- Every professional was once an amateur, Alexander Pope once said. But nobody told us how you could actually
become a professional. (upbeat music) In this video, we're going to explore this specific topic and share with you 10 quick ways to evolve as a lyre player, from a total beginner
up to an intermediate and advanced lyre player. Tip number one might sound
like a well kept secret, especially if you are a beginner. Your lyre has the power to
evoke different feelings, different emotions in your audience, and this is not just a theory. You have the power to do that whenever you want by simply
changing your lyre tuning. Let me show you what I mean. (soft lyre music) (lyre tuning) (soft lyre music) And these are just two of the dozens of different ancient and
modern tunings you can use. What it takes then for
you to unlock that secret? You just need to master the
art of changing the tuning by spending the needed time to go from one tuning to
another again and again, until you are pretty
confident and quite fast. Only then you will start
doing it without thinking during your everyday practice and eventually during
your live performances. Next tip, is two hands playing. And to do that, you need to stabilize
your lyre in your hands. We have all seen videos on social media with lyre lovers holding a lyre and playing a simple tune. While they explode with enthusiasm, you can easily notice that
they lack something too; the ability to do things like this. (soft lyre music) There are many playing techniques to explore and master, but the ability to play with both hands makes the biggest difference by far. It will differentiate you
from the vast majority of the amateur lyre players out there, lyre players that keep
using only one hand. And to do that, you need to stabilize your
instrument with confidence and in a comfortable manner. Ancient Greeks used the
telamonas for that reason, like the one I'm using too. Tip number three, is to use tablatures to learn songs instantly. Grasping the needed music
theory seems daunting and it is to some extent time consuming. So do I need to spend
so much time in theory before learning my first tunes? Tunes like this, (soft lyre music) or this? (soft lyre music) So do you need to be an expert in music theory to play these tunes? The answer is no and the secret is to read tablatures. By doing so, you don't need to know anything about music theory and it can give you the
confidence boost you need at the very beginning. An excellent place to find lyre tablatures for beginners is definitely lyreacademy.com. Tip number four, is to learn by heart the notes of your lyre. As a beginner, knowing
how every string sounds will give you an amazing
confidence boost while playing. What's more, it will help
you communicate efficiently with other musicians too as professionals do. Next is rhythm, one of
the most important tools and definitely a tool
that you better master as a lyre player. It can help you manipulate your audience's
feelings, built tension. (upbeat lyre music) Or cultivate tranquility. (soft lyre music) Rumi once said, that
in the rhythm of music a secret is hidden. And it is of immense importance
for every lyre player to be able to handle this secret, to evoke the right emotions each time. So study the basic rhythmic values and put them into your everyday practice. This is at least what
we do with our students with impressive results so far. And here we go with tip number six. What is the value of
knowing the secret of rhythm if you cannot put it into practice with the needed precision? And to be precise with rhythm, is an ability that will
help you in so many ways as you evolve as a lyre player, from being able to play
along with other musicians up to the point of going to
the studio for recordings. You can use an old style
metronome of course, but even a app on your
smartphone can do the job. You just set your metronome
to the number you want and start playing on the beat. (beat playing) (soft lyre music) Next is getting into
the sheet music quickly. Tablatures are ideal for
learning your first tunes, boost your confidence, and maybe lead you to your first unofficial
gig for your spouse, friends or your family. But tablatures for a lyre are not as many as the more
professional sheet music. So, get quickly into the sheet music and you will open yourself
to endless possibilities regarding what tunes you
can learn on your lyre, from rock to jazz, from bossa nova to classical music, from ancient melodies to electro fusion. After all, the ancient lyre
is an ideal musical instrument for so many different music genres. (upbeat lyre music) Tip number eight, grasp every chance to
play with other musicians. Music is a world language and the medium to get closer
to other talented people to create something unique
through collaboration. But to do that, you need to cultivate a new skill. The skill to focus at the same time on what you're playing and what other musicians are playing. By doing so, you train yourself
to listen polyphonically and follow the rhythm of the group. You also teach yourself to recognize when you
can step into a melody, what to play to accompany
another musician, how you can enhance a song and many more. So, if someone invites
you to play together, don't miss the chance. Don't even wait for an invitation, look for musicians close to you and ask them to join
you in a music session. If you did all the above, it is definitely the right time to put music theory
into your lyre playing. They say that music language is universal and a great way to communicate instantly with millions of musicians worldwide without sharing the same spoken language. In order to be able to do that though, you have to understand
the music language truly. But music theory is boring, you might say. Don't be fooled, there is no such a thing as boring music theory. There is only a boring
way to teach music theory and a smart way to do that. So, spend the time to find an
exciting music instructor. There is certainly one at least nearby to where you live. In the unfortunate case
though there isn't, check out our music
theory on a lyre course at the LyreAcademy.com At last, tip number 10, build an impressive music
repertoire for your lyre. The ancient lyre is a spectacular instrument in terms of looks, no doubt, but it is even more majestic when played live for an audience. Exercise your lyre playing with a focus to build an impressive
repertoire gradually. Play tunes from different music genres, from all over the world and from different time eras. Search for songs that force you to use different playing techniques, and therefore unveil different parts of the ancient lyre world. An impressive music repertoire, one that is full of impactful modern tunes and ancient melodies should
be one of your ultimate goals as a lyre player. (soft lyre music) (instructor singing in foreign language)
