March 2021 Member Spotlight - Matt Thompson

[Katie Rushing]

Hi PWJ Members! 

This month's spotlight goes to..........

Matt Thompson!  @Matt T

Please join me in congratulating him!

 

Where are you from?
I was originally born in Cheshire, England. I moved to South Manchester when I was 6 months old, and then moved up to Scotland when I was 13. Since then, have moved back down to England a couple of times, but after meeting my wife, we decided to raise a family back up in Scotland.

 

When did you start playing piano?
I took a year of lessons when I was a child and, whilst I never sat an exam, moved on to the 2nd grade material. I can't recall why I stopped, but remember my teacher being a really nice elderly gentleman who must have had the patience of a saint!

 

What got you interested in learning music?
I also played 1st cornet in the school band, which I really enjoyed. I still have the cornet somewhere in the loft. In my teens, a family friend gave me a nylon classical guitar, which started a love with the instrument. Over the years, I've owned a number of different guitars, and currently still have a Fender Stratocaster and a Jim Deacon acoustic. I was self-taught but never really had the drive or direction to take my playing to the next level, but I can still have a jam.

 

What is your favorite style of piano music?
I don't really have a favourite style. There are some pieces of piano music in different styles which just touch the soul, beyond the notes being played. One style of music that I didn't really listen to before PWJ and is now a larger part of my life is jazz. It's such a broad genre, I feel it must have something for everyone! I recently listened to an audio book on the history of jazz, and it was incredible to hear how it has developed over the years.

 

Do you have any favorite pieces to play?
I really like to play with a backing accompaniment to give me that "band" feel, and to smooth over my rough bits. My favourite pieces that I can play from memory are probably We've Got Tonight by Bob Seger, Angels by Robbie Williams, Imagine by John Lennon, and Everybody's Changing by UK band, Keane. Trying to work on some Elton John and Queen songs too. My brother recently asked me if I could play Yann Tiersen's Comptine d'un autre été  from the film Amélie, which is one of his favourites. He has just recovered from a serious disease so learning that song, which would have been really difficult a year ago, just seemed to happen in a matter of days. I love when music has a special meaning like that, it takes the learning of the piece, and the enjoyment of playing it, to another level, almost like it becomes a part of you.

 

What has most helped you most in improving as a pianist?
Practice lol. There's no getting away from it. There's a real art to practicing, whether it's learning a new piece, or drilling exercises, or technique. I'm learning more about the art of practice all the time, whether it's reading books like The Inner Game or Effortless Mastery, or reading how other PWJ members set about it. There are serious efficiencies to be gained by getting the right practice routine for you, that will shave days a year off your learning curve if you get it right. I'm always changing my methods to see what works best. In January, I was spending 80% of my time at the piano doing diatonic\7th\2-5-1 exercises, over and over again. I was using iRealPro to give me variety with the backing track to keep things interesting, and I felt I made more progress in that one month than the previous three. I'd opted to spend February learning new songs, then switch back to mostly practicing in March, but that hasn't worked for me, for a couple of reasons, so will go back to what worked last month. As long as I keep asking myself if I feel I'm going in the right direction at a good pace, I know I won't be far from where I want to be.

 

Do you have any tips for other PWJ members?
Be kind to yourself. Everybody is starting from a different point and heading on a different path, but it's human nature to compare ourselves with others. That can be really destructive, especially with the huge amount of talent at PWJ. I have to keep having a word with myself to ensure I'm using other player's posts, or faster progress, as a motivator and not a stick to beat myself up with. I had a light bulb moment a few weeks ago, where a player who I thought I was on a par with played something that was just amazing and I all I could think was how happy I was for them. That's their journey, and I'm delighted for them. The only person I try to compare myself to is the player I was yesterday.

 

What is your favorite part of the PWJ Membership?
Have a guess! 3rd place is the huge variety of material on here, that is ever growing. In 2nd place, and I'm not sorry to say this, are yourself, Jonny and Yannick who have done a great job creating this platform. But the number one attraction here are the members. I don't even want to think about what state my mental health would be in if I hadn't of found PWJ. This last year has been hard for all of us, but having such a positive group of people all propping each other up has given me a renewed faith in humanity. Thanks to everybody here, members and staff alike.

 

What are your future music goals?
I want to be able to improvise at the piano. I currently have a mental block when trying it, even with something simple like the Love Progression. When I try something jazz based, it sounds like a young child with a mallet! I'm taking the approach that I need to get more natural with the application of theory, which is why my main goal for this year was practicing the Intermediate Foundations material. As mentioned earlier, I'm going to get back in to that heavily in March, looking to move on to the next three keys for the diatonic exercises, continuing with the different 7th and 2-5-1 exercises and starting revision on chord shells from about April. I'm not a natural pianist, but I feel that if I get these things under my fingers, without me having to think about them, it will free up my creative brain to get to work!

 

Do you have any words you try to live by or a favorite quote?
Human life is such a short blip in the scale of the cosmos, I tell myself to try and enjoy as much of it as possible. Doesn't always work and that's when I have to sometimes shout it louder. I just had some fun Googling "quotes to live by" and this one made me chuckle, by Voltaire: "Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats".

[Laura U]

Congrats, Matt!

[Laura U]

Did this get posted on the Facebook page yet,  @Katie Rushing?  I remember seeing it here, but not there. 

[Scott M]

Congrats @Matt T!  Its takes a lot of hard work to earn this high privilege award!  Pat yourself on the back.  I just watched your interview with @Katie Rushing.  Great interview!  Very encouraging to hear your story, challenges, successes and methods.  Makes me feel not so alone in my similar journey.  Just wanted to give a big CONGRATS and let you know I am re-charged after hearing you speak, so THANK YOU and keep up the hard work!  P.S.  On the hobby front, yeah, I think it's a guy thing to jump around - haha!  BUT, keep up on the piano, yes, you get better every day and will have fun for life.  I'm sure the day will soon come where you will jump on a piano at a train station and blow away all your listeners.  And lastly, I'd love to hear your intro to the Metallica song on guitar! 🙂

Scott (from Napa California)

[Ido B]

Enjoyed reading your answers, @Matt T and watching your interview!  Well deserved!  

[Patrick H]

Congratulations Matt. Enjoyed your interview and answers.