A very useful technology for me throughout my music career has been the portable recorder. For music students and performers, this is one of the best learning technologies available for many reasons. It captures a moment in time. This moment is now accessible from any place and for as long as the recording is saved. The possibilities this technology has created are astounding and to think of life as a musician before its time is so difficult.
One of the best ways to improve as a musician is to critically listen to yourself. Only since the invention of portable recorders has this process been so accessible. After recording your music lessons, you can listen back and discover all the areas of your current work in progress that need the most attention. Doing this analysis from the future perspective changes the way you hear what was just played. You may also find hidden gems or mistakes you made that you might want to keep and expand upon next time. This same application can transfer to any musical setting, from live performances at coffee shops, to band concerts and rehearsals. Recording the group’s performance at the last gig gives you the option of starting the next rehearsal with a critical analysis of the show. Whether its feedback from a friend, producer, or just the other band members, feedback can lead to new inspiration and important changes.
Another use of the portable recorder is its playback function. While listening back theres no reason you can’t play along with what you just recorded for fun, adding a new part or harmonizing with your recording. If you play a chord instrument you could also: record a chord progression of a song, hit play, then play the melody or take a solo. So if your a solo player now you have a digital clone of yourself as an accompanying member of your band! There are some recorders that have a multi-track option where you can stack up multiple recordings and make a song out of them. You can do different instruments on each track for demo purposes, or do multiple voices of a piece to create a choir.
There are so many environments and venues have the capacity for great moments waiting to be captured with your portable recorder, so please don’t miss them!
Here is my recommendation of a top of the line recorder:
http://www.zoom.co.jp/
This is an interesting piece of technology although it does not pertain to me, I found the website you left interesting. This would be cool for a student to be able to use. In order to see what is a good tool for music. It is important that us as teachers have a great “library” of websites for our students. If they need any help we should be there to help them.
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