ToneGym Hero: Jim Bradbury

A retired writer-editor drawn to songwriting, deliberate practice, and ToneGym’s progress metrics, he keeps chasing the mystery of the next song. Jim is this month’s ToneGym Hero!

How did you first find your way into making music?

I loved music from early childhood, but I didn’t become proficient on an instrument until college, when one of my roommates let me borrow his inexpensive nylon-string guitar. I soon bought an acoustic of my own and played obsessively for years. I also taught myself basic keyboards using a book called How to Play the Piano Despite Years of Lessons. In my case, it was more like months of lessons, but I did get good enough to play a few tunes.

Although I loved playing guitar, I felt I plateaued at the early intermediate level. I had a pretty good ear and could play a bit by ear, but I never felt that I achieved real fretboard fluency. Still working on that, in fact! Around 2000, I became interested in the ukulele, which is how I first started picking up some rudiments of actual music theory. Ukuleles are like little musical abacuses, and I especially love to fingerpick on them. Of necessity, I also learned a lot of Hawaiian songs. Hana hou!

Aside from music, what hobbies or activities do you enjoy?

I like to travel, bicycle, and travel by bicycle. My wife and I just did a tandem bicycle tour between Prague and Vienna, with opera house visits at each end. The big trip before that (not on a bike) was to India, where I made sure to get a sitar lesson. I also read a lot of books.

What’s something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with music?

I’m good at figuring out acronyms and solving word puzzles. I was also a fairly accomplished endurance bicyclist and completed the 1,200-kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris ride five times. I can still ride 200 miles in a day if I have to.

If you could play or create with any artist, who would it be and why?

I’d write a song with Paul McCartney. Hey, if Kanye can do it, why not me? Paul can even have his name first on the writing credit.

What musical instrument do you love the most, and what makes it irreplaceable for you?

I’m very fond of my 1918 Knabe baby grand piano, which I had restored after inheriting it more than 30 years ago from my grandparents. But my truly irreplaceable instrument is the Martin-style parlor guitar my brother made for me. It’s the only guitar he’ll ever build, so it’s genuinely one of a kind

What daily or weekly habits do you have in place to keep you creating?

When I retired from my career as a writer and editor, I decided to get serious about becoming more proficient on guitar and music generally. For the past few years, I’ve been enrolled in an online guitar program (Sonora Guitar Intensive) that includes regular Zoom lessons and workshops.

In fact, I learned about ToneGym from a fellow Sonora student. Regular songwriting challenges, where our instructor provides a prompt, have also been very helpful. I know I’ll never be a technical virtuoso on any instrument, but I get tremendous creative satisfaction from songwriting, where my verbal skills also get a workout. If I can play well enough to record my tunes, I'm happy.

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

I can’t imagine a life without music, so motivation isn’t a big problem. I do work hard to sustain a habit of deliberate practice, though. I love making music with friends, learning new things, and bringing something new into the world, like a song that otherwise would never have existed.

What song would you choose as the soundtrack of your life?

“In My Life,” which is also one of the greatest pop songs ever written. It sounds good on my brother’s guitar, too.

What's your favorite feature on ToneGym, and how has it helped you in your musical journey?

The metrics. Being able to see progress over months and years really helps keep me going. I’ve only recently started taking an interest in the contests, which make a nice change of pace. Fine-tuning my ears has definitely helped with my playing and with my ability to pick things up more quickly.

What’s something exciting you're working on or looking forward to?

I’m always looking forward to discovering the next song, even though I never know exactly where it will come from or what it will be about. That’s the great mystery of creativity, right?

You can listen to Jim's music on Soundcloud!