Well, yesterday I sneaked in on a practice session. My uncle who I play in a band with, has some other projects going and I was to deliver him something.
Now, a few months ago he found an ad where two guitarists searched for a bass player, they met and started playing. Yesterday I got to hear some of their stuff, and I have to say, I have never seen guitarists anywhere near that good, ever!!
Especially one of them (around 50), classical trained, now jazz guitarist, with an awesome speed and picking technique and an approach to playing chords that was unlike anything I've seen. According to my uncle, he hardly even know how to play an E-minor chord if asked, he simply puts on fingers until it sounds good (then he's probably ended up with something containing a few +, - 9 and 13) - therefore he was kind of always on the move - building on and on and on,
I heard them play a few standard things - "A night in tunisia" was one of them - somewhat like django, with a more bossa feel maybe... incredible. Fantastic improvisation skills too...!
All right - I'm not impressed by shredding, but this was just awesome. Melodic, technically brilliant, interesting and fresh.
Then I started thinking: here these two amazing guitar players are going around with these incredible skills - and nobody has ever heard of them, even in small norway... And I know that even if I dedicate my next 50 years to practicing I will never be anywhere near that good.
Hence, question: why should I bother to play? I mean perhaps I should leave it to someone who knows how to do it.
Answer - has to be - : because I like it! I have to cling to that - I will never become a guitar god, I will never make an album, I will never hold big shows, I will never be played on the radio - but I can't stop, because it gives me something, occationally I'm able to produce something that vaguley resembles music, and that ranks high among the greatest things I know.
- still it is somewhat depressing - if somebody had offered me a guitar yesterday (he had a few dozens hanging around the walls), I wouldn't have been able to add anything - nothing whatsoever. And I have been playing for near 20 years, and sometimes I hear people say I play good. Felt almost sad to come home and strum a G chord
*sigh*
lars
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
On the flip side, you can just listen to the top 40 and be convinced there's no way you won't make it :) It'd be nice to have a solid gold house and a rocket-car, but I'll get by without them. :wink:
Music ain't about difficulty. People keep getting amazed by the simplest musical compositions so don't worry. If anything, the harder and more complex you make it the less people will listen. Who cares about 13th chords anyway? ;)
You know, I'd ask myself why they do it. It must not be for money, but for love of playing. If you measure success by that yardstick I'm there.
well its a funny thing i played harp many years as a teenager just playing along with sonnyboy williamson records. never did know that there was differant keys even, it was,nt till later on that someone said, get a set of them! hey presto where i thought i was,nt playing good enough it was that i was out of key :oops: and as for guitar i dont understand it all and never will, but it keeps me mentally active and you need that as you get older,other wise you will end up just listening to records........now wheres those LPs 8) ........smoke
:WHO INVENTED WORK SHOULD COME BACK AND FINISH THE JOB OFF: http://www.soundclick.com/bartin
And I know that even if I dedicate my next 50 years to practicing I will never be anywhere near that good.
That's not a safe bet, larsko.
'Good' is a relative term. You like what they do, and you admire it - and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you dedicate your next 50 years to practicing, you'll sound like you more than they ever could.
When I play examples for students, I often get "wow" as a response, and a comment that they'll never be able to do that. Little do they know I'm often impressed with the phrasing and melodic ideas that they play.
I'm serious about that - for most guitarists, after maybe 2-4 years of playing they're reaching the point of being able to express themselves on the guitar. And if you have something to say, it comes through.
Technical chops are impressive, but achievable by nearly anyone who works at it. Having music inside you is better - it's your music. And nobody does it quite the way you can :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
I think i play for keeping my sanity and in order to not to get insane.
Music is life.
I believe that creating is what makes us most uniquely human. I know that this forum frowns on this sort of post, but I hope this is allowed to stay as it's my answer to this question:
There's a Jewish/Christian tradition that when the Bible says God created man in his image, what that means is that we're created with the capacity to engage others creatively and lovingly. We have the power to shape creation wtih our own contribution. We are in partnership with our creator as authors of ourselves.
To me, making music is a uniquely human activity, but more than that, it's an activity that has the power to shape ourselves as human beings. Music can change the world, or at least some little corner of it.
So for me, why do I continue to do it? Particularly in my case when injury has rendered my left arm far less useable than it used to be?
Because I have to. It's just who I am.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
And I know that even if I dedicate my next 50 years to practicing I will never be anywhere near that good.
That's not a safe bet, larsko.
'Good' is a relative term. You like what they do, and you admire it - and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you dedicate your next 50 years to practicing, you'll sound like you more than they ever could.
Yeah - you're probably right - and I was slightkly carried away - but I believe what I heard yesterday was more than the result of dilligence and hard work - talent I guess? What impresses me is not really technique or difficulties as such - but combined with compassion or feeling or even love for music - I'm sold easily.
So, probably a lot of you is right still - what I hear and like is not (really) the skills but the love. And THAT should be possible to bring out without mixing phrygian Db minor scales with gypsian C## scales at 167 bpm.
... ... but it sounds cool tho' - 'tico tico' was another one they did, on guitar ( this one you know)
lars[/url]
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
I agree with NoteBoat. Very few guitar players are impressed with their own playing and tend to downplay their own abilities.
If you practice and learn you will become a good player. You will never be happy with your own playing, but others will be impressed. And really, it is a good thing that we are never happy with our own playing, because that motivates you to learn more and practice to be an even better player.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
There's a Jewish/Christian tradition that when the Bible says God created man in his image, what that means is that we're created with the capacity to engage others creatively and lovingly. We have the power to shape creation wtih our own contribution. We are in partnership with our creator as authors of ourselves.
Very well put KP. I have to agree with Noteboat too. I can never be BB King, Steve Vai, etc (Some of who I appreciate on guitar) but then again they will never be me. Technically, we can all get as good as them with practice. As far as being picked up as an artist, you can listen to pop radio and hear plenty examples of artist that have "made it" that seem to know only a few chords and you can walk into any unknown bar down the street and hear artist that technically should be selling a million records.
Its for the love the the instrument.
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
About feeling less then others: a year ago I was invited to the party. Own of the guys living there played guitar and after a while he started to play for himself. He played a c crap flying V into a crap amp and was playing jazz. Sounded awesome. Then one of the guests asked for the guitar and started shredding the crap out of it. I *hated* what he played but it was definitetely very impressive. So one of my friends mentions I play guitar as well and people ask me to play something.
I dislike playing in front of people. I really dislike playing just a minute after two excellent guitarists performed. So I politely decline the offer. A few hours later I ended up talking to these two guys about it. I told them I don't like playing it and how impressive their performance was. Turns out they felt emberassed about their playing and they thought I considered myself to good to play. Nobody seems to be really confident about themselves. Unless you're Steve Vai ofcourse, he compensates for all of us.
I did play by the way. After everyone was either gone or incapacitated. I don't know if people liked it but if they didn't they had no energy to throw stuff at me. :D
It's funny how we, as individuals, can walk away from the same experience, and interpret it in completely different ways.
You wonder why you should continue. You just witnessed why! The joy, the excitement, the feeling. Nobody can take that away from you and those are the things we draw our strengths from.
Instead of feeling bad for/about yourself, you should be asking when they'll meet up again! If not to play........and don't even come back with "I'm not good enough", 20 years in, you could lay down a nice rhythm section for them to feed off........if not to play, than to watch. I'm sure they would show you a trick or two.
Carpe diem :wink:
You wonder why you should continue. You just witnessed why! The joy, the excitement, the feeling. Nobody can take that away from you and those are the things we draw our strengths from.
I am not *really* wondering about that, because I have no choice, I have to play, can't help it :-)
Just getting a little depressed once in a while - don't we all?
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
Just getting a little depressed once in a while - don't we all?
Absolutely..
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
