Studio session. In the studio with one of the greatest in San Diego - @spinit_antar . Super thankful for him. He’s a formidable composer and musician. San Diego’s best.
#studio #record #protools #guitar #read
Playing drums this morning. Who uses matched more and who uses traditional more? Or, are you 50/50 with your playing? :)
Happy Funday Sunday. I hope everyone is having a great day so far!
#matched #traditional #drums #touch #fundaymorning
Technology these days.
I’m up in the Sequoia National Park prepping for a video shoot. Here, this morning, I’m outside of my Airbnb. I shot this on my iPhone 17. It’s beautiful. Very peaceful.
Other than playing and filming this lovely video, my heart was mourning this morning. Thoughts on my mind: Human lives being taken, greed and gloating has no metric, ethical subjectivism permeates our culture, relativism saturates our everyday attitudes, impatience impacts our ability to connect deeply, a sense of pride keeps us haughty with a sense of being impervious.
Where’s the curiously and wonder on display? Where is the overarching compassion and cultural humility on display?
I don’t see people quoting Jesus. People around me are not conversing profoundly anymore. Intellectualism is unpopular.
“Blessed you who are poor…” ~ Jesus (Luke 6:20b)
“Woe to you who are rich…” ~ Jesus (Luke 6:24)
I continue to read the Beatitudes over and over again. I continue to exegete it. So many profound theologians on this. I’m convicted. C.S. Lewis said the Beatitudes were used as a sledgehammer used to shatter HUMAN-SELF SUFFICIENCY.
Just a thought from your brown neighbor…
#jesus #teachings #convicted #undeserved #guitar
There are three things I love to do: I love to hang out with my wife @nminter14 , I love reading, and I love to practice guitar. Yes, practice, not necessarily play (practicing, meaning figure things out). And, if I’m honest, I love just practicing and figuring things out on my own without an amp or audience or bandmates. Just using my fingers and ears to try and master this chess game. I can still remember the first time I tried learning to play the guitar. I was obsessed. I still am. It’s true. Yet, in different seasons of your life, you have to fight through the excuses of your lack of inspiration. Luckily, I haven’t had to do that much.
I have a practice routine that I do everyday. But, I operate with much more grace now than when I was a voracious 21 year old in jazz school. Yet, I still practice everyday and I still read everyday.
I say all this because I play guitar just because I want to play guitar - there’s no rhyme or reason. I just love it. I have a fascination with it. It keeps my mind sharp. I have never given up on it. I consider myself that musician who could never play a gig ever again and just do it for a hobby. Because, I never intended to get paid to do it in the first place. I love it just because…I love it.
#lovewhatyoudo #livewhatyoulove #guitar #hangoutwithyourwife #practiceguitar
This one is for the jazzers - just kidding. I haven’t any idea what I’m playing. Ok, that’s not entirely true. But, there is a certain upper rung of musicianship where most of what you learned amalgamates into “This should sound great, I’ll try it.” There’s a point where you’re just so high and you’re really just free flowing. The academia and theory aren’t priority at all. It no longer serves as a guide post. It’s just all feeling. You can play anything, make it feel good, and make it coherent. That’s my scant opinion, at least.
I have played stadiums, large auditoriums, popular venues, outdoor amphitheaters, to small clubs. Small clubs are my favorite. Hands down. The intimacy, vulnerability, and pressure are my favorite categories that informs my playing.
Ross (@rossrizzo ) and I have been playing every fourth Friday (Fourth Friday Funk) at the @rivierasupperclub with our group @pocketcandy_sd for 7 years now - going on 8. We have never taken a cut of money to pad our own pockets. This is a passion that we maintain by never seeking payment. We just give it all to our band mates. That’s how much this place means to us. We’d rather give it to the servers and wonderful bartenders who so graciously allow us to play there. That was the agreement Ross and I made when staring to play there. We still love it.
What a great night with @rossrizzo , @max_macveety_music , and @darwinavalos . Thank you to @tinowantstogolf for catching this solo - and for sitting and killin the vocals!
Equipment:
@nashguitars_official - 57s
@xotic_usa - Oz Noy Signature
@khdkelectronics - Ghoul Screamer
@fender - HotRod Deville 3rd Gen
@jimdunlopusa - MXR - Carbon Copy
@official_line6 - Helix Stomp
@bossfx_us - Pedalboard BCB 1000 (Don’t sleep on this!)
@lollarpickups
#pocketcandy #pocketcandysd #rossrizzo #ianpatrickcler #rivierasupperclubsandiego
Pt. 2 of Fretboard Geography. Try and use one point in the fretboard to switch from quality to quality. Generally, you want a use a metronome and play a stream of eighth notes. Give it a try!
#plnumusicdepartment #plnu #teaching #lovewhatyou #guitarist
INSTAGRAM LIVE TONIGHT AT 7:00PM!
I have been requested to teach on what I call “BATCH LEARNING.” How do you learn and memorize 30-50+ new songs in a week? What if the gig is 1 or 2 days from now, or even in less than an hour? How do you do it? If you are a professional musician or a novice musician that wants to know more about some of these techniques, tune in to my Instagram at 7:00pm.
I’ll be discussing personal techniques (some that are exclusive and some that are shared among the musician community) from my history of professional playing. Also, I’ll be mentioning and name dropping some of the greats that I have looked up to for so long who have taught me these techniques. My influences and my mentors.
It may be interesting at the very least.
My performances and rehearsals this week:
Eastlake Church - 4 Songs
Ian Patrick Cler Recital - 14 Songs
Diana Ferrer - 30+ Songs
Erika Osana - 30+ Songs
Sundarri - 15 Songs
3 rehearsals
So, how do memorize all these songs?
Join me tonight in the discussion!
#instagramlive #guitar #arrange #numbersystem #reading
Here’s a solo with Santino and The Collective at Sycuan Casino in San Diego, CA. They make me sound better.
Video notes:
@rymandmusic is filming this while comping with just the right placement - his usual badass talent, @kevinfreeby and @koreykingston are groovin with playing a very steady but saucy/ tasty pocket while I dump all over the changes. Both their abilities to play with intensity but lower dynamics is a key to a seasoned professional. On this particular evening, @tinowantstogolf was in his element. Not featured in this video is his ability to sing over changes and quietly flex his chops as a vocalist/ musician by listening and interfacing with his group. The formidable interplay between voice, bass, drums, guitar, and piano was strictly had because all players were locked in and respected space. I was probably the one who was overplaying. Lol.
Thanks to @livemusicby_sdentertainment for always getting badass musicians! Follow @livemusicby_sdentertainment for more content!
Come out to see more.
@sycuan_casinoresort #rnb #sandiegomusician #santinoandthecollective #guitarist #jazz
Video by: @ryentezari
Contouring simple triadic arpeggios will help develop string skipping with the right hand.
#plnumusicdepartment #sandiegojazz #teaching #guitar #pointlomanazareneuniversity
If you know the fretboard well, you’ll be able to accomplish this exercise. Or, if you don’t know it well enough, this exercise will assist you in accomplishing learning the fretboard. Though, there may be some prerequisite knowledge to this exercise.
Give it a try. It has become a warmup at this point in my practice routine. That’s want your goal should be.
#plnumusicdepartment #plnu #guitar #teaching #privatestudents
