Thank You Steve Jobs!

This week the world mourned the loss of the modern age’s Thomas Edison.  For the past thirty years computer genius and entrepreneur Steve Jobs helped propel the concept of personal computing to new heights by merging the ideas of technology and entertainment and then promoting that concept on a plethora of devices such as the Macintosh Computer, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.  There is no question as to Job’s contribution to the advancement of our society, but many musicians forget about how all his little devices have helped elevate our playing to new levels.

iPod:

I purchased my first iPod when the device was released to the public over a decade ago.  From the very beginning I realized how this little music player could help my practice routine.  Before I acquired the iPod I had to rely on a multiple disc player that was cumbersome and limited my available practice locations.  Each day I had to load five CD’s into the carousel and if I wanted to work with a different disc I had to spend hours searching my physical library for the right album to jam with.  This greatly reduced the efficiency of my practice routine.  Then came the iPod.  After the initial time spent ripping all of my music to the player I was able to practice virtually anywhere and had the ability to find that certain disc to work with in seconds.  I could create playlists, store them, and then jam with them without taking the time to find the next CD or even waiting for that cumbersome disc player’s carousel to switch discs.  My practice time became more efficient and I became a better and more rounded player because of it.

The MAC:

There are many arguments as to which computer is better, the PC or the MAC, and all I can tell you is my experience with the power of the MAC.  My first original band “Masceo” multi-tracked an entire album onto my MacBook Pro laptop, and I think the system crashed maybe twice during the whole experience. Today the concept of the home studio has elevated to the point that musicians can easily express their ideas from a single room in their house with a quality that rivals many professional studios.  For many their MAC is central point to this experience and another testament to Job’s quality ingenuity. 

iTunes:

Before the iPod and iTunes I needed to buy a whole disc for $16 to get the tracks I needed to practice with for my next gig.  Now with iTunes I can acquire single tracks for 99¢, drop them in a playlist and practice until I get those licks right.  And as Apple’s database of music grows I can find even the most obscure tracks and experience new drummers with the click of a mouse (which Job’s helped bring to the world by the way).

GarageBand:

It’s simple to use and provides a great tool for musicians.  I often record my live performances and rehearsals and then dump them into GarageBand to cut em’ up and listen to my day’s work.  I’ve even made a few live albums through this method, and I am not the only one.  On a plane trip to Nashville I was sitting next to a producer and new artist who were listening to her demo tracks in GarageBand and making notes for the future recording session that most probably would be recorded into a MAC.

iPad:

I didn’t think I needed one of these.  Boy was I wrong.  On this last cruise contract I wasn’t able to bring my practice manuals with me, but I needed something to work with.  With the iPad I was able to download a number of practice books including drumming bibles “Stick Control”, “Ted Reeds Syncopation”, and Joe Morello’s “Master Studies” quickly from Amazon.  And for those on-the-fly jazz gigs my iPad has all the Real Books in PDF format for quick reference.  The thing even has a metronome and drumming bible app and houses reading material, and the game Angry Birds, for the breaks between sets.

The truth is Job’s technology has touched virtually every member of the world.  As a former printing company owner and past photojournalist I have seen the MAC evolve from a small toaster oven computer into the central point for the print and news industries.  When I made music my life I quickly learned that the MAC was central point in the studio and on the road thanks to it’s reliability and rock solid design.  This week the world lost a genius and us musicians lost a man who inadvertently made us all better at what we do.  R.I.P.  Mr. Job’s.