Sixty Scales and the Truth – Details, episodes & analysis

Ariel Posen is a fascinating musician. He is an amazing guitarist, but he seems to masterfully measure his skills. With Ariel - who is also a fantastic songwriter and singer - the song always takes the lead. Every note has expressive power and just enough breathing room. In this episode, Niels talks with Ariel about the way he plays with tension building and giving space. It's an art that he himself is continuously exploring. "After all, you don't learn something to not play it, but to indeed play it," he says about that.

Furthermore, he talks about expressive power, his mindset when he is on stage, and about one of his influences, Robben Ford.

For this podcast series I have roughly three conditions:

1. I must love the guest’s music.

2. The guest must excel at guitar.

3. I must be able to speak with the guest face-to-face.

How important the last condition is, I realized during my interview with Paul Masvidal, the guitarist, singer, and composer of Cynic. With this band, Paul created the groundbreaking album Focus, where he masterfully blurred the lines between jazz, metal, and psychedelic rock as if they had never existed.

While preparing for the interview with Paul, I searched for an old digital file. Years ago – 18 years to be precise – I had spoken to him once before, over the phone. What has always stuck with me from that conversation is that we talked about his work as a music therapist. Paul supported people in the last phase of their lives while doing that work.

Amazingly, I managed to find the audio file of that interview. As a nice bonus, I also found old interviews I had done with, for example, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dweezil Zappa, and Tommy Emmanuel. I felt a bit ashamed when I listened to the file. The Niels from 18 years ago didn’t really listen well, I noticed. I asked a lot of questions, very quickly, one after the other. This may have had to do with a lack of experience. But what undoubtedly also played a role was that I wasn’t in the same room as Paul during that interview. I couldn’t read his body language, couldn’t sense why he needed certain silences—in short, I couldn’t feel his energy.

I think listening to that rather awkward interview made me a bit tense at the beginning of the new conversation with Paul. It got off to a slightly rocky start, partly due to a tour manager who casually walked in after fifteen minutes of recording to say there was no more time for a longer conversation. Turned out to be a mistake. The tourmanager probably still had his watch set to the wrong time zone. Anyway, after that intermezzo, the ice melted. Paul spoke very openly about how playing guitar was not just a fun activity for him, but a bitter necessity: an escape from a violent environment, a positive anchor, an “act of survival,” as he called it.

Death was also frequently discussed. Paul said he became a music therapist out of fear of death. At that time, he had lost many friends from the gay community to AIDS, so death was always looming. “I had to get close to death to cope with that fear.”

We also talked about the deaths of two of Paul’s old bandmates, both in 2020. Paul had a unresolved conflict with one of them, which he found very difficult to handle. “Instead of resolving this conflict together, I had to do it alone,” Paul said.

I am very grateful to Paul for sharing so openly and beautifully in this episode. We parted with a firm hug. Another good reason to choose a face-to-face conversation instead of a telephone or online interview. While editing this episode, I read that Paul lost his father last week. Once again, death makes an appearance around this episode. Unfortunately, I can’t give him a real hug this time, so it remains a virtual one...Be strong Paul!

Many consider Tommy Emmanuel to be the greatest of all time (GOAT), and while music isn’t a competition, I wholeheartedly agree. Tommy is not only a phenomenal musician but also a remarkable human being. I had the privilege of meeting him once before this interview, and what struck me was his presence. He truly connects with everyone around him, which, as he told me, is no coincidence. It’s a state of mind that Tommy deliberately chooses. We discussed how this mindset has helped him as a musician and performing artist. We also delved into his youth, his struggles, the lessons he has learned, and some other anecdotes that only Tommy Emmanuel could share. At the end of our conversation, I couldn’t resist asking if he would play a song. You can hear it in a separate video I’ve posted. Enjoy listening to this one-of-a-kind person.

After a period of playing less guitar myself, I’ve recently dived back into it with renewed enthusiasm. It’s been fantastic to explore new styles and follow online lessons from guitar legends, trying to catch even a small part of their brilliance. While browsing through True Fire’s offerings, I came across a name that seemed distinctly Dutch: Theo van Niel Jr. Intrigued, I downloaded his course and quickly realized I was dealing with an exceptionally talented musician.

Not long after my ‘discovery,’ Theo released a new album where he masterfully blends rock, fusion, metal, and country in his unique style. I decided to visit Theo at his home, where he also runs his music school, for an in-depth conversation. We talked about his talent, his learning process, teaching, his childhood, and some of his musical heroes.

Get to find out more about this crafty player as we explore Theo’s journey through music, his creative process, and his insights into mastering the guitar.

Pesos, passion, prestige, and pleasure: Reflecting on my conversation with Nili Brosh, these words come to mind. Many people will recognize this: in everything you do, one of these ‘p’s’ resonates more strongly. It's key to find something where all the ‘p’s’ align. Without being a pessimist: this is granted to only a few. Meanwhile, us mortals continue to struggle with finding a balance continuously.

Nili Brosh seems to have found a beautiful balance though: she plays guitar incredibly well, has a variety of clients (including the band of the renowned film composer Danny Elfman, Cirque du Soleil, and the death metal band Dethklok), and writes beautiful compositions and releases her own material, which she tours with. It’s sometimes quite a challenge to put your own passion project at the top of the list, Nili mentioned in the podcast. It’s a good problem to have, she said, but still: how is it that so many things pull at you, making it difficult to follow where your heart truly lies?

A question from the previous podcast guest Paul Masvidal also references this: how do you stay true to yourself when you do so many different things?

Nili turned out to be a super friendly, energetic, and warm personality. It felt like I had known her for much longer. And I'm sure this wasn't the last time our paths crrossed. If you don’t know her music yet: check it out!

In this second episode of ‘Sixty Scales and the Truth’, Niels sits down with ‘acoustic guitar guy’ Mike Dawes. Mike is a very crafty player who shifted from the electric to the acoustic guitar when he was young. Besides that, he is a very funny individual. He developed an insane technique and precision. Mike talks about his mentor Tommy Emmanuel, what it means to be a solo artist, and what it takes to collaborate with others. Furthermore, Mike explains how the memory of Eddie van Halen helped him overcome a difficult time in his life. Also, Mike reflects on the way he makes his complex arrangements. Mike too has a question for the upcoming guest: Ariel Posen.

In this first episode of ‘Sixty Scales and the Truth’, Niels sits down with renowned guitarist Mark Lettieri. He is known for his groovy playing, his work with Snarky Puppy, The Fearless Flyers, and his solo albums and tours. Mark reflects on choices he made in his career, the way his family helped with these choices, and how his personality seeps through in his playing. Furthermore, they discuss Eddie Van Halen, his gig with the famous Metropole Orchestra, and Mark has a question for the next guest on the show: Mike Dawes.

What is a mistake? Do mistakes even exist? I pondered this before speaking with jazz guitarist Julian Lage for the podcast series Sixty Scales and the Truth. Two days before the conversation, a remarkable moment occurred on stage at the beautiful venue De Roma in Antwerp: together with bandmates Jorge Roeder (double bass) and Dave King (drums), guitarist Lage had already been on a roll for about three-quarters of an hour.

Occasionally, Lage would take a mini-pause. He would briefly take his hands off his instrument and seem to sense which note should follow once he touched his Telecaster again. At this particular moment, Lage decided to make a large arm swing that was supposed to result in a loud, sharp, high note. But Lage missed. It doesn't happen to him often. The crackling sound of half-muted strings filled the hall. It didn't faze Lage. On the contrary: Roeder and King laughed, as did Lage himself, who seemed to embrace the miss and casually turn it to his advantage. Typically one of those moments where, precisely through imperfection, perfection is approached in the guitarist's playing.

Anyone who has ever seen Lage play knows how special he is. He has an incredible amount of theoretical knowledge but plays completely by feel. "It's about communicating, about the moment," Lage said in our conversation. In this, a missed note can say more than something that is played perfectly.

Speaking with Lage was a joy. The American spoke openly about how he overcame obstacles and thus allowed his true voice to emerge. Julian discusses the significance of authenticity in his guitar playing, highlighting his unique voice and the balance between being reserved offstage and taking risks onstage. He emphasizes the holistic nature of music and the importance of expressing one's true self. Julian shares insights on communication through music, the role of vulnerability, and the nuances of stage performance.

Music is a game of tension arcs. Of fulfilling expectations. Or of going in the completely opposite direction. Reinier Baas is good at the latter. Very good. When I first heard the music of the Dutch jazz guitarist, I was constantly on the edge of my seat. One surprise followed another. It quickly became clear to me that I was dealing with a free spirit for whom composing is an adventurous journey.

Last year, I already spoke with Reinier in the run-up to the Bridge Guitar Festival. After that conversation, I realized that I had not yet finished asking my questions.

It intrigued me that such a free spirit like Reinier developed an application that helps him with composing. During the interview at the Amsterdam Conservatory - where Reinier teaches - he explained how restrictions can help him when he composes. When everything is possible, frameworks provide guidance. From that idea, his one-minute-radio compositions were also born.

We also talked about marketing. Being able to create a product is very different from being able to sell a product. Something I struggle with myself at times. Regarding his latest album ‘Relief Party,’ Reinier had some good advice: ‘If you like the album, buy it. If you don’t like the album, buy it for someone you don’t like.’

So, if you like this podcast series: listen to this episode. If you don’t like it, share it with someone you don’t like!

Music embeds itself in a special way in your brain. Many interesting studies have already been conducted on this topic. Thinking about this, I also recall videos of elderly people with dementia who can do very little. However, one thing they can still do is flawlessly sing or play songs they stored in their memory during their youth.

I experienced the powerful way all that music is etched into your memories when I listened again, for the first time in at least 20 years, to Michael Lee Firkins' debut album from 1990. The melodies he writes are quite complex, yet I could still sing along with all the nuances of "Laughing Stacks."

This is, of course, not only due to my brain but also largely to the talent of this friendly American. I had lost sight of him for a while, despite the great impression his debut album made on me when I became captivated by instrumental guitar music as a teenager. Along with 'Passion and Warfare' by Steve Vai and 'Surfing with the Alien' by Joe Satriani, 'Michael Lee Firkins' was my favorite guitar album. MLF had and still has a tone that you can recognize out of thousands.

After his debut album, he made a lot of music, but he never matched the success of that first album. Although, what is success really? Is it reaching a lot of people with your music? Or making the music you want to make, regardless of the number of listeners? Michael Lee Firkins leans more towards the latter vision. He writes more music than ever, he told me in the podcast interview. However, he doesn’t release much music anymore. The guitarist disagrees with the revenue model behind Spotify and similar platforms.

I consider myself lucky to have finally seen him play live after all these years and that he took the time to talk about his music, his career, and the choices he has made in his life.