<\/em>as a musician who played synth.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn 1986 he was finally able to have a successful surgery that restored his hand, but it took about two years before he could actually get it to move right again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy then my career was as a synthesist, not as a guitar player, so I really didn\u2019t do much guitar playing until I found that I could play guitar and record synthesizers in the same environment, and that\u2019s when I started going back to it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n \n David Mash Gallery<\/title>\n <style>\n body {\n font-family: sans-serif;\n margin: 0;\n padding: 0;\n background-color: #f8f8f8;\n }\n .gallery {\n display: grid;\n grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n gap: 20px;\n padding: 20px;\n max-width: 1200px;\n margin: auto;\n }\n .gallery-item {\n background: #fff;\n border-radius: 8px;\n overflow: hidden;\n box-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);\n }\n .gallery-item img {\n width: 100%;\n display: block;\n }\n .caption {\n padding: 15px;\n font-size: 14px;\n color: #333;\n }\n .thumbs {\n display: grid;\n grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(300px, 1fr));\n gap: 20px;\n }\n <\/style>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n <div class=\"gallery\">\n <!-- Main Image -->\n <div class=\"gallery-item\">\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/david_mash_article_image_2025_2.jpg\" alt=\"Mash in studio\">\n <div class=\"caption\">David Mash is pictured in a contemporary photo, with the synthesizers in his home studio.<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <!-- Thumbnails -->\n <div class=\"thumbs\">\n <div class=\"gallery-item\">\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Mash-in-ictus.jpg\" alt=\"Mash with Ictus\">\n <div class=\"caption\">Mash is pictured performing on the synths with Ictus in the mid-1970s. \u201cThree weeks after I got my synthesizer, we opened for Dave Brubeck\u2014and that night, Dave said he\u2019d like to produce the band. And Darius, his son, introduced me to Alan Pearlman at ARP. They started talking to me about how I was using it onstage because there weren\u2019t very many people touring with an ARP 2600 in 1976.\u201d<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"gallery-item\">\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DavidMash_Edited.jpg\" alt=\"Mash circa 2015\">\n <div class=\"caption\">Mash circa 2015, as Berklee\u2019s senior vice president of innovation, strategy, and technology, with a decidedly different look. During Covid, he started growing his hair when barbershops closed\u2014and after a breezy walk by Walden Pond, he thought, \u201cWow, I feel like I have hair again. I think I\u2019m gonna let it grow.\u201d<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/body>\n<\/html>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davidmash.com\/shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">As a recording artist<\/a>, Mash has been remarkably prolific, releasing seven albums under the name <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/2Ocd06DVpAbHg6zH9llunp?si=L5XjFj8PT0CTV621CyBl8A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mashine Music<\/a> (a moniker he says he plans to change soon, to avoid confusion with AI-generated content), four under <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/3Qd2L478frxf3g506NIJgH?si=lE7oDnwoRwGqMaD1JB-EIw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stefan<\/a> (his middle name), a couple of collaborations, and three albums credited to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/38WHqAmdaLJLowtpXlHcbE?si=duqT04hySYCSWtrUDv4tZw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Mash<\/a> himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several of his releases stand out for their innovative approach. His 2022 Mashine Music album, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/233fviI3rM9UW8qxJ8QiTC?si=eIhGU1e-Sf-7MR5haQ--Jg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Lost Book of David Mash<\/a><\/em>, was inspired by a long-forgotten notebook from his college years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my second year at Berklee, I set a goal for myself: to write a song every single day and get it played, so that I could write with no instrument,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was my goal\u2014to just hear it in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The notebook contained more than 50 songs that Mash had planned to arrange and record during the fall semester of 1974. But he misplaced the book and forgot about it entirely\u2014until nearly five decades later, when he rediscovered it in a box while preparing to sell his Boston home. Revisiting those early compositions, he decided to finally bring them to life, recording them for the album and featuring his longtime friend <a href=\"https:\/\/college.berklee.edu\/people\/bruce-nifong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bruce Nifong<\/a> on saxophone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In more recent years, Mash has also experimented with meditative music\u2014an exploration that gave rise to the Stefan alias after an injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI spent an inordinate amount of time at acupuncture and massage places, and they played the worst music you can imagine,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cSo I decided maybe I could write some meditative, relaxing music that was still good music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-back-to-his-roots\">Back to His Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After decades of teaching, consulting, and composing, Mash is now taking full advantage of retirement\u2014not to slow down, but to return to unfinished creative work and long-held musical ideas. His latest album, <em>Back to My Roots<\/em>\u2014co-produced with professor <a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/instructors\/peter-bell?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&pid=&utm_source=takenote&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-link-from-article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peter Bell<\/a>, and mixed and mastered by professor <a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/instructors\/bora-uslusoy?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&pid=&utm_source=takenote&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-link-from-article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bora Uslusoy<\/a> (who also put it out on his <a href=\"https:\/\/bumarecordz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bUMA RecordZ<\/a> label)\u2014brings Mash back to the guitar for the first time in earnest since the 1970s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis was kind of like going back to my roots as a guitarist,\u201d Mash says. \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t play guitar for more than a dozen years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The album includes new compositions as well as re-recordings of songs originally written and performed by Mash\u2019s early band, Ictus\u2014tracks like \u201cIctonomics,\u201d \u201cFunktion 80-24,\u201d and \u201cBl\u00fcz For Rufe,\u201d the latter named in honor of his cat, Rufus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ATJ ICTUS BluzForRufe\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QFaednYzgxI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ictus play their version of \u201cBl\u00fcz For Rufe.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Though the Ictus songs that appear on <em>Back to My Roots <\/em>were played frequently in the band\u2019s heyday, they had never been properly recorded until now. For the new versions, Mash took a more contemporary approach, leaning into funk-inspired grooves where his band had once leaned toward disco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Funktion 80\u202224 Music Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FUQEuJnw_T4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mash plays his version of \u201cFunktion 80-24.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-guitar-comes-home\">A Guitar Comes Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every track on <em>Back to My Roots<\/em> features guitar\u2014not just as a texture, but as the musical centerpiece. It\u2019s a full-circle moment for someone who once sold off all his guitars, convinced he\u2019d never play again. One of the instruments featured on the album is a particularly meaningful one: a Segovia model from Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez guitars that Mash bought in 1973 from his childhood guitar teacher, Joe Fava. When Mash lost the use of his hand in the \u201970s, he offered the guitar back to Fava\u2014\u2014but the gesture didn\u2019t land the way he\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI went back to Joe and said, \u2018I can\u2019t play guitar anymore, and I\u2019d like to see this go to somebody who can really play.\u2019 And instead of saying, \u2018Okay, I know lots of good players and I will sell this for you,\u2019 he said, \u2018You can\u2019t give up! You must keep playing!\u2019 and I tried to explain to him that it was a medical problem, and he said, \u2018No \u2026 I won\u2019t hear of you stopping playing\u2019 and he never talked to me again. It was one of the saddest things,\u201d says Mash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mash eventually sold the guitar to his friend Harry Chalmiers, who later became provost of Berklee. Decades later, when arthritis made it difficult for Chalmiers to play, he sold the guitar to back Mash\u2014for the exact same price he bought it for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been appraised anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000,\u201d Mash says, holding the instrument up to his Zoom camera, \u201cbut I\u2019m just happy to have it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many see retirement as a time to rest, Mash sees it as a second act. He is the president of the <a href=\"https:\/\/moogfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bob Moog Foundation<\/a>, chairs the Board of the <a href=\"https:\/\/alanrpearlmanfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alan R. Pearlman Foundation<\/a>, and sits on Berklee\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berklee.edu\/city-music\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">City Music<\/a> Advisory Board. In his new home of North Carolina, he mentors young musicians through Raleigh\u2019s Community Music School and leads workshops at NC State, helping engineering students understand how musicians think and create. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mash says he has certainly enjoyed the time to be able to think and create as a musician as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe years that I worked at Berklee, especially from 2013 until I retired in 2017, my job was so big that I just didn\u2019t get to do any music except play a little guitar here and there,\u201d he says. \u201cSo once I retired, I had a ton of musical ideas in my head that I just wanted to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After losing the use of his hand in the 1970s, David Mash thought he’d never play guitar again. Nearly 50 years later, the Berklee innovator\u2014and co-author of the <a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/courses\/music-production-101?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&pid=&utm_source=takenote&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-link-from-article\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Music Production 101<\/em><\/a> course\u2014returns to his roots with a new guitar-centered album, as well as a story of resilience, reinvention, and creative legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":26869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9564,35,9563,9560],"tags":[9643,9502,9644,9642,9646,9645,991,7828,1109,9647],"class_list":["post-26865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-features-articles","category-instructor-profiles","category-music-production-articles","category-spotlight","tag-arp-2600","tag-bora-uslusoy","tag-dave-brubeck","tag-david-mash","tag-mashine-music","tag-michael-bierylo","tag-music-production","tag-music-production-101","tag-peter-bell","tag-stefan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - 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