https://mgrmusic.com/teacher/neil-bruce/I am really happy to say that I now have a profile on the fantastic mgrmusic.com website. So what is the website all about? Well, here is some blurb from the about section "MusicTeacher.co.uk is a network of professional musicians located throughout the UK and Ireland, tutoring students of all ages and abilities across a wide range of different instruments. Our database of active music teachers is maintained to ensure that students can locate suitable music teachers and have confidence that the information displayed about these teachers is accurate and up to date. To find a teacher simply enter your postcode on the homepage and select the instrument you are interested in learning. If you have any questions at all don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via the Contact Us page or email info@mgrmusic.com."" It is a really honour to be on the site, so head on over and take a look at some of the great lessons and tutors who are on the site.EnjoyPeaceNeil
Flare Audio Snoozers Full Review
The time has come! My Flare Audio Snoozers have arrived!! Looking at the messages I get, there seems that this (so far) has been the most anticipated review I have every done! For some ear plugs!! Well I should have known! I mean I did spend a large part of my life studying the effects of sound in the environment and ‘noise’ for my PhD. But even I am overwhelmed at the interest in this market!What can I say?Well it seems that Flare Audio have taken on board the criticism that they got (and it seems to be ALOT) for the ISOLATES and how they can’t easily be used for sleeping it. I am not sure that they were marketed that way? They certainly weren’t to me, they were marketed as musicians earplugs, and you will have to check out my reviews on the ISOLATES in regards to what I thought about that. I digress, they have now produced the snoozers and I have produced a video review about them which I think highlights all of the questions one might have in relations to these ear plugs. In the video I also mention Doc’s Pro Plugs and there is a link to them below should you wish to check those out!EnjoyPeaceNeil
Secrets of Artificial Life | Initialisation Sequence - Music Video
First video and track, 'Initialisation Sequence’, from the new Light B4 Sound album ‘Secrets of Artificial Life’ released on Monday. For more info https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/lightb4sound2The secrets of artificial life is an ambient electronic work by Light Before Sound, exploring the journey through the consciousness and manifestation of digital life coming alive. The album tracks through the journey from digital conception to the becoming whole. Ideally, the album should be listened to as one continuous piece, but each track features it's own unique message.The track listing is as follows...1 Awakenings2 Folded Paper Shapes3 Memory Allocation4 Defect5 Initialisation Sequence6 The Plot7 Interfacing8 Implanting9 Reflections10 Precinct 1311 FoundryEnjoyPeaceNeil
The number one productivity tip for improving on the Guitar (and anything!)
If you only do one thing to become more productive, then it should be to watch this video and learn the NUMBER one tip to being more productive and improving on the guitar (or anything else in life!). It is really quite simple!EnjoyPeaceNeil2
TC Electronic Nova System for the acoustic guitar
For a number of years now, I have been using my TC Nova system with my acoustic guitar for a duo gigs and some of my original material. I am only really using a few of the effects in this situation, the reverb, delay and compression, but the size of the box and the amazing quality of the effects is the prime reason for choosing it.
Much easier than building a small pedal board for a few pedals, plus it has an IEC power supply which again makes life much easier the live environment.Since then have had a few questions from both subscribers of my youtube channel and members of a Facebook group for Nova system users.
The questions tend to be focused on how I use the Nova and what settings I used. So to answer these questions, I produced a couple of short videos to help anyone and hopefully answer any questions. One of the videos also details all of the patch settings should you want to recreate me settings.andIf you have any more questions please let me know.
Request
I hope that you found this article useful and enjoy my blog, podcast and YouTube channel. I’m always happy to share my thoughts and to help others as much as I can and I will never charge for my blog content. Having said that, I truly appreciate when someone supports me in return for the time it takes to write articles, produce podcasts and videos, where I share my years of work and experience with you.
Here are some ways you can show your appreciation:
sharing my content online.
buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpencerBruce
subscribing, liking and commenting on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NeilSpencerBruce
Listening to my music on streaming services like Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3llyDSr
buying my music and sounds on Bandcamp: https://lightb4sound.bandcamp.com/
Visiting my online store: SpencerBruceStore
Peace
Neil
SBM Vlog Updates
For those of you regulars on the blog and any of your new comers, please be aware that I also vlog as well! So below is a play list of recently Spencer Bruce Media VLOG’s. Similar to the blog in someways, what you get is an insight in to the work I am doing, a few rants here and there and some background behind the sense video of what it is like to be a working musician.I would love to hear your thoughts on the vlog (and the blog!).Thanks for your continued support everyone!EnjoyPeaceNeil
Setting objectives will a BIG difference to your guitar playing.
How setting objectives will a BIG difference to your guitar playing and other areas of life. In this video I examine the importance of setting yourself objectives and goals in your guitar development as as SURE fire way to develop on the instrument. The ideas in the video are not only suitable for guitar playing but can be transferred to all aspects of life.Many of these kinds of ideas are explored in my Guitar Creativity book, which opens up the guitarist to new ways of thinking about their practice, the instrument and creativity on the instrument.What are your current objectives?EnjoyPeaceNeil
Flare Audio Snoozers thoughts and ISOLATE review
Those of you who follow my Youtube channel, may be aware that I have done a series of videos on the Flare Audio Isolate ear plugs. I have been surprised at how much anger there seems to be towards this company and product. To give you a bit of background......
Flare Audio ISOLATE
I recently was made aware of a crowd funding campaign for these little ear plugs and I have to say it got me hooked. As some of you know I have a background in academic acoustics and psychoacoustic and thus the ear are something very important to me. I also an a huge advocate of protecting one's hearing from hearing loss in musician circle (as they can be the most immune and the least caring....until it's gone!).As you can see I always reviewed these ear plugs in the context at which they were marketed to me, as a musician. Most the anger on my videos seems to come from people who were using them to sleep in. Wow, I would never consider sleeping in these, that just seems SO uncomfortable indeed!!!But it seems that Flare Audio have taken a lot of the criticism onboard and released the Snoozers for those of you who like to sleep with ear plugs. So I thought I would put together a little video for you with my thoughts....and here it isEnjoyPeaceNeil
Top 5 tips for working from home
Home is where the work is
Home working (thankfully) is becoming more and more common and we all know that it makes SO much more sense. That is not to say that going into the office (or in my case rehearsal/gig) on occasions is not crucial to maintain relationships and have human and work interaction.
But, in this day and age, working from home really is possible and can serve to cure many of today’s pressing issues, such as combating congestion, helping to reduce co2 and climate change; helping employee’s with health issues such as stress and over working; helping employee’s to achieve a much better work life balance.
I am fortunate as a guitarist and composer that I get to work in my home studio....in my home!
But that doesn’t mean that it is all swings and roundabouts, there are some problems, just as there are going to work in an office.
But even with a few cons, the pro certainly outweigh them!!!
As they say, “we have the technology”, and so much more at our fingers tips,
So, WHY in this day and age are we forcing millions of people into (usually) very small city centre areas, all at the same times of day, to sit in over priced offices and (if we are honest) just think about and wish it to be home time so they can escape again (with the other millions).
There are SO many alternatives to the antiquated Victorian industrial era habit, and enabling employees to work either from home or hub offices and in their own time would do go part of the way to achieving this, and I am sure making the world a much better place!!
If you would like to hear more then please check out there There is another way podcast.
The Lucky Ones??
Yes, so of us are fortunately to already be able to do this, either because we decided to work for ourselves (I am sure this is the future!) or have actual liberated, open minded and most importantly trusting employers, who have embraced home working. BUT, what find is that when we cross this divide and finally get to work from home (or those of us who run our own businesses, there are a new set of issues to contend with.
Hopefully, this article serves to help overcome some of the common problems of isolation, new stresses, inactivity, procrastination and more.Sit back and enjoy the tips.
Top 5 tips for working from home
1) Make your bed.
According to a podcast from the ultimate home worker Tim Ferriss, when he interviewed a military general, his top piece of advice to avoid procrastination and giving your sense of habit forming and achievement is to make your bed and make your bed every day.
As you do this, it starts to form a habit, and when habits form they are hard to break. With the bed made and the formulation of this habit stuck in your head, you can then set to create the next habit task which starts directly after you have started your first task of the day, such as checking emails, corresponding to clients, or going to the gym.
To beat procrastination your need a routine and you need to form habits. Making the bed also gives you a sense of achievement that you have already completed a task at the start at the day. Therefore your are already on your road to success! Try it, your will be surprised.
2) Put your shoes on.
The act of putting your shoes on to me help signal to my brain that I am in work mode. I am ready for action, should I need to go out, go to a meeting, I am ready. Working in Pj's and slippers might sound like a great enticement to home working, but it can easily lead to you confusing work with being at home, and whilst this is fine, it can also (if you are that way inclined) cause you to start stressing as there is no delineation between your work and home life.
Bonus tip - Take your shoes offThis is a biggy to help relief and home working stress anxiety , the very act of removing your shoes signals that you are no longer at work, but at home and it is your time. It really does help you to relax and triggers your brain to start switching off from work life and moving from home life. Try it! It is just another trigger!
3) Put the radio on
I personally recommend some form of news talk show type program, as this chatter in the background at a low level is very similar to being in a work place environment, where you no longer feel isolated, and can switch in and switch out of the conversation. Just like in an office, when you are in the zone, you focus out the conversation, but thanks to the cocktail party effect, if something of interest is mentioned, you can zone back in again.
This tip really helps if you are feeling isolated working from home and alone. The constant hubbub really can help focus the mind on your task as you aren't thinking about being isolated. You should use the radio and not the TV as the visual elements of the TV will serve to distract you and the way that TV is edited is to draw you in and not allow you to switch off, because you just have to know what is coming next.....
4) GO out
This is very very important. You have escaped the office, and the sedentary life that goes along with sitting at a desk all day....to sit at a desk all day. Yes we are all guilty of it. But unfortunately this is actually worse for your fitness because you aren't even walking to the bus or the car or up the office stairs.
You need to keep yourself active, so make sure you go out for a walk, to the gym, whatever takes your fancy. This will also help clear your mind and for me helps my creative mind come up with new ideas and projects.
5) Find the place you work well
This could be a spare room, the sofa, for me it is a coffee shop. I became my own boss so I could work where I like and when. I have discovered after years of doing this, that I work SO much better in short very concentrated bursts in coffee shops.
I manage to kill two birds with one stone. I pick a coffee shop that is a mile or two away, and count that as part of my exercise (See above).
I walk to the coffee shop (most have WIFI these days....in fact I am writing this now in a coffeeshop) sit there and enjoy the atmosphere, which for me is very conducive for concentrated work (I know that this might not be for everyone) and sit and work very intensely for a few hours and then walk home with a sense of achievement.
I jokingly call the coffee shop my office, and I am so lucky as I have a huge range of “offices" to go to depending on my mood. For you it might be different, it might be a bean bag in your kitchen, or a shed.
Where ever that space where you find you can do your best work is, go there, and DON'T worry about what or where it is at the end of the day your client or boss want to see results....Do they REALLY care that you did it at 2am in a late night service station? Nope!
NOTE : This article was written before the enforced home working of the Covid-19 Pandemic for many people around the world. For additional advice about homeworking and homeschooling do check out this article on Mindgenius.
I’d would love to hear your home working tips and tricks, please leave them in the comments below!
Enjoy
Peace
Neil