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Looper's Delight
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Hi all, Here's some more random thoughts as I've continued to read this thread and appreciate the various points of view that different posters are brining to it. Warning -- random, spontaneous firing of synapses while seated in front of a computer follows . . . Honestly -- practice, rehearse, perform -- I do all three of these things rather sporadically and infrequently these days. There are a lot of reasons for this but they all can be summed in two basic reasons: (1) "Life" mostly, and more sadly; (2) A general lack of self-discipline. Nothing more and nothing less. But it was not always so. There was a long period extending from when I first took up the guitar at age 10 up until about 15 years ago that I played almost daily. It was a matter of learning the instrument and trying to locate my own voice on it in a mix of crazy influences. No other "science" was applied other than just spending a lot of time noodling -- developing finger dexterity to some extent and learning by a trial-and-error process what worked (for me) when different musical ideas/sounds/textures/colors were juxtaposed, and trying to absorb and assimilate as many new and disparate ideas and get them "under my fingers" as possible. You could call this a rather longish period of "research and development" so-to-speak. During all of this time I often didn't even know what I was working towards. But I knew I was WORKING TOWARDS SOMETHING. Beginning 15 years ago it began to dawn on me (a little) what I was WORKING TOWARDS. It was still dim and hazy, but it was gradually becoming more apparent. About that time I began doing the 100% improvised thing a lot more deliberately. Looping helped because I was working alone for the most part. I began to do gigs more than once a year. I also began to realize I wanted to play with other musicians -- feeling that my playing solo to my own loops was largely masturbatory (if not done in front of an audience or in conjunction with other performers). So I began to try to deliberately pick out some sort of musical vocabulary from the audible culture washing around me. One of my favorite practices was to wait till the wife and kids were in bed and play unplugged to whatever music or pictures were on the television. A lot of folks do this but it helped me a lot: (1) In preparing me to play with other people; (2) In being able to respond to the moment; (3) In learning some of the common musical "vernacular" (4) In learning to fit in -- or subvert -- in a variety of situations; (5) And in learning when "less is more" and when MORE is more. I practiced like this nearly every night that I possibly could. I got better quickly and began to play and circulate in a broader current of other musicians. For a while I felt as if I'd found my "tribe" as it were -- and my style, my voice and my stride as it were happened quite quickly. Life was good. 5 and 1/2 years ago I moved to the boondocks of Southern Oregon for family and financial reasons and lost all that. There is largely no place to play and no one to play with were I now reside (at least not in terms of the music I want to do). I realize now that I sort of lost the sense of what I was WORKING TOWARDS in the move -- and now it is a great struggle to motivate myself to practice or rehearse. It's because there is no longer any performance connected to it. I'll even spend as much as 6 months away from my instrument at times (not touching it at all for 2 whole seasons) and upon hearing that an old member of my "tribe" is passing through town I'll spend as much as a month "boning up" to be good enough to jam or play with them. Its pathetic. I'm ashamed of myself. There was one noticeable exception. A couple of years ago I was (for all intents and purposes) unemployed for about 6+ months. But, in trade for some graphic work I'd done for them I was given an "IOU" for couple of half-day sessions in a commercial post-production and audio recording studio whenever I wanted. For the rest of those 6 months I practiced as one possessed. Again I had something to WORK TOWARDS. When I got to my 2 consecutive afternoons in the studio I hit the ground running. I ripped one track after another of totally spontaneous material in a fashion that had both the engineer and I both going "Wow! Where'd THAT come from?" I left the place feeling as if I were 10 feet tall and my feet were floating 6 inches off the ground. Life was good again. It remains so too as long as I continue to remind myself that I have an aim and a direction. Often I forget . . . but that's another story. Why am I writing all of this? Well . . . I suppose it is to say that for the "practice, rehearse, perform" thread -- it helps to have a GOAL and know what you're WORKING TOWARDS. Gee, that was simple wasn't it. Even though I still do not practice as much as I probably should (though I DO TRY to practice as much as I CAN) I've discovered something important about myself and the process of making music (for me). To practice effectively (I guess for "rehearsal" it's a "given") it's important to have a GOAL and have it firmly fixed in your mind. Have something you're WORKING TOWARDS and it will be more meaningful (in my experience) and have more motivation. Nothing makes me practice harder than knowing I have to be in front of an audience on a given date (like a student working up to a recital). I wish I had a better "internal" motivation -- I suppose it's a character flaw -- but most of the distractions I have at age 49 (owning my own business, parenting 3 growing sons, living in a considerate, sharing, affectionate fashion with my mate, and trying to be a decent "neighbor" and human being) are mostly unavoidable ones -- I could and probably should sit and watch less TV though . . . hehehe. Anywho, I may never be so practiced that my music becomes "effortless," nor be able to add any fancy dance steps to my routine, nor add any other aspect of performance "theatricality" to my presentation. It just isn't "in me" I don't think. But I HAVE stopped drooling on my instrument -- I guess that's an improvement some might appreciate . . . :-) Best regards, tEd ® kiLLiAn http://www.mp3s.com/tedkillian http://www.pfmentum.com/flux.htm http://www.mp3.com/Ophelia_Pancake PS: What I was WORKING TOWARDS back in the early and middle periods of development was becoming an active participant in music (as opposed to a merely passive one) . . . becoming a musician. I suppose, to some extent, I have achieved THAT goal. Now my goal is becoming a better one . . . an "artist" if you will. I know I'm not there yet . . . and maybe I never will be. But that's my goal now.