I’ve been following the musical journey of the band Marbin for many years now (for context, they were my seniors during my time at Berklee). I most recently got into their excellent podcast, Music Real Talk. That podcast is probably the most honest music podcast I’ve ever listened to in my life. Hearing Danny Markovitch & Dani Rabin discuss music is the kind of thing you’d probably only experience if you were hanging out with musicians after a gig or when you have drinks (whatever beverage of your choice).
So, when I found out that Marbin was releasing this booklet, I knew I had to get it.
This 28-page booklet goes into 22 topics that are important for any serious musician. Some of it is short at around one paragraph, but in this case, less is more. (Inside joke there for anyone who is familiar with #MarbinStrikesBack and the whole discussion of whether less is more or more is more.)
What Danny has done is summarize his 21 years of musical experience into these compact passages. So far, I’ve read the booklet at least 3 times & each time it’s reminded me of what I personally need to work on.
If you’re looking for what modes or scales to shed, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for the kind of mindset you need to be a good musician, then you’re at the right place.
The closest thing I can compare this with is probably Wayne Krantz’s The Improvisors OS (though more in the writing tone & aesthetics), Principles of Music by Bryan Baker (breaking things down to the smallest element) or anything that Mick Goodrick ever wrote (especially The Advancing Guitarist & his articles for Guitar Player magazine, back in the day).
All in all, I definitely would recommend getting this booklet if you can get a copy of it. Right now it’s unavailable since it was a limited release but I personally hope that Marbin will consider releasing this again at some point (maybe an updated edition or follow up with some thoughts from Dani?).
Pros: Straight to the point good real world advice on being a musician
Cons: Might feel short for some people.
TLDR: This is a booklet with honest advice for musicians who want to improve their skills. No filler content at all.
Contact Marbin at their website to inquire about this booklet.
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