reading Play by Ear →