Your Skills?

[Lawrence]

Pick your top one or two and let’s discuss:

[Geoff Grace]

I guess I’ll go with “jack of all trades.” Although, if the choice were between “creative” vs. “performer,” I’d choose to call myself a “creative” first.

If we’re going to discuss our skills, I guess a little background would help. I’ll share a brief overview of mine:

I started by creating at the piano before I even had my first lesson. Then, I had a proper grounding in classical piano from a teacher who refused to teach composition to me. After about four years of that, I began studying with a jazz piano teacher who was happy to nurture my creativity. Hand in hand, I grew my piano chops while writing music. In college, I started as a jazz performance major and then switched to composition, for which I earned a bachelor’s degree. During the 70s and 80s, I worked in cover bands that also played “originals,” most of which I wrote. While most of those bands worked steadily on the road, none managed to relocate to Los Angeles; so I quit playing in bands and began playing standards at the piano in hotel bars and started approaching LA agents to book work. I moved to LA and supported myself with solo piano gigs during my first year here. Then I spent a few years in LA alternating between cover band work and producing aspiring recording artists (including myself).

Finally, in the 90s, I was able to move into studio work, where I mostly did programming, arranging, and orchestrations for recording artists for about a dozen years. I also used those skills as a record producer for a few years during the early 00s before becoming a media composer in 2004; and that’s been my main source of work since then, although I still take other music work, depending on what comes up. My background as a music jack of all trades has helped immensely in producing my work as a composer and also in continuing to book other work.

Best,

Geoff

[Guy Rowland]

I nearly put jack of all trades, but I'm not a good enough musician to claim competency at performance. I therefore wanted to chose 3 - songwriting, production and instrumental composition, I lopped off the latter for the vote.

I can play keys, guitar and bass to record easy parts in bits and then make them sound better. I lack any kind of motivation to improve my playing skills, that's the problem.

I don't really make music on my own for fun any more which is a slightly sad sentence to type. I do enjoy working with a partner still, that gets the juices going, there's just little opportunity for that at the moment. I find myself lacking motivation to do anything else these days unless it is for a specific project, then it's fine.

[Lawrence]

Great stuff, Geoff and Guy.


Geoff, I wish I had gone to Berklee and had the patience to stick to it and actually learn jazz improv. It’s an area I totally fake in my writing (and not convincingly.)

I put jack of all trades btw. I’ve always been sort of a Swiss Army knife.

[Geoff Grace]

I can play keys, guitar and bass to record easy parts in bits and then make them sound better. I lack any kind of motivation to improve my playing skills, that's the problem.

It’s great though, Guy, that you’re a multi instrumentalist, even if you’re not as proficient as you’d like. I tried to learn guitar a few times over the years; but I never stuck with it, and when I would try again, I’d have to contend with not having the callouses needed to make it pain free.

I did play drums when I was a kid, and I became good enough to be first chair in high school; but I gave them up when I started college so that I could double my practice hours on piano. Having that background does help me program drums better, at least.

I don't really make music on my own for fun any more which is a slightly sad sentence to type. I do enjoy working with a partner still, that gets the juices going, there's just little opportunity for that at the moment. I find myself lacking motivation to do anything else these days unless it is for a specific project, then it's fine.

I think when we’re young and full of energy, motivation is easy to come by. At that point, the world seems to move slowly and we become restless to do something. What better to do than something we love?

I think that it’s rare later in life to have that same motivation or level of energy. Nonetheless, I hope you can find a way to stoke the flames a little.

Geoff, I wish I had gone to Berklee and had the patience to stick to it and actually learn jazz improv. It’s an area I totally fake in my writing (and not convincingly.)

To be fair, I would never compare my jazz skills to those of a Berklee grad. For that matter, I’m so rusty decades later that I had to do a decent amount of woodshedding just to record my jazz piano album a few years back. That said, I guess it’s okay to say that it’s one of the trades that I’m a jack of (but not a master).

I put jack of all trades btw. I’ve always been sort of a Swiss Army knife.

Care to elaborate, Larry? I hope you’ll share a bit more.

Best,

Geoff

[Lawrence]

Care to elaborate, Larry? I hope you’ll share a bit more.

Best,

Geoff

Sure Geoff!

I had a good ear from age two where I apparently was picking out tunes on the family piano. I was given piano lessons, violin lessons, and a few guitar lessons as a child. I was playing school dances and bar gigs from 12 years old on through high school playing keyboards, guitar, bass and singing, but only lasted a few months in college as I was impatient to get on with life. I was lucky enough to score a road gig playing keyboards with The Platters at 19. I quickly became the arranger for the backup band, handing out vocal harmony parts, rhythm charts, etc.

I continued on the road for about seven years, then moved to New York City. I scrambled around for gigs, played on the street, in disco bands, played weddings, etc.

I answered an ad in the Village Voice musicians classified to play keyboards for a small jingle company. I also played guitar for them and did a bit of singing. They hired me for everything they did for the next five years, introduced me to a colleague who worked for a huge advertising agency. He heard my song demos (I always wrote songs and recorded them in small studios) and hired me for everything HE worked on for over 20 years as his arranger and eventual co writer, working with live instruments and writing up to 30 piece scores.

I was lucky enough to play, write, sing and arrange for many national campaigns and an equal number of regional and local ads.

When the jingle business changed I wrote over 2000 library tracks that got accepted, in every style I could think of. Low level, but it’s still nice to get some royalties.

Along the way, I got to do fun projects: I produced, arranged and played on an album of Haitian folk music, wrote 6 long form pieces for modern dance that were performed (danced to from CD) internationally, etc etc. I made and released an album of piano/cello instrumentals and posted many of my original songs on iTunes/Spotify etc.

I’m presently helping produce a friend/client’s rock opera, arranging another client’s songs for his off Broadway theater, occasionally doing a solo act playing acoustic guitar and singing original Americana, just “dropped” an album of co-written mellow folk pop with my band Abbelar, am preparing a second with more upbeat songs, and working on a few other projects in between travel.

So, jack of all trades and master of none-write, play, sing, arrange, produce. Whatever is required. Cheers!

[Guy Rowland]

It’s great though, Guy, that you’re a multi instrumentalist, even if you’re not as proficient as you’d like. I tried to learn guitar a few times over the years; but I never stuck with it, and when I would try again, I’d have to contend with not having the callouses needed to make it pain free.

I did play drums when I was a kid, and I became good enough to be first chair in high school; but I gave them up when I started college so that I could double my practice hours on piano. Having that background does help me program drums better, at least.

Being able to play keys and guitar at least to some mediocre standard is incredibly helpful. I've often said that, human voice aside, guitar is the toughest instrument to replicate with VIs. What can be effortless to play on a guitar is essentially impossible on a keyboard. It's the polyphony, moving between tabs.

I've always wished I could play drums. My sense of rhythm I think is pretty good, but when it comes to playing with a kit it's another story. It's my feet. The most modest of drum fills is all it takes for them to flail around hopelessly like they belong to someone else entirely.

I think you're right about age. I still have a strong love for music, no change there. But the intrinsic pleasure of making stuff is what has waned. I might be an unusual case here - I still have a youthful passion for my screenwriting and I think over the past 5-10 years that has absorbed 90% of my creative impulses. If I wasn't writing, perhaps I still be insatiably making music.

[RobS]

my first instrument was classical guitar, then at ten I entered the brass band of my village where a flutist was needed, and that led to conservatory and graduating in flute. Meanwhile started putting my hands on piano, and that was so much more interesting, discovering the jazz language and piano repertoire... my idea to be part of a symphony as flutist quickly vanished, while jazz gigs started to be an opportunity to earning some money, plus I was getting encouragement from older musicians so I dedicated myself to performing jazz piano. This led me to write a lot of arrangements for my own bands and for ensembles, also studying composition and exploring classical writing. Years later the publishing company Ricordi hired me as a proofreader and other tasks. Long story short, while I started out as a performer, at 68 I am now working at home on orchestral scores and writing arrangements for various occasions. Therefore I checked "arranger/orchestration" and "copyist/transcriber"

[Daryl]

Without blowing my anything, I can't possibly confine it to only two, as I've 100% made my living out of four of those at one time or another.

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

[Pablo Crespo]

I nearly put jack of all trades, but I'm not a good enough musician to claim competency at performance. I therefore wanted to chose 3 - songwriting, production and instrumental composition, I lopped off the latter for the vote.

I can play keys, guitar and bass to record easy parts in bits and then make them sound better. I lack any kind of motivation to improve my playing skills, that's the problem.

I don't really make music on my own for fun any more which is a slightly sad sentence to type. I do enjoy working with a partner still, that gets the juices going, there's just little opportunity for that at the moment. I find myself lacking motivation to do anything else these days unless it is for a specific project, then it's fine.

I can see myself in every sentence Guy! same instruments, and in the same moment in my life that I find hard to sit and write something for myself

[Lawrence]

Without blowing my anything, I can't possibly confine it to only two, as I've 100% made my living out of four of those at one time or another.

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

How about your performance career for starters, Daryl?

[GR Baumann]

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

I make a pretty decent Irish Shepherd's Pie with lamb.

[Daryl]

Without blowing my anything, I can't possibly confine it to only two, as I've 100% made my living out of four of those at one time or another.

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

How about your performance career for starters, Daryl?

OK.

I started my professional life as a Further Education Lecturer, because I decided, that my performance skills weren't up to scratch. At that point I'd already left the Royal College of Music, having studied violin, piano, conducting, and composition. During my teaching years I was also still practising the violin for 8 hours a day, up until the time came where I felt that I was good enough to audition for professional orchestras. I was still playing the piano, conducting, and composing/arranging, but only for amateur groups.

Once I started auditioning, there were a few ups and downs. I found out later that some panels were concerned that I wouldn't stay in the job very long, and that I should be applying for principal jobs. However, others felt that as I had little professional experience, I wouldn't be suitable for a principal job. Eventually I was offered a few trials with orchestras, and I picked the one that interested me the most. The BBC Concert Orchestra.

Funnily enough, it wasn't the best orchestra I could have joined, but it had two advantages; firstly it was in London, and secondly they played a lot of "light music" with some arrangements by great composers and arrangers, so I thought that I'd probably learn a lot simply by being in the orchestra. These years turned out to be very happy years, for various reasons.

Whilst at the BBC I also used to perform as an accompanist for a couple of the players who wanted to do recital work, and as we'd been heard rehearsing during lunch breaks a few times, I was occasionally asked to play the piano with the orchestra, when the fixer had forgotten to book someone...!

I was also doing a lot of amateur conducting in the evenings, when we didn't have a concert, but had no idea how to break into professional conducting. I remember thinking that our Principal Conductor, Barry Wordsworth might be able to give me some suggestions, and when I spoke to him, he had one piece of advice. "Daryl, I've heard you play the piano and you're good, and I suspect that you're a good sight reader as well. Ballet companies are desperate for people with both of those qualities, and as you're a trained conductor, if you can get work with a ballet company as a pianist, there is pretty much a certainly that they will give you a chance to conduct."

The next day I saw an advert for a pianist job with English National Ballet, so I applied, thinking I had no chance. Against all odds, I was offered the job, and therefore swapped from being a violinist to being pianist.

[RobS]

.....

The next day I saw an advert for a pianist job with English National Ballet, so I applied, thinking I had no chance. Against all odds, I was offered the job, and therefore swapped from being a violinist to being pianist.

[RobS]

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

I make a pretty decent Irish Shepherd's Pie with lamb.

That’s an underestimated talent!

[Guy Rowland]

I can see myself in every sentence Guy! same instruments, and in the same moment in my life that I find hard to sit and write something for myself

Trans-Atlantic hug

[Jaap]

Interesting reads so far!

Jack of all trades here. I started out on the conservatory as jazz guitar player (with a history in playing in a metal band in my teens ). In my second year I switched to classical composition and later on combined it with Sonology (electro acoustic science) and music history and graduated 6 years later in all 3.
As I did not wanted to be depending on (government) funds for making a living as composer, I went a few years later more commercial and started working at Blizzard Entertainment as technical sound engineer, which I did for 5 years. I left and started with 3 old co-workers a game audio production company and did music in all styles, sound design, audio programming etc.
A small decade later I moved on to making production and trailer music and nowadays I run for almost 8 years a sound design company. I used to play guitar in a variety of bands (from blues to progressive rock), but nowadays that is on a low level and actually just playing guitar for just fun.
When I started my game audio company I did also a lot of engraving work in Finale for Donemus (a dutch classical sheet music publisher), I moved on to Dorico 2 years ago, but not doing much score anymore lately. I am trying to write in my free time again some classical music, just for my own, but really need more time to get into it again. At the moment I noticed I am being haunted by having written so much production and trailer music that I have a bit a hard time to get into full classical mode again.

[Linos]

It's very interesting to read about everyone's background. I didn't select any option because I don't feel I'm really good at any of them.

I took classical piano lessons as a child and teenager. I practised a lot and became quite good. When the time came to decide what to study, I knew I didn't want to become a piano teacher. So instead of studying the piano, I chose musicology. I continued taking piano lessons for a few years. Then I stopped when I found work at an opera house after graduating. I still play the piano for fun, but not nearly as much as I used to. I am good at sight-reading and I play quite proficiently. However, I'm not good enough to make it as a live performer. I also write some TV music as a hobby. My day job, however, is as the orchestra personnel manager and deputy orchestra director at the opera house where I work. So, I would say that my strongest skills nowadays are in arts management. As this is not an option in the poll, I didn't select anything.

[Lawrence]

my first instrument was classical guitar, then at ten I entered the brass band of my village where a flutist was needed, and that led to conservatory and graduating in flute. Meanwhile started putting my hands on piano, and that was so much more interesting, discovering the jazz language and piano repertoire... my idea to be part of a symphony as flutist quickly vanished, while jazz gigs started to be an opportunity to earning some money, plus I was getting encouragement from older musicians so I dedicated myself to performing jazz piano. This led me to write a lot of arrangements for my own bands and for ensembles, also studying composition and exploring classical writing. Years later the publishing company Ricordi hired me as a proofreader and other tasks. Long story short, while I started out as a performer, at 68 I am now working at home on orchestral scores and writing arrangements for various occasions. Therefore I checked "arranger/orchestration" and "copyist/transcriber"

Rob-where did you learn jazz piano? Are you self taught or did you take courses, etc?

[Lawrence]

Without blowing my anything, I can't possibly confine it to only two, as I've 100% made my living out of four of those at one time or another.

If you let me know what you want to discuss, I can get involved...!

How about your performance career for starters, Daryl?

OK.

I started my professional life as a Further Education Lecturer, because I decided, that my performance skills weren't up to scratch. At that point I'd already left the Royal College of Music, having studied violin, piano, conducting, and composition. During my teaching years I was also still practising the violin for 8 hours a day, up until the time came where I felt that I was good enough to audition for professional orchestras. I was still playing the piano, conducting, and composing/arranging, but only for amateur groups.

Once I started auditioning, there were a few ups and downs. I found out later that some panels were concerned that I wouldn't stay in the job very long, and that I should be applying for principal jobs. However, others felt that as I had little professional experience, I wouldn't be suitable for a principal job. Eventually I was offered a few trials with orchestras, and I picked the one that interested me the most. The BBC Concert Orchestra.

Funnily enough, it wasn't the best orchestra I could have joined, but it had two advantages; firstly it was in London, and secondly they played a lot of "light music" with some arrangements by great composers and arrangers, so I thought that I'd probably learn a lot simply by being in the orchestra. These years turned out to be very happy years, for various reasons.

Whilst at the BBC I also used to perform as an accompanist for a couple of the players who wanted to do recital work, and as we'd been heard rehearsing during lunch breaks a few times, I was occasionally asked to play the piano with the orchestra, when the fixer had forgotten to book someone...!

I was also doing a lot of amateur conducting in the evenings, when we didn't have a concert, but had no idea how to break into professional conducting. I remember thinking that our Principal Conductor, Barry Wordsworth might be able to give me some suggestions, and when I spoke to him, he had one piece of advice. "Daryl, I've heard you play the piano and you're good, and I suspect that you're a good sight reader as well. Ballet companies are desperate for people with both of those qualities, and as you're a trained conductor, if you can get work with a ballet company as a pianist, there is pretty much a certainly that they will give you a chance to conduct."

The next day I saw an advert for a pianist job with English National Ballet, so I applied, thinking I had no chance. Against all odds, I was offered the job, and therefore swapped from being a violinist to being pianist.

Did you also perform as a featured soloist on piano or violin?

[RobS]

Rob-where did you learn jazz piano? Are you self taught or did you take courses, etc?

mostly self taught, like all my collegues in the 70s... only teacher I ever had was Giorgio Gaslini, well known in Italy for his experimental approach to jazz. And the only books available in Italy at the time were the John Mehegan Jazz Piano series, good publications by the way. Today there are tons of educational material, though there isn't a proportional abundance of great players... I think that redundancy of information can hinder the progress of a musically interested student, in jazz anyway.

[Daryl]

Did you also perform as a featured soloist on piano or violin?

I did a few concerts where I was the soloist in a concerto, or similar, playing violin, and when i was a pianist at the ballet, I did lots of performances as "featured soloist". In fact we used to do whole tours with only a company of 15-20 dancers, and a piano.

[Ashermusic]

At the risk of sounding egocentric, I could have checked all but two and a half, but checked the top two. Thanks to the computer I can be aa good copyist, but I am not good at transcribing. As for production, I am ok, I think, but not great.

[Lawrence]

I've always wished I could play drums. My sense of rhythm I think is pretty good, but when it comes to playing with a kit it's another story. It's my feet. The most modest of drum fills is all it takes for them to flail around hopelessly like they belong to someone else entirely.

That’s me as well. I think I’d be a much better drum programmer if I had drumming skills. I also wish I played sax..as Steely Dan said:

“Learn to work the saxophone…and I’ll play just what I feel..”

[Tanuj Tiku]

I am not particularly good at any of those but I could pass with some types of instrumental composition and production. It is astonishing how strongly I feel about the fact that I know so little with each passing year!

I think composing for library has made me a better composer because film can be tricky due to structural demands. If you work in film for a long time then standard instrumental composition can take a hit because many films don't require long structured cues that tell the story classically.