EP 9: Trevor Gordon Hall on Structured Spontaneity, Collaboration, & AI's Creative Role
Join us for a chat with Trevor Gordon Hall, a guitarist and composer, as we talk fingerstyle guitar, collabs, mental health, creativity, AI & more.
Join us for a chat with Trevor Gordon Hall, a guitarist and composer who's taken acoustic guitar into uncharted territory. Trevor breaks down his unique "structured spontaneity" practice approach, opens up about his recent trio work with Andy McKee and Callum Graham, and shares some real talk about making music in a digital world. We dig into the nuts and bolts of his reverb stacking experiments, his thoughts on AI in music, and what it takes to keep the creative fire burning.
If you've ever wondered how to keep your practice sessions meaningful or how to embrace new tech without losing your musical soul, Trevor's got some hard-won wisdom to share. It's a conversation that gets into the heart of what it means to be a musician today - both the challenges and the opportunities.
Links
- 🎸 Trevor Gordon Hall Online Lessons 🔥
- Triplicit Trio album - https://tripliciti.com/
- "Light Through Colored Glass" nylon string album, Trevor Gordon Hall: https://trevorgordonhall.com/latest-studio-album
- Andy McKee, "For My Father" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAphofZCkfY
- Callum Graham, "Tabula Rasa" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXJ5fgadB2k
- Sheldon Schwartz luthier - https://schwartzguitars.com/
- Vanguard Audio Stereo Mics - https://www.vanguardaudiolabs.com/
- Tommy Emmanuel, "Papa George" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1dBRQHpMZQ
- The Power Of Habit, Charles Duhigg - https://amzn.to/4kew2FZ
- Jack Grassel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Grassel
- Effortless Mastery, Kenny Werner - https://amzn.to/438E8JT
- The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield - https://amzn.to/4kcPnXS
- Emily White on music management - https://amzn.to/4kaGjCL
- Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist , Liz Pelly - https://amzn.to/3QsAPWm
- Caveman Country on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IXGR6Cfp1a9XOF4Q79fnv?si=rtrc8cDxQ5m25M88zuFY5A
- Peter Thiel, Zero to One - https://amzn.to/3F1gKE7
- Corin Nelson, mixing and mastering - https://www.corinnelsen.com/
- "Returning", Will Ackerman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pUQNuiFuoQ&list=PLmxXxLpkLiHeflMb7kBba6OXsE6Cj2Fhr
- Neural DSP Quad Cortex - https://neuraldsp.com/quad-cortex
- "This Beautiful Chaos", Trevor Gordon Hall - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX1vs7RpWFo
- "Live From the Strand Theater", PBS - https://trevorgordonhall.com/new-live-album-order
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Trevor Gordon Hall
- 01:10 Collaborative Projects and Trio Dynamics
- 05:19 The Impact of COVID on Music Collaboration
- 08:42 Exploring the Nylon String Guitar
- 12:39 Creative Constraints and Mental Health
- 18:27 Navigating Mental Health as a Musician
- 25:40 Mindfulness and Mental Health
- 27:09 The Pressure of Public Sharing
- 28:36 Personal Resonance in Creativity
- 29:14 Building Keystone Habits
- 31:03 Morning Routines and Deep Work
- 33:05 Structured Spontaneity in Practice
- 39:10 Discipline vs. Passion in Music
- 42:43 Long-Term Goals and Resistance
- 46:05 Exploration and Enjoyment in Music
- 48:51 The Impact of AI on Music
- 49:48 Creative Collaboration with AI
- 51:16 The Disruption of AI in the Arts
- 52:46 Navigating the New Landscape of Music
- 56:03 The Human Element in Music Creation
- 59:42 Innovative Uses of AI in Live Performance
- 01:05:00 Reverb Stacking: A New Frontier in Sound
- 01:10:51 Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Musicians