Hi, it's me, Stiff!

Welcome!

Hi there! My name is Stiff Wiggle (they/them).

If you know anything about me, you probably know this: I'm big into synths. I also enjoy sharing my passions with others, so I've started the Stiff Synth School to help share what I know with curious people such as yourself.

Synths are strange.

They're everywhere, but... intimidating!

Aren't you curious about synthesizers? They're part of the fabric of our lives, yet they remain mysterious to most people. Most of the music we hear these days involves synthesizers in some capacity - why aren't they better understood?

Are they really all that complicated?

Strange Synth
Hi, it's me, Stiff!

Synths are simple!

Synths certainly seem complicated.

I'd like to show you, though, that it's really just a bunch of simple principles that combine to create something stupendous!

Even a little bit of understanding about how synthesizers work will change the relationship you have with not just music, but sound in general.

Synths are... sexist?

OK, not really. But the synth community sure is.

Gatekeeping has been the norm for decades on the synth scene. It's patently absurd, especially since Wendy Carlos, a true synthesizer pioneer, is a trans hero. As a non-binary synthesist, I'd really like to tip the gender balance back the other way and dismantle the dudes' club that is the synth community.

Wendy Carlos, synth hero and gender pioneer
Men are welcome at the Stiff Synth School, but archaic sexist attitudes are not.
Let's flip the script!

Synth lessons usually cost big bucks!

One day I'd love to make money doing this sort of thing. I've been programming synthesizers and making music with them for over two decades! (I may be older than you think!) I'm just getting started as a teacher, though, so I don't feel comfortable charging for my services just yet.

Furthermore, I'm sincerely enthusiastic about how synthesizers can empower people to be creative and productive, especially for people who experience barriers to this sort of learning. (Down with gatekeeping!) It saddens me the way that capitalists hoard knowledge to benefit an exclusive few of their (typically male) colleagues. Sharing what I know just seems like the proper thing for a purported queer punk like me to do.

That's why I'm giving one-on-one lessons in my home studio on how to use a synthesizer—for no cost!

Over the past couple years, I've given a few close friends some lessons. We talked a bit beforehand so I could learn their personal synth story, and I tailored the training to their experience level and interests. So far, it's gone great: each session has been informative for the students and fun for everyone involved. Therefore, I've decided to keep this good thing going. Thus, the Stiff Synth School was born!

Each session will provide students with an hour of training and experience on how to use a synthesizer and/or similar topics. Depending on students' particular curiosities, a variety of subjects may be explored:

    I can teach you about...

  • analog and digital synths
  • software (virtual) and hardware synths
  • modular synthesis
  • programming drum machines and groove boxes
  • making music with smartphones and tablets
  • operating Digital Audio Workstations such as FL Studio and Ableton Live
  • circuit bending, generative music, and so much more!

We're starting small. I'll be opening up a month's worth of sessions for signup at a time, beginning with October. There are slots every Tuesday thru Thursday evening. I'm so happy to see response has been positive - things are filling up nicely, and it's frankly fantastic to see this many gender-variant folks on board thus far!

I hope you consider. It'll be fun! This is a limited time offer—as much as I'd like to give free lessons to everyone forever, that's unsustainable, so get while the getting's good! People of all genders and skill levels are welcome.

FAQ

There is no cost. For a limited time, they are free of charge!

Lessons will be held in person at Stiff Wiggle's home studio in Winnipeg's storied and beautiful North End. The space is not wheelchair accessible; if this is a need, send me an email at stiffwiggle@icloud.com and I can arrange to give a special lesson at an accessible location.

Each session is one hour of teaching time, but I've set aside 30 minutes before each session for set up and planning, and I've alloted another half hour for tear down, and debriefing.

Send me an email and let's talk. Accessibility is important to me. stiffwiggle@icloud.com

For now, lessons are one-on-one with the instructor due to studio limitations. We might be able to fit two students at once; any more would be pushing it. Email me at stiffwiggle@icloud.com if you want to try something out of the ordinary.

That's a very fair question. If you have a computer—and these days, that includes an Android or iOS smartphone—I can get you up and running with real synthesizers within a single lesson using some free software. Don't let money be an excuse for not experimenting with synthesizers!

That's one thing I cannot do, actually. For the things I can do with contraptions like this, DJing is something else entirely, relying on an entirely different collection of hardware, software, skills and knowledge.

Let me hear it! Send me an email at stiffwiggle@icloud.com and I'll get back to you lickety split.
Thanks for visiting! Questions?
Email me! stiffwiggle@icloud.com