BFA (York)
Daniel is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer from Toronto with a passion for exploring music of all genres and origins.
Daniel received his Honours Bachelor Degree in Music at York University where he originally attended for jazz, but soon branched out into Film Composition and world music such as Klezmer, Balkan folk, Baglama, Eastern European Folk, Flamenco, and Celtic. Since graduating he has primarily focused on crafting and performing on soundtracks for various feature and short films, plays, and television pilots, including Netflix releases and one theatrical release under the mentorship of the prominent Canadian Composer, Lesley Barber.
On the performance front he has also performed and written several EP’s alongside other Toronto artists in the genres of rock, funk, metal, alternative, folk, experimental, and flamenco, and continuously explores new and interesting avenues of guitar related genres.
Music for him is a life long pursuit, and he approaches it as a life long student. Through the one know many.
Get to know Daniel…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Camping, hiking, travelling, board games, reading, cooking and exercise!
Musical Influences: Jóhann Jóhannsson, Bonobo, Radiohead, Thomas Newman, Joe Hisaishi, Plini, Periphery, Paco de Lucia, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Neil Young, Devendra Banhart, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Igor Stravinsky, etc…
Favourite Food: Shawarma, anyday.
Least Favourite Food: the over/poorly cooked variety.
Favourite music: Rock, Psychedelic, Metal, Folk, Ambient, Electronic, Original Soundtracks, Folk.
Favourite Song: At the moment it would be The Girl From North Country by Bob Dylan.
Favourite Movie: Jojo Rabbit
Favourite Book: a tie between – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth; Khalil Gibran, The Prophet.
Favourite Quote: “We have created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” – E. O. Wilson
Latest Homework from Daniel
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Daniel’s Guitar Crew Mid May
Albert
What to practice: Rockin’ Robin, Surf Rock
Recommended practice time: 10 minutes daily
Keys to effective practice: Focus on alternate picking (down, up, down, up, etc…) and making smooth transitions between the string changes – this may require slowing things down a bit at first. Chunking the song up by each line and looping them is also a good strategy especially for Surf Rock which is very “riff” based.
Eliana
What to practice: Iron Maiden – The Trooper, Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction, dexterity exercises
Recommended practice time: 15+ minutes daily
Keys to effective practice: Keep practicing and play the Trooper. Our goal is to keep that in our pocket as a difficult piece to play that keeps our playing chops up to speed. For the Symphony of Destruction the tricky part will be mapping out your fingerings. Take a moment and do this. If at some point you find you’re using your index to slide up and down/all over the place, there’s likely another fingering available to mitigate this that in the long run will be more effective!
Bonus videos: Marty Friedman on Japanese Guitar Show with Paul Gilbert + Marty Friedman speaking with child prodigy Li-Sa-X
Aarna
What to practice: For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow
Recommended practice time: 10 minutes daily
Keys to effective practice: Call out the notes before playing, and write them above in an illustration program! Then count as you go. Also, remember to try your best to emulate a human voice singing. This melody is meant to be sung, and to get the most out of it we should try to be as “vocal” as we can while playing. This means smooth connected playing like a breath.
Aarnav
What to practice: Worried Man Blues
Recommended practice time: 10 minutes daily
Keys to effective practice: Because we are just getting into this new string, be sure to review the notes and their proper frets for the D string – check out the beginning of the chapter. Otherwise review the notes written about pickup bars (starting on beat 4 for this song) and dotted notes!
Simon
What to practice: Led Zeppelin – Black Dog, Iron Maiden – The Trooper, and dexterity exercises.
Recommended practice time: 15-20 minutes daily
Keys to effective practice: Continue playing and jamming on Black Dog and inching it nearer and nearer to the real tempo. Doing this will be a means of practicing musicality and guitar that’s both more fun and effective than straight up scales (although these are also useful). For the Trooper be sure to be using position shifts for the intro and pulling off on the correct notes (take a close look at the articulations). Similarly, simplify the hammer-on, pull-off bit of the B section to just 4 notes for now while focusing on getting the overall riff set in time – we will embellish the prior part afterward!
Preferred Books for Daniel’s Students
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Hal Leonard Guitar Method
The second edition of this world-famous method by Will Schmid and Greg Koch is preferred by teachers because it makes them more effective while making their job easier. Students enjoy its easy-to-follow format that gives them a solid music education while letting them play songs right away. Book 1 provides beginning instruction including tuning, 1st position melody playing, C, G, G7, D7, and Em chords, rhythms through eighth notes, solos and ensembles and strumming.
Hal Leonard Guitar Method COMPLETE
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together.
Modern Method for Guitar
This pack includes Volume 1 of this practical, comprehensive method book (the basic text for the guitar program at the world-famous Berklee College of Music) PLUS a matching DVD-ROM featuring 14 complete lessons with Larry Baione, chair of Berklee’s guitar department.
Modern Reading Text in 4/4
This book has become a classic in all musicians’ libraries for rhythmic analysis and study. Designed to teach syncopation within 4/4 time, the exercises also develop speed and accuracy in sight-reading with uncommon rhythmic figures. A must for all musicians, especially percussionists interested in syncopation.
Hal Leonard Music Theory for Guitarists
Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book with online audio access. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying recordings provide 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more! To access audio visit: www.halleonard.com/mylibrary
