KEYBOARDS
Colin McTavish is the keyboardist for The Treble . Formed in 2011 , The Treble have been carving out their place in the Canadian music scene with engaging songs and passionate live shows . Colin and The Treble have toured Canada extensively and shared the stage with Capital Cities , Dear Rouge , Hedley , The Lumineers , Francesco Yates , The Trews , and Down With Webster . Their debut album Modernaires will be released February 10 , 2017 and includes the single “ Wherever You Go .” www . thetreblemusic . com .
By Colin McTavish v
Finding My Way Back
The first time I sat down in front of the piano , I was bored .
I got into music at a very young age . I used to run around , dancing and tapping along to just about everything my parents would play on their old vinyl turntable . Understandably , they wanted to nurture and focus those talents , and in the early ‘ 90s , that meant piano lessons .
Looking back , I greatly appreciate the time , money , and thought put in , but at the time , I just wasn ’ t enjoying myself . I ’ m not sure if it was just the approach or how I was being taught , but ultimately it ended up being a very short-lived experience . If someone told me then that it wasn ’ t my Epiphone SG , but rather my beat up 88-key Roland I would get to play in an area rock concert for the first time , maybe I would have been more diligent , but it took a journey away from the piano for me to truly find my voice .
Something Missing Midway through high school , I started playing in bands . I played in emo bands , hardcore bands , garage rock bands , and the list goes on . I ’ m sure like most musicians do , I started hearing different melodies and song ideas in my head . The only problem was that I couldn ’ t seem to get any of them to sound the way I wanted them to on the guitar . ( Let ’ s not rule out the possibility that I just wasn ’ t a great guitar player .)
After high school , I kept on writing . My best friend and current band mate Mark Brusegard and I used to spend just about any free time we had ( and some of the free time we didn ’ t ) writing music . I always dreamed of being a producer / engineer , so after we had a rough idea , I would get to work on filling out the song .
Though it felt like we had finally found our writing groove , there was still something missing . The problem still seemed to be the same . I had these ideas in my head that just didn ’ t quite translate . For me , music has to be big and anthemic , grandiose and orchestral . My guitar just wasn ’ t doing the job , but when I next sat down at the piano , everything changed .
The Way Back The noises , the melodies , transitions , and chorus began to flow from my head to my heart to my hands . I had found my voice .
The next day , Mark and I went straight to the music store and split the $ 400 price tag on a used Roland keyboard – the very same keyboard mentioned earlier in this article . I used the piano to teach myself how to write , engineer , produce , play in a band , and everything else in between . I started to go to more shows in town and made new friends who had the same interests as I did . Most importantly , it ’ s given me the opportunity to travel around North America and play music with my best friends .
In no way am I anti piano lesson ; I just think it ’ s important for everyone learning how to play an instrument to know that there are so many different paths and approaches to playing music – getting involved in your local music scene , Royal Conservatory lessons , friends , You- Tube , School of Rock , or just singing in the shower . Being from Manitoba , we ’ re lucky enough to have provincial organizations ( Manitoba Music , Manitoba Film and Music ) that literally exist to help musicians and artists grow . It ’ s amazing how much information is out there and how many resources are available if you take a minute to look for them .
I ’ ve never really stopped to think about how playing a specific instrument could impact my life so much . I ’ ve been able to work with people in the industry who I never thought I ’ d get the chance to meet , play shows in venues I never thought I ’ d get to play , and meet people and make new friends around the world . If you find your voice , your instrument will find you . It took a while to get to where I am now , but I wouldn ’ t have had it any other way .
26 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN