AXE® Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Discuss: Recently I encountered some chaps who were in a comfortable rut. Playing the same crap they had played over and over for years. This lack of imagination is boggling to me, isn't music supposed to broaden thought patterns? Ask them to take off on a jam in F# or C and they fall to pieces before your very eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 That is the thing I like the most about our jams on nearly every Friday evening. It's nice to have a wife who has hundreds of books of sheet music and the ability to play them. On any given evening we may end up playing "Benny and the Jets", "Rainy Day Women", all 9 parts of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", and the entire 'Breakfast in America' by Supertramp. This in addition to our must play list from Zep, the Who, and B.O.C.. What's really cool is my wife returning early from a break and she starts playing Mozart or Beethoven. There isn't much of a call for overdriven lead guitar in that stuff so I get extra break time and more Canadian Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I watched a "band" practice one time, and they had a few songs they could play. When a guitar player who was just sitting in with them asked them to just jam a little, it got very uncomfortable. Other than the few songs they'd learned, they couldn't play anything. Most importantly they couldn't improvise. My guitar teacher, a great player as well as a great teacher, once said that unless he's learning something everyday while he's playing, he doesn't consider the time well spent. You have to have fun and amuse yourself, for sure, but you should always push yourself to learn and become better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV-Zeppelin Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 That's the problem with playing only one style of music - like if you only play blues, for example, you'll get awesome at soloing in E and A - but not much else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Discuss: Recently I encountered some chaps who were in a comfortable rut. Playing the same crap they had played over and over for years. This lack of imagination is boggling to me' date=' isn't music supposed to broaden thought patterns? Ask them to take off on a jam in F# or C and they fall to pieces before your very eyes.[/quote'] Absolutely right on the money. I couldn't agree more. Making music should be about having fun and trying things out. Even when it doesn't work out perfectly it's still more entertaining for both player and listener than just churning out the same old solo for the nth time. It's like the guys who insist you should learn to play X, Y and Z tracks note for note (which is, admittedly, good for understanding the structure) and then never let you stray from the sheet. Everyone may just as well stay home and listen to the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 'Chaps'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 C# is the new A ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 'Chaps'? You mean to say that you don't have a subscription to receive your copy of "The Chap"? Should I forward your e-mail address??? http://www.thechap.net/ TTFN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I know...Im in a rut now too. I find I play the same things over and over. My jamming friends are all moving away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 This lack of imagination is boggling to me' date=' isn't music supposed to broaden thought patterns? Ask them to take off on a jam in F# or C and they fall to pieces before your very eyes.[/quote'] People get bogged down in the genres they choose. It also has a lot to do with ability, because many players struggle to play fairly basic rock / blues, and just plod on for year after year without improvement. For those people, any thought of trying something more adventurous - say jazz is futile, so they 'play safe'. Tastes in music have changed so much. For me, the late '60s to mid '70s were a golden age for adventurous guitar - based music. There were so many interesting styles being fused together, and there existed a market for this material. I was too young to be involved at that time, but I try to keep those values in mind to this day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 As to flexibility, etc.... I really wouldn't personally care to zap people who don't do what I do musically. Especially if it's a different genre. I'm one of those folks who isn't talented but is capable of working hard to develop skill at what I want to do and don't particularly care about spending my guitar time on stuff I don't particularly care to do. E.g., I can understand wondering why a "Lead Guitar" picker can't make a switch, but... what of the classical guitarist who's put all his effort into a specific repertoire playing off the map? As for me personally, I just don't "think" like a single/double stop "lead" guitarist a la Django. Django was a genius, but I notice he didn't play much ragtime, either. I'm in awe of Doc Watson, but... I've never heard that he tried to play Bach better than Segovia. I basically do "keyboard guitar" with nobody else behind me, human or "recording." I'm not even close to Joe Pass or Chet Atkins in talent, so I'll freely admit that it's likely impossible to jump into a band to take off from scratch in a key I'm not used to, in a different style and perhaps with material I've never heard or an arrangement far different than I've ever heard ... as a "lead guitarist." Can I play Seranade in Blue fingerstyle? Yeah, but not in A or F without thinking about it, and certainly not easily with some arrangements. I'll likely do it differently in a couple of months or in a couple of years, but I'll have to rethink the arrangement and fingerings. Yet I never quite play it the same way night to night now. But can some darned good rock guitarists do what I did 30 years ago to pick up a classical guitar, score and album of the musical "Man of LaMancha" for 24 hours and then do three performances in Aflat Eflat and such oddballs? I'm not bragging, but just chording off the map with Flamenco-style fingernails was a piece of cake regardless of cramping on my poor, innocent left hand once I sorta "knew" the music and rhythms I was expected to play. Yet can I go and play an unexpected rock or country lead gig with a band I've never heard tomorrow night like some guys I know, regardless of what key or whatever the band might do? No way, Jose. Maybe bass if I know the "song list" and keep it simple. Even then... Is the band's style complex or dead simple? How would I fit? Do they expect runs or just "boom boom?" Except for a few "top enders," a lot of classically trained musicians can't imagine playing without music in front of them or in mind's eye - and they might have such talent that even a simple piece sounds better from them than 99 percent of other artists who might attempt the piece. Again, I think we're comparing apples to oranges. There are different expressions of creativity. There are talented musicians who aren't skilled, skilled musicians who aren't talented and some folks who ain't neither one but just love playing with friends regardless. I don't like to put any of them down. As for doing the same every night for money, even with jazz and rock there's an expectation, except with jam bands or a jam sorta gig, that you'll be consistent. They wanna hear roughly the same guitar solo, the same vocal... I dunno... I just dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 /chuckle It's just jamming. How can you not be able to jam? I mean, some rhythms and timings are more difficult than others to pick up, but... You're kidding us right? Can't jam??? Good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 You mean to say that you don't have a subscription to receive your copy of "The Chap"? Should I forward your e-mail address??? http://www.thechap.net/ TTFN! I have obviously been living a very sheltered life. Thanks for opening my eyes - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc3c46 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I know...Im in a rut now too. I find I play the same things over and over. My jamming friends are all moving away. Try to learn Slide. That's what I started to do. And try to play it with just fingers like Arlen Roth shows it. Trust me, it is cool and gets you out of the usual rut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 All one style and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I love to rock out on a guitar but I've learned that playing jazz (for me on piano) greatly broadens my rock guitar playing. Our jazz teacher used to stop us in mid-piece, point at a person and say something like "play Yankee Doodle in the key of F#." We had to think about the tune for just a second and get it right without prior knowledge. He'd pick one tune after another in various keys until it became second nature to us. I know it sounds silly but it does help to broaden your musical thoughts. There is a pitfall to learning too much though. Some people just zoom up and down various tonal scales without much regard to a melody. The great ones do it all naturally (Joe Pass is an example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 You mean to say that you don't have a subscription to receive your copy of "The Chap"? Should I forward your e-mail address??? http://www.thechap.net/ TTFN! You can forward me a copy...AXE@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 'Chaps'? chaps? I prefer black leather to brown. And you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 We used to have a guy like that in our band. He could play OK, but would only learn to play a song note-for-note, or as close as he could get to it. Then he would play it the same way every time. It made it difficult for our band to ever jam or do songs differently. You can't teach creativity or imagination. Some people just don't have it. One good thing, was I never got lost while soloing. I would listen to him and know exactly where we were in the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 We used to have a guy like that in our band. He could play OK' date=' but would only learn to play a song note-for-note, or as close as he could get to it. Then he would play it the same way every time. It made it difficult for our band to ever jam or do songs differently. You can't teach creativity or imagination. Some people just don't have it. One good thing, was I never got lost while soloing. I would listen to him and know exactly where we were in the song. [/quote'] Our first Bass Player was like that, but he was a little unrealistic. He told us, "We won't be jamming 'cause we're going to be a serious band". I called him on it right away, I said, "Yes we will. That's the way I do it, 15 or 20 minutes of Jamming then we get down to the set list". After a few minutes of this I got him to admit he couldn't jam. I offered to show him how and he quit. which was alright with me Now we do songs in front of bar crowds that we haven't even talked about, let alone practiced. And when we do a Blues number we just start in some ol' key and I start singing the first song that comes to my head, then we know what we're doin'. However, there are some songs that deserve to be played as close to the original as possible, but these are different for every player. Like the only 2 SRV songs I try to "duplicate" are "Couldn't Stand The Weather" and "Change It". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 'Chaps'? These Blokes are Chaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 These Blokes are Chaps I'm not sure Andy Capp and Chalky quite measure up to the very high standard one expects from a Chap. Perchance they are merely 'Blokes', as mentioned in your caption? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 You mean to say that you don't have a subscription to receive your copy of "The Chap"? Should I forward your e-mail address??? http://www.thechap.net/ TTFN! Way cool! This site is a hoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I'm not sure Andy Capp and Chalky quite measure up to the very high standard one expects from a Chap. Perchance they are merely 'Blokes'' date=' as mentioned in your caption? [/quote'] Sorry, I'm an American, I didn't realize a Chap was more sophisticated than a Bloke. So... I Guess the Chaps are Blokes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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