It's true, when working as a OMB, there certainly are convenience features that make the gig easier and more manageable, but......one thing that I have observed over the years in general and on this board specifically; the more accomplished the player, the less the whining and complaining about features like chord sequencers, and mp3 playback, and midifile/arranger style sync, etc., etc. ect.
In all the years I've been involved in music, I don't ever recall a great B3 player complaining about a B3 not having a transpose button (and I've met a lot of the great ones). Can you imagine Herbie Hancock asking for chord sequencer? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the woodshed. Spend that two hours a day you spend posting philosopy, psycho-babble, and what-if scenarios, in front of your keyboard (any keyboard) practicing and I gaurantee that you will eventually find that the music is far more important than the keyboards feature set. Ummmm, wonder how come the piano is still around essentially unchanged for the last several hundred years (and still fairly popular two). The truth is, the better you are, the less you need crutches. JMO.

chas

Wonderful observation, Chas, and I must say I do agree with you.

I can only hope that you are also following the advice you so freely give...

You must remember..."advice always sounds best to the one who gives it".

JMO,

Ian



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Cha d’dhùin doras nach d’fhosgail doras.

Chas,

You are absolutely right. Cole Porter once said "The secret to being a good musician is practice. You must practice, practice and practice. And, when you think you have practiced enough, practice more!"

One of the things I've done for many years is try to learn a new song every week of the year. At the end of the year you will have learned 52 new songs. Keep in mind these are not really new songs, but songs that you have not performed during your normal routine. This type of diversity will keep you in front of the music keyboard and away from the PC's keyboard, which is a good thing.

Good luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

PRACTICE?? I don't need no stinkin' PRACTICE.
I need new stuff!
Seriously, I used to practice all the time. Now I'm too busy working to practice much. Must be a correlation there somewhere!
Rather than true practice, I now use slow times on the job for experimentation, with new songs, new sounds, different styles. I suppose that's practice too.
DonM

"Blowing in the woodshed"...what a GREAT line!

"Woodshedding...doghouse bass...trading fours...terms that bring out great memories. It's language that BeBop and others would relate to.

No wonder you're a vital part of "The Feeble Winds"!

Dead on, friend!


R.

"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the woodshed".

Works for me!

R.

in a Down Beat issue featuring the immortal Art Tatum several years ago,they asked Jaki Byard what made Tatum so great. Jaki said: obviously he must practice a lot more than the rest of us.. In another interview in the same issue, they asked Tiny Grimes (correct me if i got the name wrong), Tatum's guitarist of many years, about the great one's practice routine. Grimes said: in all the years i have played with him and roomed with him I have never once known him to have practiced a note.

It is true that the music and the musicianship is more important than any equipment. Lee Trevino used to hustle bets playing against country club golfers using only a broomstick and a Coke bottle and beating them. But even
Trevino played top-ranked clubs on tour.

Practice is necessary, but it gets more results for some than others..some need only to practice early in their careers, some need only to practice short periods, and some practice endlessly and never really become great.

If that's all there is to say is practice..then we don't need
SZ..we do all use equipment and we read these posts to gain and give knowledge about equipment. My friend
Claudio Roditi is one of the most talented trumpet players ever. Yet- he has also been an equipment nut to the point
of obsession, spending hours every week hunting down different horns in cities he travels to, days discussing mouthpieces..he even installed a lathe in his apartment to work on mouthpieces. he never stops looking for the "perfect" one. and so it is with all of us here. why not?

It is not right to criticize anyone for seeking to improve the equipment they play on. i never was very good on the
alto sax, and always stuck to tenor and bari. about 5 years
ago i tried a new "Cannonball" brand alto a friend had on a gig, and i loved it.
I went out and bought that new brand, and within 6 months felt that i felt and sounded better than i ever had on tenor, and switched permanently to alto. never would have happened except for that particular equipment.

let's keep a sense of perspective about this issue..



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Miami Mo

Mo, few of us are blessed with Art Tatums natural gifts. However, I do agree with you on this statement....

"Practice is necessary, but it gets more results for some than others..some need only to practice early in their careers, some need only to practice short periods, and some practice endlessly and never really become great"

In fact, that's a very astute observation. As for myself, I play several hours each day but I would hardly call it disciplined practice. Probably more beneficial to things like muscle memory, etc. than anything else. Yeah, I guess (as someone pointed out) I should practice (no pun intended) what I preach. I'll start next Monday.

chas

chas, what you seem to be saying is that you agree with just the one thing I said that agrees with your premise in your posting...

so you disagree with all the rest of it?

Mo

Miami Mo..very well articulated. The right equipment is a necessity in this business. I guess the point, from my prospective, is, use equipment as a tool, not as a crutch.

One of the best live performances I ever saw was a TV performance recorded in Louisville on educational TV by Ray Brown (a mentor in my younger days), Victor Wooten and a legitemate upright player, Edgar Mayer. Three basses. They met 1/2 hour before the performance/filming...obviously, no practice time. It was fantastic. When I got to Louisville, Ray had just finished a lesson with a promising student...no charge. That's something he did in every city he visited, before every performance, until he passed on.

Obviously, depending on skill level, experience, the type of music and personal goals, the right amount of practice is a function of all of the above. I have noticed that probably because of the vast differences in individual instruments, reeds, mouthpieces, etc., the majority of players I've known who are obsessed with getting the right tone have been horn players.

Always enjoy your contributions,


Russ