Canadian Musician - November/December 2017 | Page 46

you check them all in different apps or websites, or maybe you forward them all to one address. Wouldn’t it be nice to have
all of your email in one location where you could easily view emails sorted by address and easily respond using whichever
email address it was initially sent to?
Gmail man. Gmail.
Don’t be afraid of the S word: settings. Head to the Gmail settings and add up to five accounts for sending and receiving
mail. A thing of beauty.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t show some love to the one that started it all: Google Search’s indexed results. This free service is
taken for granted like the air we breathe or the warm sound of a Pbass. “Music venues in Nanaimo, BC.” “Guitar repair in Red
Deer, AB.” “Drummer babysitting in Toronto.” The ability to ask your phone or computer about something common or obscure
and get usually solid results is incredible – especially for someone like me who used to use the Yellow Pages. Like, the physical
kind. In a phonebook. No, not an app, a book. A real book. Oh, never mind.
Google Keep is like extreme sticky notes from the future. The app allows you to quickly store a checklist, notes, voice
memos, a picture from your camera, or it even gives you the option of doing a quick sketch in case you get an idea for a new
custom bass design.
I know. I should stick to bass playing. Bottom line, Keep is a great
sandbox for ideas. What's more, all of the previously-mentioned
snooze features from Inbox are also available in Keep. Bravo
Google.
Google Play is a fantastic subscription-based music streaming ser-
vice that gives you access to all of the great music of the world at your
fingertips. In preparation for gigs, I find that I’m spending more time
listening to the music for the gig and less time stumbling through tunes
as I play along. It ends up meaning more efficient and quality time spent
on the bass. Space is cheap and Google knows this. They have more
servers than Stan Rogers has verses and this allows you to upload up to
50,000 of your own songs, demos, band recordings, or whatever audio
file you need for your work. You can stream any song or temporarily
download songs, albums, or playlists to your phone to save on data
charges. This is all included in your monthly subscription. Pop in your
ear buds and shed along in your mind to the new song you wrote or
connect to your vehicle’s Bluetooth and review your band’s practice
recordings while you drive and reflect on just how awesome you are.
Lastly, Google Authenticator is a must. Secure your Google account
with two-step verification. If you happened to ignore every current piece
of security advice available and use 12345 as your Google password and
someone guessed it because they used the same combination on their
luggage, they would still need your phone (which is secured, right?) and
the unique code from Authenticator that changes every 60 seconds.
Authenticator also works with many other providers like Facebook and
Zoho and thus reduces your chance of a stolen identity.
Call me crazy, but I think that all of these Google apps are great and they really work for me and my style. I’m always on the hunt
for new ways to make managing my life and career easier and truly justify the expense of a smartphone. All of this being said, if
you decide to make better use of your smartphone by trying these techniques, make sure you balance all of this fantastic tech
with the human factor. Sometimes it’s triple the effect if you pick up a phone, dial 10 digits, and make a human connection, or
squat down, look your four-year-old in the eye, and explain once more that the words are not “another one bust the dust.”
For over 20 years, Deryl Gallant has been involved in the PEI music scene as a sought-after performing, touring, recording, and
instructing bassist. Comfortable in any style, he is best known as a member of The Jive Kings and The Dennis Lee Project and as Sonny
Caulfield’s bassist. Most recently, he has been working with the Glen Strickey Winterjazz Quartet, Ian Toms Trio, The Collective, Island
Jazz, Alan Dowling Trio, Brian Dunn, Amy & Rachel Beck, Jill Chandler, Kelley Mooney, Amanda Jackson Band, and more. In 2015, he
was named Music PEI’s Musician of the Year and the Doug Riley Artist by the PEI Jazz and Blues festival. He is currently the classical
bass professor at the University of PEI and bass instructor at the Holland College School of Performing Arts.
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