Come learn advanced sampling techniques
To celebrate my 31st birthday
It’s my birthday and I’d like to share new things with you.
This week, I am 31 years old. If I am lucky enough to live to 90 then I have officially entered into the great middle of my life. The show has barreled right into its second act without any care for an intermission. I hope you can hold it a little bit longer, folks. Things are just getting good.
Birthdays are funny in the sense that, beyond existing as a factual point of demarcation, they really are intangible things. I will not wake up this Sunday markedly different. Change is far more gradual than a shifting date on the calendar. The significance of birthdays and their greatest capacity for eliciting change in us comes from how we frame them. For me, 31 could mean that I’m just beginning my 30s or that I’m only nine years away from 40. (That one gives me pause.) How I choose to frame my birthday defines my birthday, not my actual birthday in and of itself.
And, for me this birthday feels like a new beginning. Perhaps, that’s because I myself am immersed in new beginnings right now. This newsletter, Keep Living With Music, is still in its infancy being less than a year old. I signed on to write a new game soundtrack a few weeks ago. And, of course, I’m composing an opera, something totally brand new for me.
I am composing my first opera
Today, I want to talk about being new at something and share some sounds that are exciting me right now. I have been invited to participate in Seattle Opera’s Creation Lab program. This annual program partners together emerging librettists and compo…
In many ways, I want my life to be a perpetual series of new beginnings. As I get older, I don’t just want to simply age, I want to continue to grow. To do so requires me to try and do new things. In many ways, it’s about forever being a student. I don’t ever want to stop learning and experiencing what this life has to offer.
And so, I’ll celebrate my birthday by continuing to do new things and push myself towards growth. New music, new mediums, new styles, new ideas, and new offerings.
31 begins with a new offering: online classes.
I wanted to share this with all of you here first: I’m now offering live, two hour Zoom classes about music production and composition. I’ve been teaching private music production lessons and a course every term for Point Blank Music School for a few years now and have been eager to expand my teaching practice in a way that’s accessible to more people.
The first of these offerings is a class called Advanced Sampling Techniques: Sample Yourself.
To celebrate my birthday, use the link above to purchase the class for 31% off the whole month of October. Truly, thank you for reading this newsletter.
This two hour class will take place on Saturday, December 2nd 2023 from 10 am to 12 pm Pacific Time. Together, we’ll explore techniques that fall playfully at the intersection of media composition and hip hop/electronic production and think about sampling as a means of thematic development in your music. You’ll have new answers to the dreaded question of “Where do I take this idea next?” Ultimately, it’s my hope that you’ll feel creatively expanded by the techniques we discuss.
If you want to hear these techniques in action, my song “It All Comes Back To You In The End” from my new E.P., Fever Dreams at Ruger Place, was created using these techniques. Together, we’ll break down my composition and production process for this track.
There are two editions of the class available. The Standard Edition comes with the live class and lifetime access to the class recording afterwards. The Deluxe Edition comes with all of that as well as a techniques handout and access to my new student Discord community, which I’m really super excited about.
Welcome to The Living Room
The Living Room is born from my desire to have and cultivate a community of music makers that share in my goal of living a long and full life with music. To create space and conversation with artists who know that art is a long game. I want to know them and for them to know one another.
Currently, the only way to join The Living Room is to purchase the Deluxe Edition of Advanced Sampling Techniques: Sample Yourself. While the class itself isn’t until December, you’ll get access to The Living Room immediately. You could join today. You, dear reader, could be the first. I’m so excited to create this space with you all.
Long term, I plan on opening up The Living Room to all of my paid newsletter subscribers (a feature I just turned on) as a way of thanking you all for supporting this newsletter of mine. Once I figure out that integration, I’ll make sure to let you all know.
That was a lot of new things to talk about all in one newsletter but that’s the thrill of it! I want to keep doing, trying, and offering new things every year as I get older. I hope that you’ll consider participating in some of these new offerings. May we all keep living with music together.
I’d like to finish today with the album Progression by jake.irl. Jake is a former student of mine, and an amazing bassist, guitar player, and producer. This album will make your weekend better. Until next time.
Quick Hits
Are you attending GameSoundCon? Come say hi! My colleagues and I at Plant Based Audio will be giving a panel called “Starting your Game Audio Career: Turning Strife into Success” and I hope to see you there.
My new EP, Fever Dreams at Ruger Place, is out now. Stream or purchase it here.
Do you need help with your music production or composition skills? I offer private one on one lessons over Zoom. You can sign up for lessons here.
Inspiring read + I’m so excited for your first class!