Remember me? I’m the guitar guy who used to be pretty prompt with new blog posts. For various reasons with outright laziness being at the top of the list, I ask your forgiveness. I WILL be better about checking in here in the future, promise! And as always I welcome your input, ideas, comments, disagreements, anything that is guitar and/or music related. I’d also sincerely appreciate you recommending my blog and my site to your friends and relations.
It’s a bit daunting to think back through my musical adventures since I last posted but a few stick out in my mind. The one that has been the most gratifying is a tweak in my overall outlook on playing music with others. That tweak has produced some musical moments I will never forget.
This may sound a bit strange or even somewhat egotistical but if you are a professional musician one of the unwritten laws is that you should always endeavor to play with musicians who are on your “level,” whatever the heck that means. Why? Because playing with those types will help you progress and challenge you to be more analytical about your playing. It is also a great way to add to your repertoire and maybe learn some new tricks or approaches to stuff you already know.
This does happen, for sure. Nothing like a bit of a slap musically speaking to regain your focus and switch off the autopilot that sometimes controls your playing. I’ve written in the past about the relative merits of the conjunction of ego and ability and how it affects what you play and even how you conduct your life on a larger level. I think for the most part ego gratification is NOT a good thing when it comes to playing music with others. It’s almost always men who let their ego rule how they approach playing any musical instrument. No surprise there, ladies. Right?
Some of the best musicians I know or have played with - the truly great ones - are universally modest about their music and ability. They are always ready to listen to their others and in their world, there are no stupid questions. But in my experience anyway, go back one tier to those who are very, very good but not great and you’ll sometimes find this is where ego can overwhelm whatever skill they may possess. I strongly suspect this is the way it’s always been. Those second-tier players are easy to spot. They are disdainful of anyone who uses anything less than the very best guitar money can buy. They watch and listen to other musicians with a thinly disguised smirk on their faces.
Now, how does this affect me? Well, in recent years it all has to do with not showcasing my own abilities, such as they are, to other players. In the last couple of years I’ve witnessed or taken part in some wonderfully gratifying music-making with players who may have only known a few chords; some were even severely challenged while trying to tune up. I’m totally embarrassed to say this but there was a time not so long ago that I would have viewed playing with these types of guitarists as a total waste of time. But as Hank sang: “I saw the Light.”
What changed? Well, for one thing I’ve finally understood - and accepted - a really basic fact. Recreational players want to play songs they are familiar with. And if they’re fortunate enough to have friends or loved ones who encourage their musical passion….even better! Some of the questions I always ask new students is are: How important was music in a general sense in their families as they were growing up? Did they play any other instruments at a young age? Did their parents or other relations?
I absolutely believe the answers to those questions play a much, much bigger part than they might realize in how they approach music and their capacity to learn. These days I only teach adults; just why this is has a somewhat complicated answer that is worthy of a blog post all by itself, so for now I’ll hold onto that and dig into it in a later post. I often get raw beginners who will say something to the effect of: “No, in my house it was all about sports. There just wasn’t the time to devote to learning to play a musical instrument. There was always another practice or game to be part of and to my parents (especially my dad) the idea of missing one of those things was unconscionable. Spending a half-hour trying to subdue a clarinet or a trumpet that seemed to only want to emit high volume squeaks can be very discouraging. And emptying the “spit valve” was downright disgusting!”
There are certainly thousands upon thousands of people who did (and still do) manage to combine competitive team sports with the serious study of a musical instrument. Do they have some personal super-power I failed to realize?
A dear friend of mine from way back in my college days was here for a visit recently along with his wife. Frank and I have maintained a close and wonderful friendship for all those years. He is truly a lover of music and has played mandolin for decades. In the last few years he has focused on harmonica and his skills have advanced very quickly. Frank is a member of a weekly jam session in his small town in the hills in Pennsylvania and he absolutely LOVES being able to play with others, regardless of the music that is played. He has told me time and time again just how important that experience is to him. New friendships have developed and both he and his wife Darlene have gotten to know people who they may not have met if not for the shared musical experience.
Over the years he’s been playing with those folks he makes it very clear that he might have given up on playing music if not for his group. I love seeing him so happy when he plays. Oh, and one more thing. Frank is blind.
Last month I went out to Wyoming for my annual trout fishing trip. I always stay at the wonderful Copperline Lodge in Saratoga. The fishing, scenery and vibe there are beyond amazing. But every year one aspect of my trips has become more and more important and gratifying. My friend and owner of the Lodge, Dan Pont and I play together every evening in the main room and Dan has about a half-dozen instruments hanging on the wall. Guests are encouraged to take one down and join in. You never know who will take part but the joy of playing together is palpable. In fact, our nightly little jam sessions have become the highlight of my times at the Lodge. I will continue to make the journey out there as long as I can.
Closer to home, about a year or so ago a local guitarist and his wife (mandolin and fiddle are her instruments, which she plays very well) developed an open mic night at a local bar/restaurant. Its popularity grew very quickly. So much so in fact that a week or so ago the final open mic was held - the place has been sold and apparently the new owners don’t want it to happen anymore. Manny and Linda are searching for a new location so all is not lost. Well, last week Manny welcomed just about everyone who lives locally and have played “Manny’s Open Mic” over the last year to come on down for The Last Waltz - and show up they did! My grandchildren were visiting and almost eight-year old Clara and I knew we HAD to take part. She and I have been performing together since she was a little over 3 years old, and if there is one thing that Clara loves more than anything else, it is performing. Dance classes, singing along with every song her mom puts on the car radio, drama, you name it, she is truly remarkable (said the overindulgent and proud Papa) and her younger sister Adeline has a remarkably good ear. Clara and I did one of Manny’s open mics last winter and she was a huge hit. So much so that according to what Manny told me later, seeing Clara’s performance helped his own granddaughter get up the nerve to play a few songs on her flute and recorder. She too was a big hit.
I had texted Manny earlier that we were hoping to do a couple songs and after viewing the assembled masses outside and inside he was kind enough to put us second on the list of performers, which judging by the number of guitar cases being bumped through the audience was a very good thing.
Manny’s granddaughter and a few of her friends went on first. The days of Clara and I doing “The Itsy-bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus” are long gone. Her mom (our daughter Joanna) texted me about a month ago that Clara had heard and would love to do a song called “Clara Bow” for obvious reasons. That song is by……Taylor Swift (!). Now, I respect TS for all she’s done but I don’t often (OK, never) receive requests for her songs but hey, if my Clara wants to do a TS song, so it shall be! We rehearsed it many times before its debut. Not that Clara needed much rehearsal; as with an astounding number of songs she had memorized the lyrics after listening to the original twice (!!). We opened with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” which we’ve done many times and then went into “Clara Bow.” She absolutely nailed it. The reaction of the listeners was enthusiastic, to say the least. And the smile on her face is forever burned into my memory. Thanks Manny, you helped this old guitar banger and his precious granddaughter have a moment neither of us will ever forget.
What is the point here? All the above were “life lessons” for me, important parts of my rediscovery of just why I play music. It’s the music itself of course and the way it makes me feel and being able to observe the joy it brings others as they create music, regardless of how simple and unadorned it may be. But more than anything it’s the way music helps us connect as human beings in this troubled world. I can’t think of anything else that does this in such a wonderful way.
Peace & good music,
Gene
It’s a bit daunting to think back through my musical adventures since I last posted but a few stick out in my mind. The one that has been the most gratifying is a tweak in my overall outlook on playing music with others. That tweak has produced some musical moments I will never forget.
This may sound a bit strange or even somewhat egotistical but if you are a professional musician one of the unwritten laws is that you should always endeavor to play with musicians who are on your “level,” whatever the heck that means. Why? Because playing with those types will help you progress and challenge you to be more analytical about your playing. It is also a great way to add to your repertoire and maybe learn some new tricks or approaches to stuff you already know.
This does happen, for sure. Nothing like a bit of a slap musically speaking to regain your focus and switch off the autopilot that sometimes controls your playing. I’ve written in the past about the relative merits of the conjunction of ego and ability and how it affects what you play and even how you conduct your life on a larger level. I think for the most part ego gratification is NOT a good thing when it comes to playing music with others. It’s almost always men who let their ego rule how they approach playing any musical instrument. No surprise there, ladies. Right?
Some of the best musicians I know or have played with - the truly great ones - are universally modest about their music and ability. They are always ready to listen to their others and in their world, there are no stupid questions. But in my experience anyway, go back one tier to those who are very, very good but not great and you’ll sometimes find this is where ego can overwhelm whatever skill they may possess. I strongly suspect this is the way it’s always been. Those second-tier players are easy to spot. They are disdainful of anyone who uses anything less than the very best guitar money can buy. They watch and listen to other musicians with a thinly disguised smirk on their faces.
Now, how does this affect me? Well, in recent years it all has to do with not showcasing my own abilities, such as they are, to other players. In the last couple of years I’ve witnessed or taken part in some wonderfully gratifying music-making with players who may have only known a few chords; some were even severely challenged while trying to tune up. I’m totally embarrassed to say this but there was a time not so long ago that I would have viewed playing with these types of guitarists as a total waste of time. But as Hank sang: “I saw the Light.”
What changed? Well, for one thing I’ve finally understood - and accepted - a really basic fact. Recreational players want to play songs they are familiar with. And if they’re fortunate enough to have friends or loved ones who encourage their musical passion….even better! Some of the questions I always ask new students is are: How important was music in a general sense in their families as they were growing up? Did they play any other instruments at a young age? Did their parents or other relations?
I absolutely believe the answers to those questions play a much, much bigger part than they might realize in how they approach music and their capacity to learn. These days I only teach adults; just why this is has a somewhat complicated answer that is worthy of a blog post all by itself, so for now I’ll hold onto that and dig into it in a later post. I often get raw beginners who will say something to the effect of: “No, in my house it was all about sports. There just wasn’t the time to devote to learning to play a musical instrument. There was always another practice or game to be part of and to my parents (especially my dad) the idea of missing one of those things was unconscionable. Spending a half-hour trying to subdue a clarinet or a trumpet that seemed to only want to emit high volume squeaks can be very discouraging. And emptying the “spit valve” was downright disgusting!”
There are certainly thousands upon thousands of people who did (and still do) manage to combine competitive team sports with the serious study of a musical instrument. Do they have some personal super-power I failed to realize?
A dear friend of mine from way back in my college days was here for a visit recently along with his wife. Frank and I have maintained a close and wonderful friendship for all those years. He is truly a lover of music and has played mandolin for decades. In the last few years he has focused on harmonica and his skills have advanced very quickly. Frank is a member of a weekly jam session in his small town in the hills in Pennsylvania and he absolutely LOVES being able to play with others, regardless of the music that is played. He has told me time and time again just how important that experience is to him. New friendships have developed and both he and his wife Darlene have gotten to know people who they may not have met if not for the shared musical experience.
Over the years he’s been playing with those folks he makes it very clear that he might have given up on playing music if not for his group. I love seeing him so happy when he plays. Oh, and one more thing. Frank is blind.
Last month I went out to Wyoming for my annual trout fishing trip. I always stay at the wonderful Copperline Lodge in Saratoga. The fishing, scenery and vibe there are beyond amazing. But every year one aspect of my trips has become more and more important and gratifying. My friend and owner of the Lodge, Dan Pont and I play together every evening in the main room and Dan has about a half-dozen instruments hanging on the wall. Guests are encouraged to take one down and join in. You never know who will take part but the joy of playing together is palpable. In fact, our nightly little jam sessions have become the highlight of my times at the Lodge. I will continue to make the journey out there as long as I can.
Closer to home, about a year or so ago a local guitarist and his wife (mandolin and fiddle are her instruments, which she plays very well) developed an open mic night at a local bar/restaurant. Its popularity grew very quickly. So much so in fact that a week or so ago the final open mic was held - the place has been sold and apparently the new owners don’t want it to happen anymore. Manny and Linda are searching for a new location so all is not lost. Well, last week Manny welcomed just about everyone who lives locally and have played “Manny’s Open Mic” over the last year to come on down for The Last Waltz - and show up they did! My grandchildren were visiting and almost eight-year old Clara and I knew we HAD to take part. She and I have been performing together since she was a little over 3 years old, and if there is one thing that Clara loves more than anything else, it is performing. Dance classes, singing along with every song her mom puts on the car radio, drama, you name it, she is truly remarkable (said the overindulgent and proud Papa) and her younger sister Adeline has a remarkably good ear. Clara and I did one of Manny’s open mics last winter and she was a huge hit. So much so that according to what Manny told me later, seeing Clara’s performance helped his own granddaughter get up the nerve to play a few songs on her flute and recorder. She too was a big hit.
I had texted Manny earlier that we were hoping to do a couple songs and after viewing the assembled masses outside and inside he was kind enough to put us second on the list of performers, which judging by the number of guitar cases being bumped through the audience was a very good thing.
Manny’s granddaughter and a few of her friends went on first. The days of Clara and I doing “The Itsy-bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus” are long gone. Her mom (our daughter Joanna) texted me about a month ago that Clara had heard and would love to do a song called “Clara Bow” for obvious reasons. That song is by……Taylor Swift (!). Now, I respect TS for all she’s done but I don’t often (OK, never) receive requests for her songs but hey, if my Clara wants to do a TS song, so it shall be! We rehearsed it many times before its debut. Not that Clara needed much rehearsal; as with an astounding number of songs she had memorized the lyrics after listening to the original twice (!!). We opened with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” which we’ve done many times and then went into “Clara Bow.” She absolutely nailed it. The reaction of the listeners was enthusiastic, to say the least. And the smile on her face is forever burned into my memory. Thanks Manny, you helped this old guitar banger and his precious granddaughter have a moment neither of us will ever forget.
What is the point here? All the above were “life lessons” for me, important parts of my rediscovery of just why I play music. It’s the music itself of course and the way it makes me feel and being able to observe the joy it brings others as they create music, regardless of how simple and unadorned it may be. But more than anything it’s the way music helps us connect as human beings in this troubled world. I can’t think of anything else that does this in such a wonderful way.
Peace & good music,
Gene
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