New Tools = New Art

Over the past year, I’ve developed a quick process for recording myself singing and playing more effectively. I’ve used it to make guide tracks for my students, to be a part of remote projects, and to make a family Christmas card.

What I didn’t anticipate was that it would help me make new and better art.

As I was recording guide tracks for an arrangement I thought was locked down this week, I found some spots where it felt awkward as I recorded it. In the process of recording, I began to edit and improve the arrangement – bouncing back and forth between Pro Tools and Dorico.

The tools you use to make your art affect the art you make. So it’s no surprise, I suppose, that developing new tools and skills would impact the art I make. But it nonetheless came as a sudden surprise to realize that the way I was using the tool was changing the music.