Matthew:
Hi, my name is Matthew Whitaker, I\u2019m 20 years old, I am a musician who happens to be blind, I play piano, drums, organ, keyboards, and percussion. I love jazz, but I love all styles of music. Yeah, it\u2019s an honor to be here, with Mr. Jeff, and everyone else on the team, thank you so much for having me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, Matthew, it\u2019s so great to have you one here, I\u2019ve listened to your music, actually someone sent me some music, and I listened to it and I said wow, this is really good, so I dug in a little deeper, and had to give you a call-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
-get ahold of you, and thanks for taking the time, I know you\u2019re sitting in your studio, is it the basement studio?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, it is, actually, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Oh, you got organs all over the place, you\u2019re like a transplant place, there\u2019s organs all over the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw you on American Foundation for the Blind, they were celebrating the 100 years, and they had [unintelligible] on there, that was a good interview, I really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, again, happy anniversary, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Matthew, you started out at age three, playing the piano. Where\u2019d that come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My grandfather was the one who started all this. My grandfather gave me my first keyboard at three years old, and I taught myself nursery rhymes with both hands. I then started taking classical piano lessons at five, with my piano teacher, Dahlia Sattress, and I\u2019m still working with her today, you know, we still work on different songs and classical technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
She must have been really good, I mean, you\u2019re still doing it today, it\u2019s like sometimes people just surpass their teacher, like the lady down the street giving lessons to the kids, you would have surpassed that really quick, I suppose. But that\u2019s really neat, to build that relationship over all these years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, the relationship and connection with everyone, you know? And I started getting into jazz when I was seven, my dad first played a jazz- we were in the car, listening to it on the radio, and ever since then it\u2019s been my favorite genre to play and listen to. At nine, I taught myself how to play the Hammond organ, at 13 I became the youngest endorsed Hammond artist and at 15, youngest endorsed Yamaha artist in the piano division, and later on I became endorsed in the keyboard division as well, so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Wow. Well, Matthew, before we go any further, with us in the studio is the other cohost, Pete Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi Matthew, this is Pete Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to welcome you also to Blind Abilities-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Yes, thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and thanks for taking time out of your very busy day. I wanted to take you back, I\u2019ve always had this question, as I understand it, you were able to play notes on your keyboard by ear. You\u2019d hear a song, and then in recognizing notes and distinguishing a high C from a C sharp or something like that, but how do you translate that to which keys on the keyboard play those precise notes? Are you familiar with the keyboard at that early age or did somebody have to show you how the black key works versus the white key?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, good question. And this goes back to my first lesson I had with Dahlia, and in that we first went over the black keys first, because you know, on a piano you have two sets of black keys. You have one set where there\u2019s two keys in the group, and then you have another set where there\u2019s three keys in the group. And what we did was we started at the top, so we went with group one which is the group of two keys, and we just played, so I\u2019m just moving my hand down, down an octave, and we just went through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they\u2019re all exactly an octave apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Exactly, and then we went to the next set of keys, you know, we just played a pattern over and over going down the octaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
And you remember all that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Yeah! It\u2019s really a hands-on experience, you know, because we as blind individuals, you know, we love hands on, and as far as the white keys, I just memorized-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[piano scale plays]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-you know, I just memorized how many notes, you know, before you get to the next octave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes I hear a song, and it sinks right in, like I\u2019ve heard it before, but I\u2019ve never heard it before. Is that what it was like for you when you started playing the music on the piano, you\u2019ve heard a song and all of a sudden you can just almost replicate it because it\u2019s that connection between your hands to your mind to your memory, all connects?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Yeah, I think that\u2019s a great way of explaining it, like I\u2019m able to just hear a song and play it. Depending on the difficulty, you know, I may listen to it a few more times, obviously, but I\u2019m able to just do that. It\u2019s just a matter of just me just continuing to work on that, you know, and practice that still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s almost like a muscle memory, it sounds like you\u2019re describing, you keep listening to those notes, and it becomes ingrained in your head, and you learn to identify a note that you hear externally with a note that represents a key on the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Yeah, and even musically, like, let\u2019s say, like, I was listening to, I don\u2019t know, Art Tatum, who was a jazz pianist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:
Oh yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
And I love when this, like, taking ideas from different artists and applying them to my own style. Even like stylistically, like taking like Latin, like let\u2019s say like if I was an emotion, you know, like that-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[piano plays]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-you know, that came from, you know, my mom\u2019s side, because she\u2019s Dominican, and I\u2019m half Dominican, so you know, I had all of that language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Latin flair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly. And the R&B, gospel side, from my dad\u2019s side, because he\u2019s from Virginia, so, you know, down south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Going from age three to five to seven to 15, like you mentioned, getting all the recognition, what is an everyday life for Matthew Whitaker today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew:
Good question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Or what has the journey been like? I mean, your day, it can\u2019t be 24 hours piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew: Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope to, you know, still learn musically, you know, like different skills relating to jazz piano and being able to work with the students and staff and all that, so I\u2019m excited. I\u2019m really excited. I\u2019m also about to release my third album right now, August 13th<\/sup>, called Connections.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah. Available everywhere, wherever you listen to music. Currently there\u2019s already two singles available, \u201cStop Fighting\u201d and \u201cA New Day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah. We\u2019ll see how that pans out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Especially when you\u2019re connecting flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I always tell people, like, especially when it comes to like now, when I\u2019m in Juilliard, you know, I need an MP3 with descriptive commentary, I need you as a student to send me an MP3 of your track so I can learn it and not get it in like two hours before the class time, so I won\u2019t be embarrassed in front of people, that\u2019s been a thing. So it\u2019s really, you know, up to the staff and students, you know, at times to provide what I need specifically, so I can function and be able to participate in whatever it is, because if I don\u2019t have what I need, how can I participate, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a really great question. I think because of my parents, you know, they have really been very vocal in like telling people, this is what my son needs, this is what Matthew needs, and I\u2019m still starting to do that on my own now, so I thank my parents for doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah. And I imagine Dahlia\u2019s been your strongest advocate and mentor musically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thelonious Monk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like pushing yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is Juilliard providing instruction for you in Sebelius?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is that where you picked up the love for the Hammond or the organ, specifically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I first heard the organ like in the jazz context, but since you mentioned it, I guess hearing it in the church setting, you know, really piqued my interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, oh, thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -on the B3, really nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh yeah. Wow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He knows it already, so-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All part of being creative and having fun, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, and I thank God for giving me the gift at a very young age, and I love sharing my talent and gift and inspirations with other people, and I hope to inspire other people, no matter what disability he or she might have. Whatever you do, if it\u2019s art, music, dance, whatever, sing, play, whatever it is, just go for it, don\u2019t give up on your dreams, just have fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Pete: Jeff: Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being the musician and the creator of the songs, writing them, and you mentioned you\u2019d like to become a producer or you\u2019d done some producing, but what does a producer do for you that you just mentioned? What do they bring to the table for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, in this case with Derek Hodge, we had a conversation over the phone, and on Zoom, and we came up with some ideas, you know, when we were going through some of the music that we were gonna record in studio, we were saying oh, what if we did this idea, or what if we try this out, you know, and him and I just immediately just connected together, and most times, you know, like we were agreeing with different ideas, you know, like he would come up with something, or I would come up with something, and we would just try it, and it just worked, you know? And there\u2019s always gonna be times when, you know, things may not work, but that opens the opportunity to experiment even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Derek, he helped with everything, musically, like there\u2019s a song that I arranged where I have a different ending in the demo track compared to what he was thinking in his head, and what he told me to do worked better, so if I were to play like what happened in the demo, let\u2019s say [piano plays], so this is the demo version, but he said-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You heard it here first on Blind Abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, exactly! And he was like, hey, why not take a section that you played before earlier in the arrangement and just move it onto the ending, and then do this after that and do this after that? So like, you know, it\u2019s really like layering different ideas together, you know, so like [piano plays]. Totally different [piano plays]. And then he said, do this [piano plays]. You know, and just had that idea looping. And then he said, you know, just freely just do your thing. And so we recorded that, and then a few days after, just me and him in the studio, we had different instruments and like, we had all my keyboards set up, and I was able to do stuff like this [keyboards play]. You know, and [keyboards play]. You know, and this is the way I get super excited, you know, the possibilities of layering different sounds and different instruments [keyboards play]. You know? You know, and you know, it\u2019s just really fun, you know, just experimenting [keyboards play]. You know, and it\u2019s very hands-on, you know. I love it when companies make products that are very hands-on, and from a blind person\u2019s point of view, you know, it\u2019s really cool just to play whatever and just not be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure. This reminds me, Matthew, of an interview I did listen to the other day, where you were asked why you prefer jazz, the genre, to other genres, and you kind of articulated in the way that it\u2019s less constraining, it gives you more opportunity to- why don\u2019t you explain that a little bit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, with jazz I feel, you know, you\u2019re able to just be free and just be you, musically, and do what I\u2019m doing now, which is just having fun, whereas other styles, you know, you can do that, but you, nine times out of ten you have to do what is on the recording or how the sheet music is presented if you\u2019re sighted, you know, just, you have to play what it is, and even, you know, when it\u2019s in a jazz type of setting, and they say do this exactly, it kind of is good in a way because you know, like, you get to really hone in on whatever the person is telling you to approach certain things, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew: Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a good way of describing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a good one. What do you do to chill, you know, to relax?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, it can be whatever, like how I\u2019m feeling. I can just take a breather, and just, you know, like, meditate or something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It sounds like you\u2019re having a tone of fun right now, with your keyboards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen to Blind Abilities, you know, it can be whatever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we share\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, that was a fun little mix, putting all those voices to get that at the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, it just works. I mean, we\u2019re not limited, but it\u2019s all we need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know, experimenting with- in your case, it\u2019s different ways of putting together different clips and adding whatever you want, whether it\u2019s effects, or- as long as developers make everything accessible to people who are using screen readers or other various forms of technology, you know, we\u2019re able to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice a lot, and you always say that you gotta practice, it\u2019s passion, it\u2019s love for it, but is there anything in music right now that frustrates you, that you want to learn or get to or is everything that you want to achieve attainable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel that everything is really attainable as long as you just take it all in a little bit at a time, you know, and just grasp whatever it is that you want to- I feel that that is true with all forms of art, not just music, you know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And eating an elephant one bite at a time, though, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What musicians inspire you the most today, that are out there today playing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides all that I\u2019ve mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right, someone that makes you turn your head, like, whoa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One person that I admire and who inspires me a lot that is still playing, he plays keyboards and everything really, his name is Jordan Rudess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He is-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew: Pete: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, yeah. I love Dream Theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he\u2019s been doing that for 30-plus years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah! Exactly<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he\u2019s still fresh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, should I describe the room a bit, for people out there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, wow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And to the right, also in like a 90 degrees fashion, I have another stack of two keyboards, and then behind me is my computer area with my mini controller underneath, and my desk with various equipment that I use, my monitor and speeches and my Mac Mini and my Macbook Pro, and behind the organ is my Fender Rhodes and all the way like to my left is my drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What kind of drums do you play?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s an acoustic drumkit, it\u2019s a Yamaha Stage Custom for those who are wondering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew: Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s gotta earn that father\u2019s day card, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What were you gonna say, Jeff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, those are really cool. I don\u2019t remember if I\u2019ve ever had a chance to play one, but-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a speaker that spins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! Shoutout to Native Instruments, they have been a huge help. I actually first heard about Native Instruments through another producer of mine, who actually worked on my first record \u201cOut of the Box.\u201d Shoutout to Ray Chu, he is really good at producing, he plays every keyboard instrument, literally, he\u2019s also been the music director for Dancing With the Stars<\/em>, he\u2019s also worked with American Idol<\/em>, and other various events, but he\u2019s actually the one who introduced me to Native Instruments, and again, going back to accessibility, they have accessibility mode where someone who wants to get hands-on can interact with everything with the knobs and control all the sounds, and it\u2019s really amazing, and it integrates well with Logic, and I just love using that, and the sounds are amazing and you can always get third party sounds that work with their system that allows everything to be accessible, and I\u2019m so happy that developers are making everything work with the Native Instruments platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yep. I always hear these musicians that I know of and they\u2019re always talking about, oh, there\u2019s a new package, like Las Vegas or whatever the package is called, or some city, I forget which one, I just listen, I nod my head a couple times, you know, and- but they\u2019re talking about, what is your favorite library out there, for sounds or do you go by the different keyboard for your sounds, I mean, the Rhodes is vintage-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, and that Rhodes, since you mentioned that, was actually a gift to me from a deacon at our church. His grandfather, that was his grandfather\u2019s Rhodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wow, that goes way back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, yeah, and-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, exactly. And we recently got it modified, made sure it\u2019s in good condition, yeah. To answer your question, like, it really depends on what I need. Like if it\u2019s a keyboard or it\u2019s like some sound library, you know, that I can just [unintelligible] in Logic, as long as it\u2019s something that\u2019ll help me specifically, like musically, what I\u2019m looking for, and what I want to get into and experiment with, it\u2019s fine with me. Like the hydrosynth I got because the way you build a patch is pretty interesting-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly, and what I had before, and I still play it every now and then, but what I had before was, you know, kind of limiting, and what this new synth has is things that I wish the old synth I still play had. As far as sound libraries, you know, I mentioned earlier about orchestration and how I wanted to get into that, so I picked up an orchestral library that we\u2019re still trying to integrate in my setup, but that\u2019s gonna be really good, because that\u2019s gonna allow me to really get into all that, you know, with the strings, and the percussion and brass, you know, woodwinds and stuff, and-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was curious, Matthew-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve got your drum set all set up and ready to play, what portion of your time over the course of a day or a week do you devote to drums or other instruments besides keyboards, because obviously your specialty and your focus is keyboards, but I\u2019ve heard you play the drums, and you\u2019re very good-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -so how long do you practice daily or weekly to get to that level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honestly, like, I view the drums like from different angles, and I\u2019m sure other people do, but you could view it as a way of just releasing stress, you could view it as a way of exercising, you could view it as a way of just getting better at technique on that, I love just putting on headphones and just listening to different songs and training myself to get the coordination down and experimenting with different styles, especially when it comes to like, let\u2019s say I\u2019m doing a Dream Theater song or something, and I\u2019m, you know, just trying to figure out what the guy is doing-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew: Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike Mangini-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Portnoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Portnoy, that\u2019s a tall order to play like either one of those guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew: Jeff: Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shoutout to Sweetwater. They have been a huge part in helping me with purchasing everything. Ranging from my keyboards to my interfaces, my microphones and all that. Shoutout to them, huge shoutout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I\u2019m excited to- this podcast will probably drop right around the time your new Connections<\/em> album drops, so-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, August 13th<\/sup>, is when it\u2019ll be released. Again, wherever you listen to music, and you can also check out Out of the Box <\/em>and Now Hear This<\/em>, which are my two previous albums, www.matthewwhitaker.net, you can find all my social media pages as well. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s accessible with screen readers, and I\u2019m working with my dad to improve that, so\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, yeah, you can view my tour schedule, and come to a show near you, and see me. Again, thank you to Mr. Jeff and Pete for having me, really excited to be a part of Blind Abilities. Shoutout to everyone else that has been a part of every event on here, and thank you so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s our pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, thank you, Matthew, thank you so much for taking time out of your day, and- well, you got to play around in your playroom down there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff: Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your musical toybox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly! Hey, that\u2019s a good one, I like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There you go. It\u2019s been a pleasure to talk to you, Matthew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Music] [Transition noise] -When we share<\/p>\n\n\n\n -What we see<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Through each other’s eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]<\/p>\n\n\n\n …We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more podcasts with a blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that\u2019s two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apple: www.apple.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Freedom Scientific: www.freedomscientific.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n NVDA Access: www.nvaccess.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Native Instruments: www.nativeinstruments.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hammond Organ Company: www.hammondorganco.<\/a>com<\/p>\n\n\n\n USA Yamaha: www.usa.yamaha.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sweetwater: www.sweetwater.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email<\/a> or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a> Give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-9063 we would love to hear from you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a> group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full Transcript Matthew:Hi, my name is Matthew Whitaker, I\u2019m 20 years old, I am a musician who happens to be blind, I play piano, drums, organ, keyboards, and percussion. I love jazz, but I love all styles of music. Yeah, it\u2019s an honor to be here, with Mr. Jeff, and everyone else on the team, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6902","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6rcRg-1Nk","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7612,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=7612","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":0},"title":"\ufffcUptown got it’s hustlers, The bowery got it’s bums, Blind Abilities got AJ Croce, he’s a killer pianist\u00a0\u00a0like no one – Please welcome musician, singer songwriter, AJ Croce","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"September 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Page Full Transcript: AJ: I was blind for six years, from the age of four until ten. Pete: He was dealt a tough hand.\u00a0 AJ: The events that led to my blindness were even more traumatic than the blindness itself.\u00a0 Pete: Like so many of us, he faced obstacles.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9267,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=9267","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":1},"title":"Introducing Preston : Two Paths, One Team: Meet the Peer Ambassadors of State Services for the Blind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: What does it look like to be a blind high school student who\u2019s busy, motivated, and dreaming big? In this episode of Blind Abilities, meet Preston\u2014a 15-year-old sophomore, honors and AP student, award-winning speech and debate competitor, musician, and newly selected Peer Ambassador with State Services for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6815,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=6815","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":2},"title":"Musicians Spotlight Series: Brian Snowman Powers: Sound Engineer, Teacher and Musician, It\u2019s All About the Sax!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Brian: I\u2019ve been playing saxophone for 32 years. Then I started engineering about 2002. But then I went to school for it in 2004. So my affiliation with State Services for the Blind goes a long way back. You know, I had an instructor who told me he\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5205,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5205","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":3},"title":"BoseFrames are Getting steroids! Putting a Camera on the Bose Frames is the Next Step for the Aira and Bose Partnership. #NFB19","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities, I'm Jeff Thompson. Just returned from the National Federation of the Blind conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, Sin City. It was a great conference held at the Mandalay Bay. Jeff Thompson:It was a huge, huge hotel, and yet, after day one,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8690,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8690","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":4},"title":"From Confidence to Career: Explore Summer with the LEAP Program","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Web Page Podcast Summary: Get ready to LEAP into summer with Learn, Earn, and Prosper! This virtual program is made just for blind and visually impaired students ages 14\u201321 who want to gain real job skills, build independence, and make lifelong friends\u2014without even leaving home! Led by Hannah Peach,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4893,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4893","url_meta":{"origin":6902,"position":5},"title":"Sprint is committed to working with phone manufacturers and the blind and low vision community to deliver user-friendly accessible phones – Meet Outreach Specialists Diane and Rob!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Speaker 2:\u00a0 If you're blind or have low vision, Speaker 3:\u00a0 Be My Eyes is a must have tool. Speaker 2:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No matter where you are Speaker 4: Or what language you speak Speaker 5:\u00a0 You can call up on-demand visual support in seconds. Speaker 3: In seconds.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"The TechAbilities Logo-Dark Sunglasses with TA and BA bold letters in each lens.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6902"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6903,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6902\/revisions\/6903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I take breaks in between, you know, and I love doing other activities besides music, you know, I always, you know, don\u2019t let my disability stop me, you know, so I love doing things like rock climbing, I\u2019ve done that before, I\u2019ve done skiing, I\u2019ve done bowling, audio games, video games, and like you said, you know, muscle memory. Muscle, muscle memory. You know, just hanging out with friends and with family, you know, and getting ready for my third year at Juilliard, August 30th<\/sup>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you think that will bring, the third year, that\u2019s different from your one and two?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connections<\/em>, right. Saw that on iTunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of which are really nice, I listened to the samples over there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, wow, thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The music seems to have come naturally for you, and you know, congratulations on your new album-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How about your blindness skills, as a blind person, did blindness skills come naturally too? Does everything fall into place, just like the music did?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I mean, I\u2019ve been learning Braille since I was like, I think two? And mobility skills, like around like- I forget the age I started, but like, very young age, we\u2019ll just say that. And like we\u2019ve been saying, you know, muscle memory, and like, you know, just remembering where everything is and what to do and what not to do, I do use a cane, I also use Sighted Guide as well, you know, things that you\u2019ve mentioned on your podcast before, with that one episode. Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was wondering, Matthew, on the blindness skills topic, you\u2019ve been travelling a lot over the last few years, Europe, all over, internationally, lots of international travel. How do you do that, who goes with you other than your group? Do you have- does your mom or dad or both of them go with you, is there an aide who travels with you to help you navigate those unfamiliar areas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, good question. My dad travels with me everywhere, and my mom sometimes does as well, especially when it comes to the overseas trips, but my dad always travels with me and always makes sure that I\u2019m able to get onstage and do sound check and set up everything in advance, like with the backline and stuff, equipment, and what we have to carry, you know, for the planes and travel. For example, I carry one of my small keyboards that I travel with onstage, I put it on top of the piano and I\u2019m able to play different sounds, so that\u2019s pretty cool. Sometimes my manager does as well, now that my band and I are able to travel more, you know, due to the season that we\u2019re going through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re travelling, yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no reason to master an airport or a certain venue if you\u2019re just gonna be there once in your lifetime, in a sense, you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I mean, efficiency and you know, getting things done, schedules and all that stuff, it\u2019s really different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I\u2019m grateful that we have the opportunity, you know, like from our point of view, to be independent if you will, because I remember, you know, watching a few episodes where, you know, you guys talked about Aira and talked about different, you know, services that are being offered, you know, especially now, like since people are starting to be more open to us, and how we operate, and what we have to do or what people have to do in general to make things accessible for all of us, so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah. Building independence. Before we got going on here, you mentioned that you went from school to school to school growing up, how was that shifting around and learning about accommodations and getting your needs met through your educational journey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every area, I feel, is different, and people are gonna offer things that you want and people are not gonna offer things that you want, you\u2019re gonna have to just deal with that, and just think on the positive side and be like okay, what can be accomplished, what can the school provide? And if they can\u2019t provide it, you have to do the best you can, you know, until they find somewhere to provide whatever you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, you sound like a very confident young man, and do you have any trouble advocating for yourself and stepping up and saying well, I really need this or that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who was your greatest advocate, as you were growing up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, for classical needs, yeah. And speaking of mentors and artists, there\u2019s a lot of people in the jazz realm that I admire, for example, like I mentioned, Art Tatum, also Arthur Peterson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy Smith, Roy Hanes, Art Blakey, Cory Henry, Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa, rest in peace, and-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, Thelonious Monk, yes, yes, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you say Art Blakely or Art Blakey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art Blakey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art Blakey, yeah. Phenomenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew, tell me about how Juilliard came into place, and tell the listeners what that is, who may not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mm-hm, so Juilliard is a conservatory and they offer music, dance, and drama, and in the music side, they offer classical and jazz. I auditioned, which was a whole process, but I was able to get in, which is very- it\u2019s very tricky, especially when it comes to the pianists, because there\u2019s only six or seven pianists in the whole jazz department now, like student-wise. I actually auditioned for both Juilliard and Berkeley, because the reason why I chose those is because accommodations and the way they work for people with disabilities. We talked to other colleges and they said oh, we\u2019re not sure if we\u2019re able to help this person out, so I only applied for Juilliard and Berkeley, and I got into both, thank god. But we decided on Juilliard because one, we\u2019re in Jersey and Juilliard\u2019s in New York, two, everything\u2019s all in like close proximity, so you can walk around and you know, you can memorize and get mobility and orientation down, like fairly easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not as spread out as Berkeley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, exactly. Whereas in Boston, it\u2019s like New York. There\u2019s different buildings all over the place, and if it\u2019s bad weather, you have a hard time remembering where you\u2019re going, you know, so there\u2019s different pros and cons for that, but I\u2019ve been working at Juilliard with the disability department, and shoutout to Mr. Dan Stoats, he is the head of disabilities and also my counselor too, so we chat about ways of improving and you know, he\u2019s really nice, so shoutout to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being that there\u2019s- only seven make it, they must be pretty good, and that must, you must, I\u2019m not gonna say inspired, but you must cock an ear towards the others playing sometimes, and so what are the challenges that you meet now that you\u2019re at this level, while you\u2019re there? Is it challenges that you want to accomplish something and you\u2019ve gotta work through it, or what\u2019s it like at that level?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mm, that\u2019s a really good question. I would say, like, oh man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, you know, I love pushing myself, like earlier before we got on this Zoom, I was actually working on an original, and seeing what I could come up with on the piano, I see myself doing more of that, especially, you know, like when it comes to the ensemble classes where you have to arrange for different scenarios and write tunes and stuff. I love pushing myself, but I also love pushing other people musically, like last year we did a song that I wrote where it was challenging for the other students. It was fun teaching them and working with them to get what I needed musically out of them, so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m thinking of Logic, Matthew, does Logic generate a standard sheet music or a musical chart that the sighted folks can follow if you compose? Do you actually do your compositions on Logic, and does it generate something that they can read and follow along with you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, Logic does have a notation feature, but it\u2019s not that. We\u2019ve experimented with it, but say, I was doing everything on my MIDI controller. All the sighted people would see were the piano keys, and like what I played on that, not the notes for the specific instrument that they\u2019re reading. But that\u2019s where something like Sebelius comes in, where you\u2019re able to do that, input the notes. I can even export the MIDI out of Logic and dump it into Sebelius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately no. See, that\u2019s the one advantage of Berkeley, is that they have a disability team and they are able to offer, you know, assistance with Logic and Portunes and Sebelius, and different software like that, you know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But you got a direct connection to Apple because you do test some of their products and work with accessibility at that point, so Logic, the tool of your choice right now, that works pretty good for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, yes, shoutout to Apple for making Logic accessible, and they continue to make it accessible, and I\u2019m able to record whatever I need, if I need to record this keyboard here, or whatever instrument or MIDI, I\u2019m able to do that and control everything, even from my phone, I can just open the [unintelligible] app and be like okay, hit record, boom. Let\u2019s go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So being able to record, I\u2019ve heard that you want to get into some producing and work with others and all that, so having that skillset, that really helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly. I want to get into that, you know, film scoring and producing and even, you know, music directing, and I\u2019m also the minister of music at my church as well. That\u2019s always fun, I\u2019ve been going to New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, New Jersey since I was very little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I heard a few of your tunes from one of your albums, like \u201cThis Little Light of Mine\u201d and a couple of other, the religious-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you so much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On your song \u201cEmotions,\u201d that was the first song that was, someone shared with me, that I really dug into. It moves all over the place, and the transitions from this, could you explain how you got that idea in your head, and brought it to our ears?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, of course! So, like, I had this pattern in my head, in 5\/4, so [piano plays], and I was thinking, you know, where could it go from here? I had different transitions to where not only the meter would change but the tempo would change as well, like let\u2019s say for example we\u2019re in this section [piano plays] and in my head I was like oh, that could work, so I just put it that way, I wanted to put that section in there, and later on I had [piano plays], you know? And since you mentioned transitions, you know, I was trying to figure out how to transition from this [piano plays] into the main theme or melody, if you will, so [piano plays], get the melody back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a drum solo in that, and I heard you playing that in Germany on a YouTube channel, and did you come up with the drum solo, like does all this, when you\u2019re done with it, then you give the music to the other people and they play?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first composed the song for the event I mentioned earlier, I said, you know, hey, why not have a drum solo towards the end of the piece, and then we\u2019ll take it out into this kind of big band type style, you know, again, you know, like you know connecting those styles and getting inspiration from other artists. So the drum solo is in 5, so [piano plays], and he\u2019s soloing, and then we go back to the 6\/8 time, [piano plays], 4\/4, and then we have [piano plays], you know? There\u2019s that big band sound, you know, so-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And a little bit of talent thrown in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, and I always tell people, you know, that like, I feel like I\u2019ve been blessed with a gift from God, so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, you have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go home and practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Practice, practice, practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, with your third album, you probably have the chance to work with producers and musicians, as your journey progresses, what\u2019s it like working with the level of producers and musicians that you\u2019re working today with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, man, like, the recording process was amazing. Shoutout to everyone involved with Connections<\/em>, you know, Derek Hodge, producing, Chris Allen on the mixing and recording engineer, Steve, also doing the recording, shoutout to all the musicians who have been a part of this album, I\u2019m very honored and grateful for you to be on here, and to work with everyone was- it was amazing, and again, you know, my connection with Dahlia, you know, the connections we have with people and relationships, that\u2019s really the main thing with this album, you know? The connections, that\u2019s why I named it Connections<\/em>, because of the connections I have with people, and connections people have with me, and we had everyone layer that description, basically, we were able to record original pieces, I did some arranging, I have another song with different time signatures, so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m wondering if he contributes to your, to the evolution of the album musically, does he suggest, well, try this riff or this time signature change or something rather than this one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s certain musicians out there that I\u2019ve heard that they say they play note for note, every night they play the same song note for note, but someone like, I\u2019m just gonna throw out Stevie Ray Vaughn, they said that he would play the song, but depending on how his mood was, the song would change, it would- but he\u2019d stay in that framework, you know, but he\u2019d have a different feel for it. I think in jazz, you have that liberty to move around a little bit, and especially when you\u2019re playing with your band, just having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love doing that, like during the show, I\u2019d be like hey, follow me. And let\u2019s say like sometimes we would go into this thing after- I do an arrangement of this song, \u201cFavorite Things,\u201d [piano plays], what we do is this little, after this section [piano plays], and then [piano and keyboards play], whatever, you know? I can even go into different keys or whatever [keyboards play]. So this keyboard has a looper on it [keyboards play], I can do whatever I want [keyboards play]. And we can just experiment, you know, we can say, let\u2019s add this sound here [keyboards play], and I can go to a different keyboard and I can be like, just play on top [keyboards play]. I don\u2019t want to give too much away, but that\u2019s a song called \u201cAcceptance,\u201d it\u2019s on Connections<\/em>, but that\u2019s the gist of that, you know, just-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was thinking if Stephen King had an arcade game, that would be it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to get into that too, I\u2019ve always been curious, you know, I assume you guys still use Amadeus for editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it works, it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly, exactly! But like you mentioned, you know, like, there may be some moments where I feel like, oh, I\u2019m frustrated about something, or I wish this could be better, but you just do the best you can, you know, to overcome that obstacle, whatever it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dream Theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah! He-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No kidding. That\u2019s great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s the keyboardist for Dream Theater. I told you I listen to all music. But-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The way he plays everything, you know, like, it\u2019s really like going on an adventure, you know? You know, going through different emotions, like you guys mentioned, you know, with the emotions and stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, wow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sound design that he does, and the layering, and piano technique and all that, you know, he inspires me a lot, you know, to get better at all that, that\u2019s why, you know, I am getting into more stacking keyboards and all that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yep, he\u2019s still doing it, and I love listening to that band, you know, and I hope to, you know, one day meet and collab with them. You know, hopefully, that\u2019d be, that\u2019d be really cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re talking about stacking, you mean you\u2019ve got a keyboard one on top of the other so you can play two different keyboards. Luckily you only have two hands, otherwise we don\u2019t know what we\u2019d hear from you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I mean, why not? So, right now I\u2019m sitting in my chair, in front of me are three keyboards, we\u2019ve got this one [plays a note on the keyboard], just a Yamaha keyboard, we have this one [plays a note on the keyboard], which is the synth I was playing earlier, we have another Yamaha [plays a note on the keyboard] on top of that, and my microphone is above that, so I\u2019m just- I just have my face turned towards the microphone and that\u2019s how you\u2019re hearing me, and on my left is my phone in case I need to reach for it, and my keyboard that controls my Mac Mini, and I have my Hammond organ that is in front of the bench on my left, so it\u2019s like 90 degree angle type of thing, if you will, and I also have to the left of my Yamaha is my controller for when I want to adjust my own levels of different instruments in my headphones. We have a few of those throughout the entire room, so if other people want to come over and record and rehearse, they can plug in their headphones and control their own mix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything is mic\u2019d up and ready to record if inspiration happens. Shout out to my dad for hooking everything up, you know, he\u2019s always been very helpful with me, and you know, him and I figured out, oh, you know, why not put this here, you know, why not add this here or take away this, and see how- experimenting, you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, I was gonna ask have you ever sampled or played with a Whirly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it\u2019s another-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the \u201870s, I guess, \u201860s or \u201870s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I have that sound on here [keyboard plays]. This is on my Yamaha. And like, again, going back to [unintelligible], I can just hit one button and turn on a pre-amp [keyboard keeps playing] and I can adjust the intensity [keyboard keeps playing].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you ever played with Native Instruments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s good church music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, so you basically build your own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-or some way of incorporating that style or technique into my own playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever hear someone say, when I\u2019m doing a Dream Theater song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I mean, I\u2019m trying to-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mike Mangione.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mangini, yep, and who was the original drummer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I mean, granted, I don\u2019t have the setup they have, but you know, I can still take the ideas that they have, and that\u2019s what I was talking about earlier, with all the instruments I do, you know, and getting those connections, get it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Got it, there you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\nContact Your State Services<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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