Daniel’s path to the electric guitar wasn’t a conventional one. Growing up, he’d always been drawn to music and to the lure of dominating a stage, but he pursued sports instead. Eventually, he’d become a teacher and ultimately a social worker. But his life would drastically change when he moved to Berlin – like everyone else who decides to call this city home.
When he was a fresh transplant from Hessen, Daniel met someone who played guitar. In his innocent unknowing, he assumed the guitarist had been playing for a long time but was surprised to learn they were relatively new to the instrument after only a couple of years of learning. The revelation re-sparked interest in DAniel and he decided it was time to make his childhood dream a reality.
Like many new guitar enthusiasts, Daniel began his musical education on YouTube. But it didn’t take long for him to hit the limitations of the medium. You can’t ask a video any questions and if you do take the inquiry to Google, thousands upon thousands of answers can be confusing to a new learner. If he was to be semi-serious about mastering the guitar, he needed a teacher.
It wasn’t until his teacher unexpectedly moved away due to extenuating circumstances that Daniel made his way to Bands. His departing instructor recommended another teacher down the hall named Tal – someone who happened to be the creative director of Bands. Tal let Daniel know about the process of Bands – fill out an online form and attend an audition with a mentor – and the student thought it might be a good idea. The audition process was painless and even fun. Omri, Bands’ resident jazz mogul, was the one conducting the meeting and Daniel was excited to be admitted into a band called Chord Attack.
For Daniel, the valuable lessons of being part of Bands include improved timing, interacting with other players, and knowing how to keep a beat. Sitting in the confines of your own home strumming away alone doesn’t yield the kind of gains working with a band and mentors do. Teamwork is a crucial element of being a good player and knowing that everyone on the team has a role is an important takeaway.
Daniel never wanted to play rock or pop – jazz was his calling. But he’s been pleasantly surprised by the experience and the sheer excellence of his mentors, Omri and Danielle. The pair make exciting arrangements of some of the most iconic songs and encourage the band to go all the way with them. Things the band members think might be out of reach for their abilities never are and Daniel is amazed by how much he’s been able to accomplish under their tutelage.
He isn’t a rock star just yet, but Bands is a great home for Daniel. And bragging about working with one of Europe’s best jazz talents is one of his favorite pastimes.
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