Pianist, Composer, Producer
General musicianship and attitude
World records can’t be un-broken. Breakthroughs can’t be reversed. This would seem to be a good thing, and for the most part, it is. Someone being the “GOAT” is inspiring and motivating to nearly everyone. However, this one-way ratcheting of standards can have some consequences. Much like living in Manhattan, it is out of reach…
It really isn’t enough to just be able to play the music. What we want is the confidence and control that allows us to play it, understand it, and even feel comfortable varying and modifying it on the fly. We want to be in the moment, with the music as our natural vocabulary, used in a conversation, both…
Two kinds of practicing When working on a passage of music, it seems like there can be two different mental states we can assume. The first, a focused, precise, detail-oriented one, is probably the typical one we think of when we think of the idea of “practice.” Indeed, this is the kind of concentration we…
Do you find yourself getting “stuck” when you are composing? Not producing the work you would like? These are the issues we will discuss in this live online class. We will look at the natural flow of a creative process, along with the ways this…
In order to do lessons on Skype or other video-chats, I need to pipe the sound of my grand piano, sequencer and other computer audio signals to the computer. For this, I use my MOTU interface and various preamps. I also need a headset mic/headphone so I can hear the other person, without putting their…
As a keyboardist with a lifelong love-affair with the Rhodes electric piano, I’m always intrigued by new virtual instruments simulating that classic sound. The one I use most of the time I bought many years ago from a developer called Scarbee, and I have been pretty happy with it. (Scarbee products have been subsumed…
When does something start being a “thing?” When writing music, I find this transition to be a very important moment, a bit like a birth. When a piece achieves “thing-hood,” it now occupies a new place in my mind.
Recently I played a gig where, for space purposes, I plugged my keyboard into a small PA system, along with the vocalist. The venue was very small, and there was no need or room for large speakers, and the volume would be low. This…
Working on orchestra or other large-ensemble music using a sequencer can be very taxing on a computer system in terms of processor power, memory and disk usage.
What are the factors needed to make art? or, more importantly, good art?