Diki (and others),

�Testicular fortitude?� �.Diki, that was good!

I really have to thank you (Diki and others) for your series of postings here. This is the first time I�ve been able to get a handle on the dynamics that go on in this room. Good for you telling it like it is:

�Lot's of people 'talk the talk', but let's face it. This IS a musician's forum. What good is the 'talk' without the 'walk.�

Now I�m starting to understand why there is NO musical exchange of ideas�it all comes down to human nature. Kind of like the Internet dating sites. You can be anyone you want to be as long as you don�t show yourself!

Still I�ll continue reading because there IS the equipment reports which as you said are enlightening if you use a certain amount of discernment. I�m still trying to digest how you can play to an audience 500 strong using a sub designed for your living room hi-fi set or your computer.

Other side of the coin. EVERYONE brings SOMETHING to the table. A few months back I heard a demo of someone doing a really awful version of Tico Tico. I could have learned a foreign language in the time it took him to complete the song! I was about to put it in the paper shredder when I heard him do an octave shift in the middle of a phrase. That was catchy�I adopted that idea and afterwards made it a point to listen to just about anything because you always pick up something if you�re astute (I even learned from Donny, though it pains me to admit THAT too!).

Next thought: Showering praise on everyone who posts a song! Isn�t this kind of living in the Twilight Zone? If everyone tells everyone else how wonderful they are, then there is no more benchmark to compare them with. Now look what�s happening in our schools. Students are falling so far behind that the only eventual solution was to �shower praise on everyone� and tell then how wonderful they are! Does that make the kid any smarter? It only gives him delirium about his capabilities!

When I was a child, my father came down on me so hard about �not putting on a sterling performance in EVERYTHING I do� that I told myself one day that �no one will ever say that to me again� and I proceeded to learn my music and everything else inside and out. I have to thank him for never patting me on the head and �showering� me with �undeserved praise.� I experienced phenomenal growth after that.

Finally, a few weeks back someone posted a link to a demo. Chas critiqued the tune and tried to offer constructive criticism. I remember thinking someone finally had the nerve to buck the �great job, Joe� routine and explore new territory by suggesting the performance could use some �touching up.� I personally thought Chas offered good, honest advice but, if I remember correctly, he caught H___ for that! And no one backed him up for using his own style of �testicular fortitude!�

Speaking for myself, I always tell people something like �I didn�t play this song to show you how GOOD I am, I played it so you can bring up some suggestions you might have to make it even better! I�ve always found humility to be an unassailable ally! If I had the proper recording equip, I�d certainly post a song�NOT to show my skills but to hear ideas from other musicians on how THEY would play it (or are MY now living in the Twilight Zone?).

John DiLeo�s idea is a good one. Set up a �music room� for the exchange of ideas. Unfortunately, it would probably go bankrupt within a week. I�m going back to equipment watching!

Lucky