WorkshopLive interview with Dave Martone
Education: Fanshawe College/ Record Engineering/Production
and Berklee College of Music/ Performance
Styles: Rock, flamenco, thematic
Instruments: Guitar, bass, keyboards
When did you start to play? 6 years old in 1979
When did you start to notice that your playing was different from everyone else's? Never. I still strive for that.
When did you find your voice as a player? Still looking. I find though that you cannot listen to other players that much since it will tarnish what you do. I really do not listen to music. It is strange. I mostly listen to the music I create and after that I am just spent and want silence!
How do you keep your playing fresh? That is tough. There is not enough time for that with schedules. When I do have time which is never, I try and write music that has been in my head for months!
What do you do when you get stuck? Have a beer!
What do you still find hard to do? Pay my Mastercard bill!
How often are you surprised by your playing, or what you"re listening to, or music in general? Hmm. That is a tough question. I don"t know how to answer that but I will say this - if there is time, I can come up with something cool. If not, then I must make more time!
Are there one or two core ideas that are central to your teaching that you make sure every student learns? Yes, How to understand the guitar and use it to create the best music he or she can.
Do you find yourself returning to listen to the artists who inspired you when you first started to play? No. I listen to silence and the music in my head when I go to the gym.
Does your playing change when you switch instruments? Of course, you have to play to the instrument!
What are you listening to these days? Do you search out music that's new and unfamiliar to you? I am not listening to anything at the moment. I listen to students bands and other people that are moving forward.
Do you have a musical wish list - other instruments to learn, people to play with, artists or styles to explore?
I wanted to master the piano, but there is no time.
People to play with. Hmm.. anyone who is unique!
Have you ever had a really great teacher? What made him/her so good? Yes, and what made them good was their use of explanation. That is the key!
How do you learn best? By being motivated.
visit Dave at www.davemartone.com
