The magic of music
With
LissieLissie talks about playing from emotion rather than theory, and how not always knowing the rules behind a chord like D minor or E minor keeps her music feeling honest.
What's in the course
25 lessons (1h 37m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Embracing the Magic of Music
Well, so I do wish. And maybe when I'm older and thinking about retiring, it would be great to be able to be like:
- You know, learn your scales
- Really know your stuff
- Know your theory
But I think, in a weird way, my style is so much about emotion. The fact that I don't always know quite what I'm doing is part of what makes it feel so special.
The Emotional Connection
When I play a chord again, like the D minor or even the E minor, there's a lot of emotion there. And I think, like, "Wow, I just did that. That's great!"
I don't focus on the fact that:
- "Oh, that's because it's minor."
- "Why certain chords sound good together."
I mean, there are thirds and fifths, and at least I know that. But for someone else, it might just be like:
- "Oh, I put these chords together."
Of course, that makes sense, because these are the things that complement each other. They're thirds and fifths, and there's this and that.
Every time, I'm like, "Wow, did I just come up with that chord combination?"
The Element of Surprise
It makes me feel more like,
I use the word magic again, it feels a little more magical sometimes when I stumble upon something beautiful.
A music theory expert could say to you, "Well, that's just kind of obvious. That's what's pleasing to the ear. That's part of the theory of things."
So, it keeps it a little bit more fun to stumble upon things I think are beautiful without really understanding that there's almost a scientific reason behind it.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Lissie is a folk-rocker who grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, near the Mississippi River, speaking her mind and writing songs from an early age. Fans first fell in love with her voice on the five-song EP 'Why You Runnin'', produced by Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses, which Paste Magazine ranked among its Eight Most Auspicious Musical Debuts.
In 2010, her first full-length album 'Catching A Tiger' unassumingly established Lissie as a global voice. Stateside praise was matched in the UK with acclaim from the BBC, Evening Standard, Uncut and The Independent, who described it as "as refreshing a slice of pop as these jaded ears have heard in years." The album went on to sell 300,000 copies worldwide - 100,000 of them in the UK, where it was certified Gold.
Highlights along the way:
- Nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the Q Awards, and tapped by VH1 as a "You Oughta Know" artist
- Festival sets at Glastonbury, Hard Rock Calling, Latitude, Secret Garden Party and Bestival
- TV appearances including Later with Jools Holland and Sunday Brunch
- Screen roles in Loudermilk and David Lynch's Twin Peaks, where NME praised her "intense" performance closing the episode with the Stevie Nicks-esque 'Wild West': "Rock Island's most exciting troubadour more than earned her Lynch-commissioned screen time."
- 'Carving Canyons' (out September 16), her first full-length album since the UK Top 10 'Castles' in 2018
In her guitar course, Lissie shares the chords, strumming and songwriting instincts behind her songs - everything you need to start playing like Rock Island's finest troubadour.
