It’s not about getting every note right. It’s about having a damn good time.

Sure, the music matters. But let’s be honest — live music isn’t always perfect. We miss notes, forget lyrics, and take songs in directions we never…

Ever walk into a guitar store and feel like half the world gets all the choices while you’re left staring at the leftovers? Welcome to life as a left-handed guitar player.

Being a lefty has it's challenges. 

For starters, guitar…

I may be pretty late to the party on this one, but I’m learning that volume is a bigger deal than I realized. 

Last night, the band and I played at Anthony’s Soul Cafe, which is a very different…

Here in Santa Fe—but I suspect this is true just about anywhere—there is no shortage of serious musical talent.

There are plenty of people who want to perform, and plenty who deserve a stage.

The problem isn't talent.

The problem…

This is especially true for me right now in my musical journey, and lately I've been thinking about it as three distinct parts.

The first is songwriting — reading about the craft, actually writing songs, going to songwriter circles and…

I've written well over a hundred songs at this point. Some, if I'm honest, aren't so great. But many — at least in my opinion — are pretty good. Songs about sad cowboys, cats, aliens, pleasant mistakes, and broken-down trucks.

…

First, the big news. We're slated to keep playing at Anthony's Soul Cafe the first two Thursdays in October. We've found a home at Anthony's — not only do we genuinely enjoy playing there, but the food is that good…

Last week I wrote a new song - 3 Doors Down.  It is a fun upbeat tune.  I performed it at Dr. Halls Santa Fe Has Talent and recorded it on Garage Band.  I also made it the song of…

Who would have ever guessed that I would become the front man for a band?

Certainly not me.

In fact, if you had told me a few years ago that I would be standing on a stage, singing my own…

We're not using any cowbell, so maybe more of that would be good too. But if you've caught one of our recent gigs, or tuned into the latest New Song Sunday, you may have noticed something else creeping back into…

It is not Just the music.

Typically, yes — the music is good. But it's rarely as polished as the record. Notes get missed. Verses get jumbled. The timing isn't always perfect. The mix might be off. The acoustics of…

As the band starts to really get our sound down, I'm faced with a question: what technology do I use?

We've been using OnSong to keep our music organized on our iPads. It's not perfect, but we've made it work.

…

The band did our Monday evening gig at Anthony's yesterday.  I would have to admit, it was not our best performance.  It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination but I set a pretty high bar.  I want it…

Over the past couple of months, people from all over the world have logged on to MikeChastainemusic.com.  In August the most hits came from Sweden.  Today I see that I got hits from Germany.  People from all over the country…

One of the frustrating things about learning music is that progress can sometimes be almost invisible.

I practice every day.

I work on the same difficult passage.

I mess it up.

I mess it up again.

And after a week,…

Making Time for the Guitar

Everybody's busy. Job or no job, we all have a time crunch. What I've learned is that discipline and structure make the difference — setting aside time to practice, and being intentional about what I…

This weeks New Song Sunday is dedicated to the hope that we have a great ski season this year.  We have the promise of a big El Nino and the forcasts look good for New Mexico.  

Skiing has been a…

The other day I posted about how music can be humbling. Yesterday I got a big dose of it.

I had a lesson, and I really struggled with a fingerpicking pattern. I just haven't been able to get it consistently.…

This weeks New Song Sunday is a rough recording of a song I am working on - Like a Horse to the Barn.  It's a song about coming home.  

I don't travel a lot any more, but when I do…

I have had no formal training in music theory. To me, it can feel like learning a foreign language—and one that definitely does not come naturally.

That means learning to play the guitar well enough that other people might actually…