So much to share! The music mentor in me feels the need to remind people that it's never too late to pick up new skills. I wanted to give an update on my drum journey and share some news about some developments.
DRUMS! I started out with a midi kit which works well for recording but ultimately it's not the same as an acoustic kit. I'm very fortunate that Murdock from The Adarna let me use his kit in the off times plus I'm surrounded by so many great drummers who are my friends. So I got myself my own kit and have been going through upgrading everything as I go. Things I've come to notice: I way prefer playing hip-hop & funk beats more than rock beats. I can see this will change the way I send out demos moving forward. I put a couple of quick Instagram clips in this post on how things are going.
MORE INSTRUMENTS! I finally got my first acoustic piano! I learned about pianos from listening to my brother play. This was actually a massive part of my musical development. I found that when it came time to learn music, in general, I was able to move faster because I grew up listening to the melodies my brother played. I've been playing keyboards and synths on a number of The Adarna's music. However, playing an acoustic piano is a completely different endeavor. Generally, as a guitarist you're operating within a couple of octave range, it's wonderful to really spread out chords over 6-7 octaves with the piano. I think this will be great moving forward with writing!
A fun tip, I didn't have a whole lot of money to throw toward an acoustic piano. But oftentimes, piano stores also have moving companies in their employ. Meaning they really need to keep those guys busy so they'll get pianos from auctions or giveaways and fix them up to turn a profit. You might be able to get a (practically free) piano if you talk to a local piano store about free delivery on the 2nd hand pianos.
THE ADARNA is getting closer to releasing our 4th album. It's in the mixing process right now which will include the singles "What's Your Name" and "Braver Than Yesterday" we recently released.
TINSEL TOWN MAFIA - I've been keeping this under wraps for some time but I was asked to join my first cover group with some very talented musicians. Doing covers has never been a strong suit of mine because I always want to mess with them to put my own spin on the songs. So when an opportunity to put my own spin on songs I already like came about, I had to give it a shot. Plus I only have to sing! Woohoo! Being a multi-instrumentalist is fun but just singing really allows you to focus on your craft, performance, and sweeeeeet stage moves! We'll be making a more formal announcement but this new group, Tinsel Town Mafia, will be debuting in 2023.
Finally, with my vocal studio, I've decided to build a masterclass called "Uncharted Territory". I've been thinking about this for some time now but I'm making this more of a priority lately. I'm noticing more and more that there needs to be this synergy (yay buzz word!) between talent & technology. A lot of people I have worked with over time get stuck in their ways and aren't willing to learn new skills and technology which leads to stopping a chance to grow! Just like anything, new more effective ways to train keep coming out. Technology and equipment are rapidly changing the entire field of music & touring as I've known it. I feel the strong need to evolve with the world as it changes. This program I'm building is to help address that.
