ToneGym Hero: Valerio Gherardi

A pianist, composer, and curious mind, Valerio blends hip-hop roots, jazz language, and mathematical precision into his music. From melody transcription on ToneGym to composing genre-bending pieces, Valerio is this month’s ToneGym Hero!

How did you first find your way into making music?

When I was 14-15 I listened to a lot of hip-hop music. At some point, I was also *doing* hip-hop music. Going from simply listening, to creating something that used a similar language was kinda natural to me, I don't know how it happened, pretty much as I don't know how I learned to speak as a toddler.

I then found friends that shared the same passion and the same need to create, and that's what kept music alive for a time. That was my first way into music.

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

Does dancing count? Salsa is actually one of my greatest (and most time consuming hehe) hobbies, which I enjoy together with my wife who loves it as well. It is actually through dancing that I first got to appreciate salsa music. I was previously into other latin genres like samba and bossa nova, but had never reached Cuban music and all its derivations.

What I love most about salsa *dancing* is its social dimension, but I also like the exhibition/choreographic aspect, and I'm currently into an amateur dance company.
Music and dancing don't leave much spare time, truth to be told. Other things that I enjoy outside from home are hiking, camping and staying in contact with nature in general.

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

Mathematics (even though I heard some say that "musicians are mathematicians", I think the correlation is rather weak). It's actually no big surprise I'm good at it, since I studied physics and spent a good amount of time with definitions and theorems.

I'm also good at programming, and these two things together do a pretty good job paying my bills. I'm currently working on mathematical and statistical modeling applied to ecology.

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

It's very hard to name a single one. I'd love to play with Billie Holiday because of her unique way of reinterpreting the melody.

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

The piano, because it was my first interface to music, and the way I think about music is unavoidably tied to the keyboard. In hindsight, I'm happy it went this way, because the piano is an instrument of infinite possibilities. The piano is also irreplaceable for me because it is the only instrument I can play.

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

I don't have regular habits to keep myself inspired, if that refers to my original compositions. To me, good ideas almost often occur accidentally while practicing/improvising, or even while doing other things.

For this reason, I always record my practice sessions on a DAW (I practice on a digital keyboard) and my phone is full of what could appear as garbage audios - that is me whispering melodies, bass-lines, rhytms, etc.etc.. I believe all this is quite common.

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

My wife. The joy of seeing her react to that new piece I've been working on is priceless! In general, my idea of making music is 100% directed towards the exterior.

I love the idea that I can make people react to my music (which is also extremely difficult, of course). Without this "social" dimension, I don't think I would have any interest into materializing my music, I'd probably be happy with thinking about it. 

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

It's impossible to choose a single song for an entire life, but as a reference, for my Summary of 2024 Instagram post I chose: Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners.

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

My favorite feature are the contests, trying to get to the level of top performers is a big motivation. It is not a matter of competition, it is the fact that seeing a big number like, say, 35 in the melody playground (impressive) is an objective reminder that I have a lot of room for improvement, one that I cannot dismiss.

If it was just me tracking my own best score, perhaps I'd be happy with 28-29. Melody transcription is in fact also my favorite musical exercise available on the platform, because I think the core skill it is training is one of the most important skills for a composer. 

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

I'm looking forward to publish some of the pieces I have composed over the last six months, likely in the form of independent singles. It will be a fusion of salsa with touches of jazz, hip-hop, MPB and possibly other influences I'm less conscious about.

You can follow Valerio Instagram. You can also listen to his music at Spotify!

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