Where are you from? And where do you live?
I am from the Netherlands, Den Bosch. I have lived in several places throughout the years; London (UK), Tilburg (NL), Barneveld (NL) which all had their influence on my way of making music.
How long have you been playing the piano?
Since I was a kid and we ended up having a keyboard at home: That was at age 8 or so (+-1997, so that’s quite a few years). I played keyboard with a piano sound quite long, and around age 15 we got an acoustic piano.
Do you play other instruments as well?
Yes, I also play the bass, guitar, saxophone, I sing, and have tried a lot of instruments throughout the years: music is such a wonderful thing, it makes me enjoy playing nearly every instrument
Tell us about how you started playing music.
Just simply the sounds were so interesting to me, that I was playing around as soon as we had musical instruments laying around. And I guess that never stopped.
My parents helped in the sense that they sent me to a music school at some point, to get lessons. And at school some teachers really motivated to play more, write music, and so on. The thing that really got me started was playing in bands / groups together with friends.
How long have you been making piano music?
I have made my first songs at age 15, but seriously writing music for the piano has started around 2012. In the last couple of years I am putting in more time and effort to grow, because it is so much fun!
Tell us something about that moment you realized you could make songs yourself!
Well, it sort of just happened. That is the thing: I enjoyed this ‘game’ so much, just trying stuff without someone telling what to do, and I just loved it. The only thing that changed in the last couple of years is that I reserve time to explore and try out new things: That really helps in growing as a composer and musician.
Have you made music in other genres before?
Yes. From rock, to pop, to folk, to metal, funk to world and to religious music. Well, much more, basically I like to try the diversity in Music, and lend ideas from different styles.
What are your favorite artists in this “piano genre”?
Goldmund is one of the composers that has a wonderful sound and feel to it. But also definitely the more known Olafur Arnalds, Yann Tiersen, Nils Frahm, Joep Beving, Ludovico Einaudi, Johann Johannson and many more.
What rules (in making music) needs to be broken?
Basically, there are no rules. Stay true to what the feeling of a composition wants to tell, so that everything fits together. That makes the best experience for the listener: That the different elements are telling the same story. When this is lacking, it might sound impressive or ‘good’, but it will not really blow you away as listener.
Anything else you want to share?
I want to share the love for music! For here, I guess that means: Stop reading, start listening. And for me it also means that I love to write together with others, share music, learn from eachother in the process, and enjoy all of that.
Thank you for sharing this with us Jacco! Make sure to check out these links for more information about Jacco and his music: Facebook / Website / Spotify