We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyler Tompkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyler below.

Alright, Tyler thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve loved music for my entire life. There’s videos of me singing and dancing along to music when I was still in diapers, and I loved to strum this beat up acoustic guitar my grandfather had given to me. I listened to all sorts of music, but I especially loved the songs my Dad would play when we would take rides in his Chevy Camaro. The songs “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry and “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd are the two songs I remember most from that time, and I cherish those to this day. I spent the first decade of my life loving music, but I never thought about creating it. At some point when I was 10 years old, I found a video on YouTube called “Eddie Van Halen Eruption Live”. It was a 11 minute guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen done live in front of thousands of people that completely changed my life. I had never seen a guitar played like that. The lightning fast fingers, two handed tapping, electric stage prescence and roar of the crowd made me realize that playing the guitar was what I wanted to do with my life. Shortly after that I asked my parents for a guitar, and 12 years later I can happily say it’s the best decision I ever made. Creating music and playing live is what I was made to do, and I’m excited to see where this dream takes me!

Tyler, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

While I’m writing this, I’m a student at SUNY Oneonta about to graduate with a degree in Music Industry as well as a minor in Audio Arts Production. So although I’m not quite in the business yet, I carry a wide range of skills that I’m hoping to utilize in my music career. My main goal is to become a session musician, as well as release my own music. I also have skills in guitar lesson instruction, as well as audio production and engineering experience. I’m a driven, passionate individual who strives for perfection at all times. My experience playing a wide range of music styles has helped me become a well rounded player, and my music reading and ear skills mean I can learn songs efficiently. My ability to record at home means I can record right from my bedroom, so if you want me on your song, reach out to me! I’d welcome any opportunity to meet and collaborate with other artists.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Since streaming became the dominant form of music consumption, musicians have struggled to make money off of their recorded music. But people can still support the artists they love in other ways so they are paid for their work and can continue to do more. The best thing someone can do for an artist they love is see them live. Touring is where the majority of a musician’s income lies, so buying a ticket is putting money directly into their pockets. Another thing people can do is buy merch. This includes things like shirts, posters, stickers, vinyl records, etc,. Not only are artists making money off of these, but when you wear their shirt you’re serving as a walking advertisement, which could turn other people on to this artist. Finally, just telling your friends and people on social media about your favorite artists is a great help. This could turn others onto these artists, and those people might buy merch and see shows, and then they’ll tell their friends about it, and it creates a cycle that helps smaller artists immensely.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There have been many times in my life where I’ve realized that being a musician doesn’t make much sense. I’ve put in thousands of hours of practice, spent thousands of dollars on new gear, driven hundreds of miles to gigs, and most of the time I’m not getting paid enough to justify any of that. But when I’m on stage playing music with my friends in front of a packed venue, it’s all worth it. When I finally play a part correctly after weeks of trying, it’s worth it. When I see my music inspire others, it’s all worth it. It’s the kind of feeling I suspect an athlete feels when they score the game winning play. It’s a fulfillment like no other, and it gives me the assurance that this is what I love to do and I want to keep doing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: tylertompkinsmusic.com
• Instagram: guitartyler
• Youtube: guitartyler7923

Image Credits
Chelsea Yeno