Re: another survey (wasRe: OT, but getting close to not-OT: guitar/sax improv sessions)

["Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>]

Great topic.

> Which brings me to a topic I've been wondering about lately:
>
> 1) how many people on the list do solo non looping gigs?

I've only done a few, but in the broad jazz genre, I've found this to be 
the
most challenging performance setting. Sure, I can play contemporary style
and folk style for hours and hours, but playing solo jazz, no looping, is
not an easy thing to do.

> 2) "the beauty of the single not line" - how many guitar players/  
>players 
> of multitimbral instruments can do an improv. gig using only  single 
>note 
> lines and hold an audiences attention? for how long?

Single notes only? I could do that indefinitely...and I think I could hold
an audiences attention...everything from quoting modern and class standard
heads to improvising my own lines.

> 3) if you're not comfortable doing this, is that because of  preference 
> (ie: vertical vs. linear hearing)?  Being raised on a  particular 
> instrument?  Or did you gravitate towards your preferred  instrument due 
> to how you hear things?

I find adding chordal improvisation to this to be even more challenging on
the guitar. For instance, if you use Joe Pass's solo approach as a 
standard,
I can maybe to that for, eh, three jazz standards? If were are talking free
improvisation, I can do that indefinitely with chords and melody 
intertwined,
but it is still a challenging thing. You really have to have a command of 
your
instrument and harmony to pull this off.

Kris