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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Ramblings on music as art, and my growing fan base
Ramblings on music as art, and my growing fan base
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Randy G. Blues
44 posts
Jul 23, 2009
7:18 AM
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Making music is an art, and as any art, it is subjective. We have all heard the cliche, "I don't know art, but I know what I like." So if someone says, "I like that song," you can tell them they are an idiot (or worse), but you can't accurately tell them they are wrong.
The nature of any art is that it cannot be quantified accurately. No one ever said, "Hey, Mr. Picasso. That drawing is 30% better than anything you have done before!" As musicians we can sense that we have improved. We can listen to old recordings and compare to what we are doing today, and we can play a riff today that we found difficult or impossible in the past, but it is an exercise in futility to measure the improvement numerically.
I mention all that because I know I have improved a lot since I joined our blues group. I have tried to fulfill my personal responsibility to the other members by trying to do my best to create music that serves our goals, and practiced a lot to learn all the breaks and changes and such. I have worked a lot on tone as well as diversity.
Being a diverse harp player is something that seems rare in this area where I live. So many players that I have heard have a good sound, wonderful, round tones, and excellent skills but it seems that is all they have- that one tone or sound.
With no intention to start a debate on this player, the above reminded me of a story that a local, accomplished sax player told me. I mentioned that I had been playing along with some John Popper tunes (or attempting to, anyway). He told me that he was in someone else's car for a two or three hour drive, and all the guy had in his car was Blues Traveler. he said that after about the first ten or fifteen minutes he was ready to take a life. His opinion was that technical skill without musicality is worthless. John's skills are amazing, and as much as I like it, I can only listen to a few of their songs in a row before I am double-clicking on another folder. In comparison, I have listened to LWs solo in "My Babe" a dozen times over in a row at times and not failed to be amazed each time. So I know what I like.. Anyway....
Last night I had the opportunity to attend one of the three local open mic jams in the area. Normally, Wednesday night is our weekly rehearsal evening, so I don't often get to attend this particular jam, so it was a treat. The music they play is more diverse at this jam, and being a small room the volume level is kept under control which makes it far more pleasant for players as well as the audience. I brought my "Epiphone Tube 10" which not only has a nice sound, but was plenty loud enough for the room.
I got to play for just over an hour and was on the way out to my car with my gear, and I was stopped three times by folks who wanted to tell me how much they liked my playing. I make it a point to talk to anyone for as long as the wish to listen (or can stand to do so), and so it took about 45 minutes after the set before I actually left.
One fellow whom I had seen inside (I believe he was a guitar player) was in a bit of a rush going through the parking lot. As he passed me he did a double take, stopped, and came over to shake my hand. He said, "Man! I just had to say that that was the best harmonica playing I have ever heard!"
I thanked him profusely, but my first thought was, "Dude! You need to listen to more harmonica players." Like my lips, my head was temporarily swollen, but unlike my lips, my head was a size that just barely allowed me to fit through the door into my home last night, I am realistic enough about my skills to know that I have so VERY far to go. The list of what I can't do or don't know is a long one, and I know I am not as good as that fan seems to have thought. But still, I know that I have improved greatly in the last 6 months or so, I play with enthusiasm, I understand the music I play, and I mix up my sound during an evening so that it is interesting for me to play as well as interesting for folks to hear.
Another fellow, a guitar player, with whom I spoke was talking about how he gets discouraged when he hears a better player. I used the old George Carlin line about driving on the freeway: "Anyone slower than you is an idiot, and anyone driving faster is an asshole." I told him that there will always be better players, and there will always be players not as good as you..."
So the moral is: Practice and apply yourself to lessen the number of assholes and increase the number of idiots to the greatest extent you can.
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XHarp
116 posts
Jul 23, 2009
7:56 AM
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Good ramblings RandyGBlues.
Lots in there to reflect on and cograts on a good jam and getting recognized.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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snakes
309 posts
Jul 25, 2009
4:35 PM
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I'm just a hopin' to experience what you did my man. Congrats and thanks for the motivational help for practicing more.
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sopwithcamels266
178 posts
Jul 26, 2009
10:21 AM
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My advice is take the compliment when it comes say thanks and take off.
I've done far too many gigs to be hanging around car parks.( The only time you should hang around is to secure gigs from the gigs that's important)
You are your own critic you should know how it has gone no one else.
As you do more and more gigs you will start to understand.
You have to detach yourself from the mainstram for sure if you want to get on.
Most people haven't a clue if a gig was good bad or ugly.( Even some musos)
They may well have been entertained but that is not neccessarily the same thing.
Iv'e played gigs when audiences are screaming for more
and tell you it was great when you and the band know it was S....
So you know if it was good. Never listen to anyone else telling you it was good, bad etc other than in passing. That is the fundermental rule of the artist.
I never discuss anything regarding the gig after a gigs finished.It speaks for it's self.
it's inexperience, insecurity and egos,that play havoc.
An artist is self motivated he or she dosen't need to be told anything.Truth is truth.
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2009 10:21 AM
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Randy G. Blues
54 posts
Jul 26, 2009
5:50 PM
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sopwithcamels266,
I am quite realistic about my talents, and/or lack thereof, depending on the point of discussion. One of the things that our group's leader told me when I was offered the position in the group was that he liked me because my ego fit through the door. (BTW- this was not a gig, but merely an open mic jam. the rest of our group did not attend.)
I live in a fairly rural community, and the little club I was playing in is in a small, mountain town with a total population of about 26,000. Part of why I talk to folks is to keep all avenues of networking open. You never know who might have use of a mediocre harp player who is sufficiently talented (just) and enthusiasm gifted.
The other part is that I was a teacher, and I just cannot help giving whatever information I can to whomever asks... To put it into perspective- teaching is not what I do, teacher is who I am. Check my coffee website as just one example:
http://www.EspressoMyEspresso.com
Nothing for sale and no advertising
I am actually mulling over the possibility of teaching harp at out local little school (my immediate community has a population of about 3,000).
Most of the discussion in the car park was involved with how long I had been playing, how many hours a week I practice, and where my background in music comes from, etc...
As far as discussing the merits of a gig, Ihave a degree in fine art, so I know the limits of discussing what I have "created,' whether it be the written word, a painting, or a song.
And you are correct- in the end, I am the best critic of what I create, and my goal is to always be a lot tougher on myself than anyone else is likely to be. As long as I do that, there will always be more to learn and areas to be improved. That keeps me motivated and moving forward. When the music becomes easy and loses it challenges to me, or when it is no longer fun, it will be time to move on.
Being that hard on oneself can drive you mad. But I don't suffer from insanity- I quite enjoy it. ;-)
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congaron
13 posts
Jul 27, 2009
1:23 PM
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I am having a similar experience around here. I have now been playing for 5 months..I also play at a jam night and I play percussion and sing in a Christian blues band. The harp was an addition I just made as a coincidence right before the band recruited me on congas. I heard another similar band play last night as i ran their sound. It was an eye-opener and I am very happy with my progress and I won't stop learning from everything I hear. My harp rig is the exact tone i want, and I am going to swap a couple of tubes to see if I can nail the chicago tone as well. It is a journey I am very blessed to be on at the age of 52 next week.
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