Logitech Reboot

I still remember how excited I was when we bought the Logitech Harmony All-in-One remote back in the mid-90s, which allowed you to program all your devices to one remote control, including your TV, VCR, etc. It was amazing, and little did I know, the beginnings of my interests in home automation.

I’ve been using the Apple Magic Mouse for many years now but was recently inspired to check out other options. I picked up the Logitech Craft keyboard and the MX Master 3 for Mac mouse and now I’m in love with them both.

My Apple Magic Keyboard had lost its underside grips and would slide under my hands daily when I typed; having the Logitech Craft now, I can’t believe I waited this long to explore better options. It’s very heavy, I love the way the keys feel when I type (like right now!), and I’ve had no problems pairing it via Bluetooth.

It also hosts some Power User features I didn’t have before, specifically the ability to pair it simultaneously with multiple Bluetooth radios. I have mine set for band 1 to go to my M1 MacBook Pro, band to goes to my 12.9” iPad Pro, and band 3 goes to my iPhone. This makes various tasks throughout the day much faster, and I love being able to work from one station.

I’m also really enjoying the MX Master 3 mouse. The ergonomics are great, I’ve used the left thumb forward/back buttons often, and like that I can easily scroll at two different speeds. I’m still struggling to get used to the bottom thumb button, as I’ve found it to be about an inch behind where my thumb naturally rests.

All in all, very excited to add these two items to my workflow. Moving to a laptop-only lifestyle has been an adjustment, but having these at my workstations has certainly been an upgrade and brought some delight to daily tasks.

The Great Studio Build-Out Begins…

Today is a very exciting day. I’ve been working behind the scenes for months on a new studio upgrade that is inline with a lot of professional goals I have. For those of you who have been around for awhile you likely noticed a face lift on my website recently, which allows me to automate and upgrade my forthcoming newsletter as well as regular scheduling for clients and colleagues.

However, in addition to this, I’ve recently written and received a grant that will be focused on overhauling some of my instruments and significantly bolstering my audio, video, and lighting equipment for content creation. That process begins today with the first item arriving—a 13” M1 MacBook Pro.

I have been an iMac user for 16 years and have had a desktop computer for as long as I remember. My family had an Apple IIe, in high school and college I had a custom built PC, and then when I began grad school I bought an iMac. I love working at a desk and as I’ve proclaimed earlier, am obsessed with large work spaces. I’ve had laptops along the way, but have always had a desktop as my main machine.

However, I’ve always been frustrated by how dialed in I get my home machine, and much of that work doesn’t transfer to my laptop or my desktop at work. At home I have Hazel automating in the background, certain settings in apps like Apple Mail are tweaked, or even something as simple as a new desktop wallpaper may be missing. All kinds of small things occur and I never want to go back and do those a 2nd, or especially, a 3rd time on another machine. In general there is maintenance to multiple machines as well from software updates to battery life, and the friction really adds up.

So, with the announcement of the new Apple Silicon chips, I’ve decided to give the laptop lifestyle a chance. It’s a bit terrifying, but over the coming weeks, I’m planning to (attempt) to merge everything from my home iMac, work iMac, and work laptop (my rock solid 2012 MacBook Air) onto this new 13” M1 MacBook Pro which has been fully upgraded to include 16GB of Ram and a 2TB hard drive. This machine is going to drive audio/video recording sessions as well as all of my daily computing, and I can’t wait to get it fully optimized. Much more to come on this transition and all the equipment coming for the new studio. Until then, it’s a bittersweet day as I step out into new territory with this laptop.

Following Our Artistic Muse

I had a jam-packed, but inspiring, day today which included a business coaching, a collaboration check-in, a faculty task force meeting, applied lessons, and a board meeting. Despite the wide range of these activities I’m often surprised to find through-lines as I shift contexts throughout days like these.

Today’s invisible line surrounded the idea of our artistic muse. My brilliant theory colleague today said (paraphrasing) he has struggled in the past to bring new inspirations to the forefront of his teaching when he viewed his teaching as music theory. However, he recently flipped the equation to be that he teaches logic, equity, and critical thinking (for example) through the medium of music theory. I could not agree with this statement more. As a mentor, teaching percussionists stroke types or rudiments can quickly lead to burnout after decades of this material.

Later today, I attended the Day 3 of 5 of Jennifer Rosenfeld’s business coaching webinar. She had this great line that stuck with me in her discussion:

How do we bring our artistic selves into our business and make space for that, using it as a source of teaching and inspiration for the people that we are serving?

When I heard that I had to check myself to make sure I wasn’t still in the last meeting! I’ve had some success even this semester working with students in real time on topics that are ever-changing and relevant. It’s one of the reasons I’ve moved away from strict curricular structures. I’ve found that some of the best exchanges with students have come from spontaneous learning, often surrounding inspiration from current events, trends, or exposure. Furthermore, I strive to play my instruments as often as possible, because nothing keeps me energized, inspired, and able to relate to the students like a hard practice session earlier in the day.

PAS Board of Advisors

I was honored to learn that I was recently elected to serve a 2nd term on the PAS Board of Advisors. The full announcement is available here.

I’ve been a member of the Percussive Arts Society since 2000 and have thoroughly enjoyed serving this organization in many capacities over the years. I’ve grown a great deal by attending their annual PASIC event each November, and to this day it remains a highlight of my year, seeing friends new and old, and picking up some inspiration to take back to my teaching and performance.

Looking forward to another few years helping out as best as I know how.

Stepping Off the Merry-Go-Round

I’ve had an enjoyable afternoon looking at the last 24 months of my professional activity and asking myself the 3 big review questions:

• What should I start doing?

• What should I keep doing?

• What should I stop doing?

Prompted by a session Jennifer Rosenfeld is giving online this week, it felt great to carve out the time to stop producing, and just reflect. A mentor of mine always used to call this getting off the merry-go-round, and he was a master at planning and implementation. I have a regular weekly/monthly/quarterly review process and these questions come up regularly, but specifically this time I got out my calendar and clicked through each week, reflecting on the pros and cons of some of my past decisions.

I opened up a page in my Baron Fig Confidant Notebook, and after doing some work, eventually transferred a more polished version into Notion. I now have this document for easy review, any time I want to add to it down the road or review while making a decision.

I encourage you to give this exercise a try. And if you do, shoot me a note and let me know how it went. It’s widely known that saying “No” can be difficult, but cleaning up the map of our past can make the road forward a little less hazy.

Elevating Performance Atmosphere

I know, I know—musicians don’t need yet another thing to worry about in addition to performing. Trust me, as a percussionist (read: logistical ninja) I’m fully on board with musicians being able to focus on their performing and having an appropriate staff to handle production. However, I’ve recently been expanding my Gear Cage to include some LED lights (Affiliate Link) and a DMX control board (Affiliate Link). Having these items handy has been incredibly easy to implement into my performance practice, and it can take an otherwise non-inspiring performance space and make it a focused listening environment.

I’ve found the physical controller gives a lot of creative options throughout a performance, and it has a robust amount of programming options to align with an artistic vision. For example, at the Nief-Norf Summer Festival, our team programs more than a dozen concerts over two weeks. The Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall at the University of Tennessee is gorgeous, but in the end, it is still a Recital Hall. We’ve had a lot of success transforming the space by installing quad-speaker surround sound, having a pre-show playlist, and most of all, by doing our own lighting design.

Performing Christopher Burns’ Constellations at the Big Ears Festival. DMX Lighting placed around the stage and interacting with the performance.

It’s of course possible to elevate the controls through DAW usage as well, automating them or causing them to interact with the performance in many ways. The options here are endless. But for entry-level usage, a pair of lights and an analog controller can transform an after-hours book store into a community performance venue. For around $300, this combination can do a lot for a performance, and I see musicians spend far more on other equipment that sometimes gets them far less.

Reactions to the Apple Event

Really enjoyed sitting down today and checking out today’s Apple Event during quiet time in our house. Kids sleeping/resting and having lunch with dedicated relaxing time seemed to be a rare alignment of the stars. I jotted down a few thoughts as I watched:

• I definitely see a HomePod mini in our future. We have a few Echo devices and I’d love to see how much I use one of these. Specifically, I can never hear my podcasts over the noise from the shower and having one in the bedroom in the mornings seems like a great way to get the news, weather, and have a great speaker for any listening during the morning routine.

• The intercom system would also be really helpful. Studio AB is in the bottom corner of our house and I know my wife and I would use this feature throughout the week.

• The iPhone 12 Pro looks amazing and I’m especially excited about the continued evolution of the camera. It feels like every year Apple doubles down on the previous camera improvements, which has been a big selling point for me. These cameras are by far the #1 way I document my kids’ childhood and I value having such a high quality camera on my phone despite having just bought a “big kid” camera.

• Though I loved the Bond theme music, I don’t see the desire for an iPhone mini. I’m excited to be proven wrong, but for me, I don’t really see an obvious use case at the moment.

• I think I am most excited about the MagSafe system and how flexible it is with iPhone accessories. I love the idea of a shared charger for the iPhone and Apple Watch as well!

Apple Event Tomorrow

Apple has announced its next Apple Event, scheduled for Tuesday October 13th at 1:00 PM Eastern—that’s tomorrow! It also has some fun AR functions if you take a look at the announcement with your smart phone.

I’ve got time blocked out to enjoy the keynote which is rumored to focus on the new iPhone 12 release later this month. Other items speculated to be included are the new AirPods Studio (headphones rumored to be their highest-end product with noise-cancelling and worn over the ear), possibly a new HomePod, and the new AirTags (their Bluetooth tracking devices similar to the Tile product).

While I’m due for an iPhone upgrade and excited to hear the latest in hardware, these other products are equally exciting. I have a ton of equipment in my Gear Cage that I would love to have tracked with the AirTags, and have been considering finally purchasing some noise-cancelling headphones especially to be used while flying (you know, when we can do that safely again). We’ve also dipped our toe into the Echo scene, and having something in the Apple ecosystem would be something I’d definitely give a good luck before continuing to outfit our home with more smart technology.

Nevarro’s Hottest Tracks

One of my favorite videos I’ve come across on YouTube recently is this one, documenting the creation of the score for The Mandalorian by Ludwig Göransson. I’ll never forget how much this music immediately drew me into the Mando universe, which has become one of my favorite titles of all time. It set the tone for such an amazing adventure, and me and the kiddos frequently blast it in the car while running errands. I can honestly say I’ve never had a desire to learn to play recorder until now! Always inspiring to see the creative process of others.

Season 2 fires up at the end of October, and can’t come soon enough. This is the way.

Personal Practice Journal: Day One + Siri Shortcuts

For over a year now, I’ve been working on refining my journaling habit for my personal practice sessions. I’ve always been a believer that journaling (not just for practicing) can be helpful in a couple of ways, two in particular:

• First, it allows me to quickly review at the end of the day how my plan went, so I can properly divide my allotted time the next day to be as impactful as possible.

• Second, I find it helps my mental health tremendously. Writing down how my practicing went helps me unload that mental weight, think critically about how to respond, and then leave it alone so I can move on with my day.

I’ve done a lot of homework on which tool to use for journaling, and for me, Day One is definitely the app of choice. Day One has apps for iOS and Mac and I really love writing in them, especially on the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard.

The journal entries can easily include pictures, microphone input for dictation, and much more, and I’m finding more uses for the rich features each time I’m writing. Siri Shortcuts was the tool that made this really take off for me. By pre-populating a list of prompts, the input is very easy. I find my entries are faster, yet more thorough using this shortcut, and it takes me very little time to enter.

If you’d like to give this a whirl, download my Shortcut and give it a try! Open the shortcut and simply replace my repertoire list with yours, then at the bottom redirect to your DayOne Journal and you should be off and running.

Sounds from Studio AB: Alicia

Alicia Keys’ new album ALICIA kept me moving last week in Studio AB, but also got me thinking about the way we digest music vs. information. Listening to an album in full feels more like a commitment, much like reading a book. Often I'll get in the car and play whatever is on my top playlists, which leads to hearing the same tracks, but also to consuming at a much lower level of focus. By spending a week with an album I can usually get through it a few times, and I get to know it better—I get the arch the artist was intending, and thus get to hear the entire story, just like reading.

Conversely, I wondered what it would be like to listen to tracks of our favorite books or podcasts in this less-focused state. Wouldn't it be nice to get the highlights from these things in three-minute “playlist style” versions every so often, just to keep those principles front of mind? I guess maybe it's time to finally check out Blinkist.

Big Screen Evolution

I was catching up on some old Mac Power Users episodes this weekend while mowing my lawn, and learned from Stephen Hackett that I am apparently a card-carrying member of the “Big Screen Club.” As an Apple user I’ve migrated to the iPhone XS Max, the 12.9” iPad Pro and have owned a 27” iMac as my main machine for nearly a decade. Combine these with my recent 32-button Stream Deck XL and the addition of a reference monitor to Studio AB, and I appear to have displayed a preference for larger sized workspaces as all of these (monitor excluded, I suppose) are the largest sizes of their product families.

I remember I was recently listening to Ali Abdaal discuss how he tries to direct as many activities as he can to his home machine, including text messages, because his typing speed is lightning fast on his keyboard. I guess I feel the same way about these larger spaces. Though, I’ll be the first to jump if the iPad is ever released in an even larger form, as I would love a 16+ inch version for score reading specifically. In the meantime, I’ve just started hooking mine up to a 32” TV…

The Calm Inbox Course

The Sweet Setup team, led by Shawn Blanc, recently released the Calm Inbox course. The course is discounted 20% for launch week, down from $99 to $79. I’ve signed up for several Sweet Setup courses, and have really enjoyed going through the video tutorials. I’m always looking for ways to keep my attention and focus on one thing at a time, allowing me to live my best creative life, and Shawn and his team are definitely advocates of this approach. The discount ends today, so those who are interested, should hop on board now.

Friday Inspiration Boost

It’s an immediate inspiration-Dynamax (yes, I’m down with the Pokémon) when my two favorite drummers drop new tracks on the same day. I had to think about that statement for a moment, but in the last year I’d be hard-pressed to name two drummers whose playing I’ve enjoyed more than these two gentlemen.

Dafnis Prieto released his latest album Transparency today on his independent label with his Sextet. His most recent album Back to the Sunset has been on loop in my car for almost a year now after hearing him live with Michel Camilo in November 2019 at PASIC. That concert was transcendent for me; I don’t remember being that moved by live music since hearing Stevie Wonder here in Knoxville back in 2015. Both of these concerts along with a small handful of others are moments I will never forget in my life. I’m listening to Transparency now as I wrap up my week at my desk, with the cool October breeze coming in through the window, and it’s setting all the right vibes. Dafnis is one-of-a-kind.

As if that’s not enough of a gift, this afternoon Larnell Lewis released his latest track Change Your Mind on YouTube, from his forthcoming album Relive the Moment. I found Larnell through his work with Snarky Puppy and of course through his viral video on YouTube, where he walks through the process of learning a song in one listen. I’ve got November 20th marked on my calendar for the release of the full album over on Bandcamp. Bob Reynolds’ latest video teased some upcoming behind-the-scenes footage of Larnell in a Snarky Puppy session last week, which I’m also looking forward to checking out.

Top all of this off with the EA Release of Star Wars: Squadrons (affiliate link) hitting shelves today for PS4, and I’m pretty sure I am all set heading into the weekend. If you need me tomorrow, you’ll find me in Studio AB, gunning down TIE fighters with some sick background tracks.

On a New Artistic Practice

I’ve been using my time this summer to begin building a new creative output, centered on composition and improvisation, and largely using the drumset and various technologies as the medium. Breaking away from decades of work that has largely revolved around performing through interpretation, this has been a refreshing endeavor and a journey that promises to challenge me.

I’ve been inspired for several years by Ed Sarath’s writings on the performer-composer-improviser model of training university music students, and have applied this widely throughout my teaching and mentoring. It is refreshing to have my own work catch up to that of my teachings, but has also posed a number of thought-provoking questions:

What Does a Productive Practice Session Look Like When I am Improvising?

I spend many hours each week teaching students how to apply deliberate practice, break down learning into chunks, and to appreciate a slow and methodical method of engraining material the first time. As interpreters we work on setting attainable goals so every session feels like a “win.” It’s clear that with this shift in artistic practice, I’m going to have to re-learn how to create efficiently and re-define what it means to have a good day.

How Much Constraint is Needed to Effectively Compose?

I’ve known for quite some time that the best artistic product often comes from various constraint systems. However, one of the drumset’s most appealing elements is its orchestrational possibilities. This dichotomy immediately poses creative dissonance. Bags of mallets and non-traditional implements, cymbal stacks and effects, drum sizes and tuning, and setup configurations all create a limitless amount of combinations that is both extremely exciting and paralyzing all at once. I’ve already found that it can be difficult to find a way in.

Where is the Line Between Breadth and Depth When Using New Technologies?

I’ve been exploring a few pieces of software and hardware that were the original inspiration for this journey, but these systems pose similar constraint issues. I’m working hard to avoid shiny-object syndrome and each new piece of technology feels like learning a new instrument from scratch. So much potential and I want to make sure I’m respecting the range of each thing I consider adding to the arsenal of sounds. 

Will I be Able to Recognize my own Voice Among These Sound Sources?

Additionally, many DAW setups can produce some incredible varieties of beats natively. At my core, I’ve always been drawn to rhythm, and there’s nothing to say that many of these will not be appealing. After all, very few creatives are only drawn to a singular style or medium. I’ve depended on my curatorial ear and instinct thus far as an artist, however the combination of these mediums has roots in genres I have far less background in. I believe it is going to take some time for me to find a mode of creation that feels authentic, and exposure and listening to new-to-me artists is going to be an important (and equally refreshing) part of that journey.

Facing these questions at the beginning of this journey is daunting to say the least. It can make it difficult to begin most days. But I am energized by the idea of creating my own body of work, of developing my own meta-instrument, and of weaving in and out of many genres that inspire my soul. It remains to be seen if this journey will more closely resemble Taylor Swift pivoting from country music or Michael Jordan playing for the White Sox. Either way, I am doing my best to embrace these challenges and as always, enjoy the process.

Sounds from Studio AB: The Pieces That Fall to Earth (Christopher Cerrone + Wild Up)

I’m really happy for my friend Christopher Cerrone for his new release with LA-based Wild Up, out now on New Amsterdam Records. I’ve been listening to the album now that I’m back home from IL this week and am really enjoying the extended work, which comprises three vocal cycles. In fact, today NPR Classical named it one of their top albums for July.

I’ve loved Chris’ music for quite some time. We recently played his percussion quartet + voice Goldbeater’s Skin at the Nief-Norf Summer Festival in June, and I have a performance of his new ambient percussion solo A Natural History of Vacant Lots lined up for my 2019-20 season. If you’re looking for a soundtrack for your work this week, I highly recommend checking this out and supporting these folks.

Freedom in the Groove

I just returned from Macstock 2019 in McHenry, IL and had an amazing time. It was such a treat to branch out of my usual activities and share two days learning about something I’m passionate about, while also making some new friends.

I wondered how much I would have to add to the conversation as someone who is not a computer programmer or an engineer, for example. However, in meeting all of these tech-enthusiasts, I was amazed at how many of them mentioned music being their muse. My new friend Mike Melcer from NY showed me two awesome new-to-me apps (review on the way) that he uses for casual music making at home. He even stumped me when he asked for suggestions for apps that help develop relative pitch. Mike Schmitz and I had a great chat about his upbringing on violin and I got the chance to bump into Kourosh Dini, who lives in Chicago and regularly plays piano and guitar. All of us work in different fields day-to-day, so it was enlightening to see how easy it was to find commonalities.

The first night I was there, I had an extended chat with David Sparks (aka MacSparky) and Mike Melcer about a range of topics including Apple, Star Wars & Galaxy’s Edge, and his background as a jazz saxophonist. David has spoken often about how he uses the saxophone as a 30-minute break in his day-to-day, and how the short breaks actually help him to refocus and recharge his energy in the afternoon. Among our conversations, he mentioned a favorite track of his by Joshua Redman called “Hide & Seek,” from his 1996 album Freedom in the Groove. I could sense his pride when he mentioned his daughter being able to scat through most of the tune from his repeated plays of the track, an experience I’ve shared as I’ve heard various records work their way into my kids’ playlists and backseat singing. Always a heart-warming experience as a Dad.

When the weekend wrapped up, I grabbed a car to the airport and was actually feeling a little overwhelmed. The weekend helped to focus lots of really exciting ideas and possibilities to use technology as a means to creating more meaningful work, and that is always an exciting prospect. Once I worked through airport security at O’Hare, I popped in my AirPods and grabbed a meal at the Chicago Cubs Bar & Grill (where else?). I started reviewing my notes and was reminded that I needed to check out “Hide & Seek.” My history with Joshua Redman actually goes back to ~2002, when I joined some friends on an impromptu trip into Chicago from Northern Illinois University. We headed to the Jazz Showcase and saw the Dave Holland Quintet, grabbed dinner at the ESPN Zone, and then found out Redman was in town, so we headed up to Martyrs to hear him with Sam Yahel and Brian Blade, touring their recent Elastic album release. I picked up the album and played it nearly every morning for a solid year as I was getting ready…my roommate was a jazz bass major and may never listen to Joshua Redman again because of me.

O’Hare that day was slammed and, in general, was feeling rather claustrophobic. However, thanks to my AirPods, I was having a completely musical experience – all but dancing down the terminal hallway toward my gate. David was right. “Hide and Seek” is an incredible opening track and the album ended up sticking with me for the rest of the night. It was so inspiring to reconnect with a musical favorite that had made his way off of my recent playlists. My gate ended up being at the end of the terminal in one of those basement, dead-end, cul-de-sacs, where everyone is crowded and miserable. Meanwhile, I was having a completely isolated experience trying not to draw attention to myself as I was digging each track of the album. I got on the plane and was seated next to someone whose body type was taking up half of my seat. Didn’t matter though, I was locked into the record.

I knew Sunday night was going to be a long night, with a late flight and even later commute home, but listening to this album made it feel like time travel. I finally hit Knoxville, just shy of 1AM and reveled while listening to Invocation, another favorite track of mine from the album. Now on my Apple Carplay and on my 3rd or 4th time through the disc, I was driving home and excited to start the week home with my family. My overwhelm was gone and the travel time seemed to disappear. The music inspired me and I was able to capture some clarity and meaningful notes on a few projects during the journey in Apple Notes. While AirPods, an iPhone, and Apple Notes are not exactly “advanced” technology, this experience never would have been possible years ago. We had talked all weekend at MacStock about using technology to get to the creative work, and I was thankful to be arriving home inspired, clear-minded, and ready to get back to the daily mission of creating meaningful art.

LEGO Aston Martin

Enjoying the end of July, as August 1st is typically when I switch back into "work mode" and use the month to prepare for the season ahead.

Unfortunately I just stumbled upon this new LEGO release and may be slightly distracted for the first few days of August. If you come to visit me in my studio at UT this year, don't be surprised if you see this on my desk. The set comes complete with passenger ejector seat!

Rainy Day Baseball

Spent a good amount of weeknights away from work this Spring at my son's first season of baseball, playing for the Rocky Hill Rockies. Just stumbled upon this pile of his well-used gear in my office today, the remnants of the sky opening up last night in the 2nd inning of his final game. It's been a real joy teaching him to play and hanging with his team this year.

Brimstone & Glory

This Friday I'm thrilled to be conducting Nief-Norf at the Big Ears Festival here in Knoxville, TN on a live film score to the documentary Brimstone & Glory, in collaboration with NYC's Wordless Music. Directed by Viktor Jakovleski, Brimstone & Glory traces the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec, Mexico, a celebration used to pay tribute to San Juan de Dios. Here is the official trailer to the film.

I was fortunate to be contacted about taking on this project by Wordless Music more than a year ago, and am thoroughly enjoying watching it take shape this week. The film is stunning to watch and the music, scored by Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, features a percussion quartet concerto with chamber orchestra. Wild grooves and beautiful melodies emerge throughout the score and I've become more and more engulfed with the entire work after each morning of studying. Friday's screening will be the first live performance of the score, using a newly orchestrated version of the score done by Sam Torres.

One of the most poignant moments of the documentary, for me, traces a young boy named Santi and his courageous debate on whether to join the Dia de Los Toros (Day of the Bulls) with his older family members. As a Dad with a son at a similar age, I found myself feeling protective of Santi, and the narrative took me on quite an emotional journey.

I so look forward to joining all 22 musicians on stage Friday for our live score performance of this film in Knoxville's historic Tennessee Theater at 1:30pm. There isn't a better venue out there for such a concert or a better audience/festival to share this project with.