Welcome to Roland’s Insider, where you can read, watch, listen, and learn about Roland gear. Click the Artists tab for interviews with the world’s finest musicians, producers, remixers and more. Look for behind-the-scenes photos, videos and audio clips sprinkled throughout. Click Hands-On for valuable tips, tricks and techniques from Roland product specialists. In The News is where you’ll find info on the latest Roland-related events and happenings. And, last but not least, the Archive tab is your source for “vintage” features and how-to articles. Enjoy!
Jetro da Silva
Around the World with Roland
By Tiffany Schirz
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jetro da Silva knew from the time he first touched the piano at age 12 that his career would be in music. At age 14, he auditioned and was accepted on full scholarship to Rio’s highly-respected Escola Nacional de Musica. Later, da Silva would realize his dream of moving to the United States, earning a degree from Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Today, da Silva holds a faculty position at Berklee, and continues to be an in-demand performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter. His credits include collaborations with artists including Whitney Houston, Jamie Fox, Patti Labelle, Pastor Andrae Crouch, Earth Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, and many others.
With years of experience playing different keyboards, da Silva has found the best combination of touch and sound in Roland’s flagship RD-700GX. “The Ivory Feel keys absorb sweat,” da Silva says, “which is great when you’re under bright lights on stage — you don’t get slippery keys.” He also loves the RD’s ability to customize EQ, and to store setups in USB memory. “I can arrive at any location, connect [the USB key], and have the same setup I have at home.”
Roland Users Group Insider
Sign up for Roland's Email Newsletter here