a musical mystery
being a middle-aged Musician has some advantages…I’m not obsessed with making you pay attention to only ME…the open mic scene seems to be full of musicians determined to strut their stuff no matter what…last night I heard/saw a drummer drop a stick (I used to do that) and lose the beat, but he NEVER got it back…maybe MAYBE he couldn’t hear the Bass guitar enuff to know that he was off…or maybe MAYBE he hasn’t learned how to listen to the other players…admittedly it’s taken me years to learn this stuff…I try to listen to whoever is on stage, unless I think they’re hardly worth listening to (“bad” being a relative term) but even then, most of the time it’s about the overall sound of the “band” IMO…Open mics can be a form of networking I guess, but I haven’t properly exploited that concept to my advantage…As far as the Wed Nite Jam in Bowie goes, the “blues only” format is starting to wear a bit thin…it’s not that I’m such a phenomenal guitarist, and know everything I need to know…I know enough to know that I don’t know everything…I can’t/won’t speak for anyone else, but I certainly do know when I make a mistake…I sometimes wonder if some musicians hear theirs…and (whispers) a “professional” doesn’t let on if/when he or she DOES make a mistake–f**k that, I prefer the honest approach…and I’m a bit tired of not quite hearing the sound that I’m used to hearing (MY sound) the answer to that being all too obvious–I should bring MY amp…I just have to decide if it’s worth it for the brief time I might be onstage…the Ego rears its’ ugly head again…but other than financially, today Life is (fairly) Good…
I have played a guitar for 40+ years. I still miss a note…I just play on through…unless I’m just practicing. I know when I’ve goofed, as does any musician…and hear those goofs made by others as well. Playing through the mistake isn’t being dishonest. The professional aims for perfection…and sometimes that perfection is just forgetting the error…and go on making the music. For the most part, my mistakes are never noticed. When I have finished playing, after making a mistake, I get off by myself and give myself a swift kick in the butt…and get on with it. 8)
I’ve been avoiding open mic stuff as well. I schedule shows from time to time, but I’ve heard horror stories about the lack of talent in the open mic places around Asheville.
I guess it’s easy to get tired of practicing in the bedroom; it’s easy to get impatient…so maybe I should go easy on those musicians who (in MY opinion)aren’t “ready”, whatever “ready” actually means…and I’m not talking about “boo-boos”, I guess I’m talking about an obvious…well, never mind…maybe it’s ALL relative–*I* say someone sucks, you say they need some polish…it’s in the ear of the beholder I suppose…nobody’s forcing me to go to these things, to play OR listen…
LOL! I understand….completely. I think it should be a requirement for those who play in public places to actually be able to play their instruments… 😆