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Looper's Delight
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on 2/12/05 2:57 PM, hazard factor at artists@hazardfactor.com wrote: > I tend to perform solo or with my band at many venues where the music is > not why people are there. Musicians are 'trained' that if you play and >you > finish, people are supposed to clap, right? If not, at least a few >people in > the audience either feel 'obligated' (that is what you are supposed to > do/that is what the performer expects) or they feel weird being the >'leader > of the clap' (that sounds obscene). > > Being that the music is 'ambient' (not a category, but an adjective), I >skip > over this whole performer/audience obligation thingy and *never stop*. >Well, > at least till the set is over. Then I stop, and don't wait for applause, >I > turn the equipment off. If people like it, they will buy a cd. Or come >and > say Hi. I know if I play badly, or if I am having a good night, and >these > gigs don't lend themselves to this 'external validation' anyway. Most > musicians thrive on this, however, and maybe that is where the >frustration > sets in- the 'look at me, even if I am not the reason you are here- LOOK >AT > ME, DAMMIT! I am demanding some kind of acknowledgment that all this >money > spent on all this equipment and time learning to use it and all those >scales > and did you here that solo in the 3rd song and man, am I cool! Don't you > understand what I am doing?? This is all live!! Sheesh!' > > I am sure I have been there too, but it really sucks felling that way. > Interesting discussion. > > Dave Eichenberger > http://www.hazardfactor.com > > > > very interesting... when playing straight money gigs (or in situations when im not sure if anyone will notice what ive spent my life trying to perfect)...i like using the "Virtual Audience" technique for inspiring quality performances--- RECORD IT! whether a minidisc or an MBox- this insures that if you dash off one of the sweetest performances ever-- someone will hear it-- on your next record or a download you toss to the masses. this also gives you incentive to do yer best even though the payoff (feeling of worth) is put off to the future. the first time i heard the solo version of "Two Days Old" by the wonderful Michael Hedges, i was shocked to hear the thunderous applause at its finish. Hedges mastered the art of focused energy. sound quality/reverberation issues aside, i think its a good sign when its hard to tell if youre going nuts on stage or going nuts behind glass (hence the term "...but you should see 'em live"). obviously, the hardest thing in (looping) electronic music is capturing the energy of multiple humans playing together. listening to a studio recording of Canadian trio the New Deal makes me want to jump off the ceiling...quite a sweet DJ simulation. turns out the initial tracks are all live from the board--- then tweaked later. this also allows the energy from each dancer on the floor to contribute to the "feel". i know this is all obvious to the Loopers in this group, but i just got tired of lurking. im also attempting live-loop remixes of some of my former bands tunes. the notes/beats are no sweat-- but supplying the energy of the whole band is a challenge im to deep into to abandon at this point. cool topic. arge