Sometimes you are so busy running the day to day details of a small business that you don’t always see the big picture - or an anniversary!
The studio opened its doors on October 1, 2018 and is still going strong! Many thanks to the students and families who support this studio and I am very much looking forward to the next 7 years at least!!
We asked one of our teachers, Dan Ciccone, and here was his answer:
Songs In The Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
A grooving, funky, and musical album. Stevie was a one man band on this album. Most people don’t realize that throughout the 70s, Stevie drummed on a lot of his own albums. Stevie takes the listener through a range of different feels, sounds, and emotion. From the funky and greasy 16th note groove in “Have a Talk With God,” to the upbeat and triumphant shuffle in “I Wish,” this album is sure to cover all parts of the musical palette. An important note for drummers: playing with a great feel, solid time, and coming up with creative ideas is a key takeaway from Stevie’s drumming in this album, that will help you get hired.
Coltrane’s Sound - John Coltrane
A look into John Coltrane’s further venture into modal/avant garde Jazz. This album was released just a year prior to the quartet's most accomplished album, though Steve Davis plays bass on Coltrane’s Sound instead of Jimmy Garrison. Coltrane almost never brings down his intensity, whether he is playing slow, fast, quiet, or loud. His heart, as well as the band’s, is always fully involved in the music. Though swinging, this group, among others like Miles Davis’ second great quintet, is a leap into the modern realm of Jazz. Elvin’s intense swing, combined with Steve Davis’ thumping bass lines, McCoy Tyner’s tension building, and John Coltrane’s relentless soloing combine for an album which is passionate, bold, and hip. And while it can be considered modal, the forms and compositions are still complex. Check out Coltrane’s inner fire in both “Equinox” and “Liberia.”
Synchronicity - The Police
The final album of The Police somewhat short lived, 9 year tenure. The Police is a group that takes inspiration from both reggae and rock, and combines the two to create a very unique 80s rock sound. Stewart Copeland’s use of the hi hat, ride bell, and off beats, is just one element which makes the group super unique. Combine that with Sting’s impressive writing, and Andy Summers chorus-like guitar tone, it is a powerhouse group. Stewart almost emulates Elvin’s intensity in a completely different style in feel in “Synchronicity 2.” The contrast and paradox of an innocent suburban family being described in the verse, and internal hell described in the pre-chorus/chorus makes for a super interesting composition.
What to gather from all these albums? Individuality in sound, and that all the music really makes you feel something, whether it be happy, sad, nostalgic, fearful…
This studio and its mission constitute a huge part of my work life. The studio’s mission is the advancement of the students’ skills as musicians, drummers, and also as people. All the traits that we work on in developing drumming skills - patience, discipline, focus, creativity - directly carry over to other phases of life. grooveKSq’s blog space and social media channels are about the students, not about me or anyone else that teaches here. It’s about the students.
There is a newsletter/magazine that I have been developing for several years on Substack, entitled The Rhythmist. You could consider it grooveKSq’s sibling publication. The model is direct to your email in box, without any bots or pixels following you around on the web to sell you things. No ads, no nonsense, just quality right to your inbox. The website interface is also fantastic, providing a clean user experience with no ads, banners or distractions.
The purpose of The Rhythmist is below:
Quality, thought provoking writing about music creation, recording, album and concert reviews, travel essays, and fiction from Bryan Tuk and others.
There are some good, independent writers out there, but they are few and far between. The legacy publishing industry has imploded. The Rhythmist is a magazine that I would want to read, attempting to combine what Rolling Stone once was combined with some other favorite publications of yesteryear. There is a free tier, and a paid tier for $7 per month that gives you access to everything in The Rhythmist.
I like to keep my personal writing/messaging separate from the studio, because again - the studio is not about me, it is about the students. If you get the weekly groove notes, I have added you to The Rhythmist - it is free and you can opt out at any time. I truly hope you stay and support the magazine project because that will support other independent writers as The Rhythmist grows into what I hope it can be.
Sign up for The Rhythmist below.
Thanks for your support,
-BT
Spent some time this evening getting the 4 piece set up dialed in with the recording software... this is the set up that the students here use and our production value on the student recordings is now much higher than before.
To get the full effect, use good headphones when you watch this!
Always striving to be better in every facet. Always forward.
Frustration is something that we ALL encounter in different phases of life. It could be work, it could be school, it could be something personal. It does happen to everyone.
Frustration, in some ways, is a positive thing, and I’ll explain why in one minute.
From a teacher’s standpoint, the level of a student’s frustration is something that I pay very close attention to. There is hard work, and there is fun.
We want to balance the hard work aspect of studying an instrument with the FUN aspect of studying an instrument. There should always be some of both to keep the student engaged and moving forward.
Why is a little frustration a positive thing?
Because it shows that the Student cares about what they are doing and they want to do a good job and they are willing to spend the energy required to do a good job. That is a huge positive.
If you ever have any questions about this or other aspects of the studio, please email me or DM me. Thanks for your support.
The studio is proud to announce an expansion of our services: commercial audio production. The workstation makeover was done in part to facilitate this. With the addition of the first of several Electro Voice RE-20s (pictured), the studio now has vocal production capabilities on par with broadcast radio and television.
If you have needs for professional voice overs, or are interested in learning podcasting or are a spoken word artist, or are interested in creating audio content for your business website or business content, contact us to talk about your project. We can produce audio content with male or female voice talent in English and in Spanish.
Our production portfolio is available upon request.
