Age's November 2015 Ramble
Whistle!
Amen or "Oh Me!"
Ever hear a preacher tell the congregation to say: "Amen" or "Oh Me" ? It's just the way preachers will say that whether or not you agree with what he just said; it's still true.
Here's one for you: Do you whistle? If not, start! Your "whistle" is your best instrument! It's way better than your harmonica, because it's hardwired directly into your true, present musical creativity, regardless of the quality of your whistling tone or articulation skills.You can't fake your musical ability with your whistle. You can't add digital effects in your noggin to make your whistling sound better. Whistling is our personal, brutally honest "Simon Cowell" about how good we really are without written music or back-up tracks. Unless you're a great vocalist, your whistle is the absolute apex of your musical ability. It holds your best timing, creativity and phrasing, even if your whistling tone leaves a lot to be desired. Your whistle is completely unhindered by, and oblivious to, the stuff that drives harmonica players crazy, so we're without excuses. Our "whistle" is our absolute personal, custom made Stradivarius.
Here's an off the wall the example: Next time you get out of the shower, loose the towel, totally relax every muscle in your glorious naked body, and look at yourself in a full length mirror. WYSIWYG! More accurately, WYSIWYI: "What You See Is What You Is! :) Sure we could suck it all in, put our shoulders back, tip our pelvis, and tighten every muscle in our bodies, but that only lasts a few seconds, and then we "Slouch" back to the reality of what we really are. A new reality can of course be obtained with some exercise. (well actually a lot of exercise :) Then, adding dietary and lifestyle changes which, depending on our age and health factors, can sometimes allow us to be that guy we "pumped up" in the mirror, but the reality is that the majority of us will always be that guy above just after he dropped the towel; like we are right now. ;o) Alas! It's only real, if its still it's there while you're not even trying to make it happen.
Whistling is like that. Our whistling ability is an absolutely reliable, real time window to our M.Q. "Musical Quotient" like looking in that mirror when we're relaxed. We don't have to suck anything in to fool ourselves, just whistle. Any melody, phrasing, improvisation we are able to whistle (or even almost whistle, if we don't whistle well) will NEVER exceed our total MQ (or musical potential would be another good way to describe it.) At any given time, you're only as good as your whistle. Fooling yourself to think otherwise, is holding your stomach in, and taking a selfie to post on the internet!
Working on a construction job back in my twenties, I was whistling a tune. The guys on the crew knew I played harmonica. This old black guy named London asked me: "But can ya PLAY dat same "stuff" you whistlin' on dat mouth organ of yours?" After thinking about it a bit, it made me feel like a total amateur cuz I had to say: "Nope!" It still makes me feel that way! Whistling has a way of humbling us :o) We all whistle several times better than we play, (that's the law) and our whistling abilities will automatically improve in geometric proportions to our instrumental abilities, so it will always be better. (that's another law) Whistling is simply a great example of "plan and design." Knowing this, I'm personally attempting to use my whistling (which is pretty good BTW) to further my instrumental abilities, rather than settle for the comfort level automatically afforded me by any instrument I happen to be playing.
Go on! Give it a shot!
And Make a Joyful Noise!
@ge
Ever hear a preacher tell the congregation to say: "Amen" or "Oh Me" ? It's just the way preachers will say that whether or not you agree with what he just said; it's still true.
Here's one for you: Do you whistle? If not, start! Your "whistle" is your best instrument! It's way better than your harmonica, because it's hardwired directly into your true, present musical creativity, regardless of the quality of your whistling tone or articulation skills.You can't fake your musical ability with your whistle. You can't add digital effects in your noggin to make your whistling sound better. Whistling is our personal, brutally honest "Simon Cowell" about how good we really are without written music or back-up tracks. Unless you're a great vocalist, your whistle is the absolute apex of your musical ability. It holds your best timing, creativity and phrasing, even if your whistling tone leaves a lot to be desired. Your whistle is completely unhindered by, and oblivious to, the stuff that drives harmonica players crazy, so we're without excuses. Our "whistle" is our absolute personal, custom made Stradivarius.
Here's an off the wall the example: Next time you get out of the shower, loose the towel, totally relax every muscle in your glorious naked body, and look at yourself in a full length mirror. WYSIWYG! More accurately, WYSIWYI: "What You See Is What You Is! :) Sure we could suck it all in, put our shoulders back, tip our pelvis, and tighten every muscle in our bodies, but that only lasts a few seconds, and then we "Slouch" back to the reality of what we really are. A new reality can of course be obtained with some exercise. (well actually a lot of exercise :) Then, adding dietary and lifestyle changes which, depending on our age and health factors, can sometimes allow us to be that guy we "pumped up" in the mirror, but the reality is that the majority of us will always be that guy above just after he dropped the towel; like we are right now. ;o) Alas! It's only real, if its still it's there while you're not even trying to make it happen.
Whistling is like that. Our whistling ability is an absolutely reliable, real time window to our M.Q. "Musical Quotient" like looking in that mirror when we're relaxed. We don't have to suck anything in to fool ourselves, just whistle. Any melody, phrasing, improvisation we are able to whistle (or even almost whistle, if we don't whistle well) will NEVER exceed our total MQ (or musical potential would be another good way to describe it.) At any given time, you're only as good as your whistle. Fooling yourself to think otherwise, is holding your stomach in, and taking a selfie to post on the internet!
Working on a construction job back in my twenties, I was whistling a tune. The guys on the crew knew I played harmonica. This old black guy named London asked me: "But can ya PLAY dat same "stuff" you whistlin' on dat mouth organ of yours?" After thinking about it a bit, it made me feel like a total amateur cuz I had to say: "Nope!" It still makes me feel that way! Whistling has a way of humbling us :o) We all whistle several times better than we play, (that's the law) and our whistling abilities will automatically improve in geometric proportions to our instrumental abilities, so it will always be better. (that's another law) Whistling is simply a great example of "plan and design." Knowing this, I'm personally attempting to use my whistling (which is pretty good BTW) to further my instrumental abilities, rather than settle for the comfort level automatically afforded me by any instrument I happen to be playing.
Go on! Give it a shot!
And Make a Joyful Noise!
@ge
Age's August 2015 Ramble
Be Yourself!
I'm slowly (and even so, it's still it's a treat) evolving as a "musician." Yeah, why not! If I can't call myself a musician after over sixty years of playing, I'm either a lunatic or a musician, and I ain't no lunatic! Honest! :o) I realize that I don't "listen to" (as in study) any of the "Jazz Greats" that most musicians know all about. (Heck, I don't even know their names!) Like I mentioned the other day; I don't have a favorite Muddy Waters album cuz I can honestly say that I never even knew who Muddy Waters was! Same thing with Chet Baker or Coletrain or any of them for that matter. Don't know what they look like, or how they play. Howzatt? (Heck, I only know the names cuz I heard you guys talking about them) So as an aficionado, I'm as ignorant as a stump! Now, I can recognize Toots when I hear him as well others who try to sound like him. Somehow, I'm sure Toots never tried to sound like anyone. I recently heard a disk jockey mention that Nat King Cole was a great jazz musician, so I listened to some of his keyboard work. The guy was right; he was good, but I never would have known it on my own.
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I seldom ever listen to jazz on purpose; if it shows up on my local "OFRS" (Old Farts Radio Station) I listen to it, if not; I really don't go looking for it. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm bad! However, even with that shortcoming, I'm starting to see what I can only describe as "jazz" progress when I just noodle around, in spite of the fact that I don't "study" anyone. Yeah, I know it will take longer, but up till now I didn't think I'd ever get it at all, so the fact that it's starting to click at 70+ years is quite a thrill. Hopefully, before I croak I'll be a "better than an entry level" jazz player, but the real satisfaction for me is that what folks who care to listen, hear will be all me, and I can live with that. I think we all could.
Take your time. No one has a gun to your head. One of the flat-out best (no, not the easiest) things you can do is to get away from the ball and chain of the tonic key (the one stamped on your Chromatic) I now realize that until I "launched out into the deep" a couple years ago, I never really went anywhere. Whatta zippo! I'm now convinced that you'll never even scratch your potential till you take off the training wheels and challenge yourself, and that's when the magic starts to happen.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I seldom ever listen to jazz on purpose; if it shows up on my local "OFRS" (Old Farts Radio Station) I listen to it, if not; I really don't go looking for it. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm bad! However, even with that shortcoming, I'm starting to see what I can only describe as "jazz" progress when I just noodle around, in spite of the fact that I don't "study" anyone. Yeah, I know it will take longer, but up till now I didn't think I'd ever get it at all, so the fact that it's starting to click at 70+ years is quite a thrill. Hopefully, before I croak I'll be a "better than an entry level" jazz player, but the real satisfaction for me is that what folks who care to listen, hear will be all me, and I can live with that. I think we all could.
Take your time. No one has a gun to your head. One of the flat-out best (no, not the easiest) things you can do is to get away from the ball and chain of the tonic key (the one stamped on your Chromatic) I now realize that until I "launched out into the deep" a couple years ago, I never really went anywhere. Whatta zippo! I'm now convinced that you'll never even scratch your potential till you take off the training wheels and challenge yourself, and that's when the magic starts to happen.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
Age's May 2015 Ramble
Peaking at your Personal Playing Pinnacle!
A while back, we discussed a great subject called "The Gift" and it led to a question of developing our talents. So, whaddyathink? Is there a limit to how good we can get ?
I'm sure that the time ~must~ come for many, when we will peak out. I remember hearing Perry Como sing back in the 90's and felt bad, to hear that smooth, silky voice was all but gone as age took it's toll.
I believe that there is a time when we will stop but that is still no reason to stop. Unlike our abilities, our individual levels of "enjoyment" have no "cap" and therefore can continue to develop after we've peaked, musically. Once we've peaked, musically (the energy we put into getting better gets channeled into "enjoyment." This transition happens in the background and we don't even know it has happened. All we know is that we begin enjoying ourselves more than we used to. Make no mistake; this is a good thing!
Too many people think they can never really enjoy an instrument till they become a "world class" player. Nonsense! Let's face it, there are plenty of players with astounding talent that you and I will never hear, or even about. While that may not be "fair," it is the way things are, and realizing that fact is half the battle. When we realize that we may never make it to Carnegie Hall, we just may begin to play for another reason: the fun of it.
Some folks just take themselves too seriously and as such, are "bad witnesses." Reminds me of a sermon illustration: An un-exciting guy was telling another guy that he should start coming to his church. The other guy said: "No thanx! I'm afraid it'll do to me what it's done to you!" One of the first things we notice about folks around us, is the amount of joy they carry around with them; it's easy too, because so few show any nowadays.
I've seen older players at conventions who were far from professional and yet they had no second thoughts about getting up at an open mike platform right after an obviously better player finished.
Did they think they sounded anywhere near as good as the player they followed? Nope!
Did you think they care? Nah!
Did they allow themselves to be intimidated by the talent that preceded them? Not a chance!
Did they have a good time? Absolutely!
I listen to them, for the same reason they like to play. I enjoy seeing folks having a good time. If you have a hard time listening to these guys and enjoying it, my guess is that you dislike the style of music they are playing (which you’re allowed to do) On the other hand, you just may take yourself too seriously. Lemme help out here: "You ain't that hot yourself!" Deal with that for a while! (We’ll talk about that one another time :))
These guys and gals have discovered the secret; and it works just like “forgiveness.” When we finally ~really~ forgive someone that hurt us, we realize that doing so actually lifted the burden from US; not the offending party. When we play for enjoyment, the "perfection burden" (all just vanity based, by the way) is lifted and we play for the sheer joy of playing. This happens (or at least should happen) automatically right after we think we’ve gotten as good as we're ever gunna get; the pressure is off and we just start to “enjoy.” It's a lot of fun and actually can be done at any time, but because of our nature, the attitude usually has to sneak up on us later in years. Too bad too, cuz it cheats us out of a lot of fun. Now, here’s the kicker: This is the ~only~ element that has the potential of allowing us to improve after we think we've maxed out musically.
Freedom, many times has the ability to accomplish what bondage could never do.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
I'm sure that the time ~must~ come for many, when we will peak out. I remember hearing Perry Como sing back in the 90's and felt bad, to hear that smooth, silky voice was all but gone as age took it's toll.
I believe that there is a time when we will stop but that is still no reason to stop. Unlike our abilities, our individual levels of "enjoyment" have no "cap" and therefore can continue to develop after we've peaked, musically. Once we've peaked, musically (the energy we put into getting better gets channeled into "enjoyment." This transition happens in the background and we don't even know it has happened. All we know is that we begin enjoying ourselves more than we used to. Make no mistake; this is a good thing!
Too many people think they can never really enjoy an instrument till they become a "world class" player. Nonsense! Let's face it, there are plenty of players with astounding talent that you and I will never hear, or even about. While that may not be "fair," it is the way things are, and realizing that fact is half the battle. When we realize that we may never make it to Carnegie Hall, we just may begin to play for another reason: the fun of it.
Some folks just take themselves too seriously and as such, are "bad witnesses." Reminds me of a sermon illustration: An un-exciting guy was telling another guy that he should start coming to his church. The other guy said: "No thanx! I'm afraid it'll do to me what it's done to you!" One of the first things we notice about folks around us, is the amount of joy they carry around with them; it's easy too, because so few show any nowadays.
I've seen older players at conventions who were far from professional and yet they had no second thoughts about getting up at an open mike platform right after an obviously better player finished.
Did they think they sounded anywhere near as good as the player they followed? Nope!
Did you think they care? Nah!
Did they allow themselves to be intimidated by the talent that preceded them? Not a chance!
Did they have a good time? Absolutely!
I listen to them, for the same reason they like to play. I enjoy seeing folks having a good time. If you have a hard time listening to these guys and enjoying it, my guess is that you dislike the style of music they are playing (which you’re allowed to do) On the other hand, you just may take yourself too seriously. Lemme help out here: "You ain't that hot yourself!" Deal with that for a while! (We’ll talk about that one another time :))
These guys and gals have discovered the secret; and it works just like “forgiveness.” When we finally ~really~ forgive someone that hurt us, we realize that doing so actually lifted the burden from US; not the offending party. When we play for enjoyment, the "perfection burden" (all just vanity based, by the way) is lifted and we play for the sheer joy of playing. This happens (or at least should happen) automatically right after we think we’ve gotten as good as we're ever gunna get; the pressure is off and we just start to “enjoy.” It's a lot of fun and actually can be done at any time, but because of our nature, the attitude usually has to sneak up on us later in years. Too bad too, cuz it cheats us out of a lot of fun. Now, here’s the kicker: This is the ~only~ element that has the potential of allowing us to improve after we think we've maxed out musically.
Freedom, many times has the ability to accomplish what bondage could never do.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
Age's April 2015 Ramble
Nobodie's Perfeckt!
Oh oh! Hang on. Here comes an opinion piece. :o
I use to be a perfectionist,. Really! But realizing there's no such thing as perfect. (not on earth anyway) All trying to be perfect did for me was cheat me out of a lot of fun I would have otherwise had. The longer I live, the less justification I see for perfectionism; it's just vanity, period! While I certainly don't believe in being a slob, neither can I believe anyone is, or for that matter can be perfect. The truth is: Nothing is perfectly flat, perfectly round or perfectly anything. You just may have to look, or listen a little closer, but imperfections (mistakes) are always gunna be there. Besides, too perfect, and we call it midi! That's why they had to create algorithms that add the "human factor" (AKA little mistakes)
Heck, when we think about it, phrasing is nothing more that "controlled imperfection!" (selah) Now, Toots is a hero to a lot of us. Why? He's the personification of the term: "phrasing." A few years ago, I heard the mighty little Tootster blow a couple "farkles" in a concert, here in Cleveland. I'll never forget it. He just laughed and kept playing. He was enjoying himself, and everyone there enjoyed the concert as well.
Perfectionists tend to be lonely isolationists, who never smile and have few (if any) friends, simply cuz they're scared to death to be seen as human. Sad, ain't it?
When I was a kid, there was this older guy we used to call "the French guy." No one knew whether or not he was he was actually French, cuz he wouldn't even answer a friendly "Hello" from the rest of the skaters at the old Woodland Hills skating pond on Cleveland's east side. All us dumb kids just assumed he was French because he wore a beret' cocked on the side of his head. He was a marvelous figure skater; smooth as glass. Although he never even tried the spins, camel hops and stuff I could do without falling (8 or 9 times out of ten) he just gracefully glided around with his long black coat, beret, and hands clasped behind his back in his fancy black leather gloves, doing elegant figure 8's anywhere he wanted. When he came near, everyone went somewhere else cuz we were more or less intimidated by his mysterious greatness; that is until the day old Frenchie fell! Yep! His butt the ice like ton of bricks! (pretty much like we did every forty seconds) Everyone stopped skating! It was so quiet, we could hear the snowflakes hitting the ice! The mighty master had fallen! Gasp!!! He immediately got up and angrily examined the ice at the point at which he had taken the history making butt buster, made as though he was picking up some little speck of debris that obviously caused him to fall. When he looked up, he saw everyone had stopped skating and were looking at him. Last I saw of him was his backside covered with snow (like the rest of us) as he skated off the pond. We never saw Frenchie again. His image was blown and his ego couldn't handle it. Too bad! Thinking back, we never really missed him either, but that's a whole 'nother subject.
I had a ball doing all those spins, camel hops and jumps and stuff. I also fell a lot. So what! Whatever we allow to stifle the fun also stifles the learning. (and we never quit learning) I may be totally whacked here, but I sincerely believe having fun is one of the best ways to improve ones playing. Sure, get good at what you do, but agonizing over perfection will (in the long run) only make you bitter, insteadda better, lonely, hard to live with and may even cause health problems.
Since dumping the "perfectionist" bit, I'm playing better now than any time in my life and having more fun doing so. Am I perfect? Whatteryou, nuts? Ha Ha! No! and I never will be. Those who look for perfection are slaves to folks like Broadway, movie and restaurant critics, who's ONLY talent is to look down their noses at folks who at least try to do the stuff those critics couldn't do on the best day of their lives with a gun held to their heads.
Have fun, Don't take yourself too seriously! (no one else does)
and of course,
Make a Joyful noise!
@ge
I use to be a perfectionist,. Really! But realizing there's no such thing as perfect. (not on earth anyway) All trying to be perfect did for me was cheat me out of a lot of fun I would have otherwise had. The longer I live, the less justification I see for perfectionism; it's just vanity, period! While I certainly don't believe in being a slob, neither can I believe anyone is, or for that matter can be perfect. The truth is: Nothing is perfectly flat, perfectly round or perfectly anything. You just may have to look, or listen a little closer, but imperfections (mistakes) are always gunna be there. Besides, too perfect, and we call it midi! That's why they had to create algorithms that add the "human factor" (AKA little mistakes)
Heck, when we think about it, phrasing is nothing more that "controlled imperfection!" (selah) Now, Toots is a hero to a lot of us. Why? He's the personification of the term: "phrasing." A few years ago, I heard the mighty little Tootster blow a couple "farkles" in a concert, here in Cleveland. I'll never forget it. He just laughed and kept playing. He was enjoying himself, and everyone there enjoyed the concert as well.
Perfectionists tend to be lonely isolationists, who never smile and have few (if any) friends, simply cuz they're scared to death to be seen as human. Sad, ain't it?
When I was a kid, there was this older guy we used to call "the French guy." No one knew whether or not he was he was actually French, cuz he wouldn't even answer a friendly "Hello" from the rest of the skaters at the old Woodland Hills skating pond on Cleveland's east side. All us dumb kids just assumed he was French because he wore a beret' cocked on the side of his head. He was a marvelous figure skater; smooth as glass. Although he never even tried the spins, camel hops and stuff I could do without falling (8 or 9 times out of ten) he just gracefully glided around with his long black coat, beret, and hands clasped behind his back in his fancy black leather gloves, doing elegant figure 8's anywhere he wanted. When he came near, everyone went somewhere else cuz we were more or less intimidated by his mysterious greatness; that is until the day old Frenchie fell! Yep! His butt the ice like ton of bricks! (pretty much like we did every forty seconds) Everyone stopped skating! It was so quiet, we could hear the snowflakes hitting the ice! The mighty master had fallen! Gasp!!! He immediately got up and angrily examined the ice at the point at which he had taken the history making butt buster, made as though he was picking up some little speck of debris that obviously caused him to fall. When he looked up, he saw everyone had stopped skating and were looking at him. Last I saw of him was his backside covered with snow (like the rest of us) as he skated off the pond. We never saw Frenchie again. His image was blown and his ego couldn't handle it. Too bad! Thinking back, we never really missed him either, but that's a whole 'nother subject.
I had a ball doing all those spins, camel hops and jumps and stuff. I also fell a lot. So what! Whatever we allow to stifle the fun also stifles the learning. (and we never quit learning) I may be totally whacked here, but I sincerely believe having fun is one of the best ways to improve ones playing. Sure, get good at what you do, but agonizing over perfection will (in the long run) only make you bitter, insteadda better, lonely, hard to live with and may even cause health problems.
Since dumping the "perfectionist" bit, I'm playing better now than any time in my life and having more fun doing so. Am I perfect? Whatteryou, nuts? Ha Ha! No! and I never will be. Those who look for perfection are slaves to folks like Broadway, movie and restaurant critics, who's ONLY talent is to look down their noses at folks who at least try to do the stuff those critics couldn't do on the best day of their lives with a gun held to their heads.
Have fun, Don't take yourself too seriously! (no one else does)
and of course,
Make a Joyful noise!
@ge
Age's Monthly Ramble for November 2014
"Practice Practice Practice?!"
Swan 1664-6 "Sleeper"
Other than practice, How does one get to Carnegie Hall?
We've all heard (and even believe) the "Practice practice practice!" line right? But, we also know there's a lot more that has to come into place to ever get to play there. As Slim mentioned, money has a lot to do with it. :o)
Besides the "Big bucks/ filthy lucre / Carnegie Hall" aspect, the name of that particular place has come to be synonymous with greatness, professionalism and accomplishment. Despite that, many of us correctly suspect there are literally thousands of "Carnegie Hall" caliber musicians out there who will never even get to play at the corner pub, much less Carnegie Hall.
The problem is multi-faceted. Speaking of multi-faceted, real diamonds are only distinguishable from new generation Cubic Zirconias by experts with those little eyepieces. The general public (i.e. the consumer - A.K.A. you and I) 99% of the time simply cannot tell the difference. The fact is that there is (and has been) an ongoing effort to protect the diamond industry, simply to keep the price up. Nowadays the only practical way CZ's can't hold their own against real diamonds is in the industrial arena, and even the ugly black ones will do that. CZ's can't cut stone.
If you saw my wife wearing two carat CZ stud earrings; some of you folks would think they're real; only those of you who know I can't even afford to pay attention, would know they had to be fake. Now, put those same earrings on some movie star and NO ONE would even think they were anything but the genuine article. It's the packaging, gang!
How many "CZ musicians" do you suppose are out there, who will never get anywhere? I'm guessing: a lot. I'd even be willing to bet there are a few right here on SlideMeister.
Put some unknown "CZ" type musician in Carnegie Hall, add the hype and hubbub and not only would we be entertained, but be oblivious to the fact that we've been "ripped off." Then again, how could we say we've been ripped off, after being so genuinely entertained? It's the packaging, gang!
Ever see that video with the concert violin player in the subway? Sure you did. The guy was dressed in jeans and a baseball cap and played every bit as skillfully as his best performance at Carnegie Hall, yet no one gave him a thought; walked right by him actually. It's all about perception here. Turns out, we as a species are way too impressed by what others think and don't know something is good until such a time when someone tells us so. Sad, ain't it?
Film critics: Siskel and Ebert (or whoever they are this week) would say a movie was good, when it actually pegged the suckometer and vice versa. It's sad when society blindly grants someone the title of "critic" and allows that person to effectively end someone's career with a single review. It's even sadder when the artist or whover, believes what the critic said. Again, it's what we allow to be that ultimately is.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
We've all heard (and even believe) the "Practice practice practice!" line right? But, we also know there's a lot more that has to come into place to ever get to play there. As Slim mentioned, money has a lot to do with it. :o)
Besides the "Big bucks/ filthy lucre / Carnegie Hall" aspect, the name of that particular place has come to be synonymous with greatness, professionalism and accomplishment. Despite that, many of us correctly suspect there are literally thousands of "Carnegie Hall" caliber musicians out there who will never even get to play at the corner pub, much less Carnegie Hall.
The problem is multi-faceted. Speaking of multi-faceted, real diamonds are only distinguishable from new generation Cubic Zirconias by experts with those little eyepieces. The general public (i.e. the consumer - A.K.A. you and I) 99% of the time simply cannot tell the difference. The fact is that there is (and has been) an ongoing effort to protect the diamond industry, simply to keep the price up. Nowadays the only practical way CZ's can't hold their own against real diamonds is in the industrial arena, and even the ugly black ones will do that. CZ's can't cut stone.
If you saw my wife wearing two carat CZ stud earrings; some of you folks would think they're real; only those of you who know I can't even afford to pay attention, would know they had to be fake. Now, put those same earrings on some movie star and NO ONE would even think they were anything but the genuine article. It's the packaging, gang!
How many "CZ musicians" do you suppose are out there, who will never get anywhere? I'm guessing: a lot. I'd even be willing to bet there are a few right here on SlideMeister.
Put some unknown "CZ" type musician in Carnegie Hall, add the hype and hubbub and not only would we be entertained, but be oblivious to the fact that we've been "ripped off." Then again, how could we say we've been ripped off, after being so genuinely entertained? It's the packaging, gang!
Ever see that video with the concert violin player in the subway? Sure you did. The guy was dressed in jeans and a baseball cap and played every bit as skillfully as his best performance at Carnegie Hall, yet no one gave him a thought; walked right by him actually. It's all about perception here. Turns out, we as a species are way too impressed by what others think and don't know something is good until such a time when someone tells us so. Sad, ain't it?
Film critics: Siskel and Ebert (or whoever they are this week) would say a movie was good, when it actually pegged the suckometer and vice versa. It's sad when society blindly grants someone the title of "critic" and allows that person to effectively end someone's career with a single review. It's even sadder when the artist or whover, believes what the critic said. Again, it's what we allow to be that ultimately is.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
Age's Monthly Ramble for August 2014
"Timing! 'A ticka-ticka-ticka good timing" :o)
I think the fact that the harmonica is a "seat of your pants" type of instrument probably has a lot to say on the subject. Timing is not as much noticed as is the lack thereof. (Just like a missing front tooth :o)
If I had to guess, I'd say the harmonica is probably perceived as one of the most "casual" instrument out there. Most kids take piano lessons at home, brass and woodwind lessons in school and guitar lessons at the local music store, but Harmonica lessons? C'Mon! It's just a stinkin' harmonica! How hard could it be? Because of the "toy" stereotype we all now hate, we must admit that many harmonica players were actually victims of that same stereotype when they started playing.
Since there were no harmonica classes offered in school or at the music store, the natural conclusion is to consider it less that legitimate, and therefore something we could learn by ourselves, without formal training. Turns out we were right, "we actually could learn it by ourselves," and many harmonica players are glowing examples of the "tell-tale" lack of discipline.
I don't read music, but what I remember about basics I heard in elementary school is: the first thing music lessons address is timing, and until the student gets that ingrained the teacher stays on the subject. In contrast, without the timing discipline as a foundation, the first thing the new self taught harmonica player wants to hear is a melody that sounds like a particular number he/she wants to learn. With no teacher there to "wrap knuckles" when they miss or add a beat, the student's timing is way down on the "musical important stuff" list.
All the important stuff in life is built of some sort of foundation. For music, "timing" is as basic a foundation, as the one under your house. No matter how big and fancy your house gets; it's never going to be better than that "un-glamorous" part, buried under the ground that no one sees, and is so difficult and expensive to fix after the house is built. That's why you see old guys in the lobbies at conventions or on you-tube, playing thousand dollar (plus) Chromatics with bad timing.
Amen or "Oh me!"
@ge
If I had to guess, I'd say the harmonica is probably perceived as one of the most "casual" instrument out there. Most kids take piano lessons at home, brass and woodwind lessons in school and guitar lessons at the local music store, but Harmonica lessons? C'Mon! It's just a stinkin' harmonica! How hard could it be? Because of the "toy" stereotype we all now hate, we must admit that many harmonica players were actually victims of that same stereotype when they started playing.
Since there were no harmonica classes offered in school or at the music store, the natural conclusion is to consider it less that legitimate, and therefore something we could learn by ourselves, without formal training. Turns out we were right, "we actually could learn it by ourselves," and many harmonica players are glowing examples of the "tell-tale" lack of discipline.
I don't read music, but what I remember about basics I heard in elementary school is: the first thing music lessons address is timing, and until the student gets that ingrained the teacher stays on the subject. In contrast, without the timing discipline as a foundation, the first thing the new self taught harmonica player wants to hear is a melody that sounds like a particular number he/she wants to learn. With no teacher there to "wrap knuckles" when they miss or add a beat, the student's timing is way down on the "musical important stuff" list.
All the important stuff in life is built of some sort of foundation. For music, "timing" is as basic a foundation, as the one under your house. No matter how big and fancy your house gets; it's never going to be better than that "un-glamorous" part, buried under the ground that no one sees, and is so difficult and expensive to fix after the house is built. That's why you see old guys in the lobbies at conventions or on you-tube, playing thousand dollar (plus) Chromatics with bad timing.
Amen or "Oh me!"
@ge
Age's Monthly Ramble for July 2014
"Sometimes ya gotta wonder"
Tevia from Fiddler saying "Y'know Lord . . . . "
Of course, this is an opinion piece. :o)
Who decides what we get to see and hear or not? Not us. When I was a kid, my first job was at a theater and I was surprised to find that the older employees there all hated movies, period. At least they were being honest. Other folks who see a lot of movies become "Movie Critics" who in turn, end up running the Oscars, Academy Awards, The Cannes Film Festival and the like, which are graded by the personal vanities of these eccentric, jaded supposedly artistic pin-heads who are more impressed with themselves as a group than what's good bad or ugly about a particular film. In other words; WE (you and I) aren't smart enough to decide for ourselves what's worth watching. Worse yet, many of us enable and empower these guys by actually listening to them. Contrast this with the People's Choice Awards, which is more reality based; critics may give a film one star but box office receipts tell the real story. Happens a lot.
Another example: An anorexic, ninety pound model with a shaved head, and "Cleopatra" eyes does that goofy walk down a runway wearing a rain barrel on a rope, and a "person" named Zane (or something) with purple hair, Gothic makeup and a huge nose ring says into a microphone: "Yeeesssss! Girl, you are ssso hot!" (like he would know) and ninety million women wanna run out to some over-priced boutique to drop down 250 bucks cuz this "Zane" sez it's "to die for!" Whatta bucha maroons!
Music critics can be the same. They become so saturated with music, they are not only harder to impress, but in many cases become bizarre and cynical in their opinions. This phenomenon pretty much works the same wherever it's applied. Look at fashions today: belts obviously velcrowed? to pubic bones and cuffs dragging the floor, exposed underwear pulled up to the chest, and 50's styled gym shoes dragging 12 inches of untied laces. (Waaay Kewl - not to mention sanitary) Ninety degrees in the shade, and the kids are all wearin' wool beanie hats pulled down past the ears, standing with their arms crossed and making the finger signs that used to mean "BS." Yeah, That makes total sense! The girls . . . . (don't even get me started on the girls)
Rock stars become sexual deviates for the same reason: Saturation. It takes more and more to impress them as their view of reality gets distorted by an excess of something they shouldn't be doing outside of marriage in the first place. Worse yet is that they become automatic role models for those of us the believe everything we see on the tube. (oops, make that flat screen) Kids and young folks with no opinion, automatically assume the opinion of someone, based on his or her level of fame. Again, stupid people.
I have a 15 ips/ halftrack stereo master tape around here somewhere of a number recorded back in the sixties, called "Where You are is Where it's At" Don't even remember the name of the group that did it. It was as good or better than anything on the radio or in the record stores and yet, it never got one air play. Why's that?
Guy writes a dynomite book and can't get a publisher cuz no one's ever heard of him. A known author can write a mediocre book, and it's quickly pushed up the charts by the book critics. Never underestimate the power of the people we choose to grant the power to tell us what to like or not. :o)
People tend to believe everything they're told if it's done on the general media. Sure the other side of the story is out there somewhere, but you have to look for it, and that takes work, and since we're lazy as well as stupid, like a bunch a sheep, we do, act and believe as we're told.
Whatta bincha zippos!
(Jol yIchu - Klingon for "Beam me up!)
Who decides what we get to see and hear or not? Not us. When I was a kid, my first job was at a theater and I was surprised to find that the older employees there all hated movies, period. At least they were being honest. Other folks who see a lot of movies become "Movie Critics" who in turn, end up running the Oscars, Academy Awards, The Cannes Film Festival and the like, which are graded by the personal vanities of these eccentric, jaded supposedly artistic pin-heads who are more impressed with themselves as a group than what's good bad or ugly about a particular film. In other words; WE (you and I) aren't smart enough to decide for ourselves what's worth watching. Worse yet, many of us enable and empower these guys by actually listening to them. Contrast this with the People's Choice Awards, which is more reality based; critics may give a film one star but box office receipts tell the real story. Happens a lot.
Another example: An anorexic, ninety pound model with a shaved head, and "Cleopatra" eyes does that goofy walk down a runway wearing a rain barrel on a rope, and a "person" named Zane (or something) with purple hair, Gothic makeup and a huge nose ring says into a microphone: "Yeeesssss! Girl, you are ssso hot!" (like he would know) and ninety million women wanna run out to some over-priced boutique to drop down 250 bucks cuz this "Zane" sez it's "to die for!" Whatta bucha maroons!
Music critics can be the same. They become so saturated with music, they are not only harder to impress, but in many cases become bizarre and cynical in their opinions. This phenomenon pretty much works the same wherever it's applied. Look at fashions today: belts obviously velcrowed? to pubic bones and cuffs dragging the floor, exposed underwear pulled up to the chest, and 50's styled gym shoes dragging 12 inches of untied laces. (Waaay Kewl - not to mention sanitary) Ninety degrees in the shade, and the kids are all wearin' wool beanie hats pulled down past the ears, standing with their arms crossed and making the finger signs that used to mean "BS." Yeah, That makes total sense! The girls . . . . (don't even get me started on the girls)
Rock stars become sexual deviates for the same reason: Saturation. It takes more and more to impress them as their view of reality gets distorted by an excess of something they shouldn't be doing outside of marriage in the first place. Worse yet is that they become automatic role models for those of us the believe everything we see on the tube. (oops, make that flat screen) Kids and young folks with no opinion, automatically assume the opinion of someone, based on his or her level of fame. Again, stupid people.
I have a 15 ips/ halftrack stereo master tape around here somewhere of a number recorded back in the sixties, called "Where You are is Where it's At" Don't even remember the name of the group that did it. It was as good or better than anything on the radio or in the record stores and yet, it never got one air play. Why's that?
Guy writes a dynomite book and can't get a publisher cuz no one's ever heard of him. A known author can write a mediocre book, and it's quickly pushed up the charts by the book critics. Never underestimate the power of the people we choose to grant the power to tell us what to like or not. :o)
People tend to believe everything they're told if it's done on the general media. Sure the other side of the story is out there somewhere, but you have to look for it, and that takes work, and since we're lazy as well as stupid, like a bunch a sheep, we do, act and believe as we're told.
Whatta bincha zippos!
(Jol yIchu - Klingon for "Beam me up!)
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Age's Monthly Ramble for June 2014
"Getting a little Crazy" 
After playing a lifetime, I'm finally finding that the best (and most painless) way to learn difficult passages is to forget about them and play around them with gusto! I find that the difficult passages aren't as difficult as my personal perception that they're going to be difficult when I get to that part. So what? I just have a personal brain-lock that causes me to screw it up? Yeah, I'm beginning to believe so. I personally find that the anticipation factor is probably what really fuels this personal shortcoming, to the point that I do exactly what I fear when the time comes. So its kinda like a "faith thing." ("That which I greatly feared has come upon me!") Aaaaggghh! Lately, (after over sixty years; and its about time, eh?) I add what I consider to be some "borderline / interestingly difficult" improv, to the portion of the piece just before the part that I usually screw up, and I often find myself "coasting" through that troublesome part that used to give me fits. KEWL!! Of course Your Mileage May Vary, but give it a shot; it just might work for you as well. In other words; by pushing the limits of my own perceived abilities, I force myself to deal with an even bigger challenge, (even though self created) and I'm so relieved when I get through it, that I forget to be worried about that other "hard part!" While I agree playing scales is beneficial, it tends to be the "epitomy of monotony," (at least they are for me anyway) but the more I play "real music" on the more difficult keys; the better I get at playing scales, even though I hardly ever play them. Who knew? Now I play scales mostly to see how much better I can do them, then I did the last time I tried them. Again; very often, whatever works best for you is what you really should be doing; I'm just giving you something to try. One of the most obvious (and satisfying) ways to know we're improving is when we find ourselves getting better at stuff we never practiced! That's a lead pipe cinch! We are all individuals, and what rings my bells may (or may not) ring yours, but that's where the real beauty lies. Think of how boring music, and musicians for that matter, would be if they all did everything exactly alike. Bleah! Check please! (maybe that's one of the reasons I was never all that crazy about Classical music) Speaking of which, Did you ever wonder why so many classical musicians let their hair down and "get crazy" once in a while? It's a matter of sanity; they get crazy to keep from being driven there by all that stinkin' discipline! Never be afraid to get crazy and try new stuff. When a music teacher raps your knuckles with a ruler, don't eliminate the possibility that it may be sign that you need a new teacher. Just sayin' :o) Make a Joyful Noise! @ge (the "ole' Rebel" SlideMeister) Age's Monthly Ramble for May 2014
 "Gardnerized" Stainless Steel 270
Who says ya can't play the blues in the first position? Many of us have, and many of us still do. Lemme splain: For anyone (like myself) who's foolishly "lived" in the tonic (AKA "First") position for any number of years, the "blues" part comes in when you realize it ain't easy to leave the comfort of that first position, and it has nothin' to do with the 1-4-5 "I woke up dis mow'nin . ." Nah, this Blues/depression comes when to hear your playing go from "acceptable" (maybe even "very good") to bad when you try to play something in B flat on a C Chromatic. Its like stepping back in time to when you sounded like a complete amateur, when you know could blow the walls down in the tonic key. Many times the player just flat out refuses to torture themselves. Rather than "start over" its just easier to buy another axe in a different key and play. Eventually you have the equivalent of a short harp player with a box-o-suck-harps; only your box cost like three house payments and his box is like one car payment. He has an excuse; you don't. Of course there's also those cool higher end Chromatics that only come in C that you just have to have. Just a few of those will cost you another couple house payments, but alas! You can only play those C and D flat without feeling like an amateur again! Aaaggghhh! Now THERE'S a waste of money. If, on the other hand, if one was to learn the Chromatic correctly, by spending equal time in each key, insteadda spoiling yourself rotten (as I did) it might be a lot easier. However, I'm guessing that most of the self taught crowd have in fact learned the way I did. Think about it; why else would everyone in the lobbies at conventions all be playing in C? selah :o) Okay, what I know about music and "positions" could barely fill a knot hole in a toothpick; but to me, "First Position" actually comes from the "first pattern of notes we find on a harmonica that could most easily be used to play stuff!" Sure enough, we discovered that we could use a lot of those same old "Suwanee River" notes to play other numbers, and so on until we became comfortable with that particular pattern. So, for many of us that "first position" we learned, became the "only position" in which we felt comfortable. As we got even better in that "first position" we discovered another key could in fact be played on that same instrument, which of course was the "button in: D flat" trick, which yielded about the same quality of music as playing in the "first position." When given a choice, few players ever wanted to play a number in a key in which they sound like total amateurs, when they could "run away" with that same number in their "usual" position. Whoopee-Doo! "Comfort" is what you want from your La-Z-Boy! Going from comfort to sleep is a natural progression. The pursuit of excellence and sleep have very little in common. Never allow yourself to get comfortable; its a very hard place to leave. Make a Joyful Noise! @ge (AKA: The recovering "First position Blues player") Age's Monthly Ramble for April 2014 What about getting a mentor? 
Good trick! Except that Chromatic players (and especially good ones) are "FAFB." (few and far between) AFAIK, The best Chromatic player in a fifty mile radius is me (and that's pretty bad, cuz I ain't that good!) Now beautiful Mentor, Ohio is just 18 miles up the road from me, along with the Mentor Mall, Mentor Theater, Mentor High School, and thousand other "Mentor" things EXCEPT a Chromatic harmonica playing mentor!! So, I'm pretty much outta luck (as I would be willing to bet) are we all. The idea behind the mentor thing is of course, to get someone who's better than we are, to push and challenge us.
Okay, bet you never got a job from a homeless guy, right? Heck no! You need a rich guy (or at the least, someone who always turns out to have more money than you do) to give you a good job to help you get ahead. The same goes for your music. All you're gunna do jammin' with a lesser player is show-off and dazzle the snot out of HIM or HER with how much better you are than they are. Now, THEY will improve but you will not unless showin' off has a hidden self-educational side effect that I'm not aware of. Turns out, (irrespective of your politics) the good stuff always "trickles down." When you do manage to find that particular "better than you" player, you'll scratch your head, and ask yourself "Who did he have for a mentor? When he surprises you and says: "Nobody," then you'll ask: "Then how the heck did you get so good without one??" Life ain't always fair; but it is good, and more times than not, it IS predictable. Don't be surprised if his answer sounds like the old "want to improve" thing. "Want" anything bad enough, and a thousand horses won't stop you. Did you know that the harder we work; the luckier we get? Make excuses, and just get in line with the other excuse makers, and end up treading water for the next twenty years, complaining that you don't have a teacher, instructor, mentor, whatever. Poor baby! Those things are nice to have but contrary to popular belief, as the song goes: "The hero lies in you." While having a mentor is really a great advantage, it's not a necessity; so until such a time when one becomes available, don't make excuses. You'd be surprised to know how many of the players that make you turn your head, we're self taught. So: NO MORE EXCUSES! The one thing we can all do is what I mentioned many times in the last few years: Listen to the radio every day and play along; music, jingles, commercials, whatever. Its ALL music! The fact that they're on the radio should mean they're pretty good. (though I have had my doubts about a few of them.) But there's where most of the good stuff can be found; meanwhile SlideMeister's online "Cyber-Mentors" will have to do till the real thing comes Once you think about; with the right attitude; you'll never play a single note that won't pay you dividends in the long run. Make a Joyful Noise! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble for March 2014
"Okay, ya wanna fix'em or play'em?" 
Speaking for myself, (and probably for a lot of us ;o) I have a well developed talent of finding "other things" to do when faced with an important, necessary (as in: not fun) task that I know I simply can't forgo. For example, given a choice, I would almost rather put pins in my eyes than do my taxes, so instead I do stuff that I haven't thought about for years. (which is why I'm cleaning my office right now - after which, maybe I'll finish that room addition or knock a wall down or something)
Of course its stupid! But as it turns out; we (ourselves) are the easiest ones to convince that one thing is somehow more important than another. We never ask ourselves the "hard questions" and tend stay away from anything that makes us uncomfortable, for as long as possible. I once heard a preacher say that when we Christians "crucify" ourselves; we use rubber nails! Looks like that same mindset permeates all of human nature, even outside of our religious affiliations, eh? Too many Chromatic players (that's us) convince ourselves that everything has to be perfect, which is never gunna happen, but it helps us put off the only real priority, which is of course: practice. FLASH: Nothing in life is ever going to be perfect, but practice is the most effective vehicle we can drive than can move us in that direction, and for some reason, its also the one we are most willing to leave in the garage. Instead: We clean, tweak, tighten, tape, evaluate, compare, polish, burnish, gap, shape, seal, sand, sanitize, Simonize, wash, wax, lighten, add weight, add magnets, open, close, optimize and adjust our Chromatics, and then discuss all of the above with others, more than we play'em. We look for flat notes by playing octaves, so we have a reason to re-tune a reed or two even if we never even play octaves. We listen for buzzing wind savers so we can talk about them, then get to fix them, when many times when what we need most (in the immortal words of Blackie Schackner: "Just shut up an play the darn thing!" I know I've shared this before, but it's worth repeating. The late great Paul "Doc" Van derSijde told me about the day he finally got to meet his hero:Toots Thielmans. They were at a convention somewhere here in the States, and Doc was sitting at a table with the famous "Belgian Tootster." Doc asked if he could see "the old master's" axe. Mr. Thielmans smiled and quickly slid the heretofore mysterious 270 across the table. Doc was mortified! Expecting to see the finest example super tweaked gleaming Chromaticism on the planet; he saw something that made him say to himself: "Whatta pieca crap!!" The thing looked worn out, (that was the first hint) the chrome was worn off the slide and button ('nother hint) the top cover plate had a dent in it and the finish on the mouth piece actually looked a bit worn and/or stained. All these characteristics, by the way, come from "wear," and therein lieth the secret folks! I guess Toots is actually more into "playing" his Chromatic than playing "with it." Go figure, eh? ;o) Make a Joyful Noise! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble (short thought) January 2014 "With the right attitude, whatever doesn't stop you, will drive you!" 
Unfortunately, some players are more fragile than others, or maybe just vain; either quality (or shortcoming) can play a part in one's giving up.
Some folks come from the womb, "spring loaded" to retreat to a position they see as easier than "hanging tough." These folks are more easily influenced and discouraged by others. Which others? Well, "others" can be anything from Friends & Family members, which may, or may not, be easy to ignore, but if the player succumbs to their pressure; he or she quits. (I certainly could have fallen into those ranks) Next (if they survived those F&F critics) come the really heavy hitters: the ones the player perceives as "pro" or even "semi-pro." Here's where the player's vanity comes in to the picture. While its easier to knuckle down and "trudge on" despite F&F criticism, perceived professional criticism is harder to ignore. We have less trouble being seen as the "family idiot" than a "no talent moron trying to make in the professional field." Heck, your friends and family will still love you cuz they more or less have to. The world, can be (and always is) brutally critical, and not a bit bashful about it. F&F may actually care about hurting your feelings; strangers (the world) couldn't care less. If you fold because of F&F criticism, it's just as well cuz it saves you from the total humiliation when the world does the same thing. If you don't fold from F&F criticism, it builds the emotional muscles and the tough skin you may need if and/or when criticized by those you perceive to be professionals. Many folks actually thrive and are driven by criticism; and some of those are musicians. (I know I do) I bought the "like new" CX-12 Gold (pictured above) from a guy who was so sharply criticized by an internet "list owner" whom he respected, that the guy quit playing altogether, so I assure you, it happens. While I suspect this guy was also previously criticized by F&F, it was never "real" to him till it came from someone he felt was a professional. Was the list owner right to criticize that sharply? Probably not, but in the end it was the player's vanity that caused him to throw in the towel. Bottom lines: Smokey the Bear sez: "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!" and I say "Only you are deciding factor if or when to give up." Make a Joyful Noise! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble (short thought) December 2013
"But on the other hand" (as the palm reader said)
For a long time I relied on my "ear" (and still do for the most part) but in the last couple years, I've actually been picking up bits and pieces of "music," and genuine note identification (as in: if I think about it, I can tell you what "note" I'm playing; which amounts to a quantum leap for this old non-reader) Since learning the little that I have, I'm gaining a whole new understanding of music in general. Pretty cool, huh? I now know, had I done this years ago, I would be in a whole different "dimension" today. No, I'm not backtracking; the ear stuff is still cool, and even essential to sound good, but don't count on getting you to where you wanna go with out the "music" part. I truly believe ear playing and musically "flying by the seat of your pants" is absolutely essential for developing your style, phrasing and the "non-mechanical" stuff. You'll never get that stuff from the printed chart. However, for the foundation, structure, basic architecture and "laws," if you will, the knowledge of "music" while not critical, is such an integral part of the whole, that you'll probably never reach your potential without at least a rudimentary knowledge of it. I've heard "readers" who did not play by ear, try to play jazz; while the well written chops were there, the delivery was absolutely pitiful. You pretty much hafta have both "ear and music" to really get it right. You need the "book learnin' part to get the notes in the right places BUT without the "ear" part, you'll never to get those notes to sing. Learn to read music: it's really not an option if you want to be all you can be. :o) Make a Joyful Noise and Merry Christmas! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble September 2013
"I wish I could play by ear, but I just can't"
Nonsense! - everyone can play by ear! :o)
Now that I'm thinking about it, not being encumbered with "music" (or a chart) can, in many cases, be every bit as good as being able to read music. I've seen "readers" struggling with how this or that number goes, to the point where I just said, "It goes like this" and played the part, after which they looked back at the chart and put their finger on the questionable part and said: "Oh yeah, that's it" We get ready to play a number, they dig out their music and I ask "what key? and they say something like "Two flats." Yeah right! Like I'm supposed to know what the heck two flats meaneth. Actually, I don't even care, I just want to know what key, and even if they didn't tell me, I can still play along. After a few phrases, I will have figured it out . Once I do, the note patterns for the key click in my head and I can usually begin to play more comfortably. Don't get me wrong, reading music is great, but sorry; I'd rather not be limited by the inability to play anything without a chart in front of me. For a piece I've never heard before, or didn't have "nailed," I would use a chart until I got it in my head; possibly even for "support" for the tricky parts. (at least I will when I learn to read better that I do now - or I should say "when I learn to read" period!) I do the same thing in church every time they play a number with which I'm not familiar. (did again today actually) After I noodle through some ad-lib stuff for a few bars, I generally have the melody down, and just play it. Is this a big deal? Am I bragging? Nope, and Nope! Anyone can do it, and don't all you "music only" guys out there tell me you can't do that either, cuz you can! We're all born "ear musicians" from the womb. Heck you all learned "Rock a bye Baby" (which is a pretty sick number when you think about the part where the baby hitting the sidewalk - but that's another story ;o) If you can you whistle or hum that tune, you're doing it "by ear!" Okay, if you can't do that, you have absolutely no business trying to listen to music much less trying to play it! The thing is that we're more familiar with our built-in instruments than we are with our harmonicas, but that can be fixed. That's what I love about over-simplifications; they have way of aggravating us, even though we know they're right. The late-great Jimmy Lohman once told me, "It's all about knowing your instrument." Simple? Sure! While not necessarily easy, the truth is always simple. Turns out simple and easy can often be found on different sides of the ball field. We all have a singing or humming voice and are probably able to whistle. If we hear a song, we can immediately hum along or whistle with the melody. THAT my friend is playing by ear! The only difference is that we're born being familiar with our two "built in instruments." All other physical instruments are foreign to us and until such a time when they become more natural; we struggle. If the time ever comes when we get as familiar with a physical instrument as we are with humming or whistling, the whole world will probably know our names. ;o) Have you committed a piece that you normally read, to memory? Okay, play that piece by memory (with your eyes closed) and feel where the music is going. Soon the notes that you've heretofore had to read will relate to a hole and position that you "feel" whether you see it on a chart or not. "Reach out with your feelings - Use the Force Luke" ;o) Going back to the "desert Island" thing. (we do this a lot around here) If you were left on a desert island (you know the kind; thirty feet wide, all sand with the single coconut tree and you, standing there in your cut-off pants, bare feet and nothing but a harmonica, I'll bet when you get rescued (remember , they always get rescued :o) you'd be a great ear player. Why? Because! It's really not that hard. An ear player can use the charts for "support" and stuff but not as "that roll of paper with all the holes on a player piano." I'd rather hear an ear-player muddling through a piece, making mistakes, than I would a "mechanical music slave," shackled by the printed page hitting every note like a machine . In my experience, readers (as in "cant play anything without reading") always lack feeling and "soul" if you will. Let's say you can read a foreign language, but can't speak it very well. How are you ever going to read and give a passionate speech, that will convince anyone of your sincerity or even knowledge of the subject? You're not! and that's pretty much why music that goes: From the page, Through your eyes, Through your brain and out your instrument sounds dead, cuz it never goes through your soul! Oooooo, Can I git and "Amen! ? If you can read AND play by ear, your music can still do the "soul thing" but never, if you can't play without a chart. :( When I was a kid, I heard songs on the radio in Italian, German, French and Spanish and learned to sing them. I couldn't speak any of those languages, so while I had no idea what I was singing, I was free to sing ( built-in instrument) with total abandon after I committed the words to memory. We need our minds freed up from all the complicated stuff in order for our hearts to sing, or in this case, play. It's best to do both. If you read, lean to play by ear; If you play by ear, learn to read! Make a Joyful Noise! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble August 2013"Introverted Busking"
Playing and performing are two different things. No one is ever going to think, or say anything negative if you're sitting in a corner in public, playing (quietly as to yourself) NO ONE plays bad enough for anyone to criticize them in that setting. However, stand up, face the "audience?" and play as though you're performing/entertaining, and you'd better be at least a half decent player, and the better the better.
Want a complement? * Play quietly * If folks like what they hear they will either: Move closer (while trying not to be obvious about it :o) Get quiet in order to hear you better "Shush!" people sitting close to them and finally, say something when you stop ( and sometimes even ask you to play "so and so.") As you grow, you can play louder and with more expression, and as long as you don't acknowledge the folks around you, technically you're not performing. I call it "Introvert Busking" While it doesn't do squat for your "stage presence" it's a sneaky and effective way to develop confidence. Make a Joyful Noise! @ge Age's Monthly Ramble July - 2013
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