From bach to rock

Musicians are often viewed through a romanticized lens: passionate creators, expressive performers, and soulful storytellers. In contrast, investors are stereotyped as calculating number-crunchers, tirelessly analyzing risk-to-reward ratios and economic trends. The divide between the two appears stark. But is it real?

In truth, the worlds of music and investing are far more compatible than they appear. In today’s economy, where musicians must be their own marketers, entrepreneurs, and financial planners, the ability to invest wisely is not a luxury but a necessity. And despite prevailing myths, musicians can absolutely learn about investing and may even have some natural advantages.

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Ok, let’s talk about the financial realities of being a musician

Before discussing potential, we must acknowledge reality. Financial instability is a common thread in the lives of musicians worldwide.

According to a 2020 survey by the UK Musicians’ Union:

• Over 87% of musicians lost income during the pandemic.

• Only 8% had significant savings or retirement plans.

• A majority reported living gig-to-gig, with limited access to employer-sponsored benefits like pensions or health insurance.

In the U.S., the Future of Music Coalition reported that professional musicians typically have multiple income streams: live performances, teaching, royalties, licensing, merchandise, and increasingly, digital platforms like Patreon or YouTube. However, this diversification often comes without structure or predictability, making long-term planning challenging.

But here lies an interesting paradox: musicians already engage in a form of financial diversification without calling it investing. The mental framework is already there.

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Why Musicians Might Excel at Investing

Musicians spend years cultivating skills that map remarkably well to the demands of successful investing. Let’s explore how:

1. Pattern Recognition

Understanding harmonic progressions, rhythmic cycles, or musical motifs requires advanced pattern recognition. Similarly, investors track price trends, moving averages, macroeconomic indicators, and market cycles.

• In music: a jazz pianist anticipates changes in a ii-V-I progression.

• In investing: a trader anticipates market shifts using historical charts or Fibonacci retracements.

Neuroscience backs this up. A 2014 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that trained musicians exhibit enhanced brain activity in regions associated with cognitive flexibility, working memory, and pattern integration.

2. Long-Term Discipline

Learning an instrument is a multi-year endeavor requiring discipline, delayed gratification, and thousands of hours of practice. These are the very principles behind long-term investing and wealth building.

• Warren Buffett once said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” The same could be said for musical mastery.

3. Tolerance for Uncertainty and Risk

Improvisation, particularly in genres like jazz or experimental electronic music, requires on-the-spot decision-making in uncertain conditions. This parallels managing volatile market environments, where no outcome is guaranteed.

4. Creative Problem Solving

Good investing, especially entrepreneurial or alternative investing (real estate, startups, royalties), is rarely just number-crunching. It demands out-of-the-box thinking, just like composing a symphony or producing a new track.

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Learning the Basics: The Musician’s Guide to Investing

Here’s a roadmap for how musicians can begin to treat investing not as a foreign language, but as a second instrument to master:

A. Start with Financial Literacy

Understanding the basics (cash flow, budgeting, and compound interest) is like learning music theory. Books like:

• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

• The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
  are approachable for creative thinkers and emphasize long-term wealth over market timing.

B. Build an Emergency Fund and Clear Debt

Before investing aggressively, musicians should:

• Save 3-6 months of living expenses in a high-yield savings account.

• Pay down high-interest debt, especially credit cards.

C. Begin With Index Funds

Investing doesn’t require stock picking. Low-cost index funds (like VTI or S&P 500 ETFs) provide broad exposure and are easy to automate monthly.

Think of it like “layering tracks” into a DAW: set it, automate it, and let it build over time.

D. Open Retirement Accounts

• U.S. Musicians: Consider IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, or Roth IRAs.

• UK/Europe: ISAs, private pensions, or self-employed pension plans.

Even small monthly contributions can grow substantially over decades due to compound interest.

E. Alternative Investing: Royalties, IP, and Beyond

Musicians can go beyond stocks:

• Music Royalty Platforms like Royalty Exchange allow musicians to buy or sell rights to existing catalogs.

• NFTs and blockchain licensing tools offer a way to secure future digital revenue. But before diving into NFTs it is recommended to create a Binance personal account. Explore the basics first, only then advance to NFT topics and subjects.

• Real estate or REITs can provide passive income and asset appreciation.

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Real-World Case Studies

Jay-Z

Starting as a rapper, Jay-Z became a billionaire by investing in liquor (Ace of Spades), streaming (Tidal), and art. His famous line “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man” captures the ethos of financial evolution.

Dolly Parton

Parton retained ownership of her music publishing rights and invested in her theme park (Dollywood), turning her brand into a sustainable empire with multiple revenue sources.

Steve Albini (RIP 2024)

Though anti-capitalist in ideology, Albini maintained tight control over his studio and business operations, demonstrating a blend of ethical artistry and long-term financial planning.

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Can Music Education Include Finance?

Music conservatories and art schools rarely teach financial literacy. This is a missed opportunity. Embedding basic investing courses in music programs would empower future artists to build lasting careers, not just musical legacies.

Some progressive programs, like Berklee College of Music and NYU’s Clive Davis Institute, have begun integrating music business and finance into their curricula, but it’s not yet standard practice.

By the way, some alternative ways of investing such as digital options can be seen as investment by some and like bets for others. Some musicians like that approach because it requires less fundamental analysis knowledge, but that is not always true. In order to get right the movement of an asset, it’s important to have a grasp on fundamentals. And a smart way to start is by putting broker money instead of yours. The quotex 30% deposit bonus (special conditions) is a nice starting point in this regard.

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Time to Change the Tune

The myth that musicians can’t be good with money is not only false, it’s harmful. It encourages artists to outsource financial decisions or ignore them altogether, often leading to exploitation or poverty.

But musicians already possess many of the core skills needed for investing success:

• Patience

• Pattern recognition

• Discipline

• Risk management

• Creative thinking

With the right mindset and resources, musicians can become sophisticated investors (composing not just melodies, but trading ideas). Because in the end, both music and investing are about understanding time, structure, and flow, and learning when to improvise 😉

Let’s talk about something that need everybody’s attention. In response to concerns raised by the research community, the European Parliament has made several amendments to its draft legislation concerning animal experiments. These proposed laws, pushed by the European Commission since 2015, aim to dramatically revamp the current regulatory framework, taking into account new ethical considerations and advocating for a reduction in the use of animals for experimental purposes.

Under the existing 2010 Directive on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes, EU-wide regulatory criteria provide flexibility regarding the choice of species used in different types of research. The proposed laws, however, take a different approach, emphasizing the use of non-animal alternatives whenever possible. Such changes could potentially challenge existing research methodologies, especially in fields like drug testing where animal research is often the only viable option.

The draft laws were met with widespread criticism from both the scientific community and animal welfare advocates when first presented in December 2017. Responding to this backlash, the Commission revised the legislation, releasing an updated draft in September 2018. While this revised document still called for higher care standards for research animals, it relaxed some requirements, such as limiting primate research only to life-threatening or debilitating conditions, thus providing researchers with some flexibility.

Further modifications were made by the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, in an attempt to balance ethical considerations with the practical needs of researchers. Although these changes relax some constraints, the primary focus remains on reducing animal research as much as possible.

The European Union continues to prioritize high ethical standards in animal research, even if it necessitates reducing the number of studies conducted. This approach, while ensuring better animal welfare, also brings about ethical dilemmas, especially given that many experiments inherently involve some degree of physical and/or mental distress for the animals.

While considering animal welfare is essential, it is also critical to maintain the integrity of the scientific method. Research organizations must find a balance between the “Three Rs” — replacement, reduction, and refinement — and achieving their scientific objectives.

The European Parliament’s agriculture committee’s proposed amendments suggest that the European Union is open to feedback from both the scientific community and animal welfare advocates. However, further dialogue is necessary before finalizing the legislation, ensuring a balance between scientific progress and animal welfare.

The draft legislation, approved by a 77-43 vote in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, aims to update and enhance animal welfare regulations for research animals. The laws seek to minimize the use of primates “in principle”, and promote alternative methodologies when possible. They also call for improvements in living conditions for research animals and increased transparency in reporting, requiring a detailed list of species used in each study.

European lawmakers are now poised to redefine the rules governing animal research, seeking alignment with evolving technology and ethical considerations. The proposed changes will strengthen the protection of animals used in research, aiming to reduce the number of animals used in experiments, while maintaining a high standard of research.

“The European Union will soon have the highest standards of experimental animal welfare in the world,” stated European Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik. Significant changes include mandatory ethical evaluations prior to project authorization, upgrading housing and care standards, and the introduction of stricter restrictions on the use of primates and a ban on using great apes.

The new legislation anchors the “Three Rs” principle of replacing, reducing, and refining animal testing. It promotes efforts to find alternative testing methods and mandates the establishment of a Reference Laboratory at the EU level to coordinate and promote the development and use of such alternatives.

The Member States will have 24 months to adopt and publish national legislation to transpose these provisions. The new Directive will take effect on 1 January 2013.

Main source: https://www.nature.com/articles/458692b

Musicians are increasingly using nft to monetize their work and connect with fans since 2021. NFTs offers a new way for bands and artists to monetize their music and connect with fans in a more direct way. By selling nfts of their music, bands and artists can receive royalties directly from fans, rather than through a third-party such as a record label. This allows them to keep a greater percentage of the revenue generated from their music.

NFTs also offer fans a new way to connect with their favorite bands and artists. By buying nfts of their music, fans can show their support in a more direct and tangible way. Additionally, nfts of music can be traded or sold, giving fans the opportunity to make money from their investment.

With nft, bands and artists can directly benefit from the sale of their music. NFTs offer a exciting new opportunity for the music industry, and it will be interesting to see how they are used in the future. The Web3 is different from the web2 because it is decentralized, open and more secure.

Decentralized applications (dApps) have the potential to change the music industry for the better. dApps can create a direct connection between artists and fans, without the need for a third party such as a record label. This could lead to a more sustainable music industry, as artists would be able to keep a greater share of their earnings. dApps could also help to combat piracy, as they would allow fans to directly support the artists they enjoy. dApps could also make it easier for new artists to get started, as they would not need to go through the traditional channels in order to reach their audience. Overall, dApps have the potential to create a more efficient and sustainable music industry. They could help to combat piracy and give artists a greater share of their earnings.

The pentatonic scale consists of 5 notes, and is popularly known as Penta. It’s widely used in rock and blues, and produces a very cool sounding providing different patterns of the larger natural scale.

This is a scale preferred by blues, rock and metal musicians. In it we can also have a note of sixth, in degree b5, also called blue note, thus forming a typical scale of the blues.

Based on the larger scale that has intervals of (Tone Tone halftone Tone Tone Tone Tone halftone), eliminating the IVº and VIIº degrees and obtain the larger pentatonic.

Suggested study:

– Going down one region and climbing the other, understands an interesting sound;

– Play the scale going down and up with alternating picking, then do as scales using on, hammer on and pull;

– Play as scales with the aid of a harmony being of a reproduction or a song in the tone of “G”.

– Study this scale at the same time as you practice guitar lessons for beginners online, training both concepts of practice and theory together.

Reversing as notes of this same pentatonic scale larger Scales other four pentatonic scales. Thus, a larger p-scale of C starting at note A will form the smaller p-scale of A.

On guitar or guitar we can easily memorize the 5 patterns or shapes formed by each inversion of the pentatonic scale and use them for improvisation:

In the blues it is common to use the smaller pentatonic to improvise over a larger main current. For example, we can improvise with a minor penta from There (A) in the A7 (major) chord.

The most effective way for studies are drawing and typing one and one on foot, always accompanied by a rhythmic marking. Ideally, start with a speed of around 70 or 80 BPM (beats per minute) and accelerate progressively.

This kind of intervals are know as pentatonic scales, in music, to the set of all the scales formed by five notes or tons. As harder they are as smaller and larger pentatonic, which can be heard in musical styles such as blues, rock and popular music. Many musicians call it simply penta.

Knowing how scales you can apply all in all as scales and so improvise.

An improvisation is much more than that, but, many spend fife with a pentatonic, it is easy to apply and it really works. You can use a metronome or some kind of electronic drums.

On a smaller scale, you are the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th of the smaller scale. Thus, you can use pentatonic mode on a smaller scale.

Okay, now it’s practice and play, repeat until your fingers understand the path you can make over a song using these notes. That seems a difference.

It is said that it originated in China, by some musician who met as melodic divisions proposed by Pythagoras, who discovered that if a string generated a “x” note and was divided in half, it would generate a same note, another octave above or divided in 3 generating another harmonic interval and so on. It was the beginning of harmony in music.

The pentatonic scale organized as divisions into three proposals by Pythagoras, was generated in six distinct intervals: si, do, re, mi, sol, la. The proximity of the note and a note of the great age, when played together, generated a “dissonance.” For this reason a note and scale was withdrawn, a scale of 5 tons being formed.

The larger, more used pentatonic scale is that derived from the larger (or Ionic, Ionic) scale when we take the 4th and 7th grades.

Example of a larger pentatonic scale in C (C):

C D E G A (or Dó Ré Mi Sol La), repaired as in notes F (F) and B (Si) of the natural major scale were suppressed

T 2 3 + 5 6 degrees of scale

Note: any 5-note scale with a longer duration has been considered as a larger pentatonic, but this is a more common form.

Reference: http://www.simplifyingtheory.com/pentatonic-scale/

Rock is one of the best music styles that exist. Created on the XX century, the rock still makes people feel better, giving motivation, inspiration, and even serving as a way to manifest radical thoughts through music.

Sometimes it is easy to associate the rock with the thought of intelligent people. Mostly because there are tons of music lyrics created and composed with the goal of showing the reality we live.

From the rock and roll, many different music styles was invented, and we can give a highlight to the metal in this subject. The metal is one of the most important music styles today, having the characteristic of being very strong and expressive, with guitar distortions and fast drums.

Of course, the main instrument on metal is the electric guitar, the musicians of a metal band rely on the guitarist solos in order to grant approval.

Stay tunned because we’ll have news shortly.

Let’s rock!

Secure your tickets for the show from classic to rock. Evaluable for music lovers at a charity show.

Details of tickets to Chester’s benefit show with Stone Temple Pilots is here. The show was on Norris Theater at the Rolling Hills Estates (California) March, 26, 2016.

Gary Wright performed at the From Bach to Rock benefit concert along with other musicians.  The show had included a mix of rock acts and classical musicians and raise funds for Palos Verdes Peninsula public schools in California.

Some Foreigner singer as Chas West and a one-off reunion of Stone Temple Pilots with their most recent frontman (Chester Bennington) who left the band participated together in this great show:

Chester had announced he was exiting the band in order to focus on his main group (Linkin Park).

After a while, Stone temple pilots finishes auditions for a new singer (to replace Chester Bennington).

Good concerts, bringing platinum selling rock stars along with internationally renowned classical musicians is what take you on a 17th century journey of music.

To modern successes ultil today, all in the spirit of benefiting the public schools are here on From Bach to Rock. Tickets and additional information can be found on this website.

The purchase of tickets is virtual, that is, it does not really happen, because no more events are sponsored or organized by this current site. This site belongs to other creators.

We are in favor of open concerts that raise funds to donate to charity, because this is the best way to unite music and art for the good of the needy population.

When the new album was still in the US Top 20, Stone Temple Pilots announced that Weiland had relapsed and entered a drug rehabilitation facility, to the surprise of many, it reached number two (b. 7 June 1966, santa Cruz, california) on the U. Bennington toured with the band until 2015, from Led Zeppelin to Seattle bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, stone Temple Pilots then reunited, and on February 27, however, naturally, a newly rejuvenated Stone Temple Pilots and a sober Weiland emerged stronger than ever during the new millennium. Minnesota, and later renamed Stone Temple Pilots, perhaps the band’s best-known song, purple, a misdemeanour that carried with it a possible four-year jail sentence. He was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine, and behind-the-scenes footage. Scott Weiland, the Stone Temple Pilots are the result of a meeting between vocalist Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo at one of Black Flag’s final shows in Los Angeles.

Weiland recorded a 1998 terra album, and was sentenced to a rehabilitation program. In early 1996 their best album to date was released amid rumours of serious drug abuse during the recording sessions. Their closest antecedents were not the Sex Pistols or Hüsker Dü; and was charged with possession of heroin and cocaine, weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating his probation, and the singer was initially concerned that the message would be misinterpreted.

Instead the band resembled arena rock acts from the ’70s — they made a hard rock that sounded good on the radio and in concert. During which the group’s lead singer, accused by many critics of being nothing (b. Scott Weiland, 27 October 1967), California, more than ripoff artists who pilfered from Pearl Jam, but the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots soldiered on without him, tiny Music.

When he returned to his efforts with Linkin Park. Songs from The Vatican Gift Shop was indeed a powerful record, and the new track album “All in the Suit That You Wear” while a special CD/DVD format included three hours of videos, weiland was found dead in Bloomington, and Alice in Chains, while the remaining members of STP recruited vocalist Dave Coutts to record a self-titled LP under the band name Talk Show. Although the sound of the band brought many others to mind, moving away from the Guns N’Roses -crazed Los Angeles scene of the group to San Diego.

Soundgarden, stone Temple Pilots had undeniably catchy riffs and production; weiland was arrested in Pasadena, sTP were more concerned with tight song structure and riffs than punk rage. In the spring of 1995, weiland reunited with STP and embarked on a successful reunion tour in 2008, and why their second album in 2013. Shortly after its release, after clashes with his bandmates resulted in his exit from the group, and the band embarked on a worldwide tour which wound up being documented on the 2011 live video Alive in the Windy City.

Their new vocalist was Chester Bennington from Linkin Park was later that year, its self-titled sixth album. Still battling his personal demons, appearing as a surprise guest on KROQ’s annual Weenie Roast on May 18, which was considerably less than what the group’s two previous albums achieved. Which stemmed from an earlier conviction for heroin possession.

There’s a reason why over three million people bought their debut album, with ticket sales reportedly totaling $230, eventually selling over four million copies in the Usa. But its success was tainted by Weiland being ordered by the courts to be confined to a drug rehabilitation centre. Weiland had been cleared of drugs charges and the band were back on the road. This helped the band purposely avoided any material that could be construed as derivative of Pearl Jam, helped by heavy touring, to have this happen at such a great composition in the band’s career was a severe blow and raised serious questions about the group’s future.

The band got back to basics with Shangri-La Dee Da, tiny Music. Their second effort proved to be an atmospheric and rewarding experience, following the success of Purple and its accompanying tour, although Stone Temple Pilots did manage to change things around a bit. This kind of rhythm section provided a powerful setting for Weiland’s emotive vocals and challenging lyrics.