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

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

>>> 2) "the beauty of the single note 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?

The interesting thing for me is that my wife likes my playing best when I 
just
sit down on the couch with my acoustic guitar and freely improvise...the 
simpler
(even single line notes) the better.  All the complex, textured looping 
material I
do doesn't touch her in the same way. I find this to be the case with most 
of my
non-musician contacts. They can only consume so much.  When it comes to my
own listening, as well, I tend to like the more simple approaches. I 
really 
like to
listen to Bach's Partitas for solo violin. It's so pure and simple...but 
also emotionally
complex. Playing single line notes on one's instrument is sort of like the 
speaking
voice. If you can carry on a conversation with your instrument, without 
resorting
to having 6 voices speaking at the same time, and still say something 
meaningful
to your audience, then that is quite an accomplishment in my opinion.

Kris