WorkshopLive interview with Amanda Monaco
"Being able to play music is such a gift."
Started: Age 12 in 1985
Education: BA Music, William Patterson College
Music styles: Jazz
When did you start to notice that your playing was different from everyone else's? When did you find your voice as a player? I never really thought too much about that - I always focused on being true to what I was hearing, and learning from my favorite players. Though I always paid real close attention to my sound. My guitar teacher, Ted Dunbar, insisted that I always practice with my amp so I could get my sound together.
How do you keep your playing fresh? Limitation exercises. If you limit yourself when you're practicing - say, only play on one string, or stick to one kind of rhythm - you find all sorts of new things.
What do you do when you get stuck? Keep playing and wait for it to pass. Someone once told me that if you're stuck, it just means you're ready to go to the next level, so keep going and you'll get there!
What do you still find hard to do? Finding four hours a day to practice. I love practicing - working on my sightreading, or new voicings, or improvising - and the business aspect of the music has a tendency to steal away a lot of my time. (I need a booking agent!)
How often are you surprised by your playing, or what you're listening to, or music in general? Constantly. I learn new things every day.
Do you have a regular practice regimen? Do you have a practice "tool-kit" - metronome, tuner, recorder, etc.? My practice regimen is daily. Every day, I wake up and I practice, and hopefully find more time during the rest of the day as well. I keep a journal of what I do, writing down what I've practiced for the day, at what tempo, and what other musical activities I've had for the day (rehearsals, gigs, concerts I've heard). I always practice with a metronome. I have a little "practice nook" in my bedroom where my music stand, amp and materials (books, metronome, guitar) are always set up and ready to go. When I'm on the road, I practice in whatever place I can find. I'm good at tuning people out in those kinds of situations, so if they're o.k. with me sitting in the living room (a lot of times my band stays with friends on the road), I'll plug my guitar into my laptop (I have a Brian Moore iGuitar) and use headphones to practice right then and there.
Is there a piece of gear you just can't live without? My guitar. Other than that I'm pretty adaptable.
Are there one or two core ideas that are central to your teaching that you make sure every student learns? Learn to read. Practice everything with a metronome. Know your basics (triads, major scales) forwards and backwards and you will be able to do anything.
Do you find yourself returning to listen to the artists who inspired you when you first started to play? Who are they? Absolutely! I will never tire of listening to Jim Hall. One of the perks of living in New York is that I can go hear music every night of the week if I want to, and I go hear Jim Hall play every year, at least once.
Does your playing change when you switch instruments? Well, yes, my other instrument is the French horn, which, in all honesty, hasn't had much playing time in the last several years.
How often, when you're playing, do you find those moments of pure music, when your head is clear, your fingers are working, there are no distractions, and it's just you and the music? A lot, because I got really tired of the "oh, jeez, do I sound o.k.?" mode of thinking. Being able to play music is such a gift.
What music would you suggest for your students? If you're haven't heard Charlie Christian, you must. He played electric jazz guitar for a brief moment with Benny Goodman's band, and there is a box set of his music (4 CDs) that is great. Also, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery (the stuff he recorded for Riverside), Grant Green.
A saxophonist that I'm really into these days is Ken Vandermark. His record, "Elements in Style, Exercises in Surprise" is so fun and creative and all over the place in terms of styles and ideas.
What are you listening to these days? Do you search out music that's new and unfamiliar to you? Right now I'm trying to get through this Ken Vandermark 5 boxset, Alchemia. It's twelve CDs and it's great. As for searching out unfamiliar music, I'm lucky in that regard. My husband is the Editorial Director of the newspaper AllAboutJazz-New York. He gets about 50-100 CDs sent to him every month, so we're always listening to crazy stuff in the house. It was through him that I discovered guitarists like Attila Zoller and trombonists like Albert Mangelsdorff, drummers like Han Bennink and ensembles like the Willem Breuker Kollektief.
Do you have a musical wish list - other instruments to learn, people to play with, artists or styles to explore? I'd love to play with drummer Matt Wilson - I think he's really fun and creative. I'd also really like to go to grad school and study classical composition and apply it to a jazz context.
What makes a great teacher? Patience and a little tough love, and a thorough knowledge of the basics.
How do you learn best? Repetition and listening to what's going on. Taking things slowly and learning them the right way the first time.
visit Amanda at www.amandamonaco.com
