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Session Player Kitchen

What does it take to be a professional musician? First, learn to program like one

In this course you will learn to make your programmed instruments sound like they were played by human hands. To this end, your instructor will show what is expected of a session player, and what tools and techniques you will need to record a perfect take every time. Learn how to communicate with engineers and artists to save yourself unnecessary time and frustration.

In this course you will learn to make your programmed instruments sound like they were played by human hands. To this end, your instructor will show what is expected of a session player, and what tools and techniques you will need to record a perfect take every time. Learn how to communicate with engineers and artists to save yourself unnecessary time and frustration.

Only then can you approach programming these instruments in a realistic manner.

Key Topics

Communication/Vocabulary
Drums
Drum Programming
Fills
Understanding Stringed Instruments
Programming Guitars and Bass
Expression
Rhythm Section
Mixing Considerations

Prerequisites: DAW Core Skills or equivalent proficiency in your platform.

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What students say

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great instructor!

—Sunita, California

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Very kind and helpful!

—Izzy

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I’ve been a student at Nathan’s audio engineering school - Beat Kitchen, for seven months, and the experience has been invaluable. Coming back to music after years focused on family and business, I wanted a learning environment that was

—Lotus, Bali

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Had an amazing time at the workshop! Nathan is really passionate teaching and talking with others. Really recommend taking their classes.

—Anthony, New York, NY

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The class dynamic of instruction is extraordinary for beginners and experienced people within music. The classes are small and the interaction between students and the instructor is great. You get to ask as many questions as you like and

—Mercedes, San Jose, CA

Explore Classes

Office Hours Weekly. Ask questions, get help, and connect. Included with residency. Production Gym Weekly. Production breakdown of your favorite songs. Included with residency. Theory Gym Weekly. Morning music theory workout. Included with residency. Ear Training Weekly. Test your ears and discuss — music, mixing, and more. Included with residency. Instrument Gym Weekly. Practice and workout on instruments. Included with residency. Weekly Beat Review Weekly. Listen to Beat Challenge song ideas together. Included with residency.

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Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

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Recent Resident Gyms
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: We did two different types of finger dexterity exercises that work for both bass and guitar, and talked about how to structure daily practice sessions- even if it means breaking the practice into two chunks. We talked about improvisation, and muscle memory, and did some practice drills of "not looking" at the instrument. Finally we closed with a G pentatonic scale, and talked about how to make practicing scales more interesting to open it up to writing and playing in a more intuitive way.
- THEORY-GYM: Covered tritone substitution — what it is, when to use it, and how to hear it in a ii-V-I-IV context. Also worked through a question about half-step intervals and when they're problematic versus idiomatic depending on chord function. Spent extended time reviewing a student's original singer-songwriter piece, with feedback focused on piano pedaling technique, rhythmic intentionality, and harmonic ambiguity around an A-flat chord center.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed submitted beats from several community members this morning, focusing on harmonic choices in minor-key compositions. Along the way, we got into a substantive discussion about how minor scales work in practice — why treating "minor" as a single binary category is limiting, and how chord function and tonal center are more useful frames than scale labels. We also covered inharmonicity as an acoustic phenomenon, talked through DAW workflow for free-tempo recording, and discussed the value of quantity-over-quality as a creative practice.
- OFFICE HOURS: we talked about drum machines, listened to some student songs and discussed sound treatment
- PRODUCTION-GYM: We shared a production breakdown of The Doors "People Are Strange'. We talked about instrumentation, arrangement, structure, and production techniques- panning- close miking- even the choice of musicians and how that can change a recording. We also spent some time contrasting the Echo and The Bunnymen cover of the same song, to see how 1967 sounded agains 1988! We noted production and structural changes, as well as changes to the arrangement and parts.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: Single strokes, double strokes, paradiddles and sung vs straight feels.
- OFFICE HOURS: we talked about re-creating songs as a production exercise, some mixing ideas and mixing tips, and communicating with others in the music business.
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: We explored ear training through deep listening to a single contemporary R&B track, using it as a lens for examining background vocals as independent instruments, arrangement and layering strategy, mix placement and reverb use, vocal delivery and articulation, and song form. The session was open dialogue throughout — students brought their own observations and we used them to go deeper into production craft, melody writing over static harmony, and how a song's emotional arc can be built through stacking and restraint rather than harmonic movement.
- OFFICE HOURS: So many audio questions today. alot about recording and mixing with busses
- OFFICE HOURS: We welcomed a new resident, Hind, who shared a compelling a cappella vocal work-in-progress featuring layered harmonies and an unconventional phrase structure (alternating bars of three, four, and five). The session became a wide-ranging conversation about developing a production ear — listening deeply to music you love, building shared vocabulary with collaborators, and honoring the raw energy of first ideas. We also touched on the unique perspective drummers bring to production, and how to communicate effectively with musicians when your vocabulary is still developing.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Apr. 30, 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Jam Phelps
  Apr. 30, 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Nathan
  Apr. 30, 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
- Office Hours: Cinnamontal
  May. 03, 1pm (PT) | 4pm (ET) | 9pm (UK)
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  May. 04, 7am (PT) | 10am (ET) | 3pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Nathan
  May. 04, 9am (PT) | 12pm (ET) | 5pm (UK)
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Apr 19, 2026 Theory: Musician Basics
- Apr 22, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Apr 27, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Apr 27, 2026 FL Studio
- May 23, 2026 Logic Pro 1-Day Intensive
- Jun 10, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 8, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 12, 2026 DAW Core Skills
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