WorkshopLive interview with Raleigh Green
Education: 1998 - Bachelors of Fine Art, University of Missouri
2002 - Professional Music Diploma (Summa Cum Laude), Berklee College of Music
Started: Age 12 in 1987
When did you start to play? I started playing around with music at age 5 or 6. I can remember as a child living in Indiana,
we had an upright piano that I would plunk around on for fun. I'd find simple melodies by ear and try to play with two hands. I remember my friend
Kevin from down the block was at my house one day watching me play, and he said "Wow, you are going to be a musician when you grow up!" Well,
he was right about one thing, I am now a full time musician. Whether I've grown up or not is another question.
When did you start to notice that your playing was different from everyone else's? When did you find your voice as a player? Well,
I started formal guitar lessons when I was around 12. I went to a boarding school for junior high and in a stroke of fate, I took my mom's nylon string guitar with me.
It was there in the Black mountains of North Carolina that I had my first guitar lessons with this enormously tall dorm counselor named Andy. He showed me my
first open chords, and I think we were both surprised when I quickly progressed from tunes like "Puff the Magic Dragon", to songs by the Beatles.
The moment I learned to play "Blackbird", I instantly knew I was going to play guitar for the rest of my life.
Seeing Stevie Ray Vaughn live in
concert in 1990 was a big turning point in finding my voice as a guitarist. I was totally blown away because he played with such conviction. I got home from the
show and said to myself, "Man, if I really want to say something with the guitar, I better start playing like I mean it". Sadly, it turned out to be one of
Stevie's last performances, but that concert sure had a major impact.
How do you keep your playing fresh? By keeping a number of long-term and short-term musical projects going at the same time.
However, I think the biggest single thing that has kept things fresh for me is having an interest in many types of music.
What do you do when you get stuck? The main thing to do is to have confidence that you can "un-stick" yourself.
If I encounter a problem, I will go into problem-solving mode. In fact, it's kind of fun in a strange way because moments like that present the opportunity to
put on a detective's hat and figure out what to do to get unstuck. Once the problem is understood, that clarity makes it much easier to head in the right direction.
Plus, the more you successfully "un-stick" yourself, the easier it is to do the next time.
What do you still find hard to do? 1) Remember songs and arrangements that I haven't played in a long time. 2) Memorize lyrics. 3) Put away the guitar.
How often are you surprised by your playing, or what you're listening to, or music in general? I'm surprised by what I listen to
all the time. In fact, I am often most surprised by the music that students bring in. There is a great deal of innovation and experimentation going on in the music
world right now, and the Internet has made much of it instantly accessible.
Do you have a regular practice regimen? Yes, I play my guitar every single day!
Do you have a practice "tool-kit" - metronome, tuner, recorder, etc.? It's all in my laptop.
Do you have a special place for practice set aside in your home? Usually I practice in my studio (but on the couch in front of the TV is not unheard of either).
How do you practice on the road or when you travel? Something I enjoy doing is visualizing the guitar fretboard. That way, I can mentally play along to what ever I want to, wherever I am.
Is there a piece of gear you just can't live without? My guitars.
Are there one or two core ideas that are central to your teaching that you make sure every student learns? Yes, the most important thing is to enjoy
learning to play - and then, enjoy playing what you've learned!
Do you find yourself returning to listen to the artists who inspired you when you first started to play? Who are they? Yes, all the time. John Coltrane and J.S. Bach.
Does your playing change when you switch instruments? Yes, I believe so. I think playing different instruments brings out different
shades of a person's personality. Sometimes it is intentional if you are playing within stylistic boundaries, but I think it happens unintentionally as well, just due to
the sound, look, and feel of different instruments.
How often, when you're playing, do you find those moments of pure music, when your head is clear, your fingers are working, there are
no distractions, and it's just you and the music?
For me, I think it's easier to reach that state after playing for long periods of time. After playing for an hour of two, the hands get loose and the ears start to expand.
There's still no guarantee that it will happen, but when it does, it sure feels good.
We have a feature called "Big Ears", where we suggest interesting music to our members that they might not have heard before. What
would you suggest for them? If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out some of the current and past musicians that push the boundaries of music.
Here are some of my favorites in no particular order: John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, John Zorn,
Steve Reich, Buckethead, Joe Morris, Mike Patton, Eric Dolphy, Matthew Ship, and Marc Ribot are just a few. Give some of these musicians a listen and you might
just hear something you like.
What are you listening to these days? Do you search out music that's new and unfamiliar to you? I've been on a Henry Kaiser
kick recently – he has this fantastic album called "Lemon Fish Tweezer" that is absolutely amazing to listen to. But as far as searching for new artists
goes, students bring their favorite new music to their lessons all the time, so that's one way I get exposed to different things. There are also a few great radio
stations in the Boston area that play a wide variety of quality music. Of course the Internet comes in pretty handy for finding new music as well.
Do you have a musical wish list - other instruments to learn, people to play with, artists or styles to explore? There is always a
ton of gear on my wish list. However, the things I have most wanted to get for the last few years are a mandolin, and an AnalogMan King Of Tone Pedal. As far
as styles to explore, I'd like to get more into strange experimental music using computers, MIDI guitars, and real-time looping software like Abelton's Live.
Have you ever had a really great teacher? What made him/her so good? I have been very lucky to have many wonderful
teachers and I'd be happy to tell you about them. My first great teachers were my parents. They were (and still are) musically inclined, and they taught me
that music was part of every day life, and it could be enjoyed on a daily basis by doing something as simple as singing, whistling, humming or tapping your
feet (not to mention rocking out on a guitar or a piano).
Then, I had a series of great teachers through high school and college. In particular, my first Jazz guitar teacher was Steve Grismore, director of jazz studies
at the University of Iowa. Steve was the first person to introduce me to music theory and improvisation. Next, upon moving back to Missouri, I studied with
a number of amazing musicians, starting with solo jazz guitar master Lyle Harris, then modern jazz guitarist Shawn Hennessey, followed by a few years of
excellent piano lessons with jazz great Tom Andes.
Keep in mind, all the while, I was spending my summers at the National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut, and I must say, I was (and continue to be) in
absolute guitar heaven at that place! It was nearly 18 years ago, when I first experienced the Workshop's music program. As a student at the Workshop,
I had so many great teachers I couldn't even try to list them all (however, I will mention that quite a few of them still teach at the Workshop, and many of them
also teach here at WorkshopLive!). And that doesn't even include the incredible guest artists – quite an amazing place for a guitarist to be.
Then, during the three years I spent at Berklee College of music, I worked with some truly world-class teachers. After studying with monster guitarists Mark White,
and Bruce Bartlet, I had the pleasure of studying with the great Jon Damian and Bret Wilmott. After that, I was very fortunate to study with Mr. Goodchord himself,
Mick Goodrick (one of the main reasons I moved to Boston was to study with Mick). After graduating from Berklee, I placed myself on a year and a half long waiting
list to work with the most brilliant music teacher I've ever met - the legendary pianist Charlie Banacos. And the good news is, I still study with him to this day.
Isn't it great to be a student?
How do you learn best? When I'm having fun.
Do you have any practice tips we can share with our subscribers? Experimentation leads to invention and innovation, so be sure
to take the information you learn from WorkshopeLive and make it your own by following your muse. Visualize yourself as your own best student, as well as your
own best teacher, and you will find yourself on a direct path toward a lifetime of musical milestones.
Be sure to have fun as you practice, because the process of working towards a goal is often as rewarding as the goal itself. Best of luck!
