| GARAGE VOX: SKINNYDEVIL WORSHIP! |
 |
 |
|
Thomas Carruthers once said a teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary. That is what David McLean keeps doing as a guitar instructor. He works with his students to make himself unnecessary. You will hear SKINNYDEVIL quote the Japanese proverb enter by form to exit from form. Dave is about freeing others from form- a sonic liberatarian, if you will. Daves award winning website is filled with freebies, insanely crammed with useful lessons and articles. Dave is also the author of Guitar Gods, an interview series that can be found right here on Tinfoil. Hang around with Dave for a few minutes and you will not walk away empty-handed (even though he might tell you to empty your cup before the conversation begins) . 1.What was your first gig- the first time you ever got up in front of bunch of folks and did your thing? I was 16 and had just started playing guitar. I had gotten together with some guys in a 4-piece rock ensemble and we decided to go over to the amphitheater of a local college and set up and play. We had no idea that we were trespassing (hahaha!). Sort of guerilla rock theater! We did about 5 songs of standard 12-bar and then beat it out of there just as the cops arrived. 2.How do you approach songwriting (what/who inspires you, and how do you go about writing tunes)? Wow - it really depends on the project. Since I have several personal gigs, like my electric solo project and my acoustic duo, as well as my commercial music (I've done video games, indie films, radio & TV spots, and all that), the approach is extremely varied. Extremely. Sometimes I start off with a melody and build from there, sometimes with a groove and I just jam for hours over it, sometimes I tediously work out changes in an almost mathematical way, and sometimes a piece just springs into my head fully formed and I have to write it down fast. In Aur'a-Sen, for example, I'd often just walk in and say "Mike, I'm feeling funky in 3" and he'd just whip out a groove in 3/4. I'd look at Howard and say "Funky, baby - in E minor" and he'd start jamming. I'd start playing around with ideas and Glenn would scat and then go total stream of conscience. Then we'd furiously try to jot down ideas and throw them together in a violent pool of creativity. 20 minutes later we'd have a song. "Budapest" was one song written in that fashion. When I did the first collection of children's songs, much of it utilized the "tone painting" concept - a harsh contrast to our band improv-based "spontaneous composition". The letters of a word are transposed by various methods to musical notes and then I play them over and over. Sometimes the theme is obvious, other times I labor over it for days. Being mostly strict canon, there are extreme limits on how it's fleshed out, but those limits often lead to extreme bursts of creativity in a completely different way. Everything else falls somewhere in between. Or not. 3.What musical instruments do you play? Favorite gear? Primarily guitar. I also play bass, various percussion, and a tad of keys. Most of my personal projects are done on guitar, a small percentage are percussion-based, and most of my commercial music utilizes the Kurzweil K-2000 as my primary weapon of choice. Favorite gear? I have a soft spot for Marshall amps, but there is so much quality gear on the market that I don't have any favorites - just favorites of the day. 4.Your favorite song(s) from the Dave discography to do live? Why? Which of your children is your favorite, Tom? Hahaha!! I really can't answer that because I have such an attachment to all my stuff. Some of it is a sentimental attachment, like the really old music I did in the 80s, and some of it (the newer stuff) is special for so many different reasons. Since about 1990 or maybe a bit earlier, most of what I've done musically may involve a lot of work or it may come almost effortlessly, but it all ends up feeling like something I just work to make tangible - like I didn't really write it at all. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not, but it's almost like I start the process and then I'm just along for the ride. Like voodoo or speaking in tongues, I guess (hahaha!). Or maybe that's my spineless attempt to love everything I do without being an egomaniacal SOB. 5.What do you say to the dreamers who are making a lot of noise in the garage? Keep making noise! Do it. Play it! Have fun! "What are you dreaming?", I'd ask...and then I'd respond to that. Everyone's goals are different, but all of them are attainable. Just keep your head in the clouds with one foot firmly planted on the ground. You gotta work hard and you gotta work smart - there IS a difference. But if a guy like me - in high school I was the WORST guitar player in the WORST band - can end up playing music for a living, then anyone can. 6. Tell everyone about SKINNYDEVIL Music Skinny Devil Music Lab is the name under which I do all things music in cyber-space. Corporeally, most folks call me by name or by my duo, Alien < Blue. The name Skinny Devil was actually a joke...something a friend of mine once called me. Since I started SDML I've gone from a regular job (I had to pound nails when the recording studio went under) to being a full-time working musician. I teach guitar, bass, & percussion; I write corporate music; I'm about to release several CDs with profits going to various charities; I write the "Guitar Gods" series for Tinfoil Music; we're doing a DVD series; plans for a brief European solo tour are under way (cross your fingers, bro!); and all manner of other things involving music. I'm having a blast! Ye Olde Optional Cheesy Bonus Question: Any truth to the rumor that you are really Carl Sagan and Janis Joplin's little indiscretion? [I had nothing to do with this rumour. Honest! -Tin] The DNA results are being held up by Janis' estate. Until then, I've been advised not to comment. Visit David M. McLean (AKA: SKINNYDEVIL): Skinny Devil Music Lab Index to Daves GUITAR GODS Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
|
||||
