Age's November 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. 😉 Alas! It's only real, if it's 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 FaceBook! (or whatever)
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 beginner cuz I had to say: "No!" 🥵 It still makes me feel that way! Whistling has a way of humbling us 🙂 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! I dare ya! 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. 😉 Alas! It's only real, if it's 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 FaceBook! (or whatever)
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 beginner cuz I had to say: "No!" 🥵 It still makes me feel that way! Whistling has a way of humbling us 🙂 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! I dare ya! Give it a shot!
And Make a Joyful Noise!
@ge
Age's August 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; Nat 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 started to click at 70+ years is quite an event. Hopefully, before I croak I'll be a "better than an entry level" jazz player, but the real satisfaction for me is that what actually 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 started to click at 70+ years is quite an event. Hopefully, before I croak I'll be a "better than an entry level" jazz player, but the real satisfaction for me is that what actually 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 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 improving, but that is still no reason to stop playing. 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 in front of a hundred people, 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: FUN is the ~only~ element that has the potential of allowing us to improve after we think we've maxed out musically.
Turns out, Freedom, has the ability to accomplish what bondage can 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 improving, but that is still no reason to stop playing. 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 in front of a hundred people, 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: FUN is the ~only~ element that has the potential of allowing us to improve after we think we've maxed out musically.
Turns out, Freedom, has the ability to accomplish what bondage can never do.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Age
Age's April Ramble
Nobodie's Perfec!
Oh oh! Hang on. Here comes another opinion piece. 😬
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; Like King Solomon sed: "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 was 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 chrome plated, "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 (one time outta three) 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 big Frenchie fell! Yep! His butt hit the ice like ton of bricks! (pretty much like us kids did every forty seconds or so) 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! (trust me, 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; Like King Solomon sed: "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 was 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 chrome plated, "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 (one time outta three) 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 big Frenchie fell! Yep! His butt hit the ice like ton of bricks! (pretty much like us kids did every forty seconds or so) 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! (trust me, no one else does)
and of course,
Make a Joyful noise!
@ge
Age's Monthly Ramble for November
"Practice Practice Practice?!"
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. 🙂
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 aything.
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 whoever, 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. 🙂
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 aything.
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 whoever, 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
"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 🙂)
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' mouth-organ! 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 criminally 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' mouth-organ! 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 criminally bad timing.
Amen or "Oh me!"
@ge
Age's Monthly Ramble for July
"Sometimes ya gotta wonder"
Of course, this is an opinion piece. 🙂
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 covered with tattoos, piercings, green hair and a half 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, stupid glasses and Gothic makeup, tattooed face, and a huge nose ring says into a microphone: "Yeeesssss! Girl, you are sssso 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 that 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. 🤫
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 covered with tattoos, piercings, green hair and a half 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, stupid glasses and Gothic makeup, tattooed face, and a huge nose ring says into a microphone: "Yeeesssss! Girl, you are sssso 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 that 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. 🤫
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!)