Why do we play music?

[johncg]

Janek,

I admire such an array of bassists. Family Man Barrett, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kim Deal, and Wilbur Ware are all equally likely to get my blood working faster.

Yet I really stand dumbfounded at how a very-slow Marley groove with two notes, pickstyle eighth notes doubling the root, and gorgeous upright tone dancing across 5 keys in "All The Things You Are" have precisely the same power over me.

So many cats can play changes well who bore me to death, yet Chuck Rainey can play an ostinato and change my outlook on life!

It seems that musical complexity, then, does not make for great music.

We can all agree that Victor Wooten is a more technically gifted musican than Family Man Barrett. But both musicians have inspired hundreds of thousands of people. Both took the same 12 notes laid across the same 4 strings and came up with something NEW. Both spent enough quality time honing their skills to become "one" with their art. To my ears, they seem to reveal something new about themselves with every note they play.

Is Victor a better artist because he can fit more notes in a bar?

Back to the Rainey ostinato...

Didn't it take more talent, hard work, and dedication to become THE Chuck Rainey who you can identify by one note, and who evolved music to a new place, than it would take to learn how to passably arpeggiate a jazz tune?

I think the true test of a musician's talent is what new ideas they bring to the table: how they make music their OWN. A musician who offers a snapshot of his soul with each inspired performance is showing way more depth and way more complexity than one who merely imitates, regardless of the style of music.

I've met many musicians who are knowledgable about gear and licks and theory and blah, blah, blah. But I have met very, very few who can speak of music in a deeper way.

And most musicians practice this way as well.

Many hours are spent honing technique. But how many hours a day does the average musican practice discovering his voice, letting his inspiration dance over the fingerboard, connecting with the beauty of his existence, learning to discover new things about himself and the world he inhabits?

And why do so few teachers suggest penciling that into our practice schedules?

It is the end of discovery that brings me to music. I wish to learn about myself, to learn about the world outside myself, to learn all about music, then stir it all together and have it come out in my own unique way. To me, no other motivation is reasonable.

Keith Jarrett had a great quote about how the "first musician" wasn't playing for an audience, or planning his next tour, or trying to be hip, etc. He was playing out of need.

I greatly respect your playing, Janek. You are one the rare cats who still plays from that place of "need" in the combat of the modern music industry. Each time I hear you, I feel as though I have been struck with something blindingly new yet intimately familiar.

I have been playing seriously for a few years and I feel that I am getting very close to finding the sacred space which I have been alluding to in myself.

Do you have any wisdom to share with a semi-pro who is getting ready to make his mark?

Your response is eagerly awaited. I am sure you have great insight to offer on this subject.

regards,

jg

[meev992]

Originally Posted by johncg

But how many hours a day does the average musican practice discovering his voice?

I probably do this more than others. Just recently, I went back to basics and used this to figure out what my style/influences are:

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/cash21/bin/MusicRoamer.html

Maybe I'm not the most technical player, but I do have enough techniques to wow friends and family. I definitely focused more on developing my own voice on the instrument, and that's what I pride myself on.

[neurotictim]

It's funny, the OP could have been pulled right from my head. Reading my signed copy () of Vic's "The Lesson" always puts me into a musically introspective frame of mind.

I teach beginner's guitar & bass, and I always emphasize "feeling" the music. I have my student(s) focus on the actual mechanics only as long as they need to before they can start feeling it. Then we switch to technique practices that you can groove to.

Obviously, solid technique is the fastest way to be technically skilled enough to truly express yourself, so some mind-numbing walking practice and scales are in order, but I don't remember the last time I "practiced" for the sake of getting better.

I play so that I can sweat, hurt my neck, massage my hands and neck later, and hours after picking the bass up to "noodle" around, I find that I never even noticed the time passing. I play because I'm better at expressing myself musically than verbally. I play because emotion doesn't come in words, it comes in tones.

And I try to impart that view, to encourage that thinking, in my students.

Best advice? I'm not a pro, but maybe this will help - don't ever put the crowd, the band, or yourself before the music. Nothing will help you if the music isn't good, but nothing can stop you when it is. Play the music for the sake of playing, and let the rest come naturally.

[Sorax]

Good post. However practicing technique does serve a real purpose in hand with self expression. Depending on who you are, what you want to express, you'll need different levels of technique. Obviously someone like Janek has spent hours and hours honing his technique so when it does come to playing, it's not an issue - one can just flow. And that's a pretty darn good place to be.

[Andrew.Glose]

Originally Posted by johncg

And why do so few teachers suggest penciling that into our practice schedules?

I've always wondered this. There's so much more to music than what we're told to practice, and often, the best information is unspoken in the classroom. But then again, I suppose that's what separates the one's who are really interested from the ones who are just 'doing it.'

[janekbass]

great thread, thank you.

there are no "better artists" IMO. There are different artists. Just to be considered an artist brings with it some level of understanding that the individual has spent some time searching for something.

My approach has always been to come from a place of need as you put it. I'm rarely satisfied with the way I play, but at the same time I'm not one to be self deprecating. I know I'm a great musician, I just know that I can be so much better. And it's my life's work to follow that belief and understanding that one day I will advance past the place I'm in now.

I do agree that shedding technique is a very important part of study. For me it's very important to feel warm and comfortable with my instrument in order to play the ideas I have, so I work a lot on technique. I do hear many players with too much technique for the amount of musical ideas they have. And then of course you have the players (such as chuck rainey mentioned above) that are just pure music with little regard for huge amounts of technique. It's awe inspiring to see people moved by something so simple, and the more people I play for over the years, the more i realize it's the most simple things in my music that end up really touching them. The super technique such players as Vic and Matthew Garrison, and maybe even myself to some small degree, exhibit, get the house on the night. The crowd goes nuts for that super fast run of 16th notes, but it's really the melodies and small musical fragments that they go home with, that they find themselves singing in the car on the way to work the next day.

The strongest part of my voice, whatever that might be, is my writing. I think it's the strongest part of anyone's voice, and that was a big step forward in my life when I started to write music and make that an equal part of what I do. You can get so caught up in the instrument that you miss the finer points of the music like writing.

There are a few standard things that I hear all the time amongst musicians that I respect, and it's certainly been true for me in my life so far. The more you play the more you find out about yourself. Working as a musician in a number of different settings and styles, recording with different kinds of singers and artists. All of the experiences you have as a musician and as a human being contribute to your unique voice. I'm not sure finding your voice is something that you can really "pencil-in" to your practice routine. It happens over time, and quite often when your not around your instrument.

My life has changed considerably in the past year and a half on a personal level, and that has had an enormous effect on my writing and my playing. I think that is true of many musicians that you may dig or respect. You're hearing their life come out in their music. it's a musicians way of telling his or her life story. I can't tell you what it is that you need to do to be unique. I can tell you a crap load of things that you shouldn't do, like ripping off other players and never getting beyond that.... but it's really down to the individual as a player and as a human being to discover what it is they have to say.

Easy,

Janek

[neurotictim]

I don't want to see this thread relegated to the archives...

Originally Posted by janekbass

I do agree that shedding technique is a very important part of study. For me it's very important to feel warm and comfortable with my instrument in order to play the ideas I have, so I work a lot on technique...

I'm not sure finding your voice is something that you can really "pencil-in" to your practice routine. It happens over time, and quite often when your not around your instrument.

My life has changed considerably in the past year and a half on a personal level, and that has had an enormous effect on my writing and my playing.

For the record, I don't stop my students from practicing technique, scales, modes, and the like. I encourage them to find creative ways to do that. I did my time 4+ hours a day, just running the scales, including the more obscure modes, and learning about intervals, meter, the circle of 5ths, and so on, and I remember what a drag that was. My instructor is a brilliant guitar player, phenomenal solo jazz stuff, but he wasn't terribly fond of the idea of finding creative ways to practice the fundamentals. I hate to say it, but I've noticed a trend (as have we all, I think) towards shorter attention spans and less time, and I want my students to enjoy what they're doing while they're learning and perfecting. I believe that it's important to have the technique before you can dump it and try something new, but I don't believe it has to be boring.

On the other front, I only recently really started getting into the jazz side of music. Up until a few years ago, I was pretty exclusively a rock/metal bassist, albeit one with some theory and formal training. As my life has gotten less stressful, and I've gotten older, I've found a warm spot for jazz. Now I feel like I'm playing catch-up to all these cats who've been doing this for years.

[johncg]

Originally Posted by janekbass

great thread, thank you.

there are no "better artists" IMO. There are different artists. Just to be considered an artist brings with it some level of understanding that the individual has spent some time searching for something.

Well said. I often wonder at the question of whether artists can be judged and ranked.

I think that drive to search is the most important quality overall, and can cover a multitude of sins (poor technique, etc.). There are so many musicians I admire whom I just can't compare to each other because they have all moved me so deeply. It would feel like ranking your children or something!

It seems to be more with average working players that I tend to rank and judge. Not sure why. Part of me suspects that "art," even great art maybe can judged in terms of its greatness. I don't know. Probaby unimportant anyway.

My approach has always been to come from a place of need as you put it. I'm rarely satisfied with the way I play, but at the same time I'm not one to be self deprecating. I know I'm a great musician, I just know that I can be so much better. And it's my life's work to follow that belief and understanding that one day I will advance past the place I'm in now.

Your conviction in indentifying this as your "life's work" is so beautiful and very inspiring. I also think it's great to feel positive about your abilities while continually craving growth. I think it is very healthy to respect one's own talent and to seek that talent's continued nourishment.

It is so easy to get our egos involved, and either exagerrate or minimize our abilities. Sadly, I think more musicians than realize it are deep down more concerned with ego gratification than artistic depth.

I do agree that shedding technique is a very important part of study. For me it's very important to feel warm and comfortable with my instrument in order to play the ideas I have, so I work a lot on technique. I do hear many players with too much technique for the amount of musical ideas they have. And then of course you have the players (such as chuck rainey mentioned above) that are just pure music with little regard for huge amounts of technique. It's awe inspiring to see people moved by something so simple, and the more people I play for over the years, the more i realize it's the most simple things in my music that end up really touching them. The super technique such players as Vic and Matthew Garrison, and maybe even myself to some small degree, exhibit, get the house on the night. The crowd goes nuts for that super fast run of 16th notes, but it's really the melodies and small musical fragments that they go home with, that they find themselves singing in the car on the way to work the next day.

Thanks for your insight on people's reactions to your playing. I also require of myself that I can achieve things on my instrument that are physically demanding. I can't explain it, I feel that it is a fact of my musical personality. But I love so much the guys who don't have that quality as much. Jim Hall has been proving that you don't need chops to be hip as **** for many years.

Sometimes I think I need to "burn" a little bit just to impress people so they open up. Then I can go to work and just make beautiful music. I don't know, maybe that's not the best thinking, but I just feel that way sometimes.

The strongest part of my voice, whatever that might be, is my writing. I think it's the strongest part of anyone's voice, and that was a big step forward in my life when I started to write music and make that an equal part of what I do. You can get so caught up in the instrument that you miss the finer points of the music like writing.

That's awesome. And, I think, very true of me. Sometimes I'm too caught up in just trying play at a high level! After all, that is, and will always be, an enormous task.

I haven't heard too much of your writing. Anything in particular you suggest me checking out as an introduction?

There are a few standard things that I hear all the time amongst musicians that I respect, and it's certainly been true for me in my life so far. The more you play the more you find out about yourself. Working as a musician in a number of different settings and styles, recording with different kinds of singers and artists. All of the experiences you have as a musician and as a human being contribute to your unique voice. I'm not sure finding your voice is something that you can really "pencil-in" to your practice routine. It happens over time, and quite often when your not around your instrument.

I reached a point, about six months ago, where I felt that my playing was just meaningless to me emotionally. I really felt that I wasn't saying anything worth a damn on a level that had nothing to do with technique or knowledge.

Since that time I've made sure to spend time every day "just playing," with the thought planted in the back of my mind to feel more deeply, and to be more connected to my instrument and my expression.

It's hard to explain really what I mean by this especially because I believe a musician should always approach playing that way no matter what.

But I don't know. I feel like I have been working on letting my voice show through very directly somehow.

My life has changed considerably in the past year and a half on a personal level, and that has had an enormous effect on my writing and my playing. I think that is true of many musicians that you may dig or respect. You're hearing their life come out in their music. it's a musicians way of telling his or her life story. I can't tell you what it is that you need to do to be unique. I can tell you a crap load of things that you shouldn't do, like ripping off other players and never getting beyond that.... but it's really down to the individual as a player and as a human being to discover what it is they have to say.

Easy,

Janek

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your very thoughtful response! You're quite a righteous cat if I do say so myself.