The Riffs & Rhythms Project

During lockdown 2020 I had to stop playing and teaching percussion and running interactive events, somethings I had been doing worldwide for over 15 yrs. My usual percussion practice between events was to play along to some loops I had especially made but obviously, no can do in a 3rd floor flat, no events and no studios open during a pandemic.

So out comes the guitar again and like that, I’m living for playing along with these loops and the creative ideas that flow from it. Guitar was my first love as a teenager and, whilst I’ve been happy to put it down for periods in light my other joyful work, it remains something special to me. Now, I can’t get enough, I start posting daily practice videos on Insta and eventually I’m wondering if I can make a set of recordings with the ideas.. I’m still wondering!

Out of the mindset of drum kit, bass and guitar and wanting to take a themed improvisational approach to the music the journey so far has been - how do the sounds fit together? what tones can I achieve with my set up and situation? And, given that loops are not dynamic like a real band, how do I approach the music differently?

Join me on the journey! I love these rhythms and get a sense of calm and ease from playing with them, my imagination is fired and I am full of love, wonder and respect for where they come from and everything I’ll never know about how they came to be.