Today we’re joined by Dave Isaacs, a man known as the “Guitar Guru of Nashville”. Dave has been teaching music for over thirty years and provides online courses at JamPlay.com. Dave is also a performing artist, releasing ten CDs of his own and continuing to perform with an Americana trio called Renfree Isaacs.
Dave wrote a terrific guest post on song writing and arranging for the Musical U website last year and we were keen to pick his brains on songwriting advice - but in this conversation we also go deep into his own journey as a musician, the interplay of theory, instrument skills and your musical ear, and how he discovered the improviser’s mindset.
Dave shares:
• The trick to breaking into improv if it’s always seemed intimidating, and how he discovered this almost by accident.
• His two big tips for songwriters looking to improve.
• What causes many musicians to stall or plateau after learning for a few years, and how you can best tackle that and get moving again.
Dave has had a particularly interesting journey as a musician and it’s left him with true wisdom when it comes to the right mindset for teaching and learning music. We hope you’ll find this conversation as enlightening and inspiring as we did.
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Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 060
Links and Resources
• Dave’s website
• Dave’s blog
• Arranging for Songwriters, with Dave Isaacs
• Dave Isaacs on JamPlay
• About Active Listening
• Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Klickstein
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259: Stepping Into Better Rhythm (with Dave Smith)
258: Rhythmic Reconnection (with Dave Smith)
257: Coaches Corner, Episode 2
256: Building Your Musicality Bridge (Meet the Team, with Zac Bailey)
255: I Am Not Your Guru
254: What Makes a Great Performance (with Melissa Mulligan)
253: Finding Your Musical Identity (with Melissa Mulligan)
252: Q&A - If it ain't broke, why fix it?
251: Music: The Language Of Emotion (Meet The Team with Andrew Bishko, Head Educator)
250: Coaches Corner, Episode 1
249: Q&A - I'm getting no results from my ear training - should I give up?
248: Rhythm Improv Games (with Jeffrey Agrell)
247: If it makes you laugh, GOOD! (with Jeffrey Agrell)
246: We're Back! 🎉
245: Q&A: How (and why) should you do ear training for scales?
244: Q&A: I sometimes get the notes wrong when I sing - what can I do?
243: Q&A: If playing music is like speaking a language - what about harmony?
242: Q&A: Why use headphones and what kind should I buy?
241: Q&A: What can you do if you struggle to audiate (imagine music)?
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