When I was a kid, left to my own devices I'll go to sleep later and later, I love the nighttime, I don't love to boogie, but when it gets dark and everybody goes to sleep I can truly flourish. Which makes it hard to wake up at eight a.m.,It was my dad I was afraid of.He would say; get up and go to school.I was so tried I just pretend I didn't hear him.The next thing that would happen he would throw a glass of cold water on my face and he say; get up you lazy bum.Well that pissed me off and I won't get up right away.After a while he come back to see if I got up which I still remained in bed and then he would perceive to just flip the whole bed over with me in it,and say don't make me come back again..In those days you had to have respect or you'd get a whipping with a belt or a stick.I wasn't afraid of the police or anyone,but my father brought to me whole new dimension of terror.But I love my father and I new he was right in his own way, his generation of discipline.I guess I was young, dumb and full of come.
Ah, the days of radio. Especially in L.A. Where there were FIVE rock stations on the FM. And the two biggest, if not the best, were right next to each other on the dial, 94.7 KMET, and 95.5 KLOS. You'd just twist the dial and go from one to the other. Hell, my Blaupunkt had no presets. And I'm on Wilshire, ascending to the 405, and the deejay announces he's going to play something brand new and I hear these swirling strings and then a cappella harmonies and then the track proceeds to positively ROCK OUT! For almost TEN MINUTES!
Ah, the seventies.
The song? This album was very popular back when I was in Vietnam. That's when I first heard it in either 1969 or 70`
Sometime I'll tell you my history. I haven't been writing this drivel forever. Took me years to find my niche. But it's never too late. I may be older, but I'm just starting to crest, my peak is still in front of me.
And how can I do it?
PERSEVERANCE AND MUSIC!
Not every track, just some tracks. I put them on and it's me and them against the world.
But "It's A Long Way There" is not aggro. It's positively pleasing.
And maybe you know that.
But if you don't you're in for a treat!
What we loved about our seventies music was it was not cookie-cutter, it did not all sound the same, it was a veritable cornucopia of quality.
I came home, ripped off the shrinkwrap and dropped the needle and...
Tons of power, big speakers, I had enough sound to blow apart the whole building. Like everybody's got a wi-fi network these days, we all had stereos. And if you paid enough, a few thousand bucks, a pure elixir of sound emanated from the speakers and soothed you, made you happy.
This was not earbud nation. You could actually see the instruments in the speakers.
And it's a long way until we're there again.
But when we are... All those exquisitely recorded gems from way back then are going to come alive, and the populace is going to be THRILLED!
Just check this out.
If you're not amazed, you're a jaded punk who thinks music must be ugly to be pretty.
But "It's A Long Way There" is not.
It's fantastic.
Reply
TOM RIVIERE / Blog
Influences
Musical inspiration comes from the people, events, and experiences that make you who you are You know that question people ask musicians “who influences you most”? Well, I’ve never been able to answer it. For a while I thought I’d just list what music I grew up listening to, as that must have made an impact on my writing style and served as musical inspiration. Later, I started listing musicians whose music I currently am into because I must be trying to be more like them if I am a fan, right. Then I changed my answer again, and started saying my dad. My dad was in show business who wanted me to become a musician mostly so I could also be in his act with my mother. Completely the opposite of me, But I knew my love for music and any talents one could claim I have came from him and my mother. They loved my songs and my performances, and always gave just the perfect amount of constructive feedback to both.
And, after years of struggling with an answer, I found it. When someone next asks me who influences my music the most, my answer will be “Me. I listened to a lot of jazz, thanks to my dad, and studied classical music growing up, and am currently really into the band XYZ (or whatever I’m listening to at the time).” I am the source of my own musical inspiration. It comes from my life experiences, observations, trials, hopes, and dreams.
Reply
Infinite patience brings immediate results.
When I was a kid, left to my own devices I'll go to sleep later and later, I love the nighttime, I don't love to boogie, but when it gets dark and everybody goes to sleep I can truly flourish. Which makes it hard to wake up at eight a.m.,It was my dad I was afraid of.He would say; get up and go to school.I was so tried I just pretend I didn't hear him.The next thing that would happen he would throw a glass of cold water on my face and he say; get up you lazy bum.Well that pissed me off and I won't get up right away.After a while he come back to see if I got up which I still remained in bed and then he would perceive to just flip the whole bed over with me in it,and say don't make me come back again..In those days you had to have respect or you'd get a whipping with a belt or a stick.I wasn't afraid of the police or anyone,but my father brought to me whole new dimension of terror.But I love my father and I new he was right in his own way, his generation of discipline.I guess I was young, dumb and full of come.
Ah, the days of radio. Especially in L.A. Where there were FIVE rock stations on the FM. And the two biggest, if not the best, were right next to each other on the dial, 94.7 KMET, and 95.5 KLOS. You'd just twist the dial and go from one to the other. Hell, my Blaupunkt had no presets. And I'm on Wilshire, ascending to the 405, and the deejay announces he's going to play something brand new and I hear these swirling strings and then a cappella harmonies and then the track proceeds to positively ROCK OUT! For almost TEN MINUTES!
Ah, the seventies.
The song? This album was very popular back when I was in Vietnam. That's when I first heard it in either 1969 or 70`
Sometime I'll tell you my history. I haven't been writing this drivel forever. Took me years to find my niche. But it's never too late. I may be older, but I'm just starting to crest, my peak is still in front of me.
And how can I do it?
PERSEVERANCE AND MUSIC!
Not every track, just some tracks. I put them on and it's me and them against the world.
But "It's A Long Way There" is not aggro. It's positively pleasing.
And maybe you know that.
But if you don't you're in for a treat!
What we loved about our seventies music was it was not cookie-cutter, it did not all sound the same, it was a veritable cornucopia of quality.
I came home, ripped off the shrinkwrap and dropped the needle and...
Tons of power, big speakers, I had enough sound to blow apart the whole building. Like everybody's got a wi-fi network these days, we all had stereos. And if you paid enough, a few thousand bucks, a pure elixir of sound emanated from the speakers and soothed you, made you happy.
This was not earbud nation. You could actually see the instruments in the speakers.
And it's a long way until we're there again.
But when we are... All those exquisitely recorded gems from way back then are going to come alive, and the populace is going to be THRILLED!
Just check this out.
If you're not amazed, you're a jaded punk who thinks music must be ugly to be pretty.
But "It's A Long Way There" is not.
It's fantastic.
Reply
`Refuse to Choose`
The most blissful moment for me recently was discovering a piece of me had been missing for years. Or rather, a piece that was always there, but hidden in the shadows. That piece was the realization that I am a multipotentialite. I can pursue all of my interests and I don’t have to choose. Now a month has passed since this epiphany. I’m writing in a voice that is new, coming from a more genuine place than ever before. It’s like that formerly hidden part of me that is now exposed to sunlight has been allowed to grow and speak. And since then memories of my past struggles of figuring out who I am, are coming back to me and now making sense. I feel like a person with a goal in sight and a means to realize it. Yet, there are moments that feel symptomatic, simply because of the years and years of denying myself the freedom to not choose.So what did I mean exactly? Sounds a bit like a multipotentialite, right? Suddenly I feel the old interest of making films surge up within me and I think “I’ve got to dedicate my time to making a film…” Am I simply in love with the romantic idea? But, I am totally aware of the work involved, so I don’t think that’s it… Before, this would send me down the same spiraling thought to a dead-end, where I’d let myself think I was incapable because I couldn’t choose. We aren’t so different from specialists in terms of the fact that we struggle. Specialists spend their whole lives trying to master one thing, and they struggle against nature & circumstance in order to achieve mastery of that thing. Multipotentialites spend their lives struggling against a specialist society that is convinced humans only have one thing that they were meant to do. Ours is the plight of the dabbler, although we know full well it’s not ‘dabbling’ that we’re doing. We want to do it all. And although society sucks for trying to make us be something we’re not, it’s not that that bothers me. What bothers me is I am genuinely afraid I may not get enough time to do all the things I want to do! So it’s inspiring to see people securing an income that allows them to do everything they want. That’s what I want. I want to be able to grasp time so I don’t have to squeeze all my interests into little five-hour sessions on Saturday mornings. I just want all the time I need to do what I love. How about you?
Have you felt forced to choose one interest when you have so many?
Reply
Teaching
I was on the road working 6 nights per week for 16 years in Europe as a singer soloist pianist..Had 3 months vacation in those 16 years,by choice only.I had fun, especially in the summer I would have my motorcycle with me.I would set up my gigs that I did not have to travel so far from country to country.I only had 24 hours to get there. Finally got tired of being on the road working most of Europe and needed a break.I would say; it wasn’t so interesting anymore.So I came back to Stockholm,Sweden and started my own little music school for 3 years.I soon got to busy with other projects and couldn’t continue the pace of also working with different schools in the Stockholm area.I don’t have a huge problem with students practicing or with attitudes, but once in a while I get the student who doesn’t want to take lessons at all. Mom or Dad keeps showing up with him/her. The student complains about the assignment, whines about hands hurting, says things like “I didn’t know I had to do both pages.” etc. They don’t read the assignment I write. They don’t open the books. They blame their parents for misplacing their books. They say their keyboard ran out of batteries. They say anything they have to that puts the blame away from their lack of desire to learn the piano. I wish these students would understand that it’s okay with me if they tell me they don’t want to take lessons. I’m not stupid. I can tell they don’t want to take lessons. I can tell they didn’t practice even though they swear up and down that they did. I can tell that they dislike everything I say. So what do I do with these students? The sad truth is that I teach them and continue on with my life. I have to. I earn a living with these students – even the ones who don’t want to be here. In years back before the economy went sour, If a student demonstrated a pattern of complacency or irresponsibility I would have a talk with the parents. This rarely ended in the student dropping from my studio. Today, because of the crazy economy and having zero on my waiting list I’m afraid to do that. I smile and go on. I don’t think that’s wrong. I have to make a living, and even though the student doesn’t want to be here I teach them well and we learn in every lesson. That’s my duty. It’s the student’s duty to practice at home. I can’t be there with them to remind or help them: that’s the parent’s duty. I’m holding up my end of the bargain. I see music education as a great luxury. I think most families I teach sacrifice to pay for lessons. It saddens me when a student is given this great opportunity of music education and shrugs it off. But that’s the way society is by and large. Sad day.
Once in a while I’m playing with someone, recording someone, or teaching someone who hates to admit, “Hey, I played/sang a wrong note.” We all do. I don’t care who you are, once in a while you’re going to play a wrong note, or sing a note pitchy. And that’s fine. People are people. Everybody is human. Everybody makes mistakes. What I cannot tolerate is someone who plays or sings a wrong note and makes an excuse about it. What is WORSE is when someone makes a mistake and acts as if they meant to do that or that it was correct, stylistically correct. Ego.
I also have a student, and have had ones in the past, who said that he couldn’t play the piece because he was used to playing faster music. Wow. That’s a terrible excuse. I promptly explained the obvious: if you can’t play it slowly you surely cannot play it faster. I further explained that he did not need to be the type of musician who excuses his mistakes by blaming it something else. It’s okay to be wrong and work on it. That is growth. Excuses and ego only lead to more mistakes and eventually people not wanting to play with you.
Don’t have an ego even if you’re amazing. Surely don’t have one if you are less than amazing. Either way it is annoying to the rest of the world.
Reply
Blessed
I feel very blessed that I am in the age of internet with all it's incredible access to information and not only that! But I get to be in touch with new friends and some of my peer's growing up that except me as their friend on Facebook and other websites.It is such a great inspiration to me.Listening to music from all over the world I get motivated back to writing for strings, horns and bass,guitars and all electronic plugins. I listen to classical contemporary music and Dann Glenn,George Whitty,Hans-Jörg Scheffler,Ric Fierabracci,Yannick Delez,Gary Husband,Daniel Domenge, Barry Finnerty,Bill Defelice and many more musicians that I have become friends on Facebook,just to mention a few..Then go into my studio and compose on my keyboards tracks with strange chords and grooves. I'm trying all kinds of new musical ideas and having a blast. I've learned from every single musician and writer I've known that music is a road, a language indeed that goes way beyond how we communicate with words. At root, we are all the same.
The great masters who went before us, guys like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy, Ravel, Brahms, Verdi, Rogers and Hammerstein, the Gershwins, Bartok, Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, countless great musicians--they all worked until the end of their days, and I hope I get to make music to the end of my days too.
Reply
Criticism
I found an article I haven't seen for 30 years.It was from a Downbeat subscription I had.I remember how some people criticize.It's not a bad idea to totally ignore some forms of criticism entirely,such as reviews...The standard of professional criticism in jazz is,to put it charitably,uneven...Chick Corea's album: Now He Sings,Now He Sobs,one of the best trio albums ever recorded,was given the lowest possible rating by a leading jazz magazine. A famous jazz critic said of John Coltrane, `He often blows his tenor saxophone as though he were determined to blow it apart but his desperate attacks almost invariably lead nowhere.`Another critic, reviewing Miles Davis`great album `Round About Midnight,`referred to John Coltrane as an out of tune player,`and Red Garland as a `cocktail piano player.` If they said that about them,what are they going to say about me?
Advice and Criticism are free...I accept all criticism,however,with at least a grain of salt.
Reply
Perception on choice
In art the only thing below you is the floor. And if you don't fight to stay vertical, you'll fall flat on your face.
My friend and mentor Dupont Matisson a great jazz violinist used to say: "It's simple to be successful in business. Just find out what people want, and give it to them." He was right, but a lot of musicians (myself included) aren't generally inclined to follow that advice. We tend to look down on artists who pander to popular demand as being "sell-outs". Besides, popular music trends are notoriously unpredictable and most of us have a hard time molding ourselves to fit constantly changing music fads anyway.
Unfortunately for us, the free market doesn't care about artistic integrity. It's fine to be romantic and idealistic in your music, but don't try to carry that mentality over into the business side of things or you will surely get burned. Capitalist free market economics always boils down to the very simple concept of supply vs. demand. If you want to know how any venture is going to work out, all you have to do is realistically figure how much supply there will be relative to demand for that product or service. It is really that simple. It's not about corporate conspiracies or lack of government support for the arts. As long as markets are truly free and competitive, it just comes down to supply and demand. That's why dealers of unpopular automobiles go bankrupt, while salesmen for the most popular models don't even bother to negotiate or return phone calls. They know that they have a hot product. All they have to do is sit back and the customers will come to them.
So what lessons should the independent musician draw from this? Well, for starters, I think we can all benefit from being realistic about supply and demand for our own services. If you're not already a superstar, then you're probably not in a position to sit back and wait for the customers to come to you. I'm a mix style jazz musician crossover, a service for which there is absurdly small demand! I try to do what I can to spread the word about gigs, but I have limited means to generate more demand. There continues to be an ample supply of good musicians in my local market, though prospects are better for those who achieve the skill level necessary to ascend into the less crowded elite musician market. Ultimately I realize that I have chosen a professional field in which the supply/demand equation is stacked against me, and I know that I am lucky to be working at all! If money were my main motivation, I'd probably be selling iPhones instead of my music.
Reply
Small Steps
Hello world, how have you been? I apologize for going AWOL the past couple of months. I've been working on some new compositions, including Once again the internet has set a great example and inspired me to redouble my own self-promotional efforts.
When I first decided to release a solo album, All I would have to do is commit to spending an hour a day working on promotion. Sounds easy, I thought. Naturally, when the CD first came out, I was filled with enthusiasm and made a respectable initial promotional push. But after a few months, my attention drifted and the salesman in me started slacking off. CD sales reflected my efforts, and I realized that this promotional stuff would require the same kind of long-term commitment that I have for playing my instrument.
I think most of the important things in life are that way, actually. Whether it's the pursuit of art, money, relationships, social reform, health, etc., all that anybody can do in one day is take a very small step forward. Neil Armstrong's first footprint on the moon really wasn't a giant leap. It was just the finish line at the end of a very long trail of small, incremental steps that led us there. There are no giant leaps, only small daily steps. And life is short, so if you want to cover some real ground, you can't afford to miss many days.
Here's an example you can probably relate to. If you practice a musical instrument for one hour per day, six days per week without fail for 40 years, that will still only amount to about 12,500 hours of total practice time over the course of a career. Not bad, but supposing you miss a day here and there? Or get busy with a day job and can't practice at all for several months? In fact, an hour a day is a pretty big commitment to make in the long run, and a lifetime's effort can easily be whittled down to very little progress if the commitment isn't really maintained.
Of course, priorities do change along the way, and we all have to choose between competing goals in our lives. But for the moment, I'm recommitting to direct more of my own small steps toward music promotion. Where are your steps heading?
Reply
DAW
I've been trying to write this tune, and challenged myself to go into a different direction.I couldn't seem to find anything I came up with that I liked,but finally it was the drum track that I tweaked.Don't forget that less is more in music sometimes.Also I found sounds in my DAW that I have overlooked and to be honest I didn't remember that I had them.I use Logic Pro 8.You have to back off sometimes from your project and go outside and take walk in the forest or get away from it,even for a day or two.Then when you come back you can get inspired and have a new perspective on what you are working on.Keep writing as much as you can.You never know when your opportunity will come.It's always better to have more compositions to offer than not enough. `Great thing have no fear of time` `Confucius`.
Reply