General Music Chat

More precisely, wegman, paper trained musicians aren't necessarily uncreative - they have just been psychologically formatted to use sheet music as a false crutch for performance. By the 5,000th time you've played something, believe me, you don't even read the music in front of you anymore. It's already in your mind, your heart and maybe your soul. But there has been a psychological chain attached to that paper with the black dots on it, and it tells the brain that playing cannot happen unless it's there.

As they do in The Wizard of Oz - pull the curtain on that farcical old charlatan running the scary floating head projector...and toss that sheet music.

Then more precisley, what you speak of is the weak minded.

Then more precisley, what you speak of is the weak minded.

I guess you could say that. But the good news is, it can be overcome. I've seen it happen. It just takes the right encouragement and communication.

I expected you to hammer me on that comment, but we do see it the same way.

And your recommendations to over come it I couldn't agree with more.

I agree completely that being well-rounded is important... To me. And obviously to you two.

There are many many musicians that specialize in reading, example is a studio musician, they need to look it over once and be performance ready right then (definitely mit improv skillz as well) these guys are great musicians.

A concert cello player is another example: They may never in their entire careers be asked to improvise and were never taught to do so. I'm not sure I'm ready to dismiss their musicianship cause they can't (or in respect to Irm's good point WON'T) go off book. And no fair mentioning Pablo Cassals as a counter, he's just freaky good.

D

I wish you could meet the cello player for my band. She is classically trained, and plays in three orchestras. But she also does a stint in a totally improv ambient new jazz band. She is a standing example of how diverse a musicians palatte can be. I respect her, immensely.