Paul
Paul Race has been writing and playing all kinds of music since the 1960s, though he tends to favor acoustic and traditional songs. He has created resources like CreekDontRise.com, ClassicTrainSongs.com, and SchoolOfTheRock.com to help other musicians get a good start on their own journeys.

Tips for Independent Christian Musicians

Within the last several months, forum discussions, reader questions, and comments, have reminded me of some of the peculiar pressures and decisions facing young Christians who are trying to make a living in music of any kind. I’m sensitive to these issues because, as a Christian myself, I wrote and…

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Always Be Ready to Audition

On another forum, a musician discussed going to an audition for a gig he didn’t really want anyway, so he hadn’t bothered to prepare much. My response (edited a little for clarity) was: To me, the whole point of playing music is getting out in front of people and sharing…

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Learn While You’re Young

Yesterday I wrote and published a bit about why everyone interested in any kind of musical pursuits should learn a chord-capable instrument (probably piano or guitar) early. That article is on the SchoolOfTheRock.com site here. But musing over that content reminded me of something that happened to me a few…

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Six Myths About the Banjo

The banjo is the iconic American instrument, critical to the early development of most forms of American popular music, including “Tin Pan Alley,” Jazz, and Bluegrass.  Yet, cultural shifts starting in the late 1960s somehow caused banjo to be, not only neglected by most popular musicians, but derided (especially by…

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Is There Life After Band?

When I was in bands, I promoted the band tirelessly.    I didn’t sing all that well, and I wasn’t pretty, which meant that I’d have a “tough row to hoe” if I tried to make it as a solo act.  But I could arrange and write, and I could…

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