tech
A Job That Changed Me: At 14 I Was a Basketball Musician. If Someone Missed a Shot, I’d Drop In a ‘Du-ba-dum’
A big shot earned a triumphant snare drum roll with a resolving crash. My timing was often slightly late, occasionally wildly inappropriate.
TL;DR
- The author was trained in classical music from a young age but was initially uninterested in sports.
- At 14, they became the unofficial musician for their brother's basketball team, playing music and sound effects during games.
- This role involved using a laptop with popular hits and a keyboard for '80s disco stings and sound effects.
- The author's job was to fill gaps, add drama, and provide comic relief, often playing recognizable hits during breaks and sound effects for key moments.
- This experience provided a more spontaneous and less rigid approach to music compared to their formal classical training.
- The author later found that this experience influenced their career in composition, particularly in electronic music, by highlighting the importance of timing, texture, and how sound shapes a space.
- The author now tries to instill this experimental and spontaneous mindset in their university students.