Spotlight on one of Versione Karaoke's own: JF

With over 10 years experience as keyboardist in a locally-popular, seven-person, pop-rock-electro group, Versione Karaoke's resident sound engineer, JF, knows a thing or two about performing in public and what it takes to keep an audience happy. JF shares with us his favorites, his expertise and tips that he's learned along the way.

What is your role at Versione Karaoke?

I am a sound engineer and musician, both of which are important in this job. I supervise productions and maintain the Versione Karaoke catalog.

What instrument(s) do you play?

Piano, keyboard and a little bit of guitar.

When did you begin?

It's been at least 20 years.

Why did you start playing?

I started the piano as a kid, around the age of nine or ten in order to be like my big sister, ha! I started out learning classical for a few years and this allowed me to have a base of theory and technique which is really important. Afterwards, I had an opportunity to see an excellent funk-rock group and it opened my eyes to a different way of playing music. It motivated me to go in this new direction.

What are your favorite songs to play?

I have a preference for pop, funk, rock and electro.

• Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie It’s a classic. It’s so colorful and playing Bowie on the keyboards is always really interesting.
• You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Jimmy Somerville It’s a really vibrant track, lots of fun to play and great energy in concert.
• Shined on Me - Praised Cats Very 90s, just as it should be!
• Firestone - Kygo There are lots of different aspects to think about with this one (piano, synth pad, synth pluck, lead). There’s a lot of programming work. In concert though, it plays really well: the nuances are interesting (they start really calm and then get stronger and stronger in the instrumental part).

Any major influences that got you started playing?

• Sting for his creations, arrangements, the exceptional musicians that accompany him.
• Jamie Cullum
• Ozark Henry
• Erik Satie - He adds such a jazzy tinge to classics and gives a melancholy style that is still sometimes happy. On top of that he does it all in such a simple way.
• Kraftwerk for their minimalism and innovation for their times.
• Massive Attack
• Trentemoller for their auditory pursuits and their diverse colors linked to rock and electro.
• Avishai Cohen for the jazz and funk all wrapped into one.

There are just too many…..

What’s a typical mistake that you see being made amongst musicians?

Many musicians take up too much "space" when they play in a group. Sometimes they play too "rich" (too many notes or notes that are too low). It’s constant work to find a good balance between making your mark, without overtaking the others.

Any advice for a beginner?

The following are the principals that push me to constantly keep working:

• Stay relaxed, especially in the more intense moments.
• Understand what you play: understand the harmonies: reading music can sometimes seem a bit boring, but it is still very important.
• Listen to others: this is important when trying to find your place so that you can complete the musical makeup as best possible.
• Contemplate the notes that you are playing: play the right ones, get rid of those that don’t add anything to the overall arrangement.

Any practicing tips?

Warm up 20-30 minutes with technical exercises and take the time to try to imitate big artists (whether it’s classical, pop or even jazz), challenge your vocals and solos in order to develop your ear and don't hesitate to entertain new ideas that may pop into your head.

How do you find a balance between your passion for music and outside obligations?

I don't sleep, haha!

Do you perform in public? Tips?

Yes, regularly. You have to be relaxed and attentive all at the same time and give all the energy that you’ve got. When I play keyboard, I like to bring different auditory components to the group, to have lots of different keyboards and complementary sounds and always push my limits with what can be played with only two hands.

Anything else?

It’s important to find a good group in which the human aspect, the exchange and the musical levels match you and challenge you. Also, have fun and live it up: good moments are when there are great sounds on stage and when the public walks away remembering that!

Previous months: Alex (guitar), Noémie (drums), Michel (flute).

Pubblicato il : 20 settembre 2016