Beginners

[windhorse]

I'm off, after this post to play at "beginner night" at Eric's.
I have a love/hate relationship with playing with people that are prepetual beginners. Do you guys know what I mean?
In a way, I am a prepetual beginner, since I'm constantly learning something. And, it won't be long until I'm completely senile.
Dave

[Chupacabra]

Maybe some of them just need someone to inspire them to move out of their comfort zone...

[windhorse]

That was well said,, you gotta believe that everyone can learn given the right circumstances..
So, tonight was surprisingly, wonderful.. Eric and I established a nice solid backbone, and a few other of the guys stepped it up to stay in the pocket for most the night! Doesn't always happen,, but fun when it does..
Something I was going to say in the thread eventually, is that I "love" sharing parts with someone learning. Though,my favorite spot in an ensemble is usually being the bottom feader and in the beginner role. But, it's also nice to Be the giver of energy and beacon to hold a rhythm together, thus in the teacher role.

Dave

[BMac]

My friend Mike bought his first congas just a couple of months ago. This dude is stepping up hard. He's calling me his sensei, and I'm like, naw dude. He's moving up fast. He makes me want to try harder to develop. Yeah, I know where you're coming from ... playing level is an endless continuum. It can be frustrating to hold rhythms for monkey-banger players that just don't learn. I've seen people monkey-bang for YEARS and never get any better. And then for sport, when I hand them their butt on a plate by playing a circle around them ... they don't even understand what just happened. They still think I'm the mostly-rhythm guy that can't solo/improv and they're some kinda magical muse ... "Hey man, you messed me up ... just play straight man." Their ain't no magical muses in this world. Everybody's hoping to be that charmed artist that doesn't have to try. I call it the "Fresh Prince" syndrome ... they remind me of that TV character played by Will Smith. They see a musician making it look easy ... so they think it always was easy for that musician. I don't believe in that. I'm pretty much sick and done with Fresh Princes ... at least for now ... until I return to the candle like a moth ... so yeah man ... it's a love/hate relationship ... for sure.

My new friend Mike though ... like I said, stepping up hard. He reminds me not to turn my back to people who are just getting started. He called me up out of the blue one day, a friend of a friend, and asked me to help him look at some congas he was thinking about buying. He's been playing a couple of hours a day since then ... and yeah, it shows, and he ain't monkey banging, he's got study material and he's learning technique. Some time in the next week he'll be upgrading the heads. So now the number of people I have to plays congas with has doubled. He and one other dude are the only people I know seriously interested in meeting and playing congas.

As far as bottom feeders go, if we're talking about holding rhythms while hot-shots improv ... quite frankly ... who is the feeder in that arrangement? Seems like Windhorse sees the irony I see. Somehow top percussion came to be called "lead," but that top percussion follows the "bottom" rhythm layers or loses relevancy. I mean, we all know what it sounds like when a "soloist" loses touch with the other layers in the music don't we? I'm no microbiologist but I know rotting garbage when I smell it. But Fresh Prince says "hey man, that's what Miles Davis did ... he just let loose man." But I just don't hear that when I listen to Davis and other great soloists. Great soloists expound on the other layers ... expounding is different than disregarding. So who's on top? It ain't Fresh Prince ... that's for sure. If you don't understand the underlying rhythms ... you're solos are just gonna sound like a drum fell out of the back of a truck onto the highway.

Cheers,
BMac

[windhorse]

Your friend Mike sounds like some of my friends..

Soloing wasn't part of what I was talking about,, but I'd agree with what you said about the difference in just showing off and having one or two chops with nothing else but inspiration.. As compared to:: really having studied it with, and knowing a classic method.
But, hey I've got some of that dumb*ass show it off in me..

By bottom feeder, I meant not knowing much beyond being shown a part and then having it as a player in a few minutes and then playing a support role in a rhythm where everyone else around you is REALLY good..

I know Tony - Blango has said many times,, how awesome it is to be surrounded by Sandy Perez and many other CA greats.. That's a great place to be.. That guy who's being turned onto really good vibes, styles, and musical vocabulary. That way there's a big wall to climb,, and the jurney is where all the fun is located,...

My friend Mike bought his first congas just a couple of months ago. This dude is stepping up hard. _snip_
monkey-bang for YEARS and never get any better. _snip_ ... it's a love/hate relationship ... for sure.
As far as bottom feeders go, if we're talking about holding rhythms while hot-shots improv ... quite frankly ... who is the feeder in that arrangement?_snip_
Cheers,
BMac