Soul

[whir]

I have been playing bass off and on for about 3 years. I was in a band for the first year (hardcore punk like the exploited) I have never really cared about learning other peoples songs I just like to walk and solo to jazz and stuff. At one point about 2 years ago I could feel the music as though it was motion or liquid and it was easy to predict what would come up next I was getting good, Then I started to smoke angel dust wich cuased some proplems with my head and ever since then its hard for me to let my soul connect to the instrament, before I could do it anytime now one day I can one day I cant. Is there any methods used to open up the inner art?

[christoph h.]

if you haven't already (not clear from you post). you should stop smoking angel dust.

other than that you should be aware that "trying" to connect to the music is probably one cause of why it doesn't work.

[Steve Lawson]

Not sure if this was a serious post or not, but assuming it was, smoking angel dust is going to do you no favours long term.

It's pretty clear that the history of popular music owes a lot to many of its pioneers using and abusing drugs. Which leads some people to conclude that it's neccesary to enter an artificially altered state of consciousness to get anywhere creatively. That clearly isn't true, as the number of non-drug taking immensely creative people in the world will show you.

What is clear is that those creative people who took a shed-load of drugs almost always (if not always) has really screwed up personal lives. If the choice was between being a genius and having to live like Miles Davis or James Brown, die young like Hendrix, Cobain or Joplin, and not being that musical legend but having my life together, I'd be applying for jobs in book shops right now.

Fortunately there is a road less travelled, that allows for a wildly creative musical life and being a stable together person at the same time. Pursue that, and you'll cause yourself and the people around you a heck of a lot less heartache than if you start chasing some rock 'n' roll myth that says taking drugs is the only way to open up creatively.

cheers

Steve
www.stevelawson.net

[moley]

Originally posted by Steve Lawson
Fortunately there is a road less travelled, that allows for a wildly creative musical life and being a stable together person at the same time.

Look at Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.