Interview With Mr. Paul Koehn
No Bonus Round Today!
Michael Acoustic: Today’s special post is an interview with a very interesting fellow musician I met during an email exchange. As you can see, Mr. Paul Koehn is an experienced musician on several instruments and has a wealth of knowledge on a variety of subjects we regularly discuss here.
Brief Bio: Mr. Paul Koehn is a guitarist originally from San Antonio, Texas; though now he lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has been playing for 21 years. He’s put together effects rigs and pedalboards for both studio and live use. While playing in bands through his 20’s he also learned to play drums and bass. For the last 7 years, he helped lead worship for his church in Texas, or helped mix the sound for services on an almost weekly basis. Starting in June 2022, Paul took a position as a Sales Engineer at Sweetwater to assist people in finding the right gear while they’re on their music journey.
Note by Michael Acoustic (see endnotes below): If you have gear needs, you can reach Mr. Koehn at Sweetwater at these phone numbers:
Mr. Paul Koehn Call or Text: (260) 368-5441
Office: (800) 222-4700 x3715
Disclaimer: As with all my links and references to various businesses, websites, articles, etc, I have no financial interest in any of them and receive no compensation. This is also true of Sweetwater, with whom I have no financial connection, except that as a customer, I occasionally buy some of their products.
Q&A
Michael Acoustic: On my SubStack, aimed mostly at beginning (especially older) acoustic guitarists, I suggest owning an electric guitar and at least a practice amp as well as an acoustic guitar. My reasoning is in part that it’s a bit easier to learn barre chords on an electric, in part because of lighter strings and the pickups do some of the work for you (especially important for older folks whose fingers and hands just don’t stretch like they used to), and I think each style of playing complements the other. What are your thoughts? Do you regularly play one or the other as well as drums and bass?
Mr. Paul Koehn: I think that as time goes on, having both electrics and acoustics help capture the sounds that we have in our heads. In my experience it’s also helped having guitars with different configurations. My primary guitar is a Fender Blacktop Jaguar loaded with humbuckers. I also own a Strat that has the traditional three single coil pickups. Those two guitars have extremely different sounds, and I play them differently as a result.
That said, in the very beginning, I think the most important thing is to get the guitar that will inspire you to practice. If what you listen to is predominantly acoustic music, it makes sense for an acoustic to be your very first guitar. If you listen to music driven by electric guitars in some form or another, I see nothing wrong with an electric guitar being your very first guitar. If you have a guitar hero, I’d actually encourage you to get a model that is similar to theirs so long as it fits your budget!
Michael Acoustic: You perform live, but also mix sound for other musicians during live shows, and I assume you play in a band or bands and probably mix for acts you’re familiar with and also maybe some you’re not as familiar with, at many different levels of experience and competence. What advice would you have for folks first starting out performing, say at a coffee shop, a small lounge or bar, a smaller community festival, or even busking on the street? How would your advice be different for a solo performer versus a small group?
Michael Acoustic, Follow on Question: What advice would you have for a solo performer or small group, maybe just starting out, who approach someone like yourself to mix live sound for them in a small or medium size venue? What should they expect? What are your expectations for them?
Mr. Paul Koehn: I’d like to answer the follow-up question first: First, as a performer. The most important thing to keep in mind as a performer is that whatever you have for monitoring will sound different than what is in the house. You need to be able to hear yourself on stage. You need to hear how you fit in with a band; whether that is through a wedge or an in ear monitoring system. Your mix in that monitor is NOT a reflection of what is happening in the main speakers. You have to trust your sound engineer or Front of House guy that the mains will sound good regardless of what you need to hear on stage to play your best. Understanding that will save you sets where you have to be combative with a sound guy.
Also, one thing that always peeved me about sound guys as a performer were the people who would take the “set it and forget it” mentality. I’m someone who likes to ride faders and make sure that if dynamics change, I’m monitoring my board to make sure that gets reflected in my mix. Trust that I’m doing my best to make sure you sound good, and that if I have to make changes to amp settings, mic positions, or ask you to turn down a particular gain stage from a pedalboard, I am doing so for the benefit of your overall sound. It is not a slight or commentary on skill, and I’m not trying to be a jerk.
From a mixing standpoint, the most important thing to keep in mind and learn is that everything should have its place in a mix. If you are one person with a guitar or backing tracks, it is easy to make sure that everything has its place in a mix. The more pieces you have in your performance, the more complex it gets. Don’t be afraid to play with things like EQ and pan to have things fit appropriately in a mix.
Also, keep in mind that it is vital to have as good a sound as possible being captured at the SOURCE. A poorly captured sound can mess with gain, EQ, and be a potential sour spot for things like feedback. The better the mic position or level at the source, the better it will sound at every step down the chain as you get sent your signal for monitoring and for the house speakers.
Now to address the original question: Know and understand what equipment is being provided, if any, before you get there. Clubs likely have their own PA system, mics, and DI boxes. That might mean you only need to bring your instrument and yourself. Coffee shops are tricky. I’ve seen it where they have a small PA system and equipment. I’ve also seen it where it is entirely on the performer to bring everything. If you have to bring your own gear, do you know for certain that your gear will allow you to be as loud as you need to be? One thing I think gets overlooked if you are a solo act is convenience and portability. Having a more complex PA system is easy in a group. That same setup might be a nightmare for ONE person to have to put together, and then you have to play for however long! Try to keep in mind how long it would actually take you to set up a system. It will help you as a performer make more informed decisions, and keep you from buying things that are unnecessary or just slow you down.
Michael Acoustic: I spend some time in my posts on music theory from the perspective of its utility as a “language” among musicians (not just other guitarists) playing together, rather than pure theory, a topic that can be daunting for some of my readers and especially new players. What are your thoughts on the role of basic music theory for beginners and intermediate players? How do those thoughts differ from the perspective of each of your experiences as a guitarist, bass player, drummer, and live sound engineer? What role does theory play as a “language” among musicians on different instruments as well as audio/lighting/stage managing technicians?
Mr. Paul Koehn: That’s a fantastic question. From a musician’s perspective, understanding basic theory helps immensely in trying to get all performers on the same page. Understanding keys and what each progression is for keys goes so far in being able to communicate. When I first started getting really involved in live performance, the Nashville Number System became a uniform standard pretty much everywhere I played. That meant knowing which number of a key and the corresponding chord. Committing that to muscle memory meant that transposing keys could happen without any kind of sheet music or chord charts.
It also helped to learn what each instrument was responsible for within those chord progressions. Taking one example of one chord: Key of C, playing a G/B. That is represented as a 4/6 in the Nashville Number System. If I’m playing guitar in any capacity, I’m playing the G. If I’m playing bass, I’m playing the B. If I’m playing keys, I have to play both. If I’m playing drums, I don’t care because I just hit stuff. Ha.
For drums, the numbers of chord progressions didn’t matter as much as the dynamics mattered. Am I playing fills in a way that match the passing tones of a chord progression? Can I do something that help accent walk ups and downs on cymbals? If we are playing progressions with punctuated staccato, should I match that to add to the cadence of the music? Drummers will make or break a song on whether or not they understand those kinds of things, which also fall into music theory.
That same mentality towards dynamics is I think the most important part of understanding theory for anyone involved in the production of a performance. If I’m an engineer, knowing when to dial it back and when to boost faders relies on understanding what is happening within the music. That also informs lighting. The more reflexive music theory becomes for all people involved, the easier it is to work as a cohesive unit in all aspects of production.
Michael Acoustic: Beginning guitarists may have a range of outlooks, from the timid to the bold, on when to play for or with others, from family and friends, to open mic nights, to playing with a church band or other group. What would be your suggestions for when and to what extent to “go public”, at least to some degree? Thoughts on how to deal with criticism, constructive and helpful, or otherwise, when taking this step?
Mr. Paul Koehn: If you wait to “feel ready” to play live anywhere, you never will. If you have worries of messing up or needing to make sure things are absolutely perfect before playing live, you will forever be your own worst critic. You will make mistakes when you play live. You will miss chords and progressions. You will miss a cue and forget a word here or there. You will miss a dynamic change or be late on activating that pedal. You might straight miss a cymbal that’s supposed to be an accent for a part. Those are ALL things that have happened to me while playing live. You can’t let the fear of messing up or failure keep you from playing live.
Also, understand your capacity for what you feel is right. If you only ever want to play around a campfire with friends and family but have no aspirations of playing out to crowds, don’t feel pressured into playing live for strangers. If you’re in a band or playing for a church, don’t beat yourself up that crowd sizes change. How many people there are in the audience is not a direct reflection of your talent. Be the best musician you can, and enjoy it if it’s what you want to pursue.
Lastly, for how to handle criticism… Oh boy. Not all criticism is equal. If my instructor is telling me I need to fix my posture, I better fix my posture. If someone in my band says that they don’t like something I just wrote, I’ll ask them what I can do to make it something they like, if anything. I’ve written plenty of things that got scrapped because upon my OWN review, I didn’t like it. I’m not going to be offended if the people I play with don’t like something I wrote. Music in a band being a collaborative effort means we should ALL enjoy the music that is being written. Personally, that’s where the “criticism I will genuinely listen to and try to improve on” ends. I am my own worst critic, so of course I listen to myself. But if you are not me, my mentor, or someone I play with/make music with, why does your opinion matter if I am making the music I want to make?
Michael Acoustic: The last couple of years have been a little tough on performing and recording artists, and beginners also - they may not have had the access to guitar instructors and locally owned guitar shops that can get them started the right way. What approach do you take when encouraging folks who may have taken up the guitar recently to continue that journey? Do you often have experiences with new musicians who are comfortable (or not) discussing the “how-tos” of performing and mixing? Is that increasing now that things have eased a bit?
Mr. Paul Koehn: I think there’s a large percentage of people who started playing during the pandemic or took up guitar again for the first time in a long time because of everything that’s happened are having difficulty keeping with it because life has gone back to normal. I appeal to the emotional effect music has on people always. Music is a deeply personal emotional outlet for people. Given everything we’ve gone through, having a way of feeling at peace in a world that has been so filled with chaos is immeasurably valuable. I encourage people to keep that part of themselves as a way to have peace among chaos. The world might have gone “back to normal” but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon a way that you found peace in your life as a result.
It might be a bit ironic to say in this format, but I try not to give unsolicited advice. If someone is talking to me about music in any capacity, it’s because we either established that it’s a shared interest or they are seeking me out. If someone is seeking my advice, I do my best to be encouraging every step of the way and point out the ways that they’ve gotten better over time. It’s easy to not see progress in the day-to-day grind of music. But if this week, you are able to play that riff you couldn’t quite get last week, or you’re able to dial in a kick drum mic like nothing where last week it took you several minutes to get it right, that’s progress that should be celebrated! Those things should be pointed out, and you should keep those things in mind for yourself as you go through music. Celebrate every little victory, and it gets way more fun to play.
Michael Acoustic: Final thoughts: Anything you want to add, the floor is yours!
I think the one thing not mentioned in this that is worth talking about is how gear can change how we play or feel inspired. I have an obnoxious pedalboard that allows me to get any sound I want out of a guitar. Sometimes it’s not a progression that makes me feel inspired. In fact, a lot of the times these days, my inspiration starts from, “Wow, I love the way this chord sounds through that chorus and delay. What else can I do with that?”
For me, gear can help influence your music and creative process in a wonderful way without ever being a crutch. Mastery of gear can be just as valuable a skill as mastery of your instrument if you manipulate it in a way to make music.
I want to thank Mr. Koehn for taking the time to contribute such a great insight into our discussions on Michael Acoustic. Fabulous answers to questions I know many of my readers will find so valuable!
Some endnotes:
Mr. Koehn did not originally include the contact numbers above in his email back to me. I asked his permission to include them, and he agreed. While I’ve made it policy to not endorse or promote or be compensated in writing this free SubStack, well, if you have gear needs…..just sayin’.
Mr. Koehn mentioned the Nashville Numbering System, which I refer to as the Nashville Notation System in a previous post (same thing, but like lawyers and doctors, musicians seem to be cursed with the need to have at least one other name for the same thing…). If you missed that post and want to learn how the Nashville system works see the link below to this handy tool to transpose keys on the fly:
Correction - I incorrectly referred to Mr Tony Van Veen, CEO of Disc Makers as “Paul” yesterday in a comment to a link - apologies.
Happy Veteran’s Day! Some of my subscribers (as well as non-subscribing readers possibly) are folks I was honored to serve with during my time in the military.
And a Happy Birthday (yesterday) to the United States Marine Corp - while I was in a different branch, I was pleased to serve with Marines on deployment, and found them to be extraordinary patriots, and the most professional Officer Corps anywhere!
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
Amazing interview Mike!