BECOME AN ABLETON PERFORMANCE PRACTITIONER
DESIGN YOUR CREATIVE WORKFLOW
AND LEARN HOW TO COMPOSE & PERFORM MUSIC IN REAL TIME, ON STAGE
IF YOU’RE A CREATIVE MUSICIAN…
WHO CURRENTLY WORKS WITH ABLETON LIVE, GUITAR PEDALS, HARDWARE LOOPERS, OR MAX/MSP
and yet still dream of creating music in real time and onstage but maybe lack the confidence… THEN PERFORMING WITH ABLETON LIVE IS FOR YOU.
IF YOU WANT…
TO LEVEL UP YOUR IMPROVISING/PRODUCING/RECORDING GAME
to a spontaneous composition paradigm - to expand your musical voice and push your artistry to a place you’ve been dreaming about… THEN PERFORMING WITH ABLETON LIVE IS FOR YOU.
IF YOU FIND…
ABLETON LIVE TO BE INSPIRING BUT YET OVERWHELMING
and somehow you know that it is imperative to your artistry, and there must be some code to unlock the mysteries. If you would benefit from some concentrated focus, a patient master instructor and aligned practitioners… THEN PERFORMING WITH ABLETON LIVE IS FOR YOU.
IF YOU ARE…
FOCUSING ON YOUR OWN PRACTICE
and are drawn to discovering tools that amplify and pair beautifully with your Ableton Live setup, giving you a fuller, richer, more unique sound, and a fluidity and ease in creating your music… THEN PERFORMING WITH ABLETON LIVE IS FOR YOU.
Ableton Live is, at its core, music software designed to be a flexible and powerful palette for developing and expressing your musical voice. It has been foundational for me in developing my own musical voice since the day it was released. In fact, since 2001 it has been my primary musical instrument, second only to my violin.
I am offering this course, at the request of a few high level performing artists, to help navigate the complexities of learning and personalizing the program, and in creating a unique performance and production rig. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to record, compose, loop, and perform your own music AND the music of others in Ableton Live.
In this 10 week intensive you will:
Work with a small group of selected musicians in an environment full of reflection, conversation, inspiration, and coaching from those who are already ‘in it’
Enjoy instruction and hands-on experience in creating music with Ableton Live, focusing on building blocks for real time composition - looping, rhythm creation, effects processing, & virtual instruments
Evaluate and choose your external hardware tools - from effects pedals to midi controllers, from things you have to things you’ll want
Learn how to communicate and work with your venue’s sound engineer to make sure all your tracks sound as balanced and powerful as you want them to
Understand how to troubleshoot your rig, considering the myriad ways your system might crash and burn - learn ways to keep your head cool and carry on - it happens to the best of us and will probably happen to you. Don’t be scared, be prepared!
Embrace your music career as a holistic practice, one with creativity at its core, and one that supports a sustainable life that you love
WHO AM I?
Hi, I’m Todd Reynolds, Artistic Director and Lead Coach for Amplify This.
I have been working with Ableton Live as my main performance, improvisation, and composing software since it was released in 2001. When I first saw this software in its initial version, it seemed that I had been waiting for it all my life, it was so perfect for me. I had ALWAYS wanted to be able to record, process, and mix myself in real time, add other instruments and then produce a track all in one go - and Ableton Live remains, 21 years later, the premiere software with which I can do all of that.
I’ve been one of their featured artists since 2006, check it out!, and am grateful that they saw the value of an interested ‘classical’ musician early on. Those were the days of touring with Steve Reich, Yo-Yo Ma, Meredith Monk, Todd Rundgren, Joe Jackson, and others where I’d find myself in Berlin often, interfacing with some of the creators of my favorite software.
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of developing friendships and working relationships with people who are instrumental in developing this phenomenal and now indispensable tool, beta-testing aspects of each version before its release. I have a direct and experiential understanding of the ins and outs of this extraordinary software, and an unquenchable passion for it. I’ve been teaching it privately and at the Manhattan School of Music, Bang on a Can and in university residencies internationally since 2010 - and in my creative life, in my performance and writing, it’s still my constant companion.
WHAT HAPPENS IN PERFORMING WITH ABLETON LIVE?
TRAINING SESSIONS
STUDIO :: PROCESS :: COMMUNITY
Weekly training sessions delve into specific musical applications of Ableton Live that will help you build your music-making toolkit. I’ll teach you the way that I build up tracks and large-form compositions using looping, drum programming, interacting with and automating synths with your midi controllers and performance automation, leaving you proficient in skills to make music on the fly at the highest quality and production value.
GROUP COACHING SESSIONS
INVESTIGATE :: SPACE :: COLLABORATE
There will be two sessions designed for open discussion and to answer your questions, with no time limit. There will be no direct agenda here, rather open-ended conversation around how the course is going for you, directions you’re taking, or even an 'ask me anything’ session. You may have a question, you may have an answer. These sessions are wonderful opportunities for the group to bond, interact, and learn from each other. Each person’s questions and the group’s explorations create a ton of opportunities for learning.
SOLUTION SERIES
INFORM :: EQUIP :: DEMYSTIFY
The Solution Series is a program of pre-recorded courses available online. These courses will help get you up and running. If you are working with Ableton for the first time, if you are interested in Leveling Up Your Virtual Presence, and getting started with Ableton’s Push 2 controller.
These classes are available and on-sale to the public, and Performing with Ableton Live participants will have complimentary, full access to any workshop they desire within the dates of the program and one month following.
1::1 COACHING
INDIVIDUALIZE :: SEEK :: CONNECT
Personalized strategy sessions are available for channeling energy and intention effectively. In these sessions you are the absolute focus - your dreams, your goals, and your challenges. My regular coaching fee will be discounted 20% for all Performing with Ableton Live participants within the dates of the program and one month following.
“Todd is a natural educator, attentive to each individual student’s needs and is endlessly adaptable. He is a leading expert in gear and electronics, can give you advice on what equipment you need to get started and how to take your practice to the next level at any budget. Once you are a student of Todd’s you are a lifelong apprentice, he is a constant source of information and inspiration.”
SCHEDULE & FEES
This program includes:
Ten Weekly Training Sessions
Two Monthly Group Coaching Sessions
Discounted 1 on 1 Coaching Sessions with Todd
Full access to our Solution Series programs designed to set you up with tools and practical applications in a variety of topics
A built in community and tools for support and accountability
COST: $2500
*Partial & full scholarships and payment plans available
“Todd Reynolds is incredibly knowledgeable and great at helping people grow. He’s been instrumental, (yes a pun, but it fits), in helping me figure out what I’m doing musically. ”
Ready to register? Still have questions? Give us a call!
“Todd Reynolds was the very person who helped me solidify the notion that it is okay to take the road less travelled— it is okay if you do not fit neatly into the box of classical tradition, albeit a beautiful one. Regardless of the genre, Todd’s innate ability to maintain technical prowess and effortless musicality is unparalleled. All the more, Todd is also one of the most invigorating and empowering musicians my string quartet and I have been lucky enough to work with. His devotion and enthusiasm for making music is unbelievably contagious. Todd helps you identify your strengths alongside finding the determination to challenge your own limits and grow out of your weaknesses.”