New vlogs every day right here. This was a response to Jess, who wrote: Hi Bob, Have a question for you – and for your wife! I’m not a musician, but I’m engaged to one, and I’ll soon be marrying him! He is one year out of university, and is set on becoming a professional […]
#InTheShed
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How I memorized 20+ Snarky Puppy songs in one week
Recently I did a short tour with Snarky Puppy, and needed to memorize their touring repertoire…fast. I’ve recorded with them before but live shows present a different challenge. Because the sets change nightly, I needed to memorize a lot more of their repertoire than I currently knew. And because of everything going on in my world at […]
How I memorize music in a hurry
UPDATE: we won a Grammy Award for this album! I’m writing this from a beautiful recording studio outside El Paso, Texas where I’m spending a week recording Snarky Puppy’s next album. We’re aiming to record roughly 20 new songs this week. SIDENOTE: Recently I mentioned my “painter’s tape” preparation method for memorizing 24 Snarky Puppy songs […]
Rejection Is Not a Final Destination
Rejection sucks. Last week I found a folder containing rejection letters I’ve received since high school. Disney. The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, The Henry Mancini Institute, ASCAP, the NFAA. Yale. Seeing them took me right back to that feeling. That twinge you get in your stomach when you open those letters. You know the […]
12 things to know if you plan on becoming a professional saxophonist
Music college can be a great thing. But often it’s bad at preparing you for a life in music after graduation. So many musicians coming out of college ask me (some version of) this: “What should I do now? Help!” Here’s a question from Simon: I realize that becoming a professional saxophonist is not a walk in the park, and I am willing […]
Bob Reynolds’ transcription process
This is a preview from a series of podcasts I recorded with my buddy (and old Berklee College of Music roommate) Scott. Marcelo is curious to learn about Bob’s transcription process. Bob and Scott first take a musical detour through the past. After they revisit a tune from their college roommate years, Bob talks about […]