That "comfort zone" thing can be nice but it robs you of the chance to become a more balanced musician. Every gig is a paid rehearsal and an opportunity to improve. Playing in the key of B (or somewhat more challenging: Db) or any key other than C gives you more experience in new fingering, scaling and soloing. It could make that grand piano look more inviting. I agree with getting enough songs under your belt to do the gig any way you have to but at that very instant is when you should add songs for the sake of stretching your abilities.

Same can be said for the play-by-ear-only crowd. I think any one-sided approach to performance is a hinderance to progress. I've known people who could only play by sheet music and what they lacked in improvisation skills they often made up for in sightreading ability and sheer precision. I wouldn't trade one set of skills for another but do my best to incorporate both.

Wow. You guys sure got phil0sophical on this one.

This one is so simple. Be the best musician that you can be, build an arsenal with as many weapons that you can (technique, ear, sight reading, improv, playing in keys, using technology, not using technology, ...).

But,

When people come to hear you play, use what ever you can to make them happy (midi files, vocoder, arrangers, no arrangers, transpose functions, stand on one foot and drink a glass of water while singing). They will appreciate it and you'll have more fun performing.

You need an ego to perform but you also have to have respect for your audience.

[This message has been edited by RobertG (edited 08-18-2006).]

Many of the finest players/performers played/play by ear. I didn't learn to site read until I was involved in a lot of studio work. Learning tunes is faster if you can read. Doing arrangements requires reading skills. Rehearsing for a one time performance is a lot faster when you site read. Look at Paul Shafer read charts when he backs Letterman guests.

I would never rely on charts for live performances, but it's great when you have a "one shot" guest or performance of unfamiliar material.

I don't know why every professional wouldn't take the time to develop a level of proficiency in site reading.


Russ

well,since I started this thread, I'll jump back in here to sum up my feelings re what has been said..
I think one has to always find a balance:
1)please your audience, but hold to your musical tastes and standards as well--and vice versa. doing just one w/o the other is a slippery slope..
2)it's an art form, but also a vocation..and vice versa.
3)whatever it takes to make music more interesting and
entertaining and meaningful and artisitic is valid. If it's
craftsmanship, fine. If it's not..that's Ok too. If everyone
was born with effortless ability to sing like an angel, that
would make the world a better place, no? Or does it suck because anyone can do it without years of training and practice?
btw..thanks for all the input, guys!!!
MIAMI MO

Topic ---- Philosophical questions re "cheating"

Not to make it sound too simple --- Cheating is not when you’re doing something wrong. Cheating is when you KNOW you are doing something wrong.

Humans have the unique ability to lie to ourselves “big time”. If you truly feel you’re not cheating, do what you do without allowing someone to condemn you.
If you know it’s cheating, ya gotta keep fighting everybody, they could be right.

I was taught that wrong/cheating begins in your heart, that’s where the real you lies.

Whooooooops, Did I say too much?

John C.

Part of this I cannot understand. If your chops are amazingly good in C, then the other keys should not be hard because they all use the same 12 notes. I mean, of course I know it is harder to play in some keys than others, but Jazz can have so many chord changes and such that even to play a song in C would require knowing lots of other chords.
What if you needed to comp Suffisticated Lady, or Smoke Gets in your Eyes, or Joyspring or whatever songs like that where the bridge is in a whole differnt key than the main section. Can you comp those tunes? Because if you can, then you can already play in different keys.

[This message has been edited by FAEbGBD (edited 08-18-2006).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FAEbGBD:
[B]Part of this I cannot understand. If your chops are amazingly good in C, then the other keys should not be hard because they all use the same 12 notes. I mean, of course I know it is harder to play in some keys than others, but Jazz can have so many chord changes and such that even to play a song in C would require knowing lots of other chords.
What if you needed to comp Suffisticated Lady, or Smoke Gets in your Eyes, or Joyspring or whatever songs like that where the bridge is in a whole differnt key than the main section. Can you comp those tunes? Because if you can, then you can already play in different keys.

If you play let’s say in the key of C most of the time you become very comfortable with the progressions in that key. If you have to go to the bridge and it is in a different key, it does become a bit of a stretch.

It is not just my left hand (arranger keyboard) that is comfortable with the different chord progressions and that I am able to finger them with ease --- more important is that my hand seems to know where to go without knowing the name of the next chord. The repetition is learned by the hand not just the conscious mind.

Having said that – I do take the same song and play it through 6 to 7 different keys so that my mind and hand begins to memorize the movements.

Only an opinion, John c.




[This message has been edited by bruno123 (edited 08-18-2006).]

Gotta' agree with John-- For me "C" is a natural and my aging fingers seem to instinctively know where to go. This applies to both the right and left hand. Now some folks might consider this cheating, especially piano players who don't have access to a transpose feature. For me, I consider that transpose button a GIFT! Sure makes life a lot easier.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Gary , I definitly C what you mean

I agree, well said.
Peter