Bernie Williams played a beautiful, solo guitar tribute to his friend and former Yankee teammate Derek Jeter, as Jeter marked the end of his long, illustrious baseball career. At Boston’s Fenway Park, Williams performed a hauntingly beautiful and highly personal version of “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” that was both emotionally direct and musically sophisticated.
We musicians can learn 3 main lessons from Williams’ rendition:
1. If you are focused, poised, and intently listening to your own music, the audience will be with you.
2. By creating a unique introduction to a song, you’ll invite the audience into your own world of sound, on your terms, not theirs.
3. You can make a familiar melody sound fresh and interesting, but reharmonizing it with different chords than we’re used to hearing.
See what I mean on this video, in which I demonstrate all 3 points, so you can apply them to your own playing. Good luck!
Musical Lessons From Bernie Williams “Take Me Out To To The Ball Game”
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