Forced Learning, or: Welcome to the Museum of Unfinished MPC Loops
The second January test was somewhat successful, but I’m really figuring out the gaping holes I’ve got in my MPC knowledge. What’s nice is that when I go downstairs, my computer can be upstairs. I’m totally self-contained on the MPC Key 37 making music—no phone, no nothing—so that’s a win nine times out of ten.
What’s not good is not being able to do stuff that’s second nature on Ableton. What I’ve learned is how well I know Ableton, and what I’ve also learned is I’ve got some big deficiencies in MPC. So, consider: I could bail out. I could do acoustic songs. I could do all different kinds of things if I need to get it done. But really there’s this other thing showing up where it’s going to be forced learning. I’m going to have to learn a few things, and I don’t have to do them 31 times, which means they’re going to be in there, locked and loaded.
Out of all the January advice I’ve seen, one of the things I have not seen suggested as a benefit is —and it’s just occurred to me—forced learning. Right?
I’ve got to learn these things that I’ve been skipping past. And what that’s resulted in in the past is unfinished tracks, abandoned work folders full of stuff I’ll never listen to, daily tidbits, and all that kind of garbage. (I always think if I’ve got a little piece of a song out there, it kind of hangs on me. It’s like this ever-growing to-do list of stuff you can guarantee you will never get done. Horrible!)
So for Jamuary2026, one-a-day in January, do consider it also as some kind of forced-learning exercise. Just talking about it has me… if not excited, I’m kind of interested and able to look at doing the work, because I know it’s going to benefit me in the long run—especially since for the few live keyboard gigs I do have, I’m going to be using the Akai MPC Key 37. Because that’s what I’ve got. (And bad things happen when you don't know your shizz cold, backwards and forwards live and in person.)