Music

Music

Music has been the counterweight to infrastructure work for as long as I can remember: something with immediate feedback, no rollbacks, no postmortems — just sound. This section collects what I play and how I play it.

5-String Bass

My main instrument is the 5-string electric bass. The extra low B string is what keeps me there: it extends the range downward without retuning, which matters in everything from soul and funk to modern worship and metal. A few things I care about when playing:

• The low B is a foundation, not a feature. It earns its place when used sparingly — a whole-note root under a chorus, a pedal tone through a bridge. Flogged constantly, it turns the mix into mud.
• Muting is the real technique. Five strings, two of them thick and prone to sympathize, mean the fretting and plucking hands both work as dampers. Clean low end is 80% muting discipline.
• String spacing and tension drive the feel. Wider spacing forgives fingerstyle; tighter spacing speeds up runs. Lower tension makes the B string speak faster but floppier — it is always a trade-off.
• Groove over notes. Nobody remembers the sixteenth-note fill; everybody remembers whether the pocket sat. I would rather play three confident notes in the pocket than ten impressive ones outside it.

Production

Sketches and projects live in Ableton Live — bass tracking, drum programming, and the occasional synth line, mixed for headphones and practiced restraint. More on specific projects here as they become listenable.